Photograph by Renee Brock
The Luminary, the first restaurant to open at Krog Street Market, will close later this month, according to Paces Properties (the developer behind Krog Street Market) representative Tara Murphy. The restaurant’s final day of operations will be Friday, March 31. Chef and owner Eli Kirshtein cited increasing costs across the board and “the high level of saturation” of Atlanta restaurants as part of the reasoning behind closing the restaurant.
The Luminary opened in August 2014 to mixed reviews and never quite seemed to hit its stride. When I reviewed the restaurant in 2015, I found the experience, vision, and food lacking. Simple dishes a French restaurant should nail, such as escargot and steak frites, faltered due to a lack of technique. Despite its efforts to bring in customers with events such as Sunday Pho Day menu, launched in February 2016, and a weekday lunch menu launched in October, the Luminary just couldn’t make it work.
It is the latest restaurant to shutter at Krog Street Market after chef Kevin Outz closed the Cockentrice in October and Spotted Trotter in December. Merritt Lancaster, the principal at Paces Properties said: “We are sad to see The Luminary prepare for their last service later this month. We appreciate their tenancy over the last two and a half years and wish them the best of luck in the future.” Lancaster also said they have already secured a new tenant to take over the space and will announce it shortly.
Kirshtein says he is “so proud of the staff, purveyors, and partners of The Luminary, and all we have achieved together. The dedication, commitment, and effort everyone has put forth over the last two and half years has been truly humbling, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of the community support we have received. I always sincerely and deeply love the city of Atlanta and the people in it. Being born and raised here and having the ability to continue my career here is a dream come true. I look forward to cooking for Atlanta again—sometime soon!”
