The Most Anticipated Atlanta Restaurant Openings, Spring 2017

The weather is warming up, and spring is right around the corner. That means it's almost time for a season of rebirth to hit Atlanta's restaurant scene. We saw a number of major openings last year, and a few more have already come online in the first couple months of 2017. With the future in mind, it's time to take a look at the spring tracking guide, running through the most anticipated restaurants set to begin service before summer arrives. Check back often; this report will be updated as these projects open. If you’re particularly excited about an incoming restaurant that’s not listed here, do leave it in the comments below.

The Canteen

In the Midtown space that formerly housed The Spence, the folks behind West Egg Cafe and The General Muir are opening what they call a “micro-food hall.” The Canteen will include second outposts for Fred’s Meat & Bread and Yalla, the group’s Krog Street Market stalls, plus two new ventures. TGM Bagel will offer bagel service similar to that found at The General Muir, and Square Bar will pour juices, energy shots, and smoothies during morning hours, and later in the day it will transform into a full bar with beer, frozen drinks, and "a focused selection of classic cocktails and wine.". Midtown: 75 Fifth Street NW.

Projected opening: May.

Star Provisions and Bacchanalia

These aren’t new restaurants, but Anne Quatrano’s market and fine dining destination are moving into a new home. Located roughly a mile from their current residence at Westside Provisions District, a brand-new building will house Star Provisions on one side, Bacchanalia on the other, and a shared kitchen in between. "It's a built-for-us location, which I think is only a dream with a restaurant," Quatrano has said. "I've never had that opportunity. I always take a strangely configured space and make it work. This we got to design from the ground up." Westside: 1460 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard.

Projected opening: April 1.

Perkins+Will

Java Cats Cafe

The global cat cafe movement is coming to Atlanta. Java Cats is partnering with Paws Atlanta to foster up to 20 felines at a time in the cafe’s "cat room" — should any patron fall in love on a visit, all of the cats will be adoptable. The Gathering, part of a non-profit organization that offers homeless individuals a path to success through training in the culinary arts, will provide prepared food items. Owner Hadyn Hilton has been honing her barista skills at Downtown’s Ebrik Coffee Room, which is on board as Java Cats’s java provider. Grant Park: 415 Memorial Drive SE, Suite C.

Projected opening: Imminent.

Happy Tabby Cat Cafe

Java Cats isn’t the only cat cafe nearing its debut. Owner April Hill is taking over a century-old building located less than a half-mile from the Martin Luther King Center in one direction and the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail in the other. When it opens, Happy Tabby will serve pre-packaged foods and “standard coffee beverages.” The business will partner with no-kill animal shelter Furkids and will regularly foster 15 to 20 adoptable felines. Old Fourth Ward: 529 Irwin Street NE.

Projected opening: April.

C. Ellet’s

A plethora of new restaurants are planned for the Battery development adjacent to the Atlanta Braves’ new ballpark, including outposts for Ford Fry’s The El Felix and Mark Wahlberg’s burger chain. C. Ellet’s is from Linton Hopkins of Holeman & Finch and Restaurant Eugene fame, and it will serve as an ode to New Orleans and Southern steakhouse dining. Look for big cuts of beef, a raw bar, and a burger with a thick patty, a departure from the H&F double-stack. Cobb County: 1100 Circle 75 Parkway.

Projected opening: May.

Square Feet Studio

Kaiser’s Chop House

Chef-restaurateur Kevin Rathbun and Peter Kaiser, former executive chef at the now-shuttered Twist, are working on a traditional steakhouse in Sandy Springs. Full details on the menu haven’t been revealed, but diners can expect “quality cuts of meats, superior ingredients, and a boutique wine and cocktail program.” Sandy Springs: 5975 Roswell Road.

Projected opening: April.

Bar Mercado

The Castellucci Hospitality Group (The Iberian Pig, Cooks & Soldiers, Double Zero, Sugo) is taking over the Krog Street Market space that was once home to The Cockentrice. Similar to other Castellucci restaurants, Bar Mercado will serve classic tapas dishes, meats, cheeses, and “traditional bar bites.” The bar will pour Spanish wines and “straightforward cocktails.” Inman Park: 99 Krog Street NE.

Projected opening: May/June.

The Roast

Whole Foods is taking a stab at the restaurant business. A fast-casual restaurant is in the works for the fancy grocery chain’s Midtown location. The dining room will seat 48 people, who can order from a menu that includes customizable bowls with Brazilian flavors. At night, there will be beer, wine, cocktails, music from a DJ, and billiards. Midtown: 650 Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Projected opening: May.

Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar

Karl Torres and the team behind local craft beer superstore Hop City are opening a restaurant and beer garden at Alpharetta’s Avalon development. There will be plenty of beers on tap, and Kevin Ouzts, owner of the Spotted Trotter butcher shop and former chef-owner of The Cockentrice, will run the kitchen as executive chef. Barleygarden is part of Avalon’s Boulevard East expansion, and it will open on the same day as six more restaurants, including Brine Seafood Shack, MF Bar, District III, and Rumi’s Kitchen. Alpharetta: 900 Avalon Boulevard.

Projected opening: April 13.

The Wilbert Group

• All Eater Tracking [EATL]