After several delays, pickleball center and “eatertainment” venue Painted Pickle opens Wednesday, April 17, at Armour Yards.
Backed by Justin Amick and William Stallworth – the owners behind The Painted Pin and The Painted Duck – Painted Pickle brings the city of Atlanta its largest pickleball complex, featuring a full bar, restaurant and sushi bar.
Akin to racquetball, pickleball combines tennis, ping pong and badminton with singles or doubles playing on a regulated surface resembling a tennis court. According to the USA Pickleball Association, Georgia features over 1,300 courts in cities and counties all over the state.
Like The Painted Pin and The Painted Duck, Painted Pickle features other games beyond pickleball, including complimentary darts, ping pong, shuffleboard and an indoor putting green. There’s also a stage for live performances. The pickleball cottage features a pro shop with a wrap-around porch overlooking the center court and a small bar with TVs and complimentary showers and lockers.
Multiple seating arrangements throughout the complex offer tables, high-tops and lounge areas for eating, drinking and relaxing after a match.
Painted Pickle includes eight indoor pickleball courts and one outdoor court. Courts are first come, first served, starting at 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on the weekends. Look for cosmic pickleball complete with black lights on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 9 p.m. for the 21+ crowd.
The longtime business partners refer to Painted Pickle as a “compeatery” rather than using the ubiquitous industry term “eatertainment.” Unlike their other gaming restaurants, Amick and Stallworth see this establishment as an all-inclusive spot for eating, drinking, socializing and competing in a sport, similar to the concept behind the racquetball clubs of the 1980s.
Food and drinks can be ordered wherever you are and delivered to tables throughout the sprawling pickleball complex. The menu includes everything from bacon cheeseburger pickle poppers and charcuterie boards to tuna nicoise and sushi rolls.
Amick and Stallworth tapped Atlanta barman Julian Goglia (The Pinewood and The Mercury) to oversee the beverage program. Expect classic cocktails, frozen concoctions and nonalcoholic mixed drinks, along with wine and beer.
In 2023, Pickle and Social became one of the first pickleball complexes to open in metro Atlanta with a restaurant and bar. The Buford pickleball center features 16 indoor and outdoor courts, a restaurant and bar, a rooftop lounge and a beer garden.
Painted Pickle joins SweetWater Brewing Co., Capella Cheese, East Pole Coffee, and Fox Bros Que-Osk at Armour Yards.
Amick and Stallworth’s next gaming restaurant venture, Painted Park, should open next month in the former Parish Brasserie and Neighborhood Cafe space in Inman Park.
Take a look at the food and drink menu below:
279 Ottley Drive, Atlanta. Open Monday – Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pickleball courts open daily at 9 a.m. Courts can be reserved on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
