Baltimore’s largest privately owned restaurant group is opening its first Chinese restaurant.

Harbor East-based Atlas Restaurant Group, which operates nearly 30 restaurants in Baltimore and beyond, will launch the concept at the Village of Cross Keys next fall, according to a release. The eatery will feature a mid-priced menu geared toward “everyday dining.”

In a statement, Atlas founder Alex Smith recalled memories of visiting Cross Keys, the North Baltimore development, with his brother and business partner Eric when they were children.

The 200-person restaurant will be located in a newly constructed building next to the current Village Shops and offer an indoor and outdoor rooftop space with a full bar and live music planned. Interior designer Patrick Sutton said in a statement that the restaurant “will dig deeper into elements of Asian culture and design than the stereotypical Chinese-American restaurant interior.” Decor will feature wooden screens and “garden elements” in a first-floor courtyard and upstairs terrace.

The company’s director of Asian cuisine, longtime Azumi chef Alisher Yallaev, will consult on the menu, while Atlas is beginning a “nationwide search” for an executive chef at the new restaurant.

Arsh Mirmiran, whose Caves Valley Partners is redeveloping Cross Keys, touted the restaurant’s arrival, along with the recent announcement of Cece’s Roland Park and current tenant Easy Like Sunday. “Cross Keys is well on its way to becoming the preeminent neighborhood dining destination in North Baltimore,” he said in a statement.

It’s not the first time Atlas and Caves Valley have worked together. Atlas owns and operates Watershed along with a fish market and two bars inside Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market, which is owned by the city but managed by Caves Valley through a long-term contract. Atlas also handles marketing and operations for the food hall.

Though the company’s restaurants span global cuisine from Greek to French and Japanese, this will be Atlas’ first Chinese eatery.

christina.tkacik@thebaltimorebanner.com