Key Points:
- The Buckhead location of Alma Cocina closes on Peachtree Road on Dec. 20.
- Alma Cocina opened in Buckhead two months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The original Alma Cocina remains open in downtown Atlanta.
Nearly six years after opening on Peachtree Road, Fifth Group will close the Buckhead location of its contemporary Mexican and Latin American restaurant, Alma Cocina, on Dec. 20.
Employees from the Buckhead location will then transfer to other restaurants within Fifth Group’s portfolio, including Ela in Virginia-Highland, locations of South City Kitchen, and the original downtown Atlanta location of Alma Cocina.
Alma Cocina’s Buckhead location opened two months before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Fifth Group CEO Steve Simon said the location wasn’t able to regain its pre-COVID numbers, which ultimately led to the decision to close in Buckhead.
“It never really happened like it was supposed to,” he told Rough Draft. “We hoped that office tenancy would come back to the building, and it has to some degree, but not what we had anticipated. It’s not a good business decision for us to continue doing what we’re doing.”
It appears, however, that Fifth Group may be following a pattern.
Back in 2023, the company closed The Original El Taco on Highland Avenue and opened Mediterranean restaurant Ela the following winter. In 2024, Fifth Group closed Lure in Midtown to make room for a similar refresh. Despite its makeover, the rebranded Lure permanently closed this summer.
Simon said Fifth Group is currently discussing a new concept with their landlord in Buckhead, and with a few different business operators. “It’s early in the stage of what’s next,” he said.
But Simon noted that Alma Cocina’s original location at 191 Peachtree Towers is doing extremely well and has the best sales trends of any of Fifth Group’s other restaurants and catering businesses.
Alma Cocina closes in Buckhead after service on Dec. 20. Until then, the restaurant is open and operating as usual.