Atlanta, GA
Havana in Atlanta: 6 Cuban restaurants we keep craving
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In the ’90s, when I was new to Atlanta, I found my way to the Atlanta Cuban Club in Doraville. On Saturday nights, it was a place to eat, dance, and listen to stories of life in Cuba before the Castro Revolution. The scene felt straight out of Miami, with a touch of Southern charm. But, about five years ago, the club closed its doors.
“I miss having a place that feels like ours,” my friend Karina Reoyo, a fellow Cuban American from Miami, tells me. “There’s nothing like that here anymore.”
Like me, Reoyo grew up in the Kendall neighborhood of Miami, where our Cuban roots showed in everything—from weekday meals to our parents’ stories about the island. She moved to metro Atlanta seven years ago, and I moved back in 2024, after first living here as a graduate student at Mercer University in DeKalb County. Now, without the Cuban Club to guide us, we’ve kept our roots alive the way we know best: through food.
And we’re not alone.
There’s a growing network of Cuban Atlantans crisscrossing the city like detectives on a hot trail, chasing down leads. We’ll drive 45 minutes for a proper pastelito, a flaky pastry filled with guava and softened, sweetened cream cheese; ground beef; or another classic rendition (like coconut). If they’re “just like they make them in Miami,” then we’ll share our finds with like-minded food sleuths we meet through friends, at PTA meetings, or even at the gas station.
If a Publix, like the one on West Paces Ferry Road, has stocked up on Materva (the sweet, slightly herbal Cuban soda made from yerba mate), then errands will be rerouted for an emergency grocery-store run. And, if Kroger, like the one on Dallas Acworth Highway in Paulding County, puts five-pound bags of frozen yuca—a starchy root vegetable served at most Cuban meals—on sale (which hasn’t happened yet this year), watch out! We’ll be there ready with two shopping carts, as if it’s Black Friday.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
It hasn’t always been this way. Havana Sandwich Shop co-owner Debbie Benedit says there was a time when few people in Atlanta were familiar with Cuban food. When she and her late husband, Cuban-born Eddie Benedit, opened their Buford Highway restaurant in 1976, Cuban fare was often mistaken for Mexican cuisine.
She says customers would ask, “Where are the tacos? Where’s the salsa? Why isn’t this spicy?” Then she’d have to provide a quick culinary lesson. “We’d explain that Cuban food isn’t spicy. It’s olive oil, garlic, beans, rice, citrus, and vinegar,” she says. Cuban cuisine blends Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. It’s shaped by the island’s tropical climate and the ingredients that thrive there, including sour oranges, lemons, limes, root vegetables, and plantains.
“Things are different now,” Benedit says, adding that more Atlantans are seeking out Cuban flavors. The area’s growing Cuban population may explain the culinary shift. According to The Atlanta Regional Commission, Cubans are the fourth-largest Caribbean-born group in the area, and their numbers have more than quadrupled in counties such as Forsyth, Henry, and Gwinnett since 2010.
When Miami-raised Stacie Antich moved to Atlanta in 2007, she craved pastelitos, but there was a problem: “Pastelito recipes weren’t on Pinterest or Instagram,” she says. “You didn’t even know what was in them. I had to work from memory.”
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In 2016, she opened Buena Gente Cuban Bakery food truck, serving up her perfected pastelitos, empanadas, croquetas, and other favorites. Then, in 2020, Antich cut the ribbon on a brick-and-mortar bakery of the same name in North Decatur; the shop is bright and pink, just as her food truck was, with freshly baked pastries in a welcoming display case. “This would be considered a fancy bakery in Miami,” she says with a smile.
Buena Gente’s pastelitos are flaky, golden, and sweet, with delicate layers that break apart with each bite. And they come in a few distinct shapes: a circle for meat, a rectangle for guava, and a rolled cigar shape for cream cheese alone—an unspoken code for Cuban pastry lovers. The pastelitos de queso (cheese pastries), my go-to every time, are indeed just like the ones sold from the ventanitas (walk-up windows at neighborhood restaurants) in Miami.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In Roswell, Lazaro’s Cuban Cuisine offers a proper sit-down meal wrapped in nostalgia, with Cuban memorabilia throughout. A black-and-white photo of the I Love Lucy star Desi Arnaz (surely Cuba’s best-known expat) hangs directly across from the front door; I even found a bottle of Agua de Violeta in the bathroom, a nod to the abuelitas who douse the floral cologne all over babies.
