Chamblee’s status as the next metro Atlanta food hall destination (if on a smaller scale) officially begins today.

Project officials send word that Chamblee Tap & Market, a 5,000-square-foot taproom, will begin pouring at 4 p.m. as the first business to open in a 3509 Broad St. adaptive-reuse project in Chamblee’s historic downtown.

Expect 26 taps with a wide variety—including five devoted to wine, and one for draft cocktails—at what’s been coined a “micro food hall” for Chamblee, with food and coffee options en route in coming months.

Among the 20 beer taps will be local and seasonal crafts, rare selections from other markets, and popular brews from across the country and overseas. The opening list includes brands such as Bold Monk, Good Word, Bluejacket, Maine, and Creature Comforts, with the first tap devoted to a lighter, local concoction called “ChamWow!” as a nod to both the city and late-night infomercials.

How Broad Street frontages have come together in downtown Chamblee. Photo by Brandon Amato; courtesy of CT&M

The sudsy concept was whipped up by pals and financial industry vets Jeff Kimmel and David Heymann. The duo created a weekly get-together called Beer Club Sundays—an excuse to rank their favorite beers as a distraction during the COVID-19 pandemic—and later ditched their corporate jobs to give the multifaceted, micro food hall concept a go.   

“We immediately knew downtown Chamblee is where we wanted to be,” Heymann said in a taproom announcement this week. “There’s so much potential here. It’s got this terrific downtown with tons of character that was built decades and decades ago. They aren’t making any more of these.”

Elsewhere, three food stalls (Let’s Taco Bout It, comfort food Southern Grace, and barbecue concept South End Smokehouse have signed on) and a pint-sized coffeeshop (Sidecar Coffee) are in the works.

The project, designed by Vickers Design Group, is part of a broader Chamblee Town Center plan that’s coming together as a more walkable, cohesive district across several downtown blocks. It’s remaking former Broad Street furniture and antiques businesses into a gathering place across the street from the new Chamblee City Hall, which claimed the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Georgia 2023 People’s Choice Award for best built project over 5,000 square feet.

A private event space for up to 25 guests is also in the works at Chamblee Tap & Market.

Sidecar Coffee, which will occupy the smallest stall, will also serve small plates, protein yogurt bowls, a “toast program,” and bakery items, project leaders say. It’s slated to debut in September, with Heymann’s wife, Leigh, at the helm.

The existing Broad Street buildings in 2022. Google Maps

Context of Chamblee Tap & Market's 3509 Broad St. location among downtown destinations. Google Maps

The concept by owners Kimmel and Heymann was initially expected to open in spring 2023 but was hit with delays.

At the outset, the taproom will be open Thursday and Friday (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and Saturday (1 p.m. to 10 p.m.) According to business leaders, the schedule will transition to all week when coffee and food service begins this fall.

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