Love Local: Dos Caminos Brings Its Craft to Midtown Atlanta
09/16/2026
BY BRIAN CARR
At the corner of Peachtree and 12th Streets, you’ll find a lively restaurant where the drinks are made from scratch, the food takes real time to prepare, and nobody seems to be in a hurry to leave. And in a district defined by fast-paced momentum and sidewalk energy, Dos Caminos Midtown Atlanta is a destination worth slowing down for.
In Spanish, “dos caminos” means two streets. And over two decades, it became a genuine community fixture in New York City, one of the most demanding dining cities on earth. Now, under the Landry’s portfolio of restaurant brands, Dos Caminos made its debut in Atlanta at the beginning of 2026, with General Manager Evan Wagner steering the launch. Wagner brings serious credentials with 20+ years of experience across the industry, including roles as an Executive Chef, Regional Chef, and Managing Director in restaurant operations and management. We met up with him to talk about the restaurant's Midtown appeal. Read on.
Not Just a Special-Occasion Place. An Every-Day Place.
Wagner describes what Dos Caminos was designed to be: a rally point for all of Midtown, with broad appeal that brings the community together.
“We wanted to put something in Midtown that the neighborhood didn’t already have,” he said. “Not just a special occasion destination, but an everyday destination.”
That philosophy shows up in the range of people who visit the dining room: families with children, professionals wrapping up a business lunch, and neighbors stopping in on a Tuesday night just because it felt like the right call. The restaurant’s staff of 50 people serve all of them with the same energy, practicing what Wagner describes as a family culture of customer service that filters down from Landry’s family ownership at the top.
Award-Winning Cocktail Program
The bar is the first thing most guests encounter, and Dos Caminos clearly knows how to make a first impression. The restaurant’s cocktail program has earned four first-place awards from New York City margarita competitions.
The signature “La Noche” margarita draws immediate attention for reasons that go beyond taste: it arrives jet black, its color derived from activated charcoal blended with agave, rimmed with black sea salt, and built on a base of Casamigos Blanco tequila and fresh pineapple juice.
“People eat with their eyes first,” Wagner said. “So when you see a black margarita hit the table, it’s a wow factor.”
But the visual is only the setup. The drink itself is balanced, refreshing, and notably free of the cloying sweetness or sharp tartness that can undermine lesser margaritas.
No cocktail at Dos Caminos is made from a pre-processed mix. Hibiscus syrup, for example, is a three-hour reduction process that begins with whole flowers sourced fresh. Wagner explained that the team makes everything in-house. That level of intention is what governs the kitchen, and the menu reflects it at every turn.
Authentic Mexican, a Half-Day Mole, and Atlanta’s Only Lemon Pepper Taco
Wagner is careful to call out a distinction that matters to him: Dos Caminos is authentic Mexican food, not Tex-Mex.
Free-range chicken and heritage pork are standard. Guacamole is made fresh multiple times each day. Chips are fried in-house throughout service, arriving with a house ranchero salsa the moment a guest sits down.
The camarones appetizer — shrimp stuffed with pepper jack cheese, wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, flash-fried, and finished with barbecue sauce, pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, and a cabbage slaw — is the kind of dish that creates a frenzy at the table.
The braised short ribs with mole sauce are among the most labor-intensive items on the menu, and Wagner says that’s the point. The mole is a half-day slow-cook process: toasted almonds, papitas, layered herbs and spices, a recipe rooted in the grinding and molcajete work that Dos Caminos has practiced since its New York origins.
“You can’t rush perfection,” he said. “You have to let the flavors marry.”
Birria flautas — slow-braised, flavor-packed meat tucked into fried flour tortillas and served with birria consommé for dipping — have emerged as a crowd favorite in Midtown, and Wagner hinted that incoming dessert additions, including a made-to-order fried ice cream that sparks old-school nostalgia, are about to expand the menu’s already generous range.
Then there’s the menu item that has rapidly become an Atlanta sensation: the lemon pepper taco. Conceived by executive chef Martise Barnwell and not printed on the standard menu, it circulates on a feature card dropped tableside — the kind of “if you know, you know” dish that earns a loyal following fast. On the day it launched, the kitchen sold 270 of them.
“We are the home of the only lemon pepper taco in Atlanta,” Wagner said. “It’s like our anthem for Atlanta.”
A Patio Built for Peachtree Street
If the kitchen is the heart of Dos Caminos, the patio fronting Peachtree Street is its face.
Framed by the restaurant’s logo spanning the full length of overhead windows and strung with picado flags honoring Mexican heritage, the outdoor space is deliberately designed to say “welcome” to everyone walking by. Two 85-inch televisions make it a destination during college football Saturdays and the recent FIFA World Cup matches alike.
Dog bowls sit at the ready for Midtown’s notable number of four-legged regulars — a community quirk that led to a Dos Caminos “Paws on the Patio” event for National Dog Day in August, which offered fresh sweet potato and pumpkin “paw-camole” for canine guests and filled the patio to capacity.
Where Time Slows Down for People to Smile and Laugh
For a district like Midtown that has long celebrated walkability and hustle energy, a restaurant willing to invest hours in a mole sauce or a three-hour syrup reduction feels like a meaningful addition. Dos Caminos is building a routine — the kind of place that ends up in your weekly rotation.
“We promote fun, fresh food, and cocktails,” Wagner said. “Our message is, give us a shot. You might really like it. Dos Caminos could be your new go-to place.”
Dos Caminos Midtown Atlanta
1100 Peachtree Street NE
Visit their website to see their menu and weekly rhythm of specials.