Atlanta Restaurants & Food

You’re going to have to pass up a lot of good food to get to this Buford Highway restaurant. You should.

Spicy stinky tofu Sichuan style in hot pot at La Mei Zi. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Spicy stinky tofu Sichuan style in hot pot at La Mei Zi. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
May 20, 2016

The offerings at Asian Square on Buford Highway tend to overwhelm me. There are so many options: a crispy banh mi at Quoc Huong, the rich soup floating with fish heads at Mamak, the sweet pineapple buns at Hong Kong Bakery, the savory char siu at Ming’s BBQ. Heck, even the doughnuts at Sweet Hut call my name. I tend to just stop at Quoc Huong and get a banh mi like usual, rather than make a difficult decision and explore the rest of the lot.

All of this is a partial explanation for why I’ve been to this strip mall so many times, but only recently noticed La Mei Zi, a Taiwanese-Sichuan restaurant that’s been open for a year. It’s located all the way in the back of the parking lot! You’re going to have to pass up a lot of good food to get there. You should.

I may be a little behind on La Mei Zi, but I’ve spent plenty of time playing catch-up in recent weeks. Somehow, my meals all begin the same, at a booth in the corner that affords me a full view of the room.

Read more about Wyatt Williams' experience at La Mei Zi -- including his brush with bitter melon, stinky tofu and pork intestine -- here.

Scroll down to get an idea of what to expect when you visit:

Braised Beef and Scallion with hoisin sauce (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Braised Beef and Scallion with hoisin sauce (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Fried pork chop over rice. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Fried pork chop over rice. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Lamb with Leeks, cilantro in hot bean sauce. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)
Lamb with Leeks, cilantro in hot bean sauce. (BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY)

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About the Author

Yvonne Zusel has been with the AJC since 2010. She worked on the digital news and food and dining teams before joining the arts & entertainment team.

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