Apache Café

Went on open mic night on a Sunday, and it was good vibes. the food was… eehh. but the environment and entertainment was great. They began at 8pm with lots of talented poets, and artist. The host was great! he was very comical. I would definitely recommend going here. the place looks like a hole in the wall but, its the beauty of it. full of culture with nothing but good vibes. I suggest you get there early to get a seat or a table because it does get crowded. also they ensure that you pay for your parking to prevent getting a boot on your vehicle. which i think was great for them to ensure your night would not get ruined by walking out with a 75.00 bill. Il definitely be coming back here.

I love supporting businesses like this– showcasing underground talent is a beautiful thing and I wish more venues did this. The spot is very quaint and has a cozy atmosphere about it. My waitress was attentive although a little rude and my drink was on point. So why only three stars? Well, as far as the food goes next time I will do without.
Because I know the difference between «blacken» and burnt, I’ll say that the 4 to 5 small frozen shrimp thrown on top of my grist were BRUNT; included with the shrimp was one sliver slice of a red pepper and one sliced piece of onion with brunt gravy. After I scraped that off of the grits, I found the grits tasty… I didn’t even have to ask for salt. But much work is needed for this dish, even if they went to Walmart and bought a $ 5 bag of frozen shrimp– they wouldn’t have to skimp out so bad. But to hold out on the main ingredient, I mean… it is called Shrimp and Grits for a reason and for $ 14.00 bowl– you could have at least thrown in about 3 to 5 mores pieces of shrimp in there – I could see if they were tiger shrimp then maybe 3 shrimp would be enough or even if they served large shrimp then I should least be able to get about 5 pieces… but 4 small shrimp and frozen at that… for $ 14.00… I think they could do better. I would go again for the entertainment but I will definitely eat before I leave home.

First time there and I noticed the parking was taken on the block so I parked a little ways up and paid the meter. I may take Marta next time.
There were a bunch of people outside waiting and the guy comes out saying he’s letting in people 4 at a time to not let the cold air out.(I kid you not).
It felt like a morgue inside. I was miserable in my spaghetti straps and wanted to go home and get a jacket had I not already paid for parking.
Small cozy place inside so I sat in one of the chairs towards the back. $ 10 minimum which wasn’t bad. Reasonable menu which I never got to order from because the server ignored me. She served these two guys in front of me who decided to pay for this girl seated next to me. I know I’m not that dark but I will ASSume she thought I was with them. Me not eating or drinking should have been the giveaway that I wasn’t.
It was open mic Apollo night and a good vibe but feeling both invisible and freezing my ass off were weighing heavy on me. People were paying to come in and stand up which I REFUSE to do so if you’re not there within 30 minutes of the doors opening, you will be too.
Only because I like spoken word/​open mic stuff will I return (with my hoodie) and sit somewhere I can be seen to get service.

I love Apache Café. A much needed jazz bar in Atlanta. It hosts lots of performances with promising talent in Atlanta. Very laid back atmosphere.

I came here to experience the poetry night and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I was hungry so I ordered a full meal– the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Greens and Mashed Potatoes. It was pretty good! Usually I need hot sauce when I eat fried chicken, but this chicken was delicious without it. The greens were well seasoned and maybe a little bit too well seasoned for my liking, but the flavor was nice. The mashed potatoes were also enjoyable. My alcoholic beverages were a disappointment because it tasted and felt like I was drinking juice. I didn’t get any kind of buzz from the two Amaretto Sours that I ordered. They tasted good, but I didn’t taste or feel any alcohol. The host to the event was awesome and incredibly funny! The poets were extremely dope as well.

Came here for open house on a 2^nd Tuesday. It was great to see beautiful, young, black creatives go on stage and express themselves through their work. I wish I lived in Atlanta so I could attend more often. I also ordered the jerk chicken wings which were amazing. They were SUPER spicy and literally fell off the bone! I definitely recommend it. The service was a bit slow but it was just one waitress do I don’t but the blame on her.

