All My Favorite Cuban Spots, Drinks & Dishes in Atlanta
Until a few years ago, there weren't very many to choose from.
I had so much fun writing about Cuban food in Atlanta. I love the way the food landscape is changing, growing, evolving here and can’t wait to see where it goes in the next few years. I say this all the time, but when I lived in Savannah (2010-2012), I would never have even considered Atlanta as a place to live and when I moved here in 2020 it still felt like a wild dream that there would be so many restaurants to eat at that felt like “home.” Now, you can find Cuban food, coffee, pastries, milkshakes, and more all over town, in addition to salsa lessons, Latin music, and other Latin-inspired experiences (like coffee pop-ups).
“Atlanta boasts a growing number of Cuban restaurants blending traditional flavors with Southern influences, reflecting the unique experiences of first and second-generation Cuban Americans in the South.”
I also love that many of these chefs are half-Cuban like me, or inspired by Cuban culture because of where they grew up and what they grew up eating. Read the guide (you can also view it in map form) at Eater Atlanta and if you live in or are visiting the city, give these restaurants a try.
I’ll leave you with a few photos of some delicious bites I had at Trevor Shankman’s Maria supper club in Kennesaw. Named for his late grandmother, 21-year-old Shankman’s dining experience takes place in her home, is intimate, warm, and set to the sounds of muted kitchen clamor, multiple conversations happening at once, and a symphony of backyard/poolside frogs. If Cuban food is love, this eight-course menu absolutely conveyed that:
