Best Comedy Club/Venue

The king of comedy in Atlanta is the PUNCHLINE COMEDY CLUB. Since 1982, the intimate venue has consistently offered the best roster of acts in town, featuring a full slate of hilarious, major touring acts and plenty of gut-busting up ‘n’ comers. A plethora of superstars has performed at the Punchline over the years — including Richard Pryor, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Janeane Garofalo and Dave Chappelle — as the signed photos that line the walls attest. As the infectious radio jingle used to proclaim, “Come and get some funny” at the Punchline. We need a good laugh now more than ever. less...

This year, UPTOWN COMEDY CORNER returned to Atlanta better than before. In the few months since its reopening, the club has featured Paul Mooney among other big names in urban comedy, held auditions for HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” hosted the taping of Robert Townsend’s “Partners in Crime” for the Black Family Channel, and convinced the city of Atlanta to reinstate its liquor license. The venue itself is by far the most aesthetically pleasing and largest of Georgia’s comedy clubs. Plus, it has some fine-looking waitresses. Comedians beware, however. If you’re wack, the audience will boo you right off the stage. less...

For the past two decades, THE PUNCHLINE COMEDY CLUB has been Atlanta’s one-stop comedy shop. The unpretentious little club in Sandy Springs has hosted nearly every major comedy act known to man (and many who aren’t) including Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Dave Attell and Mitch Hedberg. A quick look at the many autographed photos that line the walls of the cozy, wood-paneled venue offer a visual history of great American stand-up comedy. Go and get some funny, it’s time to laugh. less...

For the ancient Romans, a fun-filled evening may have involved knocking back a few goblets of grape and watching gladiators disembowel each other. For today's slightly less bloodthirsty crowds, there's the comedy club, where a roar of approval equals the victor's laurel wreath — and where a quiet, pained silence is just as devastating as the emperor's down-turned thumb. For more than 15 years, the Punchline has offered a willing stage for that heartiest breed of entertainer, the standup comic, to sink or swim by his or her own wits. less...

Sure, you can fritter away your entertainment dollar at some comedy club, but why settle for one comic doing one bit at a time when Atlanta offers a regular three-ring circus of snickers, yuks and pound-the-floor guffaws — no cover, no minimum?. Do you like snappy one-liners? Try a City Council Committee meeting ("Now, how much does your department think this project will cost, Ms. Department Head?" "According to our figures, Mr. Chairman, any costs will be covered by the existing budget." Buh-duh-boom.) Slapstick more your style? Watch the mayor handle a press conference sometime. ("Mr. Mayor, who's going to benefit from this big, unbid contract?" "Oh, a wiseguy, eh?" Bonk! "Why I oughtta..." Crash! "Ow, that hoits!" "Quiet, knucklehead!" Poke! "Nyuk-nyuk"). Or maybe you're an Eddie Murphy fan who likes to see one guy pretending to be a whole lot of guys. In that case, try the City Council itself. What with all the flying pies, shooting selzer bottles and whoopee-cushions, the illusion of there really being 15 different people — instead of just a few, with the mayor playing all the other roles — almost seems believable. Almost. less...