For two and a half years, every Aviator pepperoni pie from Hapeville Pizza Company has come out of the kitchen at 626 S. Central Ave. That's about to change, and the new address says a lot about how downtown Hapeville's restaurant scene is growing right now. Very little of it is new construction. Mostly it's local operators moving into storefronts that are already standing.
From 626 South to 397 North
What Now Atlanta reported on September 11 that Hapeville Pizza Company is leaving its South Central Avenue spot for The Signal, the apartment building at 397 N. Central Ave. with shops on the ground floor. Bridger Properties announced the move. Co-owner LeShawn Woods told the outlet the team was tentatively aiming for an October 18 opening. The shop posted a video of the new space under construction in late August.
The restaurant's own website gives the exact address as 397 N. Central Ave., Suite 203, and tells customers to "join us in late October." The same page still lists the old South Central address under "Visit Us," with hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday. It's closed Sunday and Monday. Before you drive over, check the site or call (404) 254-1928 so you know which counter is open. The hours may also change at the new space.
The Signal Has Had a Pizza Tenant Before
The Signal is a 285-unit apartment community with 4,392 square feet of ground-floor retail. South City Partners developed the project, and McShane Construction built it. Urbanize Atlanta reported its official opening in late 2023.
Pizza was part of the plan from the start. Back in 2022, What Now Atlanta reported that Junior's Pizza from Summerhill had signed for a restaurant space in the building. Junior's was a counter-service shop known for New York-style, thin-crust pies. When the building opened, Urbanize listed Junior's and Transcendent Smiles Dental as its first retail tenants. The Hapeville location had closed by the time the AJC's November 23, 2024 restaurant roundup ran. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that it closed in November and that the owners later closed their Summerhill shop as well.
So almost two years after Junior's closed, The Signal's ground floor is getting pizza again. The big difference is who's making it. Junior's opened here as a second location for a business based across town. Hapeville Pizza Company is a Hapeville shop moving a few blocks up its own main street.
A Menu Already Built Around This Town
The new space doesn't have to introduce this restaurant to its neighbors. Much of the menu is named after Hapeville. What Now Atlanta lists The Hapeville Hottie, a buffalo chicken pie, along with The Lemon Pepper Chicken Pizza, The Depot, a veggie pie, and The Aviator, the pepperoni. The menu also has wings and salads. The Depot shares its name with the town's 1900s train depot, now the Hapeville Depot Museum. The Aviator fits a town that sits next to the busiest airport runways in Georgia. The restaurant's website runs with the airport joke too: "Fresh pizza, fast ordering, no runway delays."
One review on the restaurant's site points to a detail regulars may already know. The reviewer calls turkey pepperoni their go-to and says no other pizza place they know of sells it.
The move also puts the shop directly below 285 apartments, and it arrives with regulars who already know to look for it on Central Avenue. It's moving up the street rather than opening cold.
Weepa Did the Same Thing at 579 North Central
Hapeville Pizza Company isn't the only one doing this. The other big downtown opening of 2026 also moved into an existing space. Weepa Puerto Rico is at 579 N. Central Ave. Atlanta Magazine's August 2026 review says chef Emanuel Jiménez opened it this past spring in the former Mami's La Cubana space, which he freshened up with mango-colored walls, island paintings, plants and straw hats. Rough Draft Atlanta also included Weepa under "Now Open" in its July roundup.
Atlanta Magazine's review is a good guide to ordering. Every table has a tall bottle of pique, a vinegar steeped with chiles, garlic and herbs. The review recommends splashing it over the pernil. Other dishes it names:
- Grilled whole red snapper
- Rice with gandules
- Bistec encebollado
- Pinchos with guava or barbecue sauce
- Fried or mashed plantains
- Cinnamon-dusted coconut custard, and a deep-fried cheesecake with passion fruit sauce
To drink, there's Kola Champagne soda and fresh mango juice. Check Weepa's Instagram for hours before you go.
One Hapeville restaurant is moving from South Central to 397 North Central, and a new Puerto Rican cafe opened at 579 North Central. This year's dining news is collecting on the north end of the avenue, in buildings that already had kitchens or storefronts.
The South End Still Has Its Evenings
The south end isn't going quiet. Its next big date is a film night, a short walk from the pizza shop's old door. Here's what's on Hapeville's calendar for the rest of November and into December:
Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
Fri., Nov. 6 | Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers | Historic Christ Church & Carriage House, 680 S. Central Ave. | Free; filmmaker reception at 6 p.m., films at 7 p.m. |
Sat., Nov. 7 | Home for the History: Build Your Family Archive, with Candice Lawrie | Hapeville Depot Museum | Free, 1 to 2 p.m.; RSVP required, limited seats |
Sun., Nov. 8 | Keith Harkin with Cailini | Academy Theatre | 6:30 p.m. |
Sat., Nov. 21 | Downtown walking tour on Hapeville's trolleys and streetcars | Hapeville Depot Museum | 1 to 2 p.m. |
Sat., Nov. 21 | Monthly Community Garden Meet-up | Tom E. Morris Sports Complex, 3415 Claire Drive | 10 a.m. |
Sun., Dec. 6 | Paul Byrom's Christmas Classics with Olivia Ivey | Academy Theatre | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. |
Sat., Dec. 19 | Downtown Hapeville walking tour | Hapeville Depot Museum | 1 to 2 p.m. |
Sat., Dec. 19 | Monthly Community Garden Meet-up | Tom E. Morris Sports Complex, 3415 Claire Drive | 10 a.m. |
You can find details and RSVP links on the City of Hapeville calendar, the Hapeville Depot Museum's events page and Academy Theatre's upcoming shows. Theater schedules can change, so confirm a show before you buy tickets.
If you're looking for a plan, the November 21 trolley tour fits nicely with this year's food news. It's an afternoon walk through the downtown that Central Avenue's restaurants are slowly filling in again. Afterward, grab dinner at either end of the street.
Holiday Dates Are Still to Come
As of late October, the city calendar hasn't posted Hapeville's 2026 tree lighting. The most recent tree lighting covered by Fulton Neighbor took place on November 25 at Jess Lucas Y-Teen Park. It ran from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with live music, games, s'mores, an ugly-sweater contest and visits with Santa. The Light Up Hapeville map came after it, covering seven neighborhoods, with voting from December 12 through December 29. Watch the city calendar for this year's dates.
When the new Suite 203 counter opens, you'll be able to take The Aviator home from North Central Avenue. The old address at 626 S. Central Ave. will be an open storefront, and nobody has announced what's going in there yet.
Intown Focus Realty is based here in Hapeville, so we follow every Central Avenue storefront that changes hands. If you're a building owner or a homeowner a few blocks off the avenue and you'd like to know how this year's downtown activity affects your property, request your home valuation and we'll go through it with you, neighbor to neighbor.
