Not sure where to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year? I’ve put together a list of some of the top Mexican restaurants around Atlanta. There’s probably one in this list nearby for your Cinco de Mayo Celebration.

Buckhead, Midtown and Grant Park- Tin Lizzy’s
Party at the Buckhead location with DJs or live music at the Midtown and Grant Park locations. They’ll have multiple bars and lots of festive music. And of course they have one of the best patios for margarita sipping!
3639 Piedmont Road
Atlanta, GA 30305

Downtown
No Mas!
Located in the heart of historic Castleberry Hill in downtown Atlanta, No Mas! is an award winning 350 seat Mexican Restaurant.
180 Walker St. SW
Atlanta GA 30313
404-574-5678

Virginia Highlands
Pozole
Pozole is sponsoring the Annual Virginia Highlands Cinco de Mayo Celebration & Block Party. Party is 5 pm to 11 pm. There is a $5 cover, $10 after 5pm. There will be beer and margarita specials and live music. For more information, click the link below.
1044 Greenwood Ave (at N Highland Avenue)
Atlanta, GA 30306
678-973-4779
Pozole Website

The Original El Taco<
Wonderful chips and salsa and margaritas in a beautiful atmosphere. Great place to party for Cinco de Mayo!

Westside
Nuevo Laredo
I have to mention Nuevo Laredo as it is a staple as far as Atlanta Mexican restaurants go, but I can’t imagine how crazy busy this place is going to be on Cinco de Mayo when it was packed on a random Tuesday when I visited.
1495 Chattahoochee Ave
Atlanta, GA 30318

Taqueria del Sol
Lots of delicious menu items like salsa trio starter (verde, asada and fresca), the shrimp corn chowder, the Memphis taco (smoked pork, jalapeño cole slaw, tequila BBQ sauce), the fish taco (poblano tartar sauce and pickled jalapeños).
1200-B Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA

Northeast
Pure Taqueria
103 Roswell St
Alpharetta, GA 30004

Decatur
Raging Burrito
Raging Burrito has a great patio. So, seems to be perfect if you’ll be in Decatur for Cinco de Mayo.
141 Sycamore St
Decatur, GA 30030

Sandy Springs
Teela Taqueria
City Walk at Sandy Springs
227 Sandy Springs Place
Suite 506
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Perimeter
LaBotana
Cheap, cheap cheap. Kind of a hole in the wall, but with decent food and drinks. Maybe it won’t be totally packed on Cinco de Mayo.
2071 Savoy Dr
Atlanta, GA 30341

Not so Mexican
These three restaurants may not be Mexican, but they sure do have intriguing menus. And they are perfect for those of us that don’t want to be smack dab in all the Cinco de Mayo hoopla.
TAP
Live music and Dos XX or a handcrafted sangria. Crispy Fish, Yucatan BBQ Pork, Buttermilk Fried Chicken or Shrimp a la Diabla tacos. There will also be a taco eating contest. The winner will receive a grand prize of $150. 2nd place wins $50.

HD1
Grilled Wings with Adobo Sauce, Lime Crema and Pickled Red Onion paired with a traditional Mexican Coca-Cola or a Modela Especial cerveza for $7.00. S
664 N. Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306

FLIP
Carnitas Burger with a Spiced Pork Patty, Cilantro-Lime Mayo, Chipotle & Beer Braised Pork Cheek, Shredded Cabbage and Salsa Verde for $8. Thirsty? We got your Mole Churro Shake, a refreshing chocolate shake spiced with Chiles, Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Nuts and Raisins for $5.00.

Fado:
Fadó opens at 7 a.m. and will be serving kegs and eggs. $10 cover. Street festival begins at noon and includes beer tents, bagpipers and Irish dancers along with more live music throughout the evening. The first band will kick off at 2 and Atlanta’s very own U2 cover band, will play that evening.

Meehan’s – All three Meehan’s pubs will be indulging in everything St. Patrick’s Day related. All pubs will begin the festivities with a “Green Eggs & Kegs” breakfast from 9 – 11 p.m. They will also be showing the National Rugby Series game at 1 p.m.; England v. Ireland on BBC. All locations will have traditional Irish fare and music. Meehan’s Public House in Sandy Springs is celebrating the day with a full blown parking lot event. Tickets are $5 before the event and $10 at the door – cash only!

