The Baxter and rooftop bar Duke’s Hideaway are now open on the Eastside Beltline, with a menu highlighting sandwiches and tiki cocktails.
The concepts, located at 670 DeKalb Ave. NE, come from Scott McCray and Scott Kerns of LEAD Hospitality restaurant group. The space was formerly home to Kevin Gillespie concepts Cold Beer and Slabtown Public House.
Situated on the bottom floor of the two-story building the Baxter is a “very relaxed tavern with a throwback feel,” McCray said, appealing to “the casual vibe of the Beltline.”
The menu includes “Scooby Snacks and Munchies” like Wavy Gravy Tot Poutine, nachos and a hummus plate; “Radical Rabbit Food” like Tubular Tomato and Burrata and a Caesar salad; and “Hip Handhelds” like the Let the Good Times Shrimp Roll and the Baxter Burger.
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Rounding out the offerings are chicken wings with several sauce options, and sides like tater tots and pasta salad.
Drinks at the Baxter include draft cocktails including the El Diablo Went Down to Georgia, a tiki version of a Moscow Mule and Not the Dude’s White Russian, a clarified version of the classic ‘70s drinks made with milk and citrus, then fat-washed, creating a “rich, velvety milk punch” finished off with a cold brew foam, according to Beverage Director Stephen Steininger.
Other drink options include housemade boozy sodas, “pony rides” featuring a small beer paired with a shot, wine, local craft beers and several ‘70s-style canned beers including Coors Banquet and Foster’s oil cans.
Within the next few days, the restaurant will also start serving pineapple soft-serve ice cream known as Duke’s Whip, with the option to include boozy floaters like biscotti liqueur and pineapple rum.
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
The Baxter space seats about 130 guests, including space at a bar, on a dog-friendly patio, in the main dining room and in a smaller tiki-themed room. Several televisions throughout lend to the laid-back sports bar vibe, along with skateboards and bikes hanging on the walls. Food and drinks can also be ordered from a Beltline-facing to-go window.
Upstairs, guests will find a covered rooftop tiki bar known as Duke’s Hideaway, with a cocktail menu that will be familiar to fans of Tiki Tango, LEAD Hospitality’s Midtown tiki bar that closed in 2022.
Look for traditional tiki drinks including Mai Tais made with Guyanese rum, Jungle Birds and frozen pina coladas served in a pineapple mug. Larger groups can sip on sharable beverages like the Flaming Skull and Scorpion Bowl, which both arrive at the table on fire.
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
All individual drinks are served in tiki-style mugs that are also available for purchase at the bar.
Duke’s, which utilizes tiki-style decor leftover from Tiki Tango including lights and carved masks, also has its own abbreviated food menu with snacks including poke nachos, chicken tinga tacos, a dip trio and spring rolls.
In addition to the Baxter and Duke’s Hideaway, LEAD Hospitality also has four metro locations of McCray’s Tavern; Hamp & Harry’s in Marietta; and Perry Street Chophouse in Lawrenceville. McCray also co-owns The Mill Kitchen and Bar in Roswell with his brother, Randy, and Kerns owns Carolyn’s Gourmet Cafe in Midtown.
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Credit: Courtesy of the Baxter
Gillespie closed Cold Beer in 2022 after three years to make way for his new restaurant Slabtown Public House, which shuttered in late 2022 after about six months.
The Baxter and Duke’s join many other food and beverage concepts on the Eastside Beltline including One Flew South, Two Urban Licks, Shake Shack, Nina & Rafi’s and Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall. Several more are set to open in the coming months including a second location of Yeppa & Co. and Breaker Breaker.
The Baxter’s opening hours are 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday and 11:30-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, with the bar staying open an hour later. Duke’s Hideaway is open 5-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.
670 DeKalb Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-873-6189, baxteronthebeltline.com
Scroll down to see the full menu for The Baxter and Duke’s Hideaway:
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
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