Table Talk: What’s up with these restaurant closures?
Jan. 13 — Happy Tuesday! Welcome to the table, friends.
In today’s “Family Meal,” I’m bringing you my thoughts on the recent spate of restaurant closures in Atlanta. While some closures were sad, and others surprising, it’s not all bad news for 2026. I explain why.
Plus, I tell you where to enjoy a smoked fish chopped salad during a leisurely lunch in Midtown. And Marlow’s Tavern shares its recipe for the V&G Buddha bowl, a take on tuna poke.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
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What’s Up With Atlanta’s Restaurant Closures?
🗣️ There’s been a lot of chatter about the recent spate of restaurant closures in Atlanta and what these closures mean for our food scene. But what you might not realize is that December and January tend to be high closure months for the restaurant industry – and not just in Atlanta.
Leases are up and new agreements can’t be reached. Yearly permits are due again. Ownership changes take place. Patronage is down overall. A restaurant has simply run its course. (The average lifespan of a restaurant is between five and 10 years. Close to 17 percent of restaurants fail within the first year. Restaurants making it beyond a decade is a huge achievement.)
Why pull thousands of dollars worth of permits for a restaurant that might not last the year, or sign another 10-year lease with an untenable rental agreement? Decisions need to be made, and the turning of a calendar year provides a clean break.
🤔 In fact, most restaurant closures come down to a complicated combination of factors.
Do these recent closures signal the decline of Atlanta’s restaurant scene? No.
Are developers and high rents choking out local restaurants? Somewhat.
Is the city doing enough to protect small businesses from predatory landlords, inflation-related price hikes, or providing enough business incentives, loan opportunities, or support to grow our restaurant scene? No, and something I want to dig into this year.
Am I keeping an eye on these restaurant closures? You bet.
High restaurant closure years tend to be cyclical, especially if a set of restaurants opened around the same time.
🇹🇭 In 2025, the leases were up on a few original Ponce City Market food hall tenants, including W.H. Stiles Fish Camp, Miso Ko, and Ton Ton. Thai restaurant Terminal 26 will replace W.H. Stiles this spring, while NoriFish and Okiburo will replace Miso Ko and Ton Ton.
A new wing of the central food hall opened last summer, featuring three Asian street food stalls backed by the owners of Vietnamese restaurant Vietvana. Cocktail bar and listening room La Cueva will open soon in the former Root Baking Co. space on the second floor of the food hall.
While we did lose a handful of legacy restaurants in 2025, including Daddy D’z, JavaVino, Julianna’s, and Eats, there’s hope on the horizon.
Daddy D’z owner Christianah Coker-Jackson wants to reopen the Grant Park barbecue restaurant elsewhere in Atlanta. The owners of Wild Heaven Beer will reopen Eats inside the brewery’s West End taproom this spring. JavaVino transitioned to a wholesale coffee business. All-day cafe and workspace At Arbeta will replace JavaVino in Poncey-Highland, serving its coffee.
😐 A high concentration of restaurant closures within a specific neighborhood, however, tends to worry me more. This indicates a problem. Remember the closures in West Midtown last year? According to our reporting, a powder keg of overdevelopment, steep rents, high parking fees, too-similar restaurants, lack of everyday amenities, and traffic led to a rapid succession of closures.
Last summer, West Midtown restaurant and business owners formed a coalition, regularly meeting to discuss issues before they become problems. Then, in October, Lidl finally brought a grocery store to the area, opening at the Interlock complex on Northside Drive.
New restaurants like Gula Indonesian Desserts continued family legacies on Buford Highway. To stay relevant during uncertain economic times, Atlanta restaurants like Breaker Breaker and Roshambo adjusted menus and serviceto meet customers’ expectations.
🥳 There’s a lot to look forward to in 2026, including several anticipated restaurants led by Atlanta’s next-gen chefs, serving everything from Thai bar food to dishes exploring the African diaspora. It also appears lunch and late-night dining are finally returning to Atlanta’s post-pandemic dining scene.
As diners, we need to fight for the survival of the restaurants we love. Dine at your favorite restaurant on a random Tuesday night when you don’t feel like cooking. Make it a point to eat at a legacy restaurant that might not have the sexiest vibe or shiniest social media presence. Become a regular at a neighborhood spot you’ve always adored.
