Clark stated in the video that Home Grown will start operating seven days a week, which is a significant and immediate adjustment to the restaurant’s hours. Home Grown was only open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, Clark and Spooner intend to serve alcoholic beverages and extend the restaurant’s regular hours to include evening.
The move is comparable to that of Kimball House, which bought the historic rail depot building from Decatur’s Downtown Development Authority in late 2022. Landlord-tenant agreements are notoriously tense; the failure to reach an agreement between landlords and their tenants is often blamed for restaurant closures.
We’ve had Home Grown for 15 years, and people frequently ask us whether we own it. Are you all heading out? Clark stated in the announcement video. Today, however, we are the owners.
Atlanta, 404-222-0455, 968 Memorial Drive SE, homegrownga.com
First food stalls announced at Smorgasburg
Rough Draft just revealed the first few pop-ups that will be a part of Smorgasburg, the weekly outdoor food event that is getting ready to start in South Downtown in October. Madre Garcia’s, a Puerto Rican pop-up restaurant that serves sandwiches and Cubanos; Hermanita, chef Arnaldo Castillo’s Peruvian street food pop-up; and Bara ATL, a food truck that serves Trinidad and Tobago cuisine, will also be included.
Atlanta.smorgasburgatlanta.com 140 Forsyth St. SW
Brandon Amato is credited.
Brandon Amato is credited.
Other items of interest
The Buckhead fine-dining establishment Aria announced that it will start serving supper on Mondays and extend its hours to six nights a week. The cuisine and service will remain the same on Monday nights, but Aria executives stated that early-week promotions will soon be available.
At Atlanta, 490 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, 404-233-7673, aria-atl.com
The restaurant announced on social media that the Consulate in Midtown had joined the cocktail omakase craze with a customized drink menu. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, guests are invited to bring their passports to the bar between 5 and 6 p.m.; they can show their bartender any stamp on their passport, and the bartender will make a special cocktail that is influenced by that nation. According to the notice, customers cannot get an omakase cocktail unless they have already purchased a menu item.
404-254-5760, theconsulateatlanta.com, 10 10th St. NW, Atlanta
This week, the group revealed that Electric Hospitality, the firm behind Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Muchacho, Tiger Sun, and more, was included in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Electric Hospitality’s recent expansion initiatives, which include adding new concepts like Ranger Station and Tiger Sun to its existing spaces and constructing a second Ladybird location in West Midtown, are reflected in the recognition.
Restaurant openings
Near the Southside Beltline trail, next to Peoples Town Coffee Bar, the Voicebox Cocktail Lounge opened its doors last week. Jaclyn and Joshua Barber created the pub, which has a 90s vibe and includes neon décor, live music, and beverages. According to the website, it specializes in creating unique syrups and intricate, visually appealing cocktails.
Voicebox.bar, 55 Milton Ave. SE, Atlanta
The Ethiopian and beignet coffee shop Yay Beignet has made a comeback to Atlanta. It has relaunched in Hapeville with a coffee and beignet menu after closing its original site in the Irwin Street Market last summer.
Yaybeignet.com 755 Virginia Ave., Hapeville
A fast-casual fried chicken restaurant called King’s Chicken has set up shop in the Halidom Eatery food hall. Its menu features Southern comfort foods including rotisserie chicken, mild or spicy fried chicken, sides like macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and kale salad, as well as desserts like chocolate cake and a mint lemonade slushie.
Atlanta, 1341 Moreland Ave. SE.kingschickencompany.instagram.com
Kevin Rathbun’s Krog Bar has made a comeback to Peachtree Hills with coal-fired pizza and beverages.
Atlanta, 404-301-7146, 349 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE, krsteakbar.com/krogbarcoalfiredpizza
Thank you to MilkShake Factory.
Thank you to MilkShake Factory.
According to a press statement, MilkShake Factory has launched its first shop in Georgia, in Milton. There will be a buy one, get one free offer on all shakes, sundaes, and molten cups for those who attend the grand opening on August 23 from 12 to 4 p.m. Every day from midday to ten p.m., the store will be open.
Milton, 770-829-0269, 12660 Crabapple Road, milkshakefactory.com.
Restaurant announcements
At the end of the year, Bellwood Coffee plans to relocate to Grant Park from its East Atlanta facility, which it shares with the Victorian plant store, according to a social media announcement.
Bellwood Coffee, 1336 Glenwood Ave. SE, Atlanta, 678-986-2822.
According to Rough Draft, Hudson Rouse, the chef at Whoopsie’s Babygirl, will build an all-day cafe in East Lake. It will open in the Hosea + 2nd development at the location of the previous Mix it Up Burger.
Instagram: babygirl.atl 2371 Hosea L. Williams Drive, East Lake
At the end of the year, Sugar Loaf, a brunch pop-up restaurant serving Southern cuisine with Ethiopian and Albanian influences, plans to launch a physical location in Reynoldstown. The pop-up is well-known for its baked products, biscuit sandwiches, and biscuit variety.
Atlanta, 780 Memorial Drive SE, sugarloafatl.com
Restaurant closings
Decaturish was the first to report that J. Christopher’s, a breakfast franchise based in Marietta, had shuttered its downtown Decatur location after 19 years. According to Decaturish, a plaque on the restaurant’s entrance said, “J. Christopher’s family thanks you for 19 years in Decatur.”
Decatur, Decatur, 250 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., jchristophers.com
