That Fancy Food Hall at Phipps Plaza Opens Soon With Celebrity-Backed Restaurant Stalls

That fancy new food hall Citizens Market opens at Phipps Plaza in April with 13 restaurant stalls offering everything from sushi, burgers, and roast chicken bowls to fried chicken sandwiches, tacos, and vegan fare from some big name chefs and food influencers. This includes chefs Dani Garcia, Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame, and Wes Avila and Italian chef and master butcher Dario Cecchini, as well as competitive eater Matt Stonie and actress Sofia Vergara.

Billed as a “foodie’s playground” meant to “disrupt the food hall industry,” the 25,000-square-foot Citizens Market will feature the following restaurant stalls: Umami Burger; Krispy Rice; Sam’s Crispy Chicken; Kumi; Sa’Moto,; EllaMia; Cicci di Carne; Plant Nation; El Pollo Verde; Stonie Bowls; Frankly by Snap-O-Razzo; Tastemade Me Tacos; and Citizens Pizza. Some stalls may also offer table service with dedicated wait staff in the evenings.

For those hoping for a little local restaurant love at Citizens Market, it appears most of the food hall centers on brand opportunities and plug-and-play convenience for backers ghost kitchen operator C3 and hospitality experiences company Legends. Simons Property Group, the owner of Phipps Plaza, is also a minority investor in C3. However, a representative for the food hall tells Eater coffee from a local brand and local beers will be available. It’s unclear just which local coffee company and Atlanta breweries are being courted by Citizens Market.

Once open in Buckhead, C3 and Legends plan to replicate the food hall in cities like Miami, Chicago, and London.

A major renovation project is currently underway to refresh the aging luxury mall in Buckhead with a new outdoor plaza, a 13-story office building, Citizens Market food hall, and new full-service restaurants. Nobu Hotel and its famous Japanese-Peruvian restaurant just opened at Phipps Plaza this past November, and a location of Alon’s Bakery and Market is now open at the complex. Atlanta chef Mimmo Alboumeh had plans to open a second location of his Mexican-Spanish restaurant Botica in the expanded area of Phipps Plaza. Those plans fell through late last year.

Food halls have taken root all over Atlanta since 2014 — both inside and outside the Perimeter — beginning with the openings of Krog Street Market in Inman Park and Ponce City Market in the Old Fourth Ward. Nearly a dozen new food halls will open over the next two years around Atlanta, including an 11-stall food hall called Halidom Eatery. It should open by the end of 2023 at IST Management Services on Moreland Avenue in the Woodland Hills neighborhood.