JavaVino’s closure + holiday bar design magic

Dec. 11 — For today’s Side Dish, we offer a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put on annual holiday pop-ups at five Atlanta restaurants. Plus, we have a story on the opening of Lewis Barbecue at Ansley Mall, and more on the closure of JavaVino in Poncey-Highland – including what the future holds for the space.  

 In other Atlanta dining news, get details on three big restaurant closures, the reopening of Mellow Mushroom in Decatur, and the upcoming opening of a new Irish bar and pub in South Downtown. We also have news on an Atlanta chef’s debut cookbook and the death of the founder behind Sonny’s BBQ. 

 In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal“. In it, Beth includes a story on El Azteca and its 45-year legacy on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. She also tells you where to seek out jägerschnitzel in Atlanta. And Sarra shares The Daily’s recipe for oatmeal cream pies.

Cheers!

 Beth and  Sarra

Have You Heard?

 Restaurant Reopening

Five months after closing, the Decatur location of Mellow Mushroom reopened this week – and with a new look. The West Ponce pizzeria received a much-needed exterior and interior refresh, a dedicated to-go entrance and pick-up area, and a revamped patio and bar. Expect a few new items on the menu in Decatur, too, including a couple of salads and cocktails. 

“This location means a lot to Mellow Mushroom, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to return with new energy, [to] reconnect and deliver the best possible guest experience for the neighborhood,” Ahsan Jiva, Executive Vice President of Strategy, said in a prepared statement.

 More Restaurant Openings

Check out this brief roundup of recent restaurant openings and announcements of upcoming restaurants you might have missed in November.

 Airport Restaurant Opening

Celebrity pastry chef and TV personality Duff Goldman opened Duff’s Deli + Market on Concourse C at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Look for egg sandwiches, deli classics like hot pastrami and matzo ball soup, and baked goods such as Duff’s black and white cookies.

 Restaurant Closures

Right on the heels of the announcement that Daddy D’z BBQ would close on Memorial Drive at the end of December, the owners of Agave in neighboring Cabbagetown announced they will close the Southwestern restaurant on Jan. 31, 2026. Daddy D’z and Agave have been part of the Memorial Drive and Boulevard corridors for 35 years and 25 years, respectively. While the owner of Daddy D’z property plans to sell, Agave’s owners cited the “current economic climate and unsustainable conditions” as reasons for their decision to close. Learn more about the history of Agave and the Cabbagetown restaurant’s building from Victoria Lemos of Archive Atlanta. 

Tomorrow’s News Today reports that the Beltline location of One Flew South closed at the end of November. Calls by Rough Draft to the restaurant went unanswered, the location appeared dark on a recent visit, and the Beltline location is no longer listed on One Flew South’s website or social media. The original location remains open on Concourse E at Hartsfield. Backed by Jackmont Hospitality, One Flew South opened in the former Hazel Jane’s wine bar space on the Eastside Trail three years ago. 

 Coming Attractions

A Midtown location of Korean bakery-cafe White Windmill will open at 1331 Spring St. inside the Midtown Union building. White Windmill recently opened its first in-town location at Uptown Atlanta near the Lindbergh MARTA station. 

The owners of New York City bar Dead Rabbit plan to open The Irish Exit next year at Centennial Yards in South Downtown. Expect a drinks menu centered around Irish and local beers, whiskey, and cocktails, along with Irish pub food. The Irish Exit will join Wild Leap Brewery and Distillery, Khao Thai Isan, and Shake Shack at Centennial Yards. Check out Rough Draft for the latest restaurant and development news happening in South Downtown.

 ATL Chef’s First Cookbook

Lazy Betty co-owner and chef Ron Hsu will debut his first cookbook in March. Called Down South + East: A Chinese American Cookbook, Hsu will share recipes for dishes he cooks at home, as well as those inspired by his Chinese-American upbringing in Metro Atlanta. The cookbook will include a forward written by Hsu’s mentor and former Le Bernardin employer, Chef Eric Ripert. 

Hsu and restaurant partner and chef Aaron Phillips first opened Lazy Betty six years ago in Candler Park. The chefs relocated the tasting menu restaurant to the former Empire State South space in Midtown last year. Since opening in 2019, Lazy Betty has racked up numerous accolades, including one star from Michelin in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 dining guides. 

 Merger

STHRN Hospitality Co., the group behind Westside Motor Lounge, partnered with the owners of Atlanta institution Midtown Bowl. STHRN plans to help the 65-year-old bowling alley on Piedmont Circle attract new patrons by giving it a brand makeover – including food, drinks, and events – and upgrades to the kitchen and sound system. 

