The First New Restaurant Stalls Begin Opening in the Expanded Ponce City Market Food Hall

The first new food stalls, part of a $175 million expansion of Ponce City Market begin opening at the end of November, including a rotisserie chicken stall from Chai Pani and Botiwalla chef Meherwan Irani and Vietnamese food and pho stall Vietvana. Look for a Korean food and drinks stall from Poke Burri co-owner Seven Chan to open early next year.

The 5,000-square foot expansion encompasses a portion of the first floor of the central food hall, with entrances across from the ticket booth for the Roof and the doors by Collier Candy Co. and El Super Pan.

Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken

Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken joins Irani’s grilled Indian street food and kebab stall Botiwalla at Ponce City Market on November 29. Irani first opened Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken in 2020 at Asheville’s Grove Arcade. The menu features rotisserie chicken rubbed with piri piri from Irani’s spice company Spicewalla paired with sides like savory corn pudding, potatoes au gratin, and ancient grains salad. Irani also plans to open a permanent location of Spicewalla at the market in early 2022 carrying cookbooks, pantry goods, and over 250 spices and blends. A temporary kiosk is currently set up in the courtyard.

Then, in December, Dinh Tran and Khanh Dang open a third location of their Vietnamese restaurant and pho shop Vietvana in the expanded portion of the food hall. Tran and Dang first opened Vietvana in Avondale Estates two years ago, followed by a location in Midtown in 2020. Dishes on the menu reflect those found in the couple’s childhood cities of Hue and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Tran’s mother, Tina Nguyen, often assists in the kitchen at the current locations and creates dishes based on family recipes. The Ponce City Market food stall includes ten bar seats and a menu centered on pho and bánh mì.

Poke Burri co-founder Seven Chan will open Korean food and drinks kiosk Umbrella Bar early next year, inspired by Korea’s night markets. Expect kimbob, bibimbap, meat skewers, and Korean corn dogs paired with Korean beers, soju, cocktails, and slushies. Design plans call for seating at two counters with umbrellas suspended from the ceiling.

Ponce City Market owner Jamestown Properties announced the 500,000-square-foot expansion last year with the addition of a 400-unit tower and 100,000-square-foot building featuring office, retail, and new restaurant stalls in the food hall. A location of salad and grain bowl restaurant SweetGreen recently opened next to SoulCycle on the North Avenue side of the complex.

The expansion plans for Ponce City Market came under fire earlier in November after an AJC investigation revealed Jamestown asked the Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC) to consider an $8 million property tax break.

Critics railed against Jamestown and the company’s request for massive tax incentives on the multi-million-dollar expansion, citing future tax revenue from the Beltline which is supposed to help pay for the trail via new and expanded development. Others pointed to skyrocketing home prices in the area, lack of affordable housing options, and the pricing out of legacy residents in the Old Fourth Ward spurred on by the opening of Ponce City Market seven years ago and other pricey developments along the Eastside trail.

According to representatives for Jamestown, Ponce City Market allocates 20 percent of its residential units as affordable housing and donates a portion of the parking fees to the Atlanta Beltline.

Jamestown has since withdrawn its $8 million dollar tax break proposal from DAFC, with the authority’s board members unable to currently justify the need for such incentives, the AJC reports.

• Ponce City Market Food Hall Expansion Includes New Stalls Serving Pho and Rotisserie Chicken [EATL]
• Atlanta’s Great Food Hall Boom [EATL]
• Ponce City Market developer pauses request for new incentives [AJC]
• ‘Urban reclamation’ meets Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward [CurbedATL]