College Park’s Nouveau Bar and Grill Expanding to Jonesboro

Ebony Austin opened her first restaurant, Nouveau Bar & Grill, on College Park’s Main Street just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the doors of restaurants across the country. Now, on what is hopefully the other side of the pandemic, Nouveau Bar & Grill is thriving, so much so that Austin plans to open a second location in Jonesboro.

Austin announced the new space, at 103 West Mill Street on the corner of Mill and Broad streets, at an outdoor event hosted by radio personality Wanda Smith in Jonesboro, where Jonesboro Mayor Joy Brantley Day was in attendance, along with other prominent guests.

“They say it takes a village to raise a family, so it must take an army to start a restaurant,” says Austin, who long-dreamt of working in the hospitality industry before happening upon what would become her restaurant’s first location in 2019.

Nouveau, which prides itself on its signature dish, “The Ultimate” — a seafood-loaded take on shrimp & grits — is expected to open its second location on July 21st, and if it’s anything like the College Park spot, you can expect Friday night karaoke, live music, and a serious brunch scene.