Shifting into soup mode
Thursday, Oct. 1 — Hello, internet friends.
🍜 If you haven’t yet shifted into soup mode for the season, the upcoming rainy weekend (and lower temperatures!) makes it a nice time to start. I enjoy spending weekends like this curled up with a book after I’ve eaten something warm and homemade. Unfortunately, one of my German shepherd’s favorite foods is also soup – and he’s nowhere near as polite as my favorite soup aficionado, Rambo. This turnip green soup is currently in my fridge, but here are some of our top soup recipes from Metro Atlanta restaurants if you’re looking for inspiration:
🥩 McKendrick’s Steak House’s French onion soup recipe
🥥 The Daily Chew’s butternut squash coconut soup recipe
🍄🟫 Boone’s cream of mushroom soup recipe
🎺 In this week’s Quick Bites, catch up on Atlanta restaurant news including a historic jazz bar’s revival in Decatur, upcoming openings in South Downtown, EAV, and Woodstock, and a local restaurant group’s fundraiser for flood victims in Thailand. Keep reading for our monthly recap of restaurant openings and some intel on a few new places arriving in 2027.
Be sure to read this week’s “Family Meal” for my feature on how Atlanta’s sushi chefs source their ingredients (Hint: it involves a fish concierge). Plus, Bantam & Biddy founder Shaun Doty shares his mother-in-law’s no-bake cookie recipe that’s been on the menu since day one.
See y’all next week,
🍰 Sarra
🍽️ For 17 years, A Taste of Chamblee has become a beloved tradition, attracting over 7,000 food and craft lovers who are eager to sample culinary creations from local chefs and discover one-of-a-kind handmade items. For more details, visit here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Quick Bites
Openings
🎷 Churchill Grounds jazz bar reopened in Decatur. Limited seatings are available until the grand opening in November, so get tickets or sign up for a membership online.
🇰🇷 Doraville’s Miss Gogi has reopened.
🥬 Mule Train, the debut from restaurant industry veterans Mike and Shyretha Sheats, is now open in South Downtown.
🥯 Jeff’s Bagel Run opens Oct. 2 in Cumming.Closings
😢 Donnie’s Country Cookin’ in Brookhaven has closed, as first reported by Tomorrow’s News Today.
🥐 Leftie Lee’s announced it would halt its catering and wholesale operations for the time being. They will no longer bake in their Olive + Pine location, as the lease is expiring. Stay tuned to their social media or subscribe to their newsletter for updates.
Coming attractions🥪
Ida’s Kitchen Counter will open in South Downtown in October.
🎮 Joystick Gamebar and Mambo Zombi’s joint operation will open at 485 Flat Shoals Ave. in October.
🌯 Muchacho teased a third location in Decatur.
🆕 Woodstock’s Mill District announced that Sydel’s Coffee, Super Chix Chicken & Custard, and Three Dollar Cafe will open in the spring. An adjacent development will open a new Tin Drum Asian Kitchen next year.
🎤 Live-K Karaoke will open its first Georgia location in the former Dantanna’s on Andrew Young International Boulevard in the fall of 2027.
Community announcements
🇹🇭 From now through Oct. 9, all proceeds from merchandise sales at 26 Thai, Terminal 26, and Pink Lotus will be donated to aid recent flood victims in Thailand. Customers can purchase in-store or online.
☕ Refuge Coffee is now accepting vendor applications until Nov. 27 for the Dec. 5 holiday coffee market in Clarkston.
Industry updates
✈️Gary Caldwell (Marcus Bar & Grille, The New South, Chicken + Beer) has been named the new executive chef at One Flew South. This will be Caldwell’s second time working with Jackmont Hospitality, which also runs Chicken + Beer and a number of franchise operations in airports around the country.
“I’m excited to add to the legacy of this restaurant,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell told Rough Draft he will represent Marcus at food festivals throughout October and hopes to do some pop-ups at Marcus in the future.
Add to your calendar
🍝 Join chef Andrea Montobbio and ENZO Midtown’s team for a pasta-making class at the Epicurean Theatre on Oct. 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. The hands-on event, which costs $85, includes a multi-course tasting, complimentary wine pairings, and step-by-step instructions from Montobbio through two pasta preparations.
