Ama Oyster later this year will debut along the Beltline with the help of Kwanza Hall, a former District 2 Atlanta city councilman of nearly 14 years, and 2017 Atlanta mayoral candidate.
Hall is now a partner on the long-awaited grilled seafood eatery, joining Nhan Le, Skip Engelbrecht, Jeff Jurgena, and George Long.
The politician-turned-restauranteur is using his City-insider knowledge and passion for Atlanta as fodder for getting Ama Oyster back on track and open for business.
Ama Oyster has been in the works publicly since January 2016.
Beloved Chef Angus Brown, who passed away unexpectedly almost a year after the restaurant was announced, was a “prelude to the wonderful things to come at Ama.”
It will be situated in Paris on Ponce and will be Beltline-facing, at 716 Ponce De Leon Place NE, adjacent Three Heart, 8Arm, and Ink, all of which are led by Le.
“The continuation of building out wonderful spaces along the Beltline speaks to the needs of the immediate community as well as broader Atlanta, and visitors coming from all over the world,” Hall in a telephone interview told What Now Atlanta Tuesday.
“Paris on Ponce for a long time was a hidden gem even for people living in the neighborhood.”
Hall, who over the years could be seen biking and walking the Beltline, found himself eating at least two meals a week at 8Arm and Octopus Bar, he said.
“This partnership is a great example of friends coming together.”
Hall last week submitted a new set of permits to the City of Atlanta for Ama Oyster, making a debut before the end of summer, early-fall at the latest, a reality, he said.
As a long-time Councilman, Hall has always assisted restauranteurs in his district and beyond in a variety of ways, but has “never really had the time to participate” as an owner.
“Now I’m more hands-on,” Hall said.
“I’m glad to be able to continue contributing to the growth of our City. There are other concepts that we’re looking at creating. Ama Oyster is just the beginning.”
