Thursday, March 9, 2023

[EXCLUSIVE] Popular Intown Barbecue Joint Opening New Location

D.B.A. Barbecue, a Virginia-Highland mainstay for more than a decade, is opening a new location.  A newly created Instagram page indicates the opening of a new restaurant about ten miles away. The new address, 4540 East Ponce de Leon Avenue in Clarkston, is a former Taco Bell/KFC where it's unclear if D.B.A. will make use of the former drive-thru.  

The restaurant, according to the Instagram page, is adopting a new name and wider menu: "D.B.A. Tacos and BBQ."  

Matt Coggin opened the original D.B.A. Barbecue at 1190 North Highland Avenue in 2009.  It's worth mentioning that D.B.A. was frequently mentioned on our "Deathwatch" list but has clearly exceeded our expectations and not only survived, but thrived.  

Adding tacos to the menu is reportedly something Coggin always wanted to do but was unable to, given the proximity of neighboring restaurant The Original El Taco, a Fifth Group concept. (Coincidentally, The Original El Taco announced March 7 that they will be closing as of March 19 with plans to reopen at a later date as a new Fifth Group concept.)   The new location will also provide D.B.A. with dedicated parking, something the current restaurant does not have.  The 2,600 square foot space also has plenty of room for catering prep, a business that has reportedly grown immensely over the years.  

Coggin opened a sibling concept, D.B.A. Sandwich Company, at the Irwin Street Market in Old Fourth Ward in late 2020, but it has since closed.   

D.B.A. is not the only Virginia-Highland area restaurant making moves.  Dugan's, a popular sports bar and restaurant located less than two miles away at 777 Ponce de Leon Avenue, is also moving.  ToNeTo Atlanta reported this past March on Dugan's planned relocation to Northlake [Mall] about ten miles away in Tucker.  The move was to have occurred this past fall, but has been pushed to this summer.  A new Chick-fil-A without a drive-thru is slated to replace Dugan's.       

What are your thoughts on D.B.A.'s new location and menu additions?  Who do you think makes the best barbecue in metro Atlanta?  Would you like to see D.B.A. make offer drive-thru tacos and BBQ?

Please share your thoughts below.  

Update: Our original reporting included information gathered from a reliable real estate source who indicated the new D.B.A. was meant to replace the current location.  According to Matt Coggin, the restaurant's owner, he in fact has no plans to close the Virginia-Highland restaurant. 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would any restaurant willingly move to Clarkston from Virginia Highlands? Not a lot of disposable income and money there. They might as well close it

Anonymous said...

DBA is highlands is not closing as of now. That could change but their lease isn't up yet and the new restaurant isn't under construction yet either. They've run multiple restaurants in the past including at Irwin st mkt and on emory campus.

Anonymous said...

DBA will not be missed by many.

Anonymous said...

Good thing we are staying. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

My wife likes DBA. I have celiac and was never comfortable with their gluten free options. Maybe the addition of tacos will give more options, and maybe their staff will be more conscientious (that is the big issue, limited options is OK but lack of attention to details gets me sick, literally.)

Anonymous said...

Tons of sales potential in Tucker, Decatur, and Smoke Rise, antico just opened in Smoke Rise. Places like ATL, city of Decatur are too costly to do biz in, folks looking farther out.

Anonymous said...

Yep. Also people everywhere are open to purchasing great food even in Clarkston if given the opportunity. Some of the comments on the FB post and here reek of classism.

Anonymous said...

When will they open

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