Buford Highway For Lovers
What is your ideal date? Is it dinner and a movie? An intimate table tucked away in the corner of the hottest restaurant in town? Or is it adventure and discovery? If you’re in that latest group, this story is just for you. Buford Highway has long been known to food lovers as the place to eat off the beaten path. The road is dotted with miles of signs that English-only speakers cannot understand, and menus that reflect the same. Not exactly what comes to most minds when planning a romantic night on the town, right? But you shouldn’t discount it so quickly! From some of the best food in Atlanta to relaxation and fun, there’s plenty here for date night. Here are a few of our suggestions.
Be sure to comment below with any of your favorite BuHi date ideas!
Dim Sum and Foot Massage
Photo credit: treatyourfeetatl.com
You don’t have to wait until the sun sets to have a date. Why not start the day with some relaxation and dumplings? Imagine the best brunch you’ve ever had. Now imagine there are carts overflowing with dishes winding through the restaurant for your pleasure. That, dear, is dim sum at Royal China. You’ll pile your plates with dumplings, bbq pork buns and sticky rice. Just when you think you’ll burst, the custard cart will come by. Don’t miss out. And the best part? It’s incredibly affordable. I’ve never left paying more than $15. Maybe I should try harder?
Now, you’re going to want to go home and fall into a glorious food coma. Resist this urge. Resist, because you have an appointment for massages! Treat Your Feet is my go-to spot for this post-dim sum lethargy. You’ll be ushered into a dark room. Pro-tip: ask for on of the back rooms for as tranquil experience as you can get. You’ll get a cup of delicious hot tea. The tea is blended by the owner, and they will NOT give up their secrets, no matter how sweetly you ask. Then, lay back and enjoy an hour long foot/leg massage that may drive you to snore. And for only $30 per hour, this will be a regular part of your date rotation.
Tour de Taco
The only problem with tacos is that there are not enough hours in the day to get enough. So, why not spend an entire day sampling the awesome selection of tacos that Buford Highway has to offer? A progressive taco dinner, if you will. To get this most awesome journey started, pull into the parking lot of El Senor Taco. The owner is straight from Baja, and makes fish tacos that will immediately transport you to the Pacific. Flaky, white fish with just the right amount of batter is tucked into a corn tortilla. Hit up the condiment buffet for some super fresh salsas and garnishments. You’ll be tempted to stay there, but don’t! You’ll want to grab your date and head up the road to El Rey Del Taco. This traditional taqueria is open (nearly) 24 hours a day, so you can get your fix any time. Order the hand made tortillas (trust us), and select your filling. The lengua and al pastor are favorites. Order a few margaritas and a shrimp cocktail (really) and alternate making googly eyes at one another and the food. And now, we’re ready for the final stop. Just across the street is Chicago Supermarket. Yes, you’ll walk into a grocery store. But walk to the back for a heavenly surprise. Head straight to the counter, grab a Mexican coke and order a mix of tacos and tamales. Tamales totally count as dessert, right?
Dinner And A Show
Photo credit: http://www.atlantasushibar.com/
Dinner and a show is pretty standard date, right? Well, what if you’re the show? Well, we’ll get to that soon enough. First up is dinner with some theater. you and your date are going to pull up to an unassuming shopping strip (a fairly often phrase to mutter on BuHi) and saunter into Sushi House Hayakawa. You may think this a typical strip mall sushi spot. It’s not. It’s pretty much the greatest. If they could go ahead and set up a direct deposit of my paycheck, it would be so much easier. If you really want to impress your date, or horrify them with how much sushi you can devour, order the Omakase. This is basically chef’s choice. You tell Sushi Chef Hayakawa how much you want to spend and whether you want to avoid anything. Then, let the show begin. Sip on some sake, whisper some sweet nothings into your darling’s ear and then dive in.
When you’ve finished the best sushi dinner ever walk over (waddle over?) to Karaoke Melody. This is where the real show begins. At $8 a person, your group will get it’s own private room. You know, to minimize the embarrassment of wailing out your rendition of Baby, One More Time. And, just in case you were wondering there’s a full bar, so you’ll sound pretty great soon enough.
For more restaurants in Buford Highway, click here.