🏳️🌈 Brasserie Margot’s annual Pride Drag Brunch returns to the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta on Oct. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event, which costs $85, will include a special amuse from Chef de Cuisine Christophe Truchet and a glass of Margot Mimosa, music from a live DJ, a generous dessert buffet, and Moulin Rouge-inspired performances by Brigitte Bidet, Chastity Deville, Cherry Deville, Chucky Deville and Lucky Nicole. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit Atlanta nonprofit Pansy Patrol.
🍖 Sweet Auburn Barbecue’s Howard and Anita Hsu will host the inaugural McDonough BBQ & Bluegrass Festival on Oct. 10 from noon to 4 p.m. at the restaurant’s McDonough location in Henry Town Center. The festival lineup also includes menus from Terminus City Barbecue, Dhaba BBQ, and NO Sauce Smokehouse. Tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for kids; adult and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase during the event. The event will also feature a kids’ zone, local vendors, and a live performance by Dusty Roads.
🍷 Nourish Botanica and Arbitrary Living will host the first MAKE + MARKET: The Fall Edit on Oct. 11 from noon-5 p.m. at Wild Heaven’s West End location. In addition to shopping, the market will feature an open craft area, natural dye painting, live music, botanical drinks, and three creative workshops. Admission is free. The trio of creative workshops, which all cost $35 and require separate registration, includes a rhinestone wine bag workshop with Macrame Meditations at 1 p.m., a resin pour workshop with Alma Soul Therapy at 1 p.m., and a body butter making workshop with Honee Mecca at 2 p.m.
🇹🇭 Snap Thai Fish House in Buckhead will transform its courtyard into a Thai night market on Oct. 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. Expect Thai street food favorites, cocktail booths from Ketel One and Patrón, carnival games, live music, and merchandise, plus $2 from every Gray Patrón event will go toward Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Carnival tokens can be purchased at the gate or ahead of time.
🍽️ Taste of Chamblee returns for its 17th year Sat., Oct. 17 at 3518 Broad St. in downtown Chamblee from 3 to 8 p.m. The free event will host food and beverage vendors, craft vendors, ACC and SEC football games on big screens, live performances, and a wine tasting workshop.
The High Centennial Block Party
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎉 100 years of art in Atlanta calls for more than one party. Free to attend on Oct. 18, the Centennial Block Party pairs live music and DJs with art-making, food vendors, and special surprises as we take over Peachtree Street. Bring your family, your friends, your neighbor, or your work bestie.
Top Stories From the Week
Did you miss these September restaurant openings?
🎷 Nearly 20 new restaurants opened around Metro Atlanta in September, ranging from a Trinidadian food truck’s brick-and-mortar spot in Underwood Hills to a previously long-closed jazz cafe in Decatur. There was also a flurry of new restaurants announced, with some opening as soon as this very month.
⏩ Check the list of new upcoming restaurants.
🫶 A great meal isn’t just about food. It’s about the people you share it with. At Urban Recipe Food Co-ops, Atlanta neighbors come together every two weeks to share food and build real community. See how it works. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Mule Train opens on Broad Street
🐙 Industry veterans Mike and Shyretha Sheats have finally opened Mule Train, their first brick-and-mortar restaurant. They started their related pop-up, The Plate Sale, at Octopus Bar in 2017.
⏩ Learn more about Mule Train and the couple behind it.
Massive karaoke bar opening in The CTR next fall
🎤 Fellow karaoke fiends, I know you’re out there, and I have some good news for you. The CP Group, which owns downtown’s The CTR, announced that national karaoke bar chain Live-K Karaoke will open in the former Dantanna’s space in fall 2027.
⏩ Find out what’s up next for The CTR.
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍎 Community Farmers Markets and Rough Draft Atlanta are partnering to bring you two recipes that you can make at home using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got an apple-based salad and tartine. Check out both recipes here.
That Slaps
🍕 This is not an announcement I make lightly: I just found my new favorite pizza in Atlanta. Pizza Brasiliana, which operates inside Southern Feedstore, was very smart to have an outdoor booth at the EAV Strut last Saturday – and I know I’m far from the only attendee who chased their aroma down for at least a block. I tried and subsequently inhaled a slice of hot honey pepperoni, which includes dollops of fresh mozzarella and pieces of fresh basil. Pepperoni and hot honey make a harmonious match, while the fresh cheese cools things down a bit. Please get on the hot honey and pepperoni train if you haven’t already!
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.
