5 GA Business Openings, Expansions To Know

GEORGIA — From vintage games to Italian couture to "southlanta" chicken wings, new businesses are opening and expanding across the Peach State.

Some are opening their first location in the state while others are growing, adding to the economic landscape in their local communities.

Here are five openings to know about:

La Cantina on Main is seeking to add spice to the downtown area, Canton officials said.

The new restaurant is set to open in early 2024 at 210 E. Main St., according to city officials. The city said La Cantina will offer lunch and dinner and will operate as a "night life spot."

With three owners, the Mexican restaurant will provide a lounge, live music and an event space to its customers. La Cantina will be led by Jose Luna, Ramon Benitez and Guillermo Pomares, the city said. A menu was not readily available.

“We are excited to share our family traditions, to serve authentic food from key regions of Mexico and to bring an entertaining night life experience to our community,” Luna said in a city news release.

Aside from La Cantina, Luna manages CaliFino Tequila in Canton while Benitez owns Dos Margaritas in Cherokee County, the city said.

With two other Georgia locations, Urban Wings is clucking into East Atlanta.

The chicken wing eatery is also eyeing Suwanee and the Decatur/Avondale area for future locations, according to its website.

It is unknown when the restaurant will officially open, but it is "coming soon" to 489 Moreland Ave, per its website. Urban Wings already has locations in West Midtown and Piedmont Avenue.

With a wide selection of sauces and sides, Urban Wings is owned by business partners Moez Hasni and Salman Badrudein.

Urban Wings sells bone-in wings, boneless wings, chicken tenders, panko shrimp and vegan options. Its array of sauces include Korea town, southlanta, sweet garlic, Spanish tango, teriyaki, Italian pride, orange zest, ghost pepper and hot cajun.

The eatery also serves fried mushrooms, fried green beans, curly fries, jalapeno bites, sweet potato waffle fries and various other sides.

"We are trying to give everyone the option to order whatever they like," Hasni told Patch shortly after opening Urban Wings' Midtown location in February.

Italian luxury retailer Etro planted roots in Phipps Plaza.

Sitting on the mall's first level, Etro offers men and women's clothing, accessories, perfumes and home furnishing collections, according to the Phipps website. Phipps is located at 3500 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1035A.

The store opened on Nov. 16 with a continued grand opening planned for Saturday. Food, a champagne toast and a DJ are scheduled.

Gimmo Etro founded the brand in 1968, according to Phipps. The company was built on authenticity, artisanship and creativity, Phipps said.

"After more than 50 years under the leadership of the Etro family, in June 2022, Marco De Vincenzo was appointed as creative director for all of the Maison’s lines. De Vincenzo’s vision is a celebration of the essence of individuality with full respect to the brand’s roots and the traditions of Made in Italy," read a mall release.

Regular hours of operation: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.

Holiday hours of operation: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 1-15.

With two new locations set to land in Perry and Covington, Amici Italian Café is expanding its Georgia footprint.

While a Perry address is unknown, Amici is finding a home at 13500 Town Center Drive in Covington.

“We are excited that Amici Italian Café will be among the first restaurants in the highly anticipated Covington Town Center,” Amici Food Group Principal Chris Torino said in a news release to What Now Atlanta. “From its modern design and fun brewery our 12th Georgia restaurant will be a destination that reflects the meaning of ‘amici’ – friend. With our award-winning menu including made-from-scratch pizza, family and friends will create memories together.”

Amici offers a plethora of dishes ranging from calamari to various pizza flavors to chicken wings. Salads, soups, pasta and sandwiches are also offered at the restaurant.

Desserts include traditional cannoli and fried dough bites.

Tin Lizzy's Cantina is saying, "Game on," with its new Tin Pin Game Bar in East Cobb.

Operated by Southern Proper Hospitality, Tin Pin is set to open in early 2024 at 4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1510A, in Marietta, next to Tin Lizzy's, according to a company news release.

“We’re excited to introduce Tin Pin to the East Cobb community. Our guests are going to love playing these classic games while enjoying some of their favorite Tin Lizzy’s dishes. There will be fun for all ages, plus it’s a great spot to celebrate birthdays and host events,” Southern Proper partner Chris Hadermann said in a news release.

According to the release, Tin Pin will feature the following: "Namco 20-Year Reunion" (with the "Ms. Pac Man" and "Galaga"); “multi-cade” cabinets featuring many different classic games; "The Sega Out Run" standup racing game; "Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting;" and "Donkey Kong."

A collection of LCD Stern pinball games including "The Mandalorian," "Godzilla," "Foo Fighters," "James Bond 007," "Deadpool" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" will also be featured.

The full menu at Tin Lizzy's will be available at Tin Pin, according to the release.

The venue will be available for birthday parties, corporate team-building outings and other special events, according to the release.