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Like so many restaurants around Atlanta, chefs and bartenders running food and drink pop-ups have adapted their traveling dining rooms and bars to takeout and home delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some chefs and bartenders currently work at a restaurant or were recently laid off due to the health crisis and use the pop-up to supplement their income. Others created a pop-up as a pathway to opening their own restaurant or business in the future. Regardless of the reason, these pop-ups continue to infuse the Atlanta dining scene with wildly creative and innovative food.
Each month, Eater highlights a handful of Atlanta-area food and drink pop-ups available for takeout, parking lot or patio pick-up, and even home delivery.
FEBRUARY 2021
Based out of the Clairmont Cafe on Century Place, Bite of Korea (or the Bok) serves a menu filled with what’s described as “Korean fusion” comfort foods. Think dishes like rice and noodle bowls, cheesy bulgogi quesadillas, and glutinous rice cakes skewered with Little Smokies. Make sure to grab a bottle of the pop-up’s kimchi for the pantry at home. Bok can often be found offering its fare at breweries throughout the city and metro Atlanta. Follow on Instagram for the latest pop-up location and menu details. Curbside pick-up available. Order online. Masks required.
The birria taco craze has finally hit ATL, and Chicago native Chasity Hill is serving up her signature “wet tacos” infused with the flavors of Puerto Rico out of Corner Store Grocery on Metropolitan Parkway. She hopes to get her Latin-Soul Food truck rolling one day. For now, people can find Hill slinging her popular birra tacos and nacho fries Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Follow on Instagram for menu updates. Masks required.
Billed as small batch Texas-style barbecue, Secret Pint BBQ serves up plates of pastrami, belly burnt ends, pulled pork, Spanish manchego links, and beef ribs smoked over oak and pecan wood. This barbecue catering business and pop-up can be found hosting intimate backyard dinners around town or slinging ‘cue at breweries like Pontoon Brewing Co. and Sceptre Brewing Arts. Follow on Instagram for pop-up dates and menu details.
Vegan pop-up Happy Seed serves a Latin-inspired menu from chef Reid Trapani and his crew. Dishes from this pop-up include in-season squash empanadas, tamales with sweet potato masa and black beans, esquites (street corn), and king oyster mushroom carnitas enchiladas. Trapani is currently seeking a permanent location to open Happy Seed as a restaurant in Atlanta. Until then, people can catch Happy Seed popping up at local restaurants on Mondays, like a mano and Buena Vida Tapas & Sol in the Old Fourth Ward. Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations and menu details. Masks required.
After sadly closing his Edgewood Avenue barbecue restaurant Bone Lick Southern Kitchen last year, chef Mike LaSage is back at it with a new pop-up venture. Dedicated to all things noodles, the menu offers everything from tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork and Thai drunken noodles to LaSage’s take on pho and chile wontons. A family meal, feeding two to four people, comes with ramen, a crunch salad, edamame, and miso-soy eggs. LaSage runs his pop-up operation from various restaurant kitchens throughout Kirkwood and East Atlanta on Friday and Saturday evenings. Follow on Instagram for location and menu updates. Order online for takeout. Masks required.
JANUARY 2021
The Edgewood Avenue bar, which opened in February 2020, serves as an incubator for enterprising Atlanta chefs and food entrepreneurs. Sarah Kim, a partner in Our Bar ATL, told Eater recently the kitchen pop-up initiative provides opportunities for Black- and minority-owned and operated food businesses to grow and gain a broader audience. Every two days, the bar features a new selection of pop-ups serving food ranging from wings and sliders to vegan nachos and tacos and Puerto Rican fare. People call each pop-up to order food using the phone number listed on the menu located on Our Bar ATL’s menu page. Takeout and curbside pick-up available. Masks required.
DMT Tacos (Dani and Marco Tacos) pops up weekly at We Suki Suki: Global Grub Collective in East Atlanta Village and Boggs Social and Supply in West End. Order everything from mulitas and tortas to tinga tostadas and birria tacos served with a side of consome for dipping. DMT Tacos posts up at Bogg’s on Wednesdays, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and at We Suki Suki on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Order online for pick-up. Masks required.
