Next Monday, October 20th, a Southern staple turns 80. Mary Mac’s Tea Room, the beloved restaurant known as “Atlanta’s Dining Room,” will celebrate eight decades in business.
Established by Mary MacKenzie in 1945, the storied spot on Ponce de Leon Avenue specializes in classic Southern comfort food: deviled eggs, cups of potliker, and of course, fried chicken. Regulars know to always leave (or make) room for dessert, like the banana or bread pudding, which are scratch-made and well worth the calories.
Once a single dining room, the space has expanded to include six separate rooms and a full-service bar, totaling 13,000 square feet. A roof collapse in March 2024 forced the restaurant to close temporarily, and it also underwent renovations that included upgraded decor, fresh paint, and new carpets, but Mary Mac’s didn’t change a thing about the friendly service and fresh food that made it famous…