Restaurants Are Getting Budget-Friendly, While Community Gardens Are a Hot Commodity
Sept. 18 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for apple cider doughnuts. Tis the season!
Read stories on Taste Brookhaven’s return next month and why community gardens and urban farms have become the must-have amenities for new developments around Atlanta.
➕ Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz digs into why so many Atlanta restaurants, from casual to fine dining, now include weekly meal deals and nostalgia-fueled menus.
🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on the openings of Mason’s Super Dogs on the Eastside Beltline, relocation plans for cocktail bar Mambo Zombi from Sweet Auburn to East Atlanta Village, and Doraville tapping Dunwoody’s DASH Hospitality to curate its new city center restaurant scene. Plus, 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.” Beth tells about a new evening croissant (and quiche) delivery service run by a mother-daughter duo that just launched last month. And with fall officially beginning in less than a week, Daily Chew provided a recipe for its vegan butternut squash coconut soup.
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
A location of Mason’s Super Dogs just opened near the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park along the Eastside Beltline. Owned by 19-year-old Mason Wright, the Old Fourth Ward location is part of the Beltline’s incubator marketplace, supporting up-and-coming restaurants and businesses. Wright founded Mason’s at age 12, operating it as a hot dog cart on the Morehouse College campus. Beef, turkey, bratwurst, and vegan hot dogs are all available on the menu.
Red Room Bistro, owned by TV personality and “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Karlie Redd, opened last month along Trinity Avenue in downtown Atlanta. The restaurant serves a fusion of soul and Caribbean dishes, along with cocktails. Redd co-owns Red Room Bistro with Ace Carrington (Spice House, Crescent City Kitchen). A grand opening celebration is planned for Sept. 28.
Smorgasburg, the weekly food festival headed to South Downtown this fall, will debut on Oct. 18. Located at the intersection of Forsyth and Trinity in South Downtown, Smorgasburg Atlanta will feature 40 food vendors, a bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails, and include retail and artist stalls and live entertainment. Keep tabs on the restaurants joining the Smorgasburg Atlanta lineup via Instagram.
🤔 News to Know
Mambo Zombi, the cocktail bar owned by Johnny Martinez and Brandon Ley of Joystick Gamebar and bartender Kysha Cyrus, will relocate from Edgewood Avenue to East Atlanta Village (EAV). Mambo Zombi’s last day above Georgia Beer Garden is Sept. 28. When reached for comment, Martinez said a lease agreement is underway for a space in the heart of EAV but declined to provide further details on the exact location. Martinez said, however, they’re hoping to reopen Mambo Zombi by the end of the year. Stay tuned!
Doraville officials tapped DASH Hospitality, the group behind the restaurants at Funwoody Village, to develop the restaurants at the city’s new town center. Doraville City Center comprises 13 acres between New Peachtree Road and Buford Highway, and is within walking distance of the Doraville MARTA Station. Scheduled for completion in 2028, Doraville City Center will also include connections to the Peachtree Creek Greenway and the Beltline.
ICYMI, Ken Katz and Jeannette Flores-Katz celebrated the grand opening of La Bodega this week with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens. The Salvadoran market and pupuseria opened in Sylvan Hills over the summer and has been ramping up service and offerings in its fresh market ever since. Read more about La Bodega here.
💲 Deal of the Week
All CT Cantina locations in Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Buckhead, and Fayetteville now offer a weekday “Mini Hour,” from 2-5 p.m. Expect half-off drinks like $6 mini margaritas and palomas and food specials, including $2 mini tacos and $4 mini tostadas.
🕊️ The Colonnade x Robert Redford
Earlier this week, legendary movie star and Sundance Film Fest founder Robert Redford died at the age of 89. Redford’s award-winning movie and directing career spanned more than six decades. In 2016, Redford was in Atlanta filming “A Walk in the Woods,” starring alongside Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson. The Colonnade paid tribute to Redford on Instagram by posting a scene from the movie filmed in the dining room of the iconic Atlanta restaurant. In a touching statement, Redford’s “Out of Africa” co-star, Meryl Streep, said of her longtime friend, “One of the lions has passed.” Indeed.
The Ultimate Fall Getaway Guide to Lake Oconee
SPONSORED BY VISIT LAKE OCONEE
🍁 Fall is one of the most magical times to visit Lake Oconee. As the leaves shift from green to fiery hues of red, gold, and orange, Georgia’s serene lake country becomes the perfect escape for leaf lovers, cozy travelers, and outdoor adventurers alike.
Whether you’re planning a romantic weekend, a family outing, or a solo recharge,this ultimate fall guide will help you make the most of the season at Lake Oconee, Georgia’s hidden gem for fall getaways.
Find your reason to unwind, reconnect, explore, and linger longer at Lake Oconee this fall.
Top Stories From the Week
Blue plate specials and combo meals are making a comeback at Atlanta restaurants
💵 At Avize, the Westside fine dining restaurant recently named one of Bon Appétit’s “Best New Restaurants in America,” Chef Karl Gorline serves modern Alpine dishes with luxe ingredients like foie gras and American Wagyu. But Bar Avize, the restaurant’s sibling next door, has become just as much of a destination for its fancy takes on comfort food, including caviar-topped chicken nuggets and a viral, $20 “NYC Happy Meal,” featuring a broccoli Caesar salad, truffle fries, and a mini martini.
Across Atlanta, restaurants like Bar Avize are launching weekly specials, swapping finer-dining dishes for nostalgia-fueled plates, and offering budget-friendly tasting menus and meal deals in hopes of attracting price-conscious diners back to the dining room and boosting sluggish sales.
➡️ Read more from Rough Draft contributor Laura Scholz here.
Is the community garden the new must-have amenity?
👩🌾 As more eco-conscious communities gain momentum around the country, amenities such as pools and fitness centers just don’t seem to cut it anymore. Some Metro Atlanta apartment complexes and housing communities are going beyond the traditional amenities, building shared garden spaces and even farms into the residential package.
While community gardens aren’t exactly new, the privatization of such an amenity brings fresh context to agrarianism. Rooftop gardens and on-site farms are two types of modern and urban community garden spaces you might find within newer apartment and housing complexes.
➡️ Read Sarra’s full report here.
Taste Brookhaven returns for another round next month
😋 Taste Brookhaven, now in its sixth year, will be held Oct. 2 from 6-9 p.m. at Brookhaven’s newly completed City Centre.
More than 20 restaurants and other vendors will be on hand to showcase Brookhaven’s food scene, said Explore Brookhaven Marketing Manager Megan Brown. People who purchase either general admission or VIP tickets will have unlimited access to food and drink, including wine, handcrafted cocktails and local brews.
➡️ Read more from Rough Draft’s Cathy Cobbs here.
🍁 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
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍩 Fall is just about here, so it’s time to get comfy and cozy with your recipes. Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two dishes you can make using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This time, we’ve got a Thai pumpkin curry and apple cider doughnuts. Check out both recipes here.