Acclaimed restaurant Lazy Betty, known for its creative tasting menus, is set to relocate from its original location in Candler Park to the former Empire State South space in Midtown later this year.
Chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, who opened Lazy Betty in 2019 at 1530 DeKalb Ave. NE, will offer the same tasting menu concept at the new location at 999 Peachtree St., in addition to a small a la carte drink and food menu served in the bar.
The restaurant will continue to operate as usual in its current space while the Midtown building undergoes renovations.
Kat Blue of Blue Lantern Studios has been tapped to revamp the 4,300 square-foot space, which will feature a large main dining room, two private dining rooms, an expanded bar and a large outdoor dining patio.
Credit: Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
Credit: Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
An Atlanta native, Hsu worked for years at acclaimed New York City restaurants including Le Colonial and Le Bernardin before opening Lazy Betty. Phillips previously worked at Atlas Restaurant in the St. Regis Buckhead and has also worked at New York eateries including The Mark Restaurant, Bouley and Le Bernardin, where he met Hsu.
Earlier this year, the pair were named James Beard Award semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southeast category, and in 2020 the restaurant was a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category.
Hsu and Phillips also recently opened Humble Pie on the Westside and co-own Juniper Cafe, which closed in late 2022 with plans to relocate. Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina recently opened in the former Juniper Cafe space.
Phillips is also a partner at TKO and the forthcoming Butaco in the Southern Feed Store food hall in East Atlanta.
“Empire State South saw some of the city’s best chefs pass through its kitchen, and we’re honored to carry the torch for such a great culinary space,” Hsu said in a prepared statement. “While our location will change, our ethos will continue to be the same. We’re excited to invite the community to come together, eat well and live unhurried in the heart of the city.”
Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South closed earlier this year after 13 years in Midtown. Acheson continues to own Five & Ten in Athens, which he opened in 2000.
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