Chain restaurants dominate June openings and closings in metro Atlanta

Nine of June’s restaurant openings were local or national chains, and at least six restaurants that closed were units of larger companies.

Restaurant openings

Arden’s Garden opened its 19th store in Benteen Park near Red’s Beer Garden on June 9. The Atlanta-based company offers fruit and veggie juices, smoothies, wellness shots and vegan snacks.

1334 Boulevard SE, Atlanta. ardensgarden.com

Boom Boom Bao, Lime Tiger and Uwu Asian Dessert Co. opened June 5 in Ponce City Market’s renovated wing called Market East. The three stalls are owned by Dinh Tran and Khanh Dang, the husband-and-wife team behind the multi-location Vietnamese restaurant Vietvana.

675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. boomboombao.com, limetigercarts.com, uwudesserts.com

Credit: GoTo Foods

Credit: GoTo Foods

Cinnabon Swirl, the cinnamon bun brand’s ice cream shop partnership with Carvel, opened its first Georgia location in Kennesaw on June 27. One of the chief menu innovations is the Bonini, a warm Cinnabon roll with Carvel soft-serve pressed inside. The first two locations of the chain are in Peoria, Arizona, and Hillsboro, Oregon.

1925 Cobb Parkway NW, Kennesaw. cinnabonswirl.com

Communidad Taqueria from Poco Loco chef-owner Nick Melvin opened earlier this month in the Old Fourth Ward, the restaurant shared on social media. The Tex-Mex restaurant serves breakfast tacos all day and makes tortillas in-house.

655 Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. communidadatl.com

Desi Tadka has opened a second location in Duluth. The Indian restaurant serves a menu of small plates and entrees like biryani, chicken kadhai, korma, chana masala and dal tadka.

3890 Satellite Blvd., Duluth. 404-359-2102, instagram.com/thedesi.tadka

The Hampton Social opened June 20 in Dunwoody’s High Street development. The nearly 10,500-square-foot restaurant from Chicago-based Parker Hospitality will serve lunch and dinner weekdays as well as weekend brunch. The Dunwoody location is the restaurant’s 14th but first in Georgia. The Hampton Social has six locations in Illinois, four in Florida and one each in Nashville, Denver and Dallas.

101 High St., Atlanta. 470-447-1748, thehamptonsocial.com

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams opened a new location on Church Street in Marietta early in June, according to a social media announcement.

93 Church St., Marietta. 770-415-5187, jenis.com

Mission Burger Co., a plant-based burger chain from Austin, Texas, opened June 30 in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood.

2065 Defoors Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. missionburgerco.com

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Shake Shack opened a location at the Battery on June 30. Highlights include a full bar and a walk-up bar window.

455 Legends Place, Atlanta. 404-470-2335, shakeshack.com

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Streakers Pub opened June 26 at the Politan Row food hall in Dunwoody with a unique, tongue-in-cheek approach. The sports bar only serves drinks, encouraging customers to buy food from other vendors at Politan Row like 26 Thai, Buzzin’ Burgers and Delilah’s Everyday Soul. The menu at Streakers includes draft beer and sports-themed cocktails, but also a selection of “Juicers,” Jell-O shots playfully served in large syringes and named after famous athletes associated with using performance-enhancing drugs.

455 Olde Perimeter Way, Dunwoody.streakerspub.com

Playa Bowls opened in Decatur on June 14, restaurant representatives said. The new location is owned by franchisees Erica and Randy Walker, whose daughter previously worked at a Playa Bowls location and will be involved in the business, according to a news release. Playa Bowls has more than 300 locations in 27 states.

335 West Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur. 470-990-7319, playabowls.com/location/decatur

Tin Drum Asian Kitchen opened a new location in Kennesaw on June 28, the restaurant chain announced on social media.

1155 Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw. 678-275-3083, tindrumasiankitchen.com

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux opened June 23 at the Battery, according to a news release. The newest location of the sports bar chain neatly fits the archetype, with plenty of TVs, a large bar serving a variety of beers on tap and a Louisiana-themed menu with items like mozzarella logs, pepper jack boudin balls and a Cajun rib-eye.

950 Battery Ave. SE, Atlanta. 678-720-1320,walk-ons.com

Whataburger opened two new locations in June, the first in Grayson and the second in Buford. The Texas-based burger chain is open 24/7 every day of the year except Christmas Day.

1900 Grayson Highway, Grayson. 770-375-2023,whataburger.com

2686 Hamilton Mill Road, Buford. 470-589-2609, whataburger.com

Restaurant closings

Adobo ATL closed in Decatur following a final service on June 28, owner Mike Pimentel announced on Instagram. Pimentel opened his own brick-and-mortar space after running Adobo ATL as a pop-up, contributing to a groundswell of Filipino food options around metro Atlanta in recent years.

Doughnut Dollies closed its original Marietta location in late June after 10 years in business. The locally owned doughnut shop had three separate locations at one point, but previously shuttered Virginia-Highland and Howell Mill outposts.

Hooters closed its downtown location on Peachtree Street after 22 years. The highly visible sports bar was one of several locations the company shut down in Georgia after it filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, the AJC previously reported.

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Mellow Mushroom in Decatur abruptly closed mid-June. The owner cited financial challenges as the reason for closure.

Mukja Korean Fried Chicken closed June 3 after almost five years in operation at 933 Peachtree St. NE in Midtown, restaurant representatives said. The restaurant opened in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and attempted to weather major shifts in the Midtown office landscape.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room closed in Midtown Atlanta, What Now Atlanta reported. The upscale seafood restaurant at 1100 Peachtree is owned by Texas-based Landry’s Restaurants, and company representatives said they plan to replace the concept with a new location of its Mexican chain Dos Caminos.

Red Pepper Taqueria closed in early June at the Briar Vista Shopping Center at the intersection of Briarcliff and LaVista roads in DeKalb County. Banners posted on the restaurant indicate the location is now hiring for a forthcoming tavern-style concept.

Tacos & Tequilas temporarily closed its Poncey-Highland location because of a kitchen fire June 1, according to a social media post. The restaurant’s team said that they are working toward reopening and that there were no injuries from the fire. Tacos & Tequilas remained closed at the end of June.

Credit: Olivia Wakim

Credit: Olivia Wakim

Taco Mac shut down its Midtown location without warning in early June, less than a month after its original Virginia-Highland location closed.

Wild Ginger Thai closed June 28 in Chamblee, according to a social media announcement. The closure will make way for a new restaurant called Naga Bistro from the owners of Lao restaurant Snackboxe Bistro, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.

Relocations

Gelato shop Cremalosa closed Decatur location ahead of move to Avondale Estates

Bottle Rocket is moving from the Old Fourth Ward space it has occupied for more than 10 years to a new location in South Downtown, according to a joint announcement on social media.

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Glide Pizza will close its Decatur location at Inner Voice Brewing on July 13, Tomorrow’s News Today reported. The popular pizzeria will move into its own space nearby on West Ponce De Leon Avenue.

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