I’ve done both, and honestly it depends on the night. When it’s super busy, hopping can be exhausting, but if you go earlier you can usually slide into a few places without the wait. My friends and I usually start with dinner and cocktails at a chill spot, then decide if the energy is good enough to stay or if we want to walk down and check out others. There’s a solid write-up about places worth visiting on Rainey Street over at best bars on rainey street , which helped me plan the last time.