Business

New bar and lounge opens in downtown Macon. Its sister location is near Warner Robins

Designed to give the feel of relaxing in an apartment, a new cocktail bar and lounge is open in downtown Macon.

The new space, called “apt. 77 lounge,” is at 401 Cherry St.., Suite 101, in the former A Brooke Haven Lounge location.

“We’re catering to a mature atmosphere — just a nice, good time vibe; nice music,” said Ieshia Gillis, general manager for apt. 77 lounge. “ A place where you can actually put on decent clothes and go out downtown.”

The new spot has an entrance requirement: Women must be 25 or older, while men must be at least 27, according to Gillis.

Ieshia Gillis, general manager, at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
Ieshia Gillis, general manager, at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Becky Purser The Telegraph

The new establishment is a sister location to the popular Social Kitchen + Cocktails lounge inside the Houston County Galleria mall in Centerville in the Warner Robins area. Gillis oversees both Social and apt.77 lounge.

In business for a few years, Social also is geared to the mature crowd.

“A lot of times you have people who want to get out and have a good time, but they don’t want to be in there with their nieces and nephews .. things of that nature,” Gillis said. “We’ve done it successfully for four years in Warner Robins, so why not try it in Macon?”

Social is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and serves a brunch on Sundays.

Check out the inside of apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
Check out the inside of apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Becky Purser The Telegraph

apt. 77 lounge

Gillis expects to be hands-on at apt. 77 lounge to help get it up and running.

The new lounge features a full-service bar with a menu of its own specialty cocktails such as “Apartment 77,” which includes raspberry vodka, strawberry puree, pineapple juice and lemon juice.

An “Apartment 77” cocktail at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
An “Apartment 77” cocktail at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Courtesy apt. 77 lounge

Other cocktails include the closest, man cave, diva den, suits n sneakers, sexy dress, “the nitecap” and the bedroom.

The lounge is currently not serving food but Gillis said she hopes they’ll be able to do so in the future.

In the meantime, they’re recommending that people enjoy a meal at one of the numerous downtown restaurants and then head over to apt.77 lounge.

Signature cocktails at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
Signature cocktails at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Courtesy apt. 77 lounge

The lounge offers a DJ nightly unless there’s a live band.

“Our DJ’s only cater to ‘80s, ‘90s, early 2000s,” Gillis said. “We do some things that are more recent. But we just try to keep that in the genre of the people that we are attracting.”

The lounge also is expected to feature a R&B band every second Saturday of the month.

“We’re looking for bands that fit that demographic,” she said.

Some liquor choices at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
Some liquor choices at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Becky Purser The Telegraph

The lounge is open Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to hours posted on its Facebook page.

The lounge’s hours may be expanded in the future.

“We’re just trying to get a feel of how downtown works, you know, like what are the busier days, things like that,” Gillis said.

Reservations for a table or a particular section of the lounge may be made by calling 478-225-8380. The general number is 478-238-5600.

Ieshia Gillis, general manager, at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon.
Ieshia Gillis, general manager, at apt. 77 lounge at 401 Cherry St., Suite 101, in downtown Macon. Becky Purser The Telegraph
New cocktail bar and lounge - apt. 77 lounge - opens at 401 Cherry St. in downtown Macon.
New cocktail bar and lounge - apt. 77 lounge - opens at 401 Cherry St. in downtown Macon. Becky Purser The Telegraph

This story was originally published May 21, 2023 at 7:00 AM.

BP
Becky Purser
The Telegraph
Becky covers new restaurants, businesses and developments with some general assignment reporting in Warner Robins and the rest of Houston County. She’s a career journalist with ties to Warner Robins. Her late father retired at Robins Air Force Base. She moved back to Warner Robins in 2000. Support my work with a digital subscription
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