Meet Lounge 832, the Nighttime Cocktail Bar Inside Osteria 832

1. It’s a family business through and through.

At heart, Osteria 832 and Lounge 832 is a family operation shaped by over three decades in the restaurant world. The family’s ties with the building itself tells a story and goes back to 1994, when Rich first opened Highland Bagel.

“At the time, it shared space with Caribou Coffee and was actually the first coffee-and-bagel dual concept in Atlanta,” says Megen. “In 2003, my dad converted Highland Bagel into Osteria 832 to better serve the dinner traffic in the Atkins Park area.

Their nearby second restaurant, Doc Chey’s Noodle House, followed shortly after. “It opened in 1997, just a year after I was born,” she adds.

Megen grew up in that world, officially joining the restaurants at 16 years old and logging nearly 15 years across front-of-house roles before stepping into a leadership position.

2. A philosophy and journey shaped by the neighborhood.

Along the way, its Virginia-Highlands neighborhood helped Megen absorb a hospitality philosophy centered on warmth, consistency, and community — one built on knowing regulars by name and creating a feeling people want to return to week after week.

“There’s a certain sense of comfort that comes with having relationships with regulars that extend beyond the menu. We’ve watched some of our customer base grow up, and they’ve seen me do the same. It’s very special to be so ingrained in the community,” she says.

The neighborhood’s widely known charm points of being walkable and a hotspot for late nights out also helped make Osteria 832 a popular spot for hopping between other nearby hangouts like Dad’s across the street. But since there isn’t a designated cocktail bar, Chey envisioned opening Lounge 832 as a place to fill the gap.

“Beyond the cocktails, the ambiance sets us apart. The strip is full of dive bars and sports bars, which absolutely have their place, but what was missing was a true lounge. If a year from now people think of Lounge 832 as the place to gather, unwind, and connect over a great cocktail, then we’ve done exactly what we set out to do,” she adds.

3. One Night, Two Acts.

Think of Osteria 832 as dinner and after-dinner — without the need to change locations.

Early on, it functions as a full-service Italian restaurant. As the night progresses, the room subtly shifts into a more casual mode with cocktails leading the charge and a more curated menu of small plates including fried ravioli and parmesan truffle fries.

Rather than flipping a switch, the room eases into its second act, rewarding guests who stick around. There’s a deliberate sweet spot to dinner/drinks here: Arrive around 8 p.m. to dine from the full restaurant menu, then stay past 9 p.m. to access Lounge 832’s cocktail menu and watch the room shift. Guests can choose their own adventure, but the full experience belongs to those who linger.

4. Here, the classics are done right.

Osteria 832’s menu leans into Italian staples — pizza, pasta, and salads that prioritize familiarity and execution. First-timers are best served ordering things they know: spaghetti pomodoro, chicken parm, or rigatoni bolognese. These dishes have been on the menu since day one, and for good reason. “Eating here is meant to feel like a big hug,” Megen shares.

As for Lounge 832, the food menu is small. One dish bridges both worlds: fried ravioli, which appears on both the restaurant and lounge menus and has quickly become a signature. Similar to a mozzarella stick, the toasted ravioli is crispy, snackable, and exactly what you’d want while drinking.

“We also recently introduced late-night pizza slices, and they’ve been a huge hit,” she says. Lounge 832’s menu was never meant to replicate the full restaurant, but food is essential to the experience (especially as one of the few late-night options in the neighborhood).

5. The cocktails are created to stand the test of time.

The cocktail program at Osteria 832 / Lounge 832 is led by Megen and changes seasonally, but several current standouts feel built to last — layered, expressive drinks that nod to classic forms while still feeling playful and hip.

To fine-tune the menu, she worked with local spirits specialist Matthew Turner of Winebow, spending a day in the distributor’s bar lab tasting new products and developing recipes. The result is a cocktail list that feels intentional and well-balanced, grounded in technique but driven by curiosity.

Mainstays include the Raspberry Espresso Martini (spiced rum, cold brew, espresso, raspberry liqueur), Cherry Cold Old Fashioned (bourbon, cherry cola, cherry bitters), and Too Hot to Handle (Tequila, coconut, pineapple). And new additions for the summer season include the Cloud Nine (gin, earl grey, lavender yuzu foam), Uncrustable (peanut butter fat-washed bourbon), and Mango Lassi (white rum, cognac, clarified milk, and Greek yogurt).

Megen namechecks the Olive Oil & Sea Salt Martini as a favorite: “The olive oil martini was inspired by the olive oil on vanilla ice cream trend,” she says. “It’s slightly sweet, creamy, and really well balanced, very reminiscent of the real thing.”

Osteria 832 is open daily for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The space transforms into Lounge 832 on Friday and Saturday starting at 9 p.m.

Allison Ramirez is a bicoastal, Atlanta-based (for now) freelance journalist. She has over a decade of experience writing for publications like Travel + Leisure, the Daily Beast, Liquor, Thrillist, and others. Her recent work spans art, architecture, travel, and food & beverage stories, focusing on diversity within those spaces in the South and beyond. Follow her on Instagram here. Follow Resy, too.