Remember your first food court? I still have a special place in my stomach for Panda Express Orange Chicken. However the excitement of visiting them has waned, as the food courts of my childhood are now struggling to stay afloat in aging suburban malls.
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Food courts are now being reincarnated as the new hang out destination. Just to name a few of my favorite (newer) spots, we have Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, The Works, the brand new Politan Row at Colony Square, Sweet Auburn Curb Market, Marietta Square Market and more. My favorite thing about most of these food halls is seeing how old buildings can be revived into amazing places to experience incredible food with friends or by yourself.
I hope this trend is here to stay. Many other food halls are getting planned out all around Atlanta, most notably in Underground Atlanta which I mentioned a few months ago. I’m almost as excited as I was at 8 years old, eating as many free teriyaki beef samples from Sarku as they’d give me, just to end up across from their booth at Panda Express.