Caribbean fusion restaurant Miss Conduck opened in the former Noni’s space earlier this month bringing Edgewood Avenue a restaurant rooted in traditional Trinidadian dishes.
Owned by Emily James and LaToya Franklyn, the mother-daughter duo transformed the divey Italian restaurant and bar into a festive multi-functional spot for dining, drinking, and socializing. Look for live music and DJs, evenings with trivia, comedy, and karaoke, and late-night dancing.
“The name Miss Conduck is a play on words, describing what is perceived to be the perfect woman; a woman who knows how to conduct herself professionally but also knows when to indulge in a bit of misconduct,” James and Franklyn said. “It embodies the restaurant’s fusion of an elegant dining atmosphere and its lively Caribbean vibe.”
This fusion of Caribbean cultures can be seen on the menu, which leans into Trinidadian dishes like doubles, roti, and pholourie but also features other dishes like Jamaican curry goat and sampler platters of oxtails, goat, and chicken. Platters come with sides of rice and peas, pikliz and fried plantains, steamed cabbage, fried sweet plantains, and avocado salad.
Beer, wine, fresh juices, and cocktails such as rum punch are available from the bar.
At lunch, people can expect a leisurely, laid-back atmosphere. But that vibe shifts during dinner and late-night when vibrant Caribbean rhythms and uptempo music kick the energy into high gear at Miss Conduck. Dancing is encouraged.
On May 25, Miss Conduck will host a grand opening party to coincide with the Atlanta Carnival Weekend Caribbean festival. Keep an eye on Instagram for more details.
Matt Ruppert closed Noni’s last fall after 15 years on Edgewood in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The restaurant had become known for its pastas and sandwiches, late-night dance parties, and as a safe space for Atlanta’s LGBTQ community to gather.
Ruppert, who now lives in Amsterdam with his husband and owns Parakeet bar, said the decision to close Noni’s came down to the exhaustion of operating both businesses from two continents.
Franklyn and James will continue building upon the community Ruppert and his staff cultivated at Noni’s over the years, they told Eater Atlanta in April. The pair credited Ruppert for guiding them through the process of opening Miss Conduck. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, James and Franklyn chose the Edgewood Avenue restaurant space because it reminded them of their former Flatbush neighborhood.
Take a look inside Miss Conduck.
357 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta. Open Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.