Asian Square is an old Asian shopping center located on Buford Highway between Chamblee Tucker Rd…read more 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!)
