La Fonda Latina has closed the doors to its Howell Mill Road location, at 1025 Howell Mill Rd NW, Co-Owner Clay Harper confirmed this week in an email to What Now Atlanta.
Developer Allen Morris Company will build future phases of its ever-growing Star Metals district where the restaurant stood for a decade.
Harper and team are “relocating” the Howell Mill Road restaurant to East Lake as reported Wednesday by What Now Atlanta.
“In the end we could not hold off the wave of progress that has come to that area and decided to sell our property and relocate to the afore mentioned East Lake,” Harper said. “Although our opening date is uncertain, eventually most of the staff from [Howell Mill Road] will move to there. In the meantime they’ll work at existing La Fondas and help prepare the new place.”
Harper, who has “not been too involved in what will follow us on Howell Mill,” thinks a series of “pop-ups will proceed the wrecking ball for a year or so,” the restaurateur said.
Redevelopment of the former La Fonda building likely wont take place until the second half of 2024, reports Urbanize Atlanta, as part of the fourth, fifth, and sixth phases of Star Metals. The next phase — phase three — will bring Stella at Star Metals (pictured above) to the district offering 331 apartments and 25,000 square feet of street-level retail.
Harper and team also recently closed The Greater Good BBQ, at 4441 Roswell Rd NE. “We were silent partners in that restaurant,” Harper said, adding, “We have no immediate plans for the space.”
