Eats restaurant, located at the 600 Ponce De Leon Ave NE at the corner of Lakeview Avenue NE in Atlanta, announced its plans to close on Oct. 3, 2025. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA - Eats, a longtime fixture on Ponce de Leon Avenue known for its jerk chicken, comfort food plates and no-frills charm, will serve its final meals on Oct. 18 after more than three decades in business.
Eats on Ponce to close
What they're saying:
The restaurant announced the closing in a statement to customers this week, thanking generations of regulars who made the small, pea-green stucco building a neighborhood landmark since it opened in 1992.
"Thank you for showing up for us. Thank you for being part of our family since 1992," the farewell note read. "EATS has never just been about the food. It has always been about you. Y’all gave this place its heartbeat."
History of Eats Atlanta
The backstory:
Eats built its reputation on jerk chicken, meat-and-three plates and sides like mac and cheese and collard greens, drawing a steady stream of students, service workers and longtime Atlantans. The modest counter-service restaurant became a rare holdout along Ponce de Leon Avenue, where rapid redevelopment has replaced older storefronts with high-rise apartments and the bustling Ponce City Market across the street.
Writers and diners alike often described Eats as a community melting pot, a place where the line at the counter mixed office workers with retirees, students and families.
The owners acknowledged the decision to close "isn’t an easy post to write" but said the restaurant wanted to finish its run the same way it started: with the city’s people. "Come through, say hello, and help us close this wild chapter the way it began: together," the statement said.
What's next:
Eats’ last day of service will be Saturday, Oct. 18.
The Source: The details in this article come from a Facebook post to the official Eats Restaurant Facebook page.