Restaurant group celebrates Day of the Dead with October specials

ATLANTA, Ga. - We’re still a month away from Día De Los Muertos, the two-day festive holiday that honors family members and loved ones who have passed away. But the vibrant celebration has already begun here in Metro Atlanta, thanks to the family behind CT Cantina Restaurant Group.

CT Cantina Restaurant Group includes four locations of CT Cantina & Taqueria (Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Fayetteville, and Dania Pointe, FL), CT Reforma Taqueria in Buckhead, and CT Al Pastor Taqueria (also in Alpharetta). The group was founded by Rafael Jaime, who is definitely no stranger to the local restaurant scene; a native of Jalisco, Mexico, Jaime moved to Atlanta in 1979 and got his first job as a dishwasher at popular Chamblee restaurant El Toro. From there, Jaime worked his way into managerial positions and eventually restaurant ownership. 

Jaime opened his first CT Cantina & Taqueria at Halcyon in 2019, and its popularity led to the other locations; the latest, in Dunwoody, just opened earlier this year. And October is a special time at the restaurants, thanks to the Día De Los Muertos decor and specialty cocktails. Each of the restaurants features a beautiful, flower-covered alter — and this year, the restaurants used their decor as a competition to be featured on Good Day Atlanta!

Of course, we couldn’t pass up the chance to spend a morning with Rafael Jaime and his family (his five children are all part of the business) in Buckhead, checking out the seasonal decor and specials and taste-testing plenty of the restaurant’s famous street tacos. Click the video player in this article to check it out!