Politan Group, the business behind the Politan Row at Colony Square food hall in Midtown, is set to expand its metro Atlanta footprint with a new food hall in Dunwoody.
Politan Row at Ashford Lane is set to open this fall at 4500 Olde Perimeter Way in the Ashford Lane retail development. The project will take over the space vacated by the Hall at Ashford Lane, which closed in July after less than two months, with several former employees accusing the owners of failing to pay them, among other charges.
The new hall will feature nine food stalls, including several tenants that have stalls at Politan Row at Colony Square such as taco spot Pretty Little Tacos, hibachi and noodles concept Gekko and Indian fusion eatery Tandoori Pizza & Wings.
Several seasoned Atlanta restaurateurs will make their food hall debuts at the counter-service Politan Row at Ashford Lane, including Niki Pattharakositkul with 26 Thai, which has several metro Atlanta locations including one less than a mile away in Perimeter Mall; Gregory Vivier, who will open a second location of his Roswell restaurant Smokehouse Q; and Charlie Sunyapong and Paul Thai, who own Stäge Kitchen & Bar and Peche in Peachtree Corners and will open Mediterranean concept Sheesh.
Politan Group CEO Will Donaldson said that they targeted local vendors who are seeking to expand and grow their brands.
Credit: Chris Hunt
Credit: Chris Hunt
Like the food hall at Colony Square, the 17,000-square-foot space in Dunwoody will have a central bar called Bar Politan as well as a themed cocktail lounge. The latter will be a sequel to the ‘70s-themed hidden Colony Square bar Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge and will be overseen by Jojo’s co-creator and Politan’s director of operations Benton Bourgeois.
The new bar will target the time period from 1988-1992 in the soundtrack, decor and cocktails with the inspiration a cross between the Vaporwave style and the “fern bars” of the era like O’Charley’s and Bennigans, according to Donaldson. Patrons can expect to see design elements like mirrored vertical blinds and music by ‘90s R&B groups such as Jodeci and Salt-N-Pepa.
The interior design, spearheaded by longtime Politan Group design partner Bell + Butler, will incorporate many elements of other Politan Row food halls, including millwork, warm lighting with sconces and side lights and a new color scheme. A room that was built in the middle of the space that obscured the view of many of the stalls will be removed “to make things more inviting,” Donaldson said.
Politan Group has a growing portfolio of food halls around the country, having opened food halls in New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Miami. The group also recently announced plans to open a seven-stall food hall in the Forum Peachtree Corners development next summer, which will likely include some vendors from Politan Row at Colony Square.
“All of our food halls are different, but when you walk into each one, you know it’s ours,” Donaldson said. While the Colony Square food hall has a mid-century modern vibe, the Dunwoody location will use design elements from the Regency era.
The Ashford Lane hall will also offer several private event options for 25-500 guests, with catering available from the hall’s vendors and bars.
Politan Row at Ashford Lane will be open daily for lunch and dinner and will host weekly activations and events.
Donaldson said that despite the quick closure of the previous food hall in the same space, he still has faith in the location.
“We’re surrounded by residential and density,” Donaldson said. “Fundamentally, it’s a good location. We’ve never done a space takeover, but it’ll be a good challenge.”
Other food and beverage concepts in the Ashford Lane development include the newly-opened Grana, Hawkers, Superica, Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern and Brown Bag Seafood Co. Set to open in the coming months are Culinary Dropout and Omakase by Yun.
The Politan Row projects are part of an ongoing food hall boom in metro Atlanta that, in recent years, has included the opening of Chattahoochee Food Works, Ph’east, Market Hall at Halcyon and The Collective Food Hall at Coda, with several other food halls in development.
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