 RIP

Floyd “Sonny” Tillman, the founder of Sonny’s BBQ, has died. Tillman, who opened Sonny’s BBQ in 1968 in Gainesville, FL, was 96. Georgia features 14 locations of Sonny’s BBQ, including restaurants in Marietta, Buford, Jonesboro, and Lawrenceville. 

 Santa Loves the Dogs

Skiptown Bar & [Dog] Park in Kirkwood will celebrate the holidays with a series of festive events this month. Look for a Howliday Market on Dec. 13 and a photoshoot with Santa and the Grinch on Dec. 20.

 ICYMI

From Atlanta to Alpharetta to Marietta, we’ve compiled a list of more than 30 holiday-themed restaurants and pop-up bars decked in good cheer, serving festive cocktails, dishes, and desserts from now until the New Year.

Georgia Grown Holiday Gifts at Cook’s Warehouse

SPONSORED BY GEORGIA GROWN

 Georgia Grown goodies make the best gifts! Whether you buy them for stocking stuffers or you build your own beautiful gift basket, nothing says you’ve got great taste like a gift from our local craft food makers!

Stop by for chef demonstrations to sample a few bites, and meet the farmers!

 Join us Sat., Dec. 20 from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse at Ansley Mall.

Top Stories From the Week

JavaVino closing Dec. 14 and becoming a wholesale coffee business

 This week, the owners of JavaVino announced the Dec. 14 closure of the coffee and wine bar after nearly 20 years on North Highland. But JavaVino won’t go completely dark. Instead, it will shift to a wholesale coffee business, something co-owner Heddy Kuhl sees as a positive development.

Kuhl and co-owner Steve Franklin are also currently finalizing the sale of the space with a new owner who plans to open a similar cafe called At Arbeta. It, too, will serve JavaVino coffee.

 Read more about JavaVino’s closure and plans for the space here.

A behind-the-scenes look at how restaurants make the holiday pop-up magic happen

 Despite being hard hit this year by higher ingredient prices, tariffs, labor challenges, and rent hikes, more Atlanta bars and restaurants than ever before are getting into the holiday makeover spirit in December. 

For many bars and restaurants, operating a holiday pop-up is simply a continuation and an unstoppable acceleration of what’s become an annual tradition. 

 Read more from Rough Draft contributor Su-Jit Lin here.

Lewis Barbecue makes its big debut at Ansley Mall

 Charleston-based Lewis Barbecue opened this week at Ansley Mall in Piedmont Heights. The Texas-style barbecue restaurant flanks the Beltline, with a blue bridge spanning across a gully that provides pedestrians and cyclists on the trail direct access to Ansley Mall.

Owner and founder John Lewis has been scouting venues for an Atlanta location for about six years, finding the perfect spot this year within the sprawling shopping complex bordering Midtown, Piedmont Heights, and Morningside.

 Read more about Lewis Barbecue’s new Atlanta location here. 

At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two recipes that you can make using fresh ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got two distinct recipes that are sure to delight – a tasty broccolini risotto and a hearty harvest pancake. Check out both recipes here.

Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.

The post 😭 JavaVino closing appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Check out opentable.com and Resy.com for a more comprehensive list of Atlanta-area restaurants open for lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve-Eve 

The General Muir Christmas Eve Eve (and Eve) Dinners 
Emory/Druid Hills 

The General Muir kicks off the holidays with a “traditional” Chinese Christmas dinner, available Dec. 22 and 23 for dine-in service. The restaurant also offers a special holiday takeout menu.

Christmas Eve 

Aria
Buckhead

Aria will open from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 serving the regular dinner menu. Reservations encouraged.

Carmel’s Feast of Seven Fishes Dinner
Buckhead 

Celebrate Christmas Eve by partaking in the traditional Italian-American dinner of Feast of the Seven Fishes at Carmel. The multi-course dinner will feature dishes like an Osetra caviar tart, striped bass, and crab-stuffed lobster. $95 per person, with optional drink pairings. Reservations encouraged.

Omakase Table 
Buckhead 

Indulge in Michelin-starred Omakase Table’s 20-course tasting menu for $295 per person on Christmas Eve.

The Southern Gentleman 
Buckhead

From 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., The Southern Gentleman will serve both brunch and dinner on Christmas Eve.

Le Colonial 
Buckhead 

Celebrate Christmas Eve at Le Colonial with festive food specials and the regular dinner menu.

MARTA Dining Guide: Doraville/Buford Highway
(Many restaurants on Buford Highway are open on Christmas Eve/Day.)

