Mary Mac's Tea Room is a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, serving Southern cuisine.[1] The restaurant is located in the Midtown district at 224 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE. The current owner is Harold Martin Jr.[2]
| Mary Mac's Tea Room | |
|---|---|
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 Interior of Mary Mac's Tea Room | |
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  Location in Atlanta | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1945 |
| Owner(s) | Harold Martin Jr. |
| Street address | 224 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE Midtown |
| City | Atlanta |
| County | Fulton |
| State | Georgia |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°46′22″N 84°22′48″W / 33.772907°N 84.379996°W |
| Website | www |
History
editMary MacKenzie opened the restaurant in 1945. Just after World War II, enterprising women in search of a living, many of them widowed by the war, were establishing restaurants throughout Atlanta. Calling their establishments "tea rooms" was a polite way of elevating their endeavor. In 1945, Mary Mac's was one of 16 tea rooms in the city, and as of today it is the only one that remains. [3] In 1962, Mary Mac's became one of Atlanta's first integrated restaurants in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.[4]
The restaurant is known for continuing the cooking traditions of MacKenzie and her successor, Margaret Lupo, who owned the Tea Room from 1962 until 1994. It has hosted many famous visitors, including Dalai Lama, John Lewis, James Brown, Beyonce, Hillary Clinton, Alan Jackson, and Jimmy Carter, who ate at Mary Mac's so frequently he had a dessert named after him: Carter Custard.
On March 6, 2024, the roof of Mary Mac's suddenly collapsed following storms and heavy rains. No one was injured in the collapse.[5] The restaurant re-opened in May following extensive and ongoing repairs.[6]
Cuisine
editMary Mac's serves classic Southern cuisine.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Weiss, Joey (2021-09-27). "The History Behind Atlanta's Iconic Mary Mac's Tea Room". Best places to eat in Atlanta, GA | Atlanta Eats. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
- ^ "Welcome to Atlanta's Dining Room - Mary Mac's". Mary Mac's. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "Mary Mac's Tea Room roof collapse: Iconic Atlanta restaurant closed 'temporarily'". Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Mary Mac's is Back! 11 Things You Didn't Know About Atlanta's Legendary Tea Room". Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ Sedghi, Sarra (2024-03-06). "Classic Atlanta Restaurant Mary Mac's Tea Room Temporarily Closes After Partial Roof Collapse". Eater Atlanta. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Cooper, Carly (2024-05-10). "Newly renovated, Mary Mac's Tea Room reopens after a two-month hiatus". Atlanta. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "Mary Mac's Tea Room - Reviews and Ratings of Restaurants in Atlanta - New York Times Travel". Archived from the original on 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2011-09-22.