The team behind Piastra is transforming its Marietta Square restaurant into a boutique grocery and cafe concept this month. The space, located at 45 West Park Square NE, is currently undergoing the rebrand, with plans to unveil Asher & Rose Grocers on Jan. 19.
Chef Greg Lipman told What Now Atlanta that throughout his decade of operating Piastra, he has often heard from the community about a need for a grocery store in Marietta Square. He and the team began looking into opening a grocery store concept in a different location, formulating a business plan pre-pandemic. However, when COVID-19 hit, they put the idea on the back burner.
Lipman and the team revisited the idea in 2023 and began searching for spaces again. However, they were unable to find a suitable location.
“We were about to put [the concept] to bed when I spoke to a friend of mine in the restaurant sales sector and she said, ‘Why not just convert your restaurant?’” Lipman told What Now Atlanta. “We’re in a prime spot. We have a front door right on the square and a backdoor on the alley, and we are front-facing on the square.”
Now, Piastra is undergoing a transformation into Asher & Rose Grocers — a culmination of the vision Lipman has developed for years. The boutique grocery store will feature locally-focused products, an in-house butcher, a bakery, prepared foods and a cafe space.
The team is keeping its bar and 40-seat private dining room, and it will offer cafe seating for customers. Much of the menu will emphasize locally-sourced ingredients that can also be purchased in the retail portion of the store. For example, they will serve burgers with Chatel Farms meat ground in-house, as well as pork from Riverview Farms. There will also be fresh seafood and shellfish options in both the grocery store and cafe, with dishes like lowcountry-style mussels with gluten-free cornbread steamed with beer and chilis.
“Everything is coming from as locally as we can, which is what I already do at Piastra,” Lipman said.
The bar will feature wine, both classic and zero-proof cocktails and non-alcoholic beer and wine. The cafe will serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and then transition to an all-day menu for the remainder of the day.
At the bakery, there will be gluten-free options, as well. The prepared food section will offer options like chicken salad and spring rolls. For customers looking to take food to go, there will be an option to either build your own lunch box or purchase one that is pre-made. Those will feature options to select a protein, vegetable, side and dessert in a bento box format.
Lipman hopes that Asher & Rose will fill a need in the community and bring a fresh element to the Square.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of neat, fun stuff to try to give back to the neighborhood,” Lipman said.