Birdy Biscuits pop-up at Redbird
Every Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Redbird at Westside Provisions District hosts a biscuit and biscuit sandwich pop-up from its patio takeout window. Among the menu’s offerings are a BEC made with house-cured bacon, a fried egg, and American cheese and a crispy fried chicken biscuit topped with sweet chile sauce and cheddar cheese. For those seeking a vegetarian version, try the guava and cream cheese biscuit or the Captain Fantasy stuffed with egg, avocado, and lettuce and topped with sweet relish. Order online for pick-up. Masks required. Follow on Instagram for pop-up updates.
Soon to be a restaurant at the historic Pratt Pullman District in Kirkwood, the Abby Singer has been popping up at the emerging development along Rogers Street during its monthly outdoor chef’s markets. However, people can now catch the forthcoming pub at Old Fourth Ward Italian restaurant A Mano every other Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first pop-up kicks off Sunday, January 10. The menu includes the Abby Singer’s signature dish, the Minneapolis cheese-stuffed burger Jucy Lucy. Menu available online. Takeout available. Outdoor seating available. Masks required. Follow on Instagram for pop-up updates.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Blackest Berry Bakery
Based in Castleberry Hill, this vegan cottage bakery owned by Atarah Johnson creates made-to-order cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies, and even cinnamon rolls for pick-up. Choose from cake flavors like the classic Hummingbird, red velvet, Black Forest, or Funfetti and customize with toppings such as chocolate ganache, sugar cookies, fresh fruit, and edible flowers. Johnson uses bone char-free sugar in her bakes. None of Blackest Berry’s confections contain eggs or dairy. The bakery can also accommodate people with gluten and nut allergies. Order online for curbside pick-up Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Follow on Instagram for updates and pop-up locations.
Phew’s Pies
This westside Atlanta pizza pop-up from Matthew “Phew” Foster slings handmade pies, including pizzas topped with lemon pepper wet wings and oxtails and ricotta. His signature pizzas, the lemon pepper wet and hot lemon pepper wet, are made using butter sauce, chopped chicken, and mozzarella with wings dotting the center. While a regular cheese, veggie, or pepperoni costs around $12 a pie, the decidedly Atlanta-inspired lemon pepper pizza sets the wallet back $30. But regulars of this pizza pop-up say it’s worth the price. Order online for curbside pick-up. Location provided upon ordering. Pay using CashApp or Apple Pay. Follow on Instagram for menu updates.
Seoul Chikin
Fans of Korean fried chicken should definitely check out Seoul Chikin. The Korean street food and fried chicken pop-up can often be found at Atlanta-area breweries on the weekends serving everything from Korean fried chicken and street toasts stuffed with eggs, cheese, and spam to tornado potatoes and sweet treats like hotteoks filled with sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations. Seoul Chikin also offers catering.
Kushina Catering
Owned and operated by chef Yohana Soloman, Kushina Catering offers delivery of Ethiopian food served as family meals or plates every Friday to neighborhoods around Atlanta. Order a meat plate or meal with sega wot (beef simmered in berbere sauce) served with split lentils in seasoned tomato sauce or chicken sautéed with onions, tomatoes, berbere, garlic, and herbs served with a side of yellow and spicy lentils. Vegan meals and dishes are also available, along with fish-based or vegan samosas. Order online by Thursday at 5 p.m. for delivery on Friday between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Kron_icles
This baked goods and ice cream pop-up satisfies the sweet tooth and can be found popping up at markets around Atlanta and shops like Wahoo Wine and Provisions. The menu features cookies, like chocolate chip and apple pie bars, and candied confections such as apple cider caramels, guava jellies, and coconut panelitas. Kron_icles also sells ice cream, including red velvet and its popular vanilla bean-based Incredible Hulk filled with chunks of chocolate chip cookies. Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations. Preordering available via text. Delivery available. Email Info.kronicles@gmail.com for more information.
OCTOBER
Lupe’s Mexican Eatery
Little Tart Bake Shop in Summerhill transforms into pop-up Lupe’s Mexican Eatery on Saturday and Sunday evenings, slinging Mexican street food, tacos de guisados, horchata, and flan. Run by one of the head bakers, Sofia Garcia Diaz (who hails from Guadalajara, Mexico,) expect tacos like tender lengua tossed in tomatillo salsa, chicharron en salsa roja with refried beans and cotija cheese, or slow-cooked cochinita pibil made with annatto and sour orange adobo and topped with pickled red onions. Saturday and Sunday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Order online for takeout. Follow on Instagram for details and menu updates.
