And we’re off to the races. 2026 has an action-packed agenda, with multiple exciting restaurants expected to open in the coming months. Chef Demetrius Brown of Bread & Butterfly is opening Heritage restaurant in Summerhill; Downtown Atlanta is undergoing a major glow-up with the multi-billion-dollar development at Centennial Yards, with many new restaurants part of the buildout; and Lucian Books and Wine is gearing up to open Sargent in Old Fourth Ward. Here are the restaurants we’re most excited to see open in 2026.
The $5 billion Centennial Yards buildout includes a lineup of stellar restaurants
Downtown Atlanta’s “Gulch” is getting a $5 billion facelift with a 50-acre project to transform the Centennial Yards. The mixed-use development will include restaurants, offices, residential properties, hotels, and retail, with most projects completed by the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta this June.
Atlanta’s historic Busy Bee Cafe is the latest restaurant to sign a lease at Centennial Yards, making this its third location, after opening a second location at Atlantic Station. The newest location will take over a nearly 3,000-square-foot space at the Mitchell residential tower in Centennial Yards. Additionally, sisters Niki and Tanya Pattharakositkul, behind 26 Thai, Pink Lotus Thai, and Blackjack Bar Tapas, are set to open Khao Thai Isan at Centennial Yards, on the ground floor of the same building.
New York City’s award-winning team behind the cocktail bar, the Dead Rabbit, is bringing the Irish Exit to Centennial Yards. It will be the team’s first location of the bar outside of New York and is expected to open in a 4,735-square-foot space this summer. The Dead Rabbit in Manhattan was twice named the World’s Best Bar.
Chef Demetrius Brown opening Heritage in Summerhill
Chef Demetrius Brown of Bread & Butterfly has hosted his wildly popular Heritage Supper Club at the restaurant for a while, and now the supper club will have a permanent home in Summerhill. Heritage is set to open this spring at 63 Georgia Avenue, with a focus on African, Caribbean, and Afro-American cuisine. Dishes like jerk chicken yakitori, braised oxtail, and cassava cake are featured. Brown shared a video of the space on Instagram, showcasing large windows and exposed brick walls. “We mainly chose this area because we want to be part of the revitalization of Summerhill,” Brown says. The team is hoping to open in April.
Lucian Books and Wine to open Sargent in Old Fourth Ward soon
Lucian Books and Wine is set to open a new restaurant named Sargent in historic Old Fourth Ward this spring. It joins the same development as the Forth Hotel (with Il Premio, Elektra, and Moonlight) and 3 Parks Wine. This comes on the heels of Lucian earning a James Beard semifinalist nod for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program last year.
“This will be a completely new thing; this won’t be Lucian two-point-oh at all,” says Jordan Smelt, co-owner of the restaurant. “Wine will still be the primary focus, but we will offer a full bar experience leaning a little more on cocktail and spirits offerings.” Read the full report on what to expect on the menu here.
More highly anticipated restaurant openings:
- The team behind the award-winning Summerhill restaurant, Talat Market, is set to open Thai bar, Some Luck, this spring. It will replace the Highland Ballroom Lounge space, next to Madeira Park.
- The team behind Sammy’s sandwich shop in Adair Park is set to open Broad Street BBQ in South Downtown on 96 Broad Street this spring.
- Pataaka, a new Indian restaurant by chef Anish Nair of Jai Ho Indian Kitchen at Krog Street Market, is heading to Spring Quarter in Midtown. It’s the swanky new building that houses Ishin Omakase and Celestia rooftop bar.
- Kinship Butcher and Sundry is expanding to Grant Park this fall in the former Elsewhere Brewing space. The second location at the Beacon will feature an expanded butcher shop with seafood butchery, a larger market, and an all-day cafe and bar, tripling their current operations.
- The Chai Box creator, Monica Sunny, is set to open the city’s first Chai Cafe in Upper Westside, in the former Doughnut Dollies space on Howell Mill.
