"It is not yet a 24/7, thriving neighborhood, but we know that. We know it's going to take time, and we are committed." April Stammel, who handles marketing and engagement for SoDo ATL, told Rough Draft Atlanta that in early August, a few weeks after the last match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It's an honest description, and it's also the best way to understand the district this fall. South Downtown, the 10-block stretch around Broad Street, Mitchell Street and Trinity Avenue just south of the Georgia State Capitol, now has more than a dozen businesses open within a few blocks. Most of the activity happens on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. If you show up on a Tuesday afternoon you'll find a quiet neighborhood. On a Saturday you'll find a full day of things to do.
What the tournament left behind
More than 40,000 visitors came through South Downtown in June and July during Atlanta's World Cup run. Much of the tournament setup was temporary. By July 20, Axios Atlanta reported that the watch-party big screens had been packed away. The lasting changes were physical. The mayor's office pointed to about 25 street-miles of downtown resurfacing, 11 sidewalk-miles of repairs, upgraded curb ramps and 80 new digital signs.
The storefronts stayed too. Founders Green, a half-acre public space at 110 Broad St. SW, replaced a parking lot and opened in late May. It has a stage, seating and open lawn for movie nights and concerts. As of August, the restaurants and shops around it included Brewhouse Cafe, Delilah's Everyday Soul, Broad Street BBQ, Glide Pizza, El Tesoro, Bottle Rocket, Spiller Park Coffee, The Junction and Tyde Tate Kitchen. Retailers on the list were KMM & Co., Brown Toy Box, the vinyl shop Crates ATL and Village Books.
Why the weekdays are still quiet
According to SoDo ATL CEO Jon Birdsong, the developers are wrapping up Phase I and plan to "let the market marinate" before starting Phase II. In July the company laid off four full-time employees and said it was scaling back to reach a more "sustainable state." At that point, 25 of the 58 historic buildings SoDo ATL had acquired were in development, along with only 8% of its surface parking lots.
Weekday foot traffic depends on people living nearby, and that part is just starting. 85 Peachtree, the district's first apartment building, is a 26-unit conversion of the 1899 Bass Dry Goods Building. As of mid-September it was 23 percent leased, with tours still underway. The downtownATL write-up described the strategy directly: every new resident adds weekday foot traffic for the shops and restaurants. For now, those residents are still moving in.
The posted hours point to the same schedule
Business hours show this most clearly. The newest restaurant in the district doesn't serve dinner on weekdays.
Mule Train opened Sept. 30 at 87 Broad St. SW. It's the first restaurant from husband-and-wife team Mike and Shyretha Sheats, who ran The Plate Sale pop-up for years before this. It's a 40-seat room serving seasonal, produce-driven Northeast Georgia cooking. Its posted hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Its own homepage still said "Opening Soon" at last check, so go by the Rough Draft report instead.
| Spot | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|
| Spiller Park Coffee | 233 Mitchell St. SW | Daily, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Mule Train | 87 Broad St. SW | Wed to Fri noon to 4 p.m.; Sat and Sun noon to 8 p.m. |
| Glide Pizza | 191 Mitchell St. SW | Tue to Thu 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri and Sat 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Broad Street BBQ | 96 Broad St. SW | Mon to Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Brewhouse Cafe | 91 Broad St. SW | Shows NFL and college games on weekends |
Glide's own page lists Sunday hours two different ways, so call ahead before planning a Sunday pizza stop. Broad Street BBQ keeps the most consistent hours on the block, open every day into the evening. If you're coming on a weeknight, start there.
October fills in Friday nights and Saturdays
On the calendar, the free programming lines up with the same schedule. The Screen on the Green films at Founders Green are on Friday evenings. Smorgasburg Atlanta's special events this month are on Saturdays.
Smorgasburg is back at 140 Forsyth St. SW after a summer break. It reopened Sept. 19 with a free Fall Season Kick Off. In August, Rough Draft described the market as taking over the lot between Mitchell Street and Trinity Avenue every weekend. Here's what's scheduled across the district for the rest of October:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 9 | Screen on the Green: Wicked | Founders Green | 6:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 16 | Screen on the Green: Encanto | Founders Green | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | Diwali at Smorgasburg | 140 Forsyth St. SW | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 23 | Out On Film Fright Night horror shorts | Founders Green | Doors 6:30 p.m., screening 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 30 | Screen on the Green: Ghostbusters | Founders Green | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | Spookysburg | 140 Forsyth St. SW | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
The Diwali and Spookysburg days are listed as free. Fright Night is free too, but it requires an RSVP, and food concessions open with the doors at 6:30 p.m. Smorgasburg hasn't posted its regular weekly hours or the last date of its fall season, so check its page before a non-event weekend.
Building a Saturday around it
The tenant map published in September works as a walking loop. Mitchell Street has most of the stops, and Broad Street wraps around Founders Green. A Saturday that matches the posted hours could go like this:
- Morning coffee at Spiller Park on Mitchell Street, which opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m.
- Browse the shops on the same block. Crates ATL and Village Books are here, and so is Brown Toy Box, which held its flagship grand opening at 211 Mitchell St. SW on Aug. 18.
- Lunch at Mule Train at noon, or later, since it serves until 8 p.m. on weekends.
- Afternoon at Smorgasburg on Forsyth Street, especially on Oct. 17 or Oct. 31.
- Finish at Broad Street BBQ or Glide Pizza, both open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
If you'd rather come on a Friday, flip the order. Get dinner around Founders Green before the 6:30 p.m. film, keeping in mind that Mule Train closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Getting there by train is simple. The district map puts Five Points station two minutes away, shows the renovated Garnett station at the south end, and lists Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a five-minute walk. That stadium distance also means game days bring crowds to these blocks, so check the Falcons and Atlanta United schedules before you pick a Saturday.
Two openings still on the way
Two restaurants announced for this fall haven't opened yet:
- Ida's Kitchen Counter, 185 Mitchell St. SW. downtownATL still lists it as "not open yet," citing an Oct. 1 recap that expected an October opening with no exact date.
- Estrellita, 115 Broad St. SW. It's planning a fall move from Grant Park, and its own site still shows the Grant Park address.
Either one could change the weekday picture, depending on its hours. The developers have already set the condition. The district becomes a 24/7 neighborhood once the 85 Peachtree apartments and future buildings fill with people who walk downstairs on a Tuesday.
If you're spending more weekends near Founders Green and wondering what life closer to downtown's rail stations would look like, Keys with Carter can walk you through the Atlanta neighborhoods around them with straightforward local guidance. Schedule a free consultation when you're ready to talk it through.
