A two-level restaurant built around Peri Peri sauces has opened at 280 Luckie Street, near Centennial Olympic Park. The Peri Peri Grill occupies roughly 5,000 square feet, with its menu served on the main level and a gathering space on the second floor.
The cooking draws on both African and Portuguese traditions. Peri Peri, a Swahili phrase that translates to "pepper pepper," refers to sauces made from the African bird's eye chili, and those sauces are the center of the menu. The main-level menu is built on flame-grilled food in a Portuguese-inspired style, and the sides can be finished with any one of six signature sauces. Those sauces cover a range of profiles, from spicy and garlicky to tangy and lemony.
Customization is the organizing idea. Guests build their own dishes to suit their preferences rather than working from a fixed set of combinations. The restaurant is also aimed at diners looking for a healthier meal, with an emphasis on fresh, wholesome ingredients.
Upstairs is the part of the building that gives it a second purpose. The second floor is a gathering space that is available for business meetings, after-work get-togethers, special events, and personal milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries. That lets the same address serve as an everyday lunch or dinner stop downstairs and a meeting or celebration venue one flight up.
The concept comes from Noman Mirza, Amir Jeelani, and Sohail Lakhani. In a press release announcing the opening, Jeelani said the team felt blessed to open in downtown Atlanta and promised a warm greeting to whoever walks in, describing the restaurant as a welcoming gathering place built around cultural fusion.
The Luckie Street restaurant is not the brand's first. An earlier location operates at 11720 Medlock Bridge Road in Duluth, and the two keep the same schedule. Both are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Each location offers to-go orders and catering.
For anyone spending a day around the park, those hours cover both lunch and dinner every day of the week, with an extra hour on Friday and Saturday nights. Those who want to try the sauces without sitting down can order to go, and groups planning a meeting or party have the second floor to consider.
Original reporting by Libby Allnatt for What Now Atlanta.
