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‘One Happy Sandwich’ Shop and Dive Bar Opening Near Ponce City Market

Bantam Pub owners to open Motorboat in the former Marco’s Pita space on Ponce de Leon Avenue

Motorboat/Bantam Pub
Beth McKibben is the editor and staff reporter for Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and cocktails locally and regionally for 12 years.

Bantam Pub owners Tim Lance and Richard Baum will open a divey sandwich bar called Motorboat in the former Marco’s Pita space, located between The Bookhouse Pub and The Local on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Motorboat is divided into two distinct spaces: a dive bar on one side and a “casual” sandwich shop specializing in New York, Italian, Jewish, and Middle Eastern deli sandwiches on the other.

The “Blade Runner 2049 build-out” includes a rooftop deck overlooking Ponce. The shop also plans to serve soups, salads, blue plate specials, and include vegetarian and vegan super food options on its menu. Motorboat is to be an “everyman’s bar,” with affordability being a key factor.

Before jumping to conclusions regarding the rather ambiguous name, a representative for Motorboat tells Eater Atlanta the shop’s moniker simply refers to “the affluence of time” because, “most people riding a motorboat on the ocean are rich in time.”

One thing is clear, it’s unlikely most passersby will forget the name or its tagline, “one happy sandwich,” after that first walk-by or glance from the car whilst crawling along in traffic — a good thing on an increasingly car-clogged and restaurant-heavy stretch of road like Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Tim and friends from Bantam Pub, present Motorboat! A new restaurant coming to Ponce, stay tuned for details.

Posted by Bantam Pub on Wednesday, December 19, 2018

If this futuristic bar theme seems familiar, Beltline founder Ryan Gravel is also opening a Blade Runner-esque bar and restaurant called Aftercar nearby in the Telephone Factory Lofts. However, Aftercar is more a means to an end; the end being steady funding for Gravel’s civic-based, non-profit think tank, Generator — much like Staplehouse is for Giving Kitchen.

In addition to the divey sandwich shop, the Bantam Pub team plan to open the “sportsman club” Big Game at Anthem on Ashley on Ralph McGill Boulevard in the Old Fourth Ward. The hunting and fishing lodge-style restaurant includes bison, reindeer, elk, and “trophy fish” as well as chicken wings and hot dogs on its menu.

752 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta.

Staplehouse

541 Edgewood Avenue Southeast, , GA 30312 (404) 524-5005 Visit Website

The Local

4578 San Jose Boulevard, , FL 32207 (904) 683-8063 Visit Website

The Bookhouse Pub

736 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, , GA 30306 (404) 254-1176 Visit Website