6 Atlanta food pop-ups this week, featuring a pivot from fine dining to barbecue
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.
Cubanos and Cubano dips from Papi Q
Who: Papi Q (@eatpapiq) from Danny Bustamante.
When/Where: Noon until sold out Saturday, Sept. 12. The Stout Brothers Smyrna (@smyrnastoutbrothers). 1265 W. Spring St., Smyrna.
Why you should check them out: After a few years away from restaurant kitchens, Bustamante is returning to the Atlanta food scene with Papi Q, a pop-up that marries his Cuban heritage with barbecue. Bustamante previously cooked at Fifth Group’s Lure, worked with the Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q team at Big Tex and served as the culinary and wine director for the Stout Brothers Woodstock Beer Market; This year, he launched Papi Q to show how slow-roasted Cuban pork can be served with the quick speed of a barbecue joint.
His menu for the pop-up centers on tender mojo pork infused with garlic and citrus. The classic Cubano sandwich layers the pork with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and a house-made mustard aioli spiked with horseradish, with a side of rich mojo pork au jus for dipping. If you want to go all out, you can get either sandwich “Papi Style” by adding crispy bacon and sweet caramelized onions.
Banh it ram and mango sago macarons from Karly’s Kitchen
Who: Karly’s Kitchen (@karlyskitchenatl) and Millas Macarons (@millasmacarons) from Karly Giang and Rising Jewelry (@hellorising).
When/Where: Noon–4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. Thai Thanh Yen (@thaithanhyen_usa). 3350 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Duluth.
Why you should check them out: Giang, a software engineer by day and founder of the popular ATL Asian Eats Facebook group, is bringing her sweet and savory pop-ups together for a collaborative showcase spotlighting Atlanta-area Vietnamese women-owned businesses. Hosted at Duluth’s Thai Thanh Yen café, the afternoon features a mix of handmade permanent jewelry, sweet treats and Vietnamese street eats.
On the savory side, Giang is serving her version of the Instagram-famous banh it ram — a central Vietnamese specialty that stacks a chewy, steamed pork-and-shrimp dumpling on top of a crispy fried rice cake — alongside dry pho brisket with rice noodles tossed in Giang’s pho sauce topped with fresh herbs, bean sprouts and fried shallots. Her sweet lineup from Milla’s Macarons includes mango sago and matcha yuzu macarons, alongside matcha yuzu strawberry, jasmine lychee raspberry and pandan coconut cookies. To wash it down, host venue Thai Thanh Yen will pour their signature bird’s nest sweet drinks and mango sago cafe beverages.
Smorgasburg Atlanta’s new season
Who: Smorgasburg Atlanta (@smorgasburgatlanta) fall season kick-off.
When/Where: 2–9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. Smorgasburg Atlanta (@smorgasburgatlanta). 140 Forsyth St. SW, South Downtown.
Why you should check them out: Since launching in 2025, Smorgasburg Atlanta is one of Atlanta’s largest weekly outdoor food markets. After a brief summer break, the festival’s fall season kickoff features 21 vendors, split between a dozen returning vendors and nine newcomers. Returning vendors include Phew’s Pies, serving creative pizzas topped with unique ingredients like the Atlanta-inspired lemon pepper wet chicken; Yaardie Eats, known for Chinese-Jamaican fusion; and Bun & Bites, serving hand-wrapped Chinese dumplings made from scratch and creations such as the shrimp har gow dumpling sandwich. New additions joining the weekly lot include Black Girls Grilling (barbecue), Charlotte’s Conch Fritters (Bahamaian), Lavi Dous Bakery (Haitian) and Pollos Del Guache (Mexican).
Handmade hot dogs and custom cocktails from Bark After Dark
Who: Bark After Dark (@barkafterdarkatl) from Alec Owen.
When/Where: 10 p.m. until sold out Monday, Sept. 14. Little Bear (@littlebearatl). 71 Georgia Ave. SE, Unit A, Summerhill.
Why you should check them out: Owen, a Seattle-born and Atlanta-raised bartender at Little Bear who previously prepped for local pop-ups Jackalope and Sugar + Air, is bringing the second round of his late-night hot dog concept to Summerhill. Teaming up with Kendall Mick, Little Bear’s chef de cuisine, the duo is bypassing premade wieners to grind and stuff Hunter Cattle beef top sirloin cap into sheep casings, creating custom-smoked and seared all-beef links served on buns from St. Germain baker Jesse Ballard.
The feature dog on the menu is a play on a chili mac dog loaded with homemade macaroni and cheese, black bean chili, crispy pork bits and fried onions. For a vegetarian option, Owen is riffing on a Maryland crab dog with a veggie “crab cake” built from mushrooms and artichokes, coleslaw, remoulade and house-made Old Bay potato chips. For the DIY options, you’ll find standard condiments alongside housemade upgrades such as cheese sauce, vegetarian chili, sauerkraut and Amaro-braised onions. Behind the bar, Carlos Rojo, formerly of Ponce City Market’s Biltong Bar and currently at Madeira Park, is mixing up two new cocktails to replace his signature Temple of the Dog and Dog Paw drinks from the first edition of Bark After Dark.
American jerk in Oakhurst from Jimmie’s Jerk Barbecue
Who: Jimmie’s Jerk Barbecue (@jerkbbqatl) from Jimmie Jackson.
When/Where: 3–9 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, Sept. 15–18; noon–9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19; noon–8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. Sceptre Brewing Arts (@sceptrebeer). 630 E. Lake Drive, Oakhurst.
Why you should check them out: Jackson, a consistent presence in Atlanta’s pop-ups scene for more than a decade, is taking over the kitchen at Oakhurst neighborhood brewery Sceptre Brewing Arts for a six-day residency. The award-winning chef synthesizes traditional Caribbean spices with low-and-slow Southern flavors to create what he calls American jerk barbecue, drawing on jerk traditions from Jamaica, South Florida and the Caribbean.
He will be offering a daily lineup of jerk and other comfort eats. Appetizers feature crispy Brussels sprouts tossed with red onions in a sweet-and-sour agrodolce; beef or chicken empanadas dressed with red pepper crema; and smoked wings tossed in a choice of six sauces, including tropical or sweet chili lime. For entrees, Jackson is serving seasoned rice plates piled with pulled lamb or rich pork belly alongside loaded sandwiches like brisket and jerk chicken topped with candied jerk bacon. On Friday, in addition to the regular menu, there will be fried trout and both beef and pork ribs.
Survival through solidarity
How Red Beard Restaurant Group pivoted with the former Nadair team to Terminus City BBQ
Who: Terminus City BBQ (@terminuscitybbq) from Red Beard Restaurants.
When/Where: 5–8 p.m. Sunday–Tuesday. Gunshow (@gunshowatl). 924 Garrett St. SE, Glenwood Park.
When Red Beard Restaurants shuttered its Michelin-recommended fine-dining concept Nadair in June, staff found a lifeline right inside the company. Rather than letting his tight-knit leadership team go, president and co-owner Marco Shaw turned their Glenwood Park flagship, Gunshow, into an in-house incubator on its off days, Sunday through Tuesday. By using the empty kitchen and dining room three days a week, Shaw kept his core team employed and cooking together — a group that includes general manager Nicole Fordham, 2024 Michelin Guide Sommelier of the Year Ashleigh McFadden, sous chef Lane Williams and veteran kitchen manager Key Evans.
Shaw presented the crew with five concepts to resurrect their collaborative spark, and the team chose the Terminus City Barbecue option. Originally launched as a successful pop-up in 2015 and expanded into a weekly series in 2018, the barbecue project had been sidelined by the pandemic in 2020. The restaurant group’s well-known co-owner, chef Kevin Gillespie, publicly stepped away from active restaurant operations and relocated to Maine, buthe remains supportive of the venture from afar while Shaw takes the reins as chef on record.
Terminus City follows a blueprint similar to Tio Lucho’s, where chef Arnaldo Castillo hosts the pop-up Hermanita in his own restaurant. By keeping the pop-up in-house, the Terminus City team does not face the logistical challenges of packing up heavy smokers, hauling ingredients or transporting specialized smallwares. Another important benefit is the ability to leverage Gunshow’s established ingredient sourcing channels to get premium whole hogs, fresh chickens and vegetables. Avoiding the administrative headaches of a standard pop-up allowed for a smoother transition from Nadair’s fine-dining plates to barbecue platters.
Shaw told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the menu is a celebration of East Carolina whole-hog barbecue heritage, built around the option to order customizable plates (with one side) or platters (three sides). Guests choose a main, such as East Carolina-style chopped whole-hog barbecue (cooked skin and all), dry-rubbed spare ribs, smoked chicken quarters or cornmeal fried fish, served with regional barbecue sauces, including an East Carolina vinegar-based, South Carolina mustard-based, Alabama white, classic Kansas City, sweet tomato or spicy tomato. This is paired with rotating sides, such as rich macaroni and cheese, slow-cooked green beans, collard greens, shredded cole slaw or dirty rice, along with a choice of bread like heirloom corn cornbread, yellow cornbread or Texas toast. Sweets include warm apple hand pies, decadent chocolate cake with whipped cream and key lime pie.
The beverage program is tailored to match, highlighting bottled cocktails inspired by iconic barbecue regions. Guests can sip a Texas Paloma made with tequila, grapefruit and chamomile; a Kansas City horse feather infused with gin, ginger and spicy urfa biber; a South Carolina palmetto mixing dark rum, sweet vermouth and smoky lapsang souchong tea; or a Memphis-themed Lynchburg lemonade loaded with Tennessee whiskey and citrus oils.
Note: By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather. For the latest schedule and information, consult the pop-ups’ Instagram feed.