Bryan Furman, the pitmaster behind the highly lauded barbecue restaurant B’s Cracklin BBQ, isn’t one to let a few setbacks slow him down.
B’s, located at 2061 Main St. in the Riverside neighborhood, burned to the ground in late 2019. It was the second time a B’s was destroyed by a fire — the Atlanta location opened after a fire destroyed the first B’s location in Savannah.
The Savannah location was rebuilt, and a B’s counter opened in late 2019 inside the Kroger at 725 Ponce de Leon Ave. (Both closed in 2020.)
“I’m going to reopen,” Furman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2019 after the fire. “That’s not a question.”
Proving he’s a man of his word, Furman recently announced plans for Bryan Furman BBQ, set to open by early 2022 at 2102 Bolton Road, around the corner from the Main Street B’s Cracklin BBQ location.
“He always wanted to come back to Riverside,” said Illia Hayes, Furman’s business manager. “That’s his home.”
The new restaurant will be the same concept as B’s Cracklin. Look for Furman’s signature meats — whole hog, brisket, ribs and chicken — along with sides like Carolina hash with rice and desserts like banana pudding.
The restaurant, which will be built from the ground up, will likely offer both indoor and outdoor seating, with the smokehouse located behind the eatery.
In the meantime, Furman will spend time meeting with architects and will launch a barbecue tour around the Southeast “to put the buzz out,” Hayes said. He’s also opening a Bryan Furman BBQ stand inside State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta.
The opening of Bryan Furman BBQ will mark a return to form for Furman. The pitmaster landed on Food & Wine’s list of Best New Chefs in 2019, which came on the heels of being named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
Among other accolades, B’s Cracklin BBQ was also named to Thrillist’s list of Best BBQ Joints in America in 2018.
Former AJC food writer Wyatt Williams gave B’s Cracklin’ high marks when he reviewed it in 2017.
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