Lazy Betty, the Michelin star tasting menu restaurant from chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, will close in Candler Park after service on Valentine’s Day ahead of the planned relocation to Midtown.
The award-winning restaurant takes over the former Empire State South space at 999 Peachtree at the corner of Peachtree and 10th Street. Chef Hugh Acheson closed Empire State South in 2023 after 12 years in Midtown. It’s unclear when Lazy Betty will reopen at its new location, but Hsu tells Rough Draft to expect a progress update soon.
Hsu and Phillips have been tight-lipped about their plans in Midtown since announcing the relocation of Lazy Betty last year. However, the chefs alluded to the restaurant being more accessible in Midtown and to possibly expanding the cocktail program and adding an a la carte bar menu. The Midtown location also features a large covered patio flanking a courtyard with a bocce ball court.
Named for Hsu’s late mother and longtime Atlanta restaurateur, Lazy Betty opened five years ago inside the former Radial Cafe space. The “lazy” in the name is an inside joke about the family matriarch’s need to keep busy even after retirement. Betty Hsu died three months after Lazy Betty opened.
Hsu and Phillips first met while working together at Chef Eric Ripert’s restaurant Le Bernardin in New York City. The duo opened Humble Pie at the Interlock complex on Howell Mill Road in 2023.
Hsu’s siblings, Howard and Anita, own Sweet Auburn BBQ in Poncey-Highland and Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina on Marietta Boulevard. They are also partners in the Poncey-Highland Peruvian restaurant Tio Lucho’s with Chef Arnaldo Castillo.