Costco, meet Antico
Jan. 8 — Hello internet friends, Sarra here!
You may have encountered my work on Rough Draft, my face in our “Rough Cut” series, or myself in the flesh as the weird girl who either darts into restaurants, asks questions, and leaves, or brings two octogenarian Persians with astronomical standards (my grandparents) along for lunch.
🫣 It feels pretty wild to be typing up “Side Dish,” but I’m excited to nurture this newsletter and hopefully make you laugh while you’re checking your email.
We’ve got quite a bit of intel in Side Dish this week, including updates on openings, closures (Not-so-fun fact: winter is prime restaurant closure season because it’s typically when leases expire!), and fun tidbits like the latest Atlanta food brand to infiltrate Costco.
And ICYMI, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal,” which covers Beth’s dining trends picks for 2026, fast-food chicken drama, and Bar Blanc’s French dip recipe.
See y’all next week!
🍰 Sarra
Quick Bites
🍳 Openings
Season, one of our Best New Restaurants of 2025, opened a satellite location inside Marietta’s Gabriel’s Bakery. According to a joint Instagram post, the partnership will help both beloved businesses succeed at what they do best. Catch counter-service breakfast and lunch at Gabriel’s location Tuesday-Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Season 2.0 has a limited coffee menu right now, but as they get more established, they’ll start incorporating seasonal flavors. Stay tuned to their socials for further updates.
Omakase Table’s sister restaurant, 788 Omakase Table, is now open at 788 W. Marietta St NW. Expect to spend $195 per person on a 14-course meal. Reservations are available now.
Renzo Kuong Arrayan’s (Pisco Latin Kitchen) steakhouse and ceviche bar, Casa Coya, opened in Reynoldstown. Reservations are now available on OpenTable.
Ethiopian spot Ruki’s Kitchen (pictured above) opens this weekend in Switchman Hall at Terminal South. You may have recently enjoyed Ali Lemma’s food during his Midtown Bowl residency in November. Stop by this Saturday, Jan. 10, from noon to 8 p.m., to catch the grand opening, or come earlier for the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m.
Hippin Hops Brewpub & Oyster Bar relaunched under new ownership last Saturday, Jan. 3. The brewpub has shifted its focus to highlighting local brewers and a more robust culinary menu, which includes an oyster menu featuring more than 10 styles of preparation.
🍣 Coming Attractions
Norifish, an omakase restaurant and Okiboru, a ramen and tsukemen spot, will open at Ponce City Market’s food hall this spring.
Smalls Sliders, a Louisiana-based chain known for tiny burgers and indulgent milkshakes, broke ground on the second Georgia location in Marietta this week.
Lala, a panaderia from pastry chef Ricky Saucedo (Pata Negra Mezcaleria), opens in Lawrenceville Square early next month.
Downtown Decatur French restaurant Cafe Alsace reopens after a winter break on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Ikara, a fine dining Indian restaurant, will open in Atlantic Station’s Twelve Midtown Hotel this winter.
😢 Closures
This time of year is flush with restaurant closures, and metro Atlanta was not spared. Falling Rabbit in Duluth, Battle and Brew at the Battery, Tin Lizzy’s Cantina locations in Dunwoody and East Cobb, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, and Chido & Padre’s all recently closed.
💥 Restaurant Sale
Magnolia’s Kitchen & Cocktails, which closed in Sandy Springs after just five months in December, has been listed for sale, as first reported by Tomorrow’s News Today.
✅Add to Your Calendar
The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center will launch Joe Alterman’s Toast & Jam Jazz Brunch series in the Studio Theatre this Sunday, Jan. 11. This month, pianist Joe Alterman’s guest is Lavahi. Seatings are available at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are available now.
Atlanta’s Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) chapter hosts its 13th annual Culinary Futures Reception at the Fashion Theater at AmericasMart Building 3, Floor 15, next Thursday, Jan. 15, from 6-8 p.m. This year’s event will feature Cat Cora, the first female Iron Chef. An exclusive VIP meet-and-greet with Cora starts at 5:30. Tickets are available now.
Ready, Set, AGLOW!
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MUSEUM
🌟 When the sun sets, the woods come alive at WildWoods: AGLOW.
This after-hours experience combines art, nature and music at Fernbank Museum, featuring scenic trails aglow with light outdoors and nighttime access to museum exhibits inside.
🌙 Select nights through Feb. 28, 2026.
Top Stories From the Week
Welcome back, Eats!
🍝 It turns out that Eats’ closure in October will end up being temporary. Wild Heaven Beer purchased the rights to Eats and will introduce the restaurant to their West End taproom in March. Expect the same atmosphere and wall hangings, the return of the pasta menu, and even Eats’ original ovens.
⏩ Read more about the Eats comeback here.
Flurry of closures at Ponce City Market
Flurry of closures at Ponce City Market
😭 Ton Ton, Miso Ko, and Sugar Shane’s closed their doors for good at Ponce City Market (PCM). Hector Santiago’s La Metro may also be closed, and Rough Draft has reached out to Santiago for clarification. Two new Japanese restaurants have already been added to PCM’s roster.
⏩ Read about PCM’s tenant shakeup here.
December restaurant openings
🎉 Several new restaurants opened around Atlanta in December, including The Westwood in Westview, The Local Tavern in North Druid Hills, restaurant stalls at Switchman Hall in Peoplestown, and Trattoria Lucia in Glenwood Park.
⏩ Check out the full list of December restaurant openings here.
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍰 Every week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two recipes you can make at home with ingredients from your local farmers market. This time around, we’re helping you bookend dinner with a tasty winter salad and grapefruit-flavored cake. Check out both recipes here.
That Slaps
👋 Last month, I saw a post about Brookhaven’s 1678 Omakase in the ATL Asian Eats Facebook group and added it to my list of new restaurants to visit, since I’m a huge proponent of double-digit omakase. My husband and I finally went last week and had a fantastic experience. I noticed that the otoro fatty tuna (pictured in the hand roll above) wasn’t quite as oily as usual. It reminded me more of chutoro, medium-fatty tuna. Look for a new Rough Cut on our Instagram this weekend for a mini review of my experience here, including dramatic facial reactions.
BTW, here’s something else I’m excited to share. You’ll soon see a Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winner in your bulk grocery store’s freezer aisle. Antico Pizza Napoletana will debut its super-premium frozen pizza line, Antico Casa, in more than 80 Costco stores across the Southeast. This is the first time Antico’s products will be available in stores, so stash one of the Atlanta pizzeria’s margherita two-packs in your freezer for nights you don’t feel like cooking.
We’re always looking for recipes to highlight on Rough Draft. If you have a favorite dish from a restaurant you want the recipe for, please send me an email to sarra@roughdraftatlanta.com.