Chefs Aaron Phillips (left) and Ron Hsu (right) Photo by Andrew Thomas LeeRon Hsu and Aaron Phillips, chef-partners behind Atlanta’s Lazy Betty, announce the summer 2021 opening of Juniper Cafe, a modern Vietnamese cafe and bakery at Westside Village in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood.
Phillips will serve as Lazy Betty’s executive chef and act as Juniper Cafe’s corporate chef; Hsu will be the culinary director for the two restaurants, and Carl Van Tyle Gilbert, the current general manager and beverage director at Lazy Betty, will serve as beverage director for both concepts.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant will feature Vietnamese specialties, like pho, noodle salads (bún), banh mis, summer rolls and house-made sausages, as well as made-from-scratch pastries and shaved ice options for kids and adults, including Coconut Shaved Ice with mochi and fresh mangoes and strawberries. Tim Rufino – currently a senior line cook at Lazy Betty – will helm the kitchen as executive chef.
Gilbert will manage a full beverage program, with a focus on cocktails incorporating Vietnamese flavors and ingredients, French and American wines and beer. A non-alcoholic beverage menu will offer guests craft low-sugar sodas – like Kumquat & Yuzu and Acerola & Spices – to complement Vietnamese dishes, and the restaurant will serve coffee, espresso and tea selection.
Local architecture and interior design firm PRAXIS3, designed the restaurant with modern takes on traditional forms, stepped ceiling elements reminiscent of the terraced Vietnamese countryside and a patio structure that will incorporate interpretations of time-honored details from historic Vietnamese homes. Two patio spaces will include COVID-friendly seating as well as an outdoor takeout window for pastries, coffee and to-go food and drinks.
The restaurant team will host pop-ups at Lazy Betty to give Atlantans a preview of the forthcoming food and beverage menu. The first pop-up will open on Tuesday, April 13 from 6-9pm (or until sold out) and will be first come, first served.
