Caribbean-style Palm78 will bring the flavors of the islands to Alpharetta in late May, at 5325 Windward Pkwy.
The restaurant, led by Chef Lino Joseph of Spice House, replaces Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in a strip center, sandwiched between Starbucks and Mattress Firm.
“Palm78 is a spinoff from my current restaurant Spice House,” Joseph told What Now Atlanta. “It offers a more elevated dinner and cocktail menu.”
Mark Rosner, a What Now Atlanta reader with a keen eye, recently saw the Palm78 signage going up at the space, and found an advert seeking a “Chef Kitchen Manager” which has since expired. Applications for other positions are still being accepted, according to the restaurant’s website.
“With Palm 78 we want to push ourselves creatively when it comes to different dishes and cocktails from all over the Caribbean,” Joseph said. ‘There is so much of our culture to offer, and we are striving to eventually become a platform where we could win James Beard awards and more.”
Joseph did not immediately share a menu for Palm 78.
“I want to put us on the map because I really feel like Caribbean and island food doesn’t get enough respect,” Joseph said. “I feel like we have to kick the door in and show people that this culture has a lot to offer other than just jerk chicken or oxtails — which we love, but there’s so much more complex and refined dishes the Caribbean culture has to offer that people haven’t ever seen or experienced. We really want to just bring that passion to a plate.”
Joseph, a native Floridian with Haitian parents, made Atlanta his home after identifying a need for “refined Caribbean restaurants” in the City, according to the Spice House website. Joseph launched Spice House in 2017 serving dishes from Islands around the Caribbean including Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, and the Bahamas. Spice House has four locations.