Joint speakeasy/pizzeria concept to occupy two-story space in the Downtown Neighborhood.
It appears that Stephen De Haan, former President of the recently shuttered Andrews Entertainment District, is making a quick comeback.
Walter Jordan of The Dogwood Restaurant Consulting Group, told What Now Atlanta (WNA) Tuesday that De Haan is looking to file plans for a new joint concept in a two-story space in Downtown Atlanta. Red Phone Booth will be a bar and cigar lounge reminiscent of Prohibition, one of the bars that closed in Andrews Entertainment District. The bar will go downstairs.
The name is an homage to the red phone booth at Prohibition, which guests would enter to dial a number on an old rotary phone in order to gain access to a “secret” entrance to the speakeasy-style bar.
Upstairs, De Haan plans to open Amalfi Pizzeria, a neopolitan-style eatery. Before opening the restaurant, he plans to travel to Naples and California in order to ensure that the pizzeria will be creating an authentic product. Additionally, 6,000 pound ovens will be craned into the space.
De Haan hinted at not being finished with his endeavors in the Atlanta restaurant industry in a Facebook post this past December, when he also announced the closing of nine establishments in his Andrews Entertainment District: “Our future is bright, and we will have many new announcements in the coming weeks and months ahead.”
He was President of the locale for 13 years. The Buckhead hot spot was home to The Atlanta Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theatre, Stout Irish Sports Pub, Cellar 56, Czar Ice Bar, Stillhouse Craft Burgers & Moonshine, Burn Social Club, Prohibition, and Sal’s Pizzeria.
The new concept will be situated in a space located at 17 Andrew Young International Boulevard in the Downtown Neighborhood.
The location is sized at 11,544 square feet and cost of construction totals to $200,000, according to a commercial alteration permit filed with City of Atlanta.
Plexus R + D will be the team leading the architecture of the project. The group was also behind the design of Bartaco and Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand, both in West Midtown.
De Haan was not available for comment.
Do you think Red Phone Booth will become a Downtown favorite? Tell us below…
Editor’s note… Details about Amalfi Pizzzeria were added 1/21/2016.
What is downtown who the hell goes there ?
Don’t sleep on downtown. Edward turned around, white provisions and that whole area used to be “zombieland”. These young people aren’t afraid of certain areas.
I meant Edgewood, damn Google spelling!!
Is he trying to revitalize downtown?
Downtown!? Good luck with that.
If you build it they will come! #salute
It should do well in a “classic” space and locale downtown. However, with all these articles, it won’t have the exclusivity and cache’ of Please Don’t Tell New York, but at least it’ll be in a bigger, more luxurious southern space.