Famously Yum: Atlanta’s Celebrity-Owned Restaurants

By Mary Welch

Published July 27, 2017
Last Updated September 18, 2020

Atlanta is home to many celebrities as well as fabulous food. When you combine the two, you have delicious food with that Hollywood touch. Here are some of our favorite celebrity-owned restaurants.

• Mitchell Anderson may not have been on celebrity cooking shows, but he is a celebrity, and he runs one of the city’s most popular neighborhood eateries, Metro Fresh. Mitchell Anderson was a long-time working actor, appearing in film, television and on stage. He is best known for roles in “Doogie Howser, MD” and “Party of Five.” In 2005 he opened Metro Fresh in Midtown, and patrons instantly embraced his menu, that changes daily, of healthy and comforting entrees of soups, salads, breakfast entrees and dinner.
• Atlanta resident Ludacris opened up Chicken and Beer, which features Southern cuisine including fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and fried catfish, at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The musician and actor (aka Chris Bridges) is no newcomer to the Atlanta restaurant scene. He previously owned a Midtown restaurant, Straits, that has since closed.
• Also at the airport is JayZ’s 40/40 Club, which features a sports bar and VIP lounge area. Among the fan favorites are 40/40 nachos, Southern fried shrimp and braised beef short ribs.
• Ted Turner may be best known for CNN and the Atlanta Braves, but he’s also the namesake of Ted’s Montana Grill that celebrates what may be the biggest bison menu in the world. Among the favorites are homemade chips, bison chili, smoked trout dip and mouth-watering burgers.
• The Watershed Restaurant was one of the pioneers in using local, seasonal and organic ingredients, and its food is still as fresh and inspiring as the day the restaurant opened. This James Beard Award-winner, co-owned by Emily Saliers – one-half of the Grammy Award-winning Indigo Girls – is located in Atlanta’s Brookwood Hills neighborhood and features soulful Southern food. Among its specialties are fried chicken and biscuits, heirloom tomato pie, meatloaf and freshly baked cornbread.
• Located in the historic Castleberry Hill neighborhood and a stone’s throw from the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Philips Arena, is rapper 2 Chainz’s Escobar Restaurant and Tapas. The restaurant features 3,000 square feet of space and has a beautiful bar, elegant lounge and a large menu of champagnes, innovative cocktails and craft beer. Among the signature dishes are hot chicken sliders, steamed mussels, roasted chicken breast and stuffed turkey burger.
• Another celebrity Castleberry Hill restaurant is Old Lady Gang, the brainchild of Todd Tucker and “Real Housewife of Atlanta” star Kandi Burrus-Tucker. Some of the recipes come from family recipes. Other members of the Old Lady Gang include Burrus-Tucker’s mother, Joyce, and aunts Bertha Jones and Nora Wilcox. Among the family favorites are Aunt Nora’s Hallelujah Shrimp and Grits, deep fried whipped deviled eggs and lobster mac and cheese omelet.
• Celebrity brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg brought their successful restaurant, Wahlburgers, to SunTrust Park and even reworked its menu to showcase lighter and hearty offerings. Brother and chef Paul Wahlberg still is cooking up family – and fan – favorites such as Mom’s Sloppy Joes, and now you can have a new chopped salad bowl or their famous burgers without the bun.
• Who doesn’t love Krispy Kreme doughnuts? Well, certainly super athletes Shaquille O’Neal and Hank Aaron, both of whom own Krispy Kreme stores in Atlanta. O’Neal’s is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown and Hammerin’ Hank’s is in the West End.
• Puff & Pedals, a lounge and restaurant on Edgewood Avenue where the Old Fourth Ward meets Downtown, is owned by reality TV star and R&B singer K. Michelle. K. Michelle starred on “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,” and her 2013 debut album, “Rebellious Soul,” debuted at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Among the menu selections are Holy Cow (beef sliders), Charlotte’s Ribs and Good God Almighty, which features crab claws sautéed in juicy Southern spices, corn and sausage.

Journalist Mary Welch writes business and lifestyle stories for local and national publications.