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.
The independent chef scene often reveals how immigrant traditions, first-generation entrepreneurship and local ingredients are merging into a new Southern food identity. Atlanta offers a unique laboratory where chefs test ideas to determine if temporary kitchens can transform into revolutionary restaurants.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
1. Savory New Zealand hand pies from Heaps Pies
Who: Heaps Pies (@heapsatl)
When/Where: Saturday, April 4, 8:30 a.m.– noon. Peachtree Road Farmers Market (@ptreefarmersmkt). Buckhead.
Why Go: Heaps Pie founder Jake Harvey has been popping up in Atlanta with New Zealand meat pies since 2019. Harvey learned the mechanics of hand pies while managing Australian pie shop Tuck Shop in New York City. He translated that experience, along with his New Zealand upbringing and years of self-taught experimentation, into the wide range of savory pies he now serves in the brick-and-mortar restaurant he opened in Decatur last year, and once a month at Peachtree Road Farmer’s market.
What to Get: The mince & cheese or the Thai chicken hand pie.
Other options include breakfast pie, chicken pot pie, lamb and veg, sausage roll, chana masala (vegan), spinach ricotta (vegetarian) and a rotating special.
Credit: Karly Giang
Credit: Karly Giang
2. Vietnamese comfort food from Karly’s Kitchen
Who: Karly’s Kitchen (@karlyskitchenatl) and Milla’s Macarons (@millasmacarons) from Karly Giang
When/Where: Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wanderstate Mercantile (@shopwanderstate). 5502 Peachtree Road, Chamblee.
Why Go: Authentic, home-cooked Vietnamese meals are the inspiration for everything Karly Giang makes. She describes her style as comforting with a modern twist, with flavors that are both nostalgic and a little elevated. Her Facebook group is ATL Asian Eats. She initially came onto the pop-up scene with Milla’s Macarons, desserts that will also be available at this pop-up.
What to Get:
Menu: Banh mi tacos, prawn crackers and ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee).
Also on the menu are macarons, dacquoise, pineapple tarts and cookies. Dessert quantities will be limited.
Credit: Matt Foster
Credit: Matt Foster
3. Elevated Atlanta-style pizza from Phew Pies
Who: Phew Pies (@phewpies) from Matt Foster
When/Where: Saturdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Smorgasburg Atlanta (@smorgasburgatlanta). 140 Forsyth St. SW, South Downtown.
Thursdays, 4-8 p.m. La Bodega (@labodega.atl). 1975 Sylvan Rd. SW, Sylvan Hills.
Why Go: Matthew Foster launched Phew’s Pies during the pandemic, selling pizza out of his home. Business took off when he started selling his lemon pepper wet pizza and got a shout out from rapper Killer Mike. Now he pops up all around the city selling an eclectic range of pies.
What to Get: The lemon pepper wet or the oyster Rockefeller
Additional pies include the margherita, pepperoni, sausage, white pie, veggie, honey hot and oxtail & ricotta.
Credit: Tolli Marie
Credit: Tolli Marie
4. Vegan Carrot Dog soft opening
Who: Carrot Dog (@carrotdogatl) from Kemi Bennings.
When/Where: Saturday, April 4, 12-6 p.m. The Container Courtyard at Pittsburgh Yards (@pittsburghyards). 352 University Ave. SW, Pittsburgh.
Why Go: Kemi Bennings spent years creating a vegan hot dog substitute from whole organic carrots. Her carrots are marinated in a brine of about 16 different spices and then grilled, giving the carrots the texture of a real hot dog. Carrot Dog first popped up in 2019 at pop-up incubator We Suki Suki, later at the Window, and is now moving into a permanent space at Pittsburgh Yards.
What to Get: The LA Dog with “bacon,” grilled onions, red and green peppers, grilled jalapenos, mustard, ketchup and vegan mayo or the The Chitown with mustard, Chicago-style relish, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, dill spear, poppy seeds and celery salt.
5. Kinfolk underground supper club’s seasonal modern American cuisine
Who: Kinfolk (@kinfolkatl) from chef Alex Hochfelder
When/Where: Saturday, April 4, 7-10:30 p.m. Kirkwood (Exact location revealed at time of ticket purchase.)
Why Go: Kinfolk is an underground supper club dining experience from chef Alex Hochfelder, a Georgia native who has worked in restaurants since 2012 with recent stints at Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Bird Dog in Palo Alto, Miller Union and Adalina.
Dinners are held in a private location disclosed after reservation purchase, with one to two seatings per month offered through a ticketed system. Hochfelder said his goal is to create a unique dining experience centered on innovation, storytelling and hospitality.
What to Get: The prix fixe menu of nine to 15 courses highlights local and seasonal produce courses over three hours. The experience is BYOB, with wines available via donation.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
6. The debut of Hawaiian-infused Southern barbecue from Pele’s Pit
Who: Pele’s Pit Modern Hawaiian Smokehouse (@hapa.atl) from chefs Sara Siv and Jess Gorsuch.
When/Where: Every Sunday-Monday, April 5-6, noon-8 p.m. La Bodega (@labodega.atl). 1975 Sylvan Road SW, Sylvan Hills.
Why Go: After years of popping up across Atlanta with Hapa Hawaiian Kitchen, Sara Siv and Jess Gorsuch are launching Pele’s Pit, a Hawaiian and Southern barbecue concept every Sunday and Monday starting at La Bodega April 5.
What to Get: The five spice pork belly: smoked pork belly with a Chinese five spice dry-rub bark or the smoked huli huli chicken smoked in a sweet and tangy lilikoi (passion fruit) dry rub.
Elsewhere on the menu are scallion pancakes and the char siu tofu burnt ends.
Credit: Hunter Peacock
Credit: Hunter Peacock
7. Sushi omakase with Filipino touches from Mikasa
Who: Mikasa (@joromthesushiguy) from chef Jorom Paler.
When/Where: Every Sunday and Monday, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Larakin (@larakinatl). 208 12th St. NE, Midtown.
Why Go: Chef Jorom Paler, who led Rhino Hospitality sushi restaurants in Savannah before moving to Atlanta in 2022, builds an omakase menu around what’s in season and what his partners at Toyosu Fish Market in Japan recommend. He makes the atmosphere more relaxed than a traditional omakase, with room for conversation at the counter, while still keeping the technique and quality high. You’ll also see subtle influences from his Filipino background, like coconut vinegar in a ceviche.
What to Get: Mikasa is an omakase experience, so the menu is set, but Paler will always have some crowd favorites like akami, chutoro and otoro and some uni.
Credit: Nadir Baaset
Credit: Nadir Baaset
8. Elevated cuisine paired with classical music from the Prez
Who: The Prez (@theprez_atl) from T.Will & Co. (@t.willandco) with chef Matt Ratcliffe of Atlas
When/Where: Monday, April 6, 2026, 6 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Druid Hills (Exact location revealed at time of ticket purchase.).
Why Go: The Prez N.9 — Movement with Strings is an intimate 40-seat soiree pairing elevated cuisine with classical music. The event will feature a cocktail reception with passed hors d’oeuvres and a performance by solo cellist Isabel Kwon, followed by two sets from the string quartet with dinner during the set break.
What to Get: The menu will include passed apps, a grazing station and a carving station all featuring elevated cuisine prepared by chef Matt Ratcliffe of Atlas. Just a few of the highlights are salmon, creme fraiche, caviar cones; East Coast oysters and jumbo shrimp; and red snapper tartlet, swordfish. Unlimited beverages include Manhattans, martinis and wine.
Email tim@twillco.us for reservations.
Know a pop-up we should check out? Punk Foodie is always looking for chefs and pop-ups shaping Atlanta’s underground food scene. If there’s a pop-up you love — or if you’re a chef running one — send us a tip. Email a.big.fan@punkfoodie.com or message @punkfoodie.atl on Instagram.
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