Downtown's popular Mediterranean restaurant Aviva by Kameel has been added to the eatery lineup at the new CODA Tech Square development in Midtown. The new outpost will be far smaller than its downtown sibling and will feature only the restaurant's food, not its juice and smoothie offerings. In Midtown, Aviva will occupy an approximately 700 square foot stall, whereas their location at Peachtree Center is nearly 4,000 square feet with a walk-in area and exclusive seating.
Kameel Srouji opened the original Aviva by Kameel, named for his sister Aviva, in the Mall at Peachtree Center October 8, 2012. In the years since, the eatery has become a popular destination for downtown office workers and foodies alike. The restaurant operates almost exclusively Monday through Friday from 11 AM until 4 PM, with select extended hours for certain weekend and evening events.
The Midtown location, to be helmed by Kameel's son Nas, will operate seven days a week for both lunch and dinner. Nas, currently the General Manager at the Peachtree Center location, is sure to bring the same charisma and hospitality to Midtown that has made the downtown restaurant so popular.
"Building the #1 Rated Atlanta Lunch Restaurant in under 5 years is no small feat. We accomplished this by focusing on providing foods that are fresh and wholesome, cooking from the heart, and always treating our customers like family. Great food is bound to come when we keep these three things at the center."
Aviva's expansion in some way mirrors the expansion of fellow Mediterranean eatery Cafe Agora. Owner Al Ozelci opened the original (Al's) Cafe Agora on East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead in 2005. In 2011, he expanded to Midtown with a satellite location on Peachtree Place. The Midtown outpost was up until last year primarily run by his son Memo. The relocated and expanded Cafe Agora a few doors down on East Paces Ferry opened in 2014 and Memo now holds court once again in Buckhead with his father enjoying partial retirement in Atlanta and his native Turkey.
Al and Memo, like Kameel and Nas, are the public faces of their respective restaurants but behind the scenes, women play a large role in both, as well. Sibel, Memo's mother, prepares much of the food at the Buckhead restaurant, and like her son, is in the restaurant at least five days a week. Aviva, the namesake of the restaurant, is also often preparing food for her family's restaurant and is an integral part of the overall experience.
Given their exceptional food and pleasant hospitality, both Aviva by Kameel and Cafe Agora are favorites of ToNeTo Atlanta and we are so pleased to see both thriving and now Aviva expanding.
Aviva by Kameel will in Coda join three previously announced eateries: El Burro Pollo Burrito Kitchen, Poke Burri and Wildleaf.
Sources indicate that the leasing team at SRS Real Estate Partners is also close to signing new coffee and ice cream purveyors for CODA. The first eateries in CODA are expected to open later this summer.
Have you ever been to Aviva by Kameel in Peachtree Center? Are you excited for the addition of a second Aviva by Kameel in Atlanta? What other concepts would you like to see open in CODA?
You’d be hard pressed to find friendlier people than this family. Hope they have the same success at this location as they have enjoyed at Peachtree Center.
thousands of fake yelp reviews can't be wrong! I busted a few of them (repeated verbiage, typically from people that don't even live in Atlanta), so I know what I'm typing about.
Wow, they do have an awful lot of Yelp reviews. Over 1200. Yet mainstays like Murphy's, Buckhead Diner, and South City Kitchen have under 1000. Wonder if they give a discount or something if you do a Yelp review.
I've heard about their fake Yelp reviews from the tech/computer guys who service our office. I'm sure their food is fine, but I don't think a fast food place in Peachtree Center can legitimately be the top restaurant in Atlanta.
I posted the "February 14, 2019 at 4:40 PM". I haven't been there. I'd imagine the food is fine. But I noticed on yelp the HUGE number of reviews they were getting from people that don't live in Atlanta. And some of these reviews contained the exact same gushing verbiage. Not to mention they would get multiple reviews in a day, many per week--which is statistically impossible. There is no way, unless people are paid to post, that *any* restaurant will just so happen to have multiple people per day post glowing reviews.
So that was dirty. And the AJC featuring them as the best restaurant in Atlanta was even dirtier. It's time to stop glorifying a place that got to the top via fraudulence.
I have never experienced the level of compassion and kindness that this establishment offers. Kameel himself greets people and hands out free samples for them to enjoy while they wait in line. He checks on customers throughout the day, making sure that they have enjoyed their experience and their meal. Please name another restaurant that embodies this level of customer service today.
Aviva deserves every 5-star yelp review that they have received, and I guarantee that they are all genuine. If you think differently, I invite you to see for yourself before commenting.
" There is no way, unless people are paid to post, that *any* restaurant will just so happen to have multiple people per day post glowing reviews."
Paying people to post positive or negative reviews is big business. These people are also paid SJW's on Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc, etc. It's the most lucrative side hustle out there.
If you're questioning the yelp reviews, check out their facebook reviews. This place is the real deal.
Folks, one reason that a lot of non-Atlanta people are posting can also be because 1) many of these people are professional corporate folks who move in and out of cities like Atlanta on a regular basis due to workflow, and 2) it's in a small "mall" which serves as an extended food court for several of Atlanta's premiere downtown hotels (the Marriott Marquis, the Hyatt Regency, the Westin, the Ritz-Carlton, and others) and office buildings, and it is directly connected via elevated walkways to the Hyatt and the Marriott Marquis. These hotels do a massive amount of convention business. Of COURSE you're going to get out-of-towners there for conventions and other things eating there and then sharing about it.
I'm a local, and I've been to Kameel's place almost exclusively during Dragon Con, as I work in Decatur during the day and can never get over there during the week when they're open. His food is amazing. The worst that ever happened is one time the chicken got a little dry, but that was during an event that he catered for one of our Dragon Con track dinners (for Stargate, but now Military SciFi Media) in his restaurant (where he even let us put things up on the giant windows to get a little more privacy for our media guests); the dinner had been going on for some time so that it was a consequence of sitting for a bit before I got up to get some more food. (The flavors were still great, though; one of the reasons I like to go there during con is the consistency regarding the taste.) And Kameel's genuine hospitality and positive energy was a vital part of the experience.
Consider this a review, then, from an actual person who has actually eaten there on several actual occasions and actually loves it. I'm truly excited that there will be a location that will be open when my schedule allows it, so I don't just have to wait for Labor Day weekend to get my fix.