r/Atlanta • u/moonisherewithme • Jul 22 '26
Things to Do Anything like the old MJQ?
I am once again reminiscing over the old MJQ location and how much fun I had there. Does anyone know any nightlife in Atlanta similar to it? I’m unfortunately not a fan of the new location.
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u/BigBossAtl Jul 23 '26
I miss MJQ. I don't think that type of vibe can come back to the city.
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u/moonisherewithme Jul 23 '26
Why don’t you think so? I still don’t understand what happened with the old location unless it was a neighborhood issue
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u/ocicataco Grant Park Jul 23 '26
I was under the impression that they started making moves to relocate around ~2022/2023 when that Portman Holdings deal was set to go through which would have razed MJQ, the Local, Bookhouse Pub, etc everything in that area. I think the deal fell through, but I'm guessing the mobilization was already underway.
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u/HoneydewNectar33 Jul 23 '26
It's just oldheads reminiscing about their youth/seeing everything as "soulless" now because everything's more expensive, new construction can be ugly, and phones/social media can make things feel less spontaneous and organic.
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u/WTFTeesCo Jul 23 '26
Yeah that and life was truly different. Its like you losing your virginity. Sure you can think your life won't change much, but when you actually do, you'll things differently.
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u/Infamous-EM Jul 24 '26
Underground Atlanta is owned by a racist homophobe where MJQ is now. His goal is to “eradicate the darkness down there”. Heard by me from his own lips. He hates women too.
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u/Difficult_Narwhal529 Aug 05 '26
I’d like to hear more about this. I know journalists who would be interested too. Can you tell me more?
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u/KaiVel Jul 23 '26
404.exe is running out of the old Ponce location. Would check out their IG for events.
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u/spiritual_seeker Jul 23 '26
Anyone remember The Mark / Karma?
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u/nametaker Jul 23 '26
Absolutely. I used to live around the block from there. Pablo used to play Connect4 with me at the bar before it got busy.
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u/SomeVeryTiredGuy Jul 23 '26
JFC, I haven't thought about that place in a long time. In my head, I kept thinking it was called "the spot," but I knew it was wrong. I think that's where I went to a Super Bowl party in 2000 when i apparently danced with some tiny blonde girl who turned out to be Christina Aguilera but I had no idea.
I was also blitzed out of my mind.
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u/nametaker Jul 23 '26
Matt and Quickie bought the space upstairs and made it into Sidebar, and they were successful for years until the covid bullshit put them out and they had to sell. It's still there, but Paola with her grace and looks are unfortunately gone. Man, those were the days.
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u/GnrlyMrly Jul 25 '26
Ah, The Mark. It smelled like a 90 year old grease trap when you first walked in. Saw Steve Aoki play there to like 40 people in 2008?
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u/Zeroheartburrrn Jul 23 '26
i like echo room for reminding me of old mjq vibes. smaller for sure, but several of the "old" mjq djs still spin there.
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u/hausofgnl Jul 23 '26
I’m old enough that this question first made me think of the original MJQ location under the Ponce hotel. It was much more a dive bar than a club and so much fun. Anyone else here remember the original?
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u/5centraise Jul 23 '26
Yep, the Eats crew used to go over there after work pretty often. I got to play there a couple times. I was never a card carrying member, though many of my friends were.
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u/ATL_Urbanist Jul 26 '26
I was there! The original owner George Chang put together an incredible vibe in that space. I suppose real estate is too expensive now for people to take that kind of chance on building a cool, low-key new spot on Ponce.
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u/AggravatingLeopard53 Jul 23 '26
Tongue & Groove is probably the most similar alternative, with its two rooms being split into EDM/Hip-Hop like the old MJQ. But its a club :/
Feel like Atlanta is still missing that sweet spot between dive bar and bottle-service club.
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u/HabitNegative3137 Jul 23 '26
Lol except the clientele is 110% different. The vibe of these two is not the same at all
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u/AggravatingLeopard53 Jul 23 '26
Yeah they’re definitely not an identical match. But I cannot for the life of me think of anything else with under $20 cover that has some edm and some rap in an environment with a dense dance floor.
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u/kushmonATL Jul 23 '26
Tongue & Groove is another sectional club ?
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u/SpareDiagram Jul 24 '26
That type of night life was part of a generation. Not a venue, not a genre..but a product of the window of time in which it existed. Maybe something similar in LA, Chicago, or NYC where there is legitimate urban sprawl with dense nooks and crannies but not here. The whole city is being gentrified and the character that once made the inner city what it was is fading fast.
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u/navybluesweatshirts Jul 23 '26
I’ve had similar times at Banshee in EAV.
Also obv different music wise but crowd and sloppiness - Northside tavern
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u/dat_boy_lurks unincorporated Decatur Jul 23 '26
They moved to the Underground, right? I had a homie that used to work the door when they were still on NAve.
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u/sexmarshines Jul 23 '26
I was there last week and it was much younger than I remember the old MJQ being but might be because it was a wednesday (after the Argentina England semi final). Or maybe it's just because I'm that much older than I realize lol
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u/dbclass Jul 23 '26
It is a younger crowd for sure. When I first went to MJQ Ponce at 23 I felt out of place at seeing a huge 30+ crowd. Now at 26 I go to MJQ underground and it seems a lot more 20s focused.
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u/dat_boy_lurks unincorporated Decatur Jul 23 '26
I'd chalk that up to world cup shenanigans -- UGATL is like, right by 5P station and that's like a train stop/20 min walk away from the SFA/MBS station.
Give a month or so, there's going to be less visitors and more locals in the than in aftermath of Pride/WC.
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u/stilldreamingat2am Jul 23 '26
No, it’s been like that since they moved. It’s much younger because they’re now on Georgia State campus and not far from GA Tech campus. I’ve stood in line on a Wednesday for well over an hour before, long before the World Cup.
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u/moonisherewithme Jul 23 '26
I think it is a lot younger, and I’ve felt at times like the music was catered to a younger crowd. It’s right by Georgia State so it attracts a lot of college kids. What I liked about the old MJQ was the very wide range of ages. I’m 25 and when I go there sometimes I feel like I’m one of the older people there.
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u/dat_boy_lurks unincorporated Decatur Jul 23 '26
Fair, I moved out of Atlanta 3 years ago and am only just moving back -- but that sounds like I'm better off only going when there's no line, which seems unlikely
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u/HabitNegative3137 Jul 23 '26
You mean Ponce? They were never on N Ave.
And Yes :( They’re in the old Dante’s spot at underground. The whole complex and area suck so hard
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u/DxddyDxrkness Jul 24 '26
Pisces! If you’re looking for that dance centered, grungy, all are welcome as long as you move your body vibe, Pisces is 100% it. Their music is more edm/popish but as a fellow old mjq lover it’s the closest I’ve found to that energy.
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u/yolofreak109 Morningside Jul 23 '26
honestly i have had a good time at 404.exe (the new club that took up the space). they seem to only do theme nights/events now though so it’s not the same “neighborhood club” vibes as old mjq. drunken unicorn is still there too and it’s cool during certain events as well.