Absolutely amazing show!!! I hate to say the service is not on the same level. Came here for their Thursday tribute. The musicians are great but we had to wait over an hour for food and drinks. Nothing came out together. It’s been nearly 2 hours and I haven’t even been served my drink. Got my food after an hour of waiting. My friend has her drink but hasn’t gotten her food. This is my first visit. In the future I will eat before coming.

Wednesday night Jam was awesome! I would highly recommend Apache as one of Atlanta coolest music spots on Wednesday nights. I will be back!

Great entertainment! Artists are crazy talented and personable. Food was good — I had the shrimp and grits. Drinks were decent but the cups were unnecessarily small. Overall, I enjoyed myself and would definitely return.

The overall experience was great! The open mic night was nice and there was a good vibe there. I was not impressed with the bar staff, as they are unprofessional. I opened a tab at the bar and when I went to close it at the end of the night, the bartender «could not find my card.» After a few minutes of the nasty attitude from her, I had to go. When I looked at my bank account, my card had been charged. Needless to say, the bartender closed out someone else’s tab with my card and just couldn’t admit she made a mistake. I don’t recommend leaving a tab open. Pay for your drinks as you go and save yourself the trouble.

Atmosphere is very good. Food was just ok. The entrainment was good which was the whole reason for going.

Horrible service, standing room only and they kept piling people in. The «DJ» in the booth was a colossal jerk and the host took pride in his homophobic rants, yes in Atlanta! #AVOID, not with the cover: not even if admission were free.

I came for the music. I was so far from disappointed. The performer was a fabulous singer as well as an entertainer. The fish and chips were good and the service great as well.

Badly mixed, overpriced drinks (got a Blue MF that tasted like old Sprite), absolutely terrible chips and dip, horribly salty jerk chicken (get 20 of them, that is your salt intake for the year), and the waitress spilled a drink on my friends and me (glass shattering everywhere … brought out a replacement garbage-​tasting Salmon meal). Would have given her no tip, but my conscious insisted it wasn’t right.
Nothing against this place, but I have eaten and drank better in strip clubs.
Atmosphere is good and spoken word/​mic night is good for up and coming artist though. So 2 stars for that.

Chill spot, playing live r&b, open mic, loving the vibe and seeing my beautiful people. Off in the cut would never know it was there, but has been a staple in the community for the last 20 years. Good food and drinks. Only negative is they need more wait staff.

Just spent 15 minutes in the cold waiting for the staff to not open the doors at 7pm AS PROMISED… As soon as we got in to use the ATM (which you have to use because door admission fee is cash only) was out of order!!! Thanks Apache my first time coming and I will never step foot in that place AGAIN

I’ve come here for an open mic/​spokenword night and a comedy night, which featured K-​Dubb. FYI, buying tickets at the door for the comedy night was slightly higher than buying online. On the second visit, I saw familiar faces; the host, who’s comedic, and a poet/​spokenword artist, but they performed different jokes and poetry than my first visit.
Apache is a small, comfortable venue. It has reasonably priced food and drinks and the servers are friendly. There was a list of entertainment for each night upon walking in, and there’s talented people that come through there whether their craft is poetry, singing, rapping, or comedy. There’s art décor hanging along the walls as well.
I can’t recall my food order on my first visit, but most recently I ordered the fried chicken which came with greens and mashed potatoes. The chicken was great, however the potatoes didn’t come as described on the menu. My boyfriend ordered the jerk wings with a spinach salad that looked yummy; I got a chance to try the wings and I approved!
Doesn’t look like much from the outside, if you’ve never been it seems sketch. There’s some lighting, and I must admit it smells stinky in the alley leading to the entrance from the parking lot behind it. Parking was $ 8 in the lot, and there’s a bit more lighting in the lot. Overall, I’ve enjoyed both experiences, wouldn’t mind going again.

