Casual fine dining, lofts & more: What’s new, what’s in the works for downtown Macon
The landscape of downtown Macon is ever-changing with new storefronts, restaurants and bars and live music venues.
In the mix of new developments is a casual fine dining restaurant with a full service bar, additional lofts, an upscale gathering spot, sandwich shops, a jazz venue, a micro-distillery and more.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s new, what’s in the works and what’s coming:
Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails —Ashley and Tony Doolin are opening a casual fine dining restaurant at 470 First St. possibly by late spring. She’ll manage the restaurant and he’ll be over the full service bar. The couple also own and operate The Monkey’s Paw Tiki Lounge above the Downtown Grill at 562 Mulberry St. Lane, also in downtown Macon.
Philosophie Charcuterie and Wine Bar — An intimate upscale gathering spot focused on a top-notch wine selection and charcuterie boards is expected to open this spring at 616 Poplar St.
Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs — Jan and Andy Clark are bringing this popular franchise restaurant back to downtown at 596 Cherry St. at the corner of Cherry and Second streets in the first floor of the building that houses the Barfield Lofts.
Pressure — Cedric Penson recently won approval from the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission to transform the former Ben’s radiator shop at 753 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. into a jazz venue.
Longleaf Distilling Co. — A micro-distillery and tasting room is coming to 664 Second St., the former If It’s Paper location, where signature whiskey and other liquors will be made.
Willingham Lofts on Third/The Office — With the support of Peyton Anderson Foundation Ventures, NewTown Macon purchased and renovated this formerly vacant and neglected building at 461 Third St. to create eight new lofts. NewTown Macon also is relocating its coworking space, dubbed The Office, to the storefront below the lofts. Call NewTown Macon at 478-722-9909 for more information.
Woodward Hotel/Clovis & Quill — The transformation of this building at 350 Second St. into a nine-room boutique hotel with a separate public entrance for a speakeasy bar with a rooftop lounge is expected to be completed this summer.
Flavoriz Coffee & Hookah — Daaiyah Sultan is opening a LGBTQ coffee shop and lounge at 368 Second St. in the former Bodega grocery and convenience store location.
Church Hill on Cherry— Father-and-son team Bruce and Nicholas Riggins are expected to bring an upscale luxury cigar bar and lounge to 557 Cherry St. in downtown Macon.
Pet Boutique — A sign in the window at 453 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. reads that a pet boutique is coming soon to the space.
Moving
Daiquiris & More — This downtown bar and lounge at 378 Second St. announced on its Facebook page that its planning relocate to 408 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., the former site of The Tic Toc Room.
Total Chiropractic & Wellness Center and Pink Chief Boutique — Renovation is under way at 415 Cherry St. to house this two-in-one business location that’s relocating from 498 Poplar St.
Fresh Produce Records — This discount vinyl record store is moving from 451 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. into a larger space at 567 Cherry St.
Fatty’s — This pizza joint is expected to move from its 344 Second St. location also into to a larger space a block away at 587 Cherry St. The current location, which is still in operation, is expected to close after the move and then reopen as a sandwich spot.
Opened this year
The Girls Room A Style and Glam Experience — Friends Brittany Girtman and Curtisse Ewing opened this new glam shop at 452 Cotton Ave. where customers can get their makeup done and pick up a new purse at the same time.
The Lazy Donkey — Enrique Lopez and Napoleon Onate own and operate this new Mexican restaurant at 379 Third St. in the spot that formerly housed another Mexican restaurant, the Acapulco. They also are partners in El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant at 610 North Ave. in Macon and El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant at 208 Old Clinton Road in Gray.
Hello Boba Cafe — With its Cherry Blossom/Asian pop culture themed cafe at 359 Third St., this Boba tea shop owned and operated by Renee Tu also offers Bubble Waffles and pre-packaged Asian snacks.
Hotel Forty Five — The new 94-room boutique hotel at 401 Cotton Ave opened in February with three dine and drink options: Loom, a chef-driven restaurant, Hightales Rooftop Bar on the sixth floor and Reckon Coffee & Wine Bar.
Coming
Otis Redding Foundation Center of the Arts and Amphitheater — This 9,000-square-foot facility will be located at Cotton Avenue and Cherry streets and include practice rooms, arts lab spaces and studios for students to explore songwriting, production and performance.
Esports arena — Atlanta-based Artisan Interests purchased the former Al Sihah Shrine Temple at 745 Poplar St. for about $1.5 million with plans of leading its transformation into an esports arena complimented by a 125-plus key limited-service hotel and 400-space parking deck.
Central City Commons - A 152-room hotel with an entertainment alley is proposed for 678 Poplar St., along with renovation of the nearby Newman Building for an entertainment space and construction of a six-story, 230-unit apartment building at Second and Plum streets.
