The interesting thing about Brookhaven's 2026 opening slate isn't the count. It's the geography. Nearly every new restaurant coming online this summer is being built by an operator who already runs a concept within a few blocks of the new address. If it feels like the same names keep showing up on your dinner reservations, that is because they are, and it is changing what a Tuesday night looks like inside the 30319 and 30329 zip codes.
The Arnette Cluster Gets Another Address
Michel Arnette already runs four Brookhaven restaurants under his Word of Mouth Restaurants group. His restaurants include two-story American steakhouse Arnette's Chop House, neighborhood restaurant HAVEN, Tuscan-inspired spot Valenza, and Vero Pizzeria. This summer he adds a fifth. In late summer, Arnette will open seafood restaurant Siren next to Arnette's Chop Shop, with menu and design details expected in the weeks before the opening.
The strategic read: Arnette is not spreading into Sandy Springs or Buckhead. He is layering concepts on the same walkable block, which means the operator understands something about Brookhaven's evening foot traffic that outside groups have not yet figured out. If you already live within walking distance of Chop Shop, you are about to gain a seafood option that shares a kitchen team and a hospitality culture with the room next door.
The New Summer Openings At A Glance
| Concept | Address / Location | Behind It | What It Is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren | Next to Arnette's Chop Shop | Michel Arnette, Word of Mouth Restaurants | Seafood, late summer 2026 |
| Larita Cafe | AMLI Brookhaven, 1420 Lake Hearn Dr. NE, Suite A | Mohammed Saleh | Gelato, pastries, sandwiches, coffee |
| Dish's Bagels | AMLI Brookhaven | Independent | Bagels, under construction |
| Unkie's Pizza and Bar | 3400 Clairmont Road, Suite A | Richard Gazaway and Michael Colombo | Pizza, opening in phases |
| El Valle (second location) | Brookhaven | Existing Atlanta operator | Mexican with Latin wine list |
AMLI Brookhaven Is Quietly Becoming Its Own Food Block
The mixed-use building at 1420 Lake Hearn Drive is filling up faster than any single tenant announcement suggests. Larita Cafe will open in AMLI Brookhaven at 1420 Lake Hearn Dr. NE, Suite A. Owner Mohammed Saleh told What Now Atlanta that the team has just started construction and that they are targeting a late June or early July opening. The menu is deliberately broad. The cafe's menu will focus on gelato, pastries, sandwiches and coffee, with offerings displayed on Larita Cafe's website ranging from danishes and crepes to focaccia sandwiches and pistachio lattes.
Saleh's positioning is worth reading closely if you have kids. "We are trying to be open late and also be a place for families," Saleh said. "Adults can enjoy the pastries and coffee, and the kids can enjoy the gelato." That is a specific bet on the demographic already inside AMLI's residential floors, and it comes with company. The brand will join other businesses like Dish's Bagels, which is also currently under construction, and Elan Nails at AMLI Brookhaven.
If you have been treating Lake Hearn Drive as a pass-through on your way to Perimeter, this is the summer to change that habit. Two food concepts and a nail salon in one building is the density that turns a driveway into a Saturday walk.
Unkie's Brings A Vintage Pizzeria Alumni Back To Their Home Zip
The Clairmont Road corridor gets its own new pizza address this year. Richard Gazaway and Michael Colombo met two decades ago when working together at Vintage Pizzeria. Now, the duo are partnering to open Unkie's Pizza and Bar at 3400 Clairmont Road, Suite A, in Brookhaven. The location has a short local history worth knowing. When he and Colombo found this spot, formerly home to The Greek Pizzeria & Gyros, it felt like an ideal spot to serve the community in a new way.
The opening is structured in two phases, which matters if you plan to visit. The second phase of opening, slated for spring, will include a full bar and additional menu items including sandwiches and appetizers. The team will be building out the bar space and revamping the patio during phase one, preparing the space for its full opening. Read that as: go for pizza now, come back for the patio and cocktail list once the buildout finishes.
