Mule Train is now open in South Downtown

Mike and Shyretha Sheats translate memories of rural Georgia into a concise Southern menu, intimate bar, and 40-seat dining room

Carly Cooper

October 5, 2026

After nearly a decade of pop-ups, Mike and Shyretha Sheats have opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Mule Train, in South Downtown. The 40-seat contemporary Southern restaurant grows out of The Plate Sale, the couple’s longtime pop-up, inspired by the community plate sales they knew growing up, when neighbors sold food at churches and in front yards.

Mule Train’s name harkens back to a family shack in rural Northeast Georgia that served as a stopping point for friends and neighbors to sip moonshine and eat whole-hog barbecue. The new restaurant carries forward that sentiment of an open-door gathering spot.