🧆 New favorite falafel
Thursday, Sept. 17 — Hello, internet friends.
😋 My husband and I have been discussing falafel a lot lately, namely how often restaurant falafel disappoints us. To me, a good falafel is smooth on the inside, rather than dry, with a crispy, not hard, exterior. I learned this week that most restaurant falafel is made with a mix and not enough water. But I recently had some of the best falafel yet in metro Atlanta and I’ll tell you where to find it.
Now on to this week’s Quick Bites and details on a restaurant reopening in Avondale Estates, a closure in Midtown, and a beloved taco truck’s anticipated return.
Plus, keep reading for my story on Al Chef, a family-run halal food restaurant in Clarkston, Beth McKibben’s first look at Chef Demetrius Brown’s new Summerhill restaurant, and intel on the restaurant lineup for the 2026 Taste Brookhaven.
🍔 Finally, read this week’s edition of “Family Meal” for a number-crunching breakdown of the Wagyu burger at Minhwa Spirits and why you need to check out the “Market Menu” at Miller Union on Friday nights.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
Quick Bites
Openings
🥪 Popular Avondale Estates sandwich shop Billy’s reopened after a temporary closure.
🥗 Potbelly opened a location of the sandwich shop in Chamblee.
🥩 Indigo Road Hospitality Group opened a location of Oak Steakhouse in Athens.
Closing
😥 Chef Justin Dixon announced the closure of his Midtown sandwich counter Humble Mumble at the Collective at Coda food hall on Tech Square.
Coming attractions
🇮🇹 Luga, an Italian restaurant backed by Robbie Pacheco (Cardamom Hill, Restaurant 365), will open this fall at the new Modera complex in Decatur.
🌮 The owners behind the wildly popular Da Cocinita Magic Taco truck announced they plan to reopen in a new location soon. The truck was previously parked at a gas station on the corner of Clifton and Memorial in Kirkwood. Read Beth’s take on the Magic Tacos from Da Cocinita.
🍦 Ice cream chain The Scoop N Scootery will open a metro Atlanta location at 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. this fall. The chain is known for over-the-top desserts and ice cream delivery until 2 a.m.
🇯🇵 Midtown Japanese and sushi restaurant Juni keeps teasing its upcoming opening this fall at the corner of 12th and Juniper.
☕ Kosher coffee shop Milk & Maple Coffeehouse will open at 730 Ponce de Leon Pl. this fall. The shop is located along the Eastside Beltline just north of Ponce City Market.
🎹 Park Bench, the dueling piano bar at The Battery in Cobb County, will open a second location at Centennial Yards in downtown Atlanta next year.
Community announcements
🍽️ Taste of Chamblee is currently looking for food and craft vendors for its upcoming Oct. 17 event. Apply here by Sept. 25.
🍇 Congratulations to So. Fox for making The New York Times’ 2026 Restaurant List. Owned by Chef Myles Moody and sommelier Rachael Pack, So. Fox opened on July 2 in Virginia-Highland, after taking over the former Farm Burger space next door to the couple’s butcher shop and market, Kinship.
Add to your calendar
🐟 Tickets are still available for tonight’s Nikkei Night (pictured), a seven-course, collaborative tasting menu from Tio Lucho’s chef Arnaldo Castillo and Jorom Paler of Mikasa Omakase. The tasting takes place at Tio Lucho’s in Poncey-Highland, from 7 to 9 p.m. Expect Nikkei dishes (Japanese technique, Peruvian ingredients) such as beef sofrito gyoza and arroz con pato and picarones with pandan ice cream. $125 per person.
👪 The Works launches its first monthly community night this evening, featuring family-friendly activities and specials. This month’s event takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. and includes live music and a DIY bag charm-making station.
🥃 Bar Rescue star Jon Taffer and Chef Todd Richards (Que-Riosity) will host a barbecue and bourbon football watch party on Sept. 19 at Smith’s Olde Bar in Morningside. Watch UGA take on Arkansas, enjoy Southern food from Richards, and drink cocktails made with Taffer’s Browned Butter Bourbon. Tickets start at $27.70 and do not include beverages.
🥂 The Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association (PHNA) will host the inaugural Poncey-Highland Restaurant Week from Oct. 19-25. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will benefit PHNA to help support the neighborhood. Participating restaurants include El Ponce, Madeira Park, and Tio Lucho’s.
Atlanta Food Culture Meets Comedy at Dad’s Garage
SPONSORED BY DAD’S GARAGE THEATER
🥘 Comedy-drama The Bear won Emmys and Golden Globes for comedy, but Atlanta’s Dad’s Garage dares to delve into the question plaguing the minds of erudite television gourmands everywhere: what if The Bear actually was a comedy? Presenting: SCANDAL! The Bare—a lovingly absurd and spoofish take-off on the critically acclaimed television hit.
While the SCANDAL! format is a classic sight at the comedy theatre, no two seasons are the same and feature a unique story, cast, theme, and plot.
The Bare runs Fri., Sept. 11 through Nov. 6.
→ See what makes SCANDAL! The Bare unique among Atlanta’s live performance experiences.
Top Stories
It’s a family affair at Al Chef in Clarkston
🥙 As promised, here’s that falafel intel!
Karim Alburaii and his family opened Al Chef, a halal food restaurant at Clarkston Market, in the spring of 2024. Drawing on decades of culinary experience in Iraq and Lebanon, the restaurant serves from-scratch dishes like falafel, kebabs, and vegetarian sides to the Clarkston community and beyond.
And Alburaii is known for his falafel, which you should absolutely order. Al Chef is open for lunch and dinner five days a week and serves incredible meals at extremely reasonable prices.
⏩ Read more about Al Chef here.
Heritage opens in Summerhill
Taste Brookhaven reveals 2026 restaurant lineup
🍽️ Explore Brookhaven just announced the restaurant lineup for the 2026 Taste Brookhaven ahead of the Oct. 1 event.
Taste Brookhaven will feature unlimited tastings, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, and live entertainment. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life program.
⏩ Read more about Taste Brookhaven here.
At the Market
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍆 Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets partner to bring you two recipes that you can make at home using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, it’s all about eggplants! We’ve got eggplant curry and eggplant pasta. Check out both recipes here.
That Slaps
🍄 I’ve been deep in the throes of 2026 Best New Restaurant research for Rough Draft, which means a lot of my spare time includes dining out. Our list features more than 30 new restaurants that have opened since last October.
Last weekend, my husband and I dined at Mushi Ni in Inman Quarter and ordered a good chunk of the menu. This included the vegan ramen carbonara and delightfully salty soy sauce ice cream (I know it’s usually soft serve, but that night it was ice cream).
🍄🟫 While I enjoyed everything, I was especially taken with the fried oyster mushrooms, which are also vegan. These mushrooms come with a slight Parmesan taste and are served with a side of aioli. Our server was correct: Mushi Ni’s fried oyster mushrooms are an underrated appetizer.
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 email me.