Your 3rd Spot
Underwood Hills, The Works

From 2-8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, families are welcome at Your 3rd Spot, an arcade-style restaurant, for a day that features a Christmas slide, photos with Santa, holiday craft station, and unlimited game passes for a $25 entry fee. Kids 3 and under, or 70 and older, receive complimentary admission.

Buena Vida Tapas Bar
Old Fourth Ward 

Celebrate Christmas Eve with a Spanish twist. Buena Vida will serve its regular menu, along with a few festive dishes.

Il Premio
Old Fourth Ward 

The Forth Hotel steakhouse will open on Christmas Eve serving its full dinner menu. Reservations encouraged.

Moonlight
Old Fourth Ward 

Head upstairs at the Forth Hotel to Moonlight cocktail bar with its skyline views for a holiday party on Christmas Eve. Reservations encouraged.

Little Bear
Summerhill

Little Bear returns with its annual Jewish Chinese Christmas dinner, taking place on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day. Reservations highly encouraged.

The Ashford on Dresden 
Brookhaven 

The Brookhaven restaurant will open for regular service on Christmas Eve.

Joey D’s Oak Room
Dunwoody

Joey D’s will open on Christmas Eve for lunch and early dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Select
Sandy Springs

Decked out in its holiday finest, The Select will offer a three-course Christmas Eve dinner for $85 per person. There’s also a two-course kids’ menu for $42 per person. Vegan options available by request. Reservations encouraged.

Truth Be Told 
Roswell 

Truth Be Told on Canton Street will serve a festive pre-fixe dinner on Christmas Eve for $115 per person. Reservations required.

CRÚ Wine Bar & Bistro
Alpharetta, The Battery 

The Alpharetta and Battery locations of Cru Wine Bar will offer a Christmas Eve dinner from 4-9 p.m. The holiday menu, features three courses with dishes like lobster bisque, truffle-fondue tortellini, Barolo-braised short rib, and herb-roasted sea bass. Look for desserts, too, including molten chocolate cake and a Christmas crème brûlée. Reservations encouraged.

Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar
Alpharetta/Forsyth County

Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar at Halcyon will open for Christmas Eve serving a holiday menu, including bacon-wrapped scallops and Beef Wellington. Expect festive cocktails like a gingerbread martini and mistletoe margarita. Reservations encouraged.

Ocean & Acre 
Alpharetta/Forsyth County

The coastal cuisine-inspired restaurant at Halcyon will open on Christmas Even from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. serving its regular lunch and dinner menus.

Marlow’s Tavern
Multiple Locations 

All locations of Marlow’s Tavern will remain open until 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Stop by Santa’s Speakeasy at the East Cobb and Woodstock locations for extra festive fun.

Related: Get festive at these holiday pop-up bars around Atlanta

Christmas Day 

The Americano
Buckhead 

The Americano at The InterContinental Buckhead will open from noon to 7 p.m. for a prix-fixe Italian feast on Christmas Day. $100 per person. $50 for children 12 and under. Reservations encouraged.

Gypsy Kitchen 
Buckhead

The Buckhead Village restaurant will open from 4 to 7 p.m. on Christmas Day serving specials like Moroccan-spiced lamb chops with sumac tzatziki, seared scallops with saffron cauliflower purée, and duck breast with Manchego polenta and a port-cherry reduction.

The Waldorf Astoria: Brassica
Buckhead 

The Waldorf Astoria’s restaurant, Brassica, will open on Christmas Day offering a three-course prix-fixe menu from noon to 8 p.m. $180 per person. $95 per child. Reservations required.

The Sparrow
Midtown

The West Peachtree Asian tavern plans to open for lunch and dinner on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day.

Marcus Bar & Grille 
Old Fourth Ward 

From 1 to 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Day, Marcus Bar & Grill on Edgewood Avenue will host a Southern-inspired holiday buffet. Reservations encouraged.

Elektra 
Old Fourth Ward 

The Forth Hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the rooftop pool will open on Christmas Day featuring holiday food and drink specials. Each reservation includes a s’mores and hot cocoa kit. Reservations encouraged.

Nakato
Cheshire Bridge

Nakato will open for dinner on Christmas Eve (3 to 9 p.m.) AND Christmas Day (1 to 9 p.m.). Reservations for sushi and hibachi highly encouraged on both days.

Holiday Takeout Service

Mary Mac’s Tea Room 
Midtown 

Mary Mac’s on Ponce will offer a family feast for takeout on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day, feeding up to 10 people. Dinner features dishes like turkey breast, smoked ham, Southern-style green beans, whipped potatoes, collard greens, sweet potato pie, and banana pudding. Order online.   

