Pitmaster John Lewis is set to open his fourth restaurant — and his first in Georgia — next summer in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights neighborhood.
Set to open at 1544 Piedmont Ave. NE in the former Hideaway and Laundry Lounge spaces in Ansley Mall, Lewis Barbecue will feature Lewis’ Central Texas-style barbecue, including brisket, pork spareribs, pulled pork, turkey, and hot guts sausage along with sides like potato salad, collard greens and tallow fried fries, snacks, desserts including banana pudding, and a full bar.
The restaurant will also offer weekly specials like a prime rib dinner on Wednesdays and chicken fried steak on Sundays.
Central Texas barbecue focuses on a low and slow cooking method and centers around beef, mainly brisket. The cooking style starts with dry-rubbed meats that are slowly smoked in a wood-fired pit and served with sauce on the side.
Construction is underway at the space to accommodate Lewis Barbecue’s set-up, which includes a large smokehouse with custom-made pits, indoor and outdoor dining areas, and a barbecue service line, where guests line up for food.
Credit: ANDREW CEBULKA
Credit: ANDREW CEBULKA
The design of the restaurant will “complement the two other Lewis Barbecue locations, “with a vibe that’s clean and modern, while giving a nod to Lewis’ Texas roots through artwork and textures,” according to a representative for the eatery.
The opening of Lewis Barbecue Atlanta will come nearly a decade after the launch of Lewis Barbecue’s first brick-and-mortar location in Charleston, South Carolina in 2016, which was followed by a location in Greenville, South Carolina. Lewis also owns Rancho Lewis in Charleston.
Lewis grew up in El Paso, Texas, and relocated to Austin when he was 18 to start his culinary career. After a stint in Denver on the competition barbecue circuit, he returned to Austin in 2010 to help open Franklin Barbecue and also partnered on La Barbecue before moving to Charleston.
Lewis Barbecue, which will be open daily starting at 11 a.m., will join several other food and beverage concepts in Ansley Mall including Bantam & Biddy, Ansley Wine Merchants, Vinny’s N.Y. Pizza and Grill and Brooklyn Bagel Bakery & Deli.
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