Atlanta imbibers know that The Pinewood in Decatur and The Mercury at Ponce City Market are both fine options for a quality drink. Now, the partners behind these restaurant-bars – Julian Goglia, Brooks Cloud and Mike Blydenstein – are gearing up to launch three more concepts, all of which should attract those who appreciate a good beverage program.
First up is Deep End, a late-night bar that will serve tacos and drinks in the old 4th & Swift space at 621 North Ave., in the Old Fourth Ward.
"Think: Palm Springs meets Malibu," said Cloud, who envisions Deep End as a "beachside taco experience" that will be fun, casual and open until 3 a.m. "There are all these people mixing and mingling near Ponce City Market who are not ready to go home right yet," he said of the need for a late-night bar in that area.
Construction is slated to begin this week. With minimal renovations necessary, Cloud hopes to see Deep End open this fall, and prior to unlocking doors to the team’s two Italian concepts – Bar Americano and Bar Crema – coming to Buckhead in October.
The former will be a restaurant-bar while the latter, located next door, will be a cafe-gelateria. The pair are among numerous concepts coming to the Andrews Square development, formerly known as the East Andrews Entertainment District. They will take the space previously occupied by Prohibition and are expected to open in October.
Besides sharing news about the hiring of Bocado's Adam Waller as executive chef for Bar Americano and Bar Crema , Cloud provided more details about what he says will be "cool, unique and not like anything Buckhead has had."
Bar Americano will dish out casual Italian-American fare seven days a week, but the beverage side is not an afterthought. "The restaurant is inspired by Italian aperitivo hour," Cloud said. That translates to a bar program, devised by Goglia, that's heavily influenced by Italian bitters. "Aperol, fizzes, Negronis, Americanos, amaros – we enjoy that sort of drinking culture in Italy where you go to a bar-restaurant at 4 p.m. in the afternoon and there is wine, cheese, salami, olives, Aperol spritzes."
Bar Crema will offer what Cloud described as a "high-end, elevated coffee experience." Besides a good cuppa, this cafe will offer custom gelato and have a bar element. "It's not just coffee or bar or gelato, but all three. You want Amaro in your vanilla ice cream in your espresso? You can do that," said Cloud.
With 200 seats inside the restaurant and a 50-seat courtyard patio, Cloud anticipates attracting both the happy hour crowd as well as families who want to come in for pizza or a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
"It can wear both hats," he said. "Buckhead has places that offer high-end experiences, or tavern or fast-casual. There's not a lot in the middle of that: Places like the Pinewood or Bocado."
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