Nuevo Laredo, Mex-Mex tradition
Just off Chattahoochee Avenue on the West side of Atlanta is Nuevo Laredo Cantina, which has stood proud and buzzing for over 25 years. Long lines support the fact that Nuevo Laredo is a staple to locals and a must-visit cultural pleasure for anyone interested in a great authentic and savory meal.
Behind the scenes is a Perry Georgia native by the name of Chance Evans, who brought traditional Mexican, or as he calls it “Mex-Mex” style food to the city. Back in the 70’s he took a risk with the hope to stand out and the rest is history.
We interviewed Chance and quickly learned that we can probably thank his personal journey for bringing Atlantians one of the first successful traditional Mexican food restaurants in Atlanta’s history.
The things that make Nuevo Laredo Cantina a hit amongst thousands over the years are simplistic but the most important factor was that it was created by someone who knew how to stand out and never gave up on the vision.
This is our conversation with Chance Evans. ‘’My name is Chance Evans I was born in Perry GA. I have lived in Atlanta for years, almost my entire life. I attended the University of Georgia, graduated and went one year to graduate school. I worked for the Coca-Cola company for 8 years. One of the things I achieved during my time with the Coke company was bringing the Coca-Cola business to México.”
“I lived in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato for 1 year but traveled back and forth from home and Mexico all of those years. I loved the culture, especially the food that I was little by little getting to know.”
Chance continues talking about his life. ‘’When I left the Coca-Cola Corporation, I decided to get into the restaurant business. It was about 1973 and during that time we didn’t have many Mexican restaurants here.” He referred to the state of Georgia. “I established U.S. Bar & Grill, a Mexican restaurant. All my staff was Mexican and I told my cooks that I wanted them to imagine that they were actually in their kitchens in Mexico cooking for their families while they are cooking in my kitchen. I urged them not to cook with the American customer in mind at all. I had to source my ingredients all over the place since here in Georgia nobody knew what cilantro, jalapeño, tortillas or chile seco was yet, haha. It worked! I sold that restaurant and then started Nuevo Laredo. It has been 40 years since I started with the authentic concept and to this day, one thing remains the same. I still have mostly Mexican people with me.”
The interviewer asks, “What is different about Nuevo Laredo today and other Mexican Restaurants?” Chance responds enthusiastically. “The difference between us and other restaurants is our MEXICAN AUTHENTICITY! We follow four rules that can never be broken:
Keep the place extremely clean.
Good customer service and servers are all from Mexico.
Finest meats and produce
Keep prices low
We asked Chance if there was anything he could change what would it be and he responded that the only thing he would like to change is the location of Nuevo Laredo Cantina, he would have chosen a location with more visibility and bigger space! Chance is very proud of his accomplishments as a restauranteur, Nuevo Laredo has been selected the Best Mexican Restaurant for many consecutive years and has also given the state of Georgia a lot of its firsts! For example, Nuevo Laredo was the first restaurant to introduce Fajitas! Talk about a fun fact!
Speaking with Chance is like talking to a season war Veteran, who has endless captivating stories that unravel entertainingly. Chance is asked a few more questions and talks about his most terrifying experience, which was a robbery one night many years ago. He was closing the restaurant around two in the morning and according to him two Cuban guys (Marielitos he called them) approached him and shot him. He survived and considers himself very lucky.
Nuevo Laredo Cantina in Atlanta Georgia is not just a place you get margaritas. It’s a lineage of decades of dreams, obstacles and the life of a man who wanted to share something worthy of sharing – authentic Mexican cuisine. The comfort of food is a common ground. We connect and soften to the idea of a flavor profile that can send anyone back into time. Our memories and our taste buds work harmoniously.