Westside ‘Blade Runner’ Bar Little Trouble and Bao Pop-Up Mushi Ni Return Tonight

Victory Brands-backed “Blade Runner” bar Little Trouble and Asian comfort food pop-up Mushi Ni return Tuesday, September 8, to Westside Provisions District after a five-month closure due to the health crisis.

Mushi Ni, run by chefs Tanya Jimenez and Michael Le inside East Atlanta’s We Suki Suki: Global Grub Collective, began a year-long takeover of the kitchen at Little Trouble on Howell Mill Road two months prior to the mandatory shutdown of bars across the state. Pho and banh mi stall We Suki Suki and the other food stalls at the East Atlanta Village restaurant collective closed for dine-in service in March and began offering curbside takeout.

The menu at Little Trouble features many of Mushi Ni’s most popular dishes, like the Tokyo fries, its baos, and tempura-fried Oreos, along with dishes exclusive to the Westside Provisions bar, such as lobster rangoon.

“Mushi Ni EAV has been very busy and sales have exceeded pre-coronavirus levels,” Le tells Eater. “We are so thankful our customers who have ordered and sometimes waited a little longer than expected for their meals have been patient and understanding.”

In addition to limited dine-in service, Mushi Ni is also offering takeout from the bar at Little Trouble. Several tables have been removed in the dining room to allow for proper social distancing, and the sliding doors in the dining room and at the bar will be left open to allow fresh air to circulate. Patrons at Little Trouble are required to wear masks if not seated at a table or actively eating and drinking.

“Jamestown, our landlord, has graciously offered us a patio space on the back deck (above our dining room,) so customers will also be able to place orders at the bar, grab a number, and seat themselves outside,” says Victory Brands owner Ian Jones. “There will be no seating directly at the bar, but there are a few tables in the bar area available for those who want to be near the action.”

To keep capacity and crowds under control, no one is permitted to stand at the bar and must be seated at a table.

J. Alburl

Mushi Ni

View this post on Instagram

Tonight's the night! Join us at 6 pm for an exclusive Mushi Ni menu and drinks @littletroubleatl • Dine-in at Little Trouble Tues - Thur: 6 - 11pm Fri & Sat: 6pm - 12am

A post shared by Mushi Ni (@mushi_ni_atl) on Sep 8, 2020 at 5:06am PDT

Prior to the pandemic shutdown, Victory Brands was in the process of transforming the bar and dining room at Little Trouble into an analog listening room and Japanese-style record bar. With the health crisis expected to continue for months in Atlanta, both will be temporarily housed in the dining area at Little Trouble.

“We’ll be regularly playing our favorite records, cassettes, and CDs through an analog, hand-wired rotary mixer and one-off tube amplification, out of enormous, custom-made hi-fi speakers,” Jones says of the record bar.

“As things eventually return to normal, we look forward to hosting record releases, listening parties, intimate live performances, and after-parties, featuring our craft booze, Japanese highballs, and Mushi Ni’s killer eats. But for now, we welcome people to safely enjoy a drink, a bite, and some tunes.”

Open Tuesday - Thursday, 6 p.m. to 11 .m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.

• Where to Order Dumplings Around Atlanta [EATL]
• Mushi Ni Brings Baos and Lobster Rangoon to Westside’s Little Trouble Starting Tonight [EATL]
• Little Trouble Set to Open This Quarter in Westside Provisions District [EATL]