It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday — especially when that means bidding your favorite restaurants farewell. Here, we remember (most of) the restaurants that closed their doors in metro Atlanta in 2016 — which one will you miss the most? Let us know in the comments section.
The Clayton Burger – with pimento cheese, house pickles and crispy shallots, served with Red Hare beer at Hoof & Ale. / (BECKY STEIN)
Cobb County
Baked – The comfort food restaurant closed at 1111 Johnson Ferry Rd. in Marietta after four years; an Old Fourth Ward location remains open.
Chequers Seafood & Steak – The seafood and steak spot closed after 33 years in business and two years at its current location at 1401 Johnson Ferry Rd. in Marietta.
Hoof & Ale – The burger and beer joint that opened at 2100 Roswell Road in Marietta in 2013 closed early this year.
Paper Mill Grill – The New American restaurant closed at 255 Village Parkway NE in Marietta after closing briefly in 2014 and reopening in 2015. AJC food critic Wyatt Williams gave the spot two out of four stars when he reviewed it in 2015.
Tavola – The restaurant, which featured a classic Italian menu, closed at 4719 Lower Roswell Rd. in Marietta to make way for an Egg Harbor Cafe.
The interior of Seven Hens. / Photo courtesy of Schumacher Group
DeKalb County
Chosun Ok – The Korean restaurant closed its doors at 5865 Buford Hwy NE in Doraville.
Crab City –This seafood eatery came and went in the same year at 3025 Turner Hill Rd. in Lithonia.
Dankbaar Taco -The eatery, which opened in February, replacing Bad Dog Taqueria at 1579 N. Decatur Rd. in Emory Village, closed after less than two months.
Famous Pub – The popular sports bar is closing at the end of 2016 in the Toco Hill Promenade at 2947 N Druid Hills Rd. NE after 30 years in business.
Gladys Knight Chicken & Waffles -The Lithonia location near the Mall at Stonecrest closed after state revenue agents raided and temporarily closed all three locations of the restaurant chain, arrested owner Shanga Hankerson – son of Gladys Knight – on theft counts, and filed civil racketeering charges against him. The other two locations remain open.
Pinkberry – The frozen yogurt spot closed at Perimeter Mall, though there are still several metro Atlanta locations open.
Pub 71 – The Irish bar closed at 4058 Peachtree Rd. in Brookhaven after 10 years in business.
Sawicki's Meat Seafood and More – The sandwich shop, which specialized in take-away orders, closed at 250 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. in Decatur after 10 years.
Seven Hens – The local chicken schnitzel concept closed at 2140 N. Decatur Rd. to make way for a Korean street food concept. A location in Sandy Springs also closed.
Slice of Brookhaven – The pizza spot closed at 2524 Caldwell Rd. in Brookhaven after three years.
Varasano's – The local pizza spot closed at Perimeter Mall after less than a year. Locations in Buckhead and at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remain open.
The Yogurt Tap – The frozen yogurt spot closed at 419 Church St. in Decatur after seven years in business.
The Fat Elvis from BrOkn’ Egg Bistro
Gwinnett County
Brokn' Egg Bistro – This breakfast spot opened and closed within months at 4601 Satellite Blvd in Duluth.
Park Cafe & Wine Market – The restaurant closed at 3579 W. Lawrenceville St. in Duluth after being open since 2007 to make way for the new Epicurean Cafe.
Veal marsala, parmigiana and milanese at Alfredo’s. (BECKY STEIN) (BECKY STEIN)
Intown Atlanta
4th and Swift – The popular Old Fourth Ward restaurant unexpectedly closed at 621 North Ave. NE. Owner Jay Swift opened Noble Fin in Peachtree Corners this year with his son, Jeb Aldrich
Alfredo's – The beloved Atlanta eatery closed after 41 years at 1989 Cheshire Bridge Rd. to make way for high-end apartments. Owner Perry Alvarez said he hopes to relocate. See photos of Alfredo's last night in business here.
American Food & Beverage – The eatery closed in January at the Buckhead Atlanta development; the owner and operator, Fort Worth, Texas-based Raised Palate Restaurants group, later closed Thirteen Pies in the same complex.
Article 14 – The same restaurant group that owns downtown Atlanta restaurants Stats, Der Biergarten and Max's Coal Oven Pizza closed the doors on this restaurant at 1180 Peachtree St. after less than four years.
Asante – Chef Marvin Woods closed this Southern soul bistro at with hopes to relocate in 2017. He blamed the closure on the restaurant's bad parking situation.
Bamboo Luau – The late-night Chinese eatery, which had been open for nearly 30 years, closed at 2263 Cheshire Bridgde Rd. NE in Atlanta.
BLT Steak – The steakhouse is closing at W Atlanta – Downtown at the end of the year after being open since 2007.
