Jordan Chambers, a co-founder of Steady Hand Pour House, is bringing Midtown a small coffee bar by the way of Larakin later this year, according to plans filed with the City of Atlanta.
Slated for the ground-floor of the three-story, 13-unit short-term rental property, at 208 12th Street, Larakin will cost an estimated $200,000 to construct, spanning 293 square feet, official plans outline.
While Chambers has not responded to What Now Atlanta’s request for comment, the restaurateur confirmed the plans with Eater Atlanta saying a summer 2022 opening was in the cards.
In addition to its coffee and espresso, Larakin will serve Midtowners wine by the glass and bottle, breakfast and baked goods by day, and cured meats and tinned fish by night, according to Eater. The spot gets its name from “an Australian slang term describing a person who’s a bit of a scamp living life with fervor.”
“It’s really tiny inside. The ceilings are tall and it’s pretty wide, but you don’t have a lot of depth to work with,” Chambers told Eater. “We have to get creative with this indoor space. We might not even have a register, it will likely be two people walking around with handhelds taking orders where people are standing.”
Elmhurst Capital, the firm that developed 208 12th Street, has long planned for a coffee shop at the base of the property. PRAXIS3, an architecture and multidisciplinary design firm founded in 1997, mocked up the coffee shop for Elmhurst, and described the developer’s vision for the space.
“Big things sometimes come in small packages and this café demands a big impact with a small footprint,” PRAXIS3 wrote of the plans at the time of development. “Located near Atlanta’s largest outdoor destination, Piedmont Park, this café required careful design consideration on multiple fronts. Providing service to the residents in the apartments above as well as the pedestrians visiting the park, the café needs a unique identity that pays homage to its iconic local surroundings. It also needs the ability to seamlessly flow to the street, attracting local foot traffic, while still functioning effectively in a tighter, enclosed space during unfavorable weather conditions. It’s an invitation for a drink with a side of urban design — the choice is yours to stay for a while or keep on exploring the city that provided its inspiration.”
