6 Atlanta Restaurant Openings to Get Excited About This Winter

Last year saw a record number of restaurants open in and around Atlanta. With 2023 now underway, restaurant and bar openings don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Eater is tracking the progress of six hotly anticipated restaurants and bars scheduled to open this winter in neighborhoods around Atlanta. This includes the opening of an Italian restaurant serving piadina romagnola and hearty pastas and the return of two beloved restaurant institutions in new locations to a restaurant dedicated to pies of all kinds and two new cocktail bars.

Hayakawa — Now open

Andrew Thomas Lee

Location: 1050 Howell Mill Road, Star Metals
Who: Chef Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa
Projected opening: Early January

After 13 years on Buford Highway, chef Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa is relocating his beloved eponymous sushi restaurant in January to Star Metals on Howell Mill Road. And its new location isn’t the only change for the popular sushi restaurant. Unlike the space on Buford Highway, Hayakawa at Star Metals features just eight seats at the sushi counter and will focus on the omakase experience.

Yeppa and Co. — Opening late-February

Yeppa and Co.

Location: 306 Buckhead Avenue, Buckhead
Who: Pietro Gianni and Stephen Peterson
Projected opening: January

Pietro Gianni and Stephen Peterson, two of the owners behind Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante and Forza Storico, open Italian restaurant Yeppa and Co. this winter in the former Biltong Bar space at Buckhead Village. Named for a verbal exclamation expressing joy and excitement, expect dishes influenced by the coastal city of Rimini in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. Look for cured meats and cheeses, grilled skewers, seafood dishes, piadina romagnola (Italian flatbread sandwich), pizzas, and pastas like lasagne alla bolognese.

Holeman and Finch Public House — Opening February 9

Holeman and Finch Public House

Location: 1201 Peachtree Street, Midtown
Who: Linton and Gina Hopkins
Projected opening: January

If 2022 taught us anything, it’s that delays were the name of the restaurant opening game last year. Holeman and Finch Public House was no exception and finally reopens in January after several delays over the course of 2022. The popular Buckhead restaurant is relocating from its previous space on Peachtree to Colony Square in Midtown. And it returns with an expanded menu, which includes familiar favorites like the double-stack cheeseburger as well as a few new dishes. The Colony Square restaurant also features a larger bar, dining room, and patio.

Humble Pie — Now open

Location: The Interlock, Howell Mill Road
Who: Chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips
Projected opening: January

After a few delays in the latter half of 2022, Humble Pie is back on track to open by the end of January at the Interlock on Howell Mill Road. Backed by Lazy Betty chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, expect wood-fired pizzas (think broccoli and cheddar or loaded baked potato,) dishes like a potato croquette topped with trout roe, grated eggs, and crème fraiche, and a selection of dessert pies from chef Evelyn Ling.

Whoopsie’s — Now open

Location: 1 Moreland Avenue, Reynoldstown
Who: Tim Faulkner and Hudson Rouse
Projected opening: January/February

The return of the cocktail bar to the Atlanta drinks scene after a lengthy hiatus due to the pandemic was a big story in the latter half of 2022. That trend continues in 2023 with new bars opening throughout Atlanta this year, including Whoopsie’s this winter, owned by barman Tim Faulkner (Up or Down, Octopus Bar) and Hudson Rouse (Rising Son). Taking over the former Hodgepodge Coffeehouse space on Moreland Avenue, expect wine, champagne, and cocktails from Faulkner, with around eight dishes from Rouse using produce from his farm.

The Waiting Room

Ryan Fleisher

Location: 674 Myrtle Street, Midtown
Who: Darren Carr and Eric Simpkins
Projected opening: January/February

Darren Carr and Eric Simpkins open the Waiting Room this winter in the former Top Flr space above the duo’s restaurant Bon Ton. Here, Carr and Simpkins hope to fill a void on the Atlanta drinks scene, one that sees the Waiting Room become a place for people to grab cocktails, hang out, and even listen to live music without the need to order food. The space oozes 1970s throwback vibes, complete with red shag carpet, bucket and panton-style chairs, and DayGlo lighting. As for drinks, those could include everything from funky takes on classics to large format drinks served in decanters meant for sharing. Food will also be slightly over-the-top, Carr says, leaning “grandiose and maybe ridiculous”, fitting the tongue-in-cheek vibe of the Midtown cocktail bar.