Aurum Lounge

Aurum is definitely a good Saturday night spot if you’re trying to avoid stereotypical compound. Upset I missed the guest list closing at 11:30. In DC I can make it before the 11:00/10:30 cut off but oh well.
The place had a good ambiance but it wasn’t lit up in gold hues the night I went but still really good lighting. The drinks were mixed well but then again it’s hard to mess up jack and coke. Bartenders were attentive and it wasn’t hard to order a drink.
My only negatives…
I’ve been partaking in hookah since undergrad. Before it suddenly became the «cool» thing to do. So with that said, it looks like they just decided to start serving hookah because its a money maker. The guy serving it didn’t know how to properly adjust it, nor did they bring a new coal before it practically evaporated. The pipe itself may need to be cleaned also.
Originally we were told you could only smoke hookahs at the ends of the bar… But before the night was over the whole bar was lined with hookah.
It would help if they had stools at the bar but that may be asking too much.
They also had all sorts of random people in the back kitchen area smoking hookah. These people didn’t look like they worked there. Didn’t really look professional but whatever.
Overall they had really good music, good ambiance and decent hookah.
Cheers!

Where do I start…
I went to Aurum for my 30^th birthday with friends. Upon checking my name on the guest list my best friend mentioned to them that it was my birthday. That, I’m assuming was a mistake. I say this because I then began to get lectured about the consequences of getting drunk for my birthday. Not in a joking manner either, they were very serious. Now mind you, I turned 30, not dumb 21. I know how to conduct myself and had no intentions of getting wasted while in the lounge (tipsy maybe). However, I was told I better not get drunk and start falling out or else they will drag me out and sit me on the curb across the street. Huh?
I was very annoyed and a bit insulted especially since I had to hear this disclaimer or lecture, should I say, prior to even entering. I felt like I was getting lecture by my grandparents — yes, they double teamed me.
Finally I got in and the décor and ambiance was nice. I was disappointed that there was no place to sit, unless, that is you have $ 300 to give them for what they called «half a couch» lol. The lounge itself was… Intimate (small) and the area they called a dance floor was about an 8×10 piece of real estate. The DJ was pretty good although towards the end of the night he started repeating songs.
I did not get so drunk that I was asked to leave and suffer being put on the curb, their words not mine. However, on that same night another young lady was celebrating her dumb 21 bday and proceeded to get so drunk that she could no longer stand. Did they put her out? No… Guess she didn’t get the lecture/​memo that I did prior to entering the establishment.
Needless to say, that will be my first and last time at Aurum. I should have listened to the advise of the guys at the restaurant we went to prior to coming there and gone elsewhere. Oh well. You live and you learn. I enjoyed my night anyway because of the company I kept, not necessarily because of the lounge
The End.

I will be brief with this review:
1) Nice location.
2) Affordable parking (deck, street, and valet)
3) The Bartenders are decent (they need some flare-​bartendesr. This would work best for such a wann-​be high society nightlife spot)
4) The door cover is based on the promoter and/​on in-​house promoter team BUT ITS OVERLY EXPENSIVE
5) Each time I’ve gone there, the DJs are bland and can be too basic: radio play and top 100 all the time (They need to hire multiple DJs/​sets per night)
6) There are no bar stools at the bar which makes this place armature and very under designed. (*TIP TO OWNERS: add 12 stools to the longest side of the bar)
7) If you are not attending a VIP party– plan on STANDING UP THE WHOLE TIME!
8) Nobody… not event the sexiest ladies actually dance since the dance floor is 4 ft by 5 ft with pretentious people standing on it babysitting their cocktails aka basic drinks.
9) This spot will probably keep catering to Atlanta’s so called «Diverse» or perhaps the ‘urban-​professionals’ and 25 and under blue collars for maybe 2 more years.
10) Basically this is not for the person who wants to go for lounging’ or chilling’. It’s more like POSING & STANDING AROUND. Save your money but perhaps…
GO ON A NIGHT THAT HAS FREE COVER or GET ON THE LIST!
Grade= C

Went on Saturday I would say this is more of my speed. Nice lounge ! Nice Music

This place to me is honestly over rated. You cant sit down unless you are in VIP and that kind of is annoying. Just not my scene. I don’t remember a time where I had a blast here.

