Fabulous and exclusive...
This place gave me all the feels. For starters, the Red Phone Booth is essentially a 1920's themed speakeasy with style and design elements borrowed from the Prohibition era. It's uber underground and exclusive; in fact, it's so exclusive that patrons can only gain access through the red phone booth that requires a secret passcode. I absolutely loved that!
And, speaking of "passcode", my hubby and I literally stood outside for 10 minutes (in the cold nonetheless) with at least 10 other people trying to find ways to enter the establishment. We tried using the phone in the booth to call for help, we Googled "how to get into the Red Phone Booth in ATL", we even asked previous visitors on Instagram how to get in...and none of it worked. The mystery of it all brought us together with total strangers and provided an unique opportunity to socialize and do what we Americans do best: have fun and figure s*** out.
We finally got the passcode from a group of tourists who obtained the code from the concierge at their hotel...because, as we found out, the code can only be gotten through hotels or by word of mouth. We graciously thanked our new friends for sharing their code with us and finally entered into the speakeasy through the secret door in the red phone booth...
Boom! We're in there!
Once we entered, we were greeted by Mike, the speakeasy's manager, and was given a grand tour of the establishment, including its members-only area and a humidor that houses hundreds of cigars from around the world. My hubby's face immediately lit up as he walked into the humidor -- he's really into cigars (so into cigars that he started his own cigar company, Magnate Green).
The tour Mike gave was fabulous and well-detailed. He gave us information about the history of the speakeasy and their relationship with hotel concierges. He also shared secrets with us that he doesn't usually tell his regular customers. Being a blogger definitely has its perks. 😘
Once we settled into our private table (every table feels like VIP here by the way), my hubby and I were completely floored by the luxurious yet laid back and unpretentious vibe of the space. The leather furnishings, the warm lighting, the exposed brick, and soft lantern-style candles made the environment feel upscale and sexy. It was exactly what we look for when going out on a date.
Bring on the cocktails...
I asked Mike, the manager who so graciously served us himself, to recommend a sweet and fruity cocktail for me. My hubby ordered a whiskey to complement a champagne cigar that he chose from the humidor. Mike suggested I try their "popular with women" cocktail called "The 404." And omg! It. Was. SO. GOOD!!! I had never had anything like it! It was bright and refreshing with hints of citrus; yet, the cocktail's grapefruit and berry flavored liquer and vodka packed a powerful punch. I'll return back to the Red Phone Booth just for that cocktail alone!
Let's not forget the food...
Amalfi Pizza is located upstairs from the Red Phone Booth and that is where the food we ordered came from. We shared an order of calamari with aioli sauce as well as a five-cheese pizza. Y'all, the food was absolutely delicious! I've been to Italy before; and, I have to admit, the Italian food I had from Amalfi tasted so much better than the Italian food I had in Italy. Go figure.
Hypnotize and socialize...
One of the things I liked best about the Red Phone Booth is it's great for a one-on-one with your better half but it's also great for socializing and networking. My husband is business-oriented to the core and I literally live for connecting with people on a deep level. So, once we had eaten, downed our cocktails and whiskey, and engaged each other in sexy, hypnotizing conversation by the candlelight, we began to notice others in the room and decided to open ourselves up to connecting with them.
We didn't notice much diversity at the Red Phone Booth, as all the other patrons there were White, but literally everyone we met was friendly and genuinely interested in us and having a great time. The atmosphere was completely conducive to socializing and making new friends. We loved that!
We also loved how our night ended...
The Red Phone Booth gave us everything we needed in a date night. It was the perfect backdrop for us to go deeper with each other and break up the monotony of our daily lives. It also helped to get us in the mood for the rest of our evening.
We ended the night at the fabulous Westin Hotel in Buckhead, completely in bondage to one another as we performed sexy, dominatrix moves that we learned from watching 50 Shades of Grey. Just joking!! Or am I? 😘
And, don't let the difficulty getting in discourage you from going. I promise you, once you're in there, it's so worth it!
With love,
Quan Lanae Green
