11 pop-ups and restaurants offering preorders to liven up your Thanksgiving table
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, so following last week’s guide, this week’s column is all about preorders from pop-ups (and a few brick-and-mortars) that are serving up plenty of options beyond the typical holiday fare.
Just a few examples are pumpkin-pie-flavored macarons from La Macaron Guy, smoked jerk turkey from Jimmie’s Jerk BBQ, lemon pepper smoked turkey breast and Thai hash from Misfitsss and ube cheesecake and pandan pie from Crinkles by Nina. Read on for all 11 preorders to check out.
Pie-flavored macarons from La Macaron Guy
Who: La Macaron Guy (@lamacaronguy) from Ryan Norton.
When/Where: Pickup Saturday, Nov. 21, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Sandy Springs Farmers Market (@sandyspringsfarmersmarket). Sandy Springs; Sunday, Nov. 22, 1-4 p.m., Pick and Choose ATL (@pickandchoose_atl). Chosewood Park; Monday, Nov. 23, 8 a.m.-noon, Sunroof Coffee (@sunroofcoffeeath). Athens.
The Draw: Norton, who taught himself how to bake French macarons after 17 years as a savory chef, packs his Thanksgiving box with 27 pie-flavored macarons: 9 apple pie, 9 pecan pie and 9 pumpkin pie. The Cinna Crunch Cream Pie, an oatmeal-cookie sandwich with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and marshmallow buttercream, is also on the menu. Preorder by Nov. 16.
Pastrami from Oso Smoke & Dough
Who: Oso (@osobbq) from Jay Felton.
When/Where: Pick up Saturday, Nov. 21, 8:30 a.m. — noon, Peachtree Road Farmers Market (@ptreefarmersmkt) in Buckhead; Sunday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m. — 1 p.m., Grant Park Farmers Market (@communityfarmersmarkets) in Grant Park. Orders can also be picked up Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25, noon — 4 p.m., Oso Smoke & Dough. Tucker.
The Draw: Felton, the former chef de cuisine of Miller Union who has been popping up with his osito, a pizza pocket with smoked proteins and vegetables, brings the holiday meats: holiday turkey, grass-fed brisket, pastrami, Oso ham and smoked turkey bones so you can make your own stock. Preorder by Nov. 15.
Smoked turkey and Jamaican collards from Sweet Auburn BBQ
Who: Sweet Auburn BBQ (@sweetauburnbbq) from Anita and Howard Hsu.
When/Where: Pickup Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25; Sweet Auburn BBQ. Poncey-Highland and McDonough.
The Draw: Sweet Auburn BBQ, from Anita and Howard Hsu, started as a food truck and a stall at Sweet Auburn Curb Market before opening its Poncey-Highland restaurant in 2014. Their holiday menu includes whole or sliced smoked turkey with a choice of two sides. In addition to the Thanksgiving standards, Jamaican collards and wok-fired green beans lead the sides. Preorder by Nov. 22.
Porchetta from Evergreen Butcher and Baker in Kirkwood
Who: Evergreen Butcher and Baker (@evergreenbutcherandbaker) from Emma and Sean Schacke.
When/Where: Pickup Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 25, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Evergreen Butcher and Baker. Kirkwood.
The Draw: The Schackes’ whole-animal butcher shop, known for their Sunday smash burger pop-ups, skips the turkey and takes special orders for porchetta, prime rib roasts, whole ducks and more, as well as turkey neck gravy. Email info@evergreenbutcherandbaker.com or call (404) 996-2442 to order.
Ham, cornbread and gumbo from Springfield BBQ Co. at Variant Brewing
Who: Springfield BBQ Co. (@springfieldbbqco) from Mark Springfield.
When/Where: Pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1-3 p.m. Variant Brewing Company (@variantbrewingcompany). Roswell.
The Draw: Springfield, a former DAS BBQ pitmaster, has been popping up around Roswell since 2023, building a following for his blend of American South and Texas barbecue traditions. For Thanksgiving, he is offering the “Whole Shebang,” with ham, cornbread and gumbo, and more. Brisket and cheddarwurst are available as well. Preorder by Thursday, Nov. 19.
Lemon pepper smoked turkey breast from Misfitsss BBQ
Who: Misfitsss BBQ (@misfitsssbbq) from Bryan Hull and Tyler Heath.
