Uncategorized

In March 2025, Rumi’s Kitchen Sandy Springs closed for a planned $3.5 million renovation, estimated to be complete in six months. Nearly a year later, Rumi’s flagship location is reopening after nearly tripling its original budget. New offerings include innovative cocktails and desserts, a selection of water offerings complete with tasting notes, and a glassed-in patio.

When Muchacho first opened along the Atlanta Beltline and Memorial Drive, it became known as a place shaped as much by its surroundings as by its menu. That site, housed in a 100‑year‑old train depot, set the tone for how the brand approaches expansion: start with the bones of a building, then let the space tell the story. The newly opened Muchacho West Midtown follows that same philosophy.

For 30 years, Jasmine Jamil has worked at Subs & Salads Junction Downtown, greeting regulars with a smile. Her son Shafi Jamil had barely started school when his parents opened the tiny takeout shop adjacent to a parking garage, and he’s grown up with the business. Though he began his official career as a mechanical engineer for Porsche, Jamil took over management of Subs & Salads in 2015 after his father, Sal Jamil, passed away. The biggest changes, however, have occurred in the past few months: Subs & Salads has undergone a complete renovation with new menu items added. It also has a new name: the Junction.

Unassumingly wedged between a bike shop, an auto repair shop, and the train tracks on the upper Westside is Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese-style teahouse. The shop is called Wai’s Gong Fu Tea House. Wai is Belonoha’s adopted name as a certified kung fu master, and gong fu (which roughly means “mastery”) is the Chinese style of tea service in which whole tea leaves are steeped several times, each time brewing only a few ounces of tea for each guest.

Barghavan Mohankumar, Brandon Kim, and Brandon Whitehead—all 17-year-old juniors at North Gwinnett High School—believe their computer-aided design, or CAD, models and prototype could spark a medical breakthrough. Professionals beyond their teachers are starting to take notice.

Known for its potent margaritas, flavorful tacos, and little red building on Memorial Drive, Mi Barrio served as a fixture of Grant Park for more than 20 years. It shuttered in late 2024 after owners Jesus and Martha Lopez announced their intention to retire. Now, Mi Barrio is back. A few months ago, Grant Park Market owner Greg Hutchins invited the Lopez family to pop up on Sunday and Monday evenings. They’ve been serving an abbreviated menu of Mi Barrio favorites there ever since.

When viral sensation PopUp Bagels announced its expansion to Atlanta, the hype was major. When it was revealed that the rapidly growing company was staking its claim beside local darling Emerald City Bagels, carbs became even more controversial. So how do the two bagel joints actually compare? We visited both to find out.

For Atlanta’s intrepid diners, there’s more to finding hidden gems than veering off the beaten path, though that certainly adds to the intrigue. The challenge is in uncovering food treasures. We set out to find lesser-known destinations, from obscure restaurants and takeout shacks to underground bars, food trucks, and gas station finds.

Shaun Doty took a break from opening new restaurants, focusing on Bantam & Biddy, private chef work, and consulting. Then, in late 2024, he got a call: The new owners of Barnsley Resort (just over an hour’s drive northwest of Atlanta, outside Rome) wanted to hire him as the property’s culinary adviser. “The resort has always been very successful at weddings and corporate retreats, but they wanted to rebrand it for leisure travel,” Doty says. “It needed to have the edginess of a restaurateur that competes in the Atlanta market.”

Michelin darling Grassfed Culture Hospitality—the group behind One Starred and Green Starred Los Félix and Green Starred and Bib Gourmand-awarded Krüs Kitchen in Miami—is bringing its seasonal touch to Atlanta with the launch of Füm. A contemporary Italian restaurant focused on transparency, locality, and natural wines, Füm will open in Stella at Star Metals on the Westside February 14.