Chamblee Tap & Market, a taproom and micro food hall inspired by its owners’ love for craft beer, opened on Aug. 8 with a warm welcome to the neighborhood from a beer-loving crowd.
“Chamblee told us from day one that they would support us and I think that is what is happening today,” Chamblee Tap & Market co-owner Dave Haymann said.
Customers filled the bar and spilled over to the front porch while enjoying a variety of beers and barbeque plates from South End Smokehouse, which will be moving into one of the mini food hall booths this fall.
The pandemic sparked a desire to “escape reality” in 2020 leading owners Jeff Kimmel and David Heymann to create Beer Club Sundays, a weekly outdoor get-together with friends to rank their favorite beers, according to a release announcing the grand opening.
“Our Beer Club Sundays got very involved,” Heymann said. “We logged our ratings in a Google doc and had a good time. And then Jeff said, ‘We should do this more often, maybe for work.’”
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The former financial industry workers and friends eventually ditched their corporate gigs and bought a 5,000-square-foot building adjacent to Chamblee City Hall on Broad Street.
With a space too large for just the envisioned taproom, Kimmel and Heymann added a micro food hall and a tap-accented private room to their plans. South End Smokehouse is in the permitting process now and expected to open at the market in the fall. Slightly behind in the queue is Let’s Taco ‘Bout It, which operates a food truck and brick-and-mortar location in Doraville, according to Michael Erickson, speaking on behalf of Chamblee Tap & Market.
Sidecar Coffee, operated by Heymann’s wife, Leigh, should open in September. Menu items will include espresso-based drinks, freshly brewed coffee, cold brew, loose-leaf teas, bakery items, toasts, and protein yogurt bowls with a choice of toppings.
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The opening beer list features beers from Good Word Brewing, Bold Monk, Maine Brewing, Bluejacket Brewery, and Creature Comforts, along with Sierra Nevada and Pacifico. The taproom’s Tap No. 1, labeled “ChamWow!,” offers a rotating local lager or pilsner inspired by the old late-night ShamWow! Infomercial.
People will also be able to purchase and take home tap beer and wines. As an homage to Chamblee Tap & Market’s inspiration, Kimmel and Heymann are developing a Beer Club Sunday program for customers to share their new favorite beers monthly.
Until the micro food hall and coffee service launch this fall, Chamblee Tap & Market will operate with limited hours Thursday through Saturday. Once fully operational, expect the taproom and micro food hall to be open daily.
3509 Broad Street, Chamblee. Currently open Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Expanding hours in the fall.
