10 must-try Atlanta food pop-ups and dining events this week

This week’s pop-up lineup includes Cheerwine-glazed pork loin in Roswell, nori floss egg salad sandos in Avondale Estates, smoked brisket popcorn at a bourbon dinner in Chamblee, saffron arancini at a secret supper club near Oakland Cemetery, a Skyline Chili dog in Summerhill and akamiso risotto at a debut tasting in Avondale Estates. Read on for all 10 pop-ups to check out.

Japanese salt bread from Mae’s Bakery at Postern Coffee in Doraville

Who: Mae’s Bakery (@maes.bakery) from Mae Delos Santos.

When/where: Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. until sold out. Postern Coffee (@posterncoffee). Doraville.

The draw: Delos Santos has been baking since high school. She learned to make salt bread in Japan about 2½ years ago, started commercial baking in Atlanta this year, and brings it to Postern Coffee for her first pop-up. Japanese salt bread, known as shio pan, is a popular bakery roll that combines the rich, buttery texture of a croissant with the soft, fluffy crumb of Japanese milk bread. She will be serving up versions such as classic salt with a crispy bottom and soft interior, black sesame with black sesame paste, cheese with a pepper jack pull and chocolate with chocolate bread and chocolate filling. Preorders are welcome but not required.

Barbecue collaboration from Keenan’s Pit BBQ and Springfield BBQ in Roswell

Who: Keenan’s Pit BBQ (@keenans_pit_bbq) from Brian Keenan and Springfield BBQ Co. (@springfieldbbqco) from Mark Springfield.

When/where: Saturday, Nov. 7, noon until sold out. Variant Brewing (@variantbrewingcompany). Roswell.

The draw: Keenan, who launched one of Atlanta’s first barbecue pop-ups in 2013 and cooks multiregional barbecue over wood fires with his own original rubs, sauces and sides, teams with Springfield, a former DAS BBQ pitmaster popping up since 2023, for a Saturday at Variant Brewing. The menu includes pork belly, sage apple Gouda sausage, pork spareribs and Cheerwine-glazed pork loin. Look for sides like smoked jalapeno cheddar grits.

Godzilla Day market with Japanese sandos at Little Cottage Brewery in Avondale Estates

Who: Ticket to Tokyo (@ticket_to_tokyo) from Peter Sheng.

When/where: Saturday, Nov. 7, noon to 7 p.m. Little Cottage Brewery (@littlecottagebrewery). Avondale Estates.

The draw: Sheng, who left commercial real estate to make Japanese sandos inspired by his travels in Japan and childhood in China, bakes fluffy shokupan Japanese milk bread from scratch in a Pullman pan for Ticket to Tokyo. The lidded pan gives the loaf its square shape and soft crust. Sandos like nori floss egg salad, truffle tuna salad, kimchi-braised beef and more are on the menu. Little Cottage Brewery also marks Godzilla Day with a special pour, a market, flash tattoos and a pinball contest.

Bourbon dinner from the Alden at Distillery of Modern Art in Chamblee

Who: The Alden (@thealdenatl) from Jared Hucks.

When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 7, seatings at 6, 6:30 (sold out), 7 and 7:30 p.m. Distillery of Modern Art (@distilleryofmodernart). Chamblee.

The Draw: The Alden recently retained its Michelin Recommended status, even while Hucks and his team have worked through the pop-up circuit since a Mother’s Day fire in the building closed the Chamblee restaurant. He partners with the Distillery of Modern Art for their third collaboration called Aging Gracefully. It’s a bourbon dinner built around the distillery’s Bottled-in-Bond bourbon, made at one distillery in one season and bottled at 100 proof. Huck’s menu also features ingredients that improve with age. Dishes like smoked brisket popcorn with cured egg yolk, bacalao al pil-pil and Big Green Egg-smoked pork collar are on the menu. Reserve your spot.

Terminus City BBQ at Gunshow in Glenwood Park

Who: Terminus City BBQ (@terminuscitybbq) from Marco Shaw.

When/Where: Sundays-Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. Gunshow (@gunshowatl). Glenwood Park.

The Draw: After Nadair shuttered in June, Shaw turned sister restaurant Gunshow into an in-house incubator on its closed days, cooking barbecue in the East Carolina whole-hog tradition, with a vinegar-based sauce. Dishes like dry-rubbed spare ribs, apple hush puppies with honey butter and the Tuesday special revival fried chicken are on the menu, among other plates, sides, sweets and bottled cocktails. The residency runs Sundays through Tuesdays, including Nov. 8, 9 and 10.

