A cocktail bar from two metro Atlanta restaurant and bar veterans is set to open early next year in Reynoldstown.
Whoopsie’s, located at 1 Moreland Ave. in the former Hodgepodge Coffee space, is the creation of Tim Faulkner and Hudson Rouse, who met while working at Octopus Bar in East Atlanta.
Faulkner went on to help owners Nhan Le and the late Angus Brown open the now-shuttered Lusca in Brookwood Hills and 8Arm in Poncey-Highland, while Rouse opened his own restaurant, Rising Son, in Avondale Estates.
With a friend, Faulkner also operated Up & Down, a cocktail pop-up that operated out of the now-closed Gato in Inman Park that he calls “the genesis” of Whoopsie’s.
The concept “is something I’ve been trying to do for a few years,” Faulkner said. He partnered with Rouse on a speakeasy in a photographer’s studio at the beginning of the year, and the pair “found themselves on the same page,” he said.
That includes a “very simple” drink list featuring two red wines, two white wines, , a couple of Champagne options and a rotating featured cocktail. Guests can also order from a full bar.
The streamlined food menu will include no more than eight small plates and entrees using produce grown by Rouse, who is also a farmer. Dishes will also feature rotating proteins including game and fresh fish.
The intimate space will seat about 40 guests, including 10 at the bar, where complimentary peanuts will be offered.
Though the interior is still being built out, Faulkner described the vibe he’s going for as “lush and comfortable,” with 20-foot ceilings, big windows, terrariums and hanging plants, and padded leather booths.
The wall behind the bar and the restaurant’s back wall will also be decorated with painted murals from local artists.
“We want it to be bright and alive,” he said.
Whoopsie’s will also have some sidewalk seating along its side on Hosea L. Williams Drive.
Opening hours will likely be 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Mondays, with pop-ups operating in the space Tuesdays-Thursdays.
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