Table Talk: Atlanta’s 2025 Food Trends
March 18 — Happy Tuesday, friends! Let’s gather around the table.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I love a Costco hot dog, especially with its $1.50 price tag. But if you’ve been missing the hot turkey and provolone sandwich since it disappeared from the menu during the pandemic, it looks like the food court favorite is returning! The $6.99 sandwich made with oven-roasted turkey breast, provolone cheese, red onions, tomatoes, and basil-garlic mayo found its way back onto the menus at select Costco locations around the country, according to AllRecipes. Will the turkey sandwich return to any metro Atlanta stores? Who knows. But at least Coca-Cola products are back on the menu again.
In today’s “Family Meal,” I’m giving you a bit of insight into the food trends emerging on the Atlanta restaurant scene this year. For “The Move,” I tell you where to find one of my new favorite martinis – and it’s at an Atlanta brewery.
➕ Plus, Rough Draft dining reporter Sarra Sedghi brings you recipes for homemade ricotta and Pomodoro sauce from Michelin-recommended restaurant The Alden in Chamblee.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
🎺 Join us at The Breman Museum for an unforgettable evening of Yiddish classics reimagined with Latin and jazz influences. Featuring 10-time Grammy winner Janis Siegel, Grammy-nominated pianist John di Martino, and Cantor Daniel Kramer. On Sun., March 23! SPONSOR MESSAGE
2025 Food Trends
📈 Viral food trends come and go. (Remember cronuts and cruffins, breakfast charcuterie, and “Girl Dinner,” aka snacks for dinner?) These trends feed off the social media hype machine, quickly flaming out and replaced by the next fad spreading across the internet.
Other food trends aren’t as obvious or sexy. These are scene-defining trends with staying power that quietly emerge in response to subtle shifts in the economy, area demographics, and consumer dining and spending habits or prompted by major events and even climate change. The 1990s were defined by brass and fern restaurants, while cupcakes, bacon, and burgers became the IT foods during the 2010s. In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of brunch spots and omakase restaurants opening around Atlanta and watched pop-ups transform into some of the city’s best restaurants.
What’s in store for Atlanta restaurants in 2025? I’m watching these five dining trends closely this year.
🍷 Wine
Wine-centric restaurants, bars, and pop-ups have risen in popularity over the last four years in Atlanta with the openings of Larakin, El Vinedo Local, Lucian Books & Wine, The Vibrary, and Commune. Atlantans’ enthusiasm for wine and wine-driven spaces will continue in 2025.
Amaro and wine bar Fawn just opened in Decatur, while Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant opened in Alpharetta, and wine bar Madeira Park, backed by the owners of Miller Union and Dive Wine, opened in Poncey-Highland. Natural wine pop-up Stanky Wine returned this month after a year-long hiatus. Look for Side Saddle Wine Saloon to open next month in Boulevard Heights and Nostalgia Wine and Jazz Lounge to open later this fall in downtown Atlanta.
🍟 Comfort food
From fried chicken to Caesar salad to the McGriddle to the diner breakfast, comfort food is getting the chef treatment in 2025. New restaurants holding space for comfort food include Mother’s Best Fried Chicken in Decatur and Small Fry at Atlanta Dairies, where a vodka parm sandwich reigns supreme. There are ham and cheese beignets at Madeira Park, New Zealand hand pies at Heaps in Decatur, grilled kimcheese sandwiches at Heart & Seoul Cafe in Roswell, and diner breakfast served at L5P Diner in Little Five Points.
At the new Spanky’s pop-up, you might be served a raviolo stuffed with blistered local eggplant, fermented chili, and bean paste sprinkled with Cheez-It focaccia breadcrumbs, ending the night with Jell-O shots and maybe a squirt gun fight. Recently opened The Pub at EAV serves everything from disco fries and a Scotch egg to a Cobb salad with hammock greens and lemon pepper chicken to boozy bread pudding.
🧑🍳 Supper clubs
Bovino After Dark and Seventh House, Wick and Nick’s, The New South, Stolen Goods,Maria ATL, Dirt Church, Fork Goes Clink, Homeakaseatl, and Light Metal are just some of the supper clubs popular on the underground dining scene in Atlanta. Limited to a few seats and by reservation only, you’ll find these supper clubs hosted at restaurants on off days, private homes, parks, and even at the chef’s house. Unlike members-only clubs, supper clubs are open to the public, inclusive, and meant to be communal dining experiences tied to storytelling through food.
🤝 More collaborative spaces
In 2025, expect more restaurants collaborating with other restaurants, pop-ups, and markets to open around Atlanta.
The silver Airstream that once hosted Banjo Coffee’s Beltline location now houses Stroll Coffee y Snacks, a collaboration between Andy Bibliowicz of Atlanta Collaborative, Luis Enrique of Chispas Snacks, and Marissa Childers of Tanbrown Coffee. Look for other partnerships here in 2025.
After launching Minhwa Spirits last year in Doraville, James Kim and Ming Han Chung partnered with Asian-American-owned Postern Coffee and Korean food pop-up Ganji to open a coffee shop and cafe at the tasting room.
Opening later this spring in the old Highland Bakery space, Tex-Mex restaurant Communidad Taqueria, from Poco Loco chef Nick Melvin, will include a small market and Mexican pastries and desserts from Teresa Finney of micro-bakery At Heart Panaderia.
Upper West Market, a new indoor farmers market opening this summer in Underwood Hills, will include a wine bar from Hop City and Summerland Cafe from James Beard award-winning chef Anne Quatrano, along with several food stalls.
