Wednesday, July 12, 2017

[OPENING ALERT] 4 Rivers Smokehouse to Debut This Saturday, July 15th in Atlanta

4 Rivers Smokehouse, the highly anticipated barbecue joint from chef John Rivers, will officially open their first Atlanta area restaurant this Saturday, July 15th.  The restaurant,  located in the old fire station No. 16 on Marietta Street, took longer to expected to complete, due in part, I'm told, to the efforts made to preserve the historic structure.

ToNeTo Atlanta was first to break news last year of the restaurant's planned opening in Atlanta, and my post about the opening became one of the most read and shared in my site's nearly ten year history.  While barbecue is not new to Atlanta, 4 Rivers apparently has a tremendous following.

"4 Rivers Smokehouse features a regionally-diverse menu, with flavors and styles drawn from the Southeast, Mid-West, Atlantic and even West Coast regions. Guests are welcomed into a fast casual, urban rustic setting, complete with a carving station with cut-to-order proteins, followed by a selection of over 16 “Homestyle Sides,” all made fresh daily in-house. Traditional Smokehouse offerings range from the signature 30-day-aged Smoked Angus Brisket, St. Louis Ribs, Southern Pulled Pork and Smoked Chicken & Turkey to Burnt Ends, Tri-Tip and a Brontosaurus Beef Rib."      

"Among the smokehouse’s “Signature Stackers,” favorites include the Messy Pig, a heaping combination of Southern Pulled Pork, coleslaw, pickles and jalapeños, the Smokehouse Cuban, BBQ Street Tacos and the Texas Destroyer—aged brisket topped with onion rings, jalapeños and melted provolone cheese. Sixteen mix-and-match “Homestyle Sides” include 4R BBQ Beans, Collards and Smoked Jalapeños, as well as vegetarian-friendly offerings like John’s Potato Salad, Texas Cornbread and Baked Cheese Grits. All sides can be plated as a Lunch Sideboard (choose three) or Dinner Sideboard (choose five) with a biscuit.  A newly launched “From the Farm” section offers five meat-free offerings."

The Atlanta Smokehouse will span roughly 5,300 square feet with 166 indoor/outdoor seats.   

4 Rivers Smokehouse was established in Winter Park, Florida in 2009 by founder & CEO John Rivers.  The restaurant company currently has 13 locations across Florida.  A restaurant representative tells me the company has no immediate plans for additional stores in Georgia, but that could very well change in the future.  

In 2015, Rivers indicated that he was in "lease negotiations" for two sites in Atlanta: Midtown and Buckhead.  It is believed that this is the "midtown" location previously referenced, and that the Buckhead location fell through. 4Rivers  was reportedly in talks to take over the former H. Harper Station on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown, but that deal never came to fruition. Michael Lennox of Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall has leased the space instead, and plans to open Golden Eagle "a workingman’s tavern," and Muchacho, a casual "West Coast-style hangout" in the coming months.  

Have you been to 4 Rivers Smokehouse?  What is your favorite barbecue restaurant in Atlanta?  If 4 Rivers does expand further in metro Atlanta, where should they open?

Please share your thoughts below.  

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

IF they remove the chewy fat and connective tissue before they dish it up, they'll have a pretty good chance of doing well.

Surely BBQ joints are nearing saturation in this area?

Brandon S. said...

This restaurant is AWESOME! My wife's family lives in Tallahassee, and we make a point to go straight to 4 Rivers every time we go visit them. The burnt ends are so good we literally try to find reasons to go down as often as we can. I don't think they will dethrone Fox Brothers or Community Q, but I think they will be a huge success in Atlanta.

Greenwave said...

So where in the hell are you supposed to park?

prettyinAtlanta said...

We just visited a location in Florida, and absolutely were thrilled with the BBQ here! I was surprised to see this article - I didn't realize that it was a chain. The meat was SO flavorful, and the sides were awesome. Not to mention the prices were great. This location will definitely do well!

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