Ela
Virginia-Highland

The Fifth Group-backed Mediterranean restaurant offers a take-and-bake holiday feast feeding up to four people. The three-course dinner features dishes like feta-brined chicken, za’atar salmon, butternut squash and halloumi salad, and a mezze board for $120. The meal comes with Greek doughnuts for dessert. Order online.

Staplehouse
Old Fourth Ward

The Michelin-recognized restaurant and market will once again offer holiday meal kits that include Beef Wellington and optional sides like Robuchon potatoes, a kale Caesar, dinner rolls, and pecan pie. Order just the Beef Wellington ($120), or build a feast around the main. Order online to pick up by Dec. 23.

Wood’s Chapel BBQ
Summerhill 

Wood’s Chapel BBQ will offer Christmas catering, featuring rosemary and garlic roast beef, spiral ham, and apricot and maple-glazed duck, along with sides like cornbread dressing and butternut squash casserole, with gingerbread cheesecake for dessert. Check out the menu and order by Dec. 16 here.

Joey D’s Oak Room
Dunwoody

Grab Christmas Day dinner from the Dunwoody classic, including prime rib ($47), sides, the restaurant’s popular croissants with honey butter, and salad. A prime rib with sides costs $239 and feeds up to six people. Order online to pick up on Dec. 24.

The Select
Sandy Springs

The Sandy Springs restaurant will offer a Christmas feast for takeout this year to include Beef Wellington, herbed fingerling potatoes, and green beans, starting at $95 for two people. Order online.

Delbar
Alpharetta, Inman Park, Buckhead 

All locations of Delbar Middle Eastern Restaurant will offer harissa-spiced leg of lamb to reheat at home. The lamb feeds up to seven people. Order here to pick up at location of your choice.

The post Atlanta restaurants offering dine-in and takeout service on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Restaurant Reopening

Five months after closing, the Decatur location of Mellow Mushroom reopened this week – and with a new look. The West Ponce pizzeria received a much-needed exterior and interior refresh, a dedicated to-go entrance and pick-up area, and a revamped patio and bar. Expect a few new items on the menu in Decatur, too, including a couple of salads and cocktails. 

“This location means a lot to Mellow Mushroom, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to return with new energy, reconnect and deliver the best possible guest experience for the neighborhood,” Ahsan Jiva, Executive Vice President of Strategy said in a prepared statement.

Restaurant Openings

Check out this brief roundup of recent restaurant openings and announcements of upcoming restaurants you might have missed in November.

Airport Restaurant Opening

Celebrity pastry chef and TV personality Duff Goldman opened Duff Deli + Market on Concourse C at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Look for egg sandwiches, deli classics like hot pastrami and matzo ball soup, and baked goods such as Duff’s black and white cookies.

Restaurant Closures

Right on the heels of the announcement that Daddy D’z BBQ would close on Memorial Drive at the end of December, the owners of Agave in neighboring Cabbagetown announced they will close the Southwestern restaurant on Jan. 31, 2026. Daddy D’z and Agave have been part of the Memorial Drive and Boulevard corridors for 35 years and 25 years, respectively. While the owner of Daddy D’z property plans to sell, Agave’s owners cited the “current economic climate and unsustainable conditions” as reasons for their decision to close. Learn more about the history of Agave and the Cabbagetown restaurant’s building from Victoria Lemos of Archive Atlanta. 

Tomorrow’s News Today reports that the Beltline location of One Flew South closed at the end of November. Calls by Rough Draft to the restaurant went unanswered, the location appeared dark on a recent visit, and the Beltline location is no longer listed on One Flew South’s website or social media. The original location remains open on Concourse E at Hartsfield. Backed by Jackmont Hospitality, One Flew South opened in the former Hazel Jane’s wine bar space on the Eastside Trail three years ago. 

Coming Attractions

A Midtown location of Korean bakery-cafe White Windmill will open at 1331 Spring St. inside the Midtown Union building. White Windmill recently opened its first in-town location at Uptown Atlanta near the Lindbergh MARTA station. 

The owners of New York City bar Dead Rabbit plan to open The Irish Exit next year at Centennial Yards in South Downtown. Expect a drinks menu centered around Irish and local beers, whiskey, and cocktails, along with Irish pub food. The Irish Exit will join Wild Leap Brewery and Distillery, Khao Thai Isan, and Shake Shack at Centennial Yards. Check out Rough Draft for the latest restaurant and development news happening in South Downtown.