Hey I will admit from the outside this looks like a whole in a wall and the parking is scarce so just park around the corner pay the meter so you don’t have to worry about your car being booted because this is well worth it.
There was a $ 6.00 cover and I wasnt impressed at first because there was no seating. We found a shelf to rest on and enjoy the view. A room full of beautiful people from all backgrounds looking to have a good time. The hosts were engaging informative and talented. At times you would’ve thought that you could listen to them all night but it just increased the anticipation of what was to follow.
Artists were able to perform with a live band. The audience was encouraged to participate as we did. I felt like I was in an old school juke joint and loved it.
The most surprisingly delicious food. I had the best black bean and olive hummus appetizer and the shrimp and grits were superp. Spicy flavorful, creamy perfection.
Our waitress was so cute and attentive which was impressive since it looked like she was the only one working the entire café. She did a great job. It was 1am and it was standing room only! If it wasn’t for work I would’ve stayed till they closed. We will be back.

Nice little place. I have been here several times and I really like this place. Make sure you get here early and I would recommend to definitely get a table, if you can. But great atmosphere and always good entertainment with anything going on here such as art, music, poetry, etc… The food is pretty decent but I have only had a few simple things on the menu. Going back real soon.

Awesome job! Music was great and the food was beyond amazing! Get the shrimp and chicken quesdilla!

Nice vibe –4 stars. Good selections of food on the menu and good service –5 stars. 0 stars for heavy smell of weed that they said came from next door. Very sexually explicitly pictures on the wall. I wouldn’t classify any of it as art. Not tasteful at al!!!
The fried plantains were well done– almost black. I think they put a sugar on the outside and maybe that’s why they turned black in the frier– but the description needs to be updated if that the case. It looked and tasted a but burnt.
Nice visit while I was in town but I won’t return.

Older crowd maybe mid 30s-​40s. I went on a Wednesday night. There were a few problems including some of the talent. They sang happy birthday to someone for about 30min so my boyfriend and I finally left. It’s definitely for locals and regulars in the area. We couldn’t even find out if tables were available or if we could order anything it was so packed and no one available to help. I also couldn’t tell who worked there. The talent was sometimes good but I’m not sure I’d come back for that ambiance.

Make sure you get here early. Great atmosphere! Apollo amateur night. Will definitely come back again.

It’s hard not to give this place 5 Stars, but if I cannot, it’s only because of its size. I read some reviews on its location not being great or hard to find, but its really not. If you can find Georgia Tech it’s practically right there, great location in the beating heart of the city. Plus with Atlanta having so much musical talent, this place is a breeding ground and known for harvesting such talent. I went back after a long hiatus and was wow’d with the skill level of the musicians. Music brings all types. One particular night, a musician who just came off tour with Stevie Wonder blessed us with his piano skills. What a treat!
There has generally always been a good surprise when I visit this place. There is a different type of event just about each night, from poetry/​spoken word, hip hop, r&b, live band, djs, etc. I prefer the r&b open mic night on Wednesdays. It starts around 10pm. You can reserve a table, if not I recommend get here early to grab a seat. It gets to be standing room only the later it gets. I remember the entry fee being $ 6. They only take cash for entry. There is an ATM on the premises if you need it but it’s best to bring a few dollars.
Apache serves food, interesting menu from what I recall. Hummus, french fries, etc where on the list. and they have a full bar. Parking is very limited at the spot. There may be 6 –10 parking spots but there is plenty of lot parking and street parking all around. The music is pretty superb here. If you like good music, this is one of the points of origin of it in Atlanta. It attracts international artist. A girl with an Alicia Keys type vibe from London came on my last visit. She rocked the house. Even the host will get in on a good ad lib. Don’t sleep.

This place is live and the atmosphere is so chill and laid back… I really enjoyed the spoken words and the live music. The Host was funny and real cool. The only thing I didn’t like was that my food took a hour to come out. But besides that. This place is great.

