ATMOSPHERE: Feels even more underground than Underground — the carved out under the pavement "Is that a SUV driving overhead as we dance?" underground. But that "cubby hole" feel has been key to MJQ since it first opened in the basement of the downtrodden Ponce de Leon Hotel more than seven years ago. Now it's a much more inviting hole with a glowing oval bar, cozy booths and a spacious dance floor. The separate lounge area has its own DJ booth and bar and is a bit mellower than the main room. Still, both have water dripping through the ceiling. (Hey, you get atmosphere where you can.)

Jenni Girtman/AJC (ENLARGE)
Entering MJQ means going underground, where the eclectic crowd parties the night away.
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THE CROWD: Arguably the most diverse in the city — and, almost always, the least pretentious. But it also has a celebrity quotient sometimes. Among the biggest names bandied about? A pre-wardrobe malfunction Janet Jackson.

MUSIC: Hipsters dance to Brit-pop on Wednesdays, and club kids groove to more deep house, acid jazz and hip-hop on weekends. DJs Kai Alce and Cullen Cole have been longtime staples on the one's and two's. In fact, Alce actually has a CD of what he was spinning the night he says Jackson danced the night way. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots adds that he "love[s] to DJ at MJQ because they come to dance, not to look around at everyone and be cute. And that crowd knows music. I gauge my skills by how crowds like MJQ's respond."

— Sonia Murray, Jamie C. Kennedy