A RESIDENT’S GUIDE TO ATLANTA

Brash Coffee Roasters—the Atlanta-based company known for its single-origin coffee and flagship shipping container shop—is expanding to a full-service restaurant model with the introduction of Brash Kitchen at the Works on the Westside. Brash founder Chris McLeod has partnered with Julia Kesler Imerman of meal prep and catering company Stop Think Chew. Located near the entrance of the Makers Building outside the food hall, Brash Kitchen will offer counter-service, takeout, and table-service options for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon cocktails.

“I’ve always wanted to open a café or restaurant,” Imerman says. “Chris’s Australian background and my South African background are rich in the café culture we want to bring to Atlanta.”

By that, Imerman and McLeod mean they want Brash Kitchen to be a place to eat and drink, but also stay and work or socialize. “Cafes around the world have become very transactional,” McLeod says. “We want to create a place [where] people like the energy and want to stay.”

Inspired by the pair’s favorite all-day cafes in Australia, Israel, New York, and South Africa, Brash Kitchen will offer the full Brash menu of coffees and pastries, as well as new, heartier items from Imerman. For breakfast, there might be shakshuka with chopped salad and pita or muesli with bee pollen and flowers. For lunch, think roasted vegetable salad, peri-peri chicken, a vegan grain bowl, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich. The menu will change seasonally.

“I was very taken with Julia’s farmer-forward approach,” McLeod says. “It’s very consistent with how we directly source our beans from Central and South America and our direct relationships with the farmers.”

Open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Brash Kitchen will serve approximately 10 natural wines, as well as handcrafted cocktails. These range from light and citrus-forward drinks to classics like negronis and martinis. The space, which will feature brass with accents of color, might be used for pop-ups and private events in the evenings.

At 1,530 square feet, the long, narrow space will put the semi-open kitchen front and center, allowing the community to engage with the Brash team. A cutout to-go window out front connects passersby with the barista. There will even be (gasp) communal tables to promote connection as we emerge from the pandemic.

“We want to foster genuine interaction,” McLeod says.

The post Brash Coffee Roasters is opening a full-service restaurant at the Works appeared first on Atlanta Magazine.

Brash Kitchen will offer counter-service, takeout, and table-service options for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon cocktails. Brash founder Chris McLeod has partnered with Julia Kesler Imerman of meal prep and catering company Stop Think Chew for the menu.
The post Brash Coffee Roasters is opening a full-service restaurant at the Works appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. Read MoreAtlanta Magazine