For anyone tracking what's new around Marietta Square and East Cobb in summer 2026, the most useful story is bigger than a list of openings.

Marietta Square is becoming easier to use without planning a full evening around it. You can pick up groceries or prepared food, settle in to watch a game, or bring a chair to a free outdoor concert. Each option serves a different part of the day, and each lowers the amount of planning required.

First, a quick geographic clarification: Marietta Square is inside the City of Marietta. It is not physically in East Cobb. East Cobb borders the city to the west and southwest, and many East Cobb homes carry Marietta mailing addresses despite sitting outside city limits. For East Cobb residents, the Square is best understood as a nearby downtown activity hub.

The timing also deserves a clear look. Two of the places getting attention this summer opened earlier in 2026:

So this is less a story about three summer openings and more about how people can use these additions during summer.

Asher & Rose gives the Square an everyday errand again

Asher & Rose Modern Grocer occupies the former Piastra space at 45 West Park Square. The new concept combines a curated grocery market with prepared food, a café, a bar, catering, and made-to-order meals.

Its stated sourcing focus includes seasonal produce, meat, dairy, bread, and Georgia-made products. That mix creates several reasons to stop in:

• Pick up groceries or pantry items
• Take home a prepared meal
• Meet for café service
• Stop for weekend brunch
• Have a drink without committing to a formal dinner

That practical flexibility is the real change. Co-owner and chef Greg Lipman told CBS Atlanta that the closest conventional grocery store was about two miles away. The owners saw an unmet need around the Square and shifted the former restaurant into a market-and-café format.

Asher & Rose is not positioning itself as a full supermarket. It is a smaller, chef-driven grocer designed around fresh food, local products, café service, and convenience. That distinction matters because its role is less about filling a large weekly cart and more about solving dinner, brunch, coffee, or a short grocery list in one stop.

Published hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with the business closed Monday. Café service runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekend brunch is offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check current hours before heading over since schedules can change.

West Park turns game day into a longer stay

A few doors away, West Park Sports Club has taken over the former Red Hare Brewing & Distilling space at 29 West Park Square.

The April opening gives the Square a new sports-watching option, but the concept is more polished than a conventional neighborhood sports bar. West Park describes itself as a modern clubhouse, with televisions, leather seating, warm wood, plaid details, vintage sports memorabilia, and a library-style interior.

That design supports a different type of visit. Someone can arrive for a game and stay for dinner or drinks rather than treating the television as background noise during a quick meal.

West Park comes from Fork U Concepts, the local restaurant group associated with Taqueria Tsunami and Stockyard Burgers and Bones. Early reported menu examples included crispy rice with tuna, crab-rangoon flatbread, and bulgogi cheesesteak sliders. Menus change, but those examples show the intended direction: familiar game-day energy paired with food that goes beyond a standard basket of bar snacks.

The broader pattern is starting to take shape. Asher & Rose makes the Square more useful before dinner. West Park gives visitors a reason to settle in for an event. The next addition extends that activity outdoors.

Church Street Park is the new “concert backyard”

The strongest match for the backyard part of this summer’s story is Church Street Park at 36 Mill Street.

A new monthly concert series began there on June 5. The format is intentionally simple: local singer-songwriters and jazz groups perform from 6 to 8 p.m., admission is free, and visitors can bring blankets, lawn chairs, snacks, or a picnic.

There is no ticket or cover. Paid parking may be a consideration, but the event itself is designed as a low-planning evening in a public park.

The 2026 lineup includes:

• June 5: Joseph Bones
• July 10: Reed Waddle
• August 7: Troy Brown Band
• September 11: Aliança Ensemble
• October 2: Performer to be announced

As of July 15, the next scheduled show is Troy Brown Band on August 7.

Church Street Park does not replace the larger concerts in Glover Park. It creates a smaller format with an earlier start and a bring-your-own-chair feel. That distinction is what makes “concert backyard” a fair description, as long as visitors remember that it remains a public park rather than a private music venue.

The addition also changes how a casual evening can come together. Pick up food, find a spot in the park, listen for a couple of hours, and decide afterward whether to stay around the Square. The concert can be the whole plan or one piece of it.