ATL Chef’s First Cookbook

Lazy Betty co-owner and chef Ron Hsu will debut his first cookbook in March. Called Down South + East: A Chinese American Cookbook, Hsu will share recipes for dishes he cooks at home, as well as those inspired by his Chinese-American upbringing in metro Atlanta. The cookbook will include a forward written by Hsu’s mentor and former Le Bernardin employer, Chef Eric Ripert. 

Hsu and restaurant partner and chef Aaron Phillip first opened Lazy Betty six years ago in Candler Park. The chefs relocated the tasting menu restaurant to the former Empire State South space in Midtown last year. Since opening in 2019, Lazy Betty has racked up numerous accolades, including one star from Michelin in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 dining guides. 

Merger

STHRN Hospitality Co., the group behind Westside Motor Lounge, partnered with the owners of Atlanta institution Midtown Bowl. STHRN plans to help the 65-year-old bowling alley on Piedmont Circle attract new patrons by giving it a brand makeover, including to its food, drinks, and events, and upgrades to the kitchen and sound system. 

RIP

Floyd “Sonny” Tillman, the founder of Sonny’s BBQ, has died. Tillman, who opened Sonny’s BBQ in 1968 in Gainesville, FL, was 96. Georgia features 14 locations of Sonny’s BBQ, including in Marietta, Buford, Jonesboro, and Lawrenceville. 

Santa Loves the Dogs

Skiptown Bar & [Dog] Park in Kirkwood will celebrate the holidays with a series of festive events this month. Look for a Howliday Market on Dec. 13 and a photoshoot with Santa and the Grinch on Dec. 20. 

ICYMI

From Atlanta to Alpharetta to Marietta, we’ve compiled a list of more than 30 holiday-themed restaurants and pop-up bars decked in good cheer, serving festive cocktails, dishes, and desserts from now until the New Year.

The post Dec. 11 Quick Bites: big restaurant closures, Mellow Mushroom’s return to Decatur, new Irish bar in South Downtown appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Table Talk: El Azteca at 45 + Oatmeal Cream Pies

Dec. 9 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table.

All this week, Rough Draft is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sandy Springs cityhood with stories marking important milestones from its incorporation in 2005 to the present day.

 Today, I’m sharing a story about one of the city’s oldest restaurants, El Azteca, which has been a staple on Roswell Road since 1981. Still owned and operated by the Macias family, Victor Macias explains why his parents chose to open their Mexican restaurant in Sandy Springs nearly 45 years ago and what it was like to watch the newly formed city grow up around it. 

For “The Move,” I tell you why the jägerschnitzel at Avize (one of Rough Draft’s Best New Restaurants of 2025) has become a cold-weather standard for me at the Brady Avenue restaurant. Plus, The Daily’s pastry chef, Natalie Howells, offers you a recipe for her ginger-infused oatmeal cream pies. 

Speaking of ginger and cookies, did you know that 13th century German monks in the city of Ulm were responsible for the invention of what would become gingerbread?

 Called “lebkuchen,” monks combined nuts and honey with cinnamon, cloves, and anise, basing the dough recipe off of one enjoyed in the region since Roman times. To keep the dough from sticking to the oven, they baked the honey-infused mixture on communion wafers. Since the dough contained honey as the binding agent, rather than fatty butter (and was still high in calories), lebkuchen could be baked and stored for months. The cookies soon became part of the winter celebrations throughout Northern Europe, especially along spice trade routes. You can read more about lebkuchen from Atlas Obscura.

Cheers!

 Beth

After Nearly 45 Years,
El Azteca Remains a Sandy Springs Staple

 El Azteca has been a staple in Sandy Springs for more than four decades. Victor Macias’s parents tethered themselves to the community more than 45 years ago, raising their children in Sandy Springs and opening the first El Azteca there, long before the Atlanta bedroom community became a city. 

Sandy Springs is where it all began for El Azteca, today a local Mexican restaurant chain with three locations. It’s become a great source of family pride that the Roswell Road restaurant still exists, as Sandy Springs and its burgeoning dining scene grew up around it. (Now the seventh-largest city in Georgia, Sandy Springs and Atlanta combined account for two-thirds of the more than 20,000 restaurants in the state.)

Macias attended Spalding Drive Elementary and spent most of his childhood in Sandy Springs. His formative years unwittingly paralleled the then-fledgling city, which incorporated when Macias was in middle school. 

 He remembers his parents talking about the incorporation of Sandy Springs and what it might mean for El Azteca. By 2005, when Sandy Springs became a city, El Azteca had been in business for nearly 25 years. 

