Could Atlanta host the James Beard Awards? Yes.
Thursday, July 23 — It’s almost the weekend, y’all!
👋 Beth here. I’m on “Side Dish” duty this week, filling in for Sarra who is on a much-needed vacation after her weeks-long World Cup reporting marathon. She’ll be back on the Atlanta dining beat next week. We already have some cool stories in the works, including a new MARTA dining guide and narrowing down restaurants for our 2026 Best New Restaurants awards in December.
Speaking of new restaurants, I just updated our downtown Atlanta restaurant opening tracker. Take a peek at the recent openings in downtown proper, South Downtown, and Centennial Yards.
⚜️ This week’s Side Dish includes the 411 on a slew of new restaurant openings, like Delilah’s Everyday Soul in South Downtown and Anne Quatrano’s latest restaurant in Underwood Hills. Plus, if you love mead, Christmas, and Medieval history, you might want to check out the Knight Before Christmas event tomorrow evening at Monks Meadery. Santa, mead, and full-armored combat are all involved.
And check out stories below on why Atlanta should host the James Beard Awards, the closure of MetroFresh after 21 years in Midtown, and how a breast cancer diagnosis prompted a couple to open their dream coffee shop.
My weekend is packed with dining research for Rough Draft, crammed between a couple of parties. The big one I’m preparing for is my sister’s 50th birthday party on Saturday, which should really just be sponsored by 3 Parks Wine Shop, as I may have cleaned the O4W location out of rose and chillable reds. Nah, y’all are good. But I did buy A LOT of wine for this party because my sister only turns 50 once.
🍷 Thanks to Sarah Pierre and her team for yet again helping my family and friends celebrate another milestone birthday. 3 Parks also curated the wine for my 50th and my mother’s 80th. (BTW, here’s a refresher on summer wines and what to grab from the shelves.)
🍸 Cheers!
Beth
Quick Bites
🎉 Openings
Summerland, a cafe from Chef Anne Quatrano, opened yesterday at Upper West Market. Named for Quatrano’s Cartersville farm, Summerland is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for coffee, takeaway, pastries, breakfast, brunch, and lunch dishes.
The owners behind Storico Fresco and Yeppa and Co. opened Italian restaurant and cocktail bar Y Bar last week at Buckhead Village. It’s 21+ and open Tuesday through Saturday.
Indian street food restaurant Bun and Bombay opened on East College Avenue on the border between Decatur and Avondale Estates.
Louisiana-based Mexican restaurant Habaneros opened on the ground floor of the Sora residential tower at Spring Quarter in Midtown.
Delilah’s Everyday Soul is now open in South Downtown on Mitchell Street, joining new restaurants in the development like El Tesoro, Glide pizzeria, Bottle Rocket, Brewhouse Cafe, and Broad Street BBQ.
Thyme Restaurant is now open on Piedmont Circle in Piedmont Heights for dinner, cocktails, and Sunday brunch.
A location of fast-casual smoothie bar and wrap restaurant Beyond Juicery + Eatery opens tomorrow on Peachtree Road in Brookhaven.
A new location of nonprofit coffee shop Refuge Coffee opens at Lulah Hills in Decatur on July 27. The grand opening takes place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
🥂 Coming attractions
The Danish Bakery & Smørrebrød Café will open on Juniper Street in Midtown. Freddy Adkins and his husband Mikkel, who is Danish, are in the final stages of funding the concept, which will be steps from Piedmont Park. The couple has a Letter of Intent (LOI) on a space and Adkins told Rough Draft that they will share the exact location once the lease is finalized. Targeting an early 2027 opening, expect a cafe and bakery similar to those found in Copenhagen with pastries, breads, and open-faced sandwiches. Look for a story from Georgia Voice reporter Katie Burkholder in August.
A location of Northern Italian restaurant Enzo Steakhouse & Bar will open this winter at Midtown hotel Epicurean Atlanta. Enzo first opened in 2022 at Town at Trilith in Fayetteville.
Subtext Bookstore, Cafe & Bar will open this fall on Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta. The cafe-bar-bookstore combo will offer breakfast, lunch, and cocktails throughout the day.
After popping up in Castleberry Hill this summer for the World Cup, Highland Bakery & Cafe will open a permanent location at 131 Walker St.
It appears another sushi restaurant will open in Midtown. An eagle-eyed Midtown resident spotted a liquor license application for An Sushi posted at 811 Peachtree at the corner of 6th and Peachtree.
El Ponce will launch housewares and food goods pop-up Tiendita on Mitchell Street in South Downtown, which will run through at least August. Tiendita will sell housewares, jewelry, Mexican food goods like tortillas and salsa, locally made eyewear, and other fair trade gifts from women and Indigenous brands. The pop-up will also offer food and crafting classes. The hope is for Tiendita to become a permanent shop in South Downtown.
