Each week, Punk Foodie highlights Atlanta pop-ups worth catching before they disappear, helping readers find the city’s most interesting chef-driven dining concepts, food trucks, supper clubs and limited-time food events.
Locally sourced grilled cheese from Adam J’s Grilled Cheese (Pittsburgh)
Who: Adam J’s Grilled Cheese (@adamjsatl) from Adam Jackson.
When/Where: Every Tuesday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. and Sunday, noon-8 p.m. the Container Courtyard at Pittsburgh Yards (@pittsburghyards). 352 University Ave. SW, Pittsburgh.
Why Go: Following a career in the federal government, Jackson turned to cooking to grieve the death of his brother. He started selling biscuits at the Grant Park Farmers Market, where he forged lasting relationships with local vendors. After pivoting to a food truck, Jackson found his true calling when his grilled cheese sandwiches became a massive hit. He spent two years perfecting the craft, specifically engineering each sandwich to deliver a dramatic, highly photogenic cheese pull. His creations feature a proprietary cheese blend, a housemade marinara sauce and a preservative-free sourdough from a local baker delivered each morning. He continues to rely on his original farmers market connections to source his mushrooms, vegetables, cheese and bread. After years on the mobile circuit, Jackson just debuted his first permanent location at the Pittsburgh Yards container yard on June 20. Adam J’s is currently in soft opening mode, so follow their Instagram for the latest on hours and menu.
What to Get: Try the classic gourmet grilled cheese or the chicken Parmesan grilled cheese with seasoned chicken breast and signature three-cheese blend on fresh, locally made sourdough served with housemade marinara sauce. They also serve up Parmesan romaine salad and Italian ice.
Jackson said the menu will expand as they settle into their new space.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
An unassuming five-course chef’s counter from Bovino After Dark (West End)
Who: Bovino After Dark (@bovinoafterdark) from Chris McCord and Alex Sher.
When/Where: Every Thursday-Saturday, 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. (dinner) and Friday-Saturday, 2-4 p.m. (oyster power hour) Hop City (@hopcityatl). 1000 White St. SW, West End.
Why Go: McCord, whose previous stints include Gunshow, the Globe, French American Brasserie and Ink & Elm, teams up with Sher, a local food systems advocate who sources fresh ingredients from across the Southeast. A seat at Bovino After Dark offers a rotating five-course chef’s counter experience. Quietly tucked inside Hop City Beer & Wine, their concept makes use of premium proteins from Stone Mountain Cattle (co-owned by Sher) alongside seafood from Shell to Shore, an oyster and seafood program. McCord offers up a weekly rotating menu that is cooked and plated right in front of guests.
What to Get: While the prix fixe menu rotates each week, McCord confirmed this week’s menu includes root beer-braised short rib with strawberry and sungold tomato root; raw oysters topped with strawberry rhubarb mignonette and an optional bump of caviar; and cucumber, Alabama crab, pork floss and ponzu.
Credit: Bradley Payne
Credit: Bradley Payne
Indiana breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches from the Breaded Pig (Norcross, Woodstock)
Who: the Breaded Pig (@the_breaded_pig) from Bradley Payne.
When/Where: Saturday, June 27, 1-7 p.m. Cultivation Brewery (@cultivationbrewing). 650 Langford Drive, Norcross.
Sunday, June 28, noon-9 p.m. and Wednesday, July 1, 3-9 p.m. Truck & Tap Woodstock (@truckandtap). 8640 E. Main St., Woodstock.
Why Go: At age 12, Payne moved from Indiana. He spent years craving his home state’s unofficial dish: the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. After leaving a corporate career, he decided to satisfy those cravings himself and opened a food truck dedicated to the iconic Midwestern staple. Invented in the early 1900s as a working-class adaptation of the German Wiener schnitzel, the sandwich features a lean pork cutlet pounded into a massive, dinner-plate-sized disc, deep-fried in a crunchy saltine cracker crumb crust and served on a bun that looks comically small by comparison. Dressed simply with mustard, pickles and sometimes onions, Payne’s sandwich draws Indiana expats who specifically track his truck down for a taste of home.
What to Get: Of course, you should try the classic fried pork tenderloin sandwich in its original form, or go for variants including the spicy pig (Sriracha mustard, pickled jalapenos and fries), the Texan pig (barbecue sauce, pickles and fries), the hot Tennessee (hot sauce, pickles and fries), and the Coney (Detroit-style chili, cheese, mustard, fried onions and fries).
You may also want to try the New Jersey ripper hot dog, inspired by Payne’s frequent trips to the state, which is a quarter-pound, thick-skinned all-beef hot dog that is deep-fried until the casing physically rips open.
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Nostalgic summer dessert collaboration from Witchsugar and Lucky Star (West Midtown)
Who: Witchsugar (@witchsugar_) from Maximilian Lucas.
