Not to be confused with Ageing Square, which is kinda old, or Asiago Square, which is very Hipster. This plaza is filled with amazing delights, from stores selling all kinds of goodies, to delicious restaurants from all kinds of countries, to the massive international goods supermarket itself. It's one of the best plazas in Atlanta. You could spend weeks here, eating at a different place for lunch and dinner every day, and never eat at the same place twice. Every major city should have plazas like this. Atlanta is very fortunate to have the Asian Square. read more

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Asian Square is an old Asian shopping center located on Buford Highway between Chamblee Tucker Rd. and I-285 in Doraville. My earliest memories of Asian Square are from Fall 2000, when I first moved to Atlanta. Back then (actually, since 1993), and up until circa 2010, Asian Square was home to a 99 Ranch Market, a popular Chinese supermarket chain from California. Times changed and bigger, newer Asian grocery stores opened in nicer, cleaner shopping complexes up north (e.g. Super H Mart, GreatWall, Assi), forcing 99 Ranch to close its only Georgia location. Asian Square was also home to restaurants such as Pho Hoa (Vietnamese noodle soup), Asiana Garden (Korean BBQ), a Thai restaurant, Fil-Am Star (one of metro Atlanta's only Filipino restaurants), and Hello Dau Hu (a Vietnamese snack shop which has since been absorbed into fellow Buford Highway competitor Viet Tofu ~Spring 2014). Those were just a handful of businesses that closed at Asian Square over approximately the past 15 years. These days, the main draws at Asian Square are undoubtedly Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe (Asian pastries and bubble tea), Quoc Huong (Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and pho), and, to a lesser extent, Ming's BBQ and BBQ Corner (Chinese, Cantonese food). Sweet Hut opened in April 2012 and became wildly successful. It brought people flocking back to Asian Square... Well, one tiny corner of it. Mamak, a Malaysian restaurant, opened September 2014 in the former Fil-Am space. Quoc Huong is considered by many to have the best banh mi sandwiches in Atlanta. I can't say I disagree. They are pretty darn good. Ming's BBQ has been around forever. Honestly, I'm surprised it's still around. Ming's is hidden towards the back of the shopping center, near the Shallowford Rd. entrance/exit. Ming's boasts quick and authentic plates of Cantonese-style street food, complete with fresh roasted pork on display and roasted duck hanging behind the storefront window. Ming's has a second, bigger, much newer location off of Pleasant Hill Rd. in Duluth (Gwinnett County). I ate at BBQ Corner several times in the early-to-mid 2000s. They served satisfying Chinese food and had dim sum service at one point too. In late 2013/early 2014, the restaurant temporarily closed and underwent a major renovation. As of 2014, BBQ Corner is back with a new storefront, a new dining room, and a new attitude. The four aforementioned restaurants presumably make up the bulk of Asian Square customer traffic today. Currently, I believe there are no more Korean-owned businesses at Asian Square. I think all of the businesses are owned or operated by either Chinese or Vietnamese people. King Maxim Nail Supply opened in a substantial space (I think part of the old 99 Ranch Market) in 2014. There are a lot of nail salon supply stores along Buford Highway and King Maxim adds another to the mix. Victoria Nail Supply is a smaller shop, also located at Asian Square. Other businesses include Bride & Fashion II (dresses), Kim Ngoc Jewelry, Eye Best / La Mejor Vision (optometrist's office and eyeglass frames store), Jimmy's Fine Jewelry, Vietnamese coffee shop Duy Long, Hair Capital (hair salon), The Gioi Am Nhac (Vietnamese video/music store I believe), Le Salon (another salon), ABF Travel (Chinese travel agency), Victoria Cosmetics, a dentist's office, a pediatric clinic, Asian herbal medicine shops, and more. Asian Square, as a functional shopping center, is simply outdated. It's not the cleanest shopping center nor is it modern or aesthetically pleasing. The storefronts and store spaces are worn and parking is a real issue here. The driveways are tight and the speed bumps are annoying, but necessary. It's been years and the void left by 99 Ranch's closure has yet to be filled. I heard from an Asian Square business owner that parking was one of the biggest challenges in trying to secure a tenant for that space. It makes sense when you look at other Asian shopping centers around town (and you don't have to look far). In the end, I am a fan of Asian Square. I've got several memories here. The place has character and it's a recognized "landmark" of sorts for the Asian community in Atlanta, especially those who have lived here a long time. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this place. (Sweet Hut definitely helped!) read more

