MG Road, the bar and lounge below Chai Pani, might have just gotten cooler. At least, that’s owner Meherwan Iran’s idea behind letting employees take over his business for a couple nights a week to execute two creative new pop-up bar concepts. Wednesday night promises a dive bar vibe complete with fried bologna and cheap beer. Thursday night is a badass ladies-run affair with open call DJ slots for women only.
“In the spirit of experimentation and giving his bartenders a taste of business ownership, Irani has decided to literally turn over the bar on those nights to the his hotshot bartender upstarts and see what they can do,” according to a press release. “As Meherwan put it, for those two nights he is stepping back and playing landlord.”
On Wednesday nights, the bar becomes “MG Roadhouse,” a pop-up dive bar complete with cheap beer and biker bar/B-movie aesthetics. Kyle Gray Beach and Pat Hinson “welcome the service crowd to let their hair down and dig into a fried bologna sandwich with a side of mac and cheese and a Miller High Life to wash down their shots of Fernet and Negronis.” Though the regular MG Road cocktail menu will be available for “fancy types.”
Thursday nights, get ready for “Girls on Deck,” where the ladies of MG Road will take over the bar, kitchen and turntables for a night of girl power. Expect “killer craft cocktails from proprietors Erin Hawley and Katey Ryder, arguably the best and most trailblazing female bartenders in town, and fine food coming out from an all female kitchen headed up by Sarah Cousler.” Each night, three open-call, 45-minute DJ slots are open for all women to sign up for, with one featured female DJ taking the stage at 10 p.m. til late.
Meherwan has good reason to think his experiment will be successful. MG Road has had a nice run with pop-up concepts — Elliot Moss’ Asian-inspired “Punk Wok” nights will continue indefinitely on Monday and Tuesday nights, and “Bask in Swank, the “mellowest dance-if-you-want-to party,” has found its Friday night niche.
MG Roadhouse launches July 23, and will take place every Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. Girls on Deck launches July 24, and will take place every Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. Visit mgroadlounge.com for more info.
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