Best Buford Highway Meal for the Money
Decatur Metro | February 17, 2014 | 10:00 am
Brianc requested this “for the money” thread in a comment a couple of weeks ago. Where are your favorite spots to grab a meal on Buford Highway?
Plaza Fiesta photo courtesy of Wikipedia
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Lee’s Bakery, China Town Mall food court, El Señor Taco. All gut busting options for deliciousness at low cost. I might just need some dan dan noodles tomorrow.
Nam Phuong Vietnamese – 4051 Buford Hwy 30345 – Have been eating there for the past 3 years -never had a meal I didn’t enjoy.
And we always have yummy leftovers. It’s like 2 meals for the price of one!
love that place.
Lee’s and Quoc Huong for Bahn Mi. Chef Liu’s for soup dumplings, Gu’s Bistro for Szechuan, Rincon Latino for Central American food (great pupusas!), and El Rey Del Taco for great everything. I second the Chinatown Mall food court, especially for the handmade noodles and the roasted pork and duck (sorry, can’t remember the name of the original shops, but they are easy to pick out… Look for the shop with the roasted meats hanging in the window, and for the shop with the guy making the noodles
). Also check out the White Mill Bakery north of I-285. So much goodness on Buford Highway!
Chef Liu’s for the dumplings: +1
Had avoided Liu;s for a while because the quality had fallen off but ended up back there New Year’s Eve because Gu’s (enthusiastically endorsed by my Chinese fellow students at GSU) was too crowded. Was pleasantly surprised. The dumplings are back to their former glory. A recommendation off Buford, but in the genre: Nam Phuong at I-85 and Jimmy Carter. And though it costs more than most Buford places, who can resist Granny’s cooking at Stone Bowl? I’d like to see one of these forums on our Indian food offerings closer to home along DeKalb Industrial and Lawrenceville Highway.
“ended up back there New Year’s Eve because Gu’s (enthusiastically endorsed by my Chinese fellow students at GSU) was too crowded.”
We at there (Gu’s) Christmas night. and it was so busy they had to close the next day because they ran out of food!
How is the food court at Fiesta Plaza? Any favorites?
For the money, it’s hard to beat the bahn mi at Lee’s Bakery. But for a more complex dinner, in the same shopping center is Com, which is a fantastic value. We’ve been enjoying their grilled grape leaf rolls and combination salads for more than 5 years and I don’t think they’ve had a price increase in that time. They also offer complimentary, small desserts.
On the Doraville end, Gu’s Bistro is wildly popular and with good reason. Great, authentic Schezuan cuisine. Though a bit more expensive than some of the places on Buford Hwy, the entrees and apps are easily splittable. We are addicted to their Zhong-style dumplings and the Shrimp with cilantro and broccoli. They also have prix fixe dim sum parties occasionally on Sundays. Those are a good deal if you’re an adventurous eater.
Just a bit further north is our go-to sushi place, Sushi House Hayakawa. Though by no means cheap, it is on par with the much more expensive places in Buckhead, etc. I’d recommend a reservation for here and Gu’s, especially on Fridays and Saturday nights.
My last pick stretches the definition of “Buford Highway” from both a geographical and foodie standpoint. Rexall Drugs in Duluth is seemingly a world away from the other places I mentioned, but it’s worth the trip. Old fashioned southern food is not to easy find on Buford Hwy. any more. I’ve only had the breakfast, but I’d bet the lunch is just as good.
+3 or 4 to Lee’s Bakery for bahn mi.
Other faves are
– C’om for Vietnamese (though it’s less divey in terms of decor) – order the vermicelli noodle (bun) and the spring roles (tilapia is nice and light). The build-your-own lettuce wraps are also quite tasty.
– Crawfish Shack for affordably priced seafood (can’t beat 8 jump shrimp and two sides for like $9) – BYOB and sit at a picnic table inside or outside. Run by a Korean fam so it’s kind of a New Orleans meets Korea flavor (but more the former than the latter)
– Panahar (Bangladeshi) – may items you’d be familiar with on an Indian menu. Saag paneer, chicken tikki masala. Also BYOB no corking fee. IPA pairs well with spicy Bangladeshi/Indian food.
– Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl House (Korean) – grandma does it right! Love this place for the bibimbap bowl or the bulgogi. If you’re picky, just get the bulgogi (beef) with the steamed rice – and forgo all the fun toppings. If you’re more adventurous, the stone bowl dishes come out in sizzling hot cast iron bowl with veggies and rice and an egg you crack on top and stir in the hot pot. This place is a big time favorite.
Now I’m nervous my favorite spots will be much more crowded!
Lastly, after a big meal, grab a $30, hour-long foot massage at Treat Your Feet (the location just OTP). Thank me later! Also BYOB*.
*noticing a drinking theme here. Whoops. Priorities.
*jumbo shrimp
+1 on Panahar. Great family owned spot that I’ve been eating at irregularly for ten years now.
Havana Grill for a Cuban. Don’t forget pho. Forgot the restaurant’s name but just north of fiesta plaza.
