Mary Mac’s offers reservations, Leftie Lee’s will close and more

One of Atlanta’s oldest restaurants changed its reservation policy, a beloved bakery announced its closure, a popular Chinese restaurant burned down and more of the week’s happenings in the metro Atlanta restaurant scene.

A group of diners at Mary Mac's Tea Room (Courtesy of Mary Mac's Tea Room)

Mary Mac’s introduces reservations

After more than 80 years in business, Mary Mac’s Tea Room now offers dining reservations, restaurant representatives announced this week.

The venerable soul food restaurant is a tourist destination in its own right with six dining rooms and capacity for 300 guests. Mary Mac’s can serve up to 10,000 guests each week, co-owner Chad Reynolds told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A line often forms along Ponce de Leon Avenue outside the restaurant’s front door, and wait times for larger groups could sometimes reach two hours.

“One of the hardest things for us to hear is that someone decided not to visit because they were worried about waiting for a table,” Reynolds said in a press statement.

“We just saw this big, huge need for guests to have that certainty” they’d be able to get a table, Reynolds told the AJC.

A meal from Mary Mac's Tea Room, including fried chicken, mac and cheese and sweet potato souffle. (Courtesy of Mary Mac's Tea Room)

Reservations are now available seven days a week, and Reynolds said there are no size limits.

“We’ve taken reservations for the same day for 30 or 40 people,” Reynolds said.

For those that prefer the original first-come, first-served experience, Mary Mac’s will continue to hold tables for walk-ins.

Mary Mac’s Tea Room. 224 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-876-1800, marymacs.com

Leftie Lee's is now open in the Olive + Pine development in Avondale Estates. / Courtesy of @heyyywinnie

Leftie Lee’s will soon close

Leftie Lee’s, the bakery and sandwich shop from chef Vivian Lee, will close in Avondale Estates near the end of June, the business announced on social media.

Leftie Lee’s has served kimchi buttermilk biscuits and Korean fried chicken sandwiches out of its space in the Olive + Pine development for three years. The shop grew to become something of a community hub, also offering catering, cakes and a summer camp for kids.

“Please come by within the next two weeks to say goodbye, share your favorite memories of Leftie Lee’s, and write us a farewell-for-now postcard,” the shop said in its closing announcement Friday. “This isn’t goodbye forever, just the end of this chapter.”

Leftie Lee’s. 6 Olive St., Avondale Estates. 404-224-9659, leftielees.com

Diners enter the Orient Express restaurant in Vinings through the “Chattahoochee River,” a vintage rail car that formerly was operated by the Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta and West Point Railroad on the West Point Route. CONTRIBUTED BY OLIVIA KING

Orient Express burns

Orient Express, a popular Asian restaurant in Vinings, is temporarily closed after a serious fire Thursday morning, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Cobb County firefighters responded to Orient Express around 10 a.m. and were able to get the fire under control in about 20 minutes, according to the news station. However, photos and videos from the scene show serious damage to the restaurant, including a large hole in the roof. The restaurant is known for its unique vintage railroad car dining rooms. It’s not clear when Orient Express will reopen.

Orient Express. 2921 Paces Ferry Road SE, Atlanta. 470-952-5115, orientexpressatl.com

Arepa Mia makes arepitas fritas, fried miniature arepas served with nata, a creamy, milk-based condiment. CONTRIBUTED BY HENRI HOLLIS

Restaurants raise money for Venezuela earthquake relief

Multiple Atlanta restaurants are raising money for aid to those affected by last month’s earthquake in Venezuela, including Tio Lucho’s and Arepa Mia.

On Monday from 5-9 p.m., Tio Lucho’s will hold a potluck fundraiser with a long list of local chefs contributing dishes. The event costs $50 with 100% of proceeds to be donated to World Central Kitchen’s Venezuela relief effort. Tickets can be purchased through OpenTable.

Venezuelan restaurant Arepa Mia also announced this week that it would extend its own fundraiser for earthquake victims through the month of July. The arepa shop had already raised more than $6,000 Friday, but is aiming to raise $10,000 or more by the end of the month.

“You can help simply by dining with us or making a donation. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a real difference,” the restaurant shared on social media.

Tio Lucho’s, 5-9 p.m., June 13. $50. 675 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-343-0278, tioluchos.com

Arepa Mia, 10 N. Clarendon Ave., Avondale Estates. 404-600-3509, arepamiaatlanta.com

Kick It with the AJC at Monday Night Brewing - The Grove.

Other items of interest

Kick It with the AJC at Monday Night Brewing’s The Grove on Wednesday for the second semifinal match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The high-energy watch party begins at noon, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. The event will feature live music and raffles for prizes like Atlanta United tickets, signed jerseys and more. Admission is free but requires an RSVP for each individual guest.

Click here to RSVP.

Monday Night Brewing — The Grove. 670 Trabert Ave. NW, Atlanta. Free. live.ajc.com/kickitwithajc

Charm Thai, the pop-up Thai fine-dining experience at 788 Omakase in west Midtown, will begin taking over the restaurant space five nights a week starting on August 9. After that date, Charm will run its service Wednesday — Sunday of each week.

788 W. Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 678-387-0068, charmatlanta.com

Qdoba, the Mexican fast-casual chain, will expand into Atlanta with 30 new locations, according to a news release. A former McDonald’s operator signed the 30-unit deal as part of a push to add 100 new restaurants across the Southeast and Western U.S.

Multiple locations. qdoba.com

A rendering of the interior of Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings at the Mall of Georgia. (Courtesy of Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings)

Restaurant openings and announcements

Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings has opened a new location at the Mall of Georgia, the business announced in a news release this week. The restaurant will hold a grand opening celebration Aug. 3.

3333 Buford Drive, Buford. 678-667-7688, nanxiangxiaolongbao.com

Adega Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse will open its first location outside of Florida in Dunwoody, the Dunwoody Crier reported this week. The restaurant will move into the Twelve24 development on Hammond Drive by the end of the year. The small chain also has locations in Orland, Kissimmee and Deerfield Beach.

1224 Hammond Drive, Dunwoody. adegagaucha.com

Summerland, the new restaurant from Anne Quatrano, will open July 22, according to a social media announcement. The cafe, named after Quatrano’s Cartersville farm, will serve breakfast and lunch in the new Upper West Market development.

1385 Collier Road NW, Atlanta. upperwestmarket.com

Read the Room ATL, a new coffee shop and listening room, announced on social media that it would open soon, though it did not provide a specific date. The shop has taken a space in a brick building on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail at 691 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE, not far from Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall and across the trail from Kevin Rathbun Steak.

691 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE, Atlanta. readtheroomatl.com

The Block at Phipps development in Buckhead. (Courtesy of Selig Enterprises)

Kai Fusion, an Asian fusion restaurant, will open in The Block at Phipps development next summer, according to a news release from real estate developer Selig Enterprises. Kai will occupy a 7,000-square-foot space at the corner of Peachtree and Oak Valley roads, just across the street from Phipps Plaza. Experienced restaurateur Sam Dong, along with his wife Dia, will operate the new concept.