What even was this past year? An interregnum of sorts, especially in its waning days. A place for high hopes, many of which didn’t pan out. A space for mourning beloved restaurants home.made and Pulaski Heights BBQ, both of which closed after many valiant efforts. A time when a thousand bubble tea and fast casual breakfast chains flowered. Still, there were bright spots.
Osteria Olio, the high-end Italian restaurant in the boutique Rivet House hotel as part of the Southern Mill complex, can be predictable, but it also gets a lot of things right, including meatballs and ricotta fritters that couldn’t be better. At the other end of the spectrum, creature comforts-wise, is Mitti Desi Cuisine, on South Milledge, where you have to grab your own silverware, but the menu is big, the food wonderful (dosai in particular, but really everything is good), the ‘90s R&B soundtrack is poppin’, and the atmosphere is convivial.
Preacher Green’s opened in what had been a record shop on the Eastside, in a narrow space that pays homage to its origins with an impressively laser-eyed focus on quality. The kitchen is consistent and speedy, and the dishes aren’t showy, but they demonstrate care for ingredients and ideas about a proper way of doing things.
Chibugan Cafe, in Winterville, has a cheery space and a small selection of tasty Filipino foods like chicken adobo. You can also shop the grocery shelves, get a bubble tea, enjoy a slice of cake and watch the locals come and go.
Birdie’s, on Prince Avenue, technically opened in 2023, but I didn’t make it over there until 2024 because I’m a dumdum who doesn’t like fancy, carefully crafted, refined, vegetable-forward dishes. Kidding! The prices aren’t low, but the food is nicely done, and the market section has lovely fancy things for your own special treats or as gifts, including a wonderful cheese selection.
Town and Country Kafe in Crawford, contrary to its name (which suggests meemaws and biscuits), is serving Venezuelan dishes in a spacious, impressively decked building in the middle of a big, green field. It’s worth a ride out there to check it out.
Restaurante el Aguila Domicilio, which operates out of the gas station at the intersection of Mitchell Bridge/Timothy roads and Atlanta Highway, is another relatively simple place run by an amazing cook, a woman whose pupusas could be on the menu of any swanky restaurant and be appreciated for the perfection they are.
Let’s give props, too, to food trucks/pop-ups El Perrito, which serves festooned Sonoran hot dogs out of an adorable mobile stand, and Homy Made, the food truck where former home.made chef Homero Elizalde now plies his trade, turning out a variety of nicely griddled Mexican dishes. And to Killer Crust Pizza, doing fine work out of an unpromising strip mall space in the Epps Bridge Parkway open-air mall.
Last but not least, Kenny Nguyen’s Pretty Boy opened on Prince Avenue, in the former Viva! Argentine space in the Bottleworks, creating its own fun, young place that hits just right between fancy and casual, and has fun experimenting with textures and flavors. The full review should run soon.
What else? Athens Bagel Co. finally really, really reopened downtown. That area also got a Panera Bread on Lumpkin Street, a Chipotle where the Mayflower once was, Tiger Sushi (which focuses on all-you-can-eat) in the former Utage (originally opened in 1997), Cheba Hut on Washington Street (doing decent sandwiches with a silly gimmick), a Kilwin’s in the former 283 and Bento Stop, a quick-service Korean place from the owners of Bubble Cafe, at the base of the Washington Street parking deck on Clayton Street. Poindexter in the Graduate became Iron Works Coffee in the Hotel Abacus. And Happy Lemon (bubble tea) and bb.q Chicken (Korean fried chicken) opened in a student apartment complex, but were almost walled off from traffic other than that from the building itself. Chain coffee shop Daydreamer Cafe is now located on the street level of apartment complex Rambler Athens on West Broad Street.
