When you are sitting across from a restaurant owner who is explaining the finer details of preparing lobster macaroni and a few minutes earlier he told you about his career as a chiropractor and mixed martial artist, and then describes how he selected and built out everything in the space, from the walls to the fixtures in this rustic and gorgeous neighborhood pub, you realize how much the term Renaissance Man is overused. To hear Timothy Lance, the owner of Bantam Pub and Cabbage Pie, tell his personal story is fascinating. Tim is a New Yorker, but in 2009, he made Atlanta his home for the second time after closing a construction business in Florida. He picked the Old Fourth Ward because of the creative vibe that was brewing at every corner.
Bantam Pub, most likely the smallest pub in Atlanta, opened in 2013. Lance and his partners set the goal of making this pub “the pride of the O4W”. The way Tim believes you do that is putting the surrounding neighbors first. Lance explains, “We don’t close for movie productions or corporate events. We are ‘this neighborhood’s pub’. We don’t have wi-fi or televisions. You come to here to connect with people you are sitting next to. That’s how an artistic community can really grow, sharing your creative thoughts with each other. If you don’t have a vehicle, in other words, that place to share those creative thoughts, it’s a more starved community.” Recognizing they wanted to be the community’s pub, there is tremendous focus on high-quality food sourcing, variety and delicious affordable meals.
In 2014, Tim and his partners acquired their second restaurant space in Cabbagetown, another well-known artist community. And with great enthusiasm, Tim was at it again, tearing out walls, designing and building out this beautiful space. I’ve introduced many friends to Cabbage Pie. “Wow” is the first thing they say when they enter the front room. Most restaurant owners rely on well season interior designers to pull off what Tim calls, “Victorian smashed into mid-century modern.”
The pizza is fantastic at this “Pizza Bistro” as Tim likes to refer to it – but don’t fooled by the name, because there is a full range of culinary options on the menu with a full bar and a very popular brunch served on Sundays. Cabbage Pie has been a favorite stop on many private party bike tour events and we look forward to working with them on our Street Art events. To learn more about these fine establishments, visit Bantam Pub and Cabbage Pie.
