Ballpark combo: popcorn and chardonnay
May 14 — Hello, internet friends.
🗓️ You know what I love? Impromptu food events. I’ll be covering for Beth this year as a judge at Kirkwood’s Wing Fling on May 16. I am really looking forward to it. But when I told my husband I was doing the event, he thought it was an eating contest. I found it funny because the eating contest in an episode of Nickelodeon cartoon “Hey Arnold” absolutely influenced me as a child.
In this week’s Quick Bites, read up on restaurant openings in Buckhead and the former Bookhouse Pub space, new hotel restaurants in downtown Atlanta, and Dairy Queen’s closure on North Avenue. There’s also intel on a DreamHack afterparty at Smith’s Olde Bar, Grant Park’s epic 143rd birthday party, and a longtime hibachi chef’s departure from Atlanta’s oldest Japanese restaurant, Nakato.
⚽ Keep reading to learn more about LikeMinds, the sports bar pop-up temporarily taking over the former BrewDog space, and Madeira Park’s farmer fundraiser dinner next week. And I tell you why I love ballpark popcorn for dinner, especially at Truist Park.
Before we get to today’s “Side Dish,” earlier this week in “Family Meal,” Beth brought you a story on a David Bowie-inspired wine bar coming to Sandy Springs and an enthusiastic recommendation for a pizza pop-up on the Beltline.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
QUICK BITES
Openings
☕ Middle Eastern coffee shop Hayat Cafe is now open in Duluth.
🏨 JW Marriott Downtown Atlanta is now open on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. Affiliated restaurants The JW Market, The Ledger, and Fiora also opened. Fiora will expand to lunch and dinner later this year. Rooftop lounge The Perch will open in the coming weeks.
🍹 Southern tapas restaurant and lounge Here Today opens May 16 in the former Bookhouse Pub space on Ponce.
Closings
🍦 The Dairy Queen on North Avenue in Midtown closed after nearly 60 years in business, as first reported by Tomorrow’s News Today.
😥 The Alden in Chamblee is temporarily closed following an apartment fire earlier this week.
Coming attractions
🇯🇵 Harajuku-style crepe and “anti-caffeine” drinks shop Ori Ori will open at the Chattahoochee Food Works food hall in Underwood Hills this spring.
🇮🇹 Tuscan restaurant Fiorenza Italian will open in Alpharetta this summer.
🛒 Grove and Barrel Provisions, an artisanal market offering food products, home goods, and gifts imported from southern Europe, will open this summer at Alpharetta City Center.
🍜 Vietvana Pho Noodle House will open a Lenox Square location in October. It joins locations in Ponce City Market and Avondale Estates.
🇲🇽 It appears Mexican restaurant Boca, which closed for a second time in Summerhill, has been sold to a new owner. The space will remain a Mexican restaurant, albeit much more casual.
Chef departure
👋 Longtime Nakato hibachi chef Robert Guntoro is moving back to Indonesia and departing the restaurant after working there for 24 years. His last day is May 17. Customers are encouraged to stop by and bid Chef Robert farewell.
Add to your calendar
🎮 Smith’s Olde Bar (SOB) will host a DreamHack-themed SOB After Dark event in honor of the gaming festival at midnight on May 16. DreamHack ticket holders are permitted free entry. Otherwise, it’s $5 per person.
🎂 Grant Park’s Market in the Park returns May 17 for the neighborhood’s epic 143rd birthday party. The event will feature local artist and food vendors, starting at 10 a.m.
🧺 Atlanta Craft Club is holding a craft picnic on May 17 at 781 Boulevard. Kids welcome. Register here.
🀄 The Select in Sandy Springs is holding another Tea & Tiles mahjong event on May 30, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person and include food, drinks, and two hours of parking. Register at OpenTable.
🍨 The waste nonprofit Lifecycle Building Center of Greater Atlanta will host an ice cream social on June 1 at the Krog Street Market location of Jeni’s, starting at 4 p.m. Twenty-five percent of proceeds will benefit Lifecycle Building Center.
حلال The Atlanta Summer Halal Food Festival returns to the Old Fourth Ward Skatepark on the Eastside Beltline July 11 and 12. Applications for vendors, volunteers, and sponsors are now open. Tickets are available here.
Sip, savor, and celebrate!
SPONSORED BY FOOD THAT ROCKS
🥂 Food That Rocks 2026 returns to City Springs on June 4 as Sandy Springs’ all-inclusive tasting event, presented by Taste of Atlanta.
From 6–10 p.m. for VIP entry and starting at 7 p.m. for general admission, guests sample bites from more than 25 neighborhood restaurants alongside craft cocktails, beer, and wine tastings. The under-the-stars evening features live music from Band X, chef meet-and-greets, and interactive sponsor activations.
Celebrating Sandy Springs’ growing culinary scene, the event brings together local favorites and new spots for one high-energy night of food, drinks, and community.
TOP STORIES
LikeMinds to open at Krog District this summer
🎵 Part sports bar, part live music space, and part festival, collaborative pop-up LikeMinds will open in the old BrewDog location at Krog District in June. The LikeMinds founders are Atlanta hospitality veterans, including from Smith’s Olde Bar and Westside Motor Lounge.
Don’t wait to visit, however, because LikeMinds will only be at the Krog District until September.
⏩ Read more about LikeMinds here.
Eat with a farmer at this Madeira Park fundraiser
🥕 Got plans for dinner on May 18? If not, reserve a spot at the Seeds & Soil Society Supper at Madeira Park. Expect dishes from Madeira Park, Talat Market, The Deer & The Dove, Colette Bread & Bakeshop, and LittleTart Bake Shop.
Farmers will not only be providing ingredients for the dinner, they are being honored that night with a seat at the table.
⏩ Read more about the dinner and grab tickets here.
Food festival returns to Town at Trilith on May 29
🎉 The Taste of Trilith at Town at Trilith in Fayetteville returns on May 29 with more restaurants and entertainment.
Proceeds from this year’s food festival will benefit Alō Farms Foundation, a nonprofit focused on food access for families facing food insecurity.
⏩ Learn more about the festival and restaurant lineup here.
⚽ WORLD CUP RESTAURANT GUIDE Is your restaurant or bar holding an official FIFA World Cup watch party or other soccer fan event? Send me details for a roundup that will publish as part of our FIFA World Cup Guide to Atlanta. Bonus if the restaurant or bar will act as a gathering place for the teams of visiting countries.
THAT SLAPS
⚾ Some people go to Truist Park to watch the Braves. I go to eat popcorn.
In my opinion, popcorn is one of the few stadium foods that won’t leave you feeling sick when you’re finished. Well, unless you eat a large tub of popcorn too quickly. I’m also a big fan of the butter powder the ballpark uses.
🍿 I recently attended a game and paired my popcorn dinner with a can of Leinenkugel’s Los Bravos, a Mexican-style lager brewed especially for the Atlanta Braves. Those buttery notes from the popcorn powder also paired well with chardonnay, and I will not let the judgmental wine man prevent me from sharing that truth with you.
We’re always looking for recipes to highlight on Rough Draft. If you have a favorite dish from a restaurant you want the recipe for, please send me an email to sarra@roughdraftatlanta.com.
