Lyla Lila will be the name of a planned midtown restaurant venture between Restaurateur Billy Streck and Chef Craig Richards, according to a press release Thursday.
Streck and Richards first announced the Southern European eatery in October 2018.
The restaurant was nameless and details were scarce at the time of last year’s announcement.
Lyla Lila will be situated on the ground level of the newish 24-story Lilli Midtown apartment community, at 693 Peachtree Street Northeast.
It will open early fall 2019.
“Richards and Streck met in 2011 and immediately bonded over a shared love of Atlanta’s vibrant hospitality industry,” according to the release.
“In 2018, the two industry veterans entered into a culinary partnership, having found an ideal location for a restaurant concept at Lilli Midtown where Jarel Portman reached out to Streck exclusively for the Peachtree-facing restaurant space after a positive experience at Inman Quarter.”
During the process of finding the restaurant location, Richards and Streck discovered that their daughters shared the same name.
“My daughter’s name is Lyla and Billy’s daughter’s middle name is Lila. It’s an interesting connection that we share, and by using both names it felt like a personal expression of ourselves and our families to the restaurant,” Richards said.
The menu will focus on the cuisine of southern Italy and Spain.
Richards will feature his made in-house pasta and main courses will include wood-fired meat and seafood as well as seasonally driven vegetables and salads.
Cocktail offerings will follow the kitchen’s use of seasonal ingredients and wine selections will be “old-world” leaning with a strong emphasis on sparkling varietals.
Smith Hanes Studio will oversee the design of the 4,000 square-foot space. Early renderings include organic textures, wood, and a bohemian-style feel.
There will be a 40-seat patio and bar area and the dining room will provide a “dinner-party like atmosphere with polished service and relaxed ambiance.”
A 25-seat private dining room will also be adjacent to the dining room.
Lyla Lila will initially open for dinner seven nights a week with plans to extend meal services to brunch and lunch after the initial opening.
For more than a decade, Richards has overseen the kitchens of Atlanta restaurants La Tavola, Ecco, and St. Cecilia in addition to serving as vice president of culinary for Ford Fry Restaurants.
Streck and his wife Jenn own the community bar and restaurant Hampton & Hudson in Inman Quarter for which Richards oversees the menu.
Streck is also co-owner of the Atlanta classic Cypress Street Pint & Plate and the acclaimed Nina & Rafi, a New Jersey-style pizza joint in the heart of Old Fourth Ward.
