[EXCLUSIVE] 5Church Owner to Open New Restaurant in Midtown

Ayman Kamel, the owner of Atlanta's two 5Church restaurants, is planning to open a new restaurant later this year.  The restaurant, for which a name has not yet been revealed, will open at 33 Peachtree Place at the corner of West Peachtree Street in Midtown.  

The new restaurant will feature a "Latin fusion" menu and will occupy the 5,200 square foot corner space formerly home to Babalu Tapas & Tacos.  Babalu, a then growing chain based in Kentucky, opened June 26, 2017 and closed as of October 22, 2019.  

"The restaurant will feature a truly immersive Latin American experience with modern cuisine, exciting art, and upbeat music and programming." “I know this is going to be an amazing restaurant for Atlanta,” said Ayman Kamel, principal. “We are going to excite our guests with all the Latin fusions and great methods of Latin cooking.”

The new restaurant will be located in the street level retail of the multifamily highrise that was originally known as ALTA Midtown but following a sale, is today known as Nine15 Midtown.  The project is currently home to outposts of Dancing Goats Coffee and PONKO Chicken, among other tenants.  

An Italian-Egyptian immigrant, Kamel's first 5Church opened in Charlotte in 2012 with a group of partners.  The group went on to open additional locations in Charleston and Nashville before opening at Colony Square in Midtown in 2016. In recent years, however, the partnership split and Kamel retained the Atlanta outpost with his former partners retaining the other locations that were in early 2022 rebranded as "Church & Union."  

K5 Hospitality, Kamel's parent company, owns 5Church Midtown and Virtue Rooftop at Colony Square and 5Church Buckhead just south of Lenox Square along Peachtree Road in Buckhead.  The new restaurant is slated to open "in early 2023."  

Are you excited for the opening of another Midtown restaurant?  What is your favorite Midtown area restaurant?  What restaurant in metro Atlanta do think delivers the best Latin fare? 

Please share your thoughts below.