Spiller Park opens fourth location in South Downtown development

Atlanta coffee shop Spiller Park opened its fourth location in the South Downtown development in downtown Atlanta early last week.

Owner Dale Donchey retained many of the building’s historic touches, from the white, burgundy and green tiled floors to the casting on the walls. Coupled with the comforting aroma of freshly brewed chai and toast, and a charmingly squeaky front door, Spiller Park’s newest location at 233 Mitchell St. SW in the area known as Historic Hotel Row, has just the “romantic feel” Donchey was hoping for.

“I kind of feel like this place is the next story in a very long story of this building,” Donchey said. “And I want to be a part of it, I don’t want to erase anything.”

The 838-square-foot cafe has a similar menu to other Spiller Park locations with various espresso drinks, teas and seasonal specials. Guests will find a selection of toasts including toast with nut butter and jam and toast with cinnamon sugar, plus muffins, chocolate chip cookies and yogurt. Limited seating is offering inside, along with a few tables on the covered sidewalk.

Donchey opened Spiller Park in 2015 as a stall in Ponce City Market. The name is a reference to Spiller Field, a ballpark once located on Ponce de Leon Avenue, the self-proclaimed “baseball nut” said. He’s since added locations in Toco Hills and West Midtown.

Opening on Mitchell Street has been a journey for Donchey, one that at times seemed destined to end before it could begin.

He learned about the space in 2018 but COVID-19 put those plans on hold while he worked on the Moores Mill Center location. Donchey took another stab at the location a few years later. At the time, the property was owned by Newport, a German developer that arrived in Atlanta in 2016 and amassed 10 blocks of South Downtown real estate, which included more than 50 properties.

The developer planned to transform the area into a revitalized mixed-use district, but after finishing restorations on the Hotel Row block, construction stalled. Newport announced in July 2023 that it would sell its holdings to Braden Fellman Group and leave the city, but the sale fell apart. In October, Newport’s entire property portfolio was advertised for foreclosure.

Donchey said the experience was “frustrating,” but not long after, the South Downtown properties were purchased by an investment group led by David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, the duo behind Atlanta Ventures and the Atlanta Tech Village in Buckhead.

When Donchey learned that Cummings and Birdsong had taken over the properties, he knew the cafe was back on track. Donchey said he thinks it’s important for locals to own these properties because “the longer Atlantans own those areas, the better those areas become.” He hopes to see more investment in “the heart of the city,” he said.

Thai restaurant Tyde Tate Kitchen opened in South Downtown in early 2023, but plans for several restaurants when the project was still owned by Newport, including Liz & Leon’s and Pins Mechanical Company, have since been scrapped.

“People need to come see this part of town,” Donchey said. “It’s taking a breath of new life.”