The Indigo Road Hospitality Group is adding to its portfolio of Atlanta restaurants with an eatery set to open next week just above the Eastside Beltline trail.
Indaco will debut Oct. 6 at 725 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, joining other locations in Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Atlanta native Steve Palmer, the managing partner for Charleston-based Indigo Road, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he’s been wanting to expand the concept into Atlanta for a long time.
“Clearly there a lot of Italian restaurants in Atlanta,” he said. “You have to ask yourself what you think we can contribute. We love the spirit of the restaurant. You can experience it in different ways. For some people it’s a pizza and a beer, and for other people, it’s ‘Let’s do the three-course tasting menu.’ So it flexes up and flexes down depending on what you want it to be. It’s just very approachable.”
While Palmer said Indaco’s menu will feature “greatest hits” from other locations including the meatballs and the restaurant’s black pepper tagliatelle, the majority of offerings will be unique to Atlanta, with an emphasis on pasta.
Credit: Courtesy of Indaco
Credit: Courtesy of Indaco
“We’re predominately a pasta restaurant,” Palmer said. “That’s what people come to us for, It’s all made in-house, and we’re very passionate about the program.”
Chef Mark Bolchoz, Indaco’s culinary director, took the lead on developing the menu, along with Atlanta-based sous chef Alex Fagan who previously worked for Indaco Charleston.
Expect to find a selection of antipasti, wood-fired pizza, housemade pastas and entrées including risotto nero made with squid ink, lemon, crispy rock shrimp and chili crunch), wood-fired whole fish with peperonata, fennel and lemon; agnolotti with duck ragu, ricotta, brood, pecorino romano and crispy farro; and Brussel pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, guanciale, shaved pear and honey.
The menu will change often and will source ingredients from local growers and producers. Indaco will also offer a $55, three-course, family-style tasting menu curated by the kitchen. Grab-and-go options will be available daily later this fall.
Indaco’s wine program will highlight Italian wines, as well as seasonal and classic cocktails and housemade sodas and spirit-free beverages.
Designed by Lindsay Rice and the team at David Thompson Architect, the 4,800-square-foot Indaco space took inspiration from the Amalfi Coast, with pastel hues and terracotta shades of orange and yellow.
The main dining room seats 130 guests, with a back-to-back, blue-striped banquette serving as the centerpiece of the room and a tiled pizza oven as the focal point of the open kitchen.
A 45-seat outdoor patio features both covered and non-covered dining areas, a second bar for frozen cocktails and pizza by the slice, as well as a built-in bocce court, all accessible to the Beltline. A glass-walled dining room that opens to the outdoor patio area will be available for private events.
Palmer, whose great-grandmother worked for Sears in what is now the Ponce City Market building, said while there’s pressure that comes with opening a concept on the Beltline, he never considered any other area for Indaco.
“The Beltline is such a unique thing in the city, and so vibrant,” he said. “Opening in a location like that, we’re assuming we’re going to be very busy to start. When you’re a known group, it’s a blessing and a curse. There’s a percentage of people who have been to the original restaurant, and they might have eaten at that restaurant when it was eight years old and a well-oiled machine, and they’ll maybe be eating at Atlanta when we’re eight days old. It puts a lot of pressure, but it’s equally exciting at the same time.”
Indigo Road has had a presence in metro Atlanta for several years, with local restaurants including Sukoshi at Colony Square in Midtown; O-Ku in west Midtown; and Colletta and Oak Steakhouse at Avalon in Alpharetta.
Indaco is the latest addition to the booming food and drink scene on the Eastside Beltline, with other restaurants and bars including Baxter on the Beltline, One Flew South, Two Urban Licks, Nina & Rafi and Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall.
Buckhead Italian restaurant Yeppa & Co. is set to open a second location early next year in Portman’s Junction Krog District building at the corner of Irwin Street and Auburn Avenue.
Indaco will announce its opening hours in the next few days.
725 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-205-5183, indacorestaurant.com/location/indaco-atlanta-beltline
Scroll down to see the dinner menu for Indaco:
Credit: Indaco
Credit: Indaco
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
