Beloved LGBTQ-owned Atlanta restaurant Henry’s closing down after a decade
Henry’s Midtown Tavern is shutting down after 10 years. The LGBTQ-owned eatery at 10th and Juniper is the latest in a series of longtime local staples to close their doors.
Henry’s is closing at the end of the month due to an all-too-common Atlanta reason — skyrocketing rent.
“It is with great sadness and disappointment that I announce HENRY’S closing,” owner Maureen Kalmanson wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.” Our lease expired and tried as I might, I was not able to come to an agreement with the landlord that would allow us to continue.”
Henry’s quickly became a favorite spot among the city’s LGBTQ community upon opening in 2013. The restaurant’s expansive deck became a scene, later filling a void left by the closures of LGBTQ favorites Joe’s on Juniper and Einstein’s in 2021. And Henry’s has always been a popular spot for watching the annual Atlanta Pride Parade.
Kalmanson was already an Atlanta restaurant veteran before opening Henry’s. She managed several local eateries before buying the since-closed Pleasant Peasant, Mixx Midtown and Peasant Bistro. She opened Campagnolo near the corner of 10th and Piedmont in 2012 before opening Henry’s the following year.
Henry’s is named after Kalmanson’s late dog, whose picture hangs prominently in the restaurant’s dining room. The rest of the restaurant’s walls are packed with framed photos of the dogs of Kalmanson’s friends, employees and customers.
“I feel tremendous love and gratitude for the support, friendship and good times we have shared over these last 10-plus years,” Kalmanson wrote on Facebook. “Your individual smiles, hugs, suggestions, craziness and the many dog photos sent over the years to cover our walls have been integral to those feelings and to our success.”
“I am proud of how Henry’s provided a safe and fun place for the LGBT+ community over the years and I will miss connecting with you,” she added. “I hope to continue to share good times with you at our sister restaurant Campagnolo or wherever we meet.”
Kalmanson declined to discuss the specifics of the negotiations with the landlord when asked by WABE at the restaurant on Wednesday morning. And it’s unclear what will happen with the property after this month.
“I’ll remember the people and their dogs and the diversity of the people and the age differences and the way they all came together in a way that was really just moving to me,” Kalmanson told WABE. “I really enjoyed watching it grow and watching the relationships I developed and it’s a great place. It was a great business.”
The final day at Henry’s Midtown Tavern will be Nov. 30.
Henry’s joins several other longtime Atlanta restaurants to close this fall, including Taverna Plaka on Cheshire Bridge Road, the Rusty Nail on Buford Highway, Taco Mac in Decatur, the Glenwood in East Atlanta Village, Noni’s on Edgewood Avenue and Tin Lizzy’s in Grant Park.
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