Chando's Tacos has closed its restaurants in Buckhead. The California taco shop in The Peach shopping center (2900 Peachtree Road) opened in September 2021 and reportedly closed "about a month ago," according to sources in the area.
The fact that the Peachtree Road-facing restaurant closed "about a month ago" and seemingly went unnoticed until this week gives you a sense of how busy it was. In its nearly three years of existence, the restaurant received a total of 208 Google reviews with a cumulative rating of 3.9.
The restaurant, like nearby Moe's and Willy's, featured a menu of many classic Mexican dishes like burritos, tacos, quesadillas and nachos along with less mainstream menu items like mulitas, tortas, flautas and tostadas.
When Chando's opened, it replaced Tamago Ramen Bar which had opened in July 2019 and lasted less than two years. Before Tamago, Athens-born Barberitos, a Moe's-like burrito joint, occupied the space from 2012 until late 2018. Before the recent series of restaurants, the space, and another adjacent suite, were home to an RBC Centura bank branch.
Sacramento-based Chando's Tacos announced their (questionable) expansion from California to metro Atlanta in February 2021 when owner and founder Lisandro “Chando” Madrigal revealed the Buckhead location saying it would be "the first of many" [in Atlanta]. A second location subsequently opened on West Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur this past September.
The Decatur debut was delayed several months. The [Decatur] building and planning review took a while, but “we are good now,” Madrigal told Decaturish in September 2023. “Once we got that handled, things got complicated for us in California, and we decided to stabilize things out here before overextending ourselves,” Madrigal added.
The Chando's website currently has an "Atlanta" tab with a huge background photo of GA 400 at the Lenox Road Buckhead exit despite the fact that the only current location is miles away in Decatur.
According to the Chando's Tacos website, the company currently operates six traditional locations in the greater Sacramento area plus one other at Sacramento State University. There is also a roaming food truck that had for months been a fixture [and giant billboard] in the Buckhead restaurant's parking lot along Peachtree Road.
Opening in any new market is challenging but opening in a new market across the country without tremendous marketing or a highly differentiated product is asking for trouble. Capital Tacos, which hailed from nearby Florida, found this out the hard way earlier this past March when they abruptly closed their Peachtree Corners and John Creek restaurants after only a short time in business.
The Decatur Chando's location has received just over 100 Google reviews with a cumulative 4.4 star rating. That said, Decatur readers suggest that the restaurant is rarely busy.
Did you know Chando's existed? Have you tried their food? What would you like to see open in place of Chando's in Buckhead?
Please share your thoughts below.
10 comments:
Well dang, I was going to go this week. I’ve actually gone a good bit and they’ve always been good! I live in the area, it’s not surprising it closed, never anyone there. Not sure why it had bad reviews, I never had an issue there. Maybe it’s hard to compete with Moe’s being right there too? Feel like so much is randomly closing with no warning. Just like Pachengo’s.
Too many crazy homeless in that area. Also might get your car stolen. Not worth it.
Not true. And has nothing to do with the restaurant closing. If you don’t live here and go here often, then you have no idea what you are talking about.
I live off Peachtree and watch zombie addicts buy from dealers working out of the high rise apartments, often in broad daylight. I know exactly what I'm talking about.
Sidney Marcus/Lindbergh might have the largest homeless population in the city and many of them migrate up to Peachtree to score drugs.
Agreed. I live down the street and I’m frequently in that plaza. Yes, there are homeless that hang out there sometimes. But they are harmless. Although, I have noticed an uptick in homeless and more vocal homeless.
Wait. You're saying a generic fast casual mexican restaurant from (checks notes) Sacramento, California didn't do well in Buckhead? When there are perfectly good local places (Moe's, La Fonda) within a block?
Disagree. I live near there and go there almost daily. And Sidney Marcus isn’t near here by the way. And this has nothing to do with the restaurant closing. The parking lot here is packed daily, no one is afraid to shop here.
I thought the fish tacos were great, but it was pricy especially with a Moe’s (gross) across the street and like others have said, it was never busy.
Way too expensive.
Too pricey
Post a Comment