Blog Topic: Restaurant News

Grub Notes: The Expat and Taqueria Mundos Are Open, and More Food News

By Hillary Brown | May 31, 2018 2:34pm

Photo Credit: The Expat via Facebook

The Expat, the fancy French-ish restaurant in the former Two Story Coffee space in Five Points, has been open for a few weeks now, with lunch Tuesday through Saturday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday and Sunday brunch. The Sunday supper menu changes weekly. The other one is here. Also: very serious cocktails.

Las Monarcas, at 645 Danielsville Road, has closed but was quickly replaced by Taqueria Mundos, which just opened and is cash only for the moment.

Sonny's BBQ on Atlanta Highway is closing as of tonight after 37 years in business, as its franchise license is not being renewed by its parent company. It will reopen as Malinda's Country Kitchen and Catering, which does not appear to be a franchise. The sign on the door describes it as, "an a la carte buffet featuring home cooking with a wide selection of proteins and vegetables that will change throughout the week... It will also feature a menu of sandwiches and side items for those who prefer a lighter meal." The management team and staff will remain.

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Grub Notes: Pub on Main Is Replacing Pour in Watkinsville, and More Restaurant News

By Hillary Brown | April 25, 2018 5:04pm

It wasn't a huge surprise when Pour, in Watkinsville, closed its doors recently after an expensive build-out followed by a social media dust-up in which the restaurant banned children and enforced a dress code. Now, the folks behind The Pine are coming in to take over the space. Owner Scott Parrish says the new place will be called Pub on Main and will be "An American Pub, casual, FAMILY friendly, everyday price points… taking advantage of the massive patio & grassy area out front." It should open this summer.

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Grub Notes: Buvez is Open on Barber, The Falls on Macon Highway and WNB on Williams Street

By Hillary Brown | April 18, 2018 11:03am

Buvez, Bain Mattox and Amanda Kapousouz's Euro-style cafe on Barber Street, in the former 1000 Faces space, had a soft opening this past weekend and is now open regular hours (approximately 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fancy sodas and pastries from The Comerian are available in the a.m., and sandwiches on baguettes take over a bit later. You can also get soft pretzels, bulk snacks, hard-boiled eggs, beer, wine, aperitivos (and cocktails based on such), sno-balls (boozy and nonalcoholic).

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Grub Notes: Sakura's Five Points Location Has Arrived, and More Restaurant Openings

By Hillary Brown | February 13, 2018 12:15pm

Photo Credit: Andrea Williams/Facebook

Sakura

Sakura's second location, in Five Points, next to The Pine, is open! Yay! It does not appear to have a Facebook page or be reflected on the original location's website, but it's doing lunch and dinner business. Woo!

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Grub Notes: Bain Mattox's Buvez Is Coming to Barber Street

By Hillary Brown | January 18, 2018 2:58pm

The DOC building.

With 1000 Faces vacating its spot in the DOC Building on Barber Street, across from the Habitat Re-Store, local entrepreneur/restaurateur/unofficial mayor of Normaltown Bain Mattox saw an opportunity in the space. His newest project, Buvez, should open there around March, with coffee, drinks, snacks and light breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Mattox's wife, Amanda Kapousouz, said, "In an effort to continue the great community vibe started by our friends over at 1000 Faces and bring in ideas we are inspired by in other areas of the country, we are looking to open a space in the spirit of what Bain knows best: drinks! Hence, the name: buvez [which means 'drink' in French]!"

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Grub Notes: Rashe's Cuisine Is Closed But Still Delivering

By Hillary Brown | January 9, 2018 2:27pm

Photo Credit: Rashe's Cuisine/Facebook

Rashe's Cuisine, at 211 Tallassee Road, is unfortunately closed at that location. Last week, pipes froze and burst, resulting in a flooded restaurant. Then the owner of the building sold it to another restaurant. It's a bit of a bummer, as Rashe's has been perhaps the most successful tenant in the space since it housed Cali N Tito's, years ago.

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Grub Notes: Chick-Fil-A Is Opening in Downtown Athens

By Blake Aued | January 5, 2018 6:05pm

Hallowed be thy sandwich.

It's true: Everyone's favorite homophobic-yet-delicious fast-food chicken chain is coming to downtown Athens.

Rumors that Chick-Fil-A would move into the prime space at the corner of Broad Street and College Avenue most recently occupied by burger chain Five Guys have been confirmed by documents filed with the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department.

The building is in the downtown historic district, and Chick-Fil-A has applied for permission to make changes to the facade:

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Grub Notes: J.R. Crickets Is Open, Koyla Is Closed, and More Restaurant News

By Hillary Brown | November 27, 2017 11:17am

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

RIP, Koyla: We Barely Knew Ya.

The Athens location of Atlanta's J.R. Crickets is open on Hawthorne Avenue, in what has been a Dickey's, Big Daddy Mike's and Allen's (post-Normaltown). The place focuses on wings but also does burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, ribs and more, plus it has a full bar.

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Grub Notes: The Treehouse Market Is Open in the Falls of Oconee

By Hillary Brown | November 24, 2017 6:28pm

Photo Credit: The Treehouse Market Facebook

Once you get over the name it shares with our local toys and crafts store (in a sort of Office Lounge/Office Bar & Grill situation), The Treehouse Market, in the Falls of Oconee shopping center on Macon Highway, is kind of neat. It's a bit of a convenience store, with gum and magazines and beverages, but it also has fancy pickles (house-branded), sippy cups designed for wine, some kind of amazing milkshake/smoothie machine, nice beer and wine, good chocolate and more.

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Grub Notes: Copper Creek Is Closing, and Heirloom Has a New Chef

By Hillary Brown | November 13, 2017 11:44pm

Photo Credit: Copper Creek via Facebook

Before the craft beer explosion, Copper Creek Brewing Co., on Washington Street, had a lot less competition. Lately, it's been overshadowed, and now it's shutting its doors, with Saturday, Nov. 18 set as its last day in business. A nice statement posted on its Facebook page reads, in part:

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