Centennial Yards’ Entertainment District bags big Irish pub from NYCJosh GreenTue, 12/09/2025 - 16:08In a recent interview, Centennial Yards Company president Brian McGowan predicted the downtown megaproject he’s overseeing will emerge in coming years as the “Times Square of the South.” Helping that cause, perhaps, is the rising district’s newest signing. Officials with Centennial Yards developer CIM Group announced today—slainté!—they’ve signed a lease for the first location outside New York City for a pub called The Irish Exit, a concept by the Big Apple’s award-winning The Dead Rabbit Group. For its second location, The Irish Exit will claim a relatively large, 4,735-square-foot spot in Centennial Yards’ under-construction Entertainment District, envisioned as the project’s retail, dining, and hotel heartbeat across the street from Atlanta’s main sports stadiums. (For context, Park Tavern’s interiors and patios on Piedmont Park span about 5,700 square feet.) Courtesy of CIM Group/Centennial YardsScope of a planned hotel and retail component at Centennial Yards’ under-construction entertainment and sports district. Courtesy of Centennial Yards CompanyBeyond roomy interiors, The Irish Exit’s blueprints call for garage-style doors to create a flexible indoor-outdoor layout and “vibrant, street-level experience that amplifies the district’s momentum,” per a CIM Group announcement today. In Manhattan, The Irish Exit opened its all-day food-and-drink location in 2023 near the center of Penn Station, considered the busiest transit hub in North America. Parent concept The Dead Rabbit, located in Manhattan’s Financial District, has twice been named the world’s best bar. “We’re excited… to be part of the incredible energy that Centennial Yards is building,” Jack McGarry, The Dead Rabbit Group’s cofounder and managing partner, said in an announcement today. “Our mission has always been to showcase modern Irish culture and the Ireland of today—one that honors its roots while looking forward—and Atlanta’s Centennial Yards gives us the perfect platform to share that spirit with new guests.”That company’s decision “to plant roots in Atlanta speaks volumes about the city’s rising stature as a cultural and entertainment destination,” added McGowan, of Centennial Yards Company. Interiors at The Irish Exit’s NYC location today.Courtesy of CIM Group/Centennial YardsFresh perspective on forthcoming retail components at Centennial Yards Entertainment District. Courtesy of Centennial Yards CompanyThe Entertainment District at Centennial Yards—set to span roughly 470,000 square feet—is aiming to debut as a culinary and social hub in time for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches downtown, beginning in June. It’s a central component of the 50-acre redevelopment expected to cost at least $5 billion and add several city blocks, with assistance from a record City of Atlanta tax incentives package. Plans also call for roughly 2,000 new residences eventually. The Irish Exit will join a growing roster of Centennial Yards tenants that includes Live Nation and Cosm entertainment venues, Khao Thai Isan (a local concept from 26 Thai), and fast-casual chain Shake Shack. **…**Follow us on social media:Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  • Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)Tags70 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NWHotel PhoenixCentennial YardsCentennial Yards DevelopmentCentennial Yards CompanyCentennial Yards ConstructionAtlanta HotelsDowntown AtlantaDowntown Atlanta DevelopmentMercedes-Benz StadiumBoutique HotelsHotelsPreferred Hotels Resorts L.V.XIrish ExitThe Dead RabbitTimes Square of the SouthTimes SquareImagesInteriors at The Irish Exit’s NYC location today.Courtesy of CIM Group/Centennial YardsCourtesy of CIM Group/Centennial YardsScope of a planned hotel and retail component at Centennial Yards’ under-construction entertainment and sports district. Courtesy of Centennial Yards CompanyAs shown in renderings, Hotel Phoenix (at center left) and Centennial Yards’ first apartment tower, The Mitchell, now open. Hotel PhoenixFresh perspective on forthcoming retail components at Centennial Yards Entertainment District. Courtesy of Centennial Yards CompanyCourtesy of Centennial Yards CompanyLooking north across the former Gulch, the planned boutique hotel (bottom left) and mid-rise apartment building (bottom) are shown along Mitchell Street. At center is another mixed-use, mid-rise building that doesn’t yet exist. Courtesy of Centennial Yards CompanySubtitleThe Irish Exit concept to boast expansive indoor-outdoor space near stadiums, hotelsNeighborhoodDowntownBackground ImageImageAssociated ProjectCentennial Yards - 125 Ted Turner Dr SWBefore/After ImagesSponsored PostOff

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