Chops Lobster Bar has signed a lease for a 13,000-square-foot restaurant in the Entertainment District at Centennial Yards in Downtown Atlanta, according to a release. The restaurant, expected to open in late 2026, will join an existing location in Buckhead and another spot in Boca Raton.
Chops, owned by Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, has been operating for more than 35 years in Buckhead.
“Chops is more than a restaurant – it’s an Atlanta institution. It’s not just the exceptional food and service that make it iconic, but the memories it creates – celebrations, relationships and once-in-a-lifetime moments,” Brian McGowan, president at Centennial Yards, said in the release. “This is why we are excited about what owners Pano and Niko Karatassos will add to what we are building at Centennial Yards – a new place for people to have unique experiences.”
Chops Lobster Bar Downtown will offer fresh seafood and USDA Prime-aged beef. Signature menu items include Champion Breed Miyazaki Prefecture A5 Wagyu, Nova Scotia Lobster, Spanish Octopus and the Genuine Holland Dover Sole.
The space will offer a warm atmosphere with a wood dining room similar to the Buckhead location’s design.
“Bringing Chops Lobster Bar to downtown Atlanta is an incredible milestone for us,” Pano Karatassos, co-president and culinary director of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, said in the release. “Our Buckhead location has become such a favorite of the community, and we’re excited to share that same fine-dining steakhouse experience within Centennial Yards.”
Active since 1979, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group also operates Atlanta Fish Market, Bistro Niko, Corner Café, Kyma, Pricci, City Fish Market and Lobster Bar Sea Grille.
“We are excited to bring the innovative team behind Chops Lobster Bar to Centennial Yards,” Shaul Kuba, co-founder and principal at CIM Group said in the release. “Their commitment to exceptional dining and hospitality is a perfect complement to our vision for the Entertainment District and our goal of creating a vibrant destination in Downtown Atlanta.”
The 470,000-square-foot Entertainment District is adding other tenants, as well, including Shake Shack, New York-based The Irish Exit and a 5,300-seat Live Nation venue. These spots are slated to open over the next couple years. Other spots, including The Busy Bee Café and Khao Thai Isan from the 26 Thai team, are also on the way to Centennial Yards.
