Restaurant news: Pretty Hens now open, Daddy D'z torn down
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The former Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt property is a key part of the city’s Memorial Drive park plan. Photo: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
It's a new week, and that means there's a fresh batch of news from Atlanta's restaurant industry.
Here's the latest roundup:
MetroFresh will not reopen its original location at Midtown Promenade several months after it suffered serious damage in a fire it says was caused by a lithium-ion battery.
- Rebuilding the cafe "proved financially unrealistic," the restaurant said in a press release.
What they're saying: Mitchell Anderson, founder and executive chef, said the hardest part about closing is "saying goodbye to a place that became part of so many people's daily lives."
- "We set out nearly 21 years ago to create an urban oasis where people would come for the food but return for the experience," Anderson said. "Thanks to this incredible community, that's exactly what MetroFresh became."
Never fear, Metro Fresh lovers. The company's Uptown location at 1360 Peachtree Street in Midtown Plaza is still open for your business.
R.I.P., Daddy D'z
The hole-in-the-wall Memorial Drive building that once housed Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt is no more.
- Crews finished demolition of the Grant Park restaurant, which closed at the end of 2025, this past week.
- The property is a key part of the Memorial Drive Greenway park plan.
More closures and openings
Pretty Hens Rotisserie has taken over the spot that was once home to Zunzi's, which closed last year after operating on Howell Mill Road since 2018.
- Owned by Jonathan Beatty, a local chef who attracted national attention with his win on Food Network's "Chopped," Pretty Hens serves chicken in a variety of forms and flavors.
Across the street, Big Bad Breakfast, which hasn't even been open for a year, announced its closure effective July 16, according to its Instagram post.
- "While this chapter has come to an end, the Big Bad Breakfast family is still serving scratch-made breakfast, brunch, and lunch at many of our other locations," it said. "We hope you'll visit us again soon."
- The restaurant opened in the fall on Howell Mill Road north of I-75.
- Kristal's thought bubble: That location is tough because it's hard to access and parking dwindled considerably after the 2024 fire at Bell Collier Village apartment complex closed the adjacent deck.
Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings has opened its newest restaurant at the Mall of Georgia.
- The restaurant, known for its authentic Shanghainese cuisine, is a Michelin-recommended eatery that opened its first location in Queens, New York, in 2006.
- Other locations are New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
- The Gwinnett location is its first in Georgia and the Southeast. A grand opening celebration will be held Aug. 3.
Joystick Gamebar, which closed its Edgewood Avenue spot last week after 12 years, announced on Instagram it will reopen in East Atlanta Village.
- Rough Draft Atlanta reports it will move into space on Flat Shoals Avenue that was once home to East Side Lounge.