Fourth-Coming Ways to Celebrate a Fabulous Independence Day

Fly Old Glory, watch (or walk in) a parade, wave sparklers or put on your red, white and blue swimsuit and dive into your favorite Fourth of July celebration. Declare independence from the kitchen and let Atlanta restaurants do their duty, providing all-American barbecue, brunches, beverages and a bevy of to-go options for a firecracker of an extended holiday weekend.

Open on July 4th:

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is a July 4^th tradition, and 5Church is helping to feed spectators along the route with kebabs (Mediterranean steak, jerk chicken and herb-roasted vegetable) and beverages for sale in front of the restaurant. The restaurant is closed, but the sidewalk feasting happens 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. 404-400-3669; 5ChurchAtlanta.com.  

Looking for a little adventure with your festivities this year? Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland is offering a round-trip bus ride from the restaurant to SunTrust Park for the Braves game and fireworks show on July 4. The $60 ticket includes a smoked whole hog meal, admission to the game and alcoholic beverages on the way. Not a baseball fan? Celebrate your independence by digging into a meat and three special at Atkins Park featuring whole smoked hog with mac ‘n’ cheese, tomato and cucumber salad, baked beans, grilled corn on the cob or coleslaw for $15 per plate. Available starting at noon until it’s gone. 404-876-7249; atkinspark.com.

It’s a Fourth of July Terminus City Takeover at Communion, the Mexican-inspired backyard behind Revival, Kevin Gillespie’s family-style restaurant in Decatur. This festive, all-ages event has barbecue, beer, family-friendly entertainment and games on July 4 from noon to 6 p.m. or until food runs out. Gillespie's Terminus City is serving up chopped whole hog barbecue for $15 and vegetarian-friendly pimento cheese for $12. Each plate includes pickles, bread, slaw and potato salad. “$4 on the Fourth” drink specials from Communion Cantina include cervezas, margaritas, wine by the glass and sangria. While the restaurant itself will be closed, families can mingle at communal picnic tables and on the front and side porches of Revival. 470-225-6770; revivaldecatur.com.

Start red, white and bluesin’ early – HOBNOB is opening for brunch on July 3 at 10:30 a.m. and at 9 a.m. on July 4. The AJC Peachtree Road Race runs right by the Midtown restaurant, so it's the perfect spot to spectate (or quit running and start drinking). HOBNOB will serve its brunch menu and specials through 4 p.m., and dinner service will run as usual. 404-968-2288; hobnobatlanta.com.

You can’t spell freedom without free! Marlow's Tavern is sending members of its Insider Club a free burger giveaway only valid on July 4. Are you on the list? Subscribe and savor today.marlowstavern.com

Smokebelly BBQ is featuring a free hog roast on July 4 beginning at 4 p.m. until they run out, with music continuing until 8 p.m. Pre-party with drink specials all weekend, including $5 Moscow Mules, $5 Tito’s Handmade Vodka and $3 Bud Light and Miller Lite drafts. Smokebelly’s Sunday brunch will be sure to have you seeing fireworks, and guests can listen to live music from noon until 4 p.m. Music will continue on Monday, July 3 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. For those planning to celebrate at home, Smokebelly also offers catering. 404-848-9100; smokebellybbq.com.

Taco Mac is determined to make sure Fourth of July is LIT with its new 60 oz. shareable cocktails, including the Sail Away Typhoon, the LIT, the Taco Mac Margarita and the Strawberry Cooler. Each pitcher is $29.99 and is served with one 12 oz. rocks glass per guest.  tacomac.com.

Celebrate on the beach without leaving the city. Both locations of The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill are open July 4 and all weekend with live music, so come partake in the celebration of red, white, and the big blue sea! 404-474-9508 (Buckhead), 770-993-5749 (Canton Street); thebigketch.com.

The Federal is open for brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The eclectic menu features everything from chopped chicken liver toast to cold brew coffee and a heaping Southern breakfast. 413-789-1267;thefederalatl.com. 

Trade in your traditional red, white, and blue for a race tee. Willy’s Mexicana Grill is offering $5 burritos all day on Tuesday, July 4, to anyone wearing an AJC Peachtree Road Race T-shirt from any year since the race began in 1970. Baja and Frito Burritos are just $7 with a T-shirt. Checkwillys.com/locations for holiday hours.

