No Boarding Pass Needed When a Location of Atlanta Airport Restaurant One Flew South Opens on the Beltline

For frequent travelers or people with long layovers, a meal at Southern restaurant and sushi bar One Flew South has become part of the travel plan through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. And soon a boarding pass will no longer be necessary to dine at the critically acclaimed restaurant, when a second location opens this summer in the former Hazel Jane’s wine bar space on the Eastside Beltline trail.

Operated by airport restaurant group Jackmont Hospitality on Concourse E, One Flew South is expected to open in June next door to Shake Shack on the Beltline. Jackmont Hospitality also runs Chicken and Beer and TGI Friday’s at Hartsfield-Jackson. There are no plans to close the popular airport location of the restaurant.

Jackmont Hospitality

One Flew South was nominated in 2014 for Outstanding Service by the James Beard Foundation, and then again in 2015. It’s the first airport restaurant to be recognized by the prestigious food awards.

Former One Flew South chef Duane Nutter, who is opening a second location of his Mobile, Alabama, restaurant Southern National in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood, once described the airport restaurant’s food as “Southernational”.

Continuing in his role as Jackmont Hospitality’s longtime culinary director, Atlanta chef and restaurateur Todd Richards (Lake and Oak BBQ, Soul: Food and Culture) says the Beltline location features the same menu as its airport counterpart and includes oft-ordered dishes like the poke tacos, collard green ramen, coffee-rubbed lamb ribs, and its popular sushi rolls using fish flow in from Japan. A menu expansion at the Beltline restaurant sees new dishes added, such as hot drunken chicken and mochi waffles, Szechuan-style short ribs, and tempura scallops with curry cauliflower puree.

Chef Phu Dong leads the sushi bar, while chef Cedric McCroery oversees day-to-day operations at both One Flew South locations. The Beltline restaurant opens at 3 p.m. daily for happy hour, followed by dinner starting at 5 p.m. Lunch and weekend brunch should begin later this summer.

“It’s very important to us that we maintain the core elements of One Flew South as we expand beyond the airport, including the execution of the food and the customer service we’re quite famous for,” Richards says. “Having this larger space will offer more opportunities for seasonal menu items, expanding to brunch and simply being more accessible for folks.”

Maintaining these “core elements” means retaining much of the design and decor for which the airport location is known, like the iconic wood wall flanking the dining room. Richards says the group is looking forward to taking advantage of the larger space on the Beltline. Hazel Jane’s oval wine bar becomes the sushi bar at One Flew South on the Beltline. The patio and other outdoor seating accommodates up to 60 people, with capacity for 60 people inside, much of which is at the sushi bar.

Christopher Watkins

Richards tells Eater the plan was always to open a second location of One Flew South outside of the airport, but the timing and location hadn’t jibed until now. As for opening Japanese soul food restaurant Kuro in the former Hazel Jane’s space, Richards says both restaurants have “very similar styles and menus,” but he ultimately decided One Flew South was a better fit for the Eastside trail as it’s the more “established brand.”

“One Flew South as a brand was designed for taking the stress out of traveling. Here on the BeltLine, we want it to be the same feel, a really casual approach to upscale and fine dining,” says Richards. “We’re not going to enforce a dress code, and we understand people are going to walk in from the BeltLine coming from work, the gym, from home.”

“[One Flew South] became an ambassador for Atlanta with the restaurant there in the world’s busiest airport,” Richards adds. “The great thing about being on the Beltline, especially this close to Downtown, is it still puts us in a place where we can be an ambassador and destination dining, and still contribute to our city and our state.”

Anticipated opening hours: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Lunch and brunch expected in the future.

670 DeKalb Avenue. oneflewsouthatl.com.