Table Talk: Best Monday Night Supper Clubs
Apr. 30 — Happy Tuesday and welcome to the table!
In today’s edition of “Family Meal,” I declare Monday the hottest night of the week to dine at supper clubs and pop-up residencies at restaurants around Atlanta. I also offer up eight supper clubs and pop-ups you should definitely put on your list to check out on Monday evenings.
Plus, I’ll reveal some of the winners of Slow Food Atlanta’s Snail of Approval awards, announced last night at the organization’s annual meeting and potluck supper.
Looking for a smokier, zestier version of a hot dog to serve at your next backyard barbecue? Basia Piechoczek of Polish pop-up Beksa Lala shared her recipe for a grilled kielbasa roll with sauerkraut and crispy onions this week.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
Monday Nights Are For Supper Clubs
📅 It should come as no surprise that Monday is the slowest day of the week for restaurants. It’s the day most people return to the work grind and daily routine after the weekend. Customer data and behavior patterns even back up the Monday patronage plummet, collected by restaurant point of sales (POS) systems like Toast. According to a 2023 report from Toast, restaurant reservations nose dive by 30% on Mondays, compared to Saturdays, which see reservations skyrocket by nearly 85%. The drastic drop in diners on Mondays means many restaurants close at the beginning of the week.
But for some restaurants, the “We’re Closed” sign on the front door provides an opportunity to lend out the kitchen to chefs and pop-ups, while filling tables with people seeking exclusive dining experiences. This symbiotic relationship between restaurants and chefs and pop-ups has become one of the hallmarks of Atlanta’s food scene, with Monday the top night to hit up restaurants within restaurants and intimate supper club dinners hosted by chefs at private homes.
🇱🇦🇨🇳 So So Fed at OK Yaki
714 Moreland Ave., East Atlanta
Open Sunday and Monday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Lao-Chinese
Operating out of Japanese restaurant OK Yaki every Sunday and Monday night, this award-winning Lao-Chinese food pop-up truly defines what it means to run a restaurant within a restaurant in Atlanta. Owned and operated by Molli Voraotsady, So So Fed has been a popular weekly fixture at OK Yaki since 2023. With a name inspired by Atlanta-based record label So So Def, Voraotsady whips up dishes like Lao papaya salad, khua mee (stir-fried caramelized noodles), crispy fried fish filets in red curry broth, and laab fried chicken based on family recipes. Dessert might include a red bean milkshake mixed with coconut milk and vanilla ice cream. Walk-ins only.
🍎 Bodega Bar at The Pub @ EAV
469 Flat Shoals Ave., East Atlanta Village
NYC-inspired cocktails, food, and hip-hop
Like So So Fed down the street on Moreland Avenue, Bodega Bar transformed from a roving restaurant into a weekly residency on Monday nights in East Atlanta Village. Taking over the kitchen at The Pub @ EAV, this New York City-inspired restaurant within a restaurant offers takes on the Big Apple’s street food and cocktails set to the gritty boom bap sounds of East Coast hip-hop sprinkled with a little crunk and trap from the Dirty South. The menu includes everything from mushroom fried rice, chopped cheese, and chicken shawarma, to hand-cut fries, tostones, and cheesecake. Look for cocktails like Spellbound to H Mart with gin, taro milk, and ginger tea. Open 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Walk-ins only.
🍖 Neighborhood Supper Club at Sweet Auburn BBQ
656 North Highland Ave., Poncey-Highland
Various pop-ups
Keep an eye out for these Monday pop-up dinners, part of a collaboration between pop-up curator Neighborhood Supper Club and Sweet Auburn BBQ. Past collab dishes between pop-ups and Sweet Auburn BBQ have included golonka (smoked ham hocks) from Polish food pop-up Beksa Lala and brisket kimchi Reubens and pulled pork rice noodles from sandwich and burger pop-up Dank’s Deli and Southeast Asian street food pop-up Salty Smiles. Walk-ins only.
🧑🍳 Light Metal at Little Bear
71 Georgia Ave., Summerhill
Tasting menu using in-season local ingredients
Mondays at Little Bear in Summerhill feature a multi-course tasting menu from Talat Market chef de cuisine John Hajash and SamWitch chef and founder Mykel Burkhart. For $90 per person, Burkhart and Hajash serve courses of seasonally driven dishes like an asparagus and green garlic tart, strozzapreti (pasta) with guanciale, spring onions, and preserved peppers, leg of lamb, and a buckwheat buttercream lemon cake with kumquat marmalade and brown butter ice cream. Tickets are released on a biweekly basis. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available, along with suggested pairings. $90 per person.
🕯️🍽️ Wick & Nick’s
Near Oakland Cemetery. Location disclosed upon reservation.
Multi-course menu with cocktails and wine.
