Alpharetta Restaurant Week starts Saturday, October 10. That morning, most of downtown is closed to cars for the Wire & Wood Songwriters Festival. The barricades go up at 6 a.m. Friday, October 9, and stay until 4 a.m. Sunday, October 11. Restaurant Week runs from October 10 through October 17. Several of the downtown participants are on the closed streets, and two of them opened only this summer.
So downtown's week has two parts. Friday and Saturday belong to the festival: seven outdoor stages, food booths, and a long list of songwriters. Sunday through the following Saturday belong to Restaurant Week. The same addresses do both jobs, and the timing decides which version of them you get.
The Closure Map Lines Up With the Restaurant List
The festival organizer's Plan Your Visit page posts closures in three stages.
| When | What closes |
|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | North Broad Street, curb lane closest to the Town Green |
| Fri., Oct. 9, 6 a.m. through Sun., Oct. 11, 4 a.m. | Milton Ave. from Roswell/Canton Street to Hwy 9; Old Roswell St. from the parking lot entrance to Milton Ave.; Commerce St.; North and South Broad St.; Market Street; Park Plaza from Academy St. to the parking deck entrance |
| Fri., Oct. 9, 10 a.m. through Sun., Oct. 11, 1 a.m. | Hwy 9 from Milton Ave. to Old Milton Pkwy., reopening from midnight Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday |
Compare that table with the downtown section of the Restaurant Week roster from the Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau. OneDay in Paris and Carrie's Conservatory at The Hamilton Alpharetta both list 35 Milton Ave. Ceviche Taqueria is at 42 Milton Ave., Sunset at 10 North Broad St., and Amasa Mexican Kitchen at 15 Academy St., Ste. 1E, at the end of the closed stretch of Park Plaza. The Butcher and Bottle is at 45 Roswell St., the same address the organizer gives for one of the festival's main parking lots.
The rest of the downtown roster runs along South Main, North Main, and the streets around them. It includes Chiringa, Citizen Soul, Jack's Feed Store, Monkey 68 Sushi and Bar, Never Enough Thyme, Smokejack BBQ, Surcheros, Taffer's Tavern, and UP on the Roof, along with JINYA Ramen Bar at 401 S. Broad St., Pure Taqueria at 103 Roswell St., Saj at 58 Canton St., and Siena Restaurant & Bar at 124 Devore Rd. For the first weekend, most of these are reached on foot through a festival crowd.
Some of the same kitchens are also festival vendors. The CVB's September 28 festival release lists Central City Tavern, Ceviche Taqueria, The Ginger Room, and OneDayinParis among the food booths. That means you could try OneDay in Paris at a booth Saturday afternoon and return for its Restaurant Week dinner later in the week.
Two Summer Openings, Inside the Closed Area
The two newest restaurants on the downtown list are both brand new.
OneDay in Paris was already open when North Atlanta Star covered it on August 18. The 35 Milton Ave. space combines a bakery, café, bistro, wine program, and cocktail bar. It is on the current Restaurant Week participant list and also on the festival's food-booth list.
Amasa Mexican Kitchen soft-opened on August 27 and set its grand opening for September 18 at Alpharetta City Center. It is on the Restaurant Week list, and it is also running a month-long Day of the Dead Cantina pop-up from October 5 to November 2, with themed décor, cocktails, and food specials. The pop-up starts four days before the festival and runs well past Restaurant Week, so Amasa's October menu covers both events and the weeks after.
Grove & Barrel Provisions is at 211 Market St. Paris Baguette opened Sept. 16 at 4119 Lake St., Suite 105. Neither of these recent arrivals is on the current Restaurant Week roster.
Getting In and Out on Friday and Saturday
The festival runs Friday evening and all day Saturday. The CVB release gives the hours as 6 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. The CVB's festival page says 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday. Since the two sources don't agree, plan around the later closing time.
Parking. The organizer lists the City Hall parking deck at 2 Park Plaza, the Roswell Street lot at 45 Roswell Street, and the deck at 90 Milton Avenue, which you reach through the Roswell Street lot. The CVB also lists free lots at 21 Old Roswell Street and at the Alpharetta Community Center, 175 Roswell St.
