Visiting Marietta Square Market? Here’s what to expect when you go

The AJC gets an advance tour of the new Marietta Square Market, located within in walking distance of the Marietta Square. Video by Ryon Horne, Yvonne Zusel/AJC)

A Marietta food hall two years in the making is ready to make its official debut this Thursday.

Located at 68 North Marietta Pkwy NW, Marietta Square Market is Marietta's answer to Atlanta's Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market, a food hall that will eventually be home to 17 culinary and beverage concepts, plus two retail spots.

A dozen of those will be open when the hall opens March 28, with the rest to follow shortly. The tenant of two vacant spots in the food hall have yet to be announced, including one that will be housed in a 1940s trolley car incorporated into the exterior of the building.

Richard Dippolito, executive vice president of Concordia Properties, the developer behind the project, said the idea was to choose either completely new concepts or local restaurants looking to open a second or third location.

Exterior of the Marietta Square Market.

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“We see Marietta Square Market as a destination, so we’re hoping people will come from around Atlanta to explore the food hall and also to explore the Marietta Square,” Dippolito said. “But we also see it as a community center. We have a large gathering place in the center where people can have some food, enjoy a beverage and enjoy each others company.”

The 18,500 square-foot space will have an old train station theme, drawing on the county’s long locomotive history.

Watch the video above to take a tour of the Marietta Square Market space, and read on to find out to expect when you visit.

Cakes on display at Bread and Butter at Marietta Square Market.

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Food and beverage

Bread and Butter (now open). The cafe, which also has a location in Covington, offers a variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner including biscuits, sandwiches, pastries, salads, soups and cakes, pies and cookies for dessert. There's also a full menu of coffee drinks, made with the cafe's house-roasted The Heard beans. Bread and Butter is part of the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Georgia Grown program, highlighting businesses that utilize locally-grown and made produce and ingredients.

Topping options at Bull Gogi.

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BullGogi (now open). The Marietta stall marks the second location for BullGogi, which opened in Decatur in 2017.

The menu allows customers to build bowls by choosing from a variety of rices, proteins including beef and chicken bulgogi and salmon or tuna poke, toppings including seaweed salad, spicy radish and green onions and sauces such as ponzu and spicy mayo.  Bott & Co. named it the top spot for Korean food in Atlanta last year.

Cousins Maine Lobster (opening spring/summer 2019). Started as a food truck concept on Shark Tank, Cousins has quickly expanded into the brick-and-mortar world. The first Atlanta location opened last year in Lenox Square, offering a variety of lobster rolls, sandwiches and salads, plus specialties including lobster tots and lobster quesadillas.

Creme de la Crepe (opening March 28). A husband and wife are behind the first location for this French food stall. Creme de la Crepe will serve up breakfast, savory and sweet crepes including the BST made with bacon, spinach, tomato and Havarti cheese and the French Riviera made with cinnamon apples, walnuts and caramel.

D'Cuban Cafe at Marietta Square Market.

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D'Cuban Cafe (opening spring/summer 2019). Look for authentic Cuban fare from D'Cuban, which also has two locations in Norcross. Look for Cuban sandwiches and other staples including ropa vieja, palomilla pollo, tostones and cafe con leche.

Wood-fired pizza is on the menu at FornoVero at Marietta Square Market.

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FornoVero (now open). This Italian concept by Scott Kinsey and Alexis Aleshire-Kinsey, owners of Taqueria Tsunami and Stockyard Burgers and Bones, will serve as Marietta Square Market's centerpiece eatery, with a bar that opens up to the front of the food hall. The menu include wood-fired pizzas, salads and other Italian dishes, as well as craft cocktails and 20 draft wine and beer options.

Four Fat Cows at Marietta Square Market offers ice cream in Puffles, a waffle-cone hybrid.

