On the Cherry Bombe podcast, Bailey described the Grey Diner Bar at the Thompson as having a “more cohesive dining experience than the original in Savannah, which serves snacks like Hoppin John and fried chicken and landed on Esquire s list of best bars in America in 2018. She said the partners would also operate a Grey Market at the hotel, which Bailey and Morisano have long described as a North-meets-South hybrid of a bodega/lunch counter.
Much-lauded Savannah chef Mashama Bailey is opening two restaurants in Austin this year, based on her acclaimed Georgia restaurant the Grey. The restaurants in question the Grey Diner Bar and the Grey Market will be located within forthcoming downtown hotel the Thompson on 506 San Jacinto Boulevard, with everything aiming to open this summer.
The two restaurants are based on co-owners Bailey and business partner John O. Morisano’s award-winning restaurant the Grey. Bailey first shared the Austin restaurant details on Cherry Bombe’s podcast in late January; Bailey and Morisano confirmed their plans with Eater.
In the podcast, Bailey describes the Grey Diner Bar coming to Austin as a “larger version” of the original diner bar in Georgia (which was previously an all-hours diner space). “We created a little bit of a cocktail bar-slash-snack thing,” she explains on the podcast, aiming to serve items such as sandwiches and charcuterie, as well as dishes found from the G