For many years, the atrium inside the NCS Center has been one among downtown Atlanta’s most recognizable inside areas. Long earlier than it grew to become a meals courtroom—or a backdrop for dwell tv—the hovering room was a part of the Omni International Complex and briefly housed the country’s first indoor theme park. This spring, the area enters its subsequent chapter as the CTR, a new meals corridor compiled by Robert Montwaid of Chattahoochee Food Works, who additionally based Gansevoort Market in New York.
“The legacy of that atrium is the expansiveness of it,” he says. The aim, he explains, is “to try to create some intimacy” whereas staying true to the constructing’s historical past and scale.
Located between Centennial Olympic Park and State Farm Arena, subsequent to the Omni Hotel, the CTR occupies roughly 80,000 sq. ft and options 5 entrances, reinforcing its function as a connective hub between downtown’s main points of interest, together with the Georgia World Congress Center.
Inside, the meals corridor will function 11 stalls backed by a industrial pastry kitchen and a devoted catering kitchen for occasions. Seating for about 500 visitors is unfold throughout banquettes, normal tables, and high-tops, set atop polished flooring. The meals stalls are completed in quartz, marble, tile, and wooden. Large bushes punctuate the central space, softening the scale with out diminishing it.
Montwaid describes the CTR as a “boutique food hall,” with an emphasis on high quality and intention somewhat than sheer quantity. “We elevate the food,” he says. “We use local products as much as possible, and most everything is cooked to order.”
A central bar
At the coronary heart of the corridor is a assertion bar, billed as Georgia’s largest. Totaling 3,000 sq. ft, its dwelling to 80 seats and served by 12 bartenders. Expect matte black, polished brass, and inexperienced tile, accented by LED lighting.
The cocktail program is led by Tiffany Howell, recognized for her work at Chattahoochee Food Works. She describes the menu as a steadiness of “elevated signatures and approachable classics.” Her drinks lean on seasonal components and globally impressed flavors, with an emphasis on citrus, tropical fruits, and contemporary herbs. Look for 10 cocktails together with a frozen possibility, plus six beers on faucet, and a small, rotating wine record that includes each Old and New World alternatives. Subtle nods to the constructing’s previous are woven in by means of playful drink names and components.
“The intention is to bring big energy to every drink,” Howell says, including that the bar goals to be “a destination within a destination.”
The meals stalls
From Michelin-starred chef Steve Ferdinand (of Flora D’Italia and DessertBox at Chattahoochee Food Works), DessertBox bakery is finest recognized for French-leaning sweets, such as macarons, cupcakes, and seasonal mini desserts. Bread baked onsite will probably be obtainable too.
Also from Ferdinand, Flora is an Italian spot that provides streamlined takes on acquainted classics. Handmade pastas and wood-fired pizzas anchor the menu.
With a location at Chattahoochee Food Works, Fuzzy’s highlights East Coast–type lobster rolls alongside simple seafood plates.
Led by Puerto Rican chef Minelly Amador Diaz, La Tropical is a Latin kitchen drawing from Puerto Rican, Cuban, and broader Caribbean traditions. It focuses on consolation dishes such as mofongo, ropa vieja, and pressed Cuban sandwiches.
Mimi Taqueria
From the crew behind Midtown’s Zocalo, Mimi Taqueria will serve Mexican favorites, together with tacos, nachos, and quesadillas.
Morelli’s
Since its inception in 2008, Morelli’s has constructed a loyal following for ingenious and nostalgic ice cream flavors like Coffee 5 Spice, Sweet Corn, and Butter Pecan. Its stall at the CTR will probably be its fourth location in Atlanta, after Virginia-Highland, Chattahoochee Food Works, and Ormewood.
Patty & Franks sells upgraded variations of American staples. The menu emphasizes high quality sourcing with customized burger blends and beef scorching canine. It was developed in collaboration with Andrew Zimmern, finest recognized as the longtime host of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods.
Southern Belle Chicken Co.
Joey Ward, founding father of whimsical Southern Belle in Poncey-Highland and sister chef’s desk spot Georgia Boy, is embracing extra informal fare at the CTR. Get prepared for gourmand fried rooster and southern sides.
Sparrow Szechuan
A daring Chinese stall with roots in Midtown, Sparrow focuses on Szechuan delicacies. The menu spans dumplings, scorching pots, and dry-fried dishes, as properly as cocktails and flights of baijiu, a high-proof fermented grain liquor.
Other stalls are nonetheless in the works, together with one devoted to cheesesteak and one other to breakfast gadgets.
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