Bone Lick BBQ – The West Midtown restaurant closed at 1133 Huff Rd. NW to make way for Twisted Soul. A Bone Lick location in Old Fourth Ward remains open.
Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic – The whimsical sandwich shop from Jenny Levison closed after five years at 3188 Paces Ferry Pl NW in Buckhead. Levison also closed Juicy Jenny and relocated the flagship location of Souper Jenny in 2016.
Churchill Grounds – The jazz club and eatery closed at its location at 660 Peachtree St. NE near the Fox Theatre after nearly 20 years. It's set to reopen in The Beacon complex in Grant Park in 2017.
The Cockentrice – The restaurant from the team behind The Spotted Trotter meat market closed in Krog Street Market after almost two years. The Krog Street Market and Kirkwood locations of Spotted Trotter remain open. A new concept from Castellucci Hospitality Group is set to open in 2017 in the former Cockentrice space.
Diner – The Atlantic Station spot from Chef Ron Eyester closed earlier this year. Eyester, who also closed or sold several restaurants in 2015, is now the chef at Southern Bistro in Sandy Springs.
Flora and Flour – The biscuit sandwich stall closed in the Global Grub Collective mini food hall in East Atlanta.
Freshii – The only Georgia location of the health food eatery closed at Lenox Square.
H. Harper Station – The popular Reynoldstown cocktail bar and eatery from Jerry Slater closed its doors at 904 Memorial Dr. SE.
Hi-Five Diner – The breakfast spot closed at 903 Peachtree St. NE in Midtown to make way for Benzino's Crab Shack, set to open in 2017. Hi-Five owner Alex Brounstein (who also owns Grindhouse Killer Burgers) is hoping to relocate Hi-Five.
Juicy Jenny – The juice shop from Jenny Levison closed at 56 East Andrews Drive in Buckhead. Levison also closed Cafe Jonah earlier this year.
La Fonda – The Buckhead location of the local Mexican restaurant chain closed at 2813 Peachtree Rd. so sister concept, pizzeria Fellini's, could expand.
Last Word – The Lebanese-American concept closed at ; Cast Iron has since taken its spot.
Lusca – The lauded Buckhead spot from Angus Brown and Nhan Le shut its doors at 1829 Peachtree Rd. NE. Since, Brown and Le have been focused on the new Poncey-Highland spot 8Arm and the East Atlanta late-night eatery Octopus Bar, as well as opening Ama along the Beltline.
Mi Cocina – The Midtown Mexican spot closed at 1080 Peachtree St. after almost four years in business.
O4W Pizza – The popular pizza spot closed at Irwin Street Market on the Beltline and relocated to a space in Duluth.
Scales 925 – The embattled restaurant from rapper T.I. closed at 30 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW #125. The League Tavern is set to open in its place.
The Spence – The restaurant, which opened in 2012 at 75 5th St. NW in Atlanta with then-executive chef Richard Blais, closed in June.
Stone Soup – The breakfast spot closed at 584 Woodward Ave. SE in Grant Park over the summer to make way for an apartment complex.
The Pecan – The Southern eatery closed at 3725 Main St. in College Park after 10 years. A Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport outpost of The Pecan remains open.
Thirteen Pies – Raised Palate restaurant group closed both this pizzeria and American Food & Beverage Company in the Buckhead Atlanta development this year.
Tierras Alto – The restaurant, which opened in August at 640 N. Highland Ave. in Atlanta, was previously known as Cafe Highlands and, before that, Cafe 640.
Yebo – The South African restaurant closed at Phipps Plaza so owner Justin Anthony could open Yebo Beach Haus in Buckhead.
Whiskey Park/Living Room – The bar and lounge concepts at W Atlanta – Midtown closed after eight years.
Double chili cheese burger, fries and a Varsity PC (chocolate milk)(Becky Stein Photography)
North Fulton County
The Varisty – The Alpharetta location of the local burger institution closed its doors earlier this year. The original location of The Varsity, located in Midtown at 61 North Ave. N.W., has been open since 1928. In addition to the Kennesaw, Dawsonville and Norcross locations, there are also Varsity restaurants in Athens and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Terminals C and F.
Clay's Sports Cafe – The sports bar closed at 6518 Roswell Rd NE in Atlanta to make way for a Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, but is looking to relocate.
Figo – The Atlanta pasta restaurant closed its Sandy Springs location at 1140 Hammond Dr. Five Figos remain in West Midtown, Buckhead, Vinings, Decatur and Edgewood.
Mirage Persian – The restaurant closed at 6631 Roswell Rd NE in Abernathy Square.
LottaFrutta – The fresh fruit and sandwich shop closed at Avalon in Alpharetta. A location in Old Fourth Ward remains open.
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