Photo by Lynsey Weatherspoon
After nearly a decade of pop-ups, Mike and Shyretha Sheats have opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Mule Train, in South Downtown. The 40-seat contemporary Southern restaurant grows out of The Plate Sale, the couple’s longtime pop-up, inspired by the community plate sales they knew growing up, when neighbors sold food at churches and in front yards.
Mule Train’s name harkens back to a family shack in rural Northeast Georgia that served as a stopping point for friends and neighbors to sip moonshine and eat whole-hog barbecue. The new restaurant carries forward that sentiment of an open-door gathering spot.
Its South Downtown address also is personal to Shyretha, who attended Georgia State University nearby. “I’m excited to be a part of the up[swing] of Downtown and be a part of an area that was once integral to the city,” she says.
Photo by Lynsey Weatherspoon
The cooking
The initial menu shows how Mike is translating Southern cooking into Mule Train’s compact format. Drawing on experience at Muss & Turner’s and Staplehouse, he pairs Georgia-grown ingredients and familiar preparations with less expected flavor combinations, giving vegetables and roasted meats equal weight.
Lunch will not follow a conventional meat-and-three format. Instead, its five-item menu is conceived as a condensed “power lunch,” with options for a protein, vegetable, salad, and dessert. The selections will change with the seasons, generally every four to six weeks.
Rather than dividing dishes into traditional categories like appetizers and mains, the restaurant simply lists the items available that day and lets diners assemble their own experience.
“It allows you to discover a new flavor and experience the menu as a whole,” Shyretha says. “It’s like if you go to a friend’s house, you’re served what they’re making that evening.”
The kitchen will course selections rather than crowding the table all at once, with the menu designed to be shared. An additional prix fixe offering may come early next year. For now, look for candy roaster squash with habanada (a heatless pepper) and marigold, and aged pork with wisteria and okra.
Photo by Lynsey Weatherspoon
The bar program
As beverage director, Shyretha is following a similarly tight approach to the drink lists. Expect full-size and tasting-size pours of classic and seasonally inspired cocktails. On draft features include a cocktail, a nonalcoholic option, and house-made soda. She’s currently excited about muscadine and is excited to share her dry gin and sherry “more approachable, martini-like drink.”
The wine list will offer about six to eight bottles, plus a handful of wines by the glass, all either generational winemakers or New World producers who share an emphasis on sustainable growing and meticulous technique. Local beers will round out the offerings, including large-format bottles chosen because they “drink more like wine” and complement the food, Shyretha says.
Photo by Lynsey Weatherspoon
The space
Mule Train has a shotgun-style layout with direct views into the kitchen. Banquettes line both sides of the narrow room, upholstered in blue leather and velvet to create a close, communal feel. The four-seat bar is wrapped in dark walnut paneling reminiscent of a grandmother’s Southern home, with burgundy tones and a black granite bar top adding a moodier note. Together, the details support the couple’s aim for a space that feels like walking through a home: minimal and modern but layered with touches of old and new.
