Go beyond Buford Highway for ethnic food in metro Atlanta

When most Atlantans think authentic -- and cheap -- ethnic food, their thoughts almost immediately turn to Buford Highway, that culinary melting pot of a road that runs through Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett counties.

But if you're not setting your sights a bit further afield, to Pat Mell Shopping Center in Marietta , to be exact, then you're missing out on some of the best Vietnamese, Mexican and El Salvadorian food around.

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Read the AJC Fall Dining Guide, Atlanta Around the Clock, here .