Edgewood sandwich shop from team behind Banshee to open next week

The interior of Bona Fide Deluxe. / Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

Credit: Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

Credit: Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

The interior of Bona Fide Deluxe. / Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

An all-day sandwich shop and cocktail bar from the team behind popular East Atlanta restaurant Banshee will debut next week in Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood.

Bona Fide Deluxe will debut Feb. 14 in a renovated, art deco-style building at 1454 La France St. NE.

The counter-service concept was developed by partners Peter Chvala, Nolan Wynn, Katie McDonald, Faielle Bolzan Stocco, the group that opened Banshee in East Atlanta in 2018 and Screamin’ Weenies in 2021, as well as chef de cuisine Chance Cooper.

The opening menu will feature eight sandwiches, including the New York Italian-inspired Cold Cut with pepperoni, finocchiona, mortadella, pepperonata, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and a pepperoni mayonnaise created by Wynn, who also serves as executive chef for both Banshee and Bona Fide Deluxe.

The sandwich offerings also include a vegan bahn mi sandwich with sweet and sour shiitake mushrooms, carrot, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro.

A banh mi from the menu of Bona Fide Deluxe. / Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

Credit: Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

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Credit: Courtesy of Bona Fide Deluxe

The shop’s roast beef sandwich will use a top round roast beef smoked in-house, pickles, steak sauce, fried onions, and horseradish crème fraiche.

The menu also features salads including a classic Greek salad, a smoked turkey option with cashews, grapes, croutons, and pink peppercorn ranch dressing, and a chicken Caesar salad. Sides include Bread Bombs, hot bread with garlic butter, cheddar, bacon, and scallions.

Wynn, who was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2019, began experimenting with making sandwiches at Banshee during the pandemic, some of which made it to the restaurant’s takeout menu.

“The idea here is to add to Atlanta’s sandwich culture — help to encourage and grow it,” Wynn said in a prepared statement. “The goal is to create our own sandwich identity coupled with super fun cocktails and local craft beer. We want Bona Fide to be a go-to neighborhood hangout for the communities surrounding our new shop.”

Created by McDonald, the beverage program highlights craft cocktails menu such as the Banshee with gin, Nardini bitter Aperitivo, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and lemon, and the Rapid Transit with mezcal, Edinburgh rhubarb and ginger, Aperol, and lime.

Offerings also include non-alcoholic beverages and six rotating taps with beers from local breweries, as well as a compact wine list curated by Bolzan Stocco.

The space was designed by Elizabeth Ingram, who also designed Banshee and other Atlanta restaurants including Marcel and Ruby Chow’s.

“This is an easy environment, it’s not overly grown-up, and the design intentionally lends guests a space where they can feel comfortable having some fun,” Ingram said in a statement. “I aimed to make it look like everything had been here for a minute. I wanted to excite the eye with patterns, such as the mint green and rust tiles touched with purple accents on the floor and the soft tone of the barely pink walls behind the quirky, diorama-style boxes housing dinosaurs and various flea market trinkets.”

The 60-seat interior also features vintage chandeliers sourced at open-air markets and an Old World map with facts about countries from around the world.

Bona Fide Deluxe also includes a grassy outoor space outdoor with picnic tables, outdoor games snd live music in the coming weeks.

Opening hours will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. The kitchen will close every day from 3-5 p.m. to get ready for evening service.

1454 La France St. NE, Atlanta. instagram.com/bona_fide_deluxe.

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