A second location of Eastside Beltline restaurant and bar Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall, owned by Michael Lennox and Electric Hospitality, will open at the new Stella at Star Metals residential tower along Howell Mill Road.
Exactly when Ladybird will open at the complex is still up in the air, but development company Allen Morris expects the 21-story Stella at Star Metals to open in June.
Located on nearly an acre of land occupied by a warehouse and parking lot just off of Howell Mill Road, the westside Atlanta location of Ladybird will feature a similar vibe to its Old Fourth Ward counterpart. With a national parks-themed aesthetic, Ladybird on the Beltline includes a sprawling assortment of indoor and outdoor seating arrangements, multiple bars, including cabin core-decorated Ranger Station on the second floor, and a snacky food menu.
Electric Hospitality already includes a presence at Star Metals through the group’s Electric Room events space. Lennox has sought a place for Ladybird on Atlanta’s burgeoning westside for some time now and believes in the “long-term vision for the Star Metals District.”
The restaurant group also owns Muchacho and Tiger Sun cocktail bar on the Eastside Beltline and Strangers in Paradise bar on the Westside Beltline.
The $1.5 billion mixed-use complex of buildings encompassing over ten acres will eventually feature hundreds of condos and apartments, offices, retail, and more restaurants.
Sweetgreen, Flight Club, Torchy’s Tacos, Michelin-starred omakase restaurant Hayakawa, and Lucky Star, backed by Brush owners Chef Jason Liang and John Chen, currently call Star Metals home. Fishmonger, Eden from Delbar chef Fares Kargar, and rooftop bar Patina from the owners of The Painted Pin, The Painted Duck, Painted Park, and Painted Pickle should open at Star Metals in the coming year.
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The announcement of Ladybird’s impending arrival at Star Metals comes on the heels of several restaurant closures around a traffic-choked section of Howell Mill between 14th and 8th streets.
Since 2024, more than a dozen restaurants have closed at new builds like The Interlock, Star Metals, and Westside Paper just beyond Howell Mill on West Marietta Street, as well as at more established developments such as Westside Provisions District and the Brickworks.
West Egg Cafe, Humble Pie, Slim and Husky’s, LOA Social Club, Snooze A.M. Eatery, Superica, Wagamama, Postino’s, Culinary Dropout, Elsewhere Brewing, Pancake Social, Redbird, Aviza and Falafel Nation, and Boxcar Betty’s all closed over the last three years, with many of these restaurants closing in 2024.
Related story: Howell Mill breakfast and brunch institution West Egg Cafe closing after nearly 21 years
“Since the pandemic, we have seen a decline in in-person dining as people no longer work regular hours in actual offices and meet virtually rather than in person,” Ben and Jen Johnson said of closing West Egg Cafe. “We have seen an ever-growing percentage of our business move to online and third-party delivery services. Sales are down; costs are up.”
Some people blame constant traffic and the absence of readily available and affordable parking options along the Howell Mill Road corridor as factoring into the closures. Others point to skyrocketing rents, problems with dependable public transit, and lack of proper infrastructure to accommodate the influx of development as contributing to the area’s rash of recent restaurant closures.