Juniper Cafe to relocate, clearing way for new West Midtown restaurant

A year after opening in West Midtown, Juniper Cafe will close its doors so ownership can pursue relocation options.

The Vietnamese bakery and cafe is helmed by Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, the chef-partners behind the lauded Inman Park restaurant Lazy Betty. Juniper Cafe will close its 2260 Marietta Blvd. NW location after service Dec. 31, a little more than a year after it opened.

Hsu told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that they needed to pivot because the current location wasn’t in a “financially healthy situation.”

“We would prefer to be intown, somewhere a little more central” he said, adding that the cafe concept would thrive more in a densely populated corridor. “Also, I think the space is just a little too big where we currently are in terms of square footage.”

A news release said, “The team plans to reconceptualize the restaurant’s existing space.” Details on the new concept and Juniper Cafe’s relocation will be announced at a later date.

The same team also has plans to open Humble Pie, a family-friendly restaurant at the Interlock mixed-use property at 1115 Howell Mill Road in West Midtown.

Juniper Cafe, which is named after Hsu’s niece and a nod to the street in Midtown, specializes in Vietnamese specialties, breakfast items and baked goods. It was among three Georgia restaurants included on Bon Appetit’s list of the top 50 best new restaurants of 2022.

While the restaurant will be closed to diners beginning Jan. 1, it will continue its wholesale program with sweets and breakfast items sold to places around Atlanta including East Pole Coffee Co., Fresh Harvest and InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta.