Juniper Cafe, the Vietnamese bakery and cafe from the team behind the lauded Inman Park restaurant Lazy Betty, is set to open Dec. 15.
Located at 2260 Marietta Blvd. NW in the Westside Village development, Juniper Cafe comes from Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, the chef-partners behind Lazy Betty, and Carl Van Tyle Gilbert, who serves as the restaurant’s general manager and beverage director.
Juniper Cafe, named for Hsu’s niece and a nod to the street in Midtown, will be open for breakfast and dinner service, with lunch to come.
The menu features a variety of Vietnamese specialties including pho, bun, banh mi and summer rolls, as well as house-made pastries and coconut shaved ice. Timothy Rufino — formerly a senior line cook at Lazy Betty — will serve as executive chef.
Gilbert will manage the beverage program, with a focus on cocktails incorporating Vietnamese flavors and ingredients, international wines, sake, Lunar hard seltzer, makgeolli, soju, sochu, baiju and Asian beer. A non-alcoholic beverage menu will offer craft natural sodas and a selection of coffee, espresso and tea.
Credit: Eric Sun
Credit: Eric Sun
The design, by local architecture and interior design firm PRAXIS3, “includes modern takes on traditional forms,” according to a press release, with “stepped ceiling elements reminiscent of the terraced Vietnamese countryside and a patio structure that will incorporate interpretations of time-honored details from historic Vietnamese homes.” Look for “bright tones” and “a fun and light-hearted interior.”
An Atlanta native, Hsu grew up working in his family’s Chinese restaurants. He worked at restaurants in New York City, including Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, where he met Phillips, who also spent time in New York kitchens before returning to Atlanta. The pair opened Lazy Betty in 2019 to much acclaim, including a three-star review from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The restaurant was also named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2020.
The restaurant team held a series of Juniper Cafe preview pop-ups at Lazy Betty in anticipation of the restaurant’s opening.
Credit: Eric Sun
Credit: Eric Sun
With the opening of Juniper Cafe, Phillips will now serve as Lazy Betty’s executive chef and act as Juniper Cafe’s corporate chef; Hsu will be culinary director for the two restaurants, and Gilbert will be beverage director for both concepts.
The same team will also open Humble Pie, a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant at The Interlock at 1115 Howell Mill Road in spring 2022.
Juniper Cafe’s opening hours are 8-11 a.m. Wednesdays-Sundays; 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays and Sundays and 5-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.
2260 Marietta Blvd. NW, Atlanta. 404-695-6516, juniper-cafe.com/
Scroll down to see the full menu for Juniper Cafe:
Credit: Juniper Cafe
Credit: Juniper Cafe
Credit: Juniper Cafe
Credit: Juniper Cafe
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