Mexico City Gourmet Closing
Decatur Metro | December 21, 2010
David writes in that there are cards on the tables at Mexico City Gourmet alerting diners that they will be closing their doors permanently on December 23rd after 28 years in business.
A sad day for Greater Decatur, losing such a long-standing business.
Complete and total aside: My wife and I once met a guy on the Georgia coast who went to Emory in the 70s and the only thing he recalled (over and over again) was Mexico City Gourmet. He was thrilled to hear it was still open. I’m guessing he’d be crushed by this news.
Photo courtesy of City-Data
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This is a case where the original founders grew older and the kids didn’t exactly know what they were doing nor had as keen an interest in running a restaurant.
Wow, there was a time that I ate here all the time. I loved their tamales with pine nut filling. But it did decline over time and has gotten terrible to mediocre health dept. ratings the whole time. And the kids don’t like Mexican so we won’t really miss it. But this is the loss of an old standby nonetheless.
I’m sad to ear about Mexico City closing even though my wife and I stopped going a few years ago. We used to eat there all the time when they first opened. We especially loved the flaming fajitas. But over the years the food and service went steadily down hill. We would get disappointed, take them off the list and then go back for old times sake only to swear not to do it again. Decatur needs a really good Mexican joint. I wish that Nuevo Loredo would open a branch here.
Run, don’t walk, to Mezcalito’s in Oakhurst.
Vaya corriendo a Mezcalito’s en Oakhurst.
Second the Mezcalito’s recommendation– they’re deelish (and just plain darned nice to boot)! Mexico City used to have great mole, but when the former owners stopped running things, the food quickly went downhill. Zocalo and now Mezcalito’s are our go-to Mexican places…
Our very first date was there in 2000, when I was in school at Emory, and my now-husband had to drive down from Marietta to take me there. It holds such memories for us. We’ll miss you, MCG!!
We love Mezcalitos too! We ate at Matador often enough, and sometimes you just gotta have gut bomb Mexican, but Mezcalito’s is awesome.
The last thing we need in Decatur is another mexican joint.
Marshall — sacrilege ! One can never have enuf places to eat Mexican. And remember, in Mexico they eat Mexican food every day.
Mezcalitos in Oakhurst is wonderful!
ummm.. Taqueria is still amazing in my book- as long as you don’t mind a line.
really …. Taqueria del Sol is not Mexican food.
Agree. It’s nouveau Southwestern, delicious but not Mexican.
word Decaturgal
Tex-mex, Southwestern, Mexican…Seems folks, crackers, can never agree on exactly what constitutes ‘Mexican.’ Perhaps a real Mexican can chime in.
I’ve been to Mexico a few times and I’m pretty sure I saw Mexican food there.
Actually quite a bit of their menu is in fact authentic
street food. Soft tacos with brisket is very popular street food in
central Mexico. I lived there for five years so and ate enough
street food and taqueria fare to know the difference.
Awwwww! I haven’t been there in ages but we went there as teenagers!
Gosh, that’s a shock. There weren’t too many places to go to dinner nearby when we moved here, but we’d head over there once in a while. Nothing is forever, is it?
It was at a Mexico City Gourmet table that my wife and I hatched our plans to buy a house in Decatur in 1993. Later, we’d take our first child there. Another time, we enjoyed the Halloween costumes. Until the posts above, I never knew why the decline came — but it was more and more evident over time. RIP, MCG.
This sounds so much like my husband and me….we were living in a rented house near Columbia Theological Seminary in the early 90’s. Mexico City Gourmet was one of the nicer places around Decatur at the time and we ate there often. (We ate our share of meals at the El Toro on Lawrenceville Highway, too!) We too went to Mexico City Gourmet on Halloween once! One of the servers wore a hospital gown with a fake naked butt which we thought was hysterical. I can remember taking our oldest son there in his infant seat (circa 1998) but we haven’t eaten there in probably ten years. Good memories, though!
I went to Mexico City Gourmet when I moved to Decatur in 1986. It was the first time I had mole, loved MCG, went back a few times. Then I moved away. I moved back to Decatur a few years ago and have not been back to MCG. I’m sorry to see it go. That shopping center has been very stable over the years.
We went there many times in the mid to late 80’s. There where few places in the Decatur area that served a higher quality mexican food. With all the choices available now, i have not been there in years. Sorry to see them go.
I guess their motto will die too. “Sooner or later, everybody goes to Mexico City.” I’m sad. We may have to make a run there tonight for old time’s sake. I love the fishbowl margaritas and chicken enchiladas.
Are Harley and his baton still there? If so, who gets them when it closes?
Oh man, I hadn’t thought about Harley in forever! He used to come into the Emory Commons Publix right before we closed and right after he got off work pretty frequently. Always made everyone’s night at closing and I never minded having to stay on the line a bit late for him.
I am sad to see them go – not the best Mexican food, but it sure did hit the spot during those early pregnancy cravings. We may also be heading up there tonight with the babe in tow.
Very sad ! They are literally up the street from us. We’ll try to go tonight to enjoy it before they close.
A pitcher of margaritas was over $20. That’s why we never went.
Um, last time I checked a decent pitcher of margaritas is always over $20.
I agree! I’d rather have Mezcalitio’s gouge me for $50 a pitcher!
Never was my fav Mexican place, but it is walking distance, so we would go once in awhile. Whatever will I tell my 3 year old? She ASKS about Harley; she adores him. If anyone gets the word on where he heads to next, let us know!
We gradually stopped eating there bc food was just not as good as the old days. Sorry to have seen the decline. Seems like one of the kids at some point told us about a legal battle too. hmm.
On another note, the Open Soon had real live people in it the other day. Did the Diner open and I missed the DM Hallelujah Chorus?
Does anyone remember George, the original Maitre’D? He was
a fixture for several years when they were brand new and brought a
different menu to Atlanta. Before them there was nothing but El
Toro’s, mediocre Tex-Mex. It’s been years since the food there was
good, but we owe them a debt of gratitude for changing our
expectations.