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Former Councilman Kwanza Hall Helps 8ARM Team Get Its New Seafood Spot Open

8ARM owner chef Nhan Le to finally open seafood restaurant Ama on the Beltline

Three Heart Coffee is owned by 8ARM’s Nhan Le and Skip Engelbrecht at Paris on Ponce
Three Heart Coffee

It appears chef Nhan Le’s (8ARM, Three Heart Coffee, Octopus Bar, So Ba) Beltline grilled seafood restaurant Ama might be back on track, and with help from former Atlanta District 2 councilman Kwanza Hall. Ama could open by this fall, What Now Atlanta reports.

The Virginia-Highland restaurant, which was to open in 2017 adjacent to Three Heart Coffee at vintage and local goods market Paris on Ponce, has been delayed multiple times since the death of Le’s original business partner and longtime friend, chef Angus Brown.

It was thought previously Hall, a regular 8ARM and Octopus Bar patron, may have partnered with Le and Skip Engelbretcht (8ARM, Three Heart, Paris on Ponce). However, Le says Hall is merely assisting with the filing of paperwork and permitting.

According to permits filed with city of Atlanta, which name Hall as the applicant, Ama occupies approximately 1,800-square-feet of Paris on Ponce facing the Eastside Beltline trail near Three Heart Coffee.

Hall was the District 2 councilman covering downtown, midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, and Candler Park from 2006 until 2017, when he ran for mayor of Atlanta.

Eater Atlanta reached out to Hall for further details and to confirm his precise role in the restaurant. He has yet to respond to the request for comment.

It’s been a busy year for Le and his team at 8ARM. The chef opened Ink cocktail bar in the restaurant’s former coffee shop along Ponce de Leon Avenue and brought on popular Meso-American pop-up chef Maricela Vega this spring to lead the kitchen. Vega’s new menu has garnered critical praise from various Atlanta food publications since debuting in March.

Update, Friday, July 12: A previous version listed Hall as a possible partner. Le clarified Hall’s role in Ama as assisting with paperwork.

So Ba

560 Gresham Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316 404 627 9911 Visit Website

8ARM

710 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, , GA 30306 Visit Website

Octopus Bar

560 Gresham Avenue Southeast, , GA 30316 (404) 627-9911 Visit Website

Ama

716 Ponce De Leon Pl. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Paris on Ponce

716 Ponce De Leon Place Northeast, , GA 30306 (404) 249-9965 Visit Website

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