Chef Switches Locations For Upcoming Restaurant From Poncey-Highland to Candler Park

Lazy Betty, the forthcoming restaurant from chef Ronald “Ron” Hsu and his siblings Howard and Anita (Sweet Auburn BBQ,) will now open in the former Radial Cafe space on Dekalb Avenue rather than in Soul Vegetarian No. 2 on North Highland Avenue.

“The Candler Park location offers us some great features, including a larger space, outdoor patio, and easier parking for guests,” the Hsu family says. “Soul Vegetarian II will remain in the Poncey-Highland space for now.”

The Hsus own the building in which Soul Vegetarian No. 2 and Sweet Auburn BBQ reside. Howard Hsu told Eater Atlanta in May that their tenant had chosen not to renew its lease.

The Dekalb Avenue space is nearly double the size of Soul Vegetarian No. 2. Lazy Betty’s new dining room seats 28 people, with an additional 18 seats in the lounge and at the chef’s counter. Unlike the aforementioned North Highland restaurant, this location also includes a patio which seats up to 25 people.

Praxis3 is handling the design which skews “industrial chic” and seems to retain most of Radial’s original footprint, along with the exposed brick walls and concrete floors.

Aaron Phillips is still on board as chef de cuisine and a partner in the restaurant. He and Hsu met while working at chef Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin in New York City. Phillips most recently worked as a cook at Atlas in the St. Regis Hotel-Buckhead.

In a previous interview, Hsu said Lazy Betty’s menu would include three tasting menus. A vegetarian menu and the “Lazy Betty” (a mix of meat and seafood) would be six courses each. The nine-course chef’s tasting menu will incorporate more extravagant dishes such as foie gras, lobster, and sea urchin. The restaurant will also offer à la carte options.

Hsu is featured in the upcoming Netflix cooking show, The Final Table. The 10-part global culinary competition sees 24 chefs from around the world working together on teams of two in a series of elimination challenges. Hsu is paired with chef Shin Takagi of Zeniya in Kanazawa, Japan. The show premieres in November.

Eater Atlanta has reached out for more information.

1530 DeKalb Avenue, Atlanta. lazybettyatl.com.

• Tasting Menu Restaurant Lazy Betty Opens This Winter in Poncey-Highland [EATL]
• Tasting Menu-Only Restaurant to Replace Soul Vegetarian No. 2 [EATL]
• The 8 Most Anticipated Restaurants in Atlanta, Fall 2018 [EATL]
• Watch the Trailer for Netflix’s High-Stakes Culinary Competition ‘The Final Table’ [E]