Secret supper club from Wick & Nick’s near Oakland Cemetery

Who: Wick & Nick’s (@wickandnicks) w+n:blueblood from Jared Warwick and Ben Skolnick.

When/Where: Sunday, Nov. 8 and Monday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. Near Oakland Cemetery. Exact address shared with confirmed guests.

The Draw: Warwick, of Octopus Bar, and Skolnick, of BoccaLupo, transform a loft near Oakland Cemetery into an intimate supper club and listening room. Tables are set with family-heirloom gold flatware and the living space features mid-century vintage pieces, all anchored by a high-fidelity vinyl soundtrack playing on a vintage Altec Lansing stereo system. Their 11-course menu (plus an amuse or two) features seasonal produce and in-house dry-aged ingredients, including a Pat LaFrieda 850 export prime steak, dry-aged for 30 days, with umami broth and semolina gnocchi. That 850 is a USDA score of 850 or higher, with a beef marbling score of 5, reserved for the top 5% within the Prime tier. The menu spotlights dishes like saffron arancini with feijoa conserva and taleggio, crab rotolo with prickly pear beurre blanc and salmon roe and snapper ceviche with Cara Cara segments and leche de tigre. Reserve your spot.

Smoke Break at Commune in Avondale Estates

Who: Smoke Break from Brian Von Ley (@brianvonley), Leana Wallender Lopez (@leana.swl) and Maggie Huys (@maggiehuys).

When/Where: Monday, Nov. 9, 6 p.m. - midnight. Commune (@commune_atl). Avondale Estates.

The Draw: Smoke Break is a one-night-only event built around what Von Ley, Wallender Lopez and Huys want to eat and drink on their day off, with Von Ley, who spent years at Kimball House and now leads the bar at Bar Ana, pouring the cocktails and Wallender Lopez and Huys cooking the food. Wallender Lopez brings a hospitality and culinary degree and experience in Gigi’s Italian Kitchen and Kimball House, plus a Mexican influence from her mom. Huys, currently at Gigi’s Italian Kitchen, has worked as general manager at Talat Market and butcher at Evergreen. Dishes like snapper crudo with kabocha, coconut and satsuma, banana leaf steamed fish with achiote and lime and chicken Milanesa with roasted poblano and crema are on the menu, among other dishes. Cocktails include the Florida Kilos with toasted coconut rum, strawberry and pineapple and the Envy with gin, pandan and green Chartreuse.

Late-night hot dogs from Bark After Dark at Little Bear in Summerhill

Who: Bark After Dark (@barkafterdarkatl) from Alec Owen.

When/Where: Monday, Nov. 9, 10 p.m. until sold out. Little Bear (@littlebearatl). Summerhill.

The Draw: Owen, a Seattle-born and Atlanta-raised bartender at Little Bear, brings Bark After Dark back for a late-night round of specialty dogs and cocktails, with Mykel Burkhart of SamWitch fame helping on food and Carlos Rojo, of Madeira Park, bartending. The links are ground and stuffed in-house from Hunter Cattle beef top sirloin cap in sheep casings, on buns from St. Germain baker Jesse Ballard. The menu includes a Skyline Chili dog with homemade spaghetti, onions and cheese and a panang curry dog with braised mustard greens, pepper relish and rice cakes, with a vegetarian option of a tofu dog, plus a loaded fry option. A third dog and an appetizer dish, yet to be revealed, will also be on the menu.

Pollo asado from Wyld Bird at Homegrown GA in Reynoldstown

Who: Wyld Bird (@wyldbirdatl) from Brad Syfan and Tony Seichrist.

When/Where: Tuesdays-Sundays, 5-10 p.m. Homegrown GA (@homegrownga). Reynoldstown.

The Draw: Syfan and Seichrist, who also operate the Wyld Dock Bar in Savannah, cook Miami-style pollo asado at Homegrown GA, drawing on the Cuban flavors Seichrist grew up eating during summers in Miami. The whole bird goes through a 36-hour marinade before being dry-rubbed, seared over charcoal and finished in the oven with citrus and passion fruit.

Briarpatch debut tasting menu at Commune in Avondale Estates

Who: Briarpatch (@b4cess) from Evan Colbert.

When/Where: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6-11 p.m. Commune (@commune_atl). Avondale Estates.

The Draw: Colbert, who cooks at Lazy Betty and Mikasa Omakase and had past stints at So So Fed, Atlas and Mujo, debuts Briarpatch with a tasting menu built with influences from the American South, Laos, Jamaica and Japan. Dishes like scallop with tosazu and nori oil, akamiso risotto with hakurei turnip, leek tsuma and New York strip with black mango and coconut horseradish are on the menu, among other courses. Reserve your spot.