Wings soggy and it’s just to small! I did not like the fact that it was only one waitress and the chairs are just not comfortable.

In ATL on vacation, looking for a restaurant near our hotel. Found The Apache Café on Unilocal.
My wife had a spinach salad and the shrimp & grits, I had the jerk chicken wings, which came with a choice of a small spinach salad or fries. I had the spinach salad, which I recommend. The dressing was excellent. We had the pear cobbler for dessert, which was top shelf. Every dish was very good. Would have given the food 5 stars but for a hair in my salad.
There was a $ 10 per person cover to get in, because there was live entertainment (open mic spoken word on Sunday night) and $ 10 minimum charge for table service. I suggest checking to find out what the entertainment and cover charge are before going. The cover varies depending on what the entertainment is, which adds an element of cost.
The Apache Café is not just a restaurant. It combines good food and thought provoking entertainment.

Nice establishment but horrible service or lack there of. I attended the Lauryn Hill Tribute and they only had one waitress! Just 1 I mean out of a crowd of possibly 100 ppl they only had one person waiting and the bartenders. Ordered chicken wings and they ran out, not to mention my party ordered way before it got crowded. Do not go here on a busy night until they realize they need more wait staff.

Back in October I came here and I really enjoyed myself. I would go back…

The creative volunteers for the night who braved the stage had all sorts of pieces from exotic poems to rapping pieces. There was two major entertainment pieces, both being music on this evening. Someone or another came down from Charlotte, N.C. to perform so that was cool. My friend and I didn’t stay long as it was a long weekend for me, but the place was opened until midnight. That late too for a Sunday night…
There seems to be little side events happening all the time. The MC mentioned something about the 3^rd Sunday of every month… Maybe that’s when poetry night is and when the locals can share their creativity? Anyway, the event was pretty entertaining. There were mini prizes for participation and little things so that was nice. Oh! And there will be a poetry slam with a grand prize of $ 500. I don’t have a creative bone in my body, but that was cool to hear about.
There seems to be a pretty regular crowd with newbies scattered throughout since this little place was packed! The crowd standing about seemed like it continually grew since I was here around 7 something and experienced that growth. The cover charge was $ 7 for this particular night. Parking (in the way back) was $ 10.

Apache is definitely a Love Jones, eclectic crowd type of place. Cornered at the end of 3^rd street, the place is small but makes good use of the space. Nothing is comfortable about the seating and it got crowded quickly because the place is fairly small. I went on a Sunday for an open Mic performance. The performers were great and the people n energy was good!.. drinks were mediocre, food was okay. The servers were cool but not very attentive at all. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself; I’d say that this place is worth a visit because of the crowd n energy it brings!

I loved my night at Apache.
I went for their underground hip-​hop battle The Bar Exam and met some really great people. Everyone’s really chill and easy-​going.
I loved the patio area where they were playing reggae and more underground hiphop, really nice place to smoke and talk if you want to.
Has a lot of really great art, I took just as many pictures of the walls as I did the stage. Drinks are good and reasonably priced. My friend wasn’t impressed by the food and ending up sending her food back. I will say food took a while to get to us and it’s a shame they don’t have chicken tenders but their fish and fries are good.
Have to park in the lot behind the patio and make sure to get there early if you want a table.

Apache Café is a beloved cultural institution in Atlanta for the urban/​alternative crowd (and the place India. Arie was discovered!)
It’s not swanky but far from «ratchet»…it’s one of the most authentic places you’ll find in Atlanta and you’ll notice the ‘vibe’ as soon as you enter. There’s always some nice event/​open mic/​jam session happening throughout the week. My 1^st experience there was for an underground hiphop concert (Little Brother) as a college freshman, and it could not have been at a better, intimate venue.
If you’re more into Badu and Robert Glasper than Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj, this is most definitely your spot. It’s a must-​visit!