Three Dollar Cafe Jr. opened Spring 2012 in the busy Terrace at Windy Hill shopping center near the intersection of Windy