Restaurant closures and openings in Atlanta

The Latest Restaurant Openings + Restaurant Relocations and Closures

Sept. 4 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for fajitas using seasonal produce from your local farmers market. Read stories on the September return of Captain B’s Fish Camp to Ticonderoga Club, and a new book called “Dining Out,” which explores gay restaurant culture in Atlanta and beyond.

➕ We’ve also rounded up the latest restaurant openings for you, including debuts in Roswell, Avondale Estates, Underwood Hills, and the Beltline.

🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on the reopening of vegan ice cream shop The Creamy Spot, the relocation plans for Filipino restaurant Kamayan ATL on Buford Highway, and the closure of a Peachtree Corners steakhouse and grill. Plus, some must-attend dining events to add to your calendar and more dining news to know.

In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal.” It features Beth’s guide to transitional cocktails, or drinks that help bridge the in-between season gap from summer to fall in Atlanta. Learn how to make the bulgogi Philly from Yumbii and why Beth loves chilaquiles – aka breakfast nachos.

Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!

🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra

🍁 From scenic sights and cozy stays to local flavors and lakeside adventures, fall at the lake is as unforgettable as it is beautiful. If you’re looking to unwind, reconnect, or explore, Lake Oconee is Georgia’s hidden gem for fall getaways. Find your reason to linger longer this fall with this Ultimate Guide. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Have You Heard?

🥂 Restaurant Openings

After closing down operations last year at former West End brewery Best End, vegan ice cream shop The Creamy Spot will reopen Sept. 13 as part of co-working space Pittsburgh Yards. The Creamy Spot first opened as a pop-up at The Window at The Met in Adair Park, owned by La Bodega’s Ken Katz and Jeannette Flores-Katz. The Katzs have since opened La Bodega as a pupuseria and market in Sylvan Hills.

The Peacherie, a three-stall food hall, and French restaurant Brasserie Lundi open on Sept. 10 inside the lobby of 1375 Peachtree in Midtown. Located at the corner of Peachtree and 17th, one block north of the Woodruff Arts Center, the newly renovated, seven-story office building includes a FedEx store location and medical offices among its tenants. Read more about The Peacherie and Brasserie Lundi here.

🚚 Restaurant Relocation

Early next year, Michelin-recognized Filipino restaurant Kamayan ATL will relocate to a larger space at Asian Square on Buford Highway, providing it with seating for up to 100 people. Owners Mia Orino and Carlo Gan will take over the former Wang Eye Center next door to the current location of Kamayan ATL, which will also allow the couple to expand their catering operation, events space, and newly launched rice bowl delivery service restaurant, TitaTito. Orino told Rough Draft that Kamayan ATL will begin serving beer and wine once it relocates. Barring any construction and permitting delays, Kamayan ATL should open at its new location by the end of February 2026. The restaurant remains open at its present location until the move next year. Read more about Kamayan ATL here.

😞 Restaurant Closure

The Peachtree Corners location of Uncle Jack’s Meat House closed last week. The steakhouse and grill chain, owned by Food Network personality Willie Degel, opened in 2021 at Peachtree Corners Town Center.

👉 News to Know

Last week, Steven Hartsock, the owner of Socks’ Love Barbecue, sold his popular Cumming restaurant to Brian and Kelly Tam of Tam’s Backstage. Hartsock said that little about Sock’s Love will change under the Tams. Read more from Atlanta magazine.

Chef Jarrett Stieber, owner of Michelin Bib Gourmand Little Bear, announced in an email this week to regulars and longtime supporters that the Summerhill restaurant will begin serving dinner on Monday evenings, starting Sept. 29. The restaurant is currently open Wednesday through Sunday. Adding Monday will allow Little Bear to open for industry workers who typically have the day off. There’s a possibility that Stieber could expand those hours to seven days a week by the end of the year.

📆 Add to Your Calendar

September is Brookhaven Restaurant Month. Many of the city’s restaurants will feature food deals and exclusive dinners and tastings throughout September, culminating in Taste Brookhaven on Oct. 2. Check out the list of participating restaurants here, and Rough Draft’s MARTA dining guide to Brookhaven here.

Panda Fest returns for another round at Atlantic Station Sept. 5-7 with more than 70 food and artist vendors, many of them local to Atlanta. Billed as the country’s largest outdoor Asian food festival, Panda Fest first launched in Atlanta earlier this spring. Tickets start at $14 per person. Read more about Panda Fest here.

Taste of Smyrna takes place Sept. 6 at City Hall on King Street. Expect more than 25 restaurants to participate, along with drinks and live music. Free admission.

There’s still time to grab tasting tent tickets to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival taking place at the Home Depot Backyard near Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sept. 11-14. The annual food festival also features a handful of dining experiences with local and regional chefs. Check out more information here.

Food, Culture, Community – It’s All Here

SPONSORED BY DISCOVER DEKALB

🍽️ A Taste of Chamblee is where flavor, culture, and community unite for an unforgettable day. Local chefs and restaurants bring their best dishes, from international favorites to Southern staples, creating a culinary adventure for every palate.

Music, entertainment, and family-friendly activities add energy and excitement, turning the event into a festival of connection. Chamblee opens its doors and invites you to explore its welcoming spirit through food and fun.

😋 Come hungry, leave fulfilled – make your way to A Taste of Chamblee and discover why this city shines.

Did you miss these August restaurant openings?

🥳 Several new restaurants opened around Atlanta in August, including La Mixteca Tamale House, Northern China Eatery, Necessary Purveyor, Side Quest, Sweet Auburn Brunch, Enso Izakaya, and Tipsy Thaiger. Plus, get the latest on the restaurants opening soon around Atlanta.

⏩ Check out the full list of August restaurant openings here.

New book ‘Dining Out’ explores past and present gay restaurant culture in Atlanta, and beyond

🏳️‍🌈 In his debut book “Dining Out,” journalist Erik Piepenburg tells America’s LGBTQ+ history through the beloved restaurants of the past and present.

Inspired by a story he wrote for the New York Times in 2021 about the closure of gay restaurants, Piepenburg traveled to nine states and Washington, D.C., to learn “everything [he] could” about the restaurants the LGBTQ+ community called home.

Included in Piepenburg’s culinary journey are four Atlanta establishments: the now shuttered Gallus and Silver Grill and the still operational Colonnade and Su’s Chinese Cuisine.

⏩ Read more from Georgia Voice reporter Katie Burkholder.

At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

🌶️ A little spice is in your future! Each week, Community Farmers Markets and Rough Draft Atlanta are partnering to bring you two tasty recipes you can make using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got farmers market fajitas and savory grits. Check out both recipes here.

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

🇵🇭 Kamayan ATL relocation plans