Ethnic Eats

Local Thai Spot is Spiced Right

Thai Restaurant of Norcross has a loyal fan base—for a reason.

The area’s most beloved Thai restaurant is very unassuming. The name is as straightforward as they come—Thai Restaurant of Norcross. No Buddha references, no basil references, nothing fake-exotic in the title. The location is likewise unassuming. Plopped in the middle of a strip mall in a part of town that has seen better days.  Yet, the restaurant has an extremely loyal, enthusiastic fan base and has been reviewed by everyone from Zagat to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (three stars). Heck, Tiger Woods and R.E.M. have even been to the restaurant. What gives? Excellent, perfectly authentic Thai food, served with a smile. That’s it. This spot at 6065 S Norcross Tucker Rd has been in business for over 25 years, and you can tell a little …

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Laura Sullivan

11:16 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Thanks, Ruthy! You won't regret it!   more ›

Ethnic Eats

Shoya Izakaya, the Art of the Japanese Pub

An Asian bar with a food obsession.

Izakaya. A word that rolls off the tongue with delightful staccato. An izakaya, to get all food-snobby on y’all, is a Japanese gastropub. You know, one of those places to sit for hours over drinks with a group of friends, one that also happens to have incredibly good food that’s plated for sharing. In Japan, almost every little town, even those blips nestled between expanses of bright green rice paddies, has an izakaya. You’ll know it because of the red lantern that hangs out front, inviting visitors. Usually, pitcher upon pitcher of beer (or bottle upon bottle of sake) are drained by a large group of co-workers or friends and small plates of vegetable or tofu salad, grilled fish, tempura and meat-on-a-stick are served.  A wonderfully …

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Ethnic Eats

Bento Café: Food That’s Outside the Box

Eat your tea, Norcross!

I went to Bento Café in Norcross looking for a Japanese lunch served in a square container with small portions of the country’s staples, like grilled fish, rice and pickled plums. You know, I went there craving… a bento box.  I even amused myself by thinking of a cheesy headlines as I drove: “Lunch Squared,” “Boxed In.” But I won’t get to use them, because they don’t have bento boxes at the sparse, modern shop in the Hong Kong Supermarket shopping center. What they do have is the ever-popular “boba,” or bubble, tea and excellent Taiwanese comfort food. The brushed metal and cinderblock décor and high ceiling lend the place a lofty feel. Cute, pop art cartoon design in the restaurant and on the menu also add to the happy, Asian kitsch vibe—…

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Sarah Bakhtiari

3:13 pm on Saturday, July 23, 2011

Everyone I know loves Bento. I would come here almost weekly as a high schooler, and I actually ate here last weekend for the first time in a couple of years. It's better than I remember it!   more ›

Ethnic Eats

New Kabob Joint Fills Hole in the Vast Culinary Landscape of Norcross

Delightful hummus, gyros get high marks at authentic Greek and Middle Eastern restaurant.

Baba’s Gyro & Kabob is a new Greek and Middle Eastern joint in the Flying Biscuit and Dream Land Barbeque shopping center off Peachtree Parkway—and it’s a crowd pleaser with its fresh, authentic dishes and snappy service. Though the restaurant is new, the staff and management seem to be old hats: They already have one location in Cumming off Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Even on a hopping lunch shift, we were lavished with attention. Hey, I saw the servers take the time to kiss two babies during a lunch rush. The food is good, darn good actually, but the true advantage of this restaurant is that it fills a culinary hole in Norcross. Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican and Japanese, we have in droves. There just aren’t any authentic places in …

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Ethnic Eats

Don Pedro: Cult Tacos

A taco shop that’s as cheap as Taco Bell, and only 1,000 times better.

On any given day, seemingly at any given time, you can drive by a humble taco shop on Buford Highway and find it packed. Cars might be parked askew, lines might be forming at the door. The sign simply says “Tacos, 99 Cents.” Don Pedro’s menu boasts that it serves “Real Mexican Food.” This is not Tex-Mex. This is not a place with fake palm trees and margaritas. This is a place for tacos: tongue tacos, BBQ tacos, spicy pork tacos, steak tacos.  Each taco comes with a minimalist topping of diced raw onion and a little chopped fresh cilantro—we liked that the flourish had a definite flavor but wasn’t too much. It was bold, but perfectly placed.  Tacos come double wrapped: the meat and veggie is generously piled inside two greasy, bubbly warmed…

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Ethnic Eats

The Loving Hut: Healthy Pan-Asian that Defies Expectations

Delightful Asian, with a conscience.

