This week in metro Atlanta’s restaurant scene, forthcoming weekend market Smorgasburg announced its first food stalls, a popular coffee shop announced it would be moving, and fine-dining restaurant Aria expanded its service to six days a week.
Home Grown owners purchase property
The owners of Home Grown, the beloved retro diner in Atlanta’s Reynoldstown neighborhood, have secured the restaurant’s future by purchasing the Memorial Drive property.
Kevin Clark and Lisa Spooner, the couple behind the restaurant, announced the purchase Tuesday in a video posted to Instagram. Now that they own the property, Clark and Spooner plan to make both short- and long-term changes.
One major, immediate change will be the restaurant’s hours: Home Grown will begin opening seven days a week, Clark said in the video. Until now, Home Grown only operated Wednesday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant will also expand its day-to-day hours to open for dinner, and Clark and Spooner plan to serve alcoholic beverages.
The move is similar to the one made by Kimball House in late 2022, when the restaurant’s owners purchased the historic train depot building from Decatur’s Downtown Development Authority. Agreements between landlords and restaurant owners are notoriously fraught; restaurant closures are frequently attributed to the inability to make a deal between landlords and their tenants.
“We have had Home Grown for 15 years, and we get asked all the time, ‘Do y’all own this? Are y’all leaving?’” Clark said in the video announcement. “Well, as of today, we own it.”
968 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-222-0455, homegrownga.com
First food stalls announced at Smorgasburg
Smorgasburg, the weekly open-air food festival, is preparing to open in South Downtown in October, and the first several pop-ups to be included in the festival were recently announced by Rough Draft. It will include Bara ATL, a food truck serving food from Trinidad and Tobago; Hermanita, chef Arnaldo Castillo’s Peruvian street food pop-up; and Madre Garcia’s, a Puerto Rican pop-up serving cubanos and sandwiches.
140 Forsyth St. SW, Atlanta. smorgasburgatlanta.com
Credit: Brandon Amato
Credit: Brandon Amato
Other items of interest
Aria, the fine-dining restaurant in Buckhead, will begin opening on Mondays, expanding its dinner service to six nights a week, the restaurant announced. Monday nights will have the same menu and service style, but Aria representatives said early-week specials are on the horizon.
490 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 404-233-7673, aria-atl.com
The Consulate in Midtown has jumped on the cocktail omakase trend with a special drink program, the restaurant announced on social media. Guests are encouraged to bring their passports to the bar between 5-6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays; they can show their bartender any stamp in their passport, and the bartender will create a custom cocktail inspired by that country. Customers must purchase a menu item to request an omakase cocktail, the announcement said.
10 10th St. NW, Atlanta. 404-254-5760, theconsulateatlanta.com
Electric Hospitality, the company behind Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, Muchacho, Tiger Sun and more, was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, the group announced this week. The honor reflects Electric Hospitality’s expansion efforts in recent years as it has added new concepts like Ranger Station and Tiger Sun to its existing spaces while planning a second Ladybird location in West Midtown.
Restaurant openings
Voicebox Cocktail Lounge opened last week, next to Peoples Town Coffee Bar near the Southside Beltline trail. The ’90s-inspired bar comes from Jaclyn and Joshua Barber and features cocktails, live music and neon decorations. It specializes in “custom syrups and complex, appealing cocktails,” according to the website.
55 Milton Ave. SE, Atlanta. voicebox.bar
Yay Beignet, a beignet and Ethiopian coffee shop, has returned to Atlanta. It closed its previous location in the Irwin Street Market last summer but has reopened in Hapeville with a menu of beignets and coffee.
755 Virginia Ave., Hapeville. yaybeignet.com
King’s Chicken, a fast-casual fried chicken concept, has opened a stall in the Halidom Eatery food hall. It serves a menu of Southern comfort food with 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
Kevin Rathbun’s Krog Bar has returned with coal-fired pizza and cocktails in Peachtree Hills.
349 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-301-7146, krsteakbar.com/krogbarcoalfiredpizza
Credit: Courtesy of MilkShake Factory
Credit: Courtesy of MilkShake Factory
MilkShake Factory has opened its first Georgia location in Milton, according to a news release. Guests who attend the grand opening on Aug. 23 from noon to 4 p.m. can receive a buy one, get one free deal on all shakes, sundaes and molten cups. The store will be open daily from noon to 10 p.m.
12660 Crabapple Road, Milton. 770-829-0269, milkshakefactory.com.
Restaurant announcements
Bellwood Coffee announced on social media that it will be moving out of its East Atlanta location it shares with the Victorian plant shop and to a space in Grant Park at the end of the year.
1336 Glenwood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 678-986-2822, bellwoodcoffee.com
Babygirl, an all-day cafe from Whoopsie’s chef Hudson Rouse, will open in East Lake, Rough Draft first reported. It will open in the former Mix’d Up Burger space in the Hosea + 2nd development.
2371 Hosea L. Williams Drive, East Lake. instagram.com/babygirl.atl
Sugar Loaf, a brunch pop-up that serves Southern food with Albanian and Ethiopian influences, has announced that it will open a brick-and-mortar at the end of the year in Reynoldstown. The pop-up is known for its biscuit varieties, baked goods and biscuit sandwiches.
780 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta. sugarloafatl.com
Restaurant closings
J. Christopher’s, a Marietta-based breakfast chain, has closed its downtown Decatur location after 19 years, Decaturish first reported. A sign posted on the restaurant’s door said “J. Christopher’s family thanks you for 19 years in Decatur,” according to Decaturish.
250 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. jchristophers.com
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