🍽 Power lunches
Is the “power lunch” returning? Maybe. After discontinuing the meal service during the pandemic, some restaurants are bringing lunch back with specials and deals aimed at the business meeting crowd. Despite people returning to the office, however, it appears remote workers may be behind the renewal of the power lunch. But today’s power lunch doesn’t look like those from the 1980s and 1990s. Remote work has definitely altered the vibe, what’s served, and even where power lunches now take place.
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The Move:
Miles’ Martini at Halfway Crooks Beer
🍸 There’s a new martini ($12.95) at Halfway Crooks Beer in Summerhill, created for the brewery by Kimball House partner and veteran bartender Miles Macquarrie.
Made with Atlanta-based Murrell’s Row Gin Gin, Macquarrie plays up the martini’s classic proportions (a 2:1 ratio of gin and dry vermouth) by adding Cap Corse Blanc. The bittersweet aperitif sports light minerality and soft, silky floral notes with pops of citrus, providing a little zhuzh to the martini while keeping it low-key casual enough to sip in a brewery taproom. But adding Cap Corse Blanc isn’t just for show.
💪 The addition of Cap Corse Blanc gives the cocktail the backbone needed to cut through the fattiness of Halfway’s caramelized onion cheeseburger ($15.95) and the ability to stand up to the carby fried funk and heat of a trio of pork schnitzel sliders ($16.96) slathered with horseradish mayo and Brussels sprout kimchi.
The Alden’s
Ricotta and Pomodoro Sauce Recipes
👋 Sarra here! This week, I’m sharing with you two recipes from Chef Jared Hucks of Michelin-recommended restaurant The Alden in Chamblee.
During a recent visit to The Alden for lunch, I spied a big tray of ricotta cooling on a counter in the kitchen. Curious about the process, I asked Hucks if making ricotta was easy and if he’d be willing to talk me through it and share the recipe with our readers. Not only did he share his recipe for ricotta, but he also shared a recipe for the restaurant’s Pomodoro sauce. The two recipes don’t necessarily have to go together but collaborate quite well.
🇮🇹 At The Alden, Hucks takes a global approach to food, but his foundation in Italian cuisine is undeniable. Hucks started his culinary career in 1996 and found his calling at Marietta’s Trattoria LaStrada. While attending the French Culinary Institute in New York City, Hucks worked as a chef tournant, filling in where he was needed in the kitchen at Restaurant Baldoria. Here, Hucks honed his knowledge of Southern Italian cuisine.
While living in Thailand during the late aughts, Hucks worked as the executive chef at Da Maurizio in Phuket. Later, he studied at Zi Peppe in Monte Flavio in northern Italy, just outside Rome, and traveled the region during his tenure there.
👉 Hucks said these experiences with Italian food during the early part of his career significantly affected his understanding of the country’s culture and his awareness of Italian cuisine’s boundaries.
“Italian cuisine stands very much on its own when it comes to ingredients,” he told me. “I have found, however, that Italian cooking techniques can be universal, much like French cooking techniques.”
“In my experience, there is no fusion between Italian and other cuisines as Italian food is very much about the purity of ingredients, its own traditions, and with that, nostalgia,” he added.
🍝 At The Alden, Hucks and his team incorporate Italian fundamentals through technique. “We tend to innovate our dishes through a process of deconstruction [to alter the appearance] and elaboration of textures,” he explained. For example, Hucks is more likely to top pasta with a Parmesan emulsion than with shavings and commonly adds jellies to his dishes — the food may feel and taste different, but the fundamentals remain intact.
“Few people know how easy it is to make ricotta cheese, but there’s no surprise how delicious homemade ricotta is,” Hucks said. “This fresh ricotta elevates so many everyday dishes, from a simple pasta sauce to pizza, French toast, pancakes and so many others.”
🍅 Meanwhile, the Pomodoro sauce is a perfect foundation for pasta. “At The Alden, we use the sauce as the basis for our butternut squash bolognese,” Hucks said.
Mix it with your favorite meat and cheese, or take Huck’s lead and incorporate local, seasonal produce like butternut squash and broccoli rabe.
HOMEMADE RICOTTA
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon of whole milk
- 177 mL white wine vinegar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Tools:
- Cheesecloth
- Fine mesh strainer
- Large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (such as a cast-iron Dutch oven)
- Food thermometer
Directions:
- Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Add to a deep bowl or container.
- In the saucepan, bring milk and salt to 200 degrees Fahrenheit over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and add vinegar. Let the ricotta sit until it curdles.
- Transfer ricotta to the cheesecloth-lined strainer setup and let strain for 20 minutes. For a firmer ricotta, you can let it strain for up to 45 minutes.
- Using the cheesecloth, transfer strained ricotta into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
- Refrigerate in a wrapped bowl or airtight container for up to one week.
Pro tip from Hucks: Homemade ricotta is a great way to use up excess buttermilk. Simply omit the vinegar if starting with buttermilk.
SAUCE NAPOLETANA (Pomodoro sauce)
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 800 g (28 oz) tomatoes (peeled), canned or fresh (crushed)
- 1 tbsp dry oregano
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Directions:
Stir in fresh basil and adjust seasoning as needed. (For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce to your liking.)
Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until translucent, stirring until soft.
Add tomatoes and oregano. Season to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes.
🎺 Join us at The Breman Museum for an unforgettable evening of Yiddish classics reimagined with Latin and jazz influences. Featuring 10-time Grammy winner Janis Siegel, Grammy-nominated pianist John di Martino, and Cantor Daniel Kramer. On Sun., March 23! SPONSOR MESSAGE
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