Holiday Weekend Specials:

“Basque” in the sun this holiday weekend at Gypsy Kitchen while enjoying paella on the patio on Sunday, July 2 at 4 p.m. Diners can also cool off with $6 Ketel One Moscow Mules, $6 Tanqueray No. Ten gin and tonics, $6 rosé and half-off select bottled wine. A flamenco guitarist and DJ will provide the music and entertainment. Gypsy Kitchen will be closed on July 4. 404-939-9840; gypsykitchenatl.com.

While Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante will not be open on Independence Day, the Buckhead Italian restaurant is offering both pasta to-go and in-house on July 3 for those carb-loading for the AJC Peachtree Road Race. Complete your pre-race ritual with a piping hot bowl of their incredible gnocchi. 404-500-2181; storicofresco.com.

For those entertaining family this holiday weekend, The Southern Gentleman is serving its creative take on contemporary Southern cuisine for brunch on Sunday, July 2. Enjoy a $5 mimosa or one of the gastropub’s famous $10 Bloody Marys.  The Southern Gentleman will be closed on July 4. 404-939-9845; thesoutherngentlemanatl.com.

If you are struggling to come up with holiday weekend activities, ExploreRoswell.com  has you covered! Whether your family enjoys hiking, nature, art or food, the Historic Roswell District has fun for everyone. Shoot the ‘Hooch or visit Vickery Creek Park, grab a bite at Grand Champion BBQ or 1920 Tavern and a beer at Gate City Brewery, then enjoy the annual 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza starting at 5:30 p.m. on the 4^th. Plan your trip today at ExploreRoswell.com.

What’s New on Pinterest

Independence Day reminds us to appreciate our many freedoms, including the freedom to seek out and pin red, white and blue ways to celebrate the 4th of July. Tote a strawberry, blueberry and feta salad to the potluck. Amaze your friends by slicing into a vanilla layer cake and unfurling a flag fashioned by its layers. Hand out popsicles stacking stripes of raspberry red, vanilla Greek yogurt and blueberry. Display Old Glory -- carved into a watermelon or as flag bandanas tied into bunting. Paint stars on your grass for a dazzling lawn. Fire rocket cocktails, pop rock shots, spiked buzzed cherry bombs and cotton candy that glows add oomph to any pyrotechnic display. 

Get Patriotic with Festive Food and Cool Cocktails

There’s no need to sit in hours of holiday traffic because Atlanta restaurants and bars are making it worthwhile to ditch the car jams and stay in the city this Independence Day.

10^th & Piedmont is opening early on the Fourth of July to serve their regular brunch menu. Starting at 8 a.m., diners can enjoy favorites like the 10P chicken and waffles. The restaurant will be open with regular dinner hours. For more information, visit communitashospitality.com.

Time this right and you can run the Peachtree Road Race, clean up and be at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland when doors open at 11 a.m. on July 4. After that morning sprint, you’ll be ready to refuel at the neighborhood tavern’s seventh annual Go Whole Hog or Go Home barbecue. Chef Andrew Smith chooses the whole hog route. He’s smoking a Riverview Farms whole hog in the restaurant’s backyard pit. Ante up $15 for a meat, three sides and three barbecue sauces for your holiday lunch or dinner. Backyard Beer Olympics begin at 3 p.m. See which teams will dominate Ping-Pong, ladder toss, cornhole and darts to win a portion of more than $500 in prizes. Register your team at 404-876-7249. The party flows into Saturday, closing up at 3 a.m. on July 5.

A Southern Fourth of July picnic conjures up visions of fried chicken spreads and chins dripping barbecue sauce. Thanks to Bantam + Biddy, you can have both and declare independence from the heated preliminaries of frying, smoking and cleaning up your mess. Given 48-hour notice, both the Crescent Avenue and Ansley Mall Bantam + Biddy locations will pack up a Picnic-to-Go to feed four, including a whole smoked or fried chicken, fingerling potato salad with grainy mustard, watermelon and feta salad, black-eyed peas and tomato salad, cornbread and lemon bars, all for $48. If friends and family squeal over chopped pork barbecue, the Ansley Mall restaurant is smoking up a pig and will offer chopped barbecue pork sandwiches and a side for $6 each on July 4 from noon-4 p.m., while supplies last. Goodbye picnic basket – hello, holiday!

