Street Smarts
Communal gathering spaces, artisanal groceries and some of Atlanta’s finest culinary talents have created a bona-fide dining destination at Krog Street Market—with more still to come.
“If I didn’t open up something at Krog Street Market, I’d be here all the time anyway,” says Todd Ginsberg, executive chef and partner at The General Muir, as well as two Krog Street Market food stalls: burger and sandwich counter Fred’s Meat & Bread and Middle Eastern eatery Yalla.
His is a sentiment shared by Krog Street Market tenants and visitors alike, and it’s apparent why: The mixed-use Inman Park development offers access to an amalgam of dining, drinking and retail options compiled in a food-hall format that includes spacious community tables, outdoor patios and BeltLine access.
“It’s amazing how the community has rallied and totally adopted this style of eating and entertainment,” Ginsberg says. Fred’s and Yalla, for instance, offer two polarized styles of cuisine—hearty cheesesteaks (recently hailed by Bon Appétit as one of the country’s best) and burgers at the former and fresh chicken shawarma and falafel at the latter. This diversity, though, is the appeal of the former Stove Works building’s market-style concept: crowd-pleasing options, with vendors complementing rather than competing with one another.
“We’re an accessory to great chefs and food,” says Kraig Torres, founder of Krog Street Market’s bar and retail concept Hop City Craft Beer & Wine, where guests can shop for drinks to bring home or grab a libation to sip in-house. Hop City also participates in regular Krog Street Market events, tastings and food-and-drink pairings with neighboring tenants. And the bazaar-style concept allows diners to sip craft beer, wine or cocktails while perusing provisions at the surrounding vendors—including specialty meats at The Spotted Trotter; locally grown blooms at French Market Flowers; handmade pastries at The Little Tart Bake Shop; or single-origin chocolate at Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate. Those in the mood for a more formal sit-down dinner have the option to tuck into nachos on the patio of Ford Fry’s “Mex-Tex” spot Superica, sample French-American cuisine at Eli Kirshtein’s The Luminary or enjoy elevated charcuterie plates at Kevin Ouzts’ The Cockentrice—three of the market’s full-restaurant concepts.
“It brings the community together to have a spot to come for a meal or just to get things you need, whether it’s flowers for a sick friend or all your dinner party fixings,” says French Market Flowers owner Cindy Tarrant, whose regular customers often stop by on their way to dinner just to say hello.
“It’s like in Europe, where people stroll for their evening activity,” notes one of Ginsberg’s business partners, Jennifer Johnson. “I think we’ve all always valued creating restaurants about experiences—not just about the food but about the environment.” krogstreetmarket.com