In his recent interview with Atlanta Magazine, Kevin Gillespie reminded everyone about something he briefly mentioned a while back in a Decaturish interview…

…I’m about to open a beer garden [in Revival’s backyard] because I really love European-style beers. And as a self-professed redneck by birth, I do love moonshine.

So I followed up with Gillespie’s PR team, and they provided this additional detail in a recent release…

Guests will soon have another reason to flock to Revival—a new outdoor beer garden called Communion! This extension of Revival will offer the ideal spot to socialize pre- or post-dinner at Revival or for laid-back afternoon revelry on the weekends. Session beers, wine and cocktails will be served along with a menu of traditional beer garden favorites including Bavarian-style pretzels with hot mustard and grilled sausages with sauerkraut. While you’re there, how about a game of horseshoes or cornhole?

The lawn/drinking area behind the Revival space (formally Harbour Bar/House, Jakes, etc) has long been one of the great, laid back hideaways in Decatur.  Having Gillespie’s team trick it out as a full on German biergarten may prove to be one of the coolest Atlanta restaurant “extensions” of the year.

Photo courtesy of Red Bread Restaurants

Put that on a bumper sticker.

The New York Times’ Kim Severson recently wrote a glowing piece about the growing strength of Atlanta’s food scene titled “Atlanta Pulls a Chair to the Table for Culinary Greats“.

Revival gets a mention and Decatur is summarized as in the post title.

Take a read and let us know what you think.

Has the Atlanta food scene recently climbed into the ranks of the greatest U.S. food cities?  Or as Severson observes, is there is too much fad-chasing and steak-ordering to really be a top tier culinary city?

Big Decatur restaurant news!  Celeb Chef Kevin Gillespie announced this afternoon that he’ll be opening a new restaurant, Revival, in the former Harbour House Pub location at 129 Church Street this summer…

Atlanta-based chef, restaurateur, and author Kevin Gillespie, the man behind the nationally recognized Glenwood Park restaurant Gunshow, is taking aim at a beloved Southern institution with his newest project. Revival, located on the site of the former Harbour House Pub in Decatur, promises a fresh take on the traditional, family-style Sunday dinner, with a focus on farm-raised and artisan-prepared ingredients.

“I have fallen back in love with the traditional dishes I grew up eating, and those that represent the beautiful culinary traditions of the Deep South,” Gillespie says. “Inspired by the cooking of my grandmothers and the history of our region, I want to breathe new life into that classic family-style restaurant, or ‘meat and three.’ We hope to showcase the dishes with a passion and precision that is largely unavailable currently.”

Revival’s menu will offer a blend of meats, fish, and fresh vegetables, with seasonal options that change daily. Lunch will be served a la carte, while supper, Gillespie says, “will more closely resemble a classic Southern family-style spread served in your grandmother’s home. Revival will be like going to your grandma’s on Sunday—except every day.”

The setting even promises to echo a visit to your grandmother’s house, with a lush garden in the front and a spacious yard in the rear. Revival will be located at 129 Church Street in Decatur and is scheduled to open in early June.