☕ So. Much. Kaapi.
Jan. 22 — Hello, internet friends!
I’ve been working at Raani Coffee Roasters in the old Hodgepodge Coffeehouse space in East Atlanta and just eavesdropped on a conversation about how notorious gatekeeping is in the restaurant and bar industry. One of my community table neighbors said something along the lines of people should promote the places they love and encourage success, rather than trying to control who has access to deserving restaurants and bars. Visit and promote your favorite independent restaurants, y’all, and shout them out.
In this week’s “Side Dish,” I tell you what to eat and drink at Raani. (Read 285 South editor Sophia Qureshi’s excellent feature on the shop.) I also wax poetic about savory biscuits.
👀 There’s quite a bit of dining intel this week on new and upcoming restaurant openings, including a wine-bar-slash-plant-shop headed to Howell Mill Road. And catch up on the top dining stories, like Atlanta’s James Beard Awards semifinalists and Season opening at Gabriel’s Bakery in Marietta.
ICYMI, here’s a link to Tuesday’s “Family Meal,” where Beth gives the deets on Wyld Bird, a Miami-inspired chicken spot coming to Home Grown next month, and Confab Kitchen & Bar in Brookhaven shares a recipe for sticky duck wings.
🌷I’d also like to thank everyone who responded to last week’s query about loud restaurants. It was nice to read your thoughts rather than worry about not being able to hear them over a meal.
See y’all next week.
🎂 Sarra
Quick Bites
🌮 Restaurant openings
Brews & Hops Taproom is now open in Chamblee. In addition to more than 40 beer and wine self-pour taps, Brews & Hops offer a selection of nonalcoholic beer and snacks, like Indian-fusion flatbreads, wings, and chaat. The taproom also hosts happy hours Monday through Thursday from 4-6 p.m.
Gourmet grilled cheese and soup spot & Cheese relocated from Lenox Mall to an expanded location on Peachtree near the Fox Theatre.
A Midtown location of Mexican restaurant Dos Caminos opens on Jan. 26, taking over the former Oceanaire Seafood Room at 1100 Peachtree. Owned by the same company as Oceanaire, this will be the chain’s sixth location. In addition to lunch and dinner, expect happy hour and weekend brunch.
The AJC reports (paywall) that Cuevacía, a Oaxacan and Northern Mexican restaurant owned by William Pitts of Saints & Council, will open at Colony Square on Jan. 27. It replaces sushi spot Sukoshi across from 5Church.
A franchise location of Taffer’s Tavern, backed by “Bar Rescue” host Jon Taffer, will open on Feb. 2 at the corner of Peachtree and 17th in Midtown. This marks the third metro Atlanta location, which includes locations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and in Alpharetta.
🍷 Coming attractions
Plant shop The Victorian will open a location at Collier Hall on Howell Mill Road soon. The shop will include a wine bar and patio, which open in late spring or early summer. The Victorian’s two other locations share space with Burle’s Bar (Eastside Beltline) and a coffee shop in East Atlanta Village. Bellwood Coffee shared space with The Victorian in East Atlanta Village, but closed at the end of 2025 ahead of its relocation to Grant Park.
🍲 Menu updates
Brookhaven Korean-Japanese restaurant Mirae, which opened at Parkside on Dresden in October 2025, recently expanded its dinner menu.
Spring 2nd Branch in Marietta is now accepting takeout orders. Delivery via DoorDash and UberEats will launch soon.
🦋 Add to your calendar
Beksa Lala is halfway through a month of Monday pop-ups at Breaker Breaker in Reynoldstown. Jackalope will pop up at Banshee in East Atlanta Village this Sunday (reservations encouraged, and weather permitting). Virginia-Highland restaurant Rosa will host a joint event featuring Zenu and Du Sud on Jan. 26.
Sweet Auburn BBQ is celebrating Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday with a party hosted by drag icon Brigitte Bidet. The fun starts at 8 p.m. on Jan. 31. Expect karaoke, barbecue bites, a best-dressed contest, and themed drinks honoring the country music icon and all-around legend. Tickets are available now for $10.
