The Punchline

My friend April was in town and got offered some gigs at The Punchline so my sister and I decided to go see her act.  We found out last minute we could go so we just rolled out sans research.  When we got there the place looked like old school, mini Buckhead.  People milling about in the street, gussied up and sauced.  We had to pay to park, which is whatever, then figure out which line we were supposed to get into.  

There was one line for tickets and another long, theme park style line everyone was queued up in, waiting for our show to start.  They really corral everyone in and out to get the show on the road and finished in time for the next one.   April of course was awesome, but the whole thing goes pretty quick for the price.  You're lucky to get one drink on a packed night before the whole thing is over and you're shuffled out.  Drink beforehand somewhere else if you want to get giggly.   It was an interesting experience.  I would recommend this for a part of a quirky date night, and I will definitely go back to see her again next time she comes home.

A final note- the ticket guy that night was super cool and deserves ten raises for the amount of mess he takes from all the drunken wannabe comedians that try to crack jokes to him while he's selling them tickets.  He has some patience!

If you don't laugh when you come here you are probably dead.  I'm not kidding folks, I have now been to the Punchline with 3 different dates and all 4 of us of us have had very distinct personalities with our own brand of humor, and all of us have laughed our collective @ss off at the Punchline.

My latest trip here was to see Caroline Rhea, and despite the fact that the show started an hour late, and despite the fact that it was jammed to the walls, sold out, we still had an absolute blast.  

The standard show format here is a couple of opening acts consisting of local talent followed by the headliner.  Total show time is normally around 2 hours but stand up here is all about improv so it might run a touch longer or shorter in some cases (mostly longer though).  This is a comedy CLUB not a theater, it's hidden away in a local strip mall and you will be seated pretty much cheek to cheek with your neighbors.  You will also stand a better than average chance of actually catching the attention of at least one of the comedians and end up being involved in a joke or two if you sit anywhere near the stage.  Laugh at yourself as well as the talent if this happens, because it's all in good fun.

They have bar food available if you are interested, and they also serve very reasonably priced (if a tad understrength ed) mixed drinks, beer and wine.  It's been too long since I've had food here to remark on that aspect other then that it was typical bar food from what I can remember.  

When you get right down to it though you don't come here for the food, or the drinks you come for the show, and some how this little hole in the wall has really found a way to bring in really really good talent consistently for decades now.  This is the stage Jeff Foxworthy got his start on, and even the local talent, and the no name talent is usually top notch.  On the slower weeknights you can even get in for free if you buy a couple of drinks and they also have open mic nights if you are brave or foolish enough to want to test your funny bone.

My only minor quibble with the Punchline is the parking or rather the lack of parking available.  When there is name talent here you are going to struggle to find a legal place to park, and as usual when there is a parking issue in the ATL the local parking lot mooches will come out to charge you for parking... in a lot across the street... of a business that isn't even open at this time of night... that won't have any security for your car.  Basically you will be paying blackmail to a mooch to guarantee that your car won't be towed or booted when you come back.

Other then that minor issue though the Punchline is an awesome little place that is well worth the time to come visit.  In fact I can't wait until the next time I get a chance to laugh until I snort or fall out of my chair here.

The online ticketing makes this place look large and spacious, so be warned, it's cramped and intimate. I thought that would drop it a star, but the waitress was very attentive throughout the show and the comics were amazing. This went straight to the top of our Atlanta spots when we're in town, and next time we'll probably just get some burgers here because the food looked pretty decent and was well-priced.