One Eared Stag

"Longtime Inman Park restaurant One Eared Stag permanently closed after 10 years on Edgewood Avenue, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. Owners chef Robert Phalen and Frank Bailey decided not to renew the lease on the restaurant, which closed after service on March 21. “We had a great run and really enjoyed being in the community,” Bailey told the Chronicle. Phalen says sales were down at the restaurant 30 percent since the beginning of the pandemic last March. However, the chef says the closing isn’t due to the health crisis, but rather a need for Phalen to take a step back from the grind of running a restaurant after a difficult year, which included the tragic death of their third partner, Brent Quick. Quick died in a car accident in January. Bailey said his best friend’s passing “definitely played a part” in the decision to close One Eared Stag. Phalen and Bailey haven’t ruled out working together on another restaurant in the future. Since opening in 2011, One Eared Stag and Phalen have became known for serving an approachable menu of Southern ingredient-driven dishes, many rivaling those found at fine dining establishments across Atlanta. Set within a historic storefront at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Hurt Street, the neighborhood restaurant also served one of Atlanta’s best double-stack cheeseburgers (the “Meatstick”), a hearty chef’s breakfast on the weekends paired with cans of Schlitz, and Monday evening fried chicken dinners. During the height of the pandemic last year, Phalen transformed the front of the restaurant into a market, selling fresh produce and meats from local farms and to-go cocktails from the bar." - Beth McKibben

"Full menu for takeout and curbside pick-up. 20 percent off OES gift certificates. Check online for daily menu." - Eater Staff

"In addition to takeout and curbside pick-up of food from the menu, One Eared Stag in Inman Park has partnered with local farmers to offer a neighborhood produce and meat market, Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market includes fresh farm produce and meats, and can be picked up at the front windows of the restaurant." - Beth McKibben

"Those in the know are at One Eared Stag in Inman Park on Monday nights for platters of fried chicken with two sides for just $17. Available while supplies last, and they don’t last long." - Beth McKibben

"We’re big believers in celebrating the tiny victories. So when your office surprise-installs cold brew on draft, take the money you saved by not buying coffee all week and go to One Eared Stag. Stick with a few of the hot and cold starters, like the dumpster salad with bacon and fried bread, because the entrees can get pricey. They also do family-style fried chicken dinners, which are the best excuse to get out on a Monday night. Or you can always order the “meatstick” too, their gigantic secret menu burger. Finishing the whole thing will be a tiny victory in itself." - Neal Cohen