The space is just right. Not too big, not too small. The décor was simple. I liked the gold couches and big projection screen behind the bar that was framed like a painting. But there should be some seating other than VIP, which requires bottle service.
The crowd was mainly black, but I think there was a party going on there because my friend invited me. I get the feeling that the crowd is mixed sometimes/​varies, as is the case with most clubs.
A burlesque dancer did a tasteful show (it was some guy’s birthday).
The only thing that bothers me about clubs/​lounges, in general, is that the men and women are often separated like a seventh-​grade party. It was no exception here.
I get the impression that this is one of those places where you can’t go alone on a whim and meet people. We came in a group of five women and one man and we had a good time.
The bartenders were on top of things and friendly ($ 10 for Grey Goose and water with lime might be a bit much for Atlanta, though). There was no excessive waiting for drinks.
Our name was on a list and they kept things moving without being jerks at the door. Again, no excessive waiting and there was no cover charge because we got there early.

Modern décor in an unpretentious space (though there were a few too many VIP spaces than necessary).
Aurum gets 2 stars because, though average as a night spot overall, the drinks were provocatively overpriced, like provoke you to laugh in the bartenders face. Then there was the $ 5 for a coat check that was just a rack sitting unattended by the door. Needless to say, items were missing from my pockets. We just grabbed our coats on the way out. There was no attendant to give the claim tickets to, anyway.

All that glitters is not gold.
Actually, that’s not a fair metaphor, because Aurum doesn’t really glitter either.
Here’s the problem with my review from the outset: I just don’t think I’m a club person. I’m 30, married, and live a fairly low-​key life where going out mainly involves comfortable places. Places where I can sit for several hours on end. Places where I can hear the people I’m with.
So, maybe everything that bothered me about this place is status quo for clubs and ‘lounges’ like Aurum.
And I’ll start with that, the notion that this venue is a lounge. There was no seating that wasn’t VIP. This makes absolutely no sense. The birthday girl in the group I was with shelled out $ 200.00 for a reserved couch that came with a bottle of Absolut Vodka and … Moet, I think it was. Oh, and a single, small table. I point out this singular table because, because the other half of the four person couch was itself a cordoned off VIP section. It, however, cost $ 500.00 to populate. Why the 250% mark-​up, you might ask? Well, my friend, it is because in that section you get TWO tiny tables upon which to set whatever your heart desires. But, let’s forget about the exorbitant cost of being VIP at Aurum. The real point here is that there’s truly no seating at all otherwise. You simply can’t call yourself a lounge if no one can actually lounge.
Next, let’s discuss the drinks. I poured myself two Old Fashions at home prior to that evening’s excursion. I love Old Fashions. Not only do they taste like I’m drinking heaven, but it seems every bartender makes them differently. As I had never been to Aurum before, I was eager to try one of their bartender’s approaches. Sadly, I was told she couldn’t make me one. Unfortunately, it was too loud for me to hear why exactly, but that didn’t matter much to me and I didn’t hold it against her. Old Fashions must be an admittedly odd order (though this is the first place in Atlanta that hasn’t been able to make me one in a very, very long time), so I asked about their Tequilas. She listed Patron and ‘some other stuff.’ Not being a fan of Patron and not wanting to risk ordering up bad Tequila, I looked at the Scotch list. Ah ha! Macallan 12 yr. Perfect. Only they didn’t actually have any left, so I sprang for the 18 yr. Kind of a long road to get a drink, but whatever. I like Macallan, so I’m happy. My wife decides to look over the drink list and something hits me. Something that immediately made me take a step back from this whole place and see exactly what was wrong.
There were no drinks with gold in them. I don’t even remember seeing any drinks with word gold in them. This place is CALLED Aurum. Every single cocktail should have Goldschlager or something in it. Not that I’m even a fan of Goldschlager, but when you’ve put yourself out there in this way, for god’s sake you need to fulfill the promise. And that’s where this whole place is off. Aside from a mildly gold-​themed veneer, this was just a big room selling expensive drinks to a crowd that wasn’t allowed to sit. The floors were dusty and black. The ceiling was open, which mauled the acoustics, and was painted flat black. The DJ was set up on two huge black boxes that would look more appropriate at the old 513 with a punk rock band trashing around on top of it.
To reiterate, if you call yourself AURUM, you have responsibility to make the experience hyperbolically audacious. Don’t worry about going overboard; you’ve already named your place as such. Every drink needs to be gold. The floors, gold. The ceiling, gold. You need to get perfectly chiseled models (male and female) painted in gold to stand statuesquely on pedestals. Your servers should be dusted in gold powder. The whole experience should be surreal. That, I would put down $ 200.00 for.
One final issue I had with this place that fits into the overall err of design, I wanted to call out specifically. There exists, behind the bar, an enormous projection screen with a gold frame around it. A very compelling and eye catching decorative element. One that could be used in any number of ways. On the night I was there, the screen played a 5 minute slideshow that I’m quite certain was slapped together using iMovie. Further, I’m positive that whoever created this slideshow did not purchase the rights to run the images. But let’s assume they did or that they didn’t even need clearance for the photos. All they had the entire night was a 5 minute slideshow on loop (and some of those photos were blown up beyond their native resolution, for shame). They have a fantastic canvas at their disposal. I’m sure there are good photogs out there who could easily take amazing gold-​themed photos and create a much better slideshow. One that would enhance the atmosphere ten-​fold. Or, since they don’t seem to mind exhibiting copyrighted material, play some gold-​themed movies on mute. How bad ass would Goldfinger on a big screen be as the visual backdrop to a lounge?
I’m out of space :-(

