Courtesy of Phase 5 Creative
Funwoody mastermind David Abes, a hospitality veteran whose resume includes stints at Buckhead Life and Here to Serve Restaurants, is opening a Southern dinner spot called {S}table. Scheduled to open the first week in April, it will replace Steak & Grace, which shuttered in January after less than a year in business.
The space sits across the parking lot from Abes’s other concepts in the Funwoody courtyard. The name is a play off his Bar{n}. The hope is that {S}table will slide naturally into the neighborhood’s regular dining rotation, Abes says.
Steak & Grace owner Barry Mills first reached out in December to gauge Abes’s interest in purchasing the space. From there, the vision began to take shape: an everyday neighborhood spot with an elevated feel. “I love Southern cuisine. I worked at Horseradish Grill in the ‘90s and want to bring some of that thought process back,” Abes says.
Courtesy of {S}table
Funwoody culinary director Cameron Woods is developing the menu for {S}table, with a chef de cuisine to be announced soon. Expect Southern classics like fried chicken, pork chops, cornbread-stuffed quail, and pecan-crusted trout, with a playful Lazy Susan set up in place of a traditional charcuterie board. Inventive appetizers include barbecue pork dumplings and a wedge salad with smoked cheddar dressing. Desserts lean indulgent, including s’mores in a mason jar and a warm biscuit cobbler.
Regular dinner service will anchor the week, with Sunday brunch too. For brunch, {S}table will offer hearty biscuit sandwiches, quiche, pancakes, eggs, and classic morning cocktails like Bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Once a month, a brunch buffet will be available.
“It’ll be the same price point as Message in a Bottle [his Funwoody seafood restaurant],” Abes says. “Family friendly but definitely a dinner house.”
The bar program captures Southern flair with cocktails like a sazerac and mint julep, along with an all-American wine list and four local beers on tap. A new flavor of Funwoody Water—the restaurant group’s bestselling drink (Old Fourth vodka marinated with pineapple and served up with a Swedish Fish)—is sure to draw attention.
Courtesy of {S}table
{S}table will undergo extensive interior updates designed to create warmth, energy, and a sense of home. The team is adding cushions, new light fixtures, and fresh light blue wainscoting to replace the previous black scheme, along with farm-inspired decor like ribbons and trophies adorning the walls. The inside space alone fits 75 diners, including 20 at the bar and another 20 in a private dining room.
“The space didn’t have a lot of energy. We’re going to liven it up and make it feel like a home,” Abes says.
One standout feature will be a transformed 60-seat patio—styled to resemble a horse stable, covered, and accented with a chandelier, fireplace, and lounge furniture. Plans also include a TV above the fireplace and a seamless indoor-outdoor connection through the bar’s open doors.
In addition to {S}table, the Funwoody has carved out 1,000 square feet from an adjacent dentist’s office to add a stage to Morty’s Meat & Supply. Debuting March 5, it’ll host dueling pianos on Fridays and Saturdays, plus karaoke on Thursdays.