Cuban-born chef and owner Lazaro Tenreiro, who once owned jewelry stores in the metro area, also says he missed the food he grew up with before he opened his own eatery. “When I opened the restaurant in 2012, it was really a passion project. I wanted food my kids and my family would eat—so it had to be good,” he says.
Lazaro’s frijoles negros (black beans) are exactly how I was taught to make them: rich with garlic, onions, and a hint of cumin. And the vegan picadillo (a clever twist on our traditional ground beef dish) is a tasty surprise, with ground green-plantain peel cooked with peppers, onions, and Manzanilla olives.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In Marietta Square, a popular spot to take my kids for a quick, authentic meal is D’Cuban Cafe, which has other locations around metro Atlanta. Colombian co-owner Nicolas Angel says his cousin, D’Cuban co-owner Lucas Mejia Angel, also from Colombia, fell in love with Cuban food during a trip to Miami and brought those flavors back to Atlanta.
Though the D’Cuban menu is fast-casual, everything is made from scratch daily. A bowl of ropa vieja (“old clothes” in Spanish) comes with shredded beef simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce, served alongside black beans, white rice, and perfectly sweet maduros (ripened plantains).
Of course, Papi’s Cuban Grill is still my top pick when Cuban relatives come to town. The Kennesaw location brings back memories of the casual spots we Miamians grew up with. When my family and I walk in the door, we’re transported to the famed Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho as the aroma of sofrito—the base of most Cuban dishes, comprising the holy trinity of onions, garlic, and green peppers—fills the air. And the fried yuca appetizer, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, is even better than the one I grew up eating.
Meanwhile, in Paulding County, my friend Karina’s husband, Carell Rodriguez—who is also Cuban and from Miami—is reviving the spirit of the Cuban Club by guest-teaching rueda de casino, a form of Cuban salsa, at Rosa Negra restaurant in Dallas. “Rosa Negra is Latin-infused, and not necessarily Cuban food,” Rodriguez tells me. “I do, nonetheless, enjoy their chicharrones (crispy fried pork), empanadas, and tostones (twice-fried, smashed plantain slices). They remind me of home.”
After class, he unwinds with a mojito. “A mojito is basically Cuba in a glass,” he says. “It’s light, refreshing, and nostalgic.” His wife agrees, chiming in, “Their mojitos are better than the ones in Miami.”
I can’t vouch for their mojitos (not yet, anyway). But in many ways, Atlanta’s Cuban finds are better than what we left behind. Maybe it’s the chase that makes them more satisfying. Or maybe it’s just the joy of tasting home, right when you need it most.
This article appears in our April 2026 issue.
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Gwinnett County officials are warning residents to use caution after a raccoon tested positive for rabies over the weekend.
Officials say the raccoon attacked a dog near Biltmore Oaks Drive in the Bethlehem area on May 26.
Testing revealed that the animal was infected with the potentially deadly virus.
The disease, which can be transmitted through bites and scratches from infected animals, is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms occur. Those symptoms include muscle aches, fever, vomiting, and general weakness and discomfort.
The National Association of State Health Veterinarians says all unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid animal need to be quarantined for four months and vaccinated one month before being released.
Georgia is a rabies-endemic state, which means the virus can be found in wildlife year-round. Officials say that means it’s important for residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations and avoid animals that may be behaving in unusual ways. Earlier in May, a DeKalb County raccoon tested positive for rabies.
If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medial care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure. After that, contact GNR Public Health at (770) 339-4260 and ask for the on-call epidemiologist.
To report an animal behaving in an unusual way, call the Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Bite Office at (770) 339-3200, ext. 5576.
THE FLATS – No. 2 Georgia Tech baseball (50-10) dropped its first game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Sunday night, falling 15-8 to Oklahoma. The Yellow Jackets saw four home runs in the outing and jumped out with the early lead, but the Sooners overcame the deficit to force game seven on Monday.
