Hawkers, the Florida-based Asian street food concept, will reopen its Beltline location on April 1 after almost three years.
Hawkers opened its first Georgia location at 661 Auburn Ave. in StudioPlex Alley in 2019, but it temporarily closed in the summer of 2021 due to mechanical issues that led to a grease fire.
“I believe so much in the Beltline community,” co-owner and CEO Kaleb Harrell said. “If we can make it work, I’m all in on this, and I believe in it enough to invest in it again.”
During the closure, the restaurant expanded its outdoor patio and added patio games including pingpong tables.
Credit: Nick Leyva
Credit: Nick Leyva
Harrell said he wants the Beltline location to feel “a little like a chef’s playground,” or a test kitchen. That means offering dishes not found at other Hawkers locations including soft serve ice cream with flavors like pandan, ube, Thai tea and toasted rice topped with Sichuan chili crisps and nori flakes; Penang poutine with curry sauce and cheese curds; Singapore chili crab baos; curry “empanadas”; Sichuan tonkatsu ramen; and frozen cocktails.
The restaurant will also feature a noodle bar that overlooks the kitchen and Hong Kong barbecue where diners can watch chefs cut fresh barbecued meat to order.
“We want it to be not just a place to eat, but we want it to be a night out for you,” Harrell said.
Harrell, Allen Lo, Wayne Yung and Kin Ho first opened Hawkers in 2011 in Orlando, Florida. The group of friends was inspired by the street food vendors they encountered in Asia who “hawked” their traditional dishes. There are now 15 Hawkers locations in Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. A second Georgia location opened in Dunwoody’s Ashford Lane development in 2023.
The menu at each location changes seasonally with some mainstays like roti canai, pad Thai, and Po Po Lo’s curry. Many of the dishes are family recipes from Lo, who spent time in his family’s restaurant in Kedah, Malaysia.
Other food and beverage concepts in the Studioplex building include Nina & Rafi, the James Room and Pour Taproom.
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