You earned it, now carb-load on the backside of the race at Hearth Pizza Tavern on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. Show off your Peachtree Road Race number and receive a complimentary eight-inch pizza (maximum value $8) on Friday, July 4. Running with a crowd or cheering section? Hearth Pizza Tavern’s menu is packed with signature and build-your-own pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, salads and plenty of thirst-quenching brews and cocktails, wines, waters, teas and Abita bottled root beer. Regular hours rule the day, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

To honor their loyal regulars, Marlow’s Tavern is sending an email to insiders with an offer of a free bison burger (one per table, per email, with a minimum purchase of $10) at their locations. To sign up for the Insider’s Club newsletter and giveaways like this, visit marlowstavern.com.

One night, so many fireworks displays. So many people! Command a calm view of metro Atlanta’s holiday illuminations by dining or enjoying drinks at Nikolai’s Roof. Think of it. A brilliant menu, sparkling drinks, 24 years with the coveted AAA Four-Diamond award, air-conditioned comfort…and no crowds or parking issues. Just a few little reminders that Roman candles and bottle rockets aren’t the only things lighting up the sky on this holiday! Open regular hours, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Make reservations via OpenTable or call 404-221-6362.

Located on Ponce de Leon in downtown Decatur, No. 246 is sidewalk close to the city’s Fourth of July Pied Piper Parade, concert and fireworks on and near the square. The restaurant will open at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 4 for a backyard cookout. Duck into the thoughtfully planned backyard complete with shaded areas, deck seating, Ping-Pong and a patriotic menu of barbecued meats, baked beans, potato salad and mac ‘n’ cheese until 9 p.m. Parade bound first? Cruise through afterward when the restaurant’s popular $6 all-you-can-eat pizza special kicks in from 9-11 p.m. The bar remains open throughout to slake thirsts.

What a catch! A whole Maine lobster is only $19.95 per person at all three Ray’s Restaurants beginning today, July 1 for a limited time. Each 1¼ pound lobster buddies up with a pool of drawn butter and your choice of side dish. And, on Friday, July 4, all three Ray’s Restaurants will be open, and you’ll shell out even less for lobster because the price sinks down to $16.95 per person. Tax and gratuity are not included in either price point. Grab this special by the tail at Ray’s in the City, Ray’s at Killer Creek and Ray’s on the River, and hurry before the tide changes and the price goes up.

Smokebelly in Buckhead is celebrating Independence Day with live music, $5 craft cocktails and $2 PBR cans. The regular menu will be offered. For more information, visit smokebellybbq.com or call 404-848-9100.

Even though Kevin Gillespie is keeping the meaty details of Terminus City when and where-abouts tucked under the bun, he’s eager for Atlantans to go ahead and sneak in a taste of what’s to come. And, since barbecue is as American as the Fourth of July, Gillespie is rolling out this special menu (instead of the regular menu) at Gunshow, his Glenwood Park flagship restaurant, on Friday and Saturday, July 4-5. Chomp into chopped barbecue, chicken-fried steak or a vegetarian entrée. Heaping helpings of sides will be offered (and replenished) via Gunshow’s rolling carts. Dine-in seating is first-come, first-served. Takeout is available à la carte with barbecued meats, slaw, Brunswick stew, cornbread, sandwiches and fried pies. Dine-in items may differ from to-go items. Visit the Facebook page or call 404-380-1886 for more information.

Make a beeline to Whole Foods Market locations for savings during the July 4 holiday. From July 3-6, Whole Foods makes cookouts a breeze with the Fourth of July Bundle. For $20, take home eight house-made Italian sausages (traditional Italian or spicy), eight hot dog buns (white or wheat) and two pounds of farmer’s potato salad. Not in the mood to cook? Whole Foods has you covered with $6.99 chicken. Choose from fried, grilled or barbecued and receive two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings. Toast the holiday with a Whole Foods Market Wine deal. All stores (except TN) are offering 20 percent off cases of wine (mix or match) from July 3-6.