Glover Park remains the established main stage

The new Church Street series arrives alongside a much older Marietta tradition. The city-produced Glover Park Concert Series is celebrating 40 years in summer 2026.

Concerts begin at 8 p.m. on the last Friday of each month from April through September. Upcoming dates after July 15 are:

• July 31: Seven Bridges, an Eagles tribute band
• August 28: Kasper and the 911 Band, featuring R&B and pop hits
• September 25: Nashville Nation, featuring modern country hits

The Glover Park events require a little more preparation than the Church Street shows. Blankets and lawn chairs are allowed inside the park. Tables, tarps, tents, canopies, and umbrellas are prohibited. Chairs and tables may be placed in the streets on North and East Park Square after 6 p.m.

The concerts are free. Reserved tables are available for $75 to $85, subject to availability.

Together, the two series create a useful contrast. Church Street Park offers smaller, earlier performances once a month through October. Glover Park remains the larger, long-running Friday night event. Residents can choose based on the music, crowd format, and amount of setup they prefer.

East Cobb is following the same outdoor-living pattern

The actual East Cobb side of this story is taking shape at Avenue East Cobb, located at 4475 Roswell Road.

The Plaza includes a stage, jumbo screen, outdoor seating, and recurring programming built around fitness, children’s activities, live music, movies, and sports viewing. Like the changes around Marietta Square, the goal is to create reasons to visit that do not depend on a traditional shopping trip or dinner reservation.

The free “Lights, Camera, Avenue!” movie series continues at 6 p.m. on the remaining July dates:

• July 16: The Little Mermaid
• July 23: Tangled
• July 30: The Princess and the Frog

Seating is first come, first served, and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets. Outside food and beverages are not permitted, while takeout from Avenue restaurants is encouraged.

Avenue East Cobb and Marietta Square are different settings, but their programming points in the same direction. Both are treating shared outdoor space as part of the daily experience rather than leftover space between businesses.

That approach gives residents more flexible choices. A movie, concert, meal, grocery stop, or game can stand alone. It can also become part of a longer afternoon without requiring a detailed itinerary.

A practical way to use the changes

Instead of treating every opening as another place to add to a restaurant list, choose based on what you need that day:

For an unplanned weeknight

Stop at Asher & Rose for groceries, café service, or a prepared meal. This is the most practical addition because it works even when there is no event on the calendar.

For a scheduled game

Try West Park Sports Club when watching the game is the central plan. Its clubhouse-style setting is designed for a longer stay.

For an easy outdoor evening

Bring chairs or a blanket to Church Street Park for the monthly 6 p.m. series. Check the Glover Park schedule when you want the larger concert experience.

For an East Cobb option

Use The Plaza at Avenue East Cobb for outdoor movies, big-screen sports, live music, and recurring community programming. Review individual event rules before arriving since food, seating, and start-time policies vary.

The next chapter is already forming

More changes are planned around the Square, although firm opening dates were not available as of July 15.

Glover Park Kitchen is planned for 72 Atlanta Street across from Glover Park Brewery. Early details describe a Southern-influenced restaurant with seasonal cooking, Gulf Coast seafood, drinks, and a garden-patio atmosphere under Executive Chef Lance Hagan.

Pisano’s Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen has confirmed plans for 35 North Park Square in the former Ahoy! There Be Dragons space. Reported plans include an outdoor patio and a small stage for music and karaoke. Since no verified opening date has been announced, it belongs on the watch list rather than the weekend calendar.

Both plans reinforce the same direction seen in the businesses already operating: food remains central, but patios, programming, entertainment, and flexible use are becoming a larger part of the experience.

The real change is how casually these places fit into the week

Marietta Square still works for a planned dinner or a major concert night. What changed in 2026 is the growing number of reasons to visit without making the Square the entire occasion.

A grocer can solve dinner. A sports club can carry the evening. A small park can become a free concert setting for two hours. Avenue East Cobb is applying a similar idea through movies, music, sports viewing, and outdoor programming closer to home.

That is the summer story worth watching. These activity centers are becoming more useful on ordinary days, and ordinary days are what turn a collection of businesses into a regular neighborhood routine.

If you are thinking about how East Cobb or Marietta fits your day-to-day plans, the David Lawhon Group can offer clear, local guidance tailored to your priorities.

Schedule a Consultation.