Stone Mountain's newest Black-owned restaurant, Nostalgia Kitchen + Cocktails, had a soft opening last month and plans to open full-time over Memorial Day weekend.
Nostalgia Kitchen offers a beautiful dining experience showcasing fusion and comfort food from around the world.
From delicious lamb chops, jerk egg rolls, and sweet potato soufflé to four mouth-watering mac & cheeses, Nostalgia Kitchen presents a diverse array of dishes that effortlessly blend flavors from around the world.
And Nostalgia offers more than just exceptional food. The atmosphere exudes a “grown-up and sexy” vibe with a touch of coziness, making all guests feel at home.
In addition to great food and drinks, Nostalgia offers a kind and attentive staff to ensure guests have a memorable dining experience.
Owner Philip Edwards has successfully realized his vision of nostalgia. Whether it's a date night, a girls' night out, or a meal with friends, Nostalgia His Kitchen and Cocktails is the perfect fine dining restaurant.
What is Nostalgia Kitchen + Cocktail?
Edwards purchased the property several years ago and turned it into Nostalgia Kitchen, which started as an old club known as Club 426 Restaurant & Lounge.
Club 426 is where Edwards and head chef (and his cousin) Shanice Anderson hung out when they were younger.
Anderson said it feels like it's been “a long time” since she opened the doors to Nostalgia Kitchen.
“We're happy to be open. We love the feedback we're getting from the community. It's been two years, and even longer for the owner (Philippe). Wow, the doors are finally open. It's like, now we can sell food and drinks to people. So we're really happy that we're open,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the inspiration behind Nostalgia Kitchen was to bring everyone together. Rather than doing one thing: all American food, all African food, or all Caribbean food, they wanted to fuse all of that together.
“We wanted everyone to feel welcome and bring back the classic feel of what East Atlanta used to be,” she said. “We want to bring that back and make them more developed, sexier, and keep a different approach to it.”
Anderson said the name “Nostalgia” is about bringing back the old, making it new and giving back to the community.
“We all want a place where we can hang out on the side of the city without having to go to midtown or downtown,” she said.
Anderson also said they chose Stone Mountain as the location because it's where they grew up and it's a place of community.
“Even when it was the old club (Club 426), this is where we always used to party here or even in the atrium. We just want to bring more of that downtown class effect here on the east side. No one has done that yet,” she said.
She also said she wants to inspire others to do the same, but doesn't want to be the last one to do it. Anderson encourages other businesses, especially black-owned businesses, to check out that side of the city, she said.
“If we do that, others will join, and there will be multiple options for getting to this place,” she said. “You have to start somewhere.”
As a family-owned business, Anderson said her cousin's vision is to one day franchise it and doesn't want it to be a “mom and pop” spot.
“It's important to me to make sure Phil's vision is what he wants, and I want to make that happen,” she said.
menus from around the world
Anderson said the vision behind the menu is to embrace everyone, rather than restricting themselves to one menu, such as Caribbean or American cuisine. This led to the restaurant's name changing several times, eventually settling on Nostalgia Kitchen and Cocktails.
“We wanted to make sure everyone was on board, and the Caribbean part was thrown in there because it just couldn't be helped,” she said. “Jerk is not just a Jamaican thing, it’s a Caribbean thing, and everyone does it differently, so we had to do it.
Anderson said they tried to experiment with the menu, including adding Asian culture to dishes such as jerk egg rolls and soul food egg rolls, which were Edward's ideas.
“Our menu and what we're doing makes sense, it's bringing the Southern side of things, but still bringing a little bit of Asian fusion as well,” she said. “The menu has had a lot of ups and downs, and we're still playing with it.”
She also said that while she likes what they have to offer, she plans to tweak the menu in the future so as not to be tied to just one specialty.
Anderson said her favorite dish on the menu is the jerk grilled lamb chops. She also loves the four cheese mac & cheese.
When asked how he fell in love with being a chef, Anderson replied, “You have to be a big eater to be punished.''
“It's a lot of work,” she said. “If I didn't like it, I wouldn't like it at all. I love being in the kitchen and that's my happy place.”
Anderson also said she couldn't see herself any other way and doing the business side of her passion was a first for her.
“I have a lot to learn and thankfully I have a lot of friends in the industry so I can rely on them and ask questions, but it's also something I'm learning to love and It's also a whole new side of things that weren't there.''You would think so, but this is a new chapter for me and I'm excited to see where it goes.''
Additionally, when people visit Nostalgia Kitchen, she said, she wants them to remember “good food, good service and good choices.”
“This experience is also what we strive for for our guests, and I think that's what I think about when I leave my favorite restaurant,” she said. “When I can't stop thinking about it, I'm ready to tell everyone about it.”
Nostalgia Kitchen & Cocktails is located at 5469 Memorial Dr., Stone Mountain. For more information, please visit https://nostalgiarestaurants.com.