In the Atlas Building on Barber Street, Tonique Bottle Co. opened up, providing boutique liquors and nonalcoholic beverages, and Nové Město, a project from the folks behind Hi-Lo serving Czech food and beer, is set to open later this year on the other side of the building. Normaltown Brewing moved nearby, in the quonset hut that used to house Jittery Joe’s Roasting Co. Buvez hired Mimi Maumus of home.made to revamp its menu. Having done that, she scooted over to Five & Ten, where she’d worked long ago, and which changed owners this summer when Peter Dale bought it. Beechwood Shopping Center opened a Playa Bowls, a branch of Atlanta chain La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant (no relation to Athens’ La Parrilla) and a First Watch fast-casual breakfast place in what had been Jason’s Deli. Word is that a Ted’s Montana Grill will open in the shopping center later this year, perhaps in the space vacated by the movie theater.
Prince Market is in the process of replacing its deli counter with Yossi Kitchen, a sort of bowl-ified Indian restaurant. Athens Cooks has an updated menu, with the addition of new pastry chef Megan Allen. Down the street, Square One closed and is undergoing a transformation into a Fully Loaded Pizza. Agua Linda added breakfast several days a week, and Cantaritos Cafe, in the Homewood Hills shopping center, added dinner. Keep going out Prince until it turns into Jefferson Road, and you’ll find Willie B’s Chicken Coupe in the gas station where Dairy Queen was and Guthrie’s was supposed to be, plus a bunch of things in the Oak Grove shopping center, including a second location for Los Reyes, a Shake Tea and some chains. Go a little farther and you’ll find Redstone Market, a sort of fancy Striplings, which isn’t open yet but should be soon.
On Atlanta Highway, the Hardee’s in front of Target became a Metro Diner, and San Angel Cocina and Cantina opened in the former Applebee’s. The former Red Lobster is set to become a Buffalo Wild Wings. We got more Whataburgers. Watkinsville got a second location of Baddie’s, a second location of Crawford’s G Brand BBQ, a location of Winghouse Grill once again (in what was previously Doughby’s) and Southern Prospect (upscale-ish Southern dining) in Wire Park. Later this year, it’ll add a second location of Tamez (next to Costa Alegre) and a second location of Brett’s. The Epps Bridge area is now home to a second Surcheros, Bogart added a location of cupcake franchise Small Cakes, and the Eastside got a Touchdown Wings. At the very end of the year the Food Truck Station, on Tallassee Road, in the former Caliente Cab space, started serving from its various food trucks in the parking lot.
Munch Hut/Baskat Catering moved to Baxter Street, to the former home.made. Taqueria los Primos, on Highway 441 South, got new owners and changed its name to La Laguna Express, but kept the menu fairly similar. Slater’s added lunch to its offerings. ZZ & Simone’s expanded into the space vacated by Bitty and Beau’s and added brunch. Miss the food from Dinner Party, formerly run by Shae and Ryan of ZZ’s? You can find it again at Hideaway, a new pop-up happening at Bar Bruno on the first Monday of each month. Check @hideawayathens on Instagram for details on reservations.
RIP to the Cafe on Lumpkin, Ponko Chicken on Baxter, American Public House, the downtown Amici (which is becoming a Bojangles), Cravings, Philanthropy Fresh, Taqueria Morros, Southern Brewing Co., Oconee Brewing Co. (although perhaps not permanently) and @local coffeehouse downtown. Bon de Paris, on the Eastside, closed for months, then reopened. And Saucehouse announced that it would no longer be operating as a restaurant but instead becoming an event venue. About a week ago, the Eastside location of Blind Pig Tavern announced it will close this spring, Mar. 22.Yet to come in 2025 are a Panda Express on Highway 29, a location of sandwich franchise Sully’s Steamers on Clayton downtown, a Foxtail Coffee downtown, a Biggby Coffee somewhere, a location of Atlanta’s Savage Pizza, a Stoner’s Pizza Joint on Broad where Munch Hut had been, a boba shop (BobaMania) on Lumpkin near Grindhouse, a Caribou Coffee where the Checkers is and perhaps another Cafe Racer on Oak Street, on the grounds of the former Lickin’ Chicken.
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