Harbour Bar Taking Over Old El Tesoro Location
Decatur Metro | May 27, 2011
Patch reports that three restaurateurs who are responsible for Napoleon’s Grill in Oak Grove – and between them have founded such well-known spots as Burrito Art, Saba and Front Page News – are opening a Six Feet Under-esque joint called “Harbour Bar” this summer in the old El Tesoro location at 129 Church Street in Deactur.
Among the more pertinent details…
The renovation will include knocking down walls, moving restrooms, and extending the bar from where it is now to make way for a raw seafood bar.
Menu items will include steamer baskets, lobster, sauteed clam cakes, and hot shots, which are oysters with tequila key lime butter.
“There’s a big need for a seafood and raw oyster bar type place,” [co-owner Ryan] Aiken said.
Can’t say I disagree with that.
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Nice. Just another place for the stroller crowd to put out of business.
Wow. How do stroller crowds put places out of business?
Some comment. I can’t figure out if that’s anger, resentment, sadness, pique or something completely new.
What does that even mean?
My guess is that children don’t eat a lot of sushi and oysters.
It’s all of the above George.
Considering oysters are widely considered an aphrodisiac, this restaurant will only add to Decatur’s current baby boom. This must be stopped. But wait. There must be a solution. Thinking. Conceptualizing. Got it. Instead of mints with your check, you receive condoms. (Now that my children are too grown for strollers, what club am I in now? Sometimes I just feel so heteronormative, I could just burst!)
Must be the oysters! I was at a couple of end-of-the-school year block parties and they were busting with babies to 3 year olds. I didn’t think we could see more babies and toddlers around than we did at the time Westchester was closing but this is a tsunami compared to the previous tidal wave. I sure hope CSD has a plan for a couple of years from now. I’m not sure the extra capacity in the new Glennwood Elementary is going to last long. And even if it does, all kids funnel through the 4/5 at Fifth Avenue and it is opening in August at close to capacity. I’m predicting, and this blog will be my proof, that by 5 years from now, CSD will have to build another brand-new school, and/or convert Westchester back to an elementary school, and/or convert College Heights back to an elementary school, and/or double the classrooms at Fifth Avenue in a major way, and/or go back to a K-5 configuration.
Sounds great! I think those guys do a really good job, and I am always for more seafood!
I hardly think the “stroller crowd” is to blame when a restaurant closes. I suspect it has much more to do with the quality of the food, the service, the location, and whether it meets a need in the community. El Tesoro was just okay – and with several other taco joints in better locations with better food and better service, it was unlikely to survive – with or without being patronized by the “stroller crowd.”.
I hope the space inside will be more open. That was one of the main problems with Tesoro- the space was too chopped up and I always felt isolated and neglected by wait staff.
I was, seemingly in the minority, very disappointed when El Tesoro closed. However, this sounds great and makes me very excited
You are one magnanimous possible future entree, Trout. I applaud that.
Golazo for the win! Maybe even comment of the day! I look forward to Chef Ryan’s latest venture.
predator ^5
I am very excited for this, it’s truly a niche that needs filling in Decatur.
I just hope that the service is better than at Napoleon’s. No one should have to wait 35 min for a drink!
Am I the only one who regards Front Page News’ food as awful? At least the midtown location.
Front Page News is terrible in every way. I hope this place is good though; I do love seafood.
No, it’s bad. Pretty much in line with Applebee’s IMO.
Looking forward to Harbour Bar though!
Nope. I haven’t eaten at the Midtown location, but my meal the L5P location was pretty abysmal. Thankfully, it was on someone else’s dime.
That said, I am cautiously optimistic about this announcement. Like DM, I agree that the proprietors have assessed a segment of the restaurant biz that is definitely under served in downtown Decatur. I just hope they source their seafood carefully. Sourcing is always important, but with a seafood house of this nature it is single most important thing.
Since Nathalie’s is gone, this is definitely a niche that had yet to be filled in Decatur. I think the concept will work. It’s hard to find a good raw bar anywhere in Atlanta (maybe Fontaine’s?), so I think this will pull interest from people outside of Decatur as well.
At least we know that the owners know what they’re doing, given their other successful restaurants in the metro. I particularly am a HUGE fan of Saba!
Even when Natalie’s was here, the niche wasn’t filled…
I agree. Went once.
Cakes and Ale has great oysters…
Can’t wait. Napoleon’s does a fantastic job of mixing a fun, casual atmosphere to relax and and have a beer with great food at a great price.
Best of luck!!!!
I can’t wait, LOVE sea food!! although my boyfriend wouldn’t be able to come within 100 ft of this place without having an anaphylactic reaction and having to be taken to the ER…. um, “table for one”
Just send him to Twain’s or Greene’s.
THese guys know how to run a restaurant. Napoleans is always packed, the food is awesome, the atmosphere is amazing and they even had to expand due to the volume. Who does that..people who are successful. A new concept in a great location sounds perfect. I wish i was eating an osyster right now. Cant wait..kudos
I hope it amazes everyone and is wildly successful so I won’t have to go all the way to Buckhead for a seafood restaurant with a lot of variety. They need to take their cues from the great Florida oyster houses – if they do, I’ll be back.
If they have shrimp as good as Six Feet Under’s, I’ll be there. Just oysters. . .probably not.
It took exactly one post for the comments to go negative. Really, guys, try counting to 10 like your mothers taught you.
As a part of the stroller crowd, I was hoping for a decent lunch place/bakery, as opposed to another fancy evening place. Oh well. I’ll be interested to see if it survives, as the location appears to be very good with parking.
I HATE THOSE STROLLER PEOPLE….. I WANT TO STOP ALL STROLLING
SH ain’t me!
To Law Piggy, there are a plethora of coffee shops and lunch places everywhere you look and all are accommodating to folks with kids, and that’s fine for lunch. But there aren’t really many places around that are for the date night crowd, where people don’t feel comfortable bringing their kids. (Not many of the parents here have that mentality, but they are out there for sure)
It’s great to be accommodating to families, but anyone who has been out on a Friday or Sat. night, knows there aren’t really many places around considered off limits to kids. It’s fine to have a few of those places around too.
I’m excited to have a raw bar! I like Fontaine’s but sometimes don’t feel like getting into the crowd and pick up scene over there.
I want to qualify my enthusiasm: if the theme is indeed harbor/beachside, please, please please do not let them play the predictable Jimmy Buffet/reggea/James Taylor/acoustic-guitar-player-on-deck-in-Florida-panhandle music!
@ Rebecca-I didn’t say that we needed coffee shops.
Plethora of lunch places…… Where can you get a sandwich in Decatur other than Sawicki’s? Where can you get a bagel in Decatur? Where can you get a salad? I don’t think that Sawicki’s, Farm Burger and Taqueria are enough good choices for lunch.
That said, I don’t think Cakes and Ale and Leon’s are enough good choices for “date night” either. But I will say that I have reservations that a raw bar, run by Front Page News folks, will succeed.
@ stroller hater- Strollers are so easy to hate. Don’t be a cliche, bro.
Lots of places for a sandwich
Cafe Lily has an excellent lunch menu with a number of sandwich and salad choices,
Big Tex Cantina, Andryannis Bistro Cafe,several pita places, Jimmy Johns
Not sure why you don’t think Sawicki’s, Farm Burger or Taqueria are not good lunch choices.
Cafe Lily is also a good date night choice.
Close to the City is Southern Sweets with great sandwich and salad selections