I wrote about my Wick & Nick’s experience last January. Back then, the monthly Monday dinners hosted by Chef Jared Warwick (Octopus Bar) and Chef Ben Skolnick (BoccaLupo) in a loft apartment near Oakland Cemetery were a relatively new underground dining experience. Today, however, Warwick and Skolnick have quite a following but still manage to keep their Monday dinners low-key and intimate. Wick and Nick’s dinners typically include no more than 20 people seated at tables in the living room, lit by the glow of candles and neon lights, while Warwick and Skolnick prepare dishes in the kitchen beyond their guests. Look for courses such as split scallops with jalapeno pesto, wagyu picanha, and crispy duck confit atop corn tortelloni. Don’t be surprised if Waylon greets you during dinner. The friendly orange cat serves as the unofficial master of ceremonies on Monday nights at Wick and Nick’s. Reservations required. $150-$175 per person.
😋 Other Monday Supper Clubs/Pop-Ups
Fork Goes Clink is a 14-seat supper club hosted in the home of baker and former wine industry professional Peyton Sanders. Dinners take place every other Monday, with new dates and reservations dropping on Instagram. $55 per person.
Every Monday night, Chef Max Hines turns the Breaker Breaker kitchen over to different chefs and pop-ups for a month-long residency at the Reynoldstown restaurant. Past pop-ups have included Mothers Best Fried Chicken, smashburgers from Mal’s Kitchen, and ramen from Senpai Noodles.
Monday nights at wine and coffee bar Larakin in Midtown now include sushi from Jorom the Sushi Guy, a private omakase chef for hire. Mikasa Mondays run from 6-9 p.m. on the Larakin patio.
Step inside history at this year’s Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour!
SPONSORED BY DRUID HILLS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
🏡 The Historic Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour is back on May 2-4!
This year, we celebrate the personality of Frederick Law Olmsted’s remarkable neighborhood, showcasing seven must-see homes and his woodland, Deepdene Park. Each home has been carefully renovated and curated to reflect the unique style and passions of its owners.
➡ Fabulous art and rare antiques, mint vintage cars and rare baseball memorabilia, pristine gardens and meticulous renovations — this tour has something for everyone — grab your tickets today!
Atlanta Restaurants Given the Snail of Approval
Last night, Chef Karl Gorline of Avize hosted the annual Slow Food Atlanta meeting and potluck supper at his new Brady Avenue restaurant. The Slow Food organization works to educate the community about local food, food cultures, and food justice, while also connecting local farmers with restaurants.
🐌 During the annual meeting, Snail of Approval awards were presented to restaurants, pop-ups, and chefs committed to the six core values of the Slow Food movement: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and equitable business practices.
Bread & Butterfly, Kamayan ATL, Kimball House, Pure Quill Superette, Leon’s Full Service, Colette Bread, Cheffrey’s Kitchen, The Chai Box, and Unearthing Farm and Market were among the 2025 Atlanta award recipients.
🏆 Congratulations to the 2025 winners for championing the Slow Food movement and local farmers in Metro Atlanta!
Beksa Lala’s Grilled Kielbasa Roll Recipe
🌭 With cookout season set to begin in May, Basia Piechoczek of Polish pop-up Beksa Lala shared her recipe for a grilled kielbasa roll. (Think a smokier, zestier grilled hot dog topped with sauerkraut and crispy onions.) It’s how Piechoczek serves kielbasa at the Beksa Lala pop-ups on weekends at Burle’s Bar on the Beltline, stressing that this recipe requires you to procure good Polish sausage. In other words, try to avoid purchasing kielbasa from the grocery store.
Kielbasa means “sausage” in Polish, with Poland recognizing more than a dozen varieties classified by ingredients, region, and preparation (dried, normal, or smoked). Grand Polish Bakery in Lawrenceville is Piechoczek’s go-to for kielbasa, including the Andy’s Deli sausage she uses to make the grilled kielbasa roll. A type of kabanosy pork sausage (hunter’s sausage), the kielbasa contains garlic, allspice, and caraway seeds and is smoked and dried.
🇵🇱 “Grand Polish Bakery carries all types of Chicago-based Andy’s Deli Kiełbasa. The owner drives to Chicago to pick it up himself,” Piechoczek said. “I suggest using the grill-style kiełbasa.”
While Buford Highway Farmers Market and Baltic Deli in Roswell occasionally sell Andy’s Deli Kielbasa, Grand Polish Bakery always carries the brand.
➡️ “Andy’s Deli makes the best sausages and deli meats that I can get my hands on in Atlanta. It’s as close to what kielbasa tastes like in Poland,” said Piechoczek.
Ingredients
- 4 Andy’s Deli Grill Kiełbasa links
- 4 Engleman’s challah buns or hoagie rolls
- 2 cups fresh sauerkraut
- Whole grain mustard
- French’s crispy onions
Directions
Remove kielbasa and buns from the grill. Place kiełbasa in buns and top with sauerkraut, mustard, and crispy onions.
Heat the grill to about 450 degrees.
Score the kiełbasa, then place kielbasa on the grill for 5 minutes (over direct heat if you like some char and extra snap), then flip and grill for another 3 minutes.
With 1 minute left on the grill for the kiełbasa, place buns over indirect heat to toast.
🏡 The Historic Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour is back May 2-4. We’re celebrating the personality of Frederick Law Olmsted’s remarkable neighborhood with seven must-see homes – each curated to reflect the owners’ unique style and passions. Grab your tickets today! SPONSOR MESSAGE
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