Two chefs landed new gigs in West Midtown, four notable new restaurants opened, a handful of bars refreshed their cocktail menus, and more happenings from metro Atlanta’s dining scene this week.
Brave Wojtek chef plans volunteer stint in Ukraine
Matt Reeves, the chef behind Polish pop-up Brave Wojtek, shared details Thursday for his plan to volunteer as a cook in Ukraine and his corresponding fundraising effort.
In an announcement on social media, Reeves expressed his frustration over watching the war in Ukraine for the past three years.
“I’ve donated, shared stories and done what I could from a distance,” he said. “But it’s never felt like enough. So I’m going to Ukraine.”
Reeves said he will go to Ukraine in November and remain through January while volunteering with an organization called Hell’s Kitchen. The group is based in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has been heavily contested by Russian forces, where it coordinates volunteers who bake bread and cook hot meals that are delivered to hospitals in the area.
Reeves plans to spend two months in Kharkiv and one in Kyiv. He hopes to raise $8,000 to fund his mission, which involves obtaining a visa, travel and accommodations. Any surplus funds will be used to support the kitchen where Reeves will be working, he said.
Before Reeves decamps to Ukraine, Brave Wojtek will continue its pop-up run every Tuesday at Dead End Drinks. He also plans a coursed dinner at Banshee on Sept. 15 and another dinner at Minhwa Spirits in October, with details to be announced later.
More information about Reeves’ volunteer efforts can be found on his Spotfund fundraising page.
Chef announcements at two West Midtown establishments
Two kitchens in West Midtown have new executive chefs, according to separate announcements this week.
O-Ku, one of the neighborhood’s longest-running restaurants, has brought on chef Chris Hong from St. Petersburg, Florida. Hong has 30 years of experience in the kitchen and will work with O-Ku culinary director Masa Hamaya to refine the menu and run the kitchen.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
O-Ku Atlanta is run by The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates 11 O-Ku locations across the Southeast and in Washington, D.C.
The second chef announced this week will help open Retreat by The Gathering Spot at The Interlock. Chad “Sosa” Hester will be the executive chef for the rooftop private membership club that will take over the 60,000-square-foot space first occupied by L.O.A. Social Club. Hester’s kitchen will serve the large rooftop pool area and two separate restaurant spaces.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Hester is a Georgia native who most recently ran the kitchen at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, according to a news release. Hester’s menu at Retreat will blend Southern comfort food with global influences for dishes like smothered chicken with a truffle veloute sauce and peri-peri salmon with a sweet and spicy bird’s eye chili sauce.
Retreat is expected to open later this year, according to The Interlock’s website.
O-Ku Atlanta. 1085 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-500-2383, o-kusushi.com
Retreat by The Gathering Spot. 1115 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-948-2459, thegatheringspot.club
Other items of interest
Your 3rd Spot is offering a “secret,” off-menu food item loaded with nostalgia. Guests at the Upper Westside “eatertainment venue can request a Happy Meal, which includes chicken nuggets and parmesan truffle french fries topped with creme fraiche tartar sauce and tobiko roe (flying fish eggs) for $15.
400 Chattahoochee Row NW, Atlanta. 770-230-3033, your3rdspot.com
Two Urban Licks, the Concentrics hospitality restaurant on the Eastside Beltline Trail in Old Fourth Ward, will soon allow guests to pour their own wine with an automated system called VinoBarrel. The new system allows customers to tap-and-pay at a barrel-like dispenser and choose from two different wine selections. Each of the two wine kegs holds more than 50 bottles of wine, according to the VinoBarrel website (which features video shot at Two Urban Licks).
820 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta. 404-522-4622, twourbanlicks.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
A few restaurants introduced new cocktails this past week, including Delbar Inman Park, Serena Pastificio in Midtown, and the restaurants of the Kimpton Sylvan Hotel in Buckhead, The Betty and St. Julep. Additionally, Taffer’s Tavern in Alpharetta introduced a key lime pie martini as its cocktail of the month.
