Atlanta’s top summer food pop-ups: Barbecue, burgers and hot dogs
Each week, Punk Foodie highlights Atlanta pop-ups worth catching before they disappear, helping readers find the city’s most interesting chef-driven dining concepts, food trucks, supper clubs and limited-time food events.
This week, we are highlighting the pop-ups offering some of the city’s most interesting takes on classic summer barbecue, hot dogs and hamburgers.
Barbecue
Indo-Texan craft barbecue from Dhaba BBQ
Who: Dhaba BBQ (@thedhababbq) from Jay Patel.
Why you should check them out: Drawing inspiration from the roadside food stalls of India, former vegetarian and self-taught pitmaster Patel uses Dhaba BBQ as a platform to merge his Gujarati Indian heritage with classic Texas craft barbecue techniques, using 24-hour marinades and wood-fired smoke to reimagine traditional Indian flavor profiles. You will often find long lines at his pop-ups, with each serving as a sort of laboratory where he typically debuts at least one new concept. Some of the dishes that have come out of the Dhaba ‘lab’ are Indo masala brisket, tamarind buffalo wings, Indian-spiced Chicago Italian beef, tikka pulled pork sando and honey masala burnt end sando.
Where you can find them: Patel regularly pops up around Atlanta at Minhwa Spirits (@minhwaspirits), Smyrna Stout Brothers (@smyrnastoutbrothers) and other spots.
Small-batch multiregional barbecue from Keenan’s Pit Bar-B-Que
Who: Keenan’s Pit Bar-B-Que (@keenans_pit_bbq) from Brian Keenan.
Why you should check them out: Keenan launched one of the first barbecue pop-ups in the Atlanta metro area in 2013 before opening his Meating Street BBQ brick-and-mortar, and eventually starting Keenan’s Pit Bar-B-Que pop-ups in 2020. He avoids limiting himself to a single regional tradition, instead creating a comprehensive American barbecue experience. He pays homage to the greats such as Texas brisket, St. Louis-style ribs and pulled pork, adding his own spin with his smoking process that uses a mix of cherry, fruit and oak woods. To guarantee the highest level of quality, Keenan operates on a small-batch scale, personally cooking every single item himself, including his own original-recipe side dishes.
Where you can find them: Keenan regularly pops up in Roswell at Variant Brewing, Oak Street Bottle Shop and other spots. To stay up to date on his upcoming events, get on his mailing list by sending him a direct message on Instagram.
Texas-style barbecue from Springfield BBQ
Who: Springfield BBQ Co. (@springfieldbbqco) from Mark Springfield.
Why you should check them out: Popping up since 2023, former DAS BBQ pitmaster Springfield has built a following around Roswell with his blend of American South and Texas barbecue traditions. The menu varies, but look for dishes like Cajun mop pulled pork, pit-smoked bologna, pimento mac and cheese, and kimchi collard greens, as well as items like beef brisket, spare ribs, jalapeno jack sausage, deviled egg potato salad and salted caramel banana pudding.
Where you might find them: Springfield regularly pops up around the Roswell area. You can frequently find him at Variant Brewing (@variantbrewingcompany), including July 4 at noon, where his full spread will often sell out in a couple of hours. Additionally, he makes appearances every couple of weeks at the Roswell Farmers Market (@roswellfarmersmarket) with breakfast sandwiches and take-home barbecue. He also pops up at Deep Roots Wine Market (@deeprootswinemkt) every third Thursday of the month through November for Alive Roswell, with smoked brisket cheeseburgers, sausages and smoked tacos filled with chicken or pork. Springfield maintains a list of upcoming events on his website.
Want more options for barbecue? We also like Stan’s Smoke Signals BBQ (@stanssmokesignals) for fall-from-the-bone ribs, Odoms & Sons BBQ (@odomsandsonsbbq) for oxtails and Jimmie’s Jerk BBQ (@jerkbbqatl) for American-influenced jerk flavors.
Burgers
Smoked brisket burgers from Misfitsss BBQ
Who: Misfitsss BBQ (@misfitsssbbq) from Bryan Hull and Tyler Heath.
Why you should check them out: Misfitsss BBQ is an Atlanta-inspired craft barbecue pop-up that, if you’re lucky, will also serve a smoked burger. Inspired by the famous smoked brisket burger from LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas. To craft the burger, Hull and Heath coarsely grind — twice — the leftover pieces of meat and fat trimmed from either a brisket or shoulder clod, then form thick 8-ounce patties, which are rolled in a house-made all-purpose rub and 16-mesh pepper and smoked for two hours. After chilling overnight, the patties are seared on a flat top to medium-rare for a crispy, peppery crust and smoky, juicy interior. The burger is finished with American cheese, house-made bread-and-butter pickles and a special sauce.
Where you might find them: You will find Misfitsss BBQ popping up most Saturdays at Round Trip Brewing (@roundtripbeer) in Underwood Hills, as well as select dates at Stout Brothers Smyrna (@smyrnastoutbrothers) and Minhwa Spirits (@minhwaspirits) in Doraville. Before heading to one of their pop-ups, check their Instagram to see if the burger is on the menu (it is on July 3).
