Ted Brennan’s Decatur Finally Opens its Doors

After years of planning and the death of proprietor Theodore “Ted” Brennan, Ted Brennan’s Decatur opened its doors on Sunday in honor of Brennan with “the aroma of garlic bread and turtle soup” and a limited menu. The 12,000 square foot restaurant, with two floors and seating for 250 patrons, will expand to its full menu and regular hours on September 6, according to an opening report by Ian McNulty.

The restaurant is named for Brennan, who masterminded the restaurant as a second act after losing the iconic Brennan’s to foreclosure and bankruptcy after 40 years of running the restaurant.

A few people who worked for Brennan’s under the family’s leadership made the transition to the new restaurant, including Chef Lazone Randolph, who started as a busboy at Brennan’s in 1965 before rising to executive chef status in 2005, a post he held for eight years.

The new space feels familiar with Randolph heading up the kitchen and the trademark soft pink walls, but the restaurant is decidedly smaller and more casual than Brennan’s. According to McNulty’s report:

The main dining room is a long, linear run of gleaming black-and-white tile floors, bentwood bistro chairs and narrow mirrors, with ancient-looking cypress columns climbing to open rafters high above. The bar, longer than a bowling lane and topped with copper, stretches on with seats for 50. In a nod to casual dining trends and changing tastes, there are clutches of draft beer taps along that bar and a TV tucked into a nook in the corner.

Five rooms make up the second floor: the Gold Room, the Red Room, the Wine Room, the Patio Room, and the Randolph Room (named for Chef Lazone Randolph).

Take a look at the opening menu:

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