Atlanta Eagle to reopen in new location, plans to serve food

An iconic Atlanta gay bar will soon reopen in a new location and plans to add food offerings for the first time. 

The Atlanta Eagle is taking over the Midtown Moon space at the Ansley Square shopping center, with the hope to reopen in time for Atlanta Pride, set for Oct. 7-9. 

“We’re shooting for Pride,” said owner Richard Ramey in a phone interview. “It’s a big stretch, but we think we are going to make it.”

It will mark nearly two years since the Atlanta Eagle closed its long-time location along Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown amid the pandemic. 

“It’s been a really tough search, but this has been a great find,” Ramey said of the new location at 1492 Piedmont Avenue. “I promised the community back when we closed almost two years ago that I would find a new home for the Atlanta Eagle, and it’s been my journey ever since. To be able to fulfill my promise to the community is very rewarding and very satisfying. I’m very grateful to everyone.”

Ramey recently filed a building permit in Atlanta for cosmetic work to give the space “a new look and feel.”

He said that in the coming months, the plan is to add food offerings for the first time.

“We’re going to put some new equipment in and update the kitchen,” Ramey said. “It’s going to be called Eagle Cafe. We’ve never really had food before, so this is going to be a new adventure for us.”

There are also plans add a bigger dance floor in the future, he said.

Ramey’s hope is that the Atlanta Eagle becomes “everybody’s bar.”

“We’re going to be open during the day,” he said. “I think it could be a great place for people to hang out. We are right on the BeltLine … We are hopefully going to give the community a day spot to come and enjoy. And then for those of us that are used to the Eagle at night, we’re still going to offer that as well.”