After crossing the finish line at the Peachtree Road Race, get in line at Willy’s Mexicana Grill for a deal to refuel hungry runners. On Friday, July 4, wear the coveted Peachtree Road Race t-shirt to any Atlanta Willy’s location and purchase $5 burritos all day long. Burrito extras not included. For more information, restaurant locations and July 4 holiday closings, visit willys.com.

Tin Lizzy's Cantina will offer the regular menu to Independence Day celebrators until 5 p.m. at all locations. The Mall of Georgia location will be open normal hours and is the perfect spot to grab dinner before the Mall of Georgia's 12th Annual Fabulous Fourth. 

Declare Independence from the Kitchen this 4th of July

The Peachtree Road Race along with other patriotic festivities will surely work up a July 4^th appetite. No need to add even more heat to this summer day by cooking; allow Atlanta restaurants to do all the work for you with these eating out options.

Start Independence Day early with Woodfire Grill’s annual “BBQ & Beer” event on July 3 from 5:30-11 p.m. Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie’s three-course, all-American menu includes an appetizer, main course of BBQ, Brunswick stew and sides, and banana pudding for dessert. Beer from Atlanta's own SweetWater Brewery will star alongside the food, and all proceeds from SweetWater beer sales will benefit the brewery's campaign to "Save theHooch." Dinner cost is $38 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Reservations are required as seating is limited. Call 404-347-9055.

Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland celebrates July 4^th with their “Go Whole Hog or Go Home” lunch and dinner special. A meat-and-three-sides menu is the food of champions for $15 per person (excluding beverage, tax and gratuity). Cheer for beer and a chance to win some of the $500 in prizes at the tavern's Backyard Beer Olympics beginning at 4 p.m.

Baseball-bound Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna and Ormsby's are running their hit ballpark bus trip to the Atlanta Braves versus Chicago Cubs game. Get the whole shebang for $55 per person: beer, Jäger, hot dogs, roundtrip bus ride, ticket to the 7:10 p.m. game and plenty of time to watch the post-game fireworks show. Sure to sell out so call Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna at 770-435-1887 or Ormsby's at 404-968-2033 to reserve your ticket(s).

Open for you on the Fourth are:

*  Alon's Bakery and Market in Virginia Highland and Dunwoody, open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

*  Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland and Smyrna

*  Ecco, European-inspired bistro, open for dinner in Midtown

*  Fleming'sPrime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Dunwoody

*  La Tavola Trattoria for an Italian dinner in Virginia Highland

*  All eight Marlow's Tavern locations

*  No. 246 for Italian in Decatur

*  The Original El Taco in Virginia Highland

*  Ormsby's on Atlanta's Westside, dinner only

*  RA Sushi Bar Restaurant for Japanese fusion, sushi and fun drinks in Midtown

*  Ray's in the City, Ray's at KillerCreek and Ray's on the River open from 4 - 9 p.m.

*  Smashburger, all five Atlanta-area locations will be open

*  South City Kitchen Vinings for Southern fare in Vinings

*  Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food for a July 4th fiesta in Buckhead and Sandy Springs

Who's taking the day off?  Closed for the holiday are: Alma Cocina, Aqua blue, Aria, Chicken and theEgg, JCT. Kitchen &Bar, KaleidoscopeBistro & Pub, The Optimist, South City Kitchen Midtown and Woodfire Grill. 

There's more to Belgium than just their waffles and frites!

Seeing as how Belgium Independence Day is July 21, 2010, what other way is there to celebrate it than doing what Belgians do best, eating and drinking with friends! Join Ormsby’s in celebrating Belgium’s independence from the Netherlands in 1831 by stopping by to try some delicious food and drink pairings. Starting July 21 through July 27, Ormsby’s will be offering distinct combinations created by Chef Andrew Smith.

The pairings include: Belgium ale steamed mussels with country ham & tomatoes, pommes frites paired with Duvel Green, House ground lamb burger with goat cheese & charred Vidalias paired with McChouffe and Crispy chicken livers with fettuccine, caramelized onions & bourbon paired with Maredsous. These items will be available a la carte or together. Be sure to stop in soon to get your taste of Belgium while it lasts!

Ormsby’s is located at 1170 Howell Mill Rd. For more information, call 404.968.2033.