Longstanding Mexican restaurant El Torero will be closing their Chamblee restaurant Saturday, December 21, after more than four decades in business. The restaurant, located at 5575 Peachtree Boulevard in Chamblee, occupies a former Taco Tico and first opened in June 1981.
ToNeTo Atlanta reported on the closure of the Brookhaven area El Torero in Brighten Park (Loehmann's Plaza) in August 2017 after 25 years in business.
The Chamblee restaurant celebrated 43 years in business this past June, and while it's unclear why exactly Magana has elected to close, several readers indicate a reported increase in rent was a contributing factor.
According to DeKalb County tax records, the roughly 2,100 square foot restaurant sits on about a third of an acre and was built in 1970. The property was purchased in 2022 by Suesandalon LLC., an entity controlled by Sue and Udi Sandalon.
A former Pizza Hut located just north of El Torero closed in 2016 and was later replaced by an Enterprise Rent-A-Car office.
The building is more than 50 years old and the parcel is incredibly small, so it will be interesting to see if something replaces El Torero soon or if the property becomes vacant.
Do you plan to visit El Torero one last time before they close? What is your favorite independently owned Mexican restaurant in metro Atlanta? What would you like to see open in place of El Torero in Chamblee?
Please share your thoughts below.