In this week’s Quick Bites, get details on restaurant openings in Buckhead and the former Bookhouse Pub space, new hotel restaurants in downtown Atlanta, and a fast-food restaurant’s closure on North Avenue. There’s also intel on a DreamHack afterparty at Smith’s Olde Bar, Grant Park’s epic 143rd birthday party, and a longtime hibachi chef’s departure from Atlanta’s oldest Japanese restaurant, Nakato.
Openings
Middle Eastern coffee shop Hayat Cafe is now open in Duluth.
JW Marriott Downtown Atlanta is now open on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. Affiliated restaurants The JW Market, The Ledger, and Fiora also opened. Fiora will expand to lunch and dinner later this year. Rooftop lounge The Perch will open in the coming weeks.
Southern tapas restaurant and lounge Here Today opens May 16 in the former Bookhouse Pub space on Ponce.
Closing
The Dairy Queen on North Avenue in Midtown closed after nearly 60 years in business, as first reported by Tomorrow’s News Today.
The Alden in Chamblee is temporarily closed following an apartment fire earlier this week.
Coming attractions
Harajuku-style crepe and “anti-caffeine” drinks shop Ori Ori will open at the Chattahoochee Food Works food hall in Underwood Hills this spring.
Tuscan restaurant Fiorenza Italian will open in Alpharetta this summer.
Grove and Barrel Provisions, an artisanal market offering food products, home goods, and gifts imported from southern Europe, will open this summer at Alpharetta City Center.
Vietvana Pho Noodle House will open a Lenox Square location in October. It joins locations in Ponce City Market and Avondale Estates.
It appears Mexican restaurant Boca, which closed for a second time in Summerhill, has been sold to a new owner. The space will remain a Mexican restaurant, albeit much more casual.
Chef departure
Longtime Nakato hibachi chef Robert Guntoro is moving back to Indonesia and departing the restaurant after working there for 24 years. His last day is May 17. Customers are encouraged to stop by and bid Chef Robert farewell.
Add to your calendar
Smith’s Olde Bar (SOB) will host a DreamHack-themed SOB After Dark event in honor of the gaming festival at midnight on May 16. DreamHack ticket holders are permitted free entry. Otherwise, it’s $5 per person.
Grant Park’s Market in the Park returns May 17 for the neighborhood’s epic 143rd birthday party. The event will feature local artist and food vendors, starting at 10 a.m.
Atlanta Craft Club is holding a craft picnic on May 17 at 781 Boulevard. Kids welcome. Register here.
The Select in Sandy Springs is holding another Tea & Tiles mahjong event on May 30, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person and include food, drinks, and two hours of parking. Register at OpenTable.
The waste nonprofit Lifecycle Building Center of Greater Atlanta will host an ice cream social on June 1 at the Krog Street Market location of Jeni’s, starting at 4 p.m. Twenty-five percent of proceeds will benefit Lifecycle Building Center.
The Atlanta Summer Halal Food Festival returns to the Old Fourth Ward Skatepark on the Eastside Beltline July 11 and 12. Applications for vendors, volunteers, and sponsors are now open. Tickets are available here.