“I’ve seen Sandy Springs and the restaurant scene change so much. My parents chose Sandy Springs because there were hardly any restaurants when it opened in 1981. The community needed restaurants,” Macias said. “Back then, there weren’t as many Mexican restaurants as there are today, so El Azteca was a lot of people’s introduction to Mexican and Tex-Mex food in Sandy Springs.”

Macias’s father, Javier, moved to Atlanta from Chicago in the late 1970s to work at his uncle’s restaurant, El Toro, on Roswell Road. But in 1981, Javier and his wife decided to strike out on their own, opening El Azteca near present-day Rumi’s Kitchen, before taking over the property now home to Mellow Mushroom. In 2000, El Azteca moved again to its present location at the Lowe’s complex, a half mile south on Roswell Road. 

The Macias family lived and worked in Sandy Springs for years, eventually moving to Johns Creek in the early 2000s. But El Azteca on Roswell Road served as the family’s anchor to Sandy Springs, even after the business expanded to multiple metro Atlanta locations. 

“[Roswell Road] is where we see generations of families returning to dine. I’ve seen people’s kids and grandchildren grow up and bring their own families,” Macias said, who serves as El Azteca’s Director of Operations and owns the Perimeter Center location on Peachtree-Dunwoody Road. “We like to call El Azteca the Mexican ‘Cheers’ because we know our regulars’ names and their orders. We’re part of their lives.”

 Family drives everything behind El Azteca. It continues to be a family-owned and operated business, and where Macias and his sister learned the restaurant industry, working as food runners, servers, and hosts during high school. He watched his parents grow the family’s lone restaurant into 10 locations. They’ve since scaled back to just three locations in Buckhead, Perimeter Center, and the original Roswell Road restaurant. 

Macias’s sister holds a degree in hospitality management. The plan had always been for her to take over the business. When she decided to prioritize raising a family, Macias stepped up to help his parents run the restaurants. 

With a degree in business administration and marketing, Macias became a manager and shadowed El Azteca’s Director of Operations, a title he earned in 2016. His parents turned over the opening and ownership of the Perimeter Center El Azteca to Macias three years ago, where he built the restaurant from the ground up.

“Family-owned businesses don’t have as much support once founders get older or retire. Maybe their children don’t want to carry on the business, or they never had any children. So these businesses close after years in communities because there’s no one to keep them going,” Macias said. “My parents were lucky we grew up in the restaurants and wanted to keep being a part of them.”

 As a second-generation owner overseeing the daily operations of all three of his family’s restaurants, Macias knows that for El Azteca to endure, it needs to evolve. He recently added new dishes like tortas and chiles rellenos to the menu. The bar features new non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails like a lychee margarita and Mexican Old Fashioned. Margaritas incorporate top-shelf tequilas, fresh juices, and agave syrup.

Macias also pared down the combination meal options from 30 to 10. That doesn’t mean, however, someone can’t come in and order the number 25.

“We have cooks who’ve been there for decades and can still make a number 25. I may not know what a 25 is, but someone in that restaurant does and will make it,” said Macias. 

Despite stepping back from the day-to-day running of El Azteca, his father keeps a sharp eye on things. Macias is glad for his wise counsel, but finds his father open to new ideas for keeping El Azteca fresh and current.  

“El Azteca still has the majority of the day-one recipes on the menu, and certain entrees have never changed. As I’ve taken over more, I’m focusing on keeping the original concept, but adding to it, making it more now,” he said. 

In 2026, El Azteca will turn 45 on Roswell Road. Macias wants to make sure it survives in Sandy Springs for another 45. The family just resigned the lease, locking El Azteca in on Roswell Road for at least another decade.

 With the Perimeter Center restaurant humming along, Macias can concentrate on shoring up the family’s flagship restaurant on Roswell Road, which includes some much-needed updating and a facelift. 

“If we needed to leave that space, we would always find a way to be on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs,” said Macias of the future. “It’s our home base and reminds us of how far we’ve come. El Azteca would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for the people of Sandy Springs.”

Georgia Grown holiday gifts at Cook’s Warehouse

SPONSORED BY GEORGIA GROWN

Georgia Grown goodies make the best gifts!

Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers or want to build your own beautiful gift basket, nothing says you’ve got great taste like a gift from our local, craft food makers!

➞ Stop by Cook’s Warehouse at Ansley Mall on Sat., Dec. 20, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for chef demonstrations, samples of delicious bites, and to meet the farmers!