Bona Fide Deluxe in Edgewood is celebrating three years on Valentine’s Day weekend with an anniversary party. The sandwich shop and bar also just announced “Night Shift,” extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights offering cocktails and food specials, from 9 p.m. to midnight.
Speaking of late-night menus, Poor Hendrix just added one, featuring half-priced wings, loaded fries topped with spicy peanut sauce, crushed peanuts, furikake, and scallions, and $5 well drinks. The East Lake restaurant and bar also launched a new happy hour menu.
Roswell Restaurant Weeks begin today, running through Feb. 7. The next several days will celebrate 59 local restaurants, including Lviv Croissants, di Paolo Italian Kitchen, and Tipsy Thaiger, one of Rough Draft’s Best New Restaurants of 2025. Check out Visit Roswell for more details.
Roswell Restaurant Weeks
SPONSORED BY VISIT ROSWELL AND ROSWELL INC.
🍽️ Roswell Restaurant Weeks returns for its 11th year, Jan 22 – Feb 7. This year, 59 participating locations are creating delicious prix fixe menus for you to enjoy. Roswell Restaurant Weeks celebrates the vibrant dining scene and culinary diversity found in Roswell.
🎁 Check out the new interactive event guide with ways for you to explore the restaurants, check in, earn badges, and win prizes.
🎉 Enjoy the most delicious time of the year in Roswell.
Top Stories From the Week
Atlanta’s James Beard Awards semifinalists
🏅 The James Beard Foundation shared its list of semifinalists in the chef and restaurant categories for this year’s awards. Pastry chef Claudia Martinez, sommelier Taurean Philpott (Avize), the Kamayan ATL owners, Aria, and Madeira Park are among the semifinalists from Atlanta.
⏩ Read more about the James Beard semifinalists here.
Season at Gabriel’s opens in Marietta
🥓 Marietta breakfast and brunch powerhouse Season partnered with legacy spot Gabriel’s Bakery to create Season at Gabriel’s, which features an expanded menu and much more seating. Down the line, Season at Gabriel’s will add lunch dishes, pastries, and a hefty salad bar.
⏩ Read more about Season at Gabriel’s here.
New on the barbecue scene: Misfitsss BBQ
🍖 Following the great schism of Owens & Hull in Smyrna, Chef Tyler Heath and pitmaster Bryan Hull launched Misfitsss BBQ, a collaborative pop-up with residencies at Round Trip Brewing and Communidad Taqueria. During these pop-ups, they’re slinging dishes like Thai tea mustard-glazed spare ribs and a lemon pepper wet turkey torta.
⏩ Read more about Misfitsss BBQ here.
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🥕 This week, we’ve got orange on the brain! Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two recipes that you can make using ingredients from your local farmers market. Today, we’ve got satsuma marmalade and carrot ginger soup. Click here for both recipes.
That Slaps!
☕ I visited Raani Coffee Roasters in the former Hodgepodge Coffeehouse location twice this week and foresee many returns in the future.
On Monday, I ordered a drip kaapi (south Indian filter coffee) and a sun-dried tomato chutney and curry leaf biscuit. I also picked up a bag of honey barbecue cauliflower puffs. Then, on Wednesday, I tried the salted jaggery latte (it’s a seasonal item I highly recommend you order before it’s gone) and pour-over coffee. I tasted the cardamom rose pistachio scone and cardamom and coriander bun, too. All hits. Taking my own advice, I am not gatekeeping Raani Coffee. Check it out. Look for my Rough Cut on Raani Coffee Roasters on our Instagram soon.
🥐 Anyway, the Raani experience made me realize that biscuits make an ideal vehicle for international flavor exploration. My only other recent example is Leftie Lee’s kimchi cheddar biscuit. I ate that biscuit at Postern Coffee inside Minhwa Spirits in Doraville. Biscuits are an art, and both Raani and Leftie Lee’s biscuits taste legendary. My hot take from two years ago still applies: savory pastries are so hot right now.
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.
