Sweet Melissa’s, eatery open since 1989, closes its doors for last time

Popular Decatur Square brunch eatery Sweet Melissa’s has closed after more than three decades.

The restaurant announced on social media, and its website, that it had shuttered March 6.

“We have chosen this time to retire and move on to our future dreams,” the post said, alluding to “exciting things to happen” in the building that housed Sweet Melissa’s.

Owner Glen Gurevitch opened Sweet Melissa’s as Pita Place in 1989, at 127 East Court Square. He changed the name to Sweet Melissa’s in 1996, though at the time the menu stayed the same.

“We started out when pitas were the trend,” Gurevitch told The Atlanta Journal-constitution at that time. “But, over the years, our menu evolved from being just pitas, because we had people who’d come back regularly and we’d have to give them something different. The name became restricting, because people who were not regulars did not know what we served.”

Named after his daughter, Sweet Melissa’s initially served more than 50 kinds of hot and cold sandwiches, pitas with various stuffings, hot dogs, hamburgers, stuffed potatoes, pizza and brunch.

The restaurant eventually began focusing on breakfast and brunch dishes, including omelets, pancakes, French toast, sandwiches, quesadillas and salads.

Two other longtime metro Atlanta restaurants have closed in the past few weeks. Atmosphere French Bistro in Piedmont Heights closed after 20 years, and Fung Mei Chinese Restaurant in Duluth closed after 33 years.

Other recent metro area closings include Marrakesh Mediterranean Market and Batter Cookie Dough Counter, both at Ponce City Market.