It’s a Sunday afternoon and there’s a short wait at Mega Taco Taqueria y Marisqueria (2055 Beaver Ruin Road, Norcross, 770-248-0097). A corner of the restaurant is crammed with boisterous young Mexican guys wearing their green soccer jerseys and cleats. Every one of them is drinking a 10-inch tall frosty mug full of Mexico’s favorite beer-based drink: the Michelada, a mixture of beer, fresh lime juice, Clamato, and Valentina hot sauce. Every region of Mexico makes a slightly different version. They’re a great way to ease into a lazy Sunday — and a bona fide hangover killer.

Those of you who were fans of Gorditas La Rancherita will recognize many of the now-defunct restaurant’s dishes — pambazos, gorditas and huaraches — on Mega Taco’s immense menu; Gorditas’ cooks migrated to Mega after the former restaurant’s closing. The restaurant’s centerpiece is the tortilla station where a woman churns out an endless stream of tortillas hecho a mano (handmade). The tortillas, which accompany virtually every order, are slightly thicker than their machine-made cousins, but the thickness provides that telltale layer of creamy masa that lets you know they were made with love. Palm-sized “mini” tortillas serve as the vehicle for Mega’s excellent taco fillings. Look for gamey shreds of cabeza (cow’s head) coated in sumptuous grease, tender chunks of carnitas that break apart with minimal prodding, and chopped up pieces of griddle-cooked carne asada encrusted in sweet bits of caramelization.

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At Nam Phuong (5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, 770-409-8686, www.namphuongatlanta.com), chef/owner Tieng Nguyen has created a decidedly more feminine feel and a greater breadth of offerings than found at its hole-in-the-wall competitors. The elegant dining room is flanked by a full bar. Amber sconces pepper the walls adding a soft, warm glow at night. Friendly servers buzz around at lightning speed. Most are well versed in the encyclopedic menu and are composed enough to lend a touch of formality to the dining experience.

Spring rolls and other standards abound on the appetizer menu, but the lotus, shrimp and pork salad tantalizes the senses with its contrasting textures flavors and sounds – yes, sounds. The acidic mix of shredded lotus root and perfectly cooked proteins is scooped and eaten with puffed circles of rice that snap, crackle and pop as you carefully transport them to your mouth. Another salad of sorts, the bo luc lac – or shaking beef – has juicy chunks of grilled beef and a slurry of salt and pepper sauce for drizzling or dipping, plus a tangle of crunchy watercress – a welcome change from the usual romaine lettuce you see elsewhere. You can make a meal out of either salad, but the menu holds too many other treats to stop there.

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Don’t be embarrassed when the door slams behind you at Gorditas La Rancherita (2055 Beaver Ruin Road, Norcross, 678-206-0107). It happens to everyone. The shades are always drawn, lending the restaurant a tinge of sketchiness, and the hard booths aren’t too kind on the rear. The drawbacks end there.

In our taco saturated culinary landscape, Gorditas’ range of real-deal Mexican especialidades is a blessing. Chilaquiles is one of the most popular breakfast dishes in Mexico; old tortillas are repurposed by being fried to a slight crisp and slathered in a spicy salsa. Gorditas makes theirs with smoky red or acid green salsa. Chilaquiles is often served with sliced ham; here, they’re topped with two fried eggs (or your preferred preparation), creamy refried beans, and what has to be the most authentic-tasting (it actually tastes like tomato – not bouillon) Mexican-style rice in Atlanta.

Chunks of fork-tender barbacoa de chivo (goat) are coated in a silky and heady sauce with numerous plates of taco-making accoutrements – a basket of Gorditas’ exceptional tortillas included. These aren’t store-bought tortillas. The short but serious female cook makes them to order in her cubby of a kitchen. They are thicker than the machine-made variety, but take a deep whiff of the steam when they come to the table. Your nose will immediately recognize the distinction.

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Every time I visit Gorditas La Rancherita (look for my full review in Creative Loafing next week), I have to pay La Promesa a visit for a little something sweet. They make some amazing classic Mexican pastries and El Salvadorean pupusas. They even have some awesome homemade salsas in the the fridge for the pupusas or whatever else you’d like to use if for.

The real draw for me is the flan. The bakery makes three different types and they are all amazing. My favorite? The one in the front case that is sliced to order from a round as large as a tire.

No one makes flan like my abuela or mama, but this is the next best thing to getting on a plane to Mexico or Miami. It’s dense–without being a gut-bomb–and has a nice amount of caramel that covers the surface area of every piece. I adore it. You’ll be tempted to get just one piece, but trust me, you need to get two.

Taiwanese pop songs bounce off the high walls of Bento Cafe (5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, 770-300-9798, www.bentocafe.com). Colorful orange signage and manga-inspired illustrations pepper the space, which feels more like a cool converted warehouse in the heart of a major city than a restaurant in a Norcross strip mall.

An energetic gaggle of young girls in spiky heels, smart winter coats and carefully manipulated scarves burst in and make their way through the restaurant to one of the kitchen-grade stainless steel tables. Without so much as a glance at the menu, they rattle off a list of dishes to a young waitress sporting a fashionable blunt haircut and colorful sneakers. When the food arrives, the girls’ chatter comes to an abrupt halt and they pounce with wide, hungry eyes.

