Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
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.
“People in Atlanta love Rumi’s, so once the doors open, I know we’ll be good. A lot of people have been anxiously awaiting it to reopen,” says owner-chef Ali Mesghali. “Our kitchen was too small, and the restaurant was doing six-times the sales from the original Rumi’s. The interior was a little outdated, so we wanted to give it a fresh look to stay up with the times.”
Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
March 6 is the day when the Johnson Studio-designed, Persian-inspired space will be unveiled. Although each Rumi’s location—from Colony Square and Avalon to Houston, and Washington, D.C.—features its own visual identity to meet the demands of the neighborhood, there are some common themes in the decor. An open kitchen showcases blue tile, and natural lighting and greenery are used to create the feel of a high-end Persian home, Stephen Kaplan, COO and wine director, explains. Plaster walls have been installed to absorb sound, a frequent complaint of previous Sandy Springs guests, he says. Expect a 22-seat, curved marble bar, wood- and stone-inset tables, and a private dining room with a floor-to-ceiling mural by artist Dean Barger.
“We went above and beyond,” Mesghali says. “We had custom highchairs built in Denmark, purchased wine buckets from Italy, and special water bottles for pouring.”
Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
There’s even a water menu featuring still and sparkling varieties from around the world, each presented with tasting notes. The wine program remains unchanged, focused on biodynamic and organic producers from Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Armenia, and Georgia. The cocktail list, on the other hand, has evolved thanks to more space for modernized equipment. Favorites from the Colony Square location will be available, along with a few drinks unique to Sandy Springs. These include a gin, pistachio cream, and lemon cocktail called Pistachio Passport, an Iranian tropical fruit drink called Sea Buckthorn, and a persimmon and tequila beverage called Fallen Leaves. A handful of non-alcoholic options are available.
Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
Likewise, up to 30 percent of the food menu will be new to Rumi’s Sandy Springs, with dishes like labneh with charred tomatoes, pomegranate short rib, and duck fesenjoon coming from other locations. Brand new are wagyu shish kebabs with potato rice, lamb ribs with fava bean rice, and Chilean sea bass. Brunch will begin the second week of service with offerings like za’atar biscuits & gravy, Turkish eggs, and shakshuka.
After searching for five years, Mesghali finally hired a pastry chef, the 2021 Food Network Spring Baking Championship winner Sohrob Esmaili. He’ll be serving spiced chocolate mousse cake, a bread pudding-like majoon toffee cake, and a Persian ice cream sandwich made with profiterole dough, saffron-rosewater-vanilla ice cream, and clotted cream.
The result, Mesghali says, is the same hospitality and food guests love, now housed in a space that matches the restaurant’s scale and popularity.
Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen
