Photos by Jane Kortright Photography

Maguire Welsh has been working at 1855 Central Avenue, on and off, since he was 15 years old. Since the 1970s, the building has been a space for different restaurants serving all kinds of foods for decades. 

 Starting as a busboy and food runner, Welsh worked some version of each job in the restaurant industry to form an appreciation for the sense of accomplishment at the end of a busy weekend — a kitchen full of dishes meant happy customers with full bellies and hearts. 

It was this feeling that brought him back to the restaurant scene after a career as an insurance adjuster — a well-paying job but one without the ability to witness the customer’s end-product satisfaction. “I was missing that purpose,” he says. 

Rather than try to duplicate the popular businesses that came before him, Welsh decided the new restaurant would be a local tavern. “We want to be the neighborhood spot — somewhere to walk in where it takes you five minutes to get to your table because you’re talking to people.” 

 The menu includes some of Welsh’s longtime favorites. The recipe for the Apricot Pork Tenderloin, based on one from his childhood, is served alongside a broiled tomato with the taste reminiscent of tomato pie. The pimento cheese starter is his grandmother Muga’s recipe. 

 Welsh is dedicated to high standards of uniformity and quality in every dish. “We make everything in-house except for the Heinz^® ketchup. [Meats and cheeses] are sliced on a deli slicer, so they are the exact same size every time. Our bread comes from a bakery in Atlanta three times a week.” 

Fresh-pressed juices and homemade syrups along with preservative-free breads elevate classics like the tavern’s favorite burger. Even the fries involve a 24-hour process starting with being hand-cut, washed and re-washed several times to obtain the perfect exterior. 

 The team at Midtown Tavern continues to fulfill Welsh’s vision for a neighborhood spot with reliably great food and service while reinventing another local favorite.

Seen in the May 2025 issue of Augusta magazine