Monday, December 17, 2018

[EXCLUSIVE] Jinya Ramen Bar and Queen of Cream Opening in Plaza on Ponce

The Plaza on Ponce will next year welcome not one, but three new eateries!  The historic center, located at the corner of North Highland & Ponce de Leon Avenues in Poncey Highland, was purchased in 2017 for $18.1 million by Charlotte-based Asana Partners.  The retail team at SRS Real Estate Partners has spent the past year curating a series of new additions to the center which dates back to 1939.  
Rendering of completed work as seen from North Highland Avenue 
Joining previously announced eateries Southern Belle and Georgia Boy from current Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward, are Jinya Ramen Bar and Queen of Cream.  The new Jinya will be the fourth in metro Atlanta for the Los Angeles based ramen franchise.  The first Atlanta area Jinya opened in Hammond Springs in Sandy Springs in 2016 and was followed by an outpost at Powers Ferry Square in North Buckhead in 2017.  The new Jinya in Poncey Highland will occupy a newly created 2,700 square foot space behind San Francisco Coffee that previously housed alterations and shoe repair businesses.  Another Jinya is coming soon to Alpharetta City Center in Alpharetta.    

Queen of Cream, a local craft ice cream parlor, will open a second location in the area when it opens next year.  Located just over a mile from the original Queen of Cream at 701 North Highland Avenue, the new Queen of Cream will be less than half the size of the original at just 550 square feet. The new shop will be located between Insomnia Cookies and Majestic Diner along Cleburne Terrace.  Pastry chef Cora Cotrim opened the original Queen of Cream in the 1,160 square foot former Fruttela frozen yogurt near The Brasserie and Neighborhood Cafe at PARISH in 2015.  In addition to the new Poncey Highland outpost, which will reportedly be in addition to, not instead of, the existing location, Queen of Cream is also opening a pair of shop-in-shop locations within new Revelator Coffee shops at both Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza.  The new Buckhead outposts were originally slated to open in November, but have reportedly now been pushed to January.  


Ward, who will leave his current position at Gunshow in early 2019, will open his two concepts in the former Island Flowers & Gifts, to the right of the Plaza Theatre.  Southern Belle, named for Ward’s wife, a former beauty queen, will offer a small plates menu along with cocktails, beer and wine.  The adjoining Georgia Boy will feature a 16 seat chef’s counter serving a 10 course tasting menu, including at least one vegan option. Beverage pairings will also be available or customers can order drinks from Southern Belle’s menu.  Spencer Gomez, previously of Gunshow and Holeman & Finch, will serve as chef de cuisine for both new concepts.

A third location of local fitness facility BURN is also opening in the center.  The concept, developed by former Flywheel instructor Jeremy Levison, opened its first location in Brookhaven in late 2015 and subsequently added a second in North Buckhead in late 2017.  

The new additions join other recent additions such as Insomnia Cookies and BTB Fitness, both of which opened their second Atlanta area locations in the center over the past few months.  

As many will recall, the center is anchored by the Plaza Theatre, the center's longest running tenant (from 1939), Majestic Diner and Urban Outfitters, which occupies the corner space at the corner of North Highland and Ponce de Leon Avenues, once home to Plaza Drugs.  
All new additions are slated to open "in 2019." 

The only space in the center shown as still available for lease is suite 3-A, a small 740 square foot space beside San Francisco Coffee, currently home to Principle Builders Group.  


Are you excited for the new additions to Plaza on Ponce?  Are you pleased with the planned and recently made enhancements to the center?  What is your favorite restaurant along Ponce de Leon Avenue?

Please share your thoughts below.  

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Where is the alterations store (behind San Fran) moving to?? Or are they retiring?

Anonymous said...

All restaurants sound like great additions. Hopefully parking issues won't spoil the potential success.

Anonymous said...

BTB has been in this location since at least 2009...

Anonymous said...

Very sad to see our shoe repair shop go. There aren't many true neighborhood shops like that left. Living nearby, I dread what this is going to do parking in our neighborhood. Development and density are great if you don't have to live with it in your backyard.

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