New seafood and daiquiri concept coming to old gay fave Piebar space

A years-long vacancy at the former Piebar space off Monroe right by I-85 is about to be over next month, as a new seafood and daiquiri spot opens their doors to try and beat a curse. The new challenger is called Cirque, and it comes to you from Kechia Matadin, the owner of gay Midtown fave The Daiquiri Factory.

The trippy, spaceship-like building was built in 1962 to house the Trust Company of Georgia, then later used by Suntrust Bank before being converted into the popular pizza joint Piebar back in 2005. It was initially successful, and briefly became a gay go-to hotspot, but later folded. Two more restaurants, Eros Tapas Bar and IXTLAN Ultra Lounge, took a shot before shutting down themselves, and the property has remained dormant for years.

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Until now.

There are often a number of reasons why restaurants fail, but the number one complaint about this particular location has been the parking. With a reported 40 available spaces for a 4,200 square-foot building, the Cirque team will have their work cut out for them.

If they succeed, they’ll join Campagnolo as the exceptions to the rule when taking over challenging locations, as the tasty Italian restaurant has had a successful run so far at a spot even more snake-bit than Cirque’s new digs.

The eatery will serve lunch and dinner, and include 15 daiquiri machines running full tilt to satisfy the Midtown masses. There will be some late nights in store as well, as Cirque will stay open until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 1 a.m. most other nights.

Matadin has been renovating the spot for over a year, moving the kitchen downstairs, the bar from the center to the side, removing the frosted window tint and more. So it will be interesting to see what’s in store when the doors open in February.