A spacious, outdoor-centric restaurant and drinks spot is coming to the Beltline — and it's bringing a well-known Atlanta chef along with it. By mid-June, the build-out is expected to wrap at Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall, located in the Old Fourth Ward across from Kevin Rathbun Steak. Named after Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady with a fondness for the outdoors, the remodeled space's main feature will be a 2,000 square-foot, Beltline-fronting patio complete with beer garden-style tables, plenty of foliage and games like shuffleboard and pingpong. They'll offer a dozen local beers on draft and 30 or 40 more craft beers in bottles and cans, draft wine by the jug and craft cocktails. "There's a big need for having a good place to park your bike, bring your dog, sip on wine for a little bit and have a good meal and some good beer," owner Michael Lennox told Curbed Atlanta.
Lennox is a first-time restaurateur (and native Atlantan) who said he's trying to "put together a place that's very approachable and comfortable." In terms of approachability, the address is on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue but the busiest entrance will be directly along the Beltline. Chandlee and Sons Construction is going heavy on the repurposed wood and copper screening, and 30-foot ceilings and 10-foot windows will aim to create a cavernous but inviting interior space. "You can come out of the bathroom and see the Beltline," builder Seth Chandlee said. One entrance is made from old cotton mill beams, the doors are handmade and the whole patio is built on former loading dock slabs.
Oh, about the food — Lennox pitched it as "modern campfire cuisine" cooked over a woodfire grill, with pricing mostly under 15 bucks a head. As far as who'll be cooking it, Lennox said to expect a "really talented" and "local" executive chef taking the reins, but he balked at being more specific just yet. He guaranteed, though, that the name is well-known and said they've been developing a menu "for a good little bit."
— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep
· The Ladybird [Chandlee and Sons Construction]
· Report: Beltline 'Transforming Atlanta's Urban Culture' [Curbed]
· With Spring In Bloom, Jackasses Prohibited From Beltline [Curbed]
Loading comments...