In a time when “street food” is a marketing term, Bento is lauded by many Yelpers of Taiwanese descent for its hard-to-find home-style dishes and real-deal street snacks. Nibble-friendly appetizers such as pickled cabbage, chewy braised bean curd coated in thick sauce, and sweet Taiwanese sausage start off the meal. A platter of pillowy dumplings arrives with silky exteriors and juicy pork filling tinged with green onion. Fried fritters abound, from fish balls to chicken nuggets coated in a spicy and smoky powder (the correct plate-to-mouth technique involves impaling them with a wooden skewer). The snack food section holds some intimidating items but it’s worth the plunge. Take, for instance, the ba wan – a gelatinous dumpling that looks like a jellyfish floating in a pool of orange-red sweet and sour sauce. But the dumpling’s thick, translucent skin is just the vehicle for the hefty main attraction: a mixture of chewy vegetables and salty, minced pork.

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Everything we’ve had was good but their noodles are great. Where else in Atlanta do you find Yen Ta Fo or Boat Noodles? The Khao Pad Kai (fried rice with chicken) is great although it could use just a bit more tomato to be like my favorite vendor in NakornPathom. The pad ka pow kai (chicken with basil) and pad khing kai (ginger chicken) were just like my host Mom used to cook. All of the curries were spot on. The potak is perfect and I can’t wait to go back to try the Tum Yum and the Pad Thai.The owner is super nice and came out to chat with us about real Thai food. He says he can make other dishes too with a bit of notice. Also, there were a few things they had that were not on the menu so ask if there’s anything special that day – you never know what you’ll get.

Moon is a Thai food fanatic. His brother lives in Los Angeles and he always returns moaning about how Atlanta has no good Thai food. I always say Nan is a great spot, but it is on the pricey side. So, I am always looking for new spots to appease his cravings. Nothing ever does the trick. But our first visit to KoKai Thai Bistro had Moon exclaiming he’d finally found something to scratch his Thai itch.

The restaurant advertises that is serves authentic Thai street food. The space is very modern with loads of light and a cutesy counter designed to look like a fake street cart. There are abstract pictures of chickens and eggs everywhere–I assume “KoKai” must mean chicken in Thai.

Lighting fixtures and rafters

The “street cart” counter

Rose tea: One thing that perplexes me about all of the Asian restaurants in Georgia is their tea selection. Tea is such an integral part of most Asian cultures. Yet, diners are normally given basic black tea. However, KoKai offers at least one premium tea selection: The rose tea. It’s served in these beautiful glass tea pots where you can watch the blooms expand and fill the middle chamber as it steeps. As lovely on the tongue as it was on the eyes.

Thai iced tea: Moon’s brother ordered this and I just had to take a photo. Pure sex in a glass.

Larb kai: Our first dish and our table’s favorite of the meal. Crumbled pieces of chicken mixed with red onion in a slightly spicy and tangy sauce with that underlying pungency Thai food is known for. You wrap the chicken in the little cabbage cups and eat it taco-style. Add a little chile paste or chopped chiles and you have a textural smack-down full of intense flavors.

Condiments: an assortment of blazing Thai accoutrements. The tiny green chiles are mixed with lime and fish sauce. The larger green chiles (in the back) are the spiciest.

Nua Toob: The restaurant calls this “beef jerky.” The meat was chewy, but super flavorful. And the tangy and smoky red sauce was perfect against the fat of the meat. We all loved it. There is also a pork version.

Pad Thai: Yes, this dish is incredibly ubiquitous and boring for some. But this is a litmus dish for me that I really love when it is done well. We chose shrimp and fried tofu. The noodles were lightly coated in sauce and chile powder. The sauce was thankfully not cloying, but there could have been a touch more sauce. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the pillowy tofu was lightly crisped on the outside. A good dish, but not the best I have had. However, I would order it again.

Basil fried rice: We ordered this “Thai hot,” but it was pretty tame. No matter. It was gorgeous. The basil added a slight sweetness to the crisped rice and tender pieces of chicken. I mixed in a little of the pickled green chiles and it was perfect. It was gone in a flash.

Red red chicken curry: Moon loves his Thai curries. He said the flavor profile of this curry–which we ordered in lieu of the beef curry they were out of–was spot on. However, he said he would have liked it to be a bit thicker and more intensely spicy. I thought it was pretty good, but I am not a huge fan of Thai curries. I prefer denser types like Indian or Japanese.

Verdict: An incredibly cute and tasty Thai place that is definitely worth a visit. In the true spirit of street food, our orders came out in a flash. Our only complaint as a group was that they could have made things much spicier. But the condiments on the table remedied any lack of heat. We all agreed we’d return because we enjoyed our meal and there is still so much to explore.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 5495 Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Norcross, 30093
Phone: 770-409-9219
Website

She grabbed me a ice cold bottle of coca cola and went back to the kitchen to work. This is not fast food people. She took her time because she was making everything to order, tortillas and all. The chicken and mole came out with a side of rice, beans and fresh handmade tortillas. The mole was good but a bit oily. It certainly was not as good as my Abuelita’s but good overall. The chicken was tender and the rice was good. I am not a fan of refried beans but these were smoky and well-seasoned. They brought the Pozole next. It came with the various toppings and a big basket of tortillas chips fresh out of the fryer. I love those things even though they are horrible for me. The flavor was awesome. It was tangy (especially with that extra squirt of lime). The avocado mixed with the chicken and broth wonderfully. So soothing. The Sope was very good. A bit thicker than I would make it but it was good. It reminded me of the ones I used to eat when I was a kid. The gordita was good but a bit much for my date. He said it was tasty but the masa was just too much for him. He prefers straight tacos though.

The desserts looked great. They had some sort of rice pudding and fresh-looking flan. They also make tres leches birthday cakes. It was a good meal and I cannot wait to go try some more stuff. You should too if you have never been there. You wont be sorry. They are closed on Wednesdays and only take cash.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION:
Address: 6065 S Norcross Tucker Road
Phone: (770) 496-4550
Cuisine: Mexican