Where Edgewood’s budding food, beverage district stands now

For a couple of local neighborhood real estate investors, the quest continues to bring more food-and-beverage options near the sprawling, original location of El Tesoro taqueria in Edgewood.  

The two unrelated projects are situated on opposite sides of Whitefoord Avenue, just north of Memorial Drive, where El Tesoro’s adherents often form lines around the corner. Both Edgewood properties count more cachet than most, given their status along the Eastside Trolley Trail, a popular Beltline-to-Kirkwood connector trail installed by the PATH Foundation in 2023. 

Both developers provided status updates to Urbanize Atlanta this week. Let’s start with the larger property, immediately north of the taqueria. 

Plans for 131 Whitefoord Ave. were revealed in spring 2024 for turning a former 1950s auto garage into a local pizzeria and neighborhood market, with patio seating in front and some parking in the rear. Demolition kicked off last fall. 

Building and business owner, attorney Sid Weinstein, who has lived nearby for two decades, says the concept has recently been tweaked. The market component’s floorplan has been reduced following what Weinstein says were alcohol permitting issues.  

Weinstein wouldn’t divulge the pizza concept’s name this week but said the chef signed on to operate it is “Italy trained” and that the business is a “non-chain, non-franchise, custom concept.”  

“We have looked through the eyes of adults, parents, and children of all ages [for the concept],” Weinstein wrote via email. “We have a great team with many years of restaurant experience. 

“The menu is nearly finished with standard as well as unique topping mixes to meet a myriad of customer tastebuds,” he continued. “We’re very excited as this project finally moves forward, and we have pizza experts in the neighborhood lined up to try it out.”

In terms of construction progress, Weinstein says he’s waiting on permits to finish the last of civil engineering work and the interior build-out. The intent is to “provide a low-key, non-stressful, friendly experience,” he says.  

Weinstein says the goal is to open the adaptive-reuse, 1,400-square-foot concept as soon as possible, but the ETA remains unclear. Plans call for patio seating in front near the sidewalk and about 10 parking spaces behind the building, Weinstein has said. 

“It's so hard to give an opening date,” he said this week. “Every time I think I can project it, I get disappointed.”  

Meanwhile, across the street, plans are also moving forward for another boutique retail concept the property owner hopes will benefit from a stream of adjacent foot and bike traffic.  

In 2024, a crumbling, 2,482-square-foot commercial building from 1945 was razed at the 142 Whitefoord Ave. site. It had been vacant for more than a decade, with a collapsed roof and trees growing inside. 

Sara Thurston, the lot’s new owner and a licensed real estate agent, tells Urbanize Atlanta she hopes to break ground there in mid-August at what’s currently used as a dirt parking lot. 

“It’s been quite a process, but I am so close to getting my building permit approved,” Thurston said today.

The concept’s name: Sunshine 365 Café. [CORRECTION: 3:40 p.m., June 9: Thurston clarifies: "Sunshine 365 is my company name but not the name of the restaurant. That's TBD. It will be a breakfast and lunch concept."]  

According to building permit filings confirmed by Thurston, plans for cafe call for a new 3,480-square-foot block structure on an elevated platform (the area is in a flood zone). 

The first-floor café will span 1,750 square feet. Upstairs, plans call for employee break rooms, storage, and other non-public spaces. Decatur-based architecture firm Lightroom is listed as project architect. 

Thurston’s team has also asked the city for permission to reduce the site’s parking requirement from 24 to 14 spaces. 

Swing up to the gallery for more images and context.

...

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Edgewood news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)