Where to Eat Chinese in Atlanta
The ultimate list of Chinese dishes and restaurants in Atlanta.
Photo credit: CL Photo Archives
Here's our list of the Best Chinese Restaurant awards each year.
The Best Chinese in Atlanta according to our Critics is:
Masterpiece Restaurant
Tucked away in Duluth, Masterpiece serves Szechuan and other Chinese fare such as dry friend eggplant, dumplings with chili sauce, and smoked fried tea duck.
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The Best Chinese in Atlanta according to our Readers is (TIE):
Golden Buddha Restaurant Restaurant
Among metro Atlanta's 100-plus Chinese restaurants are two that would belong in any listing of the top 20: The Golden Buddha and China Gate.
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Tasty China (Marietta) Restaurant
Even after all these years, the fiery nuances of Szechuan cuisine at Marietta's Tasty China — and the mild intestinal discomfort that can accompany it — is still totally worth the drive. Despite many personnel changes since opening in 2006, Tasty China has managed to keep churning out the kind of ho...
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Last Year's Critic's Choice for Best Chinese
Ming's BBQ Doraville Restaurant, Barbecue
This authentic Hong Kong restaurant will grab your attention with the multiple kinds of meats in the window display. Go for the soy sauce chicken served with a rich scallion sauce and rice. Highly recommend the crispy duck as well.
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Chinese Dishes from our 100 Dishes List
Braised beef hand-pulled noodle soup at New Lan Zhou
Available at New Lan Zhou NoodleWatching the chefs at New Lan Zhou in the Atlanta Chinatown Mall food court hand-pull dough into impossibly long stretches of noodle is a joy. Digging into the noodles moments later offers joy times two. There are plenty of variations on the house special, but the braised beef version is our current favorite — offering chunky cubes of meat and a rich stock to counter those chewy noodles. Slurp away. $8.50.
Chengdu cold noodle dish at Gu's Bistro
Available at Gu's Bistro - (permanently closed)Thick egg noodles tangled into a tiny bowl are bathed in a sweet and spicy sauce. Oil infused with fried chilies and Szechuan peppercorns brings the heat, while green onion adds a bright pop. Mix it all together in the deep-red dressing, pluck a comically long strand of noodles, and be prepared to fight your tablemate for the last slurp. $7.25.
Cruller and soy milk at Chef Liu
Available at Chef LiuYou think Krispy Kreme and milky coffee is oh-so-very American? This Chinese take on the wonders of hot, tender fried dough with a sugary touch knows no geographical or cultural bounds. The bowl of soy milk and long cruller make for a dunking-and-nibbling experience worth lingering over. $2.50.
Dry fried eggplant at Tasty China
Available at Tasty China (Marietta)People will debate: Is it what it used to be? Is it as good as it once was? Is it is it is it? We'll tell you what it is: delicious. The thick french-fry-like, battered and fried sticks of eggplant have gone through a few incarnations, but the current one is as good as it comes. Crispy on the outside, creamy and piping-hot in the middle, and showered with cilantro, red pepper flakes and Szechuan peppercorns that leave your tongue all abuzz and your water tasting like seltzer. $13.95.
Dry-fried eggplant at Tasty China
Available at Tasty China (Marietta)When this dish appeared in the mid-2000s, it was a revelation to Atlanta diners. Batons of eggplant are dry-fried - not deep-fried - which means they aren't soggy, but as crispy as french fries. The interior is creamy like custard and the outside is seasoned with that hot and numbing Sichuan wonder Tasty China is known for. Pops of fresh scallion add brightness in between bites. Just don't eat the dried chilies. $8.95.?
STILL THE ONE: Tasty China's dry fried eggplant was featured in the 2011 edition of 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die
Fish tofu kabob at Te Wei Chinese Kabob
Available at Beijing KabobsTight rolls of white flour tortilla-like pancakes cradle shreds of cabbage, veggies and cubes of firm tofu. It's all brought together with a spicy Szechuan peppercorn-infused oil. Each bite provides crunch and heat that's so addictive, you can expect to experience full-blown food-lust for weeks to come. $7.
Hot and numbing beef rolls at Tasty China
Available at Tasty China (Marietta)They look like burritos, but taste like Szechuan dreams. These tightly rolled, tortilla-like pancakes cradle shreds of crispy lettuce and an oily mess of hot pepper and Szechuan peppercorn-coated beef. While these peppercorns have been known to cause some temporary digestive distress, it's a small price to pay for the euphoric heat they bring. These crunchy rolls are so addictive, you can expect to experience full-blown food lust for weeks to come. $7.
Invincible Dan Dan Mazeman at Ton Ton Ramen
Available at Ton Ton Ramen & YakitoriThis ramen noodle dish is indeed invincible — it will crush your taste buds into submission with plentiful Szechuan chili oil and a heavy sprinkling of spice. The combo of chewy noodles and savory ground pork topped with a soft egg calls to mind a Chinese Bolognese made in Japan — and it works like some crazy cross-cultural masterpiece. $12.
Peking Duck at Royal China
Available at Royal China RestaurantThere's plenty of Peking duck out there, but Royal China's is a show-stopper. Seriously, heads turn when this glistening guy travels through the dining room. If you go with the three-course Peking duck dinner, a server will carve the roast duck tableside. Next come the pillowy, white steamed buns in which you stuff slices of this beautiful, crispy-skinned bird. Dress it all up with plum sauce, shreds of green onion, and batons of cucumber for a picturesque, crispy duck-skin sandwich.
Spicy cold noodles at Chef Liu
Available at Chef LiuChewy egg noodles are coated with a nutty dressing rife with sesame. The tangle of noodles is finished with crushed, deep red chili flakes. They're sticky, fun, and spicy - not to mention messy. Don't bother serving yourself in a smaller bowl, which is the proper way to do things. Just eat them straight from the plate. $4.25.?
STILL THE ONE: Chef Liu's spicy cold noodles were featured in the 2011 edition of 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die
Spicy cold noodles at Chef Liu
Available at Chef LiuA mound of fresh egg noodles coated in a nutty and pasty dressing are unceremoniously piled onto an oval plate. Sticky, fun and spicy from a last-minute layer of crushed deep red chili flakes showered on top, each chopstick full is a seductive mixture of sweet comfort and alluring pain. SHOUT OUT: Soup dumplings. $3.95.
Zhong-style dumplings at Gu's Dumplings
Available at Gu's DumplingsThese palm-sized half-moons come bathed in a mercifully mild chili sauce, like a less-concentrated version of the chili oil found on the table at most Chinese restaurants. Each delicate dumpling skin contains a meatball-esque center of savory pork filling that bursts with natural juiciness. The only downside? The glistening pockets are so slippery they can be tricky to eat with chopsticks. Don’t let utensil woes get between you and the prize; there’s no shame in using a fork. Or your fingers. 6 pieces: $6/12 pieces: $10.
CL Recommends: Chinese Restaurants
Golden Buddha Restaurant Restaurant
Among metro Atlanta's 100-plus Chinese restaurants are two that would belong in any listing of the top 20: The Golden Buddha and China Gate.
|
more...
Masterpiece Restaurant
Tucked away in Duluth, Masterpiece serves Szechuan and other Chinese fare such as dry friend eggplant, dumplings with chili sauce, and smoked fried tea duck.
|
more...
Ming's BBQ Doraville Restaurant, Barbecue
This authentic Hong Kong restaurant will grab your attention with the multiple kinds of meats in the window display. Go for the soy sauce chicken served with a rich scallion sauce and rice. Highly recommend the crispy duck as well.
|
more...
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