Oklahoma-style onion smashburgers from Sad Boy
Who: Sad Boy Burger Shop (@sadboyburgershop) from Shain and Katharine Wancio.
Why you should check them out: Sad Boy is a pop-up that specializes in Oklahoma-style onion burgers. The duo keeps their offerings intentionally simple with a hyperfocused menu that serves just three burgers and bagged chips. To build their Sad Boy signature burger, they use a 70/30 beef blend that can be cooked without added fats or oils. Following the Oklahoma style, the team smashes Vidalia onions directly into the beef, making the patties superthin, then tops them with brown mustard, American cheese and pickles. The creation is served on a steamed Big Marty’s sesame seed bun.
Where you will find them: You can find Sad Boy popping up on Fridays at Stout Brothers Smyrna, except for Friday, July 3.
ATL Burger Week-winning smashburgers from Dr. Smash Burgers
Who: Dr. Smash Burgers (@dr.smash_burgers) from Jef Cruz.
Why you should check them out: After researching burgers from Georgia to Boston, Cruz spent months refining the process and recipe behind his smashburgers, which includes grinding his own blend of Angus beef in-house and smashing every burger fresh to order. He says the star burger is the OG double burger, made with two Angus beef patties, American cheese, seasoned sautéed onions, Dr. Smash seasoning and his homemade BBL sauce on a soft potato bun. Worth noting: Dr. Smash Burgers was recently announced as Creative Loafing’s 2026 ATL Burger Week winner.
Where you will find them: You can find Dr. Smash Burgers popping up at Outrun Brewing (@outrunbrewingco) in Stone Mountain, Slow Pour Brewing (@slowpourbrewing) in Lawrenceville and other spots.
Want more options for burgers? Try Camburger (@camburgeratl), which we will feature next week.
Hot dogs
Regional vegan dogs from Carrot Dog
Who: Carrot Dog (@carrotdogatl) from Kemi Bennings.
Why you should check them out: Bennings spent years creating a vegan hot dog substitute from whole organic carrots. To re-create the texture and taste of a meat hot dog, she marinates carrots in a brine of about 16 spices and then grills them. Carrot Dog first popped up in 2019 at pop-up incubator We Suki Suki, later at the Window, and has recently moved into a permanent space at Pittsburgh Yards. Bennings provides a wide variety of carrot dogs representing the hot dog styles of various regions, including the ATL (mustard, vegan chili, slaw), the LA Dog (vegan bacon, grilled onions, red and green peppers, jalapenos, mustard, ketchup, vegan mayo), and the Chitown (mustard, Chicago-style relish, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, dill spear, poppy seeds, celery salt).
Where you will find them: 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, the Container Courtyard at Pittsburgh Yards (@pittsburghyards), 352 University Ave. SW., Pittsburgh. Hours may vary and are posted on Carrot Dog’s Instagram page.
Creative, elevated dogs from Pepper’s Hot Dogs
Who: Pepper’s Hot Dogs (@peppershotdogs) from Tarina Hodges.
Why you should check them out: With Pepper’s, named after her dog, Hodges draws directly on her love of eating hot dogs as a child. She spent several years popping up before landing this brick-and-mortar in 2025. The foundation of her elevated concept is that the hot dog serves as a canvas for bold and creative ingredient profiles. When popping up at the Punk Foodie stall several years ago, she always kept a notebook on hand to jot down her latest culinary ideas. The menu is full of options, many of which are Hodges‘ creations, including the classic dog (raw onions, relish), chili + cheese (turkey chili, house blend cheese), red dawg (turkey chili, cheddar and jack cheeses, raw onions, garlic aioli, spicy mustard) and PPP (Pepper’s pizza party) (herb garlic aioli, marinara sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni). All dogs come on a Martin potato roll with a choice of Angus beef, chicken sausage and vegetarian wieners.
Where you will find them: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, FlatironCity (@flatironcity). 84 Peachtree St. NW, downtown. And during events at Truist Park (@truistpark) year-round. 755 Battery Ave. SE, near sections 152—156, Cumberland.
Chicago-style dogs from Tony’s ATL
Who: Tony’s ATL (@tonys_atl) from Tony Kerr
Why you should check them out: Tony Kerr bleeds Chicago and puts his heart and soul into the Chicago standards, including dipped Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago dogs. For the dogs, he offers up the Chicago dog (mustard, relish, onion, tomato, sport peppers, pickle, celery salt), Maxwell Street style dog (mustard, caramelized onions, sport peppers) and Tony’s own demon dog (hot peppers, spicy mayo). Kerr gets his wieners from his source in Chicago and serves them on an Engelman poppy seed bun.
Where you will find them: You can frequently find him popping up at Sceptre Brewing Arts in Oakhurst (including June 30-July 5), as well as at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium (@sisterlouisaschurch) in Edgewood, where he serves hot dogs under the name Tony’s Dog House (@tonysdoghouse_atl).
Want more options for great dogs? For some Colombian takes, look up Mr. Perro (@mrperroatl) and Manny Sazon (@mannysazonatl).