Auburn Angel, a new eatery from Atlanta entrepreneur Asa Fain and chef Robbie Pacheco, is now open for limited reservations in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The eatery will celebrate its grand opening and begin its regular hours on April 19.
The restaurant is the first concept to operate at 302 Auburn Ave. NE since 2014. Auburn Avenue Rib Shack first opened in the space in 1964 with menu items like apple and peach cobbler, Brunswick stew and rib sandwiches, according to a 1986 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article. The Sweet Auburn neighborhood was the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a haven for Black business owners.
Auburn Avenue Rib Shack’s final owner, Dorothy Clements, the daughter of the restaurant’s founder, began to face financial troubles in 1987 after she had to shut down the restaurant for three months while the Department of Transportation expanded the Downtown Connector, she said in a 1994 interview with former AJC reporter Seth Coleman.
Despite revitalization efforts over the years, Clements closed her restaurant in December 1994 after 30 years. Thelma’s Kitchen & Rib Shack took over the space, but closed in 2014. Fain, an Atlanta native and founder of Apache Cafe in downtown Atlanta, purchased the building in 2018.
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
During the building’s restoration, which had to be approved by the Georgia Historic Preservation Division and the Urban Design Commission, Fain expanded the lot from 2,000 square feet to 3,995 square feet, including adding a covered patio that seats 60.
The new design incorporates the original walls, and while the kitchen was relocated to the back of the building, the historic grill pit remains near the restaurant’s entrance.
“I wanted to preserve as much character and history as I could on that sweet little corner of Auburn Avenue,” designer Patti Krohngold said in a prepared statement. “I created an inviting and modern interior for the Auburn Angel team that still has some of the old character shining through.”
Pacheco will lead the culinary operations with Pamela Moxley (Miller Union, Floataway Cafe) as pastry chef. Pacheco’s menu draws inspiration from food he’s cooked over the years, including at restaurants like Cardamom Hill, Restaurant 356 and at Country Club of the South.
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
Featured dishes include tempura fried Skull Island prawns and Firefly squid with black radish, piquillo pepper aioli and chili oil; a beetroot tart with goat cheese mousse and beetroot powder; raw scallop with pickled watermelon rind, salmon roe, sesame grapefruit vinaigrette, chive oil, watermelon gelee, marigolds and black salt; porcelet collar with cilantro and watercress puree, salsify, pickled mustard seed and dehydrated carrot; and lamb loin with spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes, lamb belly croquettes, potato puree and a demi-glace.
Moxley’s desserts include a strawberry Napolean with tarragon ice cream and a chocolate cake for dessert. The restaurant also has a full bar.
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn Angel
Pacheco said he wanted to create a menu you might expect to find in small, intimate restaurants in New York City, something “elevated” but unpretentious, Pacheco told the AJC. Most of the history is in the building, he said, with some walls still showcasing years of paint and graffiti.
“We want to be elegant,” he said. “We want people to come in there and to be proud of that area.”
Opening hours are 5-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturday and 5-9 p.m. Sundays.
302 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. auburnangel.com.
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