Kamayan ATL has finally found a home.
The Filipino food pop-up and catering business will open its doors at 5150 Buford Highway in Doraville. The location is part of the unique Asian Square shopping mall that features entertainment, restaurants, and retails. It will occupy the former Mary’s Fresh Juice space and open in December.
Owned by Mia Orino and Carlo Gan, Kamayan ATL has become something of a staple in the Atlanta pop-up food scene since its founding in 2018. The two have served up authentic Filipino food at restaurants and events all over Atlanta. They were regulars at the outdoor mobile food park and chefs market of Pratt Pullman District in Kirkwood.
Starting out, the restaurant will be open five days a week and be counter-service. On the two days that it’s closed, the kitchen will be dedicated to pop-ups. Orino and Gan hope to eventually expand the restaurant to full-service dining. the current dining area will include seating for up to 40 people.
Eater Atlanta reports that the rotating menu will include regional specialties from the more than 7,000 islands that comprise the Philippines, Filipino baked goods, mid-afternoon snacks, halo-halo, and fresh-pressed juices from the bar.
“I’m going to do a lot of the regional and obscure dishes, some I’ve never really had before because there are so many islands,” Orino said in a statement to the publication of the menu for the restaurant. “It’s always a continuing education for me, and it’s exciting to do some remote dish that only five or 10,000 people know. We just want to share these dishes on a larger platform.”
Kamayan ATL was originally planning to open its location in the Pratt Pullman District as What Now Atlanta reported in 2020. It was to include a koi pond, but the cost to convert and upgrade the property they were looking at proved too much. The Asian Square location won’t have a koi pond, but it will include a scaled-down version of a bahay kudo in the dining room. A bahay kudo is a traditional house found in the Philippines that is built from bamboo and other sustainable materials, before being transported by neighbors to its final location.
“We are excited to represent the Filipino community and become part of the iconic Asian Square on Buford Highway,” Orino said.
For more information, visit kamayanatl.com. Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