When/Where: Saturday, June 27, 5-11 p.m. Lucky Star (@luckystaratl). 1055 Howell Mill Road NW, West Midtown.
Why Go: A Chicago native, Lucas has built a strong resume across Atlanta kitchens, including Foundation Social Eatery, Rooftop LOA, Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft and his current post at Lo Kee in West Midtown. Through his pop-up, Witchsugar, he focuses on storytelling, creating scratch-made desserts that draw heavily on childhood nostalgia and personal interests. For this event, he teams up with Lucky Star, a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Bar, to pair his playful summer desserts with craft cocktails and Mercer + Prince whisky.
What to Get: the mango and Champagne, which has a mango mousse with prosecco sabayon, kinako cookie crumb and champagne sorbet, and the Mercer + Prince, which has a frozen whisky mousse with Taiwanese black sugar honey toast, sorghum cracker jack and yuzu gel.
He teased about additional offerings, including desserts inspired by a video game, cream soda and a popular cookie.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Final pop-up from Dank’s Deli (Oakhurst)
Who: Dank’s Deli (@danks_deli_atl) from Henryk Kumar.
When/Where: Sunday, June 28, 8 a.m. until sold out. Poco Loco Neighborhood Provisions (@pocolocoatl). 2233 College Ave. NE, Oakhurst.
Why Go: Kumar has popped up as Dank’s Deli for more than two years. He has become known for his clever, elevated breakfast dishes and sandwiches. He focuses on high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, constructing his creations with Ransom ATL buttermilk biscuits, 5N Pastures eggs, Pine Street Market sausage, Leftie Lee’s milk buns and Liscio’s Bakery seeded rolls. After a six-month residency at Poco Loco, this is the last chance to catch Dank’s Deli before Kumar opens Dan’s Snack Bar, a brick-and-mortar in Decatur.
The brick and mortar will serve as the permanent extension of Dank’s Deli, and will offer breakfast, lunch and possibly dinner. As they settle into the new space, they also plan to host other local pop-up chefs for collaborations and takeovers.
What to Get: Kumar plans to offer some of his greatest hits from the pop up, including two sandwiches using 5N Pastures eggs: the smothered and covered with a hash brown patty, caramelized onions, deluxe American cheese and Dank sauce on a buttered milk bun and the smashed sausage egg and cheese with Pine Street Market sausage patty, deluxe American cheese and Dank sauce, also on a buttered milk bun.
Another confirmed dish is the blue suede shoes with Pine Street Market bacon, peanut butter caramel, bilberry jelly and vanilla butter on a Ransom ATL biscuit.
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Vietnamese and Japanese omakase collaboration from Karly’s Kitchen (Midtown)
Who: Karly’s Kitchen (@karlyskitchenatl) from Karly Giang and Chirori (@chiroriatlanta) from Jackie Chang.
When/Where: Sunday, June 28, noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Chirori (@chiroriatlanta). 349 14th St., Midtown.
Why Go: A longtime fixture in the local pop-up scene with her Milla’s Macarons and Karly’s Kitchen pop-ups, Giang is also the founder of the influential ATL Asian Eats Facebook group community. Giang, who is a software engineer by day, said she looks to reimagine traditional Vietnamese profiles. For Sunday’s “Karlykase x Chirori” concept, she is collaborating with Chang from Midtown’s Chirori and Alpharetta’s Monkey 68 omakase and sushi restaurants, merging Giang’s interpretations of Vietnamese dishes and housemade sweets with high-end sushi preparations over a two-hour meal. Capacity is capped at just 40 tickets spread across four seatings. Tickets are selling fast; we suggest you do not wait to secure your spot.
What to Get: We are excited to try the langostino and quail egg banh khot (a mini savory Vietnamese pancake with coconut cream and caviar) and the Hokkaido uni on pan-seared A5 Japanese wagyu beef, placed on banh mi toast, both on the set menu.
The lineup will also include an 8-piece chef’s signature nigiri and a hon maguro tasting, including bluefin tuna sashimi akami, chu-toro and o-toro.
On Our Radar
- June 23 - June 28: Tony’s Chicago Beef will be at Sceptre Brewing Arts in Oakhurst, serving up Chicago beef sandwiches and hot dogs.
- June 27: Marcus Bar & Grille and Bomb Biscuit Co. are collaborating on an elevated brunch in Old Fourth Ward.
- June 28: Soupbelly will drop frozen dumplings at Minhwa Spirits in Doraville. The deadline for ordering is June 26.
- July 2: Mister O1 and Atlas chefs Renato and Freddy Money will offer up an English-inspired pizza collaboration in Sandy Springs to celebrate the World Cup.
Note: By their very nature, pop-ups are fluid and subject to the whims of weather. For the latest schedule and information, consult the pop-ups’ Instagram feeds.
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