Restaurateur John Chen and Chef Jason Liang, the team behind Japanese comfort food concept Momonoki, recently signed a lease for space in the lobby of Stars Metals Offices at 1055 Howell Mill Rd.
Chen tells What Now Atlanta that the new project will be a “cafe and lounge concept,” adding more details will be coming soon.
News of another concept from the acclaimed duo comes a little more than a month after they announced the expansion of another of their projects, Cuddlefish, which is slated to open later this year in Central Perimeter’s High Street development.
Chen and Liang, who also own and operate Brush Sushi Izakaya, debuted the Momonoki brand in Midtown in 2018, with a chef-driven menu of tsukemen (dipping ramen), donburi (raw/cooked rice bowls), and katsu sando (Japanese cutlet sandwiches), as well as salads, small plates, and a full bar. Likewise, the larger restaurant houses a café – known as Momo Cafe – offering coffee and Japanese-inspired drinks, with desserts, sweets, and pastries made in-house according to Japanese techniques, as detailed on Momonoki’s website.
At the time of Momonoki’s opening in the Modera Midtown apartments, Chen said in a press release, “My team is looking forward to bringing our unparalleled Japanese dining experience to the Midtown community through our new Momonoki concept, and to being a part of the area’s progression as one of the best places in the city to live and dine.”
This article was updated on Mar 16 after John Chen informed What Now Atlanta that the Star Metals concept would not be Momonoki.
