After immense planning and preparation, the Hop City team is excited to announce the opening of their new restaurant, Boxcar, on Friday, March 1, 2019. Opening in the West End’s Lee + White development at 1020 White St. SW, Boxcar looks to add its own unique dining experience alongside Monday Night Brewing, Wild Heaven Beer, Honeysuckle Gelato, and more.
Drawing inspiration from its namesake, the team has designed Boxcar to reflect the gritty, industrial aesthetic of a graffiti’d freight train. The highlight of the decor is an original mural of Ray Leon Livingston, a famous hobo & author who traveled the country during the early twentieth century, commissioned by Atlanta’s Catlanta. Hop City will also be donating a portion of sales at Boxcar to the Atlanta Mission and will be partnering with WorkSource Georgia to help keep longtime West End residents in the community and working.
Adding to the excitement is the addition of Executive Chef Matt Hutchins. Hailing from Florida, Hutchins moved to New York to study at the Culinary Institute of America before coming to Georgia to join the opening team at Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar, Hop City’s first restaurant venture. His passion for farm-to-table dining shines through in the new Boxcar menu with unique options including the “Lobstah Roll,” Yuzu Fried Chicken and Roasted Beet Carpaccio as well as elevated bar classics like the Soft Baked Pretzel and the Boxcar Beef Burger. To complement its refined menu, Boxcar will feature a selection of 80 rotating draft beers, wine, and creative cocktails at two in-house bars. There’s no need to feel overwhelmed with options, however, as “beer nerds” will be on hand to assist diners and guide them through the drink options.
Along with the new restaurant space, Boxcar will include Hop City’s traditional retail space where customers can choose from an expansive selection of craft beers and small-production wines. “Our retail space will be a little more curated on the beer side with closer to 1,000 choices compared to the 1,900 or so at our original Westside store,” says Owner Kraig Torres. “It will still be the best our local, national and worldwide brewers have to offer…with a focus on freshness. You’ll also see a generous selection of small-production wines hand-picked by our equally-passionate wine team. We hope we have created a warm, friendly environment for enthusiasts of all things food and drink.”
Boxcar will be open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Hop City’s retail area will be open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Hop City Craft Beer & Wine is an award-winning bottle shop and craft bar founded in 2009 in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood by Kraig Torres. Hop City has slowly grown to include locations in Birmingham, AL, Inman Park (at Krog Street Market), and a West End Atlanta location, coming soon.
