Welton Street Cafe Is Back! New Location Opens November 8

"This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! The wait is over!" reads a November 4 social media post from Welton Street Cafe. Nearly three years after shuttering its longtime location in Five Points, the soul food restaurant will open the doors to its new location in the historic district on Friday, November 8.

Reservations are now available to dine at the newly renovated space at 2883 Welton Street, which has double the dining capacity of the previous location, a larger kitchen and something totally new for the business: a full bar. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Opening this new location has been a long journey for the Dickerson family, which has operated Welton Street Cafe in three different locations in and around Five Points since 1986. For 22 years, it served favorites like fried chicken, fried catfish, smothered pork chops and Caribbean-style plates at 2736 Welton Street. The restaurant survived COVID by offering takeout, but in 2021, it almost closed when a malfunctioning HVAC system created unsafe heating conditions in the kitchen. Both times, the community showed up to support the business.
By January 2022, however, the family had decided to make a big move after facing challenges with its landlord. They closed the 2736 Welton Street location in March of that year, when the lease was up, and signed a new lease for the new space just two blocks away.

“This is like moving out of my house,” Fathima Dickerson, one of the daughters of founders Flynn and Mona Dickerson, told Westword at the time.

The hope was to reopen the new space by the summer of 2022, but the renovations needed were extensive. The newly refurbished building was completely gutted and required electrical, plumbing and flooring work. Once again, the community stepped up, hosting several fundraisers and donating more than $100,000 to the restaurant's GoFundMe.
Despite not having a brick-and-mortar in the neighborhood since shutting a temporary takeout operation in September 2022, the Dickerson family has maintained a regular presence in the community, hosting regular pop-up events at Spangalang Brewery and serving food at special events around Five Points.

Now, Welton Street Cafe will be back, bigger and better than ever — and we can't wait to get a taste of some of the best fried chicken in town once again.

Welton Street Cafe is located at 2883 Welton Street and will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday starting November 8. For more information, visit weltonstreetcafe.com.