I’m going to wander slightly here—outside the borders of Norcross and outside of my formula of picking an authentic ethnic restaurant you’ve likely never heard of—to bring you this healthy edition of Ethnic Eats.  The Loving Hut is a vegan Pan-Asian restaurant that defies expectations. First, its location at 6385 Spalding Drive in Peachtree Corners in a squat business park meant for professional offices, it seems. Next, its active community of health-minded patrons seem that they should be more Little Five Points than Peachtree Corners. Last, its menu, delicious and inventive without any meat, cream, cheese or other animal product. And the restaurant has 22 owners and is run by a non-profit organization.   Patty Durand has been a regular …

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Ethnic Eats

Ethnic Eats: Under Chandeliers, a Happy Valley of Dim Sum

Cantonese treats that delight by the bite.

Elaborate Greek columns and terra cotta soldiers greet you in the lobby. The elaborate chandeliers and flower arrangements makes you think you could be crashing someone’s wedding. But no.  Instead you are in the faux-elaborate dining room of Happy Valley to get some snap-fresh Cantonese food and incredible bites of dim sum. Many adoring foodies have called Happy Valley dim sum the best in Atlanta. For those who have not partaken in the treats, individual-portions of bite-sized food or dumplings are served in a steamer, often from a rolling cart. The idea originated in the southern Canton region of China and is popular in Hong Kong as well, often eaten as an elaborate breakfast or lunch. There are many options on the dim sum menu, and each …

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Ethnic Eats

Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet: Stick to the Grill

A mammoth new grill and buffet lacks in authenticity—and, ahem, fortune.

A large buffet and hibachi grill is now open at the corner of Singleton Road and Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The shiny lacquer booths and decorations speak to its newness. The voluminous piles of food will give you a good idea of why this $8 flat fee restaurant is so busy in its first weeks.  As you can imagine, I would steer you away from the pizza, oddly shaped chicken fingers and twice-baked potatoes at an Asian buffet. You could join the crowd and see how many crawfish or crab claws or peel-and-eat shrimp you can possibly eat for just $8, but allow me to advise you against that, too. Unfortunately, I’ve also got to direct you away from the sushi. The colorful spread is simply not fresh. I always judge a sushi establishment by the quality …

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Zapata: A Mexican Revolution for Your Mouth

It's a refreshingly different dining experience that showcases traditional Mexican flavors.

Zapata in Historic Norcross offers many departures from the chips-and-salsa norm. The menu is more than just a list of numbered combos: It has traditional Mayan and Aztec flourishes that make the mouth turn up into a smile. Named after Emiliano Zapata, the mustached Mexican revolutionary, the restaurant recently moved to its 15 Jones St. address after a post on Peachtree Parkway. The Sopa Azteca soup makes many appearances on the lunch menu, which is very reasonably priced. The rich tomato and Guijillo pepper puree is reminiscent of a sweet red pepper soup. Fried tortilla strips are best eaten first, before they get soaked in the broth. A slice of ripe avocado and crumbled fresh cheese lend a creamy hint.  Get the Aztec soup with the Maya …

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Aaron Rolka

3:49 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011

I can definitely vouch for this place's uniqueness. It is unlike any other Mexican place I've been to. The Molcajetes in the volcano pot is fantastic!   more ›

Ethnic Eats

Simply Authentic Japanese: Sushi Yoko

A sushi-lovers secret is out: Norcross has the best under-the-radar spot in town.

Let it be known that your editor is a Japanaphile. I love everything about Japanese culture, from the kitschy little cell phone charms to the austerity of Zen culture. I spent long, quiet years perched in a little mountain town in rural Japan, after all. So you can imagine my delight when I found out that one of Atlanta’s most esteemed “underground” Japanese restaurants is right in Norcross, Sushi Yoko.  The restaurant is in unlikely territory, along the access road on Hwy 141, in what I thought may have been a late-night emporium. But inside of the boxy, almost windowless building at 7142 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, there’s an inviting, friendly sushi shop with natural wood details that serves some of the freshest, most respectfully …

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Laura Sullivan

11:35 am on Saturday, February 12, 2011

That is exactly right. Nice hiragana reference...Tomato is the name of the shop on site.   more ›