Rideshare. The organizer asks for all Uber and Lyft pickups and drop-offs to go to Innovation Academy, 125 Milton Avenue. If you're heading to a Saturday dinner reservation inside the closed area, use that address too.
Transit. MARTA's Red Line goes to North Springs Station. From there, the 141 bus stops at Haynes Bridge Road and Thompson Street, and the 185 stops at South Main Street and Janis Lane. The organizer notes that MARTA service ends at 12:30 a.m. on weekends.
What to bring. Portable lawn chairs are allowed. Outside food, outside beverages, and pets are not. The Music Makers Market sets up on North Broad Street. The Live Art Lounge on Commerce Street has a community mural, caricature artist Carlos Fuenmayor, face painting and henna by BodyArtology, and custom festival posters from Stone Dairy Press.
Both headliners play the Main on Milton Stage. Corey Smith goes on at 9:15 p.m. Friday. The schedule page lists Sister Hazel at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, but the festival map page says 9:30 p.m., so get there by 9:15. On Saturday afternoon, the ticketed Listening Room at Roaring Social opens its doors at 2 p.m., and music starts at 3 p.m. with David Lowery, Angie Aparo, and David Ryan Harris. The festival also has an official after-party at the Truck & Tap Stage at 10:30 p.m. both nights.
The Saturday, October 10 Alpharetta Farmers Market is canceled because of the festival.
When the Streets Reopen, Restaurant Week Starts in Earnest
The street closures end before dawn on Sunday, and the second part of the week starts. Here is the rest of the overlap, day by day, from the Appen Media October calendar and the CVB:
- Sunday, Oct. 11. The 6th annual FitLife Expo runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Alpharetta City Center, 2001 Commerce St. Commerce Street is on the festival closure list, but it reopens about eight hours before the expo starts. Admission is free. The free Makers Market Local Artist Fair is at Avalon that day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 12, through Friday, Oct. 16. Restaurant Week continues on open streets. Downtown parking works as it normally does.
- Saturday, Oct. 17. It's the last day of Restaurant Week. The Farmers Market returns to the Town Green from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Boo Bash runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Grove at Wills Park, and the Scarecrow Harvest winners are announced there at 6:30 p.m.
The Scarecrow Harvest runs through the whole stretch. It's the display's 21st year, with more than 100 scarecrows along downtown streets from October 7 to November 1, plus a scavenger hunt and visitor voting.
The published prices differ by source. The CVB's September 24 release gives multi-course dinner menus at $25 to $75 and select lunch or all-day menus starting at $13. The live Restaurant Week page lists dinner at $25 to $60 and lunch at $20 to $35 and up. Both say beverage, tax, and gratuity are not included, so check each restaurant's own menu before you book. The release also describes a "Taste Your Way Thru Alpharetta" contest for a weekend hotel stay in Alpharetta plus gift cards to local restaurants and retailers. Entries are due before October 31.
Outside Downtown, Festival Weekend Is a Normal Weekend
Restaurant Week covers more than downtown, and the participants outside the closure area aren't affected by it on October 10. At Avalon, the list includes Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar, Colletta, Kona Grill, NFA Burger, Oak Steakhouse, South City Kitchen Avalon, and The Cape Restaurant & Beach Bar. Along Windward, it includes 19 North at Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta, Cabernet Steakhouse, Connors Steak & Seafood, Fiorenza, Ippolito's of Alpharetta, Secreto Southern Kitchen & Bar, Tara Humata Mexican Grill and Tequila Bar, and Vinny's on Windward. Near North Point, Benihana, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Ray's at Killer Creek, and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse are taking part. The live page also lists Coalition Steak & Seafood and Firebirds Wood Fire Grill.
If you want a Restaurant Week dinner on Saturday, October 10, without walking through the festival, these are the places to book. The downtown restaurants, including OneDay in Paris and Amasa Mexican Kitchen, are easier to reach from Sunday on.
Event weeks like this one show how much of a downtown property's value comes from foot traffic, access, and the calendar around it. At Georgia Property Exchange, we look at those factors when we evaluate commercial and mixed-use property in North Fulton. If you own property near downtown Alpharetta and want to know how its location and access affect its long-term potential, Let's Connect.
