Community Bar Atlanta – Eater Atlanta

The vibe at Commune, an intimate new wine bar and listening lounge at Olive & Pine in Avondale Estates, mixes the secrecy of a speakeasy with the informality of a friend’s record-lined basement. Patterned quilts line the walls, accompanied by vintage artwork and local creations. The sound system is perfectly tuned and the absence of windows allows you to lose yourself in the music by sinking into one of the cognac-colored booths.

Ilya Zobanov

Listening bars are part of a growing trend of similar destinations popping up across the country, including here in Atlanta. Victory Coffee in Inman Park morphed into Stereo earlier this year, and later this summer, Atlanta DJ Ree de la Vega is expected to open Pisces, a music restaurant in the Sound Table space.

Each week, a rotating cast of local DJs and touring artists take place behind the decks at Commune. Events are regularly updated and include a diverse selection of music. DJ Saasha Foo plays Balearic house music and downtempo hip-hop, and on another night, Chris Devoe and DJ Cozy Shawn pay tribute to late legend Prince.

The April 20 soft opening featured influential New York DJ and trendsetter Alix Brown behind the decks, accompanied by Bardo Martinez of Chicano band Batman and musician Helado Negro. Andre 3000 was spotted in Commune the day before his Jazz Fest performance, while bandmate Carlos Niño played a set of jazz and otherworldly sounds.

Besides music, wine plays an important role here. On an evening of moody jazz, a cool and complex Nebbiolo d’Alba 2021 from Poderi Colla was a popular choice to accompany the musical ambiance, revealing its rich palate alongside hushed discussions among patrons. Another night, a garage rock mix seemed to spark a louder crowd and called for a wild and unconventional Rosato Frizzante from Matteo Furlani, which has a unique secondary fermentation that includes the addition of frozen grape must.

“I DJ wines in a way,” says James Beard Award-nominated sommelier Steve Grubbs, formerly of Hugh Acheson concepts Empire State South and Five and Ten. “I’m not going to play you the hits that you want to hear, I’m going to play you the stuff that I think is really cool.”

Grubbs changes the wine list every week, much like the records played at Commune. A selection of local beers and non-alcoholic options including tea, kombucha and mocktails from St. Agrestis and Tilden, two popular non-alcoholic brands, are also available on deck. Chef Autumn Jade (of Common Loon, a pop-up at Whoopsie’s) is behind the menu, and her partner Miranda Vick (of Little Tart and formerly Empire State South) is the pastry chef. Expect rotating seasonal dishes like mushroom toast, cantaloupe and salami, snapper crudo, and pecan olive oil cake.

Zopi Kristjanson and Christopher Devoe run Commune. Inspiration for the bar came from the Palladium, a former who’s who of the art world club located in downtown New York in the late ’70s and ’80s. Kristjanson envisioned a space similar to Atlanta and, soon after, partnered with Devoe to create a gathering place for local creatives.

“I realized that places like clubs and bars are important places to connect and support a city’s creative arts scene,” Kristjanson says.

Commune is open Wednesday to Saturday, 6 p.m. to midnight, with a rotating lineup of DJs and a wine list. Reservations are not necessary.