I never know what to expect from this place– it doesn’t just change each night, it changes every few hours!— 80’s music turns to hip-​hop which turns to 90’s.
I enjoyed a full night of dancing, and noticed the crowd drastically changed as the night went on. Will it be filled with gay men or straight?- there’s no way to know until you arrive!
Friday was advertised as «80’s night,» but around 1a.m. the music got a little too strange for me. The D.J. was slowing down rap songs so it was hard to dance to that beat.
Overall a good time in the little space (not possible to lose track of your friends) if you are looking for a small, classy venue, make a stop here.
I’ll be back since the owner gave my girlfriends and me VIP cards to skip lines and free drinks. Sweet!

I have to be honest, the name of this place, intrigued me and convinced me that it was going to be a really sexy hip place, and I liked the fact that I thought it was actually going to be a «lounge» for Atlanta, since so many of the nightspots that call themselves this usually are just clubs.
But I wasn’t as impressed once I actually entered through the doors. I don’t like the fact that their is absolutely no seating other than the «VIP» areas, which is absolutely silly. So you basically have to stand up the whole time and even then, their isn’t much room for that either.
Drinks were okay, nothing special, and the music the night we went was horrible, the DJ was making every song a techno mix.
I like Kathleen M., might give it another go ’round, but as of right now, it hasn’t given me much of a reason to do so.

I went to Aurum for a birthday party last Friday night. I am not a fan of lounges (I can «lounge» at home for free), but if I were going to a lounge, I would want it to be similar to Aurum with the differences being cheaper drinks and quieter music.
I imagine that Aurum looks like an Egyptian bedroom during the reign of the pharaohs. I liked the placement of the booths and lounging sofas and that the huge projection screen/​TV was bordered by a gold frame — fancy, schmancy! Even the bathroom walls were wallpapered in a gold-​squared, textured pattern.
The bartenders were friendly, but definitely not the «up in your face types» but that could have been because we were sitting at the far end of the bar and it just didn’t occur to them to check in on us.
I had two drinks — a Wild Turkey bourbon signature drink and the special, which was a type of lemon martini. The bourbon drink was really strong and didn’t taste good because the bourbon overpowered the other ingredients, and the lemon martini was boring. I think the bourbon drink was overpriced at $ 10 ($ 8 would have been more realistic) and the lemon martini was at $ 8 which is typical. Next time I visit Aurum, I’ll stick with a classic vodka tonic.
The music was at a perfect level during the earlier evening hours, but as the night wore on, it got louder and louder to the point where we had to yell and still could barely hear each other. At that point, I wanted to leave. There is no place to dance so why have the music at dance club level? Isn’t the point of a lounge to LOUNGE???
As for the crowd, there were so many women I got depressed. Also, a lot of the straight men present came with a woman, so there was no flirting to be found.
I think a date would be what this place would be best for — meet, have a drink, chat a while, and get out before the music starts.

