2019 was a big year in the metro Atlanta dining scene, with more than 200 new restaurants making their debut, and many, sadly, closing their doors.
2020 is already shaping up to be eventful, with several high-profile eateries and bars slated to open their doors. Here are some that already have us salivating.
Amar Bien. The family behind Sweet Auburn BBQ is expanding its horizons to Mexican food with this Westside Village that will open in spring 2020 with a veggie-forward menu.
2260 Marietta Blvd. Atlanta.
Anderson's BBQ. Restaurateur and cookbook author Todd Richards is headed to southwest Atlanta with this new barbecue restaurant, which will see him revive the skills he perfected at the now-shuttered Rolling Bones barbecue restaurant in Old Fourth Ward. Richards is partnering with Jackmont Hospitality, for which he serves as culinary director. The restaurant group owns and operates restaurants including actor/rapper Ludacris' Chicken + Beer and the James Beard Award semi-finalist One Flew South, both located in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
65 Willis Mill Road SE, Atlanta.
Estrellita. Get a taste of the Philippines at this spot that aims to serve authentic dishes such as lumpia, pancit and lechon kawali in the heart of Grant Park.
580 Woodward Ave., Atlanta.
Eugene and Elizabeth's. James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Linton Hopkins and his wife Gina closed their celebrated Restaurant Eugene last year to make way for their new a la carte concept called Eugene and Elizabeth's, named for his grandparents. The menu will feature permanent fixtures including soups, salads and entrees including red snapper and free-range chicken with goat cheese. The vegetable plate from Restaurant Eugene's menu will also make an appearance.
2277 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. eugeneandelizabeths.com/
Falling Rabbit. Duluth mixed-use development Parsons Alley, which recently welcomed multi-concept Asian spot Sweet Octopus, will also soon be home to this new concept from Chicago chef Chuck Woods, who previously helped operate acclaimed restaurants including The Girl and Prairie School. Expect to see "elevated seasonal cuisine complimented by creative wine and bar offerings," according to its website.
3580 W. Lawrenceville St., fallingrabbit.com
Grana. Pat Pascarella, who owns and operates The White Bull in Decatur, will offer wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, housemade pasta and other Italian staples at his new Piedmont Heights restaurant, as well as a special meatball program, seasonal vegetable sides and a family-style polenta dish served directly on the table. Rounding out the food menu will be a beverage list including classic cocktails, wine from regions across Italy and beer from around the world.
1835 Piedmont Ave. NE, granaatl.com/
Hemingway's. Tampa, Florida-based Hemingway's is slated to open in mixed-use development Krog Street Market this spring, bringing with it Cuban dishes including tostones rellenos topped with spicy saffron aioli and Cuban Salchipapa, yucca fries piled with shredded pork, La Frita Cubana and customizable BYO-Cuban bowls with fillings including ropa vieja, picadillo, garlic and lime sautéed green beans, cilantro white rice, mojo quinoa and black beans among others.
99 Krog St. NE, Atlanta. hemingwaystpa.com/
Restaurant and food stalls of Halcyon. The Alpharetta development welcomed a dozen food and beverage concepts in 2019 including seafood spot Ocean & Acre, Cherry Street Brewpub, Gu's Dumplings and Mexican street food stall Tocayo. Expected in 2020 are Market Hall stalls Holmes Slice from the team behind Alpharetta City Center restaurant Holmes and Frenchie's Royal House of Frites & Meats; Land of a Thousand Hills coffee shop, sandwich spot Never Enough Thyme; Salata Salad Kitchen; Hobnob Tavern; and Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar, also from the Hobnob team.
6365 Halcyon Way, Alpharetta. visithalcyon.com/
Girl Diver. Richard Tang, who opened Char Korean Bar & Grill in 2016, is behind this Asian seafood-focused that will be housed in the Madison Yards development in Reynoldstown. The menu will feature Viet-Houston style crawfish, shrimp and crab legs by the pound and other seafood dishes including grilled octopus with confit baby potatoes, cilantro aioli, ahi amarillo maya and charred lemon and seared scallops with corn puree, bacon and herb salad. Beverage offerings will come from Damian Clark, formerly of Atlanta bar Establishment.
905 Memorial Drive, Atlanta. facebook.com/Girl-Diver-2609904465902844/
The Harp. The long-empty building that previously housed a car transmission business will find new life as bar and restaurant The Harp in Grant Park, featuring lunch and dinner, a weekend brunch buffet, mimosa and Bloody Mary bars and a menu of Southern specialties with a twist. A wall will feature 40 self-serve taps serving beer, wine and champagne that can be purchase in one-ounce increments. The beverage offerings will also include up to 10 craft cocktails.
350 Memorial Drive, Atlanta. 404-850-0942, theharpatl.com/
Credit: Bob Townsend
Credit: Bob Townsend
Ph'east. The Battery at SunTrust Park will be home to Ph'east, an Asian food hall that will feature Cantonese restaurant Fan T'Asia, Laotiam restaurant Snackboxe Bistro, Poke Burri, Lifting Noodles ramen, Kung Fu Tea and watering hole Taps at Ph'east. Part of the PREP commercial kitchen facility, Ph'east will be located next to Wahlburgers on Legends Place and across from Aloft Hotel, Silverspot Cinema and Savi Provisions. The 5,000 square-foot food hall will feature indoor and outdoor seating for up to 200 people, as well as to-go counters and catering options.