Delbar Inman Park. 870 Inman Village Parkway NE, Atlanta. 404-500-1444, delbaratl.com
Serena Pastificio. 1197 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 470-893-8526, serena-pastificio.com
The Betty/St. Julep. 374 East Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 877-984-6548, thebettyatl.com and saintjulepatl.com
Taffer’s Tavern. 33 S Main St., Alpharetta. 678-585-4456, tafferstavern.com
Credit: Courtesy of Jamestown
Credit: Courtesy of Jamestown
Restaurant openings
Necessary Purveyor has opened on the ground floor of Ponce City Market’s Scout Living hotel. The all-day restaurant and market offers baked goods, sandwiches, salads and coffee drinks from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. In the evening, it transitions into a full-service restaurant with a raw bar program, beer, wine and cocktails.
639 Glen Iris Drive NE, Atlanta. thenecessarypurveyor.com
Pop-up Pepper’s Hotdogs has opened its first brick-and-mortar location in downtown Atlanta. Tarina Hodges launched the pop-up in 2020 with a variety of creative hot dog combinations. The permanent location near Woodruff Park joins her hot dog stand in Truist Park’s food hall, Outfield Market. The downtown Atlanta location will host a grand opening celebration on Aug. 11 with hot dogs, diner classics and dessert.
84 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. peppershotdogs.com
La Mixteca Tamale House has opened a location in West Midtown. The restaurant serves a menu of Oaxacan dishes like chilaquiles, gorditas, tortas, sweet and savory tamales and tlayudas. This is its second location in addition to an outpost in Suwanee.
1465 Chattahoochee Ave. NW, Atlanta. 470-851-1390, mixtecatamales.com
Big Softie has opened its third location near the Eastside Beltline in Old Fourth Ward. The walk-up window is located near 3 Parks Wine and serves the same soft-serve menu as its other locations in Summerhill and Poncey-Highland.
405 N Angier Ave. NE, Atlanta. bigsoftieatl.com
Credit: Courtesy of Creators and Finders
Credit: Courtesy of Creators and Finders
New restaurant announcements
King’s Chicken, a fast-casual fried chicken concept, will open as a stall in the Halidom Eatery food hall on Aug. 15 at 11 a.m., according to a news release. Owner Steve Mallard and chef Aleem Wahl are behind the Southern comfort food menu that includes such offerings as mild or spicy fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, sides like macaroni and cheese, kale salad and potato salad, and sweets like a mint lemonade slushie and chocolate cake.
1341 Moreland Ave. SE, Atlanta. instagram.com/kingschickencompany
A second location of Chubby Cattle BBQ is opening in Dunwoody this month. The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat Japanese-style yakiniku barbecue with proteins like American, Australian and Japanese wagyu, sushi and seafood.
4400 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. chubbycattle.com/project/chubby-cattle-dunwoody
Blake’s Oyster Bar, a sister restaurant to D’Juan’s New Orleans Bistro, will open on Aug. 27 in South Fulton. New Orleans native Donald Williams Jr. founded D’Juan’s in 2023 with a menu of New Orleans favorites and seafood.
510 Fairburn Road SW, Atlanta. blakesoysterbar.com
Ghee Indian Kitchen, a Miami-based Indian restaurant, is set to open in West Midtown’s Star Metals District, What Now Atlanta reported.
1050 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. gheemiami.com
Buddy Buddy, a cocktail bar from Atlanta bartender Nick Chaivarlis, will open in the Midtown Promenade this fall in the Tapa Tapa space, Rough Draft Atlanta first reported. A tentative menu on its website features a martini tour, playfully named cocktails and a variety of small and large plates inspired by Chaivarlis’ Greek heritage.
931 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta. 404-481-5226, buddybuddyatl.com
Restaurant closings
Murph’s, the restaurant owned by legendary Atlanta Braves player Dale Murphy, will close Aug. 12 at Cobb Galleria, according to the two-time MVP’s Instagram.
Charcuterie Chick, a charcuterie shop in Sandy Springs that offers made-to-order meat and cheese boards, grazing tables, classes and workshops, will close Oct. 4 after nearly six years in business, the shop announced on social media.
Planta, the vegan restaurant in Krog Street Market, shut down late last month, as first reported by Tomorrow’s News Today.
Tacos & Tequilas on Ponce De Leon Avenue has temporarily closed through the remainder of 2025, according to a news release. The closure was forced by a kitchen fire in early June, but the restaurant will delay reopening as it undertakes a more complete renovation.
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