Marietta Square's Newest Tables Sit a Block Off the Park

Glover Park Kitchen held its grand opening on October 9, eight days before HarvestFest fills Glover Park. It's the latest of the year's openings on Marietta Square, and like most of the others, it doesn't face the park. Over 2026, the new kitchens around the Square landed on Atlanta Street, Powder Springs Street and Roswell Street. On the four sides of the park itself, most of the changes were reworked restaurants and one big room that is now empty. From HarvestFest on October 17 through the Strand's last holiday show on December 23, the crowds will gather in the middle while the newest restaurants sit along the edges.

Atlanta Street picked up two kitchens in one year

The clearest example is the short stretch of Atlanta Street just south of the Square.

1. Glover Park Kitchen, 72 Atlanta Street. The owners of Glover Park Brewery run it, and the brewery is right across the street. Executive Chef Lance Hagan brings more than 20 years of fine-dining experience. According to Marietta.com's write-up, the menu draws on Southern Sunday suppers and Gulf Coast cooking. It includes Charleston shrimp and grits, Springer Mountain fried chicken, and a "Hagan Pot Roast" made with beer-braised short rib. Sides are served family-style for two or three people, and the list includes Buford Highway collards with gochujang and turkey burnt ends. The restaurant soft-opened October 7 before the October 9 grand opening.
2. Fin & Feathers, 16 Atlanta Street. It's open now in the former Carmen's Kitchen & Cocktails space. The menu runs to Southern comfort food, seafood, steaks and brunch: shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, honey bourbon salmon, lamb chops, and jerk chicken egg rolls. The rules are worth knowing before you go with family. Guests must be 21 or older after 8 p.m., photo ID is required, and a 20% gratuity is added to every bill automatically.

Between these two, Atlanta Street now has a brewery and two full-service restaurants within a short walk of each other. Until this year, none of them were new.

The same thing happened on the other side streets. Antika is now running at 34 Powder Springs Street and taking reservations. That's the former home of The Frozen Goose, which opened in late 2022 and closed at the end of November 2025. City business records listed Antika at the address, and it scored 100 on its first food-service inspection on April 14, 2026. On Roswell Street, Two Bells Burgers & Cheesesteaks is getting ready to replace Boru Ramen Noodle & Poke Bar at No. 154. As of Marietta.com's October 9 roundup, it had no opening date. Nearby competition includes Woody's Cheesesteaks on Church Street, Stockyard Burgers & Bones on Mill Street, and Philly & Wrap and Roxy's Burger inside the food hall.

On the park itself, the year was about reworking

On the sides of the Square facing Glover Park, 2026 brought fewer brand-new names and more changes to existing ones.

West Park Sports Club opened April 20 at 29 West Park Square, in the space Red Hare Brewing & Distilling used to occupy. It's an upscale sports bar from Fork U Concepts, the group behind Taqueria Tsunami and Stockyard Burgers and Bones, and its early menu included crispy rice with tuna and bulgogi cheesesteak sliders. Willie Rae's x Pisano's reopened July 31 after several weeks of construction. It now serves shorter menus from both Willie Rae's Social House and Pisano's Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen under one roof. Inside the food hall, El Jalisco brought Mexican food to Marietta Square Market, and the market said it was open by August 27.

Then there's 45 West Park Square. Piastra operated there for a decade. It closed in December 2025 so the space could become Asher & Rose, a grocery store and café that opened early in 2026. The Marietta Daily Journal later reported that Asher & Rose was closing less than a year after its grand opening. The building has since sold. What Now Atlanta reported that it will become Brasserie Genevieve, a French brasserie. The new owner is Salem Makhlouf, and the outlet said the team appears to be the owners of L on North, another restaurant on the Square.

The size of that room is what matters for this season. What Now Atlanta describes 6,000 square feet on the main level, with seating for 130 inside, 45 more on the sidewalk patio, and 30 at the bar. That's about 205 seats on the west side of the park. What Now expected an opening in December or January. Marietta.com's October 9 update says late 2026 to early 2027. Either way, the space is likely to be dark for the November events and possibly for the December tree lighting too.

The season's dates, and where the crowds will be

Most of the events below happen in or right next to Glover Park, and they run from next weekend to two days before Christmas. The City of Marietta notes that dates on its 2026 calendar can change, and events marked as not run by the city have their own event pages.

According to the city's announcement, HarvestFest brings an arts and crafts show, Touch-A-Truck, Scarecrows in the Square, a costume contest, a pie-eating contest presented by Pie Bar, and the Halloween Happenings Kids Festival. It's the first big day in the park since Glover Park Kitchen opened across from the brewery. It also falls on a Saturday, and the Marietta Square Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, all year.

November 13 is the busiest single evening on the list. Candlelight Shopping keeps Square shops open late with entertainment, and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra's Cookie Crawl runs the same evening, starting an hour earlier. That's a Friday when the space at 45 West Park Square is still expected to be under construction.

The Strand's box office fills the weeknights between the big Square events with holiday films. It shows A Christmas Story on November 17, a White Christmas sing-along on November 18, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on November 19, Home Alone on November 24 and ELF on November 25. Die Hard plays December 15, and an It's a Wonderful Life marathon runs December 22. These quieter nights are an easy time to try the newer places on Atlanta and Powder Springs streets before or after a movie.

December's first weekend is packed. The tree lighting and Ugly Sweater Parade are Thursday, December 3. The Marietta Pilgrimage gala is that same night from 7 to 10 p.m., and the home tour follows Friday through Sunday. The Menorah Lighting is Saturday, December 5. If Brasserie Genevieve opens in early December, this is the first weekend it would see big crowds.

Driving in from the north runs through a work zone

The new kitchens are south and west of the park. Drivers coming from the north have something else to plan for. Marietta Water's Upper ER Sewer Replacement Project is replacing about 3,800 linear feet of aging sewer main around Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. In an October 8 update, the city said contractors are now working along Cherokee, Cherry and Church Streets. Expect temporary lane closures and possible delays. Access to homes, businesses and hospital services will stay open throughout. The city expects the work to finish in early 2027, so it will likely still be going on during every event in the table above.

Church Street is also home to Woody's Cheesesteaks at No. 95. Leaving a few extra minutes for HarvestFest morning or the tree lighting is the practical move until the crews finish.

Many of these events come from local organizations, like Cobb Landmarks, Marietta Pilgrimage and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, that help make this season on the Square what it is. At Local Loyalty Realtors, our commission rebate program can send part of our compensation from your home sale or purchase to a local cause you choose. If you're making a move this season, use our rebate calculator to see what that amount could be.