Exactly what Portman will bring to the table(s) at its multi-pronged Midtown development spanning a full city block continues to come into clearer focus.

Officials with the veteran Atlanta development firm recently provided fresh renderings and details pertaining to dining concept Sozou, which will bring renowned chef Fuyuhiko Ito back to the city and incorporate designs described as a fusion of modern elegance and natural elements. (Chef Ito called the Spring Quarter concept an “entirely new dining experience for Atlanta” in a recent statement.)

Portman has brought on international design firm PMTA Studio and Lazzoni Furniture Atlanta to design a restaurant that aims to push the boundaries of modern Japanese cuisine. It’ll be situated at the ground level of topped-out 1020 Spring, the office tower component of the broader project.

Expect 22-foot ceilings and a palette of earthy materials that will include stone, marble, wood, ceramic, and porcelain to emphasize a connection to nature. A bar near the open-air entrance will aim to blur lines between indoors and outdoors, while a dedicated sushi counter will allow guests to see chefs at work. At the mezzanine level, two private dining rooms—Sakura and Hana—will be intended for special occasions.

Plans for ground-level exterior elements and 22-foot ceiling heights at the 1020 Spring tower's Sozou. Courtesy of Portman

Designs planned for Sozou's bar area and entry. Courtesy of Portman

Portman’s schedule calls for opening Sozou in spring next year.

Above the main dining space on 1020 Spring’s eighth floor, another concept by the same chef—Omakase at ISHIN by Ito—is planned as a 14-seat experience for private guests in a space that emphasizes Midtown skyline views.

Dotan Zuckerman, Portman’s head of retail development, called Ito’s return to Atlanta “a significant gain for the city's culinary scene.”

The Sozou uncloaking follows more recent, restaurant-related news at other facets of Spring Quarter.

Interiors planned for the elevated Omakase at Ishin by Fuyuhiko Ito on the project's eighth floor. Courtesy of Portman

Ishin (left only) and Sozou designs. Courtesy of Portman

A Louisiana-based “urban Mexican” concept called Habaneros has signed on to take a 3,900-square-foot space at the base of the project’s 30-story Sora apartments, officials announced in May. Habaneros plans to open at the 370-unit residential tower’s ground level in summer 2025, with patios overlooking 10th Street. 

At the heart of the project, Steve Palmer, Indigo Road Hospitality Group founder, has been tapped to convert the full historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens into a 25,700-square-foot, morning-to-night dining space. The Charleston-based company is behind local concepts such as West Midtown’s O-KU, Avalon’s Oak Steakhouse, and Colony Square’s Sukoshi.  

Find more context and rendering previews in the gallery above.

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