Asian Square is one of the old school Asian strip malls in Buford Hwy. There is a lot of history here. I had my first pho at Asian Square. The original restaurant no longer exists in Asian Square. In fact, the economy took care of a lot of the old stores. The biggest victim looked like Da Wa or 99 Ranch Market. 99 Ranch Market was a huge, Asian supermarket. It sold some interesting food items like turtles, armadillos, and so on. It smelled bad too. Now, it's just an empty space in the middle of Asian Square. Other businesses such as Paris Baguette and Asiana Garden have disappeared as well. Luckily, a few ,old-school shops still remain. It still has BBQ Corner, Ming's BBQ, Quoc Huong Banh Mi, CD Tower and Gift (Where I got my Hong Kong Movies in the 90's), and others. As old business disappeared, new ones took its place. Fil-Am Star Cafe, one of the few Filipino restaurants in Atlanta is here. And of course, there is Sweet Hut Bakery--the Asian Yelper's hangout spot. This strip mall is pretty historic for Asians. Forget the Margret Mitchell House or The Oakland Cemetery. This is where the real history of Atlanta is--in a run-down, old Asian strip mall. read more

If you've never been around Asian Square you're missing out on good food, bubble tea, and affordable decorations for your home. I been here since King Kong was climbing the sky scraper. I was here when hurricane Katrina made it's whirl wind. This place has a lot of history.. It once was flooded by so many Asians because of the 99 Ranch Market. After the supermarket was closed down, a lot of things started to crumble over the years. However, in a new perspective locals and tourist have been pouring to this place for cheap quality food. The reason I come here is they have the most popular Asian restaurants, bakeries, and stores in this one little square. Yes, everything that taste like Asian soul food, ice cream and heaven flowing through your mind. Just think about it,, this place has Sweet Hut one of the best bubble tea out there. Quoc Huong Banh Mi has the greatest Vietnamese sandwich in Doraville, if not Atlanta.. There's a lot of French bakeries inspirng the Vietnamese cuisine.. Vietnam was once ruled by the French for over a century, thus paving way to French-Asian Fusion cuisine and bakeries. The most famous is the Vietnamese sandwich, our bread is inspired by the French and so is the pate (duck liver) Ming's Bar bq is also a great Chinese bbq restaurant. They serve crispy pork, roasted duck, and chicken for under 10 bucks. This food is good and quite tasty. Remember this place is for people who want to try something new, and experience quality food. read more

Feelings of nostalgia always wash over me whenever I drive into Asian Square - these days its mainly to get my bubble tea fix at Sweet Hut, but when I was kid, my family and I would spend half our Saturday here running errands. Grocery shopping at Ranch 99, financial matters at the Global Bank (both have been long closed, but their former homes have remained vacant since), my friends and I picking out our prom dresses at 'Bride & Fashion', most of the gift shops are still open thankfully, I love the nik-naks I manage to find (bowl of pho keychain!). Most of the business now is generated by Sweet Hut (guilty!) and a few of the restaurants still open (Quac Hoang, Ming's BBQ, etc) - they keep the parking lot full - and confusing. Since half the plaza is vacant I doubt they'll be doing anything about the parking lot - so be careful, tons of speed bumps, and one way driving (with faded arrows on the asphalt). Because Asian Square is on a hill, most of the parking spots are sloped - so use that e-brake! read more

This plaza is like a ghost town now. So many businesses have left and there are many vacant spots, including Fil-Am Star Cafe's space (I added a tip in its Yelp listing, to warn others from going back). But my mom has been coming here since she moved to Atlanta (maybe a good 9 years ago) and we all love sandwiches from Quoc Huong. I still remember 99 Ranch Market and while Jang can be quite harsh in his reviews, he is quite precise in his description about the place's malodorous characteristic. No worries though, as Sweet Hut keeps the parking lot here full. I was just here earlier today to hang out with Tom E. and had to park super far from this favorite hang-out spot for Asians and high-schoolers. read more

This is a great center. So many stores. Mings BBQ when you feel like ducks hanging in the window. Mamak Malaysian food for that far off spice taste in your food. Rolled and liquid nitrogen ice cream. A new juic store coming. Bubble tea. And one of the best places for Vietnamese sandwiches in Atlanta. Sweet guy. Asian grocery store. Bread store. Gift shops. More more more. read more