Atlantic House Welcomes McCray’s Tavern Back to Midtown

After nearly a decade away, McCray’s Tavern has made a triumphant return to Midtown in Novare Group’s luxury high-rise apartment community Atlantic House at the corner of 13th and West Peachtree streets.

The soft opening in late November is all the sweeter because of the decades-long relationship between the McCrays, Scott Kerns and Novare Group, the development firm instrumental in Midtown’s transformation from a strip of after-hours bars and warehouses into a thriving live-work-play community at the heart of Atlanta’s arts and culture district.

Scott McCray opened the original McCray’s Tavern on Peachtree Street in 2004. After two successful years, Novare Group purchased the property for a future development. With the proceeds from the sale, McCray opened a new McCray’s Tavern in Smyrna, and added a second location in 2007 in Lawrenceville.

Scott’s brother, Randy, partnered with family friend Scott Kerns to open Carolyn’s Gourmet Cafe in honor of their late mother on West Peachtree in 2002, which became one of the most popular lunch spots for Midtown’s working professionals. When Novare Group purchased the property for Atlantic House, Carolyn’s, now owned and operated solely by Kerns, moved to the ground floor of the One Atlantic Center across the street.

Coming full circle, Kerns and Scott McCray are partners in the new McCray’s Tavern in a space designed by ASD. The bricks from the original Carolyn’s have been incorporated into the floor, and the circular Carolyn’s neon sign hangs just inside the new neighborhood watering-hole. Meanwhile, on the corner of the building hangs the original McCray’s sign, which Scott saved from the original location. It even says “6th Street.”

“McCray’s Tavern return to Midtown has been more than 10 years in the making, and the connections in getting this open for business have been incredible,” said Scott McCray and Scott Kerns. “We want to thank Novare Group for this win-win partnership, which brings our brand back to where it all began.”

Kerns and McCray have paired down the old McCray’s menu to offer the best quality food on a consistent basis. The beer wall is a curated selection of 24 craft beers on tap, carefully chosen by beverage director Stephen Steininger. Similar to Carolyn’s, which was located on the site until 2013, the windows of McCray’s are large, garage-style doors that open onto the patio along West Peachtree and 13th. The tavern has three floors including a private event space, and plenty of hi-def televisions for sporting events.

The 4,000 square-foot restaurant and bar is in the street-level floor of Atlantic House, the 32-story, 407-unit luxury high rise apartment tower on the corner of 14th and West Peachtree streets developed by Novare Group and BCDC (Batson-Cook Development Company.) The building was purposefully and carefully designed to reflect the corner on which it sits, which is also home to the Philip Johnson-designed One Atlantic Center. The exterior features the same Rosa Porrino granite and similar roof lines.

For more information, visit http://mccraystavern.com/midtown-location/ or call (404) 937-6444.

For more information on Atlanta House, visit http://atlantichousemidtown.com.