In other words, support the restaurants you don’t want to see disappear in 2026.
Teach your old fur new tricks!
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The Move: Smoked Fish Chopped Salad at Elise
🥬 Lunch at Elise is a leisurely affair, hosted in the airy salon of the Woodruff Arts Center restaurant. It’s a respite in the heart of Midtown, a quiet oasis tucked away from the hurriedness of busy Peachtree Street.
Couples wander in after visiting the High Museum. Business deals go down at corner tables. Friends cheers each other at banquettes. Solo diners relish alone time at the bar.
On a recent Friday afternoon, friends and I ordered a trio of salads at Elise. My entry for the tour de salad lunch was the smoked fish chopped salad.
Chunks of lightly smoked white fish, chopped romaine, shaved carrots, and house-made croutons come tossed in a creamy herb dressing. Sometimes simplicity wins the day, especially when paired with a plate of fries and glass of blanc de blanc. And while not listed as an entree on the menu, the smoked fish chopped salad leans hearty enough to satiate at lunch.
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Recipe: V&G Buddha Bowl From Marlow’s Tavern
🐟 This week, we’re sharing the V&G Buddha bowl recipe from Marlow’s Tavern. The nutrient-rich dish is available at all four Marlow’s Tavern locations in metro Atlanta.
Executive Chef John Metz recommends that beginners and most home cooks use frozen poke. “If you can find pre-cut, frozen tuna poke, it is easier to work with,” he said. “If not, look for saku tuna (block tuna), and stay away from tuna steaks.”
“Saku tuna is cut from the top portion of the loin and is always more tender and has less sinew,” Metz added. “This is generally what [chefs] use to produce a pre-cut tuna poke product.”
If you’re confident with your fishmonger, then feel free to use fresh tuna. You can also forego the tuna.
🥗 While there are many brands of poke sauce, Metz likes using Kikkoman’s, which incorporates soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil to produce a balanced flavor.
Metz suggests seasoning the farro and quinoa during the cooking process. “A heavy pinch of salt makes all the difference,” he said. For fluffy farro and quinoa, treat both grains like rice, and don’t use a spoon or spatula, as these utensils will break up the grains.
📋 Ingredients
Bowl
- 1/2 cup cooked farro
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 avocado, cut into two slices
- 1/4 cup cucumber, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup shelled edamame
- 1/4 cup shaved radish
- 3 grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 4 ounces sushi/poke-grade tuna
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Kikkoman poke sauce, to taste
- 2 ounces rice wine herb vinaigrette (recipe below)
- 1/2 cup raw cauliflower florets
- 1 pinch French fry spice
- 2 Tbsp pickled red onion
Rice wine herb vinaigrette
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/2 ounce fresh cilantro, stems removed
- 1/2 ounce fresh mint, stems removed
- 1/2 cup salad oil
🥣 Directions
- Cook the grains: Cook farro and quinoa according to package directions, adding a heavy pinch of salt. Let grains sit covered. Fluff with a fork before assembling the bowl.
- Make the vinaigrette: Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth and a consistent bright green color. Cool below 40 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours of production. Store in a squeeze bottle with a lid.
- Build the bowl: Place the quinoa and farro in the center of a large bowl, spreading it out slightly. Place raw ingredients, working from the outside of the bowl into the center and keeping each in their own section, while leaving space for the cauliflower.
- Season all vegetables with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 ounces of vinaigrette over vegetables, making sure to put plenty in the center to dress the grains underneath.
- Cook cauliflower in a 350-degree fryer and cook for one minute, until light golden brown. Remove cauliflower from grease, all excess oil to drain, and season well with fry spice. Place cauliflower in the empty space.
- Toss tuna with poke sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Top tuna with pickled red onions, wipe the rim of the bowl, and serve.
➡️ Get double the Atlanta food and dining coverage with “Family Meal,” edited by Beth McKibben, on Tuesdays at 5 p.m., and “Side Dish,” edited by Sarra Sedghi, on Thursdays at noon. Subscribe to both here. ⬅️