Food Network Darling Folk Art Diner Plans to Open a Decatur Location

A second location of Inman Park’s Folk Art Restaurant opens in Decatur this fall, Decaturish first reported. The all-day, Southern diner, owned by Randy Parks and Rhoda Hill, takes over the former Thumbs Up Diner, which closed last October on West Ponce De Leon Avenue.

Parks and Hill say they’ve been considering Decatur for a second Folk Art “for a while”, calling it the “perfect choice for us.” Parks has lived in the city east of Atlanta for 20 years.

The Decatur restaurant will carry a similar menu to and the eclectic aesthetic of Folk Art-Inman Park. It includes a 100-seat dining room, a small patio, and a full bar with 17 additional seats, according to the press release.

Folk Art opened next door to Il Localino and just down from Southern restaurant Wisteria on North Highland Avenue in August 2013. It’s a popular breakfast and lunch spot in Inman Park, especially on the weekends during brunch.

The restaurant and its “Triple D” meatball burger were featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by the mayor of “Flavortown” Guy Fieri. Last year, the network also named Folk Art’s waffles, like the peanut butter-banana and its play on chicken and waffles topped with peach compote, the best in Georgia.

Thumbs Up closed after a decade on West Ponce due to skyrocketing rents in Decatur. The owners urged residents to “protest the rising rents in this area.” Souper Jenny owner Jenny Levison just closed her downtown Decatur location over the weekend, blaming high rents in the city and its parking woes.

Eater Atlanta reached out to Parks and Hill for more details.

174 West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur.

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