.ATLANTA — After nearly a decade as a Midtown fixture, Bon Ton is closing.
The Viet-Cajun seafood restaurant at 674 Myrtle Street NE will serve its last customers on Sept. 30, owners announced on social media. The spot opened in 2017 in a distinctive pink building near historic Mary Mac’s Tea Room.
Bon Ton To Close its Doors in Midtown Atlanta
Co-owner Darren Carr confirmed the shutdown in an email to Rough Draft Atlanta and followed with a public farewell. The team wrote that when they opened, they wanted to “sling serious Viet-Cajun eats, make strong drinks, and build a haven where absolute weirdos feel right at home.” They added: “Thousands of snow crab legs and a few questionable life choices later, you turned our neon-lit fever dream into a Midtown legend.”
No official reason was given. Owners said they intend to treat the remaining weeks as a “full-blown, month-long victory lap” and urged regulars to come by before the end.
The Waiting Room, the cocktail lounge above Bon Ton, already closed this week after three years. Carr described that shutdown as the moment when “all good parties must eventually turn the lights on.”
Bon Ton’s Atlanta chapter was a continuation of a New Orleans story. Vietnamese-born restaurateur Hoa Nguyen ran a restaurant of the same name in Louisiana, blending Creole cooking with Vietnamese flavors. After Nguyen’s death in December 2016, Carr and Eric Simpkins of Big Citizen, along with chef Hieu Pham of Crawfish Shack Seafood, took the concept to Atlanta and opened in the former Top Flr space in early 2017.
The restaurant became known for house seafood boils, smoked snow crab, po-boys, fried seafood, and a cocktail list that mixed New Orleans classics with tiki-style drinks such as frozen Pimm’s Cups. Reviewers and regulars often cited the casual, neon-lit atmosphere as much as the food.6
Bon Ton sits at Myrtle Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown. Reservations have been recommended, though walk-ins were often possible. Anyone hoping for one last boil or cocktail has until Sept. 30.
We will miss Bon Ton, one of the best places to eat in Midtown.
The best restaurants on the Beltline all have excellent customer service and food. What separates them from many of the other spots is that they’re on the urban playground called the Beltline.
The ATL has other cool eateries as well. If you’re gluten-free, there’s plenty of options. Same goes for keto-friendly restaurants or Asian fare in Atlanta.