Mary Mac’s Tea Room is celebrating its 80th Anniversary on Monday, Oct. 20.
Since opening in 1945 on Ponce de Leon Avenue, Mary Mac’s Tea Room has grown from a single dining room with seating for 75 to six dining rooms and a full-service bar spread across 13,000 square feet. Though the restaurant has evolved over the decades, its kitchen still carries on the same traditions established by founder Mary MacKenzie and her successor Margaret Lupo, from baking desserts in-house to handwashing greens and snapping beans by hand.
The restaurant recently completed a full renovation, giving the historic dining room a refreshed look with upgraded décor, fresh paint and new carpet. Along with the improvements to its space, Mary Mac’s has refined its processes to give guests a better dining experience.
“Mary’s Mac’s has always been about family, tradition and creating memories,” said Tina Leftwich, general manager of Mary Mac’s. “For years, long waits were a by-product of our success, but we’ve worked hard to make sure today’s guests can count on less waiting.”
Over the decades, the restaurant has served generations of Atlantans and famous visitors alike, including the Dalai Lama, James Brown, Alan Jackson, the late President Jimmy Carter, and the late Congressman John Lewis. The State of Georgia has honored the restaurant with a special resolution, officially recognizing it as “Atlanta’s Dining Room.”