The Move: Jägerschnitzel at Avize

 A German-Austrian breaded cutlet served with a dark mushroom gravy, jägerschnitzel (“hunter’s cutlet”) is typically made from veal or pork. At Avize on Brady Avenue, Chef Karl Gorline keeps most of the schnitzel’s traditional preparation intact, opting for chicken rather than pork or veal, and bringing in some seasonal and locally grown ingredients.

Gorline brines a bone-in chicken thigh to keep the dark meat moist and juicy, before pounding it down to a quarter-inch-thick cutlet. He then dredges the cutlet in a flour, egg, and seasoned breadcrumb mixture and fries the chicken until golden brown. The jägerschnitzel comes topped with a rich chanterelle mushroom-laden gravy, along with charred peaches, dollops of pickled mustard seeds, and fresh parsley for a bit of color.

 Elevated, comforting, and paired with tartiflette (similar to scalloped potatoes; $14) and harissa-infused charred cabbage ($17), the jägerschnitzel ($35) at Avize has quickly become one of my go-to, cold-weather restaurant dishes in Atlanta.

The Daily’s Recipe for Oatmeal Cream Pies 

 This week, we’re sharing The Daily’s recipe for its oatmeal cream pies with an added holiday twist.

“This is my recipe for oatmeal cream pies. I loved Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies as a kid,” said Natalie Howells, The Daily’s pastry chef and bakery manager.

“It was always a treat when we could get them at the store. As I grew up, I thought that there had to be a way to recreate that great combo without all the extra [preservatives],” she explained of her recipe inspiration.

In addition to an entirely pronounceable ingredient list, Howells’ take on oatmeal cream pies includes cream cheese and ginger in the filling for a taste that’s balanced and sophisticated, yet nostalgic.

 It’s especially important that the dairy products in this recipe are mixed in at room temperature. Otherwise, the texture of the cookies will be completely off.

“Butter should be barely soft, not melty. It should not look shiny or oily,” Howells said. “For the eggs, I typically pull them out 20 to 30 minutes prior to mixing. You can also crack them and have them in a bowl to help warm up quicker.”

If the mixed batter or filling are refrigerated or frozen, those will need to come to room temperature before proceeding.

 Cookie Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1.5 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups rolled oats

 Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup candied ginger pieces (optional)

Note: if your powdered sugar seems lumpy or chunky, sift before adding.

 Mix the batter

1. Using the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, and continue mixing. Scrape the side of the bowl well.
3. Add all dry cookie ingredients except oats.
4. Mix on speed 2 for 3 to 4 minutes, then lower speed to 1, and incorporate oats.
5. Make sure that there are no butter pockets at the bottom of the bowl — if so, mix by hand to get everything incorporated.
6. Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto parchment-lined sheet pans, about 6 to 8 per pan.
7. Chill for at least 20 minutes. (See tips for freezing instructions)

 Bake the cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
2. Place cookies in the middle of the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate pans, giving them a gentle tap on the counter to help the cookies spread out a little if needed.
3. Bake for an additional 4 to 5 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden brown.
4. Let cool completely before filling.

 Make the filling

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese on high until almost completely white, fluffy, and smooth.
2. Add in vanilla and salt. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add powdered sugar.
3. Once all sugar is in, and you can’t see individual granules, turn the mixer back up to medium-high and mix until white, light and smooth.
4. If using the candied ginger pieces, they would be folded in at this point.

Note: Keep an eye on the filling while mixing, as it can go from light and fluffy to soupy quite quickly. If that happens, remove filling from mixer and chill in a covered bowl until solid. If you are not using the filling that day, it can be made ahead of time and stored in your refrigerator covered for up to one week, or up to two months in the freezer. Let the filling come up to room temperature before rewhipping prior to piping into cookies.

Fill the cookies

1. Pair up your cookies, then flip one of each over.
2. Using a piping bag with an open tip, pipe a generous amount of filling into the center of the cookies that are flipped over.
3. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing down gently to push the filling to the
   edges of the cookie sandwich.
4. These cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to one day, or covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. If refrigerating, let come up to room temperature before serving. 

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El Azteca has been a staple in Sandy Springs for more than four decades. Victor Macias’s parents tethered themselves to the community more than 45 years ago, raising their children in Sandy Springs and opening the first El Azteca there, long before the Atlanta bedroom community became a city. 

Sandy Springs is where it all began for El Azteca, today a local Mexican restaurant chain with three locations. It’s become a great source of family pride that the Roswell Road restaurant still exists, as Sandy Springs and its burgeoning dining scene grew up around it. (Now the seventh-largest city in Georgia, Sandy Springs and Atlanta combined account for two-thirds of the more than 20,000 restaurants in the state.)

