Atlantic City will welcome a vibrant new addition to its nightlife and dining scene with the opening of ByrdCage in January 2025. ByrdCage — located at 3426 Atlantic Avenue — will be the City’s first full-service LGBTQ+ bar and restaurant in over 20 years. The new bar and restaurant will be a bold and inclusive space where community, creativity, and culinary excellence unite. Its menu blends elevated comfort food with innovative cocktails. ByrdCage promises to have a calendar packed with lively events and performances. The venue is set to become a hub for connection and celebration for Atlantic City’s gay community and allies. Read on to learn more about ByrdCage, the new LGBTQ+ bar and restaurant, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The Details

ByrdCage will be the first gay restaurant and bar in Atlantic City since Studio Six closed in 2004. ByrdCage owner Jason Tell is a longtime Philadelphia and New Jersey-area restaurateur and an award-winning caterer and party planner. Jason  is widely known as a master of creating unforgettable dining experiences. According to ByrdCage’s website, Jason and his creative team are dedicated to delivering exceptional service, innovative dining concepts, and a vibe that’s always fun, inclusive, and straight-friendly at ByrdCage.

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“We are so excited to bring the ByrdCage to life,” Jason said in a statement, “This is not just a restaurant or a bar — this is a space where the entire community can come together, celebrate, and be themselves. We’re proud to be the first full-time LGBTQ+ venue in Atlantic City in nearly two decades, and we can’t wait to welcome guests to a place where they feel at home and safe.”

 

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The ByrdCage promises visitors a lively brunch menu, happy hour specials, and nightly dining. The first floor will host a piano bar while the second floor will be home to entertainment with drag shows, theme nights, and plenty of fun and inclusive nightlife experiences. The menu is set to feature comfort foods and will include gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian dishes. Diners will be able to stop by for dinner seven days a week from 5PM to 10PM while brunch will be served Friday through Monday from 11AM to 3PM. Happy Hour specials will run Monday through Friday from 3PM to 6PM. ByrdCage will also serve late-night bites Friday through Sunday until midnight.

Atlantic City’s gay nightlife scene has had many gay bars and clubs open and close throughout the years. The Entertainers Club, which opened in the 1920s and was demolished in 1990, is considered to be the first ever gay club to open on the East Coast. There have been multiple gay nightclubs, including the Rainbow Room and Prohibition Bar, that have opened in Atlantic City over the past two decades, but ByrdCage will be the first full-service LGBTQ+ bar and restaurant. 

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The space where the new LGBTQ+ restaurant and bar will open was previously home to the Good Dog Bar, a pet-friendly bar and restaurant that remains open in Philadelphia. Before the Good Dog Bar, the address of 3426 Atlantic Avenue was famously known for being a swingers club and an “erotic couples playground” called the Role Play Lounge. The location is nestled in the University District of Atlantic City close to Black Horse Pike and the Tropicana Hotel and Casino.

ByrdCage is set to open in January 2025. Follow ByrdCage on Instagram and Facebook for updates or subscribe to the email newsletter on its website.

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