Buena Gente Cuban Bakery and Sandwich Shop Opens This Weekend in Decatur

Cuban bakery and sandwich shop Buena Gente opens Sunday, August 16, in the former Nectar space on Clairmont Road — the same complex as the Po’Boy Shop, Community Q BBQ, and Ms. Icey’s Kitchen and Bar. Owners Manny Rodriguez and Stacie Antich announced the opening on Facebook and Instagram Wednesday evening.

Rodriguez and Antich have run Buena Gente from a mobile teardrop camper — or ventanita (“little window”) — since 2016. Antich tells Eater Atlanta they had always planned to stick to Buena Gente’s ventanita roots and operate mainly as takeout, with some limited seating inside and outside. The pandemic solidified those plans.

“Covid affected every aspect of our opening, from equipment and contractor delays, to the almost total halt with the various county permitting offices, as they’re mostly still working from home,” Antich says. “We’re lucky to have a landlord who’s been so understanding of all the challenges.”

For now, Buena Gente is takeout only, with people ordering food at the counter. Masks are required, and no more than three people are allowed inside the small shop. Once orders are placed, people wait outside until their food is ready. Antich says online ordering is forthcoming.

Rodriguez and Antich also encourage people to pay by credit card rather than cash, and ask customers to check out the menu prior to arrival in order to shorten the amount of time inside.

Like the food truck, the restaurant serves pastries such as empanadas and croquetas, Buena Gente’s popular Cuban sandwiches, and desserts, including flan and tres leches. In addition to Cuban coffee and coffee drinks, Buena Gente also offers a handful of tropical milkshakes on the menu made with mango, soursop, puffed wheat, or papaya.

Take a look at the menu:

Open Tuesday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Update, August 14, 9:30 a.m.: This story has been updated with statements from Stacie Antich.

1365 Clairmont Road, Decatur. buenagenteatl.com.

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