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It’s never easy for a restaurant or bar owner to decide to close their business. Rising rents, overzealous developers, poor location, and lack of solid funding often factor into this decision. However, the extraordinary hardships, labor shortages, and financial impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to leave many restaurant and bar owners with little choice but to close their establishments permanently.
Know of a recent or impending restaurant closure not listed below. Send the details to atlanta@eater.com. All tips and information received remain anonymous.
MAY 2022
Papi Ali’s Plant Based Kitchen is closing May 15, less than a year after opening on Main Street in Tucker. Owner Mikail Ali hopes to revive the restaurant at a later date.
Ken’s Corner Grill closed after 48 years on Atlanta Road in Smyrna. Owner Ken Johnston is retiring, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
Samurai Ramen closes at the end of May in Duluth and will rebrand to a “Korean side dish store”.
Babette’s Cafe, a longtime French restaurant in Poncey-Highland, closes after 30 years on May 8.
APRIL 2022
Avellino’s pizzeria closed on West College Avenue in Decatur. The Brookhaven location remains open.
Root Baking Co. closes April 3 after three years at the central food hall of Ponce City Market and seven years in business.
MARCH 2022
Green Sprout Vegetarian is now closed on Piedmont Avenue, on the edge of Piedmont Park.
Java Cats Cafe coffee shop closed in Grant Park, with the Marietta location closing in June.
Sweet Melissa’s closed after 32 years on Decatur Square. Owners Glen and Liz Gurevitch are retiring.
Chef Smokey ATL closed after a year in Austell. Owner Mauro Cruz continues to sling birria and quesabirria tacos from a food truck. Follow on Instagram for updates.
Marrakesh Market and Batter Cookie Dough close at Ponce City Market.
Atmosphere Bistro closed March 10 after 20 years on Piedmont Avenue.
FEBRUARY 2022
American Cut, backed by LDV Hospitality, is closing February 28 after five years at Buckhead Village. It’s likely the restaurant’s rooftop cocktail bar The Regent Cocktail Club will close, too.
Moe’s Original BBQ closes Monday, February 28, on 14th Street next door to robatayaki and sake restaurant Chirori.
Watchman’s Seafood and Spirits is closing after nearly four years at Krog Street Market on February 27.
Co noodle restaurant appears to be on the market and closing on North Highland in Poncey-Highland, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.
The Local Coco, a vegan food stall serving tacos and other Mexican street eats, closes February 26 at Sweet Auburn Curb Market (Municipal Market). Will continue as a pop-up.
JANUARY 2022
Loca Luna’s lease was terminated following a shooting January 23 and two other shootings in 2021 in the parking lot of the restaurant at Amsterdam Walk.
Nam Oy Cafe is now closed on Morrow Road in Forest Park, but could reopen in a new location.
Karma Farm closes January 31 at the Aramore Condo complex on Peachtree Street, but is relocating to Powers Ferry Square on Roswell Road in Buckhead.
Field Day, the neighborhood bar and restaurant owned by Rob Bouton of Charleston’s Queen Street Grocery, closed on Highland in the Old Fourth Ward.
Cold Beer closes January 29 on the Eastside trail in the Old Fourth Ward, but it’s being replaced by a new restaurant from Kevin Gillespie.
Diesel Filling Station closed after 13 years in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood.
The Abby Singer closes at Pratt Pullman District, but plans are in the works to reopen the restaurant elsewhere.
Biltong Bar, the South African jerky restaurant and cocktail bar, is now closed at Buckhead Village.
Annie’s Thai Castle closed after 28 years in business on Roswell Road in Buckhead.
Bennett’s Market and Deli closed at SPX Alley along the Eastside Beltline. The Grant Park location remains open.
Graffiti Breakfast closed on January 7 inside Chattahoochee Food Works. However, the Wallers plan to continue offering catering and tell Eater they are moving Graffiti Breakfast to a new location.
DECEMBER 2021
Rhodes Bakery on Cheshire Bridge Road closes December 24 after 68 years.
Zesto in Little Five Points is closed permanently after 58 years. A tree fell on the restaurant in May 2021, seriously damaging the roof.
Proof Bakeshop and its cafe close December 26 after six years in Inman Park.
JCT Kitchen and Bar closes December 31 after 15 years at Westside Provisions District. Chef Ford Fry plans to replace it with a yet-named restaurant in 2022.
Bottega Benne, an antipasti charcuterie and cheese spread business owned by Blaire Dorin, is now closed in the back of Irwin Street Market.