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Chef Lino Yi’s Korean-American pop-up TKO opens as a permanent food stall in September at Southern Feedstore in East Atlanta Village (EAV), joining Brazilian restaurant and coffee bar Buteco, Woody’s CheeseSteaks, Gyro Gyro, and Waffle Bar at the mini food hall.
TKO, short for “the Korean One,” should open daily for lunch and dinner, as well as for late-night bites on Friday and Saturday evenings. The menu features many of the same dishes offered on the menu at Yi’s pop-ups over the last year, including Korean corn dogs, kimchi fried rice, Korean fried chicken sandwiches, and hot and spicy tteokbokki (rice cakes).
Yi is currently a sous chef at Lazy Betty in Candler Park, where he’s been for the last three years. Prior to Lazy Betty, Yi worked at Makan and Taiyo Ramen in Decatur at the Courtyard by Marriott under the direction of owners Michael Lo and chef George Yu. That space is now home to Platez Southern Kitchen and Cocktailz.
Yi founded TKO in 2021, popping up at restaurants around Atlanta like Buteco in Grant Park and Dead End Drinks in Kirkwood.
“We looked at several locations before deciding, but ultimately agreed that EAV made the most sense with my style of food and the vibe and aesthetic we’re going for,” Yi said earlier this summer of opening at Southern Feedstore. “I also really enjoy hanging out in EAV – it’s got a punk rock vibe.”
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Southern Feedstore opened last December inside the former Graveyard Tavern space along Glenwood Avenue. Pellerin Real Estate, the developer behind the Beacon in Grant Park, purchased the century-old building after Graveyard Tavern closed in 2020 to transform it into a mini food hall with communal seating. Buteco owner Rafael Pereira is also a partial owner in the EAV food hall and serves as its manager.
The food hall takes its name from the feed store that once occupied the building from 1927 until the 1940s.