Honey Blossom Sweets & Treats
This newly formed cottage bakery makes weekly deliveries to homes around Atlanta of fresh-baked doughnuts, sweet treats, and pastries. Expect boxes filled with doughnut flavors like key lime, cookies and cream, peanut butter cup, and vanilla bean topped with caramel and sprinkles. There’s also sweet buns with apple pie filling, chocolate bundt cake, and chocolate chip cheesecake bars, too. Boxes range from $15 to $25 each. Follow on Instagram for pick-up and delivery details and weekly menu updates. DM to order.
Mami’s Empanadas
Mami’s can often be found serving up both savory and sweet empanadas at breweries, restaurants, and markets around Atlanta. Fillings range from creamy crab and steak and cheese, to strawberry shortcake and guava cheesecake. Be sure to grab Mami’s smash burger topped sweet plantains, slaw, and grilled onions served on a buttery brioche bun with a side of yucca fries. Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations and menu updates.
Moveable Feast
One of the pleasures of living in Atlanta is the long patio and outdoor dining season the area enjoys, which typically lasts well into November. Picnics in the park and in yards across Atlanta have seen a resurgence during the pandemic. Rather than heading to the market to purchase charcuterie, cheeses, and fruit for the picnic basket, order a grazing box from Moveable Feast. Boxes come filled with nuts, seasonal crudités, and locally made charcuterie and cheeses ready for picnicking. Grab a bottle of wine, a blanket, and find a spot in the park on a sunny afternoon. Boxes are $30 each. Throw in fresh-baked cookies for an extra $5. Follow on Instagram for pick-up details and weekly menu updates.
Jackalope ATL
This pop-up run by Dave Mouche, who also works at Talat Market in Summerhill, mixes southeast Asian flavors and dishes with those of the American South. Find dishes like pumpkin curry, Thai caramel corn, cumin lamb empanadas, Thai corn fritters, and bánh mì deviled eggs on the menu for Jackalope, or even the occasional spicy mapo chili dog served with a side of five spice tater tots. Jackalope pops up at restaurants like Field Day throughout Atlanta and can also be found at the monthly open-air chefs market at the Pratt Pullman District in Kirkwood. Follow on Instagram for pop-up locations and menu updates.
*October bonus: Chefs market at Pratt Pullman District
The open-air chefs market returns on Saturday, October 24, at the Pratt Pullman District in Kirkwood. This month’s pop-up market sees forthcoming Pratt Pullman restaurant the Abbey Singer back with its super cheesy Juicy Lucy burgers, along with Three Lola’s Bake Shop, Kats Dumps, Kamayan ATL, Jackalope ATL, and La Bodega. Check out the full line-up of restaurants and pop-ups at the chefs market this month here. Admission is free. Saturday, October 24, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Masks required. Follow on Instagram for updates.
SEPTEMBER
Gorditas ATL
Run by chef Yvette La Gorda, this Saturday morning pop-up focuses on breakfast burritos brimming with eggs, Oaxacan cheese, beans, chorizo, and even fried chicken and tater tots. Laid off from her job as a chef due to the pandemic, La Gorda launched Gorditas ATL in hopes of one day transforming the pop-up into a bonafide food truck business. Menus are posted each week to Instagram. People place their orders online and pay via Venmo for pick-up on Saturday mornings at the Candler Park parking lot near the pool between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Gorditas ATL can sometimes be found at another weekend pop-up called Café Claudia, run by Tiny Lou’s pastry chef Claudia Martinez at Hotel Clermont. Burritos cost $9 each. Follow on Instagram for details and menu updates.
Kat’s Dumps
This from-scratch dumpling service is all about comfort food rooted in family traditions. Launched over the summer, Kat’s Dumps features dumplings on its menu like the OG filled with pork, Napa cabbage, scallions, and mushrooms and a seasonal dumpling stuffed with chorizo, pumpkin, and onions served with a side of whipped honey ricotta. Dumplings come frozen in batches of 20 or as a sampler of 60, featuring 20 OG dumplings, Thai chicken dumplings, and vegetable dumplings. Kat’s Dumps even sells homemade matcha cookies and black sesame Rice Krispie treats, too. Order online for pick-up. Follow on Instagram for menus and updates.
