Chops Lobster Bar is gearing up to reopen after a fire closed the popular Buckhead restaurant in January.

Chops Lobster Bar on West Paces Ferry Road. (Google Maps)

A permit was filed on April 14 to restore and remodel the restaurant on West Paces Ferry Road. The estimated cost is almost $1.9 million, according to the permit.

Chops parent company Buckhead Life Restaurant Group said it will be announcing plans soon.

“We are working diligently to finalize the exciting new plans we have for Chops Lobster Bar to reopen better than ever! We appreciate all of the support we have received and look forward to opening our doors once again. We will certainly reach out with more information over the coming weeks,” Buckhead Life said in a statement.

In January, a fire started inside a hood vent at the restaurant and was serious enough that firefighters had to call a second alarm to extinguish it.

Buckhead Life President Niko Karatassos told Atlanta Business Chronicle that much of the damage was caused by the water hoses that put out the fire. He added that the renovation would expand the bar area.

A spokesperson for Buckhead Life didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking more information about a reopening date.

Amy Wenk was editor of Reporter Newspapers in 2021-22.