Buford Highway – known throughout Metro Atlanta and beyond as a mecca for ethnic cuisine, cheap eats, international grocery stores and boutiques selling foreign fashions. While the highway stretches almost 50 miles from Atlanta to Buford, GA, the area that continues to be featured in shows like Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover begins just north of Midtown Atlanta and runs through Chamblee, Doraville and Norcross. 

Within this area, there are over 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses. It can be very intimidating and daunting for a person to figure out where to eat or shop in this area. In some of the restaurants, little to no English is spoken and the menus are printed in the native language. And even in the more popular restaurants, how do you know what’s good? 

In this mini-series, I’ll take you through some popular BuHi restaurants and give tips on what to order so you can try them out armed with plenty of knowledge and no longer intimidated. New experiences are important and they don’t have to be scary!

El Rey del Taco – Mexican

If you’re a little nervous about trying all sorts of ethnic foods but want to experience Buford Highway, El Rey Del Taco is the best place to start. Mexican food tends to be familiar to most Americans and are therefore more approachable. However, most Americans have not had Mexican food like this – it’s not Taco Bell! My mom refuses to have Mexican food when she comes to Atlanta because she insists she can have Mexican food at home in Ohio and wants to have something different. I finally convinced her to try El Rey during her last visit. She went back a second time in less than one week. 😉

The menu is extensive and features tacos, tortas (sandwiches) and quesadillas with familiar meats like chicken and carne asada (steak) as well as more adventurous options like lengua (beef tongue). All tacos can be ordered on corn or flour tortillas, but ask for the handmade corn tortillas and have them topped with grilled onions. At about $2.25 per taco, this is one of the best deals in town. 

And don’t forget the margaritas. Yum!

Havana – Cuban

This gem of an eatery is tucked into an unassuming plaza behind the Aldi at the intersection of Clairmont Road and Buford Highway. I’m no expert in Cuban food, but this is the best Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had. Perhaps even better is Havana’s Medianoche, which is made on soft, sweet egg bread – a perfect contrast to the saltiness of the pork and pickles. 

We also always get an order of rice and black beans and they never disappoint. The fried plantains are a lovely dessert, especially because they scrape the crispy, burnt bits onto the plate as well. So. darn. good. 

It’s fast-casual inside – order at the counter from the very friendly staff, then seat yourself. The food is inexpensive but good and very approachable in the event you are with (or are yourself) a bit of a picky eater. Definitely a great spot for a beginner to Buford Highway eats!

Chef Liu – Chinese

This is not your average take-out Chinese restaurant. Perhaps best known for their soup dumplings, Chef Liu has a menu filled with delicious eats that will keep you coming back. The very first time I came here was with a friend who ordered the following for our table:

• Snow pea leaves (not on the menu – must request these!)
• Soup dumplings
• Pan fried pork buns
• Leek pies (each order of leek pie is cut in half and serves two, so order accordingly)

The above food was more than enough for four adults, with a little leftover. The final bill was about $40 including the jasmine tea. 

Since that visit, we’ve also found the smoked duck (pictured below) and the spicy cold noodles to be additional tasty options. Chef Liu is closed on Wednesdays.

Crawfish Shack Seafood – Cajun-Asian seafood

Cajun seafood meets Asian flavors like lemongrass and chilies in a unique and delicious combination at Crawfish Shack Seafood. We had all the food from our engagement party catered by them and it was a big hit. It’s fresh and familiar enough for a slightly picky eater but also has plenty of different flavors for the more adventureous ones.

I haven’t had a single bad thing, but the steamed shrimp is by far my favorite seafood on the menu. I always get a platter and fill it with colelsaw, corn on the cob and hush puppies. My hubby usually gets the crawfish (2nd photo below) and the spicy seasoning on them is perfection.

The menu also includes fish, seafood boudin balls (that are not to be missed) and ‘po boys, giving plenty of options for everyone. Prices are more than reasonable, with platters of a seafood and two sides running around $10. The restaurant has communal picnic-table seating and is BYOB. Go now, return often. We do.

Quoc Huong – Vietnamese fast-casual

Before trying the delicious sandwich that is banh mi, you should know there is great debate in Atlanta over who has the best – Lee’s Bakery or Quoc Huong. While there are others, these two reign supreme and my husband and I are solidly in the Quoc Huong camp. 

Banh Mi starts with a perfectly crusty and soft baguette unlike any you’ve had before due to the addition of rice flour. Popular meats fill the inside – bbq pork, chicken and various combinations, and then the toppings of lightly pickled and still-crunchy carrots, cucumbers and jalapenos are added. Garnished with fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of Siriacha sauce, this is arguably one of the best sandwiches in all of Atlanta.

Add to that the price point of about $2.25 and a deal of “Buy 5 get the 6th One Free” and this restaurant easily becomes a regular stop for lunch (they also have other Vietnamese dishes like pho if you want to change it up. I’m going to cover pho in the next post in this series). These sandwiches keep in the freezer if you decide to buy a bunch and save them for later.

Quoc Huong is cash-only and closed on Thursdays. Order at the cash register, take a seat and wait for your food to be brought to you.

Hungry? Get out there and start trying some of the amazing, authentic and delicious food that Atlanta has to offer in the incredible neighborhood of Buford Highway. You won’t be sorry.

And stay tuned for my next post in this series – Buford Highway 201: An Intermediate Guide.