R.I.P. Atlanta Taco Cabana

I was checking out the Atlanta subreddit and saw that the Taco Cabana on Piedmont and Cheshire Bridge had closed and was replaced by some other Latin-type place.  Apparently, some Atlanta Redditor recently went for a late-night fix of low-end Tex-Mex, only to find it was no longer a Taco Cabana.

I remember eating there for the first time in, maybe, 1989.  My parents and I had driven to Atlanta to take a look at Georgia Tech, to see if that’s where I wanted to go to college.  We were staying at that hotel that used to be over there on Armour Dr., which was listed as one of the (somewhat) near Tech places to stay.  Along with mandatory stops at the Varsity and at the Old Hickory House for Brunswick stew, we ate at a spot that was then called Two Pesos.  I’m pretty sure my mom got an upset stomach after eating there.

(Mom, dad, the Brunswick stew at Old Hickory House has and always had pork in it.  It’s time to give up the ruse.  You live in Memphis now.  Go hog wild!  It’s delicious.)

I became somewhat of a Two Pesos regular in college.  It was great for late-night low-end Tex-Mex.  The food there was better than at Taco Bell or Del Taco, which isn’t really setting the bar very high.  Going late night seemed to mask the shame of eating there at all.  Regardless, after a night of drinking, it really hit the spot.

At some point the place had to change its name from Two Pesos to Taco Cabana.  It was due to a court case that made its way to the Supreme Court in 1992 regarding trade dress.  Taco Cabana opened first, in San Antonio, as a Tex-Mex spot with casual, patio dining.  An entrepreneur from Houston wanted to take the concept nationwide.  He approached the owners of Taco Cabana with the idea but they refuse.  Instead, he opened his own chain called Two Pesos which was, more or less, a Taco Cabana clone.  After losing the court case, Two Pesos sold their stores to Taco Cabana.

Little changed about the restaurant, save the name.  It continued to thrive on that corner of Cheshire Bridge drawing an eclectic crowd of patrons from the various Cheshire bridge venues which included Goth clubs, strip clubs, and gay clubs.  I continued my late-night runs (pun intended).

Over the years, as I continued to move farther east and south in the city, my trips to Taco Cabana became less frequent.  It was just nice knowing it was there.  It was a consistent, known commodity, even if it wasn’t particularly special.  Now, it is gone, closed to make way for a new apartment development there in the Morningside area.  Of course, this will be a Fuqua development.  This development has also forced the closure of other businesses on that strip, including the Pot and Pan Restaurant and Sheik Burritos and Kebabs. 

In the meantime, the Taco Cabana location is still open under the name Mama’s Cocina Latina (http://mamascocinalatina.com/).  With the impending development, there’s no telling how long this place will stay operational.  So you’d better hurry to get your last fix of in-town, late-night, Tex-Mex, with a side of shame and guacamole.  Soon, it will be gone.