A First Look at So. Fox

For years, the restaurant space at the corner of North Highland and Virginia avenues in Atlanta housed burgers and fries. Soon, the longtime Farm Burger location will find new life as So. Fox, a neighborhood restaurant where natural wines fill glasses alongside seasonal plates. Named for the Southern fox grape—another name for muscadine—the restaurant marks a new chapter for the team behind Kinship Butcher & Sundry, who are bringing a polished yet community-focused vision to Virginia-Highland.

Married duo Rachael Pack, a sommelier, and chef Myles Moody have already built a loyal following in the neighborhood at Kinship, their butcher shop and cafe known for its thick sandwiches, carefully sourced meats, and artisanal products. At So. Fox, however, they look forward to returning to their fine dining roots with a more elevated approach. “We want it to be an upscale-casual neighborhood restaurant,” says Moody. “There’s this emerging kind of neighborhood casual restaurant, like Gigi’s and Talat Market, where people offer exceptional hospitality and menus and a very clear vision. That’s what we’re shooting for.” 

The opportunity came through George Frangos, co-owner of Farm Burger, who encouraged the couple to take over the adjacent space. For Pack and Moody, the location offered practicality as it’s right next door to Kinship. “Our meats will be butchered and taken care of by the team over at Kinship and then we’ll utilize those on the menu here at So. Fox,” says Moody. The setup allows the couple to maintain the sourcing standards they’ve become known for while expanding into a more ambitious restaurant format.

The former fast-casual space has transformed from a burger joint to a light-filled dining room accented in pale woods, soft textures, and understated details. The couple approached the design process with the same community-forward ethos as their food, collaborating with local craftspeople including B10 Union (a furniture maker) and Silt Studios. “We’re sourcing Georgia white marble with a quarry here in Georgia for the bar,” says Moody. Even the materials reflect a commitment to grounding the restaurant in a sense of place.

That philosophy extends to the menu, though guests shouldn’t expect traditional Southern dishes. “I really want it to be a reference of time and place in the South, not necessarily Southern dishes,” says Moody. Instead, the dishes will closely follow the seasons, with Moody and his team growing much of their own produce on an acre of farmland as well as foraging. Pickled and fermented ingredients nod to his time at a Scandinavian restaurant as well as the South’s rich preserving heritage.

Muscadines, the restaurant’s namesake, will appear on the menu in different iterations. One planned dish involves Capriole Wabash Cannonball, a tangy semisoft goat cheese. “I’d like to take those muscadine leaves and put them in a brine, wrap the cheese in those fermented leaves, grill it, and then serve it with local honey as a dessert course,” says Moody. Other dishes on the menu include grilled beef with Vidalia onions and braised leeks and the grouper with pecans and cabbage.

While the food and wine program draws from the couple’s fine dining backgrounds, they want it to be a relaxed and approachable experience. Guests can pop in and grab a seat or stand at the bar if they just want a glass of wine and a snack, or stay for dinner. Whatever form the evening takes, the throughline remains the same. “Whether I’m making breakfast sandwiches or this à la carte menu, it’s going to be a reflection of time and place—us in the South,” he says.

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