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Four Fat Cows (now open). Family-owned Four Fat Cows, which also has locations in Alpharetta, Athens and Dunwoody, offers more than 25 housemade flavors of ice creams, including more than 25 gluten-free options and several egg and dairy-free options. Flavors include peanut butter and jelly sandwich, coffee almond fudge and chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Also look for a variety of cookies, cupcakes and brownies, and the Puffle, a waffle-cone hybrid.

Grand Champion BBQ (opening spring/summer 2019). This will mark the fifth location for Grand Champion, which also has spots in Roswell, Milton and Krog Street Market. The Marietta Square Market location will serve a menu of barbecue staples including pulled pork, beef brisket and smoked chicken; sides including mac and cheese and collard greens; and items that will be unique to the Marietta stall. Vegetarian options including pimento cheese sandwiches and salads are also on the menu.

Just Loaf'n Cafe (opening spring/summer 2019). What started out as a food truck has turned into two brick-and-mortar locations, including one in Grant Park. Expect to see a variety of po'boys and other Cajun specialties including jambalaya, gumbo and beignets.

Lucky's Burger & Brew (now open). Named for the owner's dog, Lucky's -- which also has locations in Emory Village, Roswell and Brookhaven -- offers a variety of burgers and sandwiches, salads and sides including wings.

Momosan Ramen (opening spring/summer 2019). The spot from the owner of Noodle Cafe in Peachtree Center Mall will feature appetizers and entrees including edamame, gyoza and pork bunsin addition to several varieties of ramen.

Pita Mediterranean Street Food (now open). The local chain, which has several locations through metro Atlanta and Georgia, specializes in street pitas with fillings such as gyros, beef kafta, chicken shawarma and fish as well as pita platters, rice bowls, mezza spreads and salads. The menu includes a variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Shai-Karr Eatery. (opening March 28). Fans of Thaicoon & Sushi Bar in Marietta Square won't have to travel far to find a similar concept from the same team. Shai-Karr -- which in Thai means the part of the roof extending from the building to protect it from the sun and the rain -- will serve a variety of sushi, curries, noodles soups, salads and starters.

Street Taco at Marietta Square Market.

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Street Taco (now open). Sit-down restaurant Street Taco features a menu of Mexican street food including tacos, starters, sides, tortas and daily specials on items including burritos, garbage can nachos and gordita. The eatery also offers a full-service bar serving margaritas, cocktails, draft and canned beer and sparkling, red and white wine. Guests can take their boozy beverages to-go as they walk around the food hall. The space, which includes indoor and outdoor seating for 150, also boasts a mural from Mexican street artist Neuzz.

Street Taco comes from Southern Proper Hospitality, which owns and operates other metro Atlanta concepts including The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, Gypsy Kitchen. The Southern Gentleman, Chido & Padre’s, Beni’s Cubano, Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails and Tin Lizzy’s Cantina.

Tandoori Square (opening spring/summer 2019). This original concept features a variety of Indian street foods from different regions of India and includes chicken, lamb, shrimp and vegetarian options.

Tiny Bubbles Tea Bar (opening March 28). The mother-daughter owned Tiny Bubbles -- which also has locations on the Marietta Square and in Woodstock -- serves up a variety of bubble teas, Vietnamese coffee, loose leaf tea and French macarons.

Glory Haus at Marietta Square Market.

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Retail

Glory Haus (now open). The Marietta-based Glory Haus is expanding with a brick-and-mortar locations after more than a decade selling its inspirational gifts and home décor online. Look for wall art, canvases, jewelry and collegiate products.

'Merica Clothing Co. (now open). The lifestyle brand, which sells its clothing in several stores throughout the southeast, is opening its first store featuring its headwear, apparel and accessories.

Parking

There are several options for parking at Marietta Street Market:

•A $5 pay lot on the south side of the building

•2-hour parking in the area immediately around the building

•A lot to the north of the hall will be available for parking nights and weekends, with a portion being dedicated to valet

•Marietta Square Market also has an Uber and Lyft station and bike racks

Hours

Marietta Square Market will be open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, though various vendors will keep their own hours within the hall.

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