Israeli-Style Skewer Restaurant Rina Channels Tel Aviv Beach Vibes on the Beltline

Rina, an Israeli-style shipudiya or skewer house, is now open at the Ford Factory Lofts on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Owned by Tal Baum (Bellina Alimentari, Aziza, Falafel Nation), Rina serves a menu of mezze, hummus, pita sandwiches, platters, and kebabs paired with frozen cocktails and boozy milkshakes.

Fashioned after a Tel Aviv beach cafe, the 2,700 square-foot restaurant includes a large bar and dining room and a patio with access to the Eastside Beltline trail.

“The BeltLine is as close to an oceanside boardwalk as landlocked Atlanta can get so it felt right to bring in the Tel Aviv beach vibes of this restaurant, both in design and menu offerings,” executive chef Brandon Hughes says in the press release.

Rina is named for Baum’s grandmother, whom she credits for her passion for cooking and serves as the inspiration behind portions of the design and menu for the restaurant. “I made sure she touches every piece of this space, from the photography of her on the walls to the family recipes we based the menu on.”

Angie Webb

Angie Webb

Hughes believes Rina allows he and his team to continue building upon the food they’re already doing at Baum’s “modern Israeli” restaurant Aziza and the adjacent Falafel Nation at Westside Provisions District.

Like Falafel Nation, the menu at Rina features falafel using a recipe passed down from Baum’s family and served at their falafel stand during the 1950s. In addition to hummus combos and a variety of mezze like half sour pickles, tabbouleh, and za’atar labneh, Hughes and chef de cuisine Daniel Chance have created platters such as beef kebabs served with garlic pita, a falafel salad with green goddess tahini dressing, and a fried fish fried in falafel batter.

Angie Webb for Rina

Angie Webb

Angie Webb

As with the cocktails at Aziza, bar manager Demario Wallace incorporates Middle Eastern-inspired flavors into the draft and frozen cocktails and boozy milkshakes at Rina. Think fresh herbs, pomegranate, and a bourbon cocktail on draft called Dor Habomin mixed with coffee, cinnamon, orange, and amaro.

Take a look at the menu:

Vietnamese street food restaurant Lady Ha joins Rina at the 100-year-old Ford Factory Lofts early this summer.

Current hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Starting Friday, January 17: Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

699 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite 9, Atlanta. rinakitchen.com.

• Rina Opens in January for Skewers and Boozy Milkshakes on the Eastside Beltline [EATL]
• Two New Atlanta Restaurants Plan to Celebrate the Flavors of Israel [EATL]
• Peek Inside ‘Modern’ Israeli Restaurant Aziza, Opening at Westside Provisions District [EATL]