Atlanta Dining News You Missed During the Lost Week Between Christmas and New Year’s

Ann’s Snack Bar is permanently closed

Landmark restaurant Ann’s Snack Bar, home to the “world famous Ghetto Burger”, is permanently closed. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Memorial Drive property is now listed for sale and the family has no intention of relocating the legendary burger joint founded in 1974 by the late Ann “Miss Ann” Price. Price died from breast cancer in 2015 and her family took over running the restaurant. For many Atlantans who frequented Ann’s Snack Bar, however, the hamburger restaurant just wasn’t the same without Miss Ann. The family closed the restaurant in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic and never reopened it, instead listing the property for sale at the end of 2022. The sale doesn’t include Price’s Ghetto Burger recipe.

Ann’s Snack Bar

Price’s critically acclaimed burger packed a formidable punch, seeing two thick and perfectly seasoned ground beef patties loaded with bacon, cheese, chili, onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. But the restaurant was equally known for Price’s fiery demeanor and her “8 Stools, 8 Rules”. Ann’s Snack Bar only featured eight coveted seats at the counter inside, and not following Price’s eight rules posted on a sign above the grill could get you banned for life from the restaurant. Rules included no laying or leaning on the counter, absolutely no cursing, and no children sliding on the rails, along with unwritten rules like “don’t be lazy— sit up straight and pull your pants up when I’m talkin’ to you.”

It’s unclear what will replace Ann’s Snack Bar (or if the property is set for redevelopment,) but the storied counter-service restaurant on Memorial and its tenacious proprietor are forever part of Atlanta dining lore.

Game bar Press Start is a no-go for Summerhill

Char Korean and Girl Diver owner chef Richard Tang no longer plans to open game bar and restaurant Press Start on Georgia Avenue. Tang tells the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the decision to pull out of the lease in Summerhill came down to his concerns over an impending recession in 2023 and Press Start not appealing to a broader market. However, Tang is planning to move forward with the opening of a second location of his seafood restaurant Girl Diver at Westside Paper.

Oyster and seafood bar Alici is now open at Midtown Promenade

Pat Pascarella, the chef behind Italian restaurants the White Bull, Bastone, and Grana, opened oyster and seafood restaurant and bar Alici over the holidays. Inspired by the food and decor of the Amalfi Coast, Alici takes over the former Frogs Cantina space at Midtown Promenade, which closed there at the end of 2021.

Wild Leap brewery and taproom is now open in downtown Atlanta

LaGrange, Georgia, brewery and distillery Wild Leap is now open in downtown Atlanta at Centennial Yards, a $5 billion, 50-acre redevelopment of the historic Gulch and circa 1912 building formerly home to Norfolk Southern Railroad on Ted Turner Drive. Wild Leap anchors the southern portion of the sprawling complex, with the main level featuring a taproom, central bar, and multiple seating areas. The second floor offers more seating and another bar with a hidden entrance.

Salt Factory opens at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown

F&H Food Trading Group, the restaurant group behind Little Alley Steak, opened a location of gastropub Salt Factory at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown last month. With locations in Alpharetta, Roswell, and Woodstock, this is the first location to open ITP and a step toward possibly franchising the restaurant elsewhere. Salt Factory is located next door to Girl Diver at the complex.