Get a Sneak Peek at Decatur’s B-Side Cafe, Opening Next Week

Wrecking Bar Brewpub chef Terry Koval’s restaurant the Deer and the Dove and its adjacent coffee shop and natural wine bar, B-Side, open next week in Decatur. And, people who want a sneak peek can grab wood-fired bagels and coffee this Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at B-Side.

Koval and Jenn Koval partnered with George Frangos (Farm Burger) to open the restaurant and cafe taking over the former Cakes & Ale and its coffee shop on Sycamore Street near Decatur Square.

The Deer and the Dove serves dinner every day except Monday, and eventually plans to offer brunch on the weekends. Koval’s menu includes several dishes cooked in a wood-burning oven and lean into the chef’s penchant for using mostly in-season and local ingredients. This includes produce and meats from Wrecking Bar’s Loganville farm, Wrecking Barn, and White Oak Pastures — a 152-year-old family farm in Bluffton, Georgia, focused on heritage raised beef and poultry.

Expect vegetable, cheese, and charcuterie platters served with fresh breads baked at the restaurant, small dishes like beef tartare and strawberry lacquered quail with red peas, and entrees such as whole roasted trout and a bone-in, dry-aged ribeye dressed with anchovy and grilled onion relish with a side of beef fat potatoes. There’s also a grilled burger on a brioche bun topped with thyme aioli, chanterelle mushrooms, gouda and truffle cheeses, crispy shallots, and salted egg yolk.

As for B-Side, the cafe offers a “bodega-style” breakfast with wood-fired bagels and schmear in the morning and lunch sandwiches, soups, and salads until 3 p.m. before shifting focus to natural wines, cocktails, and small plates in the evenings. The Kovals and Frangos hope to have the wine bar up and running later this summer and to host chef dinners there in the future.

The Deer and the Dove

The Deer and the Dove

Both the restaurant and cafe and wine bar were designed by Luke Wilkinson of Local Architects and Brian Buckner, who drew inspiration from Koval’s love of skateboarding and cooking. Wilkinson and Buckner kept the Deer and the Dove’s design minimal yet personal with white walls and pieces by local Atlanta artists like DOZFY and hunting trophies from the Koval’s father. They retained Cakes & Ale’s long bar along the Church Street side and added a small bar along the front and a row of booths lining the back wall.

A shared hallway connects the restaurant to B-Side next door, which Wilkinson and Buckner modeled after a New York neighborhood corner deli, and in sharp contract to the restaurant. Walls are painted a rich hunter green and include exposed brick throughout and wood shelves behind the counter displaying the day’s bagels, baked goods, and breads.

“I’ve been planning this moment for a long time. It’s a dream to open a restaurant in the town you’ve lived in with your family for 12 years,” Koval told Eater Atlanta in January. “I’ve watched Decatur grow and am excited to be opening a restaurant here.”

Koval, who will remain as Wrecking Bar’s executive chef, says he has a “good team” there in Little Five Points and is confident they can handle the load while he pulls double duty at both restaurants.

The Deer and the Dove, Tuesday - Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Brunch forthcoming.

B-Side, Tuesday - Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening wine and food in the near future.

155 Sycamore Street, Decatur.

• New Restaurant Takes Over Former Cakes & Ale in Decatur This Spring [EATL]
• Iconic Restaurant Cakes & Ale Announces Closure [EATL]