Taste Brookhaven will bring 16 local restaurants to Brookhaven City Centre on Thursday, October 1, with unlimited tastings, cocktails and live entertainment. The 21-and-over fundraiser benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Strong4Life program and returns to the civic venue for a second edition. Organizers say the event typically sells out and encourage advance ticket purchases because of the site's limited event space.
A Lineup Built Around Steak, Barbecue, and Global Flavors
Explore Brookhaven, the organization presenting the event, announced the roster this week, according to Atlanta Daily World. The lineup can be read across several dining categories: Arnette's Chop House, Fox Bros Bar-B-Q, Galla's Pizza & Tavern, HAVEN Restaurant, Marlow's Tavern, The Ashford and Siren cover steakhouse, barbecue, pizza, American, tavern and seafood offerings.
The international and specialty selections include Chico Cantina's Mexican street food, Eataliano Kitchen and Valenza's Italian fare, Jerk's Caribbean Grill's Caribbean dishes, Moon Indian Cuisine Atlanta's Indian menu and Petite Violette's French cuisine. Henri's Bakery & Deli, Honey Suckle Gelato and Summit Coffee add bakery, dessert and beverage options, giving the 16-restaurant event a mix of meal styles and price points.
Tickets, VIP Perks, and a New Rooftop Setting
General admission costs $125 and includes tastings, signature cocktails and mocktails, live entertainment and entry into a deluxe raffle, according to the same report. VIP admission is $250 and includes early access, a rooftop cocktail hour, a premium full bar, a gift bag and complimentary valet parking. The VIP hour is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Cherry Blossom Dome inside Brookhaven City Centre, an open-air rooftop space. The venue's glass panels became a subject of local coverage after the city ordered the removal of panels installed in bright primary colors instead of the muted blue and green hues requested by the City Council, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
The event suggests cocktail attire and will use indoor and outdoor areas throughout the building. Proceeds will support Strong4Life, tying the fundraiser to Explore Brookhaven's broader effort to highlight local restaurants while raising money for a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta program.
From Hotel Ballroom to Georgia's First Mass-Timber City Hall
The move changed the fundraiser's setting from a hotel banquet space to a purpose-built civic venue. Taste Brookhaven had been held for several years at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina, with earlier editions hosted on Summit Boulevard near the Perimeter office hub, according to Patti Junger Real Estate. The event moved to Brookhaven City Centre in October 2025. The $78 million project at 4001 Peachtree Road NE held its grand opening in August 2025, according to Creative Loafing's coverage of the opening. The three-story facility sits on a one-acre site and includes city hall offices, public council chambers and event areas.
What Sets City Centre Apart
City records show Brookhaven City Centre was approved with a $63.5 million guaranteed maximum construction price and a $78 million total project budget, with groundbreaking held October 12, 2023, according to the City of Brookhaven's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Since its August 2025 opening, the building has combined municipal functions, public council chambers and event space; its use for Taste Brookhaven differs from the fundraiser's earlier hotel-ballroom format. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that it is also the first municipal building in Georgia constructed primarily using mass timber. Taste Brookhaven is part of a longer sequence of Brookhaven dining promotions rather than the city's first restaurant-focused event. As a separate 2023 precedent, Rough Draft Atlanta reported that Explore Brookhaven promoted a weeklong event featuring a dozen locally owned restaurants. That promotion ran Aug. 1-7 and had a restaurant-week format, distinct from Taste Brookhaven's one-night tasting and fundraiser.
Previous editions were held at hotel venues before the event moved to City Centre in 2025.
Strong4Life's Reach Across Georgia Families
Proceeds from ticket sales and the deluxe raffle fund Strong4Life, a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta program that helps families develop healthy habits around food and nutrition. Strong4Life provides families with expert-backed resources focused on feeding and nutrition, physical activity, emotional wellness, and healthy habits, and brings programs and training to schools, early care centers, and pediatric practices across Georgia. Strong4Life is a multidisciplinary community wellness initiative with programs and resources developed by experts.
The health system's footprint near Brookhaven has grown substantially in recent years. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta opened the 19-story, 2-million-square-foot Arthur M. Blank Hospital at Interstate 85 and North Druid Hills Road in September 2024, a 446-bed facility that ranks among the largest pediatric hospital openings in U.S. history. A Georgia Tech analysis found approximately $6 billion in annual economic output for Georgia, while Children's own 2023 reporting said the system served more than 450,000 unique patients, as Hoodline previously reported.
Explore Brookhaven's Bigger Push for Local Dining
Taste Brookhaven is part of Brookhaven Restaurant Month, a first annual promotion debuting in September. The promotion includes a virtual passport and Taste Brookhaven. Explore Brookhaven, officially the Brookhaven Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a 501(c)(6) destination marketing organization that promotes Brookhaven as a place to live, work, and visit while supporting local businesses and the city's economic vitality.
Attendees heading to City Centre this fall will also find upgraded bike parking nearby. The city began installing 192 new bike racks designed for e-bikes and cargo cycles across public properties, including Brookhaven City Centre, Hoodline reported last month, following a 2023 city ordinance requiring new bike infrastructure to accommodate non-standard frame sizes. With event space limited, organizers are encouraging advance ticket purchases for the October 1 event.
