Atlanta’s Finest Fusion Restaurants
Ramen or eggs benedict?
Picking out what type of cuisine to eat can often be the hardest decision you’ll make all day. Even though we eat three meals a day (or more if you’re a snacker), arriving at a decision can lead to bickering, decision paralysis, and ultimately disappointment.
Luckily, with fusion cuisine, you don’t have to choose! Suddenly all things seem possible once you see the ways these restaurants combine cultures and nations into unique and delicious dishes.
Here are some of Atlanta’s tastiest fusion restaurants.
Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina
Gezzo’s, from the same team as Sweet Auburn BBQ and Tio Lucho’s, takes the beloved fare of a California taco joint and sprinkles it with pan-Asian flair.
The Tater Toks are crispy tater tots topped with a Korean spicy aioli, sesame, fried shallots, and nori. The Baja Chicken Eggrolls are stuffed with chipotle chicken, veggies, cheese, and serrano escabeche and served alongside a Thai sweet chili sauce. And the Coconut Curry Rice Bowl is a Thai favorite piled high with Spanish rice, black beans, grilled shrimp, red coconut curry, bell pepper, pomegranate, pearl onion, cilantro, and Thai basil. Check Gezzo’s out no matter what side of the Pacific Ocean you’re hankering for grub from.
Taqueria Tsunami
Taqueria Tsunami brings together the flavors of South of the Border and the Far East.
Look no further than the tacos for the full experience – whether it’s Bulgogi, Thai Chicken, or Shrimp Tempura. Or check out the appetizers like Avocado Egg Rolls (with both Santa Fe ranch and sweet and spicy Thai sauce for dunking purposes). They even combine the two cuisines with their cocktails: the margaritas are available in flavors like Strawberry Basil and Jalapeno Cilantro, and the Dragonberry Mojito will be unlike anything you’ve ever sipped before.
Ruby Chow’s
Chef Guy Wong’s hidden gem right next to Ponce City Market serves modern and innovative Asian fusion small plates and noodles with trendy decor but even better food and cocktails.
The Soft-Shell BLT Steamed Buns are filled with savory soft-shell crab, sambal aioli, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. The creamy Roti Canai is chicken in a Malaysian curry dipping sauce with flaky flatbread to take for a swim in the sauce. The true star of the show, however, is their Cacio E Pepe. You read that right. Every bite is teeming with gastronomical and textural sensations. It’s creamy, it’s garlicky, it’s even spicy from the Szechuan peppercorns. Italian + Chinese = Perfection.
Heirloom Market BBQ
Ask any ATLien their favorite local BBQ spot, and many will name this Korean-inspired hole-in-the-wall BBQ spot run by Chef Jiyeon and Chef Cody.
While their brisket is rightfully legendary, the Spicy Korean pork with kimchi slaw is a perfect demonstration of the marriage of the two cuisines (literally… Cody and Jiyeon are husband and wife and from Tennessee and South Korea, respectively). The wings are flash fried and tossed in their sweet & spicy sauce and served with kimchi mayo for dipping. For your side (or just a nice snack), check out the sweet and spicy tofu or the kimchi slaw. And no matter what you order, smother it with Table Sauce. It’s one of the best BBQ sauces in the game.
Pijiu Belly
Lili and Lenny Shou grew up with the dream of infusing an English gastropub with the cuisine and hospitality of their family’s Korean-Chinese heritage, a place where it’s as appropriate to watch a Braves game as it is to slurp on a bowl of ramen on a cool evening. We’d say they achieved that dream with Pijiu Belly.
Pijiu (Mandarin for “beer”) has a wide array of food items that don’t quite fit into the confines of a singular type of food. Look at any table and you may see both a steaming bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen and The Sizzling Burger Plate, with chopped french fries, onions, and cabbage stir-fried with Lenny sauce and topped with an black angus beef patty, provolone cheese, and a fried egg. Speaking of eggs, they also serve one of the most different brunches you’ll ever come across. Just a few dishes include: the Egg-Stuffed Scallion Pancake, the Pork Belly Benedict, and Pijiu’s Spicy Bloody Mary.
Yumbii
Yumbii serves up tons of yummy stuff.
This Asian-meets-Mexican taco shop has tacos stuffed with eclectic fillings like Korean BBQ Chicken, Asian Ribeye Beef, Nashville Hot Chicken, and Panko Breaded Shrimp. Don’t sleep on their Churro Bites with Warm Chocolate and DEFINITELY don’t miss the star of the show: their famous Sesame Fries with chipotle ketchup.
Hopstix
Hopstix is a classic brewpub with an Asian culinary DNA.
Andy Tan, founder and brewmaster, grew up in the Indonesian food scene which firmly emphasizes the concept of street food. This manifests with the menu’s sheer breadth of different types of food. They have sushi rolls, like the Dirty Bird with shrimp tempura, cucumber, and unagi. The Robata Grill section offers all types of high-quality grilled foods, ranging from basic meats (miso duck breast, beef short rib, pork belly) to fancier proteins (bacon-wrapped scallops, baby octopus, and yellowtail collar). The Poke Tostadas combine assorted sashimi fish poke, guacamole spread, and ito togarashi (chili threads) on crispy tostadas. Add in over a dozen house-made beers and you’re in for a delightful time at Hopstix.
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Food Terminal
Food Terminal is Malaysian food, which is already an inherent fusion of Chinese, Indian, Thai, and other cuisines.
In one meal, you’ll find yourself feasting on spicy Szechuan Steam Wontons (Chinese), warm Curry Tofu (Indian), and the hot and sour Tom Yum Soup (Thai). Instead of flying across the globe, save money on airfare and travel to Food Terminal!
Jen Chan’s
The motto of Jen Chan’s is “eat supper together” and when it’s a hybrid of pizza and Chinese, who wouldn’t want a seat at the table?
Jen Chan combines her Chinese heritage with her wife Emily’s American culinary background to produce pizzas that are all over the map, like the 007 (pesto base, mozzarella, feta, confit tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, roasted garlic, prosciutto, parmesan, balsamic reduction, and basil oil) and the Vietnamese Pork Pizza (miso, ginger, garlic, olive oil base, mozzarella, and Vietnamese-style caramelized ground pork, topped with Asian slaw, herbs, and chili crisp). And pizza’s favorite plate partner is wings, so pair your pie with Chinese Lemon Pepper Wet Wings: wings braised in red yeast then deep-fried and served in a pepper vinaigrette with a touch of Szechuan. After all, Atlanta is the lemon pepper capital of the world.