Gazaway is not a transplant testing a market. Gazaway, who grew up in Chamblee, told What Now Atlanta that he had been evaluating next steps since stepping away from his position as general manager at Vintage Pizzeria last April. That biography tells you what to expect from the room: someone who already knows which pies his neighbors want on a Wednesday.
El Valle's Second Location
The Mexican restaurant El Valle is adding a Brookhaven address, and the differentiator is the beverage program. The team plans to pour a Latin wine list, which is uncommon enough in the metro that it will likely define the room's reputation more than the food menu.
Between Siren, Larita, Dish's, Unkie's, and El Valle, a resident who does not leave a two-mile radius has five new dinner options by fall.
That is the thesis of this summer. Brookhaven is not diversifying outward. It is thickening inward.
Wednesday Nights Belong To The Greenway
If you have driven past the Peachtree Creek Greenway trailheads on a Wednesday evening and wondered why the lot is fuller than usual, there is a standing reason. Lace up and come join us for the Peachtree Creek Greenway Run/Walk club. We start from the Briarwood Trailhead every Wednesday at 6:00pm. All levels are welcome.
The trail itself is short but built for evening use. Currently, the Peachtree Creek Greenway runs 1.3 miles from North Druid Hills Road to Briarwood Road, between I-85 and Buford Highway. There are 3 trailheads with parking lots. The trail is fully ADA compliant, lighted at night and has benches, bike repair stations and dog waste stations for user's convenience. The lighting is the underrated detail. Most metro Atlanta multi-use paths shut off visually at dusk. This one does not.
For visitor parking, the three trailheads are 2036 North Druid Hills Rd., Brookhaven; 1801 Corporate Blvd., Brookhaven; and 1799 Briarwood Rd., Brookhaven. Briarwood sits directly behind the REI store, which is the easiest landmark if you have not been.
One Saturday Morning To Put On The Calendar
If you would rather trade a walk for something more hands-on, Detrash Hikes ATL is meeting on the Greenway in mid-July. Our next event will not be the first Saturday of July due to Independence Day, and will move to the next week, 07/11. We'll be meeting at the Peachtree Creek Greenway in Brookhaven off N Druid Hills Rd, at the 2036 N Druid Hills trailhead. Bring gloves that resist punctures. The organizers note that the underpasses collect glass and metal.
The Greenway Is About To Get Longer
The 1.3-mile stretch you know today is Phase I. There is a longer story behind it. The Peachtree Creek Greenway is the City of Brookhaven's 3-mile section of the proposed 12.3-mile North Fork Peachtree Creek multi-use trail linking to the major Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Trail systems, and providing last-mile connectivity to transit, centers of employment, and passive green space for the densely populated Buford Highway corridor.
Phase II is the connector residents have been waiting on. Brookhaven's Phase II will begin at the Atlanta city line, connecting the Atlanta Beltline, Path 400 and the South Fork Conservancy Trails to the North Druid Hills Road trailhead. The city's project page gives a status worth tracking. ROW Acquisition complete. ROW Certification anticipated February 2026. Final plans are done and the field plan review has already taken place, which is the point in a public works timeline where construction stops being hypothetical.
For a homeowner, the meaning is practical. When Phase II opens, a walk from a Brookhaven front porch to the Beltline will not require getting in a car. That is the kind of connectivity that reshapes weekend routines long before it shows up in a market summary.
What A Summer Week Actually Looks Like Now
Put it together and the calendar writes itself:
- Wednesday, 6:00pm — Briarwood Trailhead for the run/walk club
- Thursday evening — a slice at Unkie's on Clairmont, then home before the bar phase wraps
- Friday date night — Siren once it opens, or Valenza if the reservation is easier
- Saturday morning — coffee and a pistachio latte at Larita, then a bagel run at Dish's next door
- Saturday, July 11, 9:30am — Greenway cleanup at the N Druid Hills trailhead
None of these require leaving Brookhaven. That is the summer, and that is the shift.
If you have been thinking about how these changes affect what your home is worth on the current Brookhaven market, or you are curious what a walk-in radius to five new restaurants does to buyer interest on your street, David Huang Group is happy to talk it through. Schedule a Free Market Consultation.
