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The year kicked off with a number of hotly anticipated restaurant openings this winter, including the reopenings of Hayakawa and Holeman and Finch in new locations and the debuts of vegan Latin food restaurant La Semilla and cocktail lounge and restaurant Whoopsie’s. With spring’s arrival, those restaurant and bar openings aren’t slowing down. And looking ahead, summer may be one of the biggest restaurant opening seasons in Atlanta since before the pandemic.
Eater is tracking the progress of six hotly anticipated restaurants scheduled to open this spring around Atlanta.
Yalda
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Location: 980 Howell Mill Road, Home Park
Who: Chef Ashkan Familli
Projected opening: May
A second location of Persian-Mediterranean restaurant Yalda is on track to open this spring at the Osprey complex on the corner of Howell Mill Road and 10th Street. People are already charmed by the food and the warm and welcoming vibe of Yalda in Sandy Springs, calling it a great addition to the dining scene there. Owner Ashkan Familli hopes to strike gold again on Howell Mill Road. Named for the Iranian winter solstice festival celebrated on December 21 (the “longest and darkest night of the year,”) Yalda serves a variety of mezze plates, spreads like za’atar labneh and mirza ghasemi served with flatbread, as well as kebabs, wraps, and grilled meat and seafood entrees. Dessert includes baklava with a choice of coffee or Persian ice cream, faloodeh, and a Persian ice cream sandwich made with ice cream infused with saffron, rose water, and pistachios.
Carmel
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Location: 3009 Bolling Way, Buckhead
Who: Tal Baum
Projected opening: May
Delays in construction and permitting caused the latest restaurant from Tal Baum (Aziza, Atrium, Rina) to miss its opening last year. But it appears the debut of Baum’s coastal cuisine-inspired restaurant Carmel is finally happening later this spring at Buckhead Village. Led by chef Luis Guevara Salgado, Carmel will serve lunch and dinner and weekend brunch. “Our take on coastal cuisine is less about a specific suite of recipes or from a particular region,” Baum says of Carmel, which centers on a “general philosophy and approach” to foods from seaside cities and towns throughout the world.
Southern National
Location: 72 Georgia Avenue, Summerhill
Who: Chef Duane Nutter and Reggie Washington
Projected opening: May/early June
Chef Duane Nutter (formerly One Flew South) and restaurateur Reggie Washington bring their former Mobile, Alabama, restaurant, Southern National, to the bustling dining district along Georgia Avenue this spring. For Nutter and Washington, they see the restaurant as part of the “next chapter” of Summerhill, a historic neighborhood founded by former enslaved people in 1865, many of whom went on to open successful businesses there. It would later become home to the majority of the city’s Jewish population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Expect some of Southern National’s most popular dishes from Mobile to make the menu in Atlanta, along with new dishes inspired by Nutter’s travels in the Northwest and his home state of Louisiana, as well as from around the South.
Leftie Lee’s
Location: Olive and Pine, Avondale Estates
Who: Chef Vivian Lee
Projected opening: May/early June
Chef and baker Vivian Lee opens her from-scratch sandwich shop and bakery Leftie Lee’s later this spring at the emerging Olive and Pine complex. The Korean-inspired bakery and sandwich shop will offer breakfast and lunch to include pastries and sandwiches on freshly baked breads, like a mojo roasted pork sandwich served with fried yucca and cabbage slaw, a Korean beef sando, and tuna salad made with preserved lemon on milk bread. For now, folks can find Lee popping up at coffee shops and breweries throughout Atlanta.
TydeTate Kitchen
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Location: 229 Mitchell Street, South Downtown
Who: Sai Untachantr and Bank Bhamaraniyama
Projected opening: June
A second location of Chattahoochee Food Works Thai food stall TydeTate Kitchen is opening by early summer on Mitchell Street, part of the redevelopment of a set of historic buildings along Hotel Row in downtown Atlanta. The restaurant will feature an expanded food menu and serve cocktails. Expect seating at community tables and a counter-service menu of Thai comfort dishes, like plah talay (seafood salad), saku wraps, and savory curry puffs filled with minced chicken. A full bar will also serve cocktails with Thai ingredients and flavors.
Chamblee Tap and Market
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Location: 3509 and 3515 Broad Street, Chamblee
Who: Jeff Kimmel and David Heymann
Projected opening: June/July
This combination taproom and micro food hall opens in historic downtown Chamblee by early summer. Owned by Jeff Kimmel and David Heymann, Chamblee Tap and Market is located across the street from the new city hall and will feature a taproom with 20 taps serving both beer and wine, four local food stalls, and a coffee shop.