Georgia Tech plated its first two batters of the game as Carson Kerce drew a 4-0 leadoff walk and Drew Burress sent his at bat 397 feet deep to left field, putting Tech up 2-0 in the first and forcing Oklahoma to make a call to the bullpen early.
The Sooners tied the game at 2-2 off a two-run home run from Brendan Brock in the bottom of the second, but a five-spot from the Jackets in the fifth returned the lead to Tech. A bases loaded wild pitch scored Kerce and setup a two-run RBI single up the middle from Ryan Zuckerman for a 5-2 lead. Alex Hernandez found his fourth home run of the regional in the next at bat, clearing the bases and putting Tech in front, 8-2.
Jarren Advincula cushioned Tech’s lead with a sac fly in the fourth, scoring Kerce for a 9-2 lead, but Oklahoma erased its deficit and took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning for a 10-8 edge. The Sooners would add another five runs for the final score.
Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.
QUICK HITS: TEAM
- GT will face Oklahoma again, tomorrow at 3 pm in a winner-take-all game seven of the Atlanta Regional.
- This is the 5th time in program history the Jackets will be playing in a 2-1 vs 2-1 game after starting the regional 2-0, GT is 2-2 in such games (wins in 1994 and 2005 / losses in 2008 and 2010).
- The Jackets fall to 50-10, the best 60-game record in program history, two games better than the previous record (48-12 – 1987).
- The Jackets will be looking to advance to the Super Regional round for the sixth time in program history and the first since 2006.
- GT is now 3-2 against the SEC this season with wins over Auburn, Georgia and Oklahoma.
- The Jackets are outscoring SEC opponents 46-35 this season.
- Tech has scored 655 runs this season, the most runs scored through 60 games in program history and the most scored by any Power 4 team through 60 games in the BBCOR era.
- GT’s 655 runs are the second-most in school history, seven behind the program record set back in 1987 (662). The Jackets are two runs away from setting a new NCAA record for runs in a single season in the BBCOR era – a record currently held by Tennessee (657 runs in 73 games in 2024).
- The Jackets hit two home runs today, bringing the regional total to 12 and the season total of 137 – 15 more than the previous program record set back in 2010.
- Tech has hit multiple home runs in all three regional games this season and 15 of their last 16 games dating back to April 28.
- GT is outscoring its opponents 655-297 this season. The plus-358 margin is the largest in Division I this season and the largest in program history.
- Tech’s offense is currently on pace to set program records in batting average (.357 – record is .347), on-base percentage (.468 – record is .434), slugging percentage (.640 – record is .575) and runs-per-game (10.9 – record is 10.3).
- The offense has scored eight or more runs in each of the last 14 games dating back to May 3.
- The Yellow Jackets are closing in on multiple NCAA records for a single season: two runs away from the BBCOR era record (Tennessee – 657 – 73 games in 2024), 19 hits away from the BBCOR era record (Vanderbilt – 770 – 71 games in 2019) and 18 doubles away from the BBCOR era record (Morehead St. / Virginia – 172 – 2015 / 2023) and 30 walks away from the BBCOR era record (Wake Forest – 424 – 66 games in 2023).
- Tech’s .357 average would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .359 by Austin Peay in 2024).
- Tech’s .468 OBP would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .469 by New Mexico State in 2019).
- Tech’s .640 slugging percentage would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .661 by Austin Peay in 2024).
- GT pitching struck out 10 batters, marking the 26th game with at least 10 Ks this season.
QUICK HITS: THE BATS
- Junior Drew Burress extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a 3-for-5 showing. He hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in the first inning, his program record 59th career homer.
- Burress becomes the first Power conference player of the 21st century to deliver 40 extra base hits in three consecutive seasons (43 in 2024, 43 in 2025 and 40 in 2026). He is just the second Division I player to do so this century, also DJ Peterson (New Mexico) 2011-13.
- Buress has hit 15 home runs this season, becoming just the second Yellow Jacket in program history to deliver three consecutive 15 HR seasons, along with Tony Plagman (2008-10).
- He has now scored 231 runs in his career, the most of any active DI player and just one away from tying Darren Bragg (1988-91) for the fourth most in program history.
