As we approach the end of 2025, there are some food concepts we'd love to see more of in the months and years to come, but food halls aren't one of them.
Brooklyn House Food Hall, described only as being on Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta, launched an Instagram page November 18 and claims it will be open next spring, presumably looking to ride the wave of World Cup excitement and visitors.
The crazy thing is, there is seemingly no trace of Brooklyn House Food Hall anywhere online, no actual address is listed, no business registered with the secretary of state under that name, no website, no additional details, and though it can't be confirmed without an address, potentially no permits filed yet.
Given the glacial pace at which the City of Atlanta seems to process and approve permits and related business needs, a spring opening seems like only the tip of the proverbial "over promise and under deliver" iceberg.
Atlanta is home to successful food halls - Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market among them - the city is also home to food hall flops like Halidom Eatery on Moreland Avenue and Citizens Culinary Market, now Food Hall at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Despite their success, even Ponce and Krog have seen significant turnover in their respective food halls in recent years given the high cost of vendors to operate within them.
But hey, Brooklyn House will be different:
"Atlanta's newest upscale food hall. Come experience 10 dynamic daily food options. Upscale dining hall with some of the largest screens in the city"
Again, no address is provided, but the food hall (which for some reason is named for a New York borough) promises "Prime downtown real estate" with "142 gated parking spaces."
It will also provide "An upscale dining area with bar and some of the largest TV screens in the city and a members only speakeasy."
With an opening roughly six months away, Brooklyn House seems to have no vendors signed up, but they are looking for some rather specific and "dynamic" food vendors.
"Calling all restaurateurs and aspiring chefs. We're launching Atlanta's newest upscale food hall and bar and we're looking for the most dynamic food vendors available. We're looking for the following cuisines:
- Pizza
- Dumplings
- Ramen/Pho
- Coffee
- Open flame Santa Maria BBQ
- Fresh handmade sandwiches
- Smash Burgers
- Farm to stable steak
Etc."
We found it odd that the operator would be so specific as to want "open flame Santa Maria BBQ," which would seem difficult to execute within the confines of an "upscale food hall." Not only that, when we asked Google, "can Santa Maria BBQ be made inside?" the not so surprising result was "No, you cannot make a Santa Maria BBQ indoors due to the significant risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal or wood fires. Santa Maria BBQs are designed for outdoor use, and attempting to use one inside would be extremely dangerous, potentially fatal."
The post further indicates that "rent specials and daily sales cap available."
The one rendering the food hall has shared of the food hall itself looks like a blend of a sterile highrise cafeteria and the food hall at Phipps: it definitely seems too "polished" to be downtown.
What do you think? Would you open a business at a new food hall in downtown Atlanta? What is your favorite food hall in Atlanta?
Please share your thoughts below.
18 comments:
Farm to Stable steak? Neiiigh! 🐎
The service counters give a creepy school cafeteria vibe.
Also Santa Maria BBQ is such a specific regional specialty. Is the owner of the food hall a native of the California Central Coast? It’s good food, don’t get me wrong, but definitely doesn’t seem to fit.
I asked ChatGPT to make an image for "An upscale dining area with bar and some of the largest TV screens in the city and a members only speakeasy" and it is remarkably similar to the images they posted to Instagram. Sounds like a lazy attempt to bilk some investment dollars.
Food halls are just glorified mall food courts without the mall. And very expensive
There’s also Roswell Junction. We saw people sitting at the bar with babies and toddlers underfoot. I thought minors were not allowed in bars. Maybe an open food hall is different but that just seemed wrong.
There’s also Roswell Junction. We saw people sitting at the bar with lap babies and toddlers underfoot. I thought minors weren’t allowed in a bar but maybe an open food hall is different. It just seemed wrong to me. We haven’t been back.
We like the Marietta Food Hall and have been there several times. But there’s also Roswell Junction. Parents were sitting at the bar with babies in their lap and toddlers beside them. I thought minors weren’t allowed in bars. Maybe an open food hall is different but that seemed wrong to me. Haven’t been back.
Marietta Street? So the clientele is intended to be poor GSU students and the homeless? An upscale food hall should be well there.
Who wants to come to downtown Atlanta for anything after the Trump virus cleared it out? Not much left there but homeless. It's a ghost town most of the time. Only reason to go downtown is if you can afford the exorbitant prices for a sporting event
If that's the real design then it is not going to survive. The idea of a food hall is to have variety in cousine and DECOR. This design is as basic and vanilla as it can be. If there was a real designer with some heart and brains behind this it does not show it. Look at all the great food halls not only across the metro area but across the US, the world!!! The great ones allow each vendor, each space to make it their own. When you walk in you are hit by different views, tons of colors, changing aesthetics, textures, etc... Please do a second review of what you are doing and redo the design!
What's the over/under on how long it will last?
The World Cup will bring many things to Atlanta including much greed and stupidity. Such a shame for this beautiful city.
King and Duke operated a similar style open flame grill and smoke box indoors
I can't wait for this Upper WestSide to open! Now pushed to 2026 https://www.upperwestmarket.com/
The food hall in Nashville seems to work. The area where it is located is packed with foot traffic. It just makes sense there. Not much makes sense in fowntown Atlanta but this definitely does not.
Lol. You're confused. 😂
Make it a loving cup.
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