Chef Brian So and Daniel Crawford, the team behind New American spot Spring Restaurant, are bringing a new concept to the community. Spring 2nd Branch will join Marietta Square at 113 Church Street.
So told What Now Atlanta that they drew inspiration from the Korean restaurants he recalls eating at when growing up. In a market full of restaurants that emphasize specialized menus, So saw a gap for bringing back the concept of a broad menu that caters to the full span of Korean cuisine.
“It’s the type of Korean restaurant that I don’t see any young person lining up to do anymore,” So said. “When I was growing up, there wasn’t that much of an influx of a Korean population here, especially in Atlanta. There weren’t that many Korean restaurants, so the few that were here had to serve a broad menu to serve the community.”
So recalls these restaurants becoming staples of the community, with diverse menu options that would make it possible for people to eat there comfortably multiple times a week. It is something So wants to replicate at his own restaurant. Spring 2nd Branch will feature dishes like Gamja-tang, a spicy pork neck stew that they will cook in a hotpot at the table with vegetables.
The space for Spring 2nd Branch will include a 1,700-square-foot interior and a 1,000-square-foot climate-controlled patio space. The design will feature a semi-open kitchen visible from the front, reminiscent of a setup one might see in Koreatown. The narrow market-style entrance will serve as the dry storage for Korean ingredients for the restaurant. So said it will be a colorful, bright entryway and will have the feel of an aisle in an Asian grocery store.
Farther into the restaurant, customers will enter a moodier interior, featuring dark woods and Korean music. Two garage doors in the back will connect the indoor space with the outdoor patio.
“It’s going to be a shock walking into this out of Marietta Square,” So said. “I don’t think it’s something people expect in a place like Marietta Square.”
So and Crawford are aiming to open Spring 2nd Branch by the end of August.
