My hands down absolute best burger joint is the EARL, in East Atlanta Village. The place is rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights with live music in the back (separate room) , decorated with concert memorabilia and graffiti, and plays good music (alternative, rock, some lighter punk) The burgers are fantastic, there is a good variety of them. My favorite is the black and blue, burger cooked to order, but in Cajun blackened style, with bleu cheese and bacon. The fixings are always very fresh, ad the burgers are served with the incredibly hard choice of tater tots, or sweet potato fries with dipping sauce. Great beer selection, good people watching, and if the place is busy, expect to share a table with other folks, who you will probably have a good laugh with. Coffee, cupcake, and knick knack shops nearby make a nice evening for a couple.
Smoking is allowed, but there is outdoor dining available, and indoor dining by large open windows. A buddy of mine is very sensitive to smoke, and it is on his good list. The Midtown Vortex is pretty darn smoky, but worth a visit after the baby has arrived, dinner, followed by a few drinks at the comedy club inside the Vortex, the Laughing Skull Lounge.