Long Snake wine bar, from 8Arm’s former beverage director, searches for its permanent home

For now, find Joshua Fryer’s pop-up at Whoopsie’s on Wednesdays

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Long Snake Wine Bar

Photograph by Joshua Fryer

Joshua Fryer is passionate about food and wine. Although most Atlantans know him as a front-of-house guy—he served as general manager and beverage director at 8Arm—Fryer graduated from culinary school and worked in kitchens prior to finding a home behind the bar. By founding Long Snake wine bar, Fryer is revisiting his original passion, serving a tight menu (primarily small plates) and Lo-Fi wines, with vinyl playing in the background.

Currently popping up at Whoopsie’s in Reynoldstown (1 Moreland Avenue) on Wednesday evenings, Fryer intends to open a brick-and-mortar location of Long Snake as soon as he finds a location. “We’ve been in negotiations a couple times but haven’t found the right fit,” he says. “The idea is to create a Southern take on a wine bar with food grounded in that tradition and music playing a large part.”

Collard steamed catfish

Photo by Joshua Fryer

Paolo Bea Santa Chiara wine

Photo by Joshua Fryer

He’s partnered with Johnny Martinez of Joystick Game Bar and Georgia Beer Garden and Danni Song, previously of Mujo, and is searching for a permanent space in East Atlanta or Poncey-Highland. He envisions 1,000 to 1,500 square feet “brutalist in design, with lots of plants to soften it up.”

It’ll have a menu similar to the pop-up—think 10 to 12 items, like a beans and greens tostada or lavender chess pie—with a focused wine list featuring 20 to 25 options by the glass. Another 20 or 30 wines will be available by the bottle. There will be a concise wine-based cocktail list with options like P&T (white port with tonic) and Death in the Afternoon (absinthe, sparkling wine, and sugar). Long Snake will offer spirits and a couple beers, but no spirit-based cocktails. “It’s mainly meant to be a wine bar,” Fryer says.

The food menu will rotate based on seasonal availability, as Fryer works closely with farms like Crack in the Sidewalk and Rodgers Greens and Roots. Past offerings include creamed roe—inspired by a dinner he ate in Sweden—which he describes as a “poor man’s caviar,” and hearts and flowers made with stir-fried chicken hearts.

Wondering about the name? It comes from the 1995 PJ Harvey song entitled “Long Snake Moan.”

Potato smorrrebrod

Photo by Joshua Fryer

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