What is a food market? A mixed use building that has shopping, dining and provisions for sale and is usually more upscale than your average dining spot. And Atlanta has several food markets just like this.
Here’s your guide to navigating at Atlanta’s Food Markets.
Krog Street Market in Inman Park offers both casual and upscale dining experiences in a beautifully refurbished space
The large open seating area quickly fills up at lunch time with diners who’ve purchased meals from the handful of food stalls, but don’t confuse this with a typical mall food court. Here, you’ll find small, local businesses like Gu’s Dumplings, a spin-off from a popular Buford Highway restaurant, as well as Yalla and its Mediterranean fare. Fred’s Meat and Bread, as the name suggests, sells a variety of sandwiches including the popular cheesesteak.
Besides food, there’s Hop City and beer and wine store. Arrive early to meet your friends, pull up a stool at the bar and enjoy a glass of wine or beer while overlooking the action of the buzzing market. For shopping expect to find small stores with candy, flowers, pet accessories and more.
Atlanta chef Ford Fry claimed his space in Krog Street Market with Superica, TexMex restaurant. Go, if only to sit on the lovely patio and sip a cocktail. Lunch is less crowded and offers specials for around $10. A few doors down, you’ll find Watchman’s Seafood. It’s a pretty spot to sip on expertly made cocktails while enjoying a selection of their fresh oysters. I go for sweet.
Swing by the Jeni’s for ice cream or The Little Tart Bakeshop for a sweet treat to take home. Then venture across the street and stroll along the Atlanta BeltLine to work off your meal. The Krog Street Market is an Atlanta food market that is constantly evolving. You never know what you’ll discover from one visit to the next.
Krog Street Market
99 Krog St, Atlanta, GA 30307
Marietta Square Market: the suburbs get their first food market in Marietta
Not to be outdone by the ITPers, Marietta has opened its first food Market. The Marietta Square Market includes space for twenty restaurants and retailers. Located adjacent to the Square’s railroad tracks, you’ll see the iconic Marietta trolley at the market’s entrance.
Upon entering the Marietta Square Market, you’ll see lots of long picnic tables. Based on the number of food vendors, it seems adequate, plus there’s more seating outside and they even have heaters for when it is cold out. Though you can easily walk around the Marietta Square Market at you leisure, there are maps handy and interestingly enough the “map” of this Atlanta food hall and market is laid out like that of a trolley system. You can choose to follow the red, yellow, blue or green lines. Some of the restaurants that you can find at the Marietta Square Market include Grand Champion BBQ, Street Taco, Bread & Butter Bakery, D’Cuban Cafe, and Tiny Bubbles.
There are two stores at the Marietta Square Market so far: one where you can have your pick of all kinds of home decor and gifty things with cute sayings on them and another store just called ” ‘Merica” where you can find lots of clothing. If you can’t find parking in one of the free lots surrounding the Square, you’ll have to succumb to the greedy Park Atlanta vultures and pay their $5 parking fee. Hint: don’t go on peak times during weekends if you want to find free parking.
Marietta Square Market
68 North Park Square, Marietta, GA 30060
Ponce City Market has both homes (condos), restaurants and shops all mixed into one building!
By far, the largest of all the Atlanta food markets, Ponce City Market is quite impressive. Since it opened, Ponce City Market has been one of the biggest attractions in Atlanta. When you’ve done a lot of touristy things with your guests, you can always bring them to this top rated Atlanta Food Hall and market. At Ponce City Market you can find some of the biggest chef names here: Linton Hopkins, Anne Quatrano and Sean Brock to name a few.
The heart of what was once the Sears, Roebuck and Co. building is the central food hall with many food purveyors. I love the specialty shops like 18.21 bitters which carries all everything you need to accessorize your cocktail. And there’s Biltong Bar when you just have to have the perfect piece of South African Jerky. And of course Spiller Park for coffee. But there are other stores to shop for goods like furniture, clothing and even a Etsy style stores where each vendor has their own booth!
But don’t miss the rooftop at Ponce City Market with stunning views of Atlanta and boardwalk style games like putt putt golf and skee ball at Skyline Park. If you ever catch me up there, please challenge me to game of skee ball, because it is my favorite and I’m awesome at it! PCM is also a mecca of international cuisine from Bellini Alamentari with Italian favorites, India with Botiwalla, the Moroccan flavors of Marrakesh all the way to Szechuan restaurant, Jia. Ponce City Market is easily accessible from nearby interstates and there is plenty of parking and at the time of this article, parking is capped at $10 per day for Ponce City Market.