I liked nothing about this place. It was uncomfortable, it was gaudy, it was oversized, it stuck out like a sore thumb. I frown everytime I think of this place.
It just didnt fit Atlanta. It might have fit South Beach, but it just didnt fit Atlanta.
The music was annoying, but techno/​club music isnt really my thing. But perhaps for those that truly enjoy it, this space was perfect.
Not I, though.
The parking is ackward, if you arent parking VIP (whatever that is), you have to park in a lot that is adjacent to the venue which creates about a 5 minute walk…
I just wasnt feeling this place. But it did provide for an interesting 29^th birthday celebration.
Thats all that needs to be said.

I like Aurum. It has been open a little over a year and I find it a prime first or 2^nd quarter spot on the weekends or a nice place for a drink during the week. The owner’s are nice guys and I give them credit for running charity events, birthday parties and occasional open bar semi private parties.
The crowd is pretty mix, gay and straight. Seems the last few times I have come it has been perhaps a bit more gay? Maybe one night is more of a true gay night? I don’t know, but it is a good place to pop by and have a drink.
It is a much older and sophisticated crowd when compared to likes of Sutra and Cosmo Lava. Read that it is comprised of mainly people who live in town instead of the generally classless, unsophisticated mob plaguing Crescent Avenue.
It is two blocks from the Viewpoint so I am here often and hope this place sticks.

Aurum, I keep trying, I really do. I mean, you are non-​smoking, you’re in the heart of Midtown, and you’re covered in gold. All of these things I love.
But I just can’t get over some of your crowd-​control policies. And by crowd control, I mean how you handle the people who are spending money on drinks when your space is near-​empty.
Twice now I have been asked to leave reserved banquettes for invisible people when there were others open. On my most recent trip, there were about 6 of us (two separate groups) casually enjoying one of the banquettes on the floor that was not roped off, no signage. While the lounge had maybe 35 or 40 people in it, we were asked to move as the people who had reserved it had arrived. I didn’t see anyone, but no matter: couldn’t you have put those people in one of the other two completely open spots and then shifted things around when those parties arrived? It shouldn’t be that hard.
Drinks are strong, bartenders are friendly, and it’s a nice mixed crowd. I’ll likely return for those things alone, but I’ll wear comfy shoes knowing that even if I get a seat, it doesn’t mean I get to keep it.

I kept seeing pics of Aurum and was excited to check it out. The entrance is on the side of the Metropolis building and could easily be missed if you are driving/​walking by.
The décor is definitely upscale and classy. The drinks were a bit pricey and lacked originality. Other than that its laid back, decent music but a bit loud if you are trying to have a conversation. I would recommend this lounge if you were hanging with a group and wanted a classy spot.
Not sure if its a gay bar or not… there were more gay men than straight ones;-(

