We reviewed 2012 a couple weeks back. What will 2013 bring? Here are the thirteen restaurants we’re most anticipating:
KR SteakBar
Scheduled to open in late February after months of delays caused by permitting issues, KR SteakBar will be Kevin Rathbun’s fourth Atlanta restaurant. Set at a lower price point than Rathbun’s and Kevin Rathbun Steak, KR SteakBar, located in ADAC (the design center newly open to the public) in the Peachtree Hills section of Buckhead, will feature Italian-inspired small plates and petite cuts of steak.
Gunshow
Chef Kevin Gillespie cooked his last meat at Woodfire Grill on New Year’s Eve and plans to open this Glenwood Park restaurant in the spring. With a name that represents his Southern upbringing, Gunshow will have an “open format” … and what that means exactly has yet to be revealed.
The General Muir
The West Egg Cafe team is branching out with a Jewish-style deli. The General Muir will open in the new Emory Point city center early in the year. Todd Ginsberg has already left his post at Westside’s Bocado to take the lead in the General Muir’s kitchen.
King and Duke
Ford Fry has at least three new metro-area restaurants in the works. The first, King and Duke, will take over the former Nava space in Buckhead and serve “Colonial American” cuisine (for now, we only know that means plenty of cooking in the restaurant’s large hearth). Expect an April opening.
Bar Antico
Antico Pizza’s Giovanni di Palma opened Gio’s Chicken Amalfitano last month. Next up in his plans for his Piazza San Gennaro (his nickname for the businesses he’s opening on his block of Hemphill Avenue near Fourteenth Street) is Bar Antico, where he will serve dessert and after-dinner drinks. The gelato shop and bar are set to open near Georgia Tech in the spring.
Villains
After several pop-up trial runs in the fall, Villains’ “wickedly good” sandwiches will open in the former Little Azio space in Midtown come February. Alex Broustein (Grindhouse Burgers), Jason McClure (formerly of Flip), and Jared Lee Pyles (formerly of HD1) promise a new, decadent take on handheld meals.
Foundation
If everything goes according to plan, Inman Park residents can expect a new restaurant led by chef Mel Toledo (formerly of Bacchanalia) on DeKalb Avenue this winter. Not much has been said about the food, but ai3 is designing the interior, so expect a fun, smart vibe.
Ink & Elm
Also being designed by ai3, this 7,000-square-foot behemoth in Emory Village (with both a lounge and restaurant) will feature Southern cuisine from Atlanta native Stephen Sharp, whose resume includes Blue Ridge Grille and French American Brasserie (FAB). Winter or spring.
Chai Pani
This Indian street food restaurant hails from Asheville and is moving into the former Watershed space in Decatur. It will likely open in the first quarter of 2013.
Octopus
Angus Brown and Nhan Le of Octopus Bar have been scouting locations to turn their late-night sensation into a restaurant that serves dinner at regular hours. The opening date is yet to be determined, but we do know Brown is traveling to Vietnam this winter, so a summer or fall launch seems probable.
Pura Vida Redux
Hector Santiago closed his longstanding Poncey-Highland favorite on December 31 when his lease on the building ended. Santiago and his wife, Leslie, are hunting for a larger space in which to reopen—hopefully by the end of the year.
BoccaLupo
Bruce Logue bought Sauced, located on Edgewood a few blocks northeast of Ammazza and Miso Izakaya, from Ria Pell and plans to open Italian-themed BoccaLupo there in the spring. Logue promises a pasta bar, local cheeses, and perhaps some old favorites from his days at La Pietra Cucina.
Airport Eats
Okay, we cheated a bit here. So many well-known Atlanta restaurants are opening outposts in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this year that we just couldn’t name them all individually. Before your summer vacation to Europe, plan to arrive early for a meal, choosing from among Varasano’s Pizzeria, Ecco, Chicken & Beer (from Ludacris), Twist, and more.
