Two years after the pandemic crippled the restaurant industry, 2023 saw a steady stream of openings across the metro area, with frequent announcements of new pop-ups and food halls. Atlanta restaurants also were mentioned nationally in good ways and bad.
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
James Beard victory
Koval was the only 2023 Beard finalist from metro Atlanta, although numerous chefs were in the semifinal round, including Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips of Lazy Betty, Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor of Heirloom Market BBQ, and Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours.
Ticonderoga Club, Lyla Lila and Buena Gente Cuban Bakery also vied for national awards.
Atlanta gets a Michelin Guide
Atlanta became the seventh U.S. destination this year for the Michelin restaurant rating guide.
At an Oct. 24 ceremony at the Rialto Center for the Arts, Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujo walked away with one-star ratings. A total of 45 restaurants were named in the inaugural guide, counting mentions in other categories — recommended (for above-average food), bib gourmand (for good food at moderate prices) and green star (for sustainable gastronomy)
It’ll be interesting to see the makeup of the 2024 guide, since inspectors kept their evaluation radius within the Perimeter for the first edition.
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Atlanta got the Keith Lee treatment
The same day as the Michelin announcement, TikTok food critic Keith Lee hit Atlanta.
Lee has built a following of more than 14 million on TikTok by offering candid reviews of mom-and-pop spots. To avoid receiving special treatment, Lee typically waits in the car while his family goes inside to pick up the food.
He and his family spent a week in Atlanta, making stops at nine Black-owned establishments, including Atlanta Breakfast Club, Lil Baby’s the Seafood Menu, Old Lady Gang and the Real Milk and Honey. His observations about customer service and seemingly arbitrary restaurant rules (not accepting takeout orders, limiting dine-in times and party size, changing hours of operation without reason or warning) sparked heated debate. Some felt Lee’s reviews held restaurant culture accountable; others argued that his restaurant choices didn’t accurately reflect the city’s overall food scene.
Credit: (MARTHA WILLIAMS FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION)
Credit: (MARTHA WILLIAMS FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION)
Pop-ups find success
This was a banner year for pop-ups. Five of the restaurants included in the Atlanta Michelin Guide began as such temporary eateries: Mujo, Little Bear, Talat Market, Kamayan ATL and Bomb Biscuit.
Other pop-ups that settled into permanent brick-and-mortar homes in 2023 included La Semilla, which began as pop-up Happy Seed; and Demetrius Brown’s Heritage Supper Club at Bread and Butterfly. Brown eventually assumed ownership of Bread and Butterfly. Look for barbecue pop-up Gene’s to open its new digs in East Lake next year.
The year also saw the launch of venues that provide culinary space specifically for pop-up vendors, including Uptown Kitchen in Buckhead and the Punk Foodie stall at Ponce City Market.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
More openings in west Midtown
While cranes still claim space in the bustling Star Metals District on Howell Mill Road, some new restaurants already have opened, including Hayakawa, Prevail Coffee, Sweetgreen, Savi Provisions, Flight Club and Wagamama while Brush chef-owner Jason Liang’s cafe-bar Lucky Star is slated to debut there early next year. Still to come is a new location of Persian restaurant Delbar and rooftop bar Patina. The Stella at Star Metals apartment complex also includes a third location of Fishmonger and an announcement is expected of a Miami-based restaurant chain there.
Nearby, the Westside Paper development opened in September. This month, Bar Diver, Pancake Social and El Santo Gallo taqueria debuted there, joining Boxcar Betty’s and Elsewhere Brewing Greenhouse Taproom. Others slated for the space include King of Pops and Ancestral Bottle Shop.
Credit: Courtesy of Politan Group
Credit: Courtesy of Politan Group
Food hall saturation
It seems there’s no such thing as too many food halls, at least in the eyes of developers. This year, two food halls (three, if you count alcohol-focused AlcoHall at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood) joined the more than 10 already scattered around metro Atlanta.
The new hall at the Lee + White development includes Original Hot Dog Factory, Sweet Red Peach, One Korean Bistro and Honeysuckle Gelato. Other announced vendors include Dough Boy Pizza, Vietvana, World Chicken and Sakura Sake Bar & Bottles. Once they’re all rolled out, the hall will be home to 21 eateries.
The Hall at Ashford Lane in Dunwoody opened in May but closed after less than two months, with several former employees accusing the owners of failing to pay them, among other charges. The folks behind Politan Row at Colony Square since have taken over the space and renamed it Politan Row at Ashford Lane. Watch for that opening next year, along with sister venue Politan Row at Peachtree Corners.
Other food halls expected to open include Chamblee Tap & Market, Halidom Eatery in East Atlanta, Switchman Hall in Peoplestown and Roswell Junction.
Credit: Brandon McKeown
Credit: Brandon McKeown
Goodbye, old friend
It’s an unfortunate reality that the average lifespan of a restaurant is just shy of five years. In 2023, we saw the permanent shuttering of spots that ranged from newbies, such as Redbird at Westside Provisions District, to middle-aged establishments, including Little Trouble and King + Duke. Some long-established restaurants also called it quits, including Empire State South, Noni’s on Edgewood Avenue and Rusty Nail, a dive bar that was a fixture on Buford Highway for nearly 50 years.
December has been especially bleak, with notices of final farewells from more than a dozen local restaurants, including 10 Degrees South, Ammazza Pizza, Biggerstaff Brewing, Biltong Bar, Casa Robles, Common Roots Farmers Market, Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar, Garnet Gal’s, Henry’s Midtown Tavern, Hippin Hops in East Lake, LT’s Wings, Tin Lizzy’s in Grant Park, V Restaurant and Lounge and Wurst Beer Hall.
Restaurateur Ryan Pernice, who still has Osteria Mattone and Table & Main in Roswell, said of the imminent closure of Casa Robles: “It’s a scary time in restaurant land.”
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