Macias attended Spalding Drive Elementary and spent most of his childhood in Sandy Springs. His formative years unwittingly paralleled the then-fledgling city, which incorporated when Macias was in middle school. 

He remembers his parents talking about the incorporation of Sandy Springs and what it might mean for El Azteca. By 2005, when Sandy Springs became a city, El Azteca had been in business for nearly 25 years. 

“I’ve seen Sandy Springs and the restaurant scene change so much. My parents chose Sandy Springs because there were hardly any restaurants when it opened in 1981. The community needed restaurants,” Macias said. “Back then, there weren’t as many Mexican restaurants as there are today, so El Azteca was a lot of people’s introduction to Mexican and Tex-Mex food in Sandy Springs.”

Macias’s father, Javier, moved to Atlanta from Chicago in the late 1970s to work at his uncle’s restaurant, El Toro, on Roswell Road. But in 1981, Javier and his wife decided to strike out on their own, opening El Azteca near present-day Rumi’s Kitchen, before taking over the property now home to Mellow Mushroom. In 2000, El Azteca moved again to its present location at the Lowe’s complex, a half mile south on Roswell Road. 

The Macias family lived and worked in Sandy Springs for years, eventually moving to Johns Creek in the early 2000s. But El Azteca on Roswell Road served as the family’s anchor to Sandy Springs, even after the business expanded to multiple metro Atlanta locations. 

“[Roswell Road] is where we see generations of families returning to dine. I’ve seen people’s kids and grandchildren grow up and bring their own families,” Macias said, who serves as El Azteca’s Director of Operations and owns the Perimeter Center location on Peachtree-Dunwoody Road. “We like to call El Azteca the Mexican ‘Cheers’ because we know our regulars’ names and their orders. We’re part of their lives.”

Family drives everything behind El Azteca. It continues to be a family-owned and operated business, and where Macias and his sister learned the restaurant industry, working as food runners, servers, and hosts during high school. He watched his parents grow the family’s lone restaurant into 10 locations. They’ve since scaled back to just three locations in Buckhead, Perimeter Center, and the original Roswell Road restaurant. 

Macias’s sister holds a degree in hospitality management. The plan had always been for her to take over the business. When she decided to prioritize raising a family, Macias stepped up to help his parents run the restaurants. 

With a degree in business administration and marketing, Macias became a manager and shadowed El Azteca’s Director of Operations, a title he earned in 2016. His parents turned over the opening and ownership of the Perimeter Center El Azteca to Macias three years ago, where he built the restaurant from the ground up.

“Family-owned businesses don’t have as much support once founders get older or retire. Maybe their children don’t want to carry on the business, or they never had any children. So these businesses close after years in communities because there’s no one to keep them going,” Macias said. “My parents were lucky we grew up in the restaurants and wanted to keep being a part of them.”

As a second-generation owner overseeing the daily operations of all three of his family’s restaurants, Macias knows that for El Azteca to endure, it needs to evolve. He recently added new dishes like tortas and chiles rellenos to the menu. The bar features new non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails like a lychee margarita and Mexican Old Fashioned. Margaritas incorporate top-shelf tequilas, fresh juices, and agave syrup.

Macias also pared down the combination meal options from 30 to 10. That doesn’t mean, however, someone can’t come in and order the number 25.

“We have cooks who’ve been there for decades and can still make a number 25. I may not know what a 25 is, but someone in that restaurant does and will make it,” said Macias. 

Despite stepping back from the day-to-day running of El Azteca, his father keeps a sharp eye on things. Macias is glad for his wise counsel, but finds his father open to new ideas for keeping El Azteca fresh and current.  

“El Azteca still has the majority of the day-one recipes on the menu, and certain entrees have never changed. As I’ve taken over more, I’m focusing on keeping the original concept, but adding to it, making it more now,” he said. 

In 2026, El Azteca will turn 45 on Roswell Road. Macias wants to make sure it survives in Sandy Springs for another 45. The family just resigned the lease, locking El Azteca in on Roswell Road for at least another decade.

With the Perimeter Center restaurant humming along, Macias can concentrate on shoring up the family’s flagship restaurant on Roswell Road, which includes some much-needed updating and a facelift. 

“If we needed to leave that space, we would always find a way to be on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs,” said Macias of the future. “It’s our home base and reminds us of how far we’ve come. El Azteca would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for the people of Sandy Springs.”

This story is from the December 2025 issue of Reporter Newspapers, marking the 20th anniversary of the City of Sandy Springs.

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