Bryan Furman, the once and perhaps future king of barbecue in Atlanta, says he’s leaving the city to open his new barbecue restaurant, but only technically.
In an exclusive interview, the award-winning pitmaster tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s signed a lease to open his long-awaited namesake restaurant, Bryan Furman BBQ, in August at 186 Windy Hill Road in Marietta.
“I’m coming out swinging,” Furman says of his imminent return to metro Atlanta’s barbecue scene. “Don’t let the time fool you: I ain’t forgot who I was.”
It’s been a long road to reopening his own brick-and-mortar barbecue restaurant since Furman’s first Atlanta restaurant, B’s Cracklin’ Barbecue, closed in March 2019 after a devastating fire at 2061 Main Street in Riverside.
Since then, Furman has remained a fixture on the national barbecue circuit, touring the country for festivals and special events with his large mobile smoker, and finding ways to continue serving local fans of his beloved brisket, wings, fried pork skins and more at pop-up events.