Atlantic Station becomes Shamrock Station -There will be premium and craft beer stations with popular drinking games also beginning at noon. There will be live music all day and the night will be capped off with a fireworks display. American –Alternative Rock band, Better Than Ezra will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. Events will be located in and around Central Park, between Rosa Mexicano and Strip Steaks and Sushi. East District Avenue and West District Avenue will be open for pedestrian traffic only. Adult admission is $10 if you buy before the event; tickets can be purchased at the door for $15. There is no admission fee for children under 12.

TAP
Drink Specials – $5 Guinness or Irish Coffee, $3 Irishman Whiskey Shots, $7 Irish Car Bombs
Don your leprechaun wear and get a free pint of Guinness. Don’t miss the celebration! For more information visit tapat1180.com or call 404.347.2220.

Tavern 99 will close down the parking lot and putting up a stage to transform it into a St. Patrick’s Day festival. Get your green on with six live acts and two DJs beginning outside at 2 p.m. Entertainment will include live performances by Jacob and Good People (Boogie with Cram and Crane), Patrick Scott Band, Running with Desire (U2 tribute), Wesley Cook duo, Francisco Vidal Band, Ian Schumaker, DJ Moetec and Lethal Rhythms. Enjoy green beer, Irish food and a drink on the house for ticket holders. There will be a Ladies Redhead Contest with prizes for the top three winners. Tickets are $20.

Murphy’s
Murphy’s continues its 30-year tradition of the finest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Atlanta with music, entertainment, and classic fare from the Emerald Isle. During lunch, enjoy the sounds of Irish Music.

P’Cheen
Authentic Irish fare, plenty of libations and music that will keep rocking until the wee morning hours available at P’cheen International Bistro & Pub beginning on Friday, March 16 – Sunday, March 18. Enjoy a menu of Irish favorites, as well as Guinness and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey specials.

Tilted Kilt is a national Celtic-themed pub/restaurant chain that’s celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with its authentic Irish Hooley menu, bag pipers, Irish dancers, bands, djs and more. With 24 beers on tap and its atypical bar food menu (which includes Shepherd’s Pie and Gaelic Chicken), it is the perfect place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

· Tilted Kilt Roswell, located at 925 Holcomb Bridge Road will be holding an outdoor concert.
· Tilted Kilt Alpharetta-Winward located at 5325 Winward Parkway will have Outdoor tents; kicking off St. Patty’s weekend with live music starting on Friday.
· Tilted Kilt Perimeter located at 1155-B Mount Vernon Highway will have Outdoor tents; St. Patty’s weekend kickoff; bands.
· Tilted Kilt Atlanta-Cumberland located at 2690 Cobb Parkway Southeast will have a weekend event; Traditional Irish band on Saturday; no cover charge
· Tilted Kilt Kennesaw located at 780 Cobb Place Blvd Northwest will have Outdoors; live music; beer truck; starts at 5 pm

Limerick Junction 25th Anniversary and Block Party – 11am – music, 2pm – block party begins. FREE! Irish music, food & beer!

Padriac’s
13th Annual St. Padriac’s Day Bash : Drink Specials, Irish Grub, Beer Pong, and more

Festivities start at 1pm on Saturday, March 31th and go full boar until 6pm that evening with four awesome local bands, hilarious booths (like Hobo Wine Tasting and Dr. Boobies) manned by the best improvisers in the city, and troughs upon troughs of cold beer and sizzlin’ bacon. There will also be all sorts of awesome entertainment (like eating contests and improv games) as well as a silent auction, and even a slow smoked whole hog for those of you that want to put in a little extra to really pig out.

They sold out last year, and figured they’d give everyone a shot to get in on the hot pork-on-pork action early this year. Don’t get stuck on the wrong side of the pen this year!

THE PASSES:
Portioned Porking ($25 online): For the average Joe that’s new to the bacon guzzling world. Admission to the festival, 5 game tickets, and three cups full of beer, bacon or both.

Bottomless Bacon ($45 online): For the professional piggy that really knows how to shovel it in. Admission to the festival, unlimited game playing, and unlimited beer and bacon.

Still not enough swine? Go Whole Hog! Literally! For $40 more, upgrade from ‘Bottomless Bacon’ and ham it up with some serious style. A whole pig roasted to perfection by P’cheen, several kegs of delicious high gravity beer, and some exotically flavored bacon that only the ‘Whole Hoggers’ have access to.