When/Where: Pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25, 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. Round Trip Brewing Co. (@roundtripbeer). Underwood Hills.
The Draw: Hull and Heath’s Texas barbecue leans into Atlanta’s cultural mashup: their Thanksgiving order list covers whole brisket, lemon pepper smoked turkey breast with a house-made lemon pepper rub, as well as Thai hash, a Thai red curry take on Carolina hash. Preorder.
Hull and Heath are celebrating one year of popping up at Round Trip on Saturday, Nov. 14, noon until sold out, with pork belly ribs, brisket plates, brisket deep cuts and a smoked McRib, plus a brisket giveaway.
Piura-style spatchcocked turkey from Tio Lucho’s
Who: Tio Lucho’s (@tioluchos) from Arnaldo Castillo.
When/Where: Pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tio Lucho’s. Poncey-Highland.
The Draw: Castillo, whose Tio Lucho’s was born from his La Chingana pop-up, offers three Thanksgiving feasts: a whole roast turkey package with Piura-style spatchcocked turkey, butterflied and marinated in aji panca in the style of Piura, a region on Peru’s north coast; a sliced roast turkey package and a whole fried turkey package. All packages include sofrito gravy, tamales verdes (tamales in green sauce), arroz arabe (a Peruvian rice dish) and collard greens, plus yeast rolls with whipped chicha butter (chicha is a Peruvian corn drink). Preorder by Sunday, Nov. 22.
Pandan pie from Crinkles by Nina in Marietta
Who: Crinkles by Nina (@crinklesbynina) from Nina Nophavong.
When/Where: Pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25, noon — 4 p.m., Marietta; delivery also available.
The Draw: Nophavong grew up with a sweet tooth, baking for family and friends, and her Asian American dessert pop-up is built on crinkle cookies and the Southeast Asian flavors she was raised on: pandan (a fragrant leaf), taro (a starchy root) and Thai tea. Her Thanksgiving menu includes cookies, ube cheesecake, pandan pie and three types of crème brûlée: Thai tea, Vietnamese coffee and ube. Preorder.
Farm turkeys from Grateful Pastures
Who: Grateful Pastures (@gratefulpastures).
When/Where: Pickup Fridays, Nov. 13 and 20, at the farm in Mansfield; Saturdays, Nov. 14 and 21, at Peachtree Road Farmers Market (@ptreefarmersmkt) in Buckhead or Freedom Farmers Market (@freedomfarmersmkt) in Poncey-Highland.
The Draw: Grateful Pastures, a farm in Mansfield, is taking reservations for a limited run of uncooked Thanksgiving turkeys, up to two per customer, with pickup at the farm where customers can choose from the entire inventory or at Peachtree Road Farmers Market or Freedom Farmers Market. Preorder.
Heritage Black brand turkeys from Frazie’s Meat & Market
Who: Frazie’s Meat & Market (@fraziesmeatandmarket) from Mark Frazie.
When/Where: Pickup at Frazie’s in Riverside or at LikeMinds (@likemindsatl). Krog District. Choose the pickup date, time and location when ordering.
The Draw: Frazie’s Meat & Market is a neighborhood butcher shop in Riverside. Its Thanksgiving list offers Joyce Farms Heritage Black whole turkeys that are never frozen. In addition to the Thanksgiving standards, the holiday sides include barbecue-braised collard greens and smoked turkey brown gravy. Preorder.
Jerk brisket from Jimmie’s Jerk BBQ
Who: Jimmie’s Jerk BBQ (@jerkbbqatl) from Jimmie Jackson.
When/Where: Pickup Thursday, Nov. 26, 1-2 p.m. Boggs Social & Supply (@boggssocial). West End. Early pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25 by request.
The Draw: Jackson has been serving up his signature American jerk across metro Atlanta for well over a decade, winning top honors at the Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival. His American jerk draws on jerk traditions from Jamaica, the Caribbean and South Florida, with slow Southern flavors. He takes Thanksgiving Day pickup to Boggs Social with smoked salmon, jerk brisket and smoked turkey, to name just a few. Preorder by Saturday, Nov. 21.
Note: By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather. For the latest schedule, ticket links and menu changes, consult the pop-ups’ Instagram feeds.