Atiya Ola’s is now open on S. 48th Street next door to 48th Street Grille. (Photo by Rana Fayez)

A few months ago, Atiya Ola’s had no choice but to move out of their Baltimore Ave. location. Community organizations held fundraisers to help them pay rent, but restaurant owner Atiya Ola has not been able to find a suitable location until recently. Atiya Ola’s Spirit First Foods (Facebook page) held a grand opening earlier this month to invite the community into their new, albeit temporary location at Common Table on 48th street between Pine and Spruce. The business has even installed window signage, indicating that the restaurant is here to stay.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Culinary Center, a division of the Enterprise Center in the Garden Court neighborhood, has a pop-up restaurant space called Common Table. The space is made available to businesses enrolled within the Center’s food industry incubator. As a business owner that has handled change gracefully, Atiya Ola welcomes the new scenery. “The universal laws opened the gateway for me to relocate here,” said Ola. 

Ola has signed a one-year lease for this location, the idea is to grow the business and save enough money to purchase a building. In the meantime, Ola will be working with Enterprise Center business coach Brian Smith to become more self-sustaining. “The staff at the Enterprise Center have been kind and congenial… all these hands, help you along,” said Ola.

With a seating capacity of 50 people, two bathrooms, six lockers, handwash stations, and sinks, the new location is a visible upgrade from the old one. Inside the kitchen, there’s a stove, a grill, convection oven, and a commercial refrigerator. While the menu offerings haven’t changed much, there are some new additions like baba ghanouj and bruschetta. Soup options will continue to rotate as well, with options like plum chutney in the rotation. Ola assured us that the restaurant will continue to be farm to table.

Capable of seating up to 50 people, the new restaurant is currently open from noon to 9 p.m. and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Interested in touring the space? The culinary center holds “Foodie Tours” twice a month. The next one is on November 20th at 4 p.m. You can RSVP on the Enterprise Center’s website here.

– Rana Fayez