🕊️ RIP
Nick’s Food To Go founder Nick Poulos died at age 83 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The scrappy Greek takeout spot at the corner of Hill Street and MLK Jr. Drive near Oakland Cemetery is closed while the family travels to Greece for the funeral. Poulos will be laid to rest beside his wife, Eleni. The couple first opened Nick’s Food To Go in 1994. It quickly became the spot for gyros in town. The family-owned restaurant will reopen on Aug. 3, according to a post online.
🍳 Closing
The Atlanta location of Cracker Barrel-backed Maple Street Biscuit closed on Howell Mill Road. The closure comes after the recent acquisition of the Maple Street Biscuit Company by Biscuit Belly. Acquisition plans include converting Maple Street Biscuit locations to Biscuit Belly over the next two years. It’s unclear if this includes the Howell Mill Road restaurant location.
🏅 Community announcement
The Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) is seeking nominations for its Grace Awards. The annual ceremony features awards for Lifetime Achievement, Restaurateur of the Year, Emerging Restaurateur of the Year, Future of Hospitality, Caterer of the Year, Chef of the Year, Restaurant Manager of the Year, Restaurant Employee of the Year, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ People’s Choice Awards, and the GRA Hall of Fame.
📆 Add to your calendar
It’s Christmas in July at Monks Meadery in Poncey-Highland. The meadery will host the Knight Before Christmas tomorrow, from 5 to 10 p.m. The Medieval Christmas party will feature live, full-armored combat, a chainmail demo with Santa, and Knight Before Yule mead. This is an all-ages event, with kids under 10 getting in for free. Tickets are $12 per person.
Marcus Bar & Grille and Emmy Squared Pizza will team up on July 25 for a special collaboration. Hosted at Marcus Bar & Grille in the Old Fourth Ward, from 5 to 9 p.m., look for Detroit-style pizzas topped with brisket, The Emmy Burger, and other food specials on the patio. The evening will also include a DJ, local vendors, and an outdoor grill.
Avize chef Karl Gorline will be included in an episode of PBS series “A Fork In The Road,” produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting. The episode called “The Power of the Peanut” airs July 27 at 9 p.m. In it, Gorline will discuss his work with Mana, a not-for-profit company turning Georgia peanuts into nutritional supplements for children in famine-stricken parts of the world.
Buckhead Restaurant Week kicks off on July 27 and runs through Aug. 1. Look for specials from more than four dozen restaurants in Buckhead.
Where to Find Summer-Inspired Drinks in Roswell
SPONSORED BY ROSWELL INC. AND VISIT ROSWELL
🍹 Explore Roswell’s beverage scene with a summer-inspired twist. Enjoy Summer Sippin’ at participating locations all around Roswell.
The beverage competition returns for its 11th year and showcases creative seasonal beverages at restaurants, coffee shops, tasting rooms and breweries.
➞ Check out the NEW interactive event guide and rate every sip you try this summer to help decide the ‘Best Sip in Roswell.’ Get your sip on.
Top Stories
What hosting the James Beard Awards could mean for Atlanta
🧑🍳 In July, the James Beard Foundation announced it was seeking a successor to Chicago for its annual awards. The announcement invited tourism boards and local organizations with the cash to submit bids to become the next host city for the James Beard Awards.
The foundation will announce the new host city early next year, with the winner hosting the James Beard Awards from 2029 to 2033.
While the James Beard Foundation seeks a successor to Chicago, local chefs and restaurateurs argue the case for Atlanta to be the next host of what’s known as the “Oscars of the food world.”
👉 Read Sarra’s feature report here.
Breast cancer diagnosis inspires couple to open Schāf Shop
☕🛹 Part coffee shop, part skate shop, owners and wives Lindzey and Taylor Schaffer opened their dream coffee shop earlier this year, prompted by a life-threatening cancer diagnosis six years ago.
Spurred on by the diagnosis, the Schaffers said they wanted a chance to live out their dreams. One of those dreams was tying together Lindzey’s passion for skateboarding with Taylor’s dream of owning a coffee shop.
They launched the Schāf Shop pop-up at My Sister’s Room on Crescent Avenue last year, while continuing to search for a permanent home for their business. The Schaffers found that space on Juniper Street in Midtown, opening Schāf Shop this year on their anniversary: Valentine’s Day.
🩷 Read more from Georgia Voice reporter Katie Burkholder.
MetroFresh closes at Midtown Promenade after 21 years
😢 The original location of MetroFresh permanently closed at Midtown Promenade, nearly five months after sustaining damage from a fire. The One Midtown Plaza location on Peachtree Street will remain open.
Actor-turned-restaurateur Mitchell Anderson opened MetroFresh in 2005, drawing customers to the Monroe Drive shopping center long before Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and the Beltline existed there.
In a July 16 post on the MetroFresh website, Anderson announced the permanent closure of his Midtown Promenade restaurant, calling the post-fire period an “emotional roller coaster.”
🥗 Read more about MetroFresh and its closure here.
At the Market
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🥪 Each week, Community Farmers Market and Rough Draft Atlanta partner to bring you two recipes that you can make at home using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got a sweet twist on a grilled cheese and a tasty combo of tomato and fig. Check out both recipes here.
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.