925 Battery Ave. SE, Atlanta. pheastatl.com/
Pizza By the Slice. Anthony Spina, who owns the uber-popular O4W Pizza in Duluth and Nina & Rafi off the Eastside Beltline, is also behind this forthcoming Virginia-Highland spot that will offer, well, pizza by the slice, with a focus on Sicilian-style square pizza.
1021 Virginia Ave. NE, Atlanta.
Rina. Tal Baum, whose Oliva Restaurants group includes Italian eatery Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market and recently-opened West Midtown spots Aziza and Falafel Nation, is slated to open Rina on Jan. 13 in the Ford Factory Lofts. Look for classic Middle Eastern dishes such as pita sandwiches, skewers, seasonal mezze, hummus, salads and Israeli-inspired milkshakes as well as frozen drinks, draft cocktails, boozy milkshakes, and house-made sodas.
699 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-343-0362, rinakitchen.com/
Rodney Scott's BBQ. South Carolina pitmaster Scott, who was named the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Southeast in 2018, is bringing his 'cue to the Mammal Gallery development in southwest Atlanta this spring. The first Atlanta location of the restaurant -- which also has outposts in Charleston, South Carolina and Birmingham, Alabama, will serve up whole-hog barbecue along with ribs, chicken and side dishes.
680 Murphy Ave. SW, Atlanta. rodneyscottsbbq.com/
Ruby Chow's. Chef and restaurateur Guy Wong recently sold his West Midtown Vietnamese restaurant Le Fat in part to focus on this new venture, which will feature an Asian fusion menu.
620 Glen Iris Drive, Atlanta.
Saito -- Sushi, Steak and Cocktails. Stephen de Haan, the restaurateur behind downtown's Amalfi Pizza and speakeasy Red Phone Booth, is joining forces with well-known sushi chef Takashi Saito on this downtown Atlanta restaurant. Look for rolls, sashimi and rare Japanese whiskeys.
19 Andrew Young International Blvd. NE, Atlanta. saitoatlanta.com/sushi/
Sam's of San Francisco. The famed San Francisco burger spot, which opened its doors in 1966 and which Anthony Bourdain called one of his favorites in the world, is expanding with an Atlanta location. The restaurant's offerings will likely include 50 burgers and 100 sandwiches, plus beer and wine from California.
60 11th St. NE, Atlanta. samsonbroadway.com/
Restaurants of Summerhill. 2020 is slated to be a big year for the Carter mixed-use development near the Georgia State University stadium in the Summerhill neighborhood, joining the five food and beverage concepts that debuted in 2019. Look for Southern eatery Maepole; sandwich shop How Crispy Express; arcade bar Press Start, D Boca N Boca from the owner of The Real Mexican Vittles pop-up; Concept, from the founder of Hush Dinner Club; Little Bear from Eat Me Speak Me pop-up founder Jarrett Steiber; Redacted, a conspiracy theory-themed bar; Hodgepodge Coffeehouse; hot dog shop Hot Dog Pete's and doughnut shop Hero Doughnuts.
In addition, the nearby NeighborGoods development at 112 Ormond St. will see the openings of Talat Market and Poach breakfast restaurant.
More upcoming ways to curb your hunger
•The Coda at Tech Square development is slated to welcome locations of Poke Burri, El Burro Pollo, Wildleaf, Aviva by Kameel and Thrive Coffee.
•The Works, an adaptive mixed-use development at 1295 Chattahoochee Ave. NW, will welcome second locations of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and Scofflaw Brewing, as well as Chattahoochee Food Works, a food hall curated by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern.
•Colony Square in Midtown will see the opening of Persian restaurant Rumi's Kitchen, Linton Hopkins' burger spot Holeman & Finch and food hall Main & Main.
•The Interlock development will be home to Velvet Taco, Cathy's Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches, St. Germain French Bakery, Curry Up Now Indian restaurant and a rooftop bar and two-story restaurant from Slater Hospitality.
•South African-inspired Biltong Bar will open a third location at Avalon in Alpharetta; Grindhouse Killer Burgers will bring its popular patties to Brookhaven; Slim & Husky's will open a second location in Adair Park; Iron Age Korean and Korean taco spot Yumbii will open locations in Toco Hills; Hattie B's will open a second location in West Midtown; Indian restaurant Tabla will open a second spot in Buckhead; Pho Ga Tony Tony will deliver a second location in Duluth; There Gastropub will open a second location in Old Fourth Ward; Breadwinner Cafe will open a second location in Dunwoody; Alon's will open at Phipps Plaza; Vietvana will open a second location in Tech Square; Slutty Vegan is slated to open locations in Jonesboro and Edgewood; and The Sleepy Potato will open a second location in the Perkerson neighborhood.
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