Social Civics Cocktail Club
Bartender and beverage director Demario Wallace (Aziza, Rina) created cocktail delivery service Social Civics Cocktail Club as a way to educate people on the history behind cocktails, spirits, and some of the country’s first African American bartenders in order to spark meaningful conversations around racial injustice and equality. Expect cocktails on the menu to include takes on classics like the Mint Julep or an apple brandy punch, as well as non-alcoholic concoctions and aromatized sodas. Menus (which now feature bar snacks) are posted each week to Instagram, along with a local organization in which a portion of the proceeds will be donated. People order by emailing chef@demarioreshadwallacecuisine.com for pick-up inside the perimeter on Thursdays or ITP delivery on Fridays. Follow on Instagram for menus and updates.
Café Nube
Run by DJ Raul Peña and Liz Peña, this Cuban coffee and vintage record pop-up shop centers its menu around Miami-style street food, strong coffee drinks, and tropical cocktails all set to live music. Look for classic Cuban coffee drinks such as the cafecito and colada or a Cuban-style mojito infused with CBD simply syrup paired with flan and pastelitos de guayaba y queso (guava and cheese pastry.) Café Nube posts up at cottage bakery Little Fox Baking Co. on Cherokee Avenue in Grant Park on Saturday mornings, starting at 9 a.m. Follow on Instagram for weekly menus and updates.
Teppista
Chef Rudy Keefer, who was recently laid off from St. Cecilia due to the pandemic, dreams of one day opening his own pasta bar in Atlanta, similar to Fiorella in Philadelphia. For now, the self-described “pasta fanatic” is delivering pasta meal kits to people all over the city. Kits are typically $15 each and feature from-scratch pastas, like tagliatelle with a sausage ragu, squid ink fettuccine tossed in anchovy butter, Calabrese chile, and capers, or garganelli with a short-rib ragu. People direct message Keefer via Instagram to order for home delivery. Follow on Instagram for weekly menus.
AUGUST
Northern China Eatery
Since late June, Buford Highway restaurant Northern China Eatery has been taking its dumplings and most popular dishes from the menu on the road. Once a week, the restaurant known for its vast array of dumplings and buns pops up at breweries like Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs, Eventide Brewing in Grant Park, and Three Taverns Brewery in Decatur. Northern China announces each pop-up on Instagram, with a list of menu items available that day, including bags of frozen dumplings to cook at home. Call 678-697-9226 to pre-order for pick-up at the weekly designated location. People can also order online for pick-up at the Buford Highway restaurant or for delivery via Doordash.
Three Lolas Bake Shop
The Filipino baked goods pop-up Three Lolas Bake Shop creates sweet treats and snacks for pick-up in East Atlanta Village each week. Think leche flan, ube piaya, guava blondies, and peach mango buko pie, along with fig jam blondies and rosemary cookies from the days when the pop-up was known as Butter and Sugar ATL. Menus are posted on Instagram to order for pick-up on the weekends in EAV. People pre-pay via Venmo or Zelle. The pick-up location is disclosed upon ordering. Follow on Instagram for details and menu updates.
Phở Cue
This pop-up mixes Vietnamese flavors with central Texas barbecue and sets up shop on Sundays at Italian restaurant A Mano in the Old Fourth Ward. Served from the restaurant’s parking lot patio, the menu for this pop-up features pho with a choice of pulled pork, smoked brisket, or smoked mushrooms, as well as banh mi and fries, both of which can be stuffed or topped with Phở Cue’s smoked proteins. Swing by on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and order on-site. Order pho kits online for pick-up here. Follow on Instagram for updates. Pho Cue opens as a restaurant in Glenwood Park in 2021.