- Burress holds the GT BBCOR era records for the most runs (231), RBI (187), doubles (61), home runs (59) and total bases (499). He is one base away from becoming just the fourth Jacket to ever collect 500 total bases – also Andy Bruce (506: 1988-91), Tony Plagman (513: 2007-10) and Jason Varitek (610: 1991-94).
- His 187 RBI rank 12th all-time at Georgia Tech, seven shy of cracking the Top 10.
- Sophomore Alex Hernandez continued his exceptional regional, hitting a two-run home run as a part of Tech’s five-run third inning.
- It was his fourth HR of the regional and 13th of the season. Nearly two-thirds of his home runs this season (30.8 %) have come in the last three games of regional play.
- Hernandez has recorded 19 RBI in his last six games, producing at least one in all six postseason games to this point.
- He has now produced 21 RBI in six career NCAA tournament games – 3.5 per game.
- He is up to 57 RBI this season and 126 over his career: the fourth highest RBI total by an undergraduate in GT history behind only Burress (129), Matt Weiters (139) and Mark Teixeira (program record – 145).
- Junior Carson Kerce scored three runs in the leadoff spot, tying his season high for the fifth time. He has scored multiple runs in 18 games this season, the fifth most on the team.
- Junior Ryan Zuckerman delivered a pair of RBI today, taking over the team lead with 79 RBI this season, the 11th most in program history.
- Zuckerman (79) and Vahn Lackey (78) are inching closer to becoming just the third duo in GT history to drive in 80 RBI in the same season, currently only accomplished by Jason Basil (83) and Mark Teixeira (80) in 2000 and Riccardo Ingram (99) and Mike Fowler (87) in 1987.
- Lackey scored his team leading 85th run of the season tonight, his 85 runs scored are the 6th most in program history for a single season and the most recorded since Mark Teixeira set the program record (104) back in 2000.
- Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a career best 28 games, tied with Carlton Fleming (1990) for the 2nd longest in program history and the longest since Victor Menocal set the record (30) in 2002.
- He has delivered 108 hits this season, the fourth most in program history and the most since 2000 (Richard Lewis – 109).
- He has gotten a hit in 43 of his last 44 games dating back to March 10 and 56 of 60 games overall this season.
- His batting average now stands at .430, the highest in Power 4, the 2nd best in the nation and the 7th highest in program history. It’s the second highest batting average by a Yellow Jacket this century and the highest since Chandler Simpson hit .433 in 2022.
QUICK HITS: THE ARMS
- Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his 13th start of the season, pitching 3.0 innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
- This loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in games started by Blakely this season, bringing the teams record to 10-3.
- His ERA is now 3.36 over 64.1 innings of work with 69 strikeouts – all the 2nd best on the team.
- Freshman Cooper Underwood made his 13th appearance of the season and his seventh out of the bullpen. He would give up one earned run on a solo home run. This was only the second time he has allowed a run in his seven relief appearances.
- Senior Brett Barfield produced a scoreless fifth inning in his 23rd appearance of the season. That lowered his ERA to 4.70 for the season over 23.0 innings of work.
Up Next
Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
A woman was fatally stabbed on a MARTA train near the Oakland City Station on May 30, 2026. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA – A 25-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing an Atlanta woman on a MARTA train at the Oakland City Station on Saturday.
What we know:
John Elijah Matthews is charged with murder in the death of 66-year-old Margaret Swan.
MARTA police officers were called to the train for a stabbing around noon.
Police officers arrested Matthews immediately near the train after several witnesses saw the violent act take place. Emergency medical workers attempted life-saving efforts, but Swan died on the scene.
“This appears to be a senseless act of violence, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” MARTA said in an official statement. The agency stated that its police force is actively investigating the matter.
Woman stabbed to death on Atlanta MARTA train; 1 arrested
What we don’t know:
Investigators have not yet confirmed what happened in the moments leading up to the attack or whether Swan and Matthews knew each other beforehand.
Dig deeper:
Public transit passengers have expressed growing fear following the weekend killing. Another person survived a separate stabbing at the Georgia State MARTA station last weekend, leaving commuters worried about system security.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office and MARTA police. Additional information comes from prior FOX 5 reporting.
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