9 things to know about SunTrust Park

And the Battery will give you a lot more dining options, too

Food at SunTrust Park
Illustration by Jeannie Phan

Six of the 20 planned restaurants should be open for first pitch. And the whole district will have an open-container policy, so you can take alcoholic beverages (in plastic cups) from one establishment to the next.

On the food front, local headliners include Linton Hopkins—of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman and Finch fame—who’ll open an American steakhouse called C. Ellet’s, and the ubiquitous Ford Fry, who’s opening an outpost of his “Mex-Tex” Alpharetta eatery El Felix. Elsewhere, expect a third offering of Westside favorite Antico Pizza Napoletana; Goldbergs Bagel Company & Deli; and Georgia’s first Wahlburgers franchise.

In a vast space with direct stadium access, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q has partnered with Athens beer maker Terrapin for a brews-and-barbecue outpost called Terrapin Taproom, open year-round. At the attached two-story microbrewery, ATL Brew Lab, Terrapin will brew styles exclusive to SunTrust Park.

From Terrapin Taproom’s second floor, a bridge will span over the plaza to Live! at The Battery Atlanta, a massive three-concept venue. Here, James Beard Award–winning chef (and Atlanta native) Todd English will oversee a tavern-style restaurant next to a two-story sports bar (highlighted by a 30-foot LED screen) and an upstairs nightlife component with a mechanical bull. Seriously.

In the mood for bowling? Bocce? Head to Georgia’s first Punch Bowl Social. Expected to open in late summer, the two-story space will offer eight bowling lanes, three private karaoke rooms, a large rooftop patio, and a Southern-inspired menu by Athens-based Hugh Acheson (he’ll also operate a sausage stand inside the ballpark).

So far, the shopping scene includes a Braves Clubhouse Store near the Right Field Gate (open on nongame days, too) and four confirmed retailers: Georgia-based boutique DressUp, a Harley-Davidson retail location, home decor store Sugarboo Designs, and the Mizuno Experience Center.

For music lovers who prefer more intimate (and ostensibly cheaper) experiences than Metallica rocking the stadium itself, the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre offers 40 or so music and comedy shows per year. It’s standing-room-only and fits about 4,000.

This article originally appeared in our April 2017 issue.