The Colonnade regulars and inclusive pop-up dinners

Banana Drinks + The Colonnade Regulars + Openings

July 24 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for squash and corn fritters with poblano cream using fresh vegetables from the farmers market. Sarra brings you a banana-infused guide to drinks currently on summer menus at restaurants and cafes around Atlanta.

➕ Read stories on the longtime (and very loyal) regulars of Atlanta restaurant institution The Colonnade and a new pop-up dinner series featuring dishes adapted for those with allergies and dietary restrictions.

🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on the return of Krog Bar opening in Peachtree Hills, which includes pizza on the menu, as well as several restaurant openings and two restaurant closures in Decatur and Peachtree Corners. Plus, food events to attend andother dining news to know.

And FYI: Look for Beth’s Tuesday evening dining newsletter, “Family Meal,” to return next week.

Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!

🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra

🍽️ Indulge in Buckhead Restaurant Week through Saturday! Savor exclusive menus and chef specials from Atlanta’s top spots. Book now for a culinary journey that will ignite your taste buds. Click here for details! SPONSOR MESSAGE

Have You Heard?

😭 Restaurant Closures

Mascogo Tacos in Decatur will not reopen after being temporarily closed for the first half of July. Owner Craig Headspeth announced the development in an Instagram post, adding that he launched a fundraiser to help cover lost wages for employees while they search for new jobs.

“I want to first thank you all for all the love, support, and encouragement [throughout] my journey of Mascogo Tacos,” Headspeth said in the post. “I am heartbroken, not only for the business but [also for] the amazing team who now find themselves out of work with little notice.”

Lazy Dog is closing their location at Peachtree Corners on Fri., July 25, after six years. In an email sent to customers, the chain cited parking issues and nearby development as reasons for closure.

“Since opening, significant changes have been made around the site of our Peachtree Corners location, making it difficult for guests to navigate around and park easily, which is resulting in the difficult decision to close this location on July 25, 2025,” the email read. “Rest assured, we are doing our best to provide options for our Peachtree Corners teammates at our surrounding locations, and we look forward to serving you at one of our neighboring restaurants soon.”

👍 Restaurant Openings

Las Brasas in Decatur reopened July 18 after renovations, as first reported by Decaturish. The Peruvian restaurant, which was closed for seven months, now features an expanded menu and more seating thanks to its annexation of the former nail salon next door.

Kevin Rathbun will resurrect Krog Bar,which closed in 2020, in the space adjacent to KR Steakbar at 349 Peachtree Hills Ave. Earlier this year, Rathbun filed an alcohol license permit for the space, sparking rumors about a potential pizza restaurant. Rough Draft reached out to Rathbun at the time of the permit request for Krog Bar, but did not receive a response.

South Downtown’s Origin Hotel opened this week, bringing Social Capitol American Bistro to the area’s rapidly growing ecosystem. The neighborhood has a slew of restaurant openings slated, including a second location of El Tesoro, a full-service location of Delilah’s Everyday Soul, and Broad St. BBQ, and in October will start hosting the weekly food market festival Smorgasburg Atlanta. Social Capitol combines local ingredients and cuisine with global flavors and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Expect items such as biscuit-battered chicken tenders, craft cocktails, and breakfast skillets.

ICYMI in June, Monday Night Brewing will open a new taproom called The Grove at 670 Trabert Ave next month in conjunction with the newest section of the Atlanta Beltline Northwest Trail. Located less than a mile from the 14th Street and Howell Mill Road corridor, the broadened space, which sits directly on the Beltline, will provide room for 18 more taps and a counter-service restaurant offering a daily coffee service, pastries, sandwiches, and pizza. Monday Night Brewing’s original Westside taproom will host private events. The Grove will also include free parking spread throughout three lots.

🍽️ Dining Events

Petit Violette cancer fundraiser

French restaurant and mystery dinner theatre venue Petite Violette is hosting a fundraiser to support employee Karen Javo’s cancer treatment this Sun., July 27, from 4-8 pm. The event will include live music from the Mike Veal Band, a cash bar, and a silent auction offering items such as a weekend cabin stay in Cashiers, NC; custom jewelry; and Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem tickets, as well as a dinner buffet. Tickets are $50 a person and can be obtained by calling Patti Donehoo at 678-296-3375.

Yeoville Comes to Atlanta

Monday night supper club Wick & Nicks will host an international chef on Sun., August 10, and Mon., August 11. Chef Sanza Sandile from Johannesburg, South Africa, who runs the Yeoville Dinner Club there, is currently on a pop-up tour of the United States. He’ll be in Atlanta for two nights, taking over the Wick & Nicks space Sunday and collaborating with the Wick & Nick’s duo on Monday. Purchase tickets for night one here and night two here.

Summer Sippin’ in Roswell

SPONSORED BY VISIT ROSWELL

🍹 Summer Sippin’, the annual beverage competition, is back for its 10th year, now through August 19. Sip your way through Roswell at 61 participating establishments – from breweries and restaurants to coffee shops and tasting rooms – all serving up uniquely crafted, summer-inspired sips.

☀️ Start your Summer Sippin’ journey here.

This inclusive pop-up features dishes adapted for those with allergies and dietary restrictions

👩‍🍳 Chef Olivia McCoy wants to create a fine dining space where all Atlantans can eat, regardless of dietary restrictions or food allergies. And her pop-up String Bean, which she hopes to nurture into a restaurant, is just the beginning.

Empathy and attention have always been among McCoy’s core values. Growing up in Hollidaysburg, PA, exposed McCoy to a movement towards healthy food that was meant to raise awareness and inform people of the potential harm that can ensue from allergies and diet. She was first introduced to special diets through customers at her mother’s health food store.

➡️ Read more about the String Bean dinners here.

Meet the longtime regulars of The Colonnade

💌 Open since 1927, The Colonnade has long been a destination in Atlanta for its classic meat-and-three fare. But over the last decade, the Cheshire Bridge Road restaurant institution has weathered several challenges – a series of bridge fires that cut off access roads for weeks (or months) at a time, a forced closure due to the global pandemic, and in 2024, a transition to new ownership.

But as The Colonnade approaches its 100th birthday, Atlanta’s second-oldest restaurant is more popular than ever, thanks to new leadership and a group of loyal regulars who can’t get enough of its fried chicken plates, ice-cold martinis, and the connections they’ve made with fellow diners.

➡️ Read Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz’s story here.

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At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

🍅 Do you want soup in the summertime? Do you crave a crispy homemade fritter to go along with it? We’ve got you covered. Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to give you two recipes that you can make using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got gazpacho and squash and corn fritters. Check the recipes out here.

🖋️ Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.

❗So many restaurant openings!