Dine with politicos at Manuel’s Tavern

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For more than 60 years, elected officials, journalists, and gadflies of all stripes—though let’s be honest, mostly Democrats—have traded gossip, hectored televised debates, and licked legislative wounds at the watering hole that’s become a living museum of Georgia political history. Opened in 1956 by Lebanese immigrant—and later DeKalb County political heavyweight—Manuel Maloof, the Poncey-Highland pub has become a near-religious site for traveling politicos including President Barack Obama, who threw darts before a sitdown with Vice. Though a 2016 renovation tweaked the layout, the bar’s walls are still covered with memorabilia—historic preservationists cataloged Zell Miller’s portrait, playing cards stuck to the ceiling, and tributes to fallen Atlanta police officers—and the spirit remains. Raise a glass to Manuel, whose ashes are perched behind the bar, and keep an eye open for the next mayor or governor eating a chili dog. 602 North Highland Avenue, 404-525-3447, manuelstavern.com

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