Ooh, I forgot about Panahar. Great value! But I have to say I’ve never considered the possibility of BYOB meaning Bring Your Own Beer, as you mention. I always assumed it was wine only. I wonder if this is possible at other places that allow BYOB…
BYOB generally means wine or beer – liquor is off limits. At Panahar, they’ll put your beer in the fridge in the back and bring you a new one with a glass when you finish your first. Enjoy!
Thanks for that info. I can see a new itinerary developing from it: Pick up wife at Doraville Marta station; pick up cold beer at Tower Spirits and Wine on Buford Hwy (great selection and the best prices I’ve found); head to Panahar for cheap, delicious dinner.
Sounds excellent. Can I be your third wheel?
My wife would insist on setting you up, I’m afraid. Almost all of her friends are single, male and female. BTW, what does the PW stand for?
Mr. Parkwood Fan may not be a fan of the set up – ha! Actually I prob wouldn’t be a fourth wheel because he’s easily convinced to eat interesting ethnic food.
Second everyone who named Gu’s (may seem expensive, but two people can get two meals out of each entrée & app!); BoBo Garden makes amazing juicy, crispy/crackly garlic chicken (imagine Peking duck, but made with chicken) & fish noodle soup–they don’t use much heat in their food, but seasonings are spot on. El Senor Taco is our go-to for inexpensive fish & shrimp tacos–I’m addicted to the house-made pickled onion relish & avocado salsa on their salsa bar! For pho, nothing will do but Pho Dai Loi #2. For an all-around experience, the food court at Plaza Fiesta ROCKS!
So Kong Dong! For $8 you get a huge bubbling tofu hot pot with your choice of seafood or meat, plus six side dishes (banchan), PLUS a fried whole fish! The little yellow croakers are delicious; I like them better than fried catfish. For $12, you get a tofu hot pot plus a side order of bulgogi beef. I rarely finish everything in one meal; it’s huge.
These recommendations might just motivate me to leave the Decatur city limits! And Buford Hwy is a much better direction than Midtown, VA Highlands or Buckhead.
don’t bother. just wait til decatur annexes it.
Our #1 favorite place is Harmony Vegetarian Chinese Restaurant. It is located in the shopping center just south of the intersection w Chamblee-Tucker. Even lots of non-vegetarians (like me) love the place.
+1 for Panahar. For almost a decade we lived minutes from there, and saw Mirza (the owner) grow it from being struggling to quite successful. We ordered takeout almost weekly.
I was scrolling down thinking “Where is the Harmony love?” The BEST hot and sour soup ever. And I *am* a vegetarian so I love sitting down with a menu where I can get ANYTHING. A+.
Love Harmony! Haven’t been there in a while, but I like some of their “fake meat” American-style dishes better than the real thing at many other places–the orange beef especially.
Coming late to the party and most of my go-to places have been mentioned. But I haven’t seen anyone yet mention:
-BuHi Farmers Market cafeteria for tacos, empanadas, Korean dumplings and crepes (yes, crepes).
-Baldino’s for subs. Eating other people’s ethnic foods is great. But sometimes all I want is the comfort of my own, and a big ol’Italian Jersey sub fits the bill. Just beware the pepperoni rolls. They are fatteningly addictive.
-Rusty Nail for cold beer and BBQ from the smoking gun. Great dive bar with shockingly good food.
-Pink Pony. Wait, we were talking about food, weren’t we? Oh, and “for the money.” Yeah, never mind this one.
Good call on Baldino’s, a great selection when you dont feel like going across the street for the best empanadas and carne asada tacos in town at the Buford Hwy Farmers Market.
All my other spots have been named except 1 — Tortas Locas on Chamblee Tucker about 50 yds east of BuHi. Milanesa is my favorite.
There is another new Bangladeshi spot on BuHi called Al-Amin Supermarket/Restaurant. No website, paper printed menu and pretty authentic Bengali snacks/food style.
Get the Muglai Parata (egg and chilies inside the paratha)
Chotpoti (a chickpeas dish),
Tandoori leg, and they’ve got the usual biriyanis and currys. All of this stuff is under $10.
The wait can be 20 mins for food.
Right by the 285 QT
5466 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30340
(470) 375-4071
Great call on Al-Amin! We did a progressive tapas tour on BuHi and went there on our 2nd stop. We were treated very well and the food was really delicious.
Our first stop was the Columbian place across the highway, don’t remember the name. Not La Casona, but the other one- east side of BuHi, immediately south of 285. I highly recommend that place, also.
+1 on Lee’s Bakery and El Ray Del Taco. Ones I haven’t seen mentioned:
Pho Bac – great pho, pretty good banh mi.
Penang – great Malaysian food, get the curried beef noodles, so good.
Tempoe Doeloe – my wife and I had never tried Indonesian food before, now we love this place! They give you a good amount of food.
Paris Baguette – it’s a chain, but a good one. The caneles are legit. I highly HIGHLY recommend the curry croquette.
Now I have a question – where’s the best place on Buford Hwy to get pupusas? I LOVE these things, and I know there are places that serve them but I’m not sure where.