New Year Brings Atlanta New Restaurants

We breezed past Labor Day, and Atlanta is finally beginning to feel the slightest glimmer of fall in the air. With 5778 less than a week away, it is time for new beginnings.

In the smallest sense, we can bring in the new this year by opening up, going out of our comfort zone of restaurants within a 2-mile radius of our homes, and supporting and experiencing the newest flavors of Atlanta.

Fall is the time of year when restaurants are in full swing, and it is also the time for Taste of Atlanta. This year the festival will have over 100 incredible Atlanta restaurants participating and serving their signature dishes. Some restaurants have not yet opened to the Atlanta public, so this is a great opportunity to get in the loop before the word gets out. Other restaurants are Taste of Atlanta first-timers, although they are already open and may have been for years.

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Skim through this list of new participating restaurants to get a little background and see which you would like to try on your own and which you would like to save for Taste of Atlanta weekend.

• CO Restaurant (www.eatatco.com) — With locations in Savanah, Myrtle Beach and Charlotte, CO’s first Atlanta stop is in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood. The restaurant opened over the summer and serves many kinds of sushi and noodles.
• The Establishment (establishmentatlanta.com) — This Midtown restaurant and bar will make its first Taste of Atlanta appearance, but it also participated in the Southern Wing Showdown in August.
• Hattie B’s (hattieb.com) — The restaurant owner was named an Eater Young Gun and was also featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. The restaurant will open in Candler Park across from Wrecking Bar Pub.
• Hawkers Asian Street Fare (eathawkers.com) — Based out of Florida, Hawkers is finally crossing state lines to an Atlanta location. The new space will be open in Old Fourth Ward soon.
• Muchacho and Golden Eagle (muchachoatl.com) — The Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall owners are launching two more restaurants that will live in the same Reynoldstown building.
• PS404 (www.psontap.com/locations/ps404) — The full name of this restaurant is Public School 404. The dining destination is based out of L.A. and is already open in its West Midtown home.
• Ponko Chicken (www.ponkochicken.com) — Ponko is coming back after a 10-year hiatus. Previously at Stone Mountain, it will soon be open in Tucker.
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  Poke Burri’s fusion creativity extends to a sushi corn dog. (Photo courtesy of Poke Burri)

  Poke Burri (www.pokeburri.com) — This is East Atlanta Village’s hidden secret. Walk to the back of the food hall to find Poke Burri’s stall, then try creative sushi ventures such as poke, sushi burritos and even a sushi corn dog.

• 

  Tea House Formosa’s treats include s’mores toast.

  Tea House Formosa (www.facebook.com/teahouseformosa) — This Buford Highway gem serves tea, coffee, snacks and even a new trend: s’mores toast.

• Todd English Tavern (liveatthebatteryatlanta.com/tenant/todd-english-tavern) — This Battery Atlanta restaurant elevates appetizers, salads, flatbreads, burgers and sandwiches to meet the new-age sports arena expectation. A simple yet flavorful dish that Todd English Tavern has perfected is Georgia peanut butter wings.

Want to try this list of restaurants? Taste them all at Taste of Atlanta 2017 on Oct. 20, 21 and 22. For its Sweet 16, the festival is moving to Historic Fourth Ward Park, across from Ponce City Market. For more information about Taste of Atlanta and to buy tickets, visit TasteofAtlanta.com and check out the festival on Facebook (Taste of Atlanta), Instagram (@tasteofatlanta) and Twitter (@tasteofatlanta).

Skye Estroff is the marketing and media manager for Atlanta’s largest food festival, Taste of Atlanta. She is an Atlanta native, a University of Georgia grad and an expert in Atlanta’s best food.