Midtown Promenade

This place is ridiculous. I went there this evening and parked in front of whole foods. I was planning to shop but had to drop off some money for my friend at eats because she had forgotten her wallet and she knew I was in the shopping area. After I parked I quickly ran over to eats and gave her some money. I returned to the plaza less than 5 minutes later and went into tjmaxx and shopped for about an hour or so. When I returned to my car there was a boot on it. When the guy came over he told me it was $ 75. I was outraged and asked him why, he said the moment I stepped out of the plaza he put the boot on. I told him the situation and he replied that he did in fact see me leave and return moments later. I won’t be shopping here again.

I love that the Beltline makes it so easy to walk here. Parking is crazy. I was just recently here on a Sunday evening and the parking lot was packed. I parked over movie theatre to eat at Ah-Ma’s. The Promenade has a lot of great restaurants ranging from chains (such as Mellow Mushroom) to local spots like Ah-Ma’s. American and ethnic food both available. Try out Bruester’s for ice cream (so happy that replaced Rita’s). Bars are also be had. Also, Trader Joe’s and Midtown Arts Cinema. Getting in and out can get back up during rush periods, which are often.

I can understand if you boot a car that park there without using any of your service. I am a frequent shoppers and most of the time I go there for Trader Joes and Starbucks. The last time I came I bought two drinks from Starbucks and walked out from the plaza for less than an hour to check out the area. When I came back, my car got booted. And the guy said he basically watched everyone and boots all the cars right after someone leave the plaza. Are you serious?!? As a customer, I did not feel I do anything wrong. The amounf of time I left my car there is very reasonable. Lets say I could have bought the drinks and sit back relax in the Starbucks for an hour and this would have never happened. I will never go back there ever again. If you want to stay in business, this is not how you should deal with the situation. There has to be some balance. You can limit a customer free parking for 1 – 2 hrs and then charge after that. Dont just boot everyone’s car and rip them off!

Okay, parking can be challenging– sometimes you do have to circle a few times and wait for a spot to open– but one always does. Many of my favorites are in the center– I am there several times a week. And I like the vibe (but I have been going there for so many years, it feels a bit like home)

Midtown Promenade is an old intown shopping plaza located just southeast of Piedmont Park, across the street from Grady High School’s football stadium, southwest of Virginia-​Highland, and north of Ponce De Leon Ave. As a Midtown resident, I’ve been to this shopping center many times over the past decade+.
This shopping plaza is known for its crammed parking lot. If you’ve ever been to Midtown Promenade, chances are you’ve have to deal with its often hard-​to-​find and tight parking spots first-​hand. At least the parking is free. Oh and BTW, don’t even think about parking here and walking to Piedmont Park or another off-​site property. You will get ticketed, booted, and/​or towed. They don’t play around here.
This is a popular shopping center with a lot of businesses. In total, there are three buildings. I will call them Buildings 1, 2, and 3, going from north to south, respectively. Some business highlights include:
Building 1:
Starbucks Coffee
Kiri Rice Bar (Asian fusion)
Mellow Mushroom (pizza)
MetroFresh
Rice Box (Chinese food)
Building 2:
Tuesday Morning (my mom likes to shop here)
Trader Joe’s
Building 3:
Rita’s (Italian ice)
The Highlander (bar)
The Independent (bar)
Apres Diem (Mediterranean cuisine, open late)
Desi Spice (Indian)
Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (movie theater)
Other businesses include a dry cleaner, nail salon, dentist, yoga gym, etc. With all the stuff here, it’s easy to see why parking can be a pain. Some restaurants which used to be here that I was kind of sad to see go include Nam (upscale Vietnamese), Jersey Mike’s, and Royal Orchid (Thai). There’s been a decent amount of turnover in this complex over the past 10 years.
For years, the Atlanta Film Festival used to be held here, but I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore. The Midtown Art Cinema is an old-​school movie theater. It has eight screens. Due to its age and traditional seating style, I wouldn’t go to this theater unless it’s showing a special film that can’t be found anywhere else. For example, independent films and Oscar shorts. You can read my review of the Midtown Art Cinema here:
.
While it might not be shiny and new or have the best parking in the world, Midtown Promenade still has plenty to offer for the intown folks.
Tip: There is a less-​trafficked back entrance off Virginia Ave, ideal for those going to or from Virginia-​Highland.

My husband and I tried to go have dinner and see a movie there this evening. We arrived at 7:00 to find 30 or 40 cars circling the parking lot, making it impossible to get through there much less find a place to leave the car and patronize any of the businesses. The parking situation has gotten even worse since the previous reviews were written, as the lot is overrun with people using the Beltline. It’s a shame for the businesses trying to succeed there, but it’s really not worth trying to go there anymore.

Yeah, I have to agree — the parking situation can get insane on the weekends, made worse by folks using the lots to park and then walk over to Piedmont Park. I try to only shop/​go to the movies on non-​weekend evenings. Also, the parking lot doesn’t feel very safe when it’s late.

I decided to create a new business in order to complain about the parking in this shopping center, a problem which affects me less than everyone else because I live three blocks away.
On a Friday night at 7 pm, who needs to park here?
–Trader Joe’s customers, picking up party supplies or groceries for the weekend
–students of Stillwater Yoga’s 6 – 8 pm class
–people getting their hair cut or nails done after the work week
–people getting a drink at one of several bars
–people eating dinner at one of over a dozen restaurants
and, probably most influentially
–people watching one of eight movies.
During prime time, people are always circling the parking lot and parking illegally. I have never circled for more than about 5 minutes, granted, but it seems like this is only going to get worse.
OK, but other than the parking I love this shopping center. I sort of wish it had another brunch place, but whatever.