It’s Baked Baby
A relative newcomer to the Atlanta pop-up scene, It’s Baked Baby is all about comfort food and home-cooked meals centered around the humble baked potato. There’s baked potatoes topped with flank steak, caramelized onions, cheese, chives, and sour cream, as well as spuds topped with everything from shrimp, fried chicken thigh nuggets, and braised collards. People can find It’s Baked Baby currently popping up at Our Bar ATL on Edgewood Avenue. Follow the pop-up on Instagram for updates and menu drops. Order takeout online via UberEats.
Good Eatz ATL
Run by chef Andria Nate, Good Eatz can often be found slinging its wings and mac and cheese combos from the Window at La Bodega in West End on Wednesday evenings. Wings come in a variety of flavors, including barbecue jerk, blackberry bourbon, and hot honey lemon pepper. Good Eatz sometimes partners up with fellow West End vegan-friendly pop-up Kristi’s Heavenly Peach Cobblers. Kristi’s ships nationwide and typically pops up on Friday evenings from the Window at the Met on Murphy Avenue. Follow Good Eatz ATL and Kristi’s Heavenly Peach Cobblers on Instagram.
JULY
SEND SUSHI ATL
What began as an underground sushi supper club is now an underground omakase home delivery service. Send Atlanta offers omakase nigiri sets, chirashi bowls, and other sushi bites using fish sourced directly from Japan. People select a time slot and preorder their omakase sushi dinner via Tock for next-day delivery. Reservations open every Monday for delivery Thursday through Sunday. Delivery is free inside the Perimeter, with a surcharge for deliveries outside the Perimeter. Follow on Instagram for updates.
ADOBO ATL
Run by Mike Pimentel, Adobo ATL is a pop-up specializing in comforting Filipino-American food meant to highlight the flavors and dishes of the Philippines. Think chicken adobo braised with soy sauce, cane vinegar, and garlic, savory beef bistek, or sweet and tangy cured pork tocino served with sides like vegetable or pork lumpia (spring rolls). While many people have caught Adobo ATL at breweries around Atlanta over the last year, Pimentel is now offering his meals for delivery. Orders must be placed by Monday night for delivery Wednesday through Friday, between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Meals are $12 each. There’s a $5 delivery charge inside the Perimeter and a $10 delivery charge outside the Perimeter. All deliveries must be within 30 miles of Decatur. Pay using Venmo or CashApp. Follow on Instagram for updates.
SIPPN’ AT HOME
What started on Instagram as a way for Atlanta bartender Mercedes O’Brien (Cold Beer, Gunshow) to demonstrate how to make a proper cocktail at home while sheltering in place has now become a full-blown cocktail kit service. The menu features pour-and-drink cocktails like O’Brien’s popular “Toasted Old Fashioned” or frozen avocado margarita. For those who like to build their own drinks, O’Brien provides all the ingredients with instructions to create one of her cocktails at home, such as the “Something Different Gimlet”. Each cocktail kit includes four servings and costs between $25 to $30 each. Email sippnathome@gmail.com to order for contactless or curbside pickup in Candler Park. Pay using Venmo. Delivery available for an extra fee. Follow on Instagram for menu updates and video demonstrations.
THE REAL MEXICAN VITTLES
While the pandemic has delayed the opening of his Summerhill restaurant D Boca N Boca, owner Helio Bernal is pivoting his mobile kitchen business into a curbside delivery service. Bernal started the Real Mexican Vittles in 2017, serving tacos and tamales at festivals and breweries around Atlanta. For those uncomfortable dining out right now, Bernal offers family meals and tacos for pickup up curbside at a select location or for limited delivery within Atlanta. People interested in ordering should follow on Instagram for the next box drop and menu updates. Deliveries are typically Monday through Wednesday.
BETTER THE NEXT DAY
Chef Rémi Granger has lead the kitchens at popular Atlanta restaurants like Bread & Butterfly and The Brasserie at Bazati throughout the years. Now people can enjoy Granger’s French cooking at home. The chef posts his menus on Instagram several times a week for contact-free delivery. Menus often feature quart-sized helpings of soups like French onion and tomato basil, along with family-sized portions of Granger’s delicious lentil salad, ratatouille, quiches, and even coq au vin. Meals range between $12 and $25. Delivery is limited to a 10-mile radius within the Atlanta city limits. Order by emailing Remi@ChefRemiGranger.com. Follow on Instagram for updates.