**** 1/2
I (heart) MidCity Cafe. Why? Because in a metro that sprawls so much that Rem Koolhaas declared it to be a landscape rather than a city, MidCity Cafe scales itself to the type of pedestrian neighborhood that is common in the great cities of the world but seriously lacking here.
The drinks here are well prepared and the service is quick. The wait staff understands the correct amount of time to let pass between checking up on you, not hovering over in an annoying fashion nor disappear for an hour while you're trying to get another drink or pay the bill. Regardless of if the place is dead or crowded, they always seem to get the balance just right.
The interior design is fun but not so far out that it appears to be trying too hard. The outdoor seating is set back far enough from the road that you don't feel like you're sitting on the banks of an automobile sewer. I really don't understand why it is so common to have outdoor seating in Atlanta inches away from speeding cars and clouds of noxious fumes. Even ten extra feet and some well planned greenery makes a world of difference, which is what they have done here.
The size of the cafe is not huge. It is not meant to be a huge megabar that attracts from all over the metro. It is a quaint neighborhood social center of the type we need more of in this town.
The only bad things I can say about this place is that the drinks are a bit more expensive than other watering holes in the area and that the weekend night DJ turns the music up too high for those who are sitting near the DJ corner. Other than that, MidCity Cafe is always a great time. I hope the owner opens similar bars and cafes across the city because the fabric of our city desperately needs it.
