You might know your favorite metro Atlanta restaurant’s menu backward and forward, but if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, there are plenty of pop-ups that offer a little bit for every appetite, including New England-style seafood, vegan Latin-inspired chow and Vietnamese barbecue.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Biltong Bar’s Butcher & Bottle Shop. South African cocktail bar and restaurant Biltong Bar hosts this pop-up shop from noon-5 p.m. Saturdays at Ponce City Market in partnership with Halpern’s Steak and Seafood. Look for a variety of biltong (South African beef jerky); a bottled selection of Biltong’s cocktails including Mai Tai and Celery Sour; retail items such as bottled peri-peri sauce and spice rubs; and cases of select cuts of steak, including Cowboy Rib-eyes and Prime Strip Steaks. The Bottle Shop will also feature a list of South African wines and pours, including Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece Bourbon. The shop is currently operating on a first-come, first-served basis with plans for online preordering and curbside delivery available soon.
675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 678-515-0620, biltong-bar.com/
Happy Seed and Pho Cue at A Mano. While Italian restaurant A Mano continues to offer up its Italian offerings for carryout (customers can also enjoy their food on the eatery’s new outdoor bar and patio area), its parking lot also serves as the regular home to two Atlanta pop-ups.
From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays, look for Pho Cue, which marries Vietnamese and barbecue in dishes including pho, banh mi, banh fries with a choice of smoked brisket, pulled pork or smoked mushrooms. The menu also features a collaborative dish from Pho Cue and a “guest chef” that of late has included other local pop-ups including Foodcation Forever, Seoul Chikin and Adobo ATL.
Happy Seed offers traditional Latin food from 5-8 p.m. Mondays. Recent menu offerings have included black bean tamales made with sweet potato and corn masa, Plant Nachos topped with black beans, chipotle charred corn and salsa verde, and a plant-based crunch wrap stuffed with beef seitan, vegan nacho cheese, crunch tostada, lettuce, tomato and cashew sour cream.
A Mano, 587 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta. happyseed.kitchen/ and instagram.com/eatphocue/
La Dolce Madness and My Abuelas Food at the Spindle Kitchen. My Abuelas Food began a yearlong residency at the Spindle Kitchen in the Old Fourth Ward early this year. The pop-up serves Puerto Rican dishes several days a week, including the Mr. Pig, a sandwich with roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles and “magic” mayo, and the rotating El Plato de Abuela with rice, a grain of the day, roasted pork and pasta salad. There are also several plant-based options including the Vegan El De Pastrami, and brunch offered the last Sunday of the month with dishes including empanadillas and French tostadas with strawberry and coconut. My Abuelas often collaborates with metro Atlanta pop-ups including VeganX.
On the sweet side, La Dolce Madness offers Puerto Rican treats like guava cheese quesito and silky flan cups.
The Spindle Kitchen, 659 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. myabuelasfood.com/ and instagram.com/ladolcemadness/
OK Yaki at 97 Estoria. Chef Corban Irby is working on an East Atlanta brick-and-mortar location for his pop-up that offers up Japanese street food including okonomiyaki, yakisoba and gyoza. In the meantime, you can find Irby’s food from 5-10 p.m. three nights a week at Cabbagetown bar 97 Estoria.
97 Estoria, 727 Wylie St. SE, Atlanta. okyakiatl.com/
Credit: Brandon Amato
Credit: Brandon Amato
Pop’s Lobster Shack. Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar hosts this takeout-only pop-up from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays that features a New England-style seafood menu. Options include Pop’s lobster roll with butter, house-made kettle chips and a pickle wedge, or the fried platter with shrimp, oysters or both. On the sweet side, sip on fresh lemonade or enjoy frozen pops from King of Pops. Guests are encouraged to place their preorders online until 11 a.m. the day of. Walk-ups are welcome or guests can call ahead for takeout or curbside pickup.
4475 Roswell Road, Marietta. 770-635-7641, driftoysterbar.com/
Pop Up and Go at Our Bar ATL. The Old Fourth Ward bar is home to a new pop-up and menu every two days from 2-7 p.m. daily. Upcoming pop-ups include loaded baked potato plates from It’s Baked Baby, Sunday vegan brunch from Dished Palate and bites including crab cake sliders and Rebel Rasta Pasta from Rebel Chef Creations. The bar also hosts its own late-night kitchen starting at 8:30 p.m. nightly.
339 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 678-929-8380, ourbaratl.com/
SOS Pop Up Kitchen at Bone Lick. Barbecue restaurant Bone Lick pivoted to a pop-up model since closing its main kitchen in mid-March due to the pandemic. Recent meals have included miso-brined fried chicken with side options like garlic-chili edamame and Japanese onion soup and paired cocktails Gin Dragon and Sakecillin; a five-course “American menu” that served as a “culinary tribute to the inclusive country we want to build together” with dishes including brisket tacos, corn porn (grilled corn on a stick with tikka masala sauce and paneer crumbles) and deep-fried jambalaya; and a Mexican meal with smoked chicken tinga tacos, pork belly fajitas and churro nacho chips with the Horchata-Whacker as a cocktail option. Place orders via email at sospopupkitchen@gmail.com.
327 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. instagram.com/bonelicks/
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