Devotees of chef Peter Chang are regulars to this beloved Chinese restaurant, which now resides on Powers Ferry Road. And for many longtime Atlantans, Tasty China is where they first fell in love with Sichuan cuisine. Head here for classic hot and numbing Sichuan dishes, including dry-fried eggplant and tofu, cumin lamb, and braised fish in red chili oil. The menu includes a few American-Chinese dishes, too, like General Tso’s chicken and Mongolian beef.

This Michelin-recommended restaurant includes locations in Midtown and Duluth at the Jusgo’s food court. Xi’an Gourmet House focuses on dishes from the Shaanxi region of China, northwest of Sichuan. Shaanxi cuisine often incorporates Sichuan peppercorns and chilis in its dishes. Try the liang pi cold skin noodles, thick and chewy wheat noodles mixed with sliced cucumbers and sprouts and tossed in vinegar and chili oil, the whole fish with pickled peppers, or the hot and numbing dry fried beef. The pao-mo soup contains steamed leavened flatbread cooked in lamb broth with slices of lamb meat. 

Located on Piedmont Road in Buckhead in a complex once home to the disco Kroger, Urban Wu is a solid bet for Sichuan and Hunan dishes in the city. Try the dry-fried string beans, spicy pickled cabbage, braised fish in red chili oil, spicy cumin lamb, and double-cooked pork. The restaurant also serves dan dan noodles, lo mein, hot and sour soup, and orange chicken.

There may be no better place in all of metro Atlanta in which to do a Chinese fare food crawl. Here you’ll find stalls at the food court serving everything from hand-pulled noodles and a variety of dumplings to hot pots, streamed fish entrees, spicy dishes like Chongqing chicken, and Chinese barbecue. Some stalls offer free hot tea. Stop by Family Baking on your way home and pick up a red bean paste bun or egg custard tart for the road.

The family behind beloved Gu’s Bistro made a triumphant return to Buford Highway in 2018 with a brand new restaurant, Gu’s Kitchen. The menu is a mix of the family’s Krog Street Market food stall Gu’s Dumplings and the bistro’s greatest hit. Expect familiar favorites like the wildly popular Chengdu cold noodles, Zhong-style dumplings, and spicy dried eggplant, alongside sweet and spicy thick noodles, spicy dry-fried beef noodles, and mapo tofu. Be sure to ask about their daily specials, like Gu’s Bistro’s popular tea-smoked duck.

This Asian Square Chinese restaurant is a Buford Highway institution and offers a wide selection of Cantonese-style roast meats on its menu, including chicken, pork, and crispy roast duck. Ming’s serves its roast ducks, displayed in the front window, in whole, half, and quarter portions. Add some stir-fried yau choi (leafy green) or gai lan (Chinese broccoli) to the meal with a side of Ming’s barbecue pork fried rice. There’s also a location in Duluth.

BBQ Corner 2 has long been a favorite for Atlantans seeking Chinese-American staples on Buford Highway, including vegetable and chicken lo mein, fried pork dumplings, wonton soup, egg foo young, and sesame chicken. The congee here is great on cool days and evenings in Atlanta, as is the braised fish hot pot.

The dumpling-heavy menu at Northern China Eatery features everything from baskets full of warm and savory soup dumplings to pork and fennel-filled fried dumplings. Order the pork and chive steamed dumplings or pork, shrimp, and chive fried dumplings to start, or maybe just order a slew of dumplings to fill the table. Try the Chinese crepes with crullers at breakfast or the cumin lamb, Mandarin pork belly and glass noodles, and Chongqing spicy chicken to pair with your dumpling feast.

LanZhou Ramen is now a Michelin-recommended restaurant. Just up the way from Bo Bo Garden at Pinetree Plaza, this Chinese restaurant serves heaping plates of hand-pulled noodles on its menu. Try the pork or oxtail noodles or order one of the soups like the duck or beef noodle soup, and watch the chef roll, twist, pull, and whip those noodles into shape through the window overlooking the kitchen. LanZhou also offers a variety of dumplings, including soup dumplings and fried potstickers.

Chef Rui Liu has created a following of people who frequent this family-owned and operated Sichuan restaurant in Duluth. From the Chongqing-style noodles and dry spicy eggplant to tea-smoked duck and shredded beef or pork with hot peppers, few things on the menu don’t come with heat at Masterpiece. The Duluth Chinese restaurant continues to be worth the trek north from Atlanta and a great place to enjoy a family-style Sichuan meal.

Another Duluth Chinese restaurant staple is Taste of China. Order everything from Xi’an cold sesame noodles, spicy hot pots, and twice cooked pork to fish in black bean sauce, moo goo gai pan, and lobster with scallion sauce. Indulge in half and whole portions of Peking duck, too, which comes with a side of perfectly crispy skin served with all the traditional accoutrements and fluffy bao.