Ponce Market in Atlanta is a must see spot. Ponce Market is in the landmark Sears Roebuck & Company building in the Old Fourth Ward. The restored building houses an incredible unique food hall serving quality cuisine that you won’t find elsewhere. There are retail shops as well, but I never made it past the food. Anyone following a paleo or bulletproof diet like myself will be happy to find plenty of options. There’s a busy noise for children to drown out in and the environment is kid friendly. This was a plus for us, because we had quite a few with us. The market sits on Atlanta’s growing BeltLine, a former railway corridor now serving as a multi-use trail. We took the opportunity to go for a walk after grazing for a bit. Despite the southern heat, there were a lot of bikes and pedestrians on the mile stretch that we walked. I can tell the the BeltLine has more to offer, but we were there for the market.
My favorite place at the market was the Biltong Bar. I don’t drink alcohol, so the bar was of no interest to me, but my oldest son stopped in there and left with food called biltong that I later devoured. It was new for me, so when I went back for more I took some time to learn. Biltong originates from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia and is a jerky-like cured meat. It’s more common in South Africa, but is spreading throughout the world as they immigrate with their culture. I follow the Bulletproof diet, which could be described as a modified paleo diet with more restrictions, so I was happy to find the beef served at the Biltong Bar was 100% grass fed and locally sourced.
Thinly sliced biltong
The biltong was served in thin sliced strips and tossed with herbs and spices. We got ours with fat-on as that was an option and it was 100% grass fed. Always go with lean meats when that’s not the case. Along with more biltong, I also decided to try droëwors (pronounced drovers I believe) and this I fell in love with. It’s a cured sausage, maybe one or one and half centimeters in width. It has a prominent coriander flavor and had more fat in it making it soft and rich. I’m currently searching on how to get this in Texas, so please reach out if you’re aware of good options. I’ve found both biltong and droëwors on Amazon by Ayoba-Yo and Biltong USA. From the little reading I’ve done, I’m leaning towards Ayoba-Yo, but will continue to research options.
Sticks of droëwors cured sausage.
Due to the nature of our trip, I did not have enough time to fully explore Atlanta. We quickly visited the Little Five Points, spent some time at Martin Luther King’s original house, and drove around a bit. There’s so much to do that I could probably spend a month there and still be writing about it. I know I’ll be back, but for now I highly recommend Ponce Market to anyone visiting Atlanta and be sure to try this South African treat while you’re there.
Can’t wait to get back and see more of the city!
