El Tesoro Expands to 8,600-Square-Foot Restaurant at Atlanta's Lee + White Development

El Tesoro has announced it will expand its footprint at Lee + White, moving into an 8,600-square-foot space in the 1036 Building in the heart of the bustling adaptive reuse development in Atlanta's West End. Currently operating within the Wild Heaven Brewing facility, El Tesoro will establish a new outpost location featuring all the food favorites, a large bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and big-screen TVs for sporting events, with plans to open in March. Marisa Roy and Patrick Green of Ackerman Retail represented owners Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners in the lease transaction.

With this expansion into the 1036 Building, previously occupied by Best End Brewing, El Tesoro will have three full-service restaurants operating in Atlanta. This joins the original Edgewood location at 1374 Arkwright Place that serves 175 guests and a recently announced 3,640-square-foot location in the South Downtown development at 171 Mitchell Street scheduled to open in spring of 2026. Alan Raines, owner of El Tesoro, stated, "We've been very successful in our collaboration with Wild Heaven West End, with so much goodwill from the local residents, and now we are both ready for the next phase. We're excited to expand into a permanent space at Lee + White that gives us the opportunity to grow for years to come."

Raines further explained the strategic importance of the larger space, noting, "It almost seemed like more space than we need right now, but zooming out into the future, we'll have the flexibility to host a wide range of meetings, activities and even weddings, as well as be a gathering place for the West End neighborhood, sporting and other events." Like the upcoming location in South Downtown, El Tesoro's new Lee + White space aims for a casual but slightly elevated experience, expanding beyond the standard taqueria. Guests can expect the same family recipe favorites on the menu – including tacos, burritos, tamales and mulitas, as well as the famous fresh juice margaritas and deep mezcal program.

Leo Wiener, President of Ackerman Retail, commented on the significance of this expansion, stating, "El Tesoro has become a go-to stop for authentic Mexican food, and their growth is great news for Lee + White and the West End neighborhood. We're looking forward to their expansion bringing even more energy to Lee + White while giving visitors another option for hanging out, eating great food and enjoying this vibrant district." In related news, Wild Heaven Beer has announced that Eats, a popular meat-and-three restaurant that closed its Ponce de Leon location in October, will replace El Tesoro within the Wild Heaven tap room, with Wild Heaven purchasing the Eats restaurant brand and targeting a March opening as well.

The 442,562-square-foot Lee + White mixed-use development represents a significant adaptive reuse transformation of the West End's former Warehouse row, featuring one-half mile of Atlanta BeltLine frontage and four direct entrances to the popular mixed-use trail. Acquired by Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners in 2019, the latest phase of development has added a food hall, creative office space, healthcare providers, trade schools, new retail, and the "Great Lawn" central gathering and event space. Lee + White is accessible via the nearby West End MARTA rail station and all of Atlanta's interstates, with a planned MARTA station at Murphy Crossing to be a short walk from Lee + White via the Atlanta Westside BeltLine.

One full-service restaurant space of 3,990 square feet and one food stall remain available for lease in the food hall, which includes 16 eateries along with the Strangers in Paradise central bar, offering a mix of local and regional concepts. Current eateries include Cielito Lindo, Costa Coffee, Crème de la Crepe, Dough Boy Pizza, GoodAzz Burgers, Gekko Hibachi & Sushi, gusto!, Honeysuckle Gelato, One Korean Bistro, The Original Hot Dog Factory, Sakura Sake Bar & Bottles, Sweet Red Peach, Vietvana, West Side Deli and World Chicken. For more information about the development, visit https://www.leeandwhiteatl.com.