Yeah, I guess I can tee off on Aurum’s gold theme, biting lines from Goldmember and all, but Austin Powers is soooooooo last decade. Not so coincidentally, that phrase could also apply to my take on lounge bars.
Look, I’ve been known to frequent lounge bars in my youth, equal parts low level lighting and high volume electro trance. The beautiful people, bleached teeth glowing and pupils dilated. But as I’ve grown older, my hang outs turned decidedly less glamorous. Paradoxically, as my wallet thickened to accommodate the outrageous prices some of these places charged for a drink, my patience for the scene thinned. I don’t and won’t hold this against Aurum; I knew what I was getting into. I start with this backstory only to establish a frame of reference and to legitimize my very concrete criticisms which go far beyond me abandoning this scene long ago.
Anyway, back to the space. Yep, they certainly capitalized on the gold theme here. I believe I said that it felt like we were hanging out in Jackie Stallone’s basement. The usual accoutrement accompanied: low slung couches, ironic videos projected up top, and mysteriously empty booths holding court. Ah, I’ll return back to those booths in just a moment.
As I said, it’s the usual accoutrement, but all in all it wasn’t badly done. They managed to work the gold them throughout without beating your head in. (This despite my tendency to think of taking a pirate’s drink order whenever I hear the name «Aurum.») But the space wasn’t bad and I liked 2 aspects upon walking in: 1) no cover and 2) no smoking. My only real gripe about the space was that there seemed to be, well, too much of it. By that I mean, other than the booths and the relatively small area for couches in the middle of the room, everyone seemed to be standing in what was essentially a large concrete box. It’s hard to lounge in a lounge bar when there’s no where actually TO lounge. Or at least be somewhat disconnected from the ruckus of the crowd. Which brings me to the first of my criticisms.
Seeing the rather limited seating arrangements for a large group, our group lucked into a booth – the only booth, mind you, that wasn’t designated «Reserved» as the other booths were clearly marked. We piled in. We ordered drinks. We watched as the room filled. Ordered a few more drinks. And then, quite unceremoniously, we were asked to vacate the booth. «Why?» we asked. «It’s, uh, reserved.» we were told.
Uh-​huh.
To Aurum’s credit, they didn’t rush us. They waited til we finished our drinks and closed our tabs. But the mysterious VUP (Very Unimportant People) treatment left a bad taste in my mouth. So the unitemized drink tab (a pet peeve of mine) I could overlook. The fact that drink prices fluctuated randomly when James H. and I compared notes raised a red flag. But to be asked to make space for VIPs (Very Invisible People?) when 1) we were spending money and 2) we were actually some of the best dressed folks in the room? (See paragraph one of Vanessa T.‘s review.) Aw no, that’s the last straw.
Two stars.

I’ll keep this short and simple:
Unilocaler Ivan S. ordered a vodka soda (well vodka), a Ketel & tonic, and two chocolate martinis. Total bill: 24 dollars.
I ordered a Ketel & tonic, and a well vodka & tonic. Total bill: 19 dollars.
Both bills arrived without an itemized tab, simply a total charged onto our respective cards.
Couple this with the staff chasing us out of our seating place when some apparently more-​desirable patrons arrived, and I’d sooner get a voluntary root canal than return to this den of pretension and excess.

It’s a good thing I like looking at shiny, gold things because otherwise I’m not sure that anything would have really appeased me. Well, I take that back. They have pretty bathrooms and they somehow manage to stay clean without an annoying attendant. That was nice.
My friend Keith celebrated his birthday here and by the time I arrived I was already feeling pretty happy (read: drunk). The following hour and a half were a blur of hugs, drinks, and laughter with bursts of gold in between. People kept handing me cocktails, so I can’t really speak for the drink prices or whether or not the bartenders are hustling people.
Places that have a side-​street entrance are usually either really cool or really scary. I guess to some people this place is really cool. I ain’t skeered, but I’m not really impressed.

Following a High Falutin, High Society Event gone awry, we went to Aurum to stretch out our Dressed Up muscles. We had corner seating by the door; the perfect strategic position for both people watching and a painless exit.
As this is a lounge and not a dance club, people-​watching is one of the chief activities and on that front, there was no shortage of entertainment. Drinks seemed arbitrarily priced as charges varied for members of our group, despite ordering the same drink.
I really like that they don’t have a dress code as it allows for a more diverse and wide-​ranging crowd. While the patrons that night seemed a little more racially diverse than other lounges, they all seemed deeply entrenched in 401Ks and mergers & acquisitions. The vibe on a Friday night at 11:30 screamed «after work happy hour» instead of «panties? You won’t need them.»

I get the whole name thing: Aurum = Au = chemical name for gold. But it’s not very catchy, or easy to remember, and not many people get what you’re saying. «Orem? Arm? Huh?»
But, despite that, this spot is a cool new lounge in midtown. Great music with excellent sound, a cool vibe, pretty people dressed to impress. It was packed on Saturday night when we went and the layout makes navigating through the masses difficult. But once you find a spot, it’s manageable.
Oh, and the fact that this place is smoke-​free. Awesome.
Note to hippy-​ish girl dancing on table: shouldn’t you be at Woodstock?