The final two tenants have been named for food hall Politan Row at Colony Square in Midtown.
Slated to open Sept. 6, Marrakech Express, which will serve Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine, while Zaddy’s, a sandwich, soup and salad concept, will open later in September.
Operating out of the Global Grub Collective in East Atlanta for about three and a half years, Marrakech Express comes from chef Amal Alaoui, who also pops up with her food at farmers markets around metro Atlanta. The concept features dishes from Alaoui’s native Morocco, many plant-based, gluten-free and Halal, including eggplant stew, chicken shawarma, lamb shanks, platters, sandwiches and bowls, with homemade baklawa for dessert. Marrakech Express will continue to operate occasionally out of its East Atlanta location and make appearances at farmers markets.
Chef Aliah Jefferson is behind “elevated deli” concept Zaddy’s, which will serve “colossal” sandwiches like PMC Smoked Turkey, Cajun Lemon Pepper Tuna and Grilled Balsamic Veggies in addition to soups, salads and coffee. Previously in retail management and HR, Jefferson started in the food and beverage industry in 2018, with stints at Twisted Soul and Roc South and her own catering business. She launched Zaddy’s as a delivery-only concept during the pandemic, gaining popularity with the hashtag #bigbreadbigmeat.
Zaddy’s and Marrakech Express will join nine other concepts in Politan Row including Belli Pizzeria, Bun Mi Grill, Federal Burger, Gekko, Locale Cafe, Pretty Little Tacos, Tandoori Pizza & Wings Co., Unbelibubble and YŌM. JoJo’s Beloved, a ‘70s and ‘80s-inspired cocktail lounge, opened at the back of the food hall last month.
Holeman and Finch Public House, Rumi’s Kitchen, King of Pops, Sweetgreen and Saints + Council will open later this year at Colony Square.
Already established food and beverage concepts at Colony Square include Serena Pastificio, Brown Bag Seafood Co., Sukoshi, dine-in movie theater IPIC, 5Church Atlanta, Establishment, Freshii, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Moe’s Southwest Grill.
Located at 14th and Peachtree streets, the 50-year-old Colony Square development is undergoing a $400 million transformation overseen by North American Properties. Politan Row at Colony Square is operated by New Orleans-based Politan Group, which has opened and operated six other food halls in Chicago, Miami and Houston, among other cities.
The 20,000 square-foot Politan Row is the company’s largest project.
“It’s important that the restaurant ownership in our food halls reflects the communities they are in,” said Kirstin Moburg-Davis, Culinary Director for Politan Group, in a prepared statement. You’ll find about half of the stalls are women-led businesses, and all come from diverse cultural backgrounds with more than half being people of color.”
The Midtown food hall is open 11 a..m-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
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