Desta Ethiopian Kitchen is on the move! The popular Ethiopian restaurant which has held court in Williamsburg Village shopping center (3086 Briarcliff Road) since 2006 is looking to move less than two miles away in the coming months.
The new Desta will be a bit smaller than the current restaurant but will be a significant upgrade infrastructure-wise given the age of their current space and the relative newness of their new home, which opened in 2014 as a Newk's Eatery.
Shortly after Newk's closed in August 2022, the roughly 3,600 square foot endcap space was occupied by Chi Chi Vegan, but they, too, were closed by the end of 2023.
The space has limited street visibility (due to the Walgreens in front of it), but Desta and their popularity in the neighborhood should put them in a better position to thrive, given that for many they are a destination restaurant. The new Desta will also be well positioned to cater to employees and visitors to the nearby Arthur M. Blank Hospital at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta which is due to open September 29.
Owners Ash Nega and Titi Demissie, who were both born and raised in Ethiopia, opened a second Desta at The Point (fka Emory Point) in late 2018, but after a temporary closure likely due to the pandemic, it never reopened. Another location opened at Westside Village along Marietta Boulevard in the so-called "Upper Westside" in late 2021.
It's unclear when Desta will close at Williamsburg Village, but the center as a whole is due to be redeveloped with a source close to the project indicating that current plans call for work to start in late 2025.
Stein Investment Group, the Atlanta firm that is redeveloping the center, is also behind the nearby Lumen Briarcliff multifamily development that is expected to welcome a new Italian restaurant from Chef Ricardo Ullio (in permitting), Starbucks (slated to open September 27), and Sugar Polish Nail Bar.
In the Village at Druid Hills, Desta will join existing eateries Willy's Mexicana Grill, Howlin' Willy's Hot Chicken, Hummus Republic, Sublime Doughnuts, Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. An outparcel Mattress Firm that closed earlier this year is being replaced by a relocated Bank of America.
Have you ever been to Desta? What is your favorite ethnic cuisine/restaurant in metro Atlanta? Are you excited for the upcoming redevelopment of Williamsburg Village?
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