Buy tickets: www.dadsgarage.com.

IMPORTANT STUFF:
This festival lasts from 1-6pm on Saturday, March 31th at Dad’s Garage Theatre.

• THIS FESTIVAL IS FOR ADULTS. NO CHILDREN OR DOGS, PLEASE.

• GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY. They sold out last year and had no tickets left at the door.

• It’s a darn good idea to take MARTA or a taxi cab.

• This event is RAIN or SHINE. Sorry, NO REFUNDS or EXCHANGES.

280 Elizabeth Street, Suite C-101
Atlanta, GA

Jack-O-Lantern

2 oz. Citrus Vodka
1 oz. Mango Nectar or Juice
0.5 oz. Orange Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Sour*

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake
vigorously and pour into a goblet glass and garnish with a slice of orange
and a mint leaf laid flat on top.
*Combine 0.25 oz fresh lime juice and 0.75 oz simple syrup.

Vampire’s Elixir

1.5 oz. Raspberry Vodka
.75 oz. White Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. Half and Half
Strawberry Syrup

Dress strawberry syrup on the inside and rim of a chilled martini glass.
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and
strain into martini glass. Garnish with vampire teeth.

Black Widow

1.5 oz. Raspberry Vodka
0.5 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice
Raspberry Syrup

Draw a spider web on the inside of a chilled martini glass with raspberry
syrup. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake
vigorously and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with plastic
spider.

Red Zombie

1.5 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Tomato Juice
0.5 tsp. Finely Grated Horseradish
1 tsp. Barbeque Sauce
3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
3 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
0.5 tsp. Finely Chopped Chipotle en Adobo
Pinch of Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Generous Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Pinch of Celery Seeds
1 Celery Stick
2 Large Green Olives
2 Lychee Fruits

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously
and strain into martini glass. Garnish with green eye balls, laid across
the rim of the glass*.
*Cut the end of a stalk of celery so it measures 5-6 inches long and split
the stick in half lengthwise. Slide the green olives into two lychee fruits
to make eye balls and push the thin celery stick through both as garnish.

Wicked Witch Apple Punch

1 750 ml bottle SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
1 750 ml bottle Sparkling Apple Cider
1 64 oz. bottle Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 Liter Ginger Ale
2 cups Pineapple Juice
Red Apple Slices

Combine all ingredients in a large black witch’s cauldron with ice and
stir. Garnish with large slices of red apple floating on top and dry ice.

Thursday, June 30th, beginning at 4pm at the East Atlanta Village Farmers, there will be games, prizes lots of different peach foods for sale and a Peach Cocktail Mixoff beginning at 6pm. Some of Atlanta’s most celebrated barkeeps and mixologists will compete at the Midway Pub to see who can mix-up the best peach cocktail as decided by a team of local celebrity judges. Market shoppers can stay for dinner. Farm Burger will be on site grilling burgers topped with peach compote and local goat cheese. All burger sales to benefit the EAV Farmers Market. Market Chef Seth Freedman will be demonstrating how to make peach ketchup and Colonel Jerry Slater of H. Harper Station, will show market attendees a few tricks for making delicious peach cocktails at home.
East Atlanta Farmers Market

www.grantparkmarket.org
Sunday, July 3rd, beginning at 9:30 am at the Grant Park Farmers Market. Chef Terry Koval of Farm Burger will be demonstrating a Peach Chutney Recipe, as well as some perfect BBQ sides. At noon, home chefs and professional cooks will compete in a Peach Cobbler Contest. Guests can bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic in the park. BBQ pork sliders will be for sale. APS Parents’ Farm to School Coalition will be on site conducting children’s’ activities, including a parade and quill pen making exercise. All proceeds will benefit the Grant Park Farmers Market.
Grant Park Farmers Market

Follow Slow Food Atlanta, The East Atlanta Village Farmers Market and The Grant Park Farmers Market
Facebook: Slow.Food.Atlanta, EAVFarmersMarket, grantparkfarmersmarket
Twitter: @slowfoodATL, @EAVFM, @GrantPrkFrmMrkt
www.slowfoodatlanta.org
www.farmeav.com
www.grantparkmarket.org