Three Taverns stops brewing in Decatur and more from Atlanta’s dining scene
A metro area restaurant group announced it would rebrand its in-town restaurants, a Decatur brewery announced a major shift in operations, three Buckhead restaurants made OpenTable’s Top 100 list and more of this week’s happenings in the Atlanta restaurant scene.
Three Taverns suspends brewing at flagship
Popular craft brewery Three Taverns announced this week that it would suspend brewing operations at its original flagship facility in Decatur.
“After 13 amazing years, we’ve made the difficult decision to suspend production at our flagship brewery location on New Street in East Decatur,” the brewery posted on social media. “(B)arring an angel, it is no longer financially feasible for us to operate this location.”
Three Taverns is not going out of business; The Imaginarium in Reynoldstown and Ponce Brew Terminal on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail (which opened earlier this year) will continue to operate, the announcement said. Three Taverns will continue brewing and distilling its products at those taprooms. The company also plans to partner with another brewer to keep their beers on store shelves and in other restaurants.
A closing date has not been set for the Decatur brewer.
“We don’t yet know the final day we’ll serve our last beer in the Decatur taproom yet, but it will be soon and we’ll let you know,” Three Taverns founder and CEO Brian Purcell shared on social media. “In the meantime, come sit with us. Have a pint, tell us your favorite Three Taverns memory, bring the friend you first shared one with. Your support is what has carried us this far, and it’s what will carry us forward.”
Restaurant group rebrands 2 in-town locations
TQM Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Chicheria MX Kitchen and Buena Vida Tapas Bar, will rebrand both restaurants as Amasa Mexican Kitchen, expanding their latest restaurant concept to three locations, according to a news release.
Amasa opened in Alpharetta in September and was hotly anticipated by the community after its culinary team won best entree at the 2026 Taste of Alpharetta festival. The modern Mexican restaurant highlights the cuisine of Baja California, with a focus on seafood and handmade, blue corn tortillas. The restaurant is completely gluten-free.
The changes at Chicheria will be relatively minor, according to the announcement. Amasa is a continuation of the Chicheria concept and the two restaurants share about 90% of their menus.
The change at Buena Vida will be more dramatic; the Beltline-adjacent restaurant in the Old Fourth Ward is a Spanish tapas bar. The restaurant group will hold several preview tastings and events ahead of the transition to Amasa, and fans of Buena Vida will have the rest of the year to enjoy the tapas menu. The final event at Buena Vida will be New Year’s Eve.
3 Atlanta restaurants make OpenTable Top 100
Restaurant reservation platform OpenTable released this week its list of the top 100 restaurants in America, which included three spots in Atlanta.
All three restaurants are well-established, popular and located in Buckhead: Bones, La Grotta and Umi.
The list is, of course, limited to restaurants that use the OpenTable platform, and it’s curated through thousands of user reviews, as well as other dining metrics that were not shared in the announcement.
Bones, La Grotta and Umi were the only restaurants recognized by the list in Georgia. Among neighboring states, Florida had two restaurants make the list, while Tennessee had four (all in Nashville).
Casa Nuova continues fight against pancreatic cancer
Casa Nuova, the nearly 30-year-old Alpharetta restaurant, will raise money throughout November for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, according to a news release.
The Italian restaurant has a deep connection to the cause: Owner Maria Fundora founded the nonprofit Purple Pansies in 2009 after losing her mother to the disease. The organization has since raised more than $8 million.
Throughout the month, diners at Casa Nuova can round up their checks to make a donation, and the restaurant will donate a portion of its proceeds on Nov. 19, World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day.
5670 Atlanta Highway, Alpharetta. 770-475-9100, casanuovarestaurant.com
Metro Atlanta restaurant openings and announcements
Amorino Gelato, a chain know for its rose-shaped gelato cones, opened Friday at the Medley development in Johns Creek, according to a news release. The global chain has more than 300 gelato shop franchises worldwide. The Johns Creek location will be the second in metro Atlanta after the first opened in Lenox Square Mall.
11650 Johns Creek Pkwy., Johns Creek. amorino.com
Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint, a chain with two-dozen locations across the Southeast, opened in the former Taco Mac space in the center of Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood on Monday.
1006 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. jackbrownsjoint.com
Muchacho opened its third location in Decatur on Friday morning, restaurant representatives announced. The all-day counter-service cafe has taken over the building formerly home to Revival, the Southern restaurant from Chef Kevin Gillespie. The new cafe features an outdoor bar, a natural play area for kids and a semienclosed garden space for private events. Muchacho will celebrate the opening with events all week, and it will donate one dollar for every breakfast burrito sold in its first weekend to the Decatur Education Foundation.
129 Church St., Decatur. 678-579-5100, muchacho.com
Southern Crust Pizza, a 10-year-old food truck concept from catering company Proof of the Pudding, opened Friday night at the Gateway Center Arena as the College Park Skyhawks tipped off their season. Southern Crust will offer fans of the Atlanta Hawks’ NBA G League affiliate flavor options like the lemon peppa steppa, smoked turkey with cornbread crumble and peaches and pepperoni.
Gateway Center, 275 Pryor St. SW, Atlanta. southerncrustcatering.com
Mastro’s Ocean Club opened this week at the CTR in downtown Atlanta on Friday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
190 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. mastrosrestaurants.com
Bearly Awake Coffee, which began as a coffee cart for hire, is now open inside Beyond Berry, the Little Five Points acai bowl shop. The businesses officially joined forces Oct. 31.
1145 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta. instagram.com/bearlyawake_coffee
Enid Coffee launched a soft opening for its second pop-up location at Decatur’s Hell Yeah Gluten Free. Enid began with its first coffee residency at Communidad Taqueria in the Old Fourth Ward. The Enid team has not yet announced an official opening date in Decatur.
900 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta. enidcoffee.com
Metro Atlanta restaurant closings
Vice Steak Bar, the Milton steakhouse, announced it would close earlier this week. The restaurant was sold to new ownership, which will remodel and reopen as a sports bar called Signature & Score Tavern.
Dolce Spoon bakery has closed in Alpharetta, the business announced on social media. In the announcement, bakery owner Sebnem Genc described the struggle of running the business as an immigrant and mother. Her husband had been unable to join her in the U.S. because of visa complications, she said, leaving her to care for their two children on her own. The final straw came when “someone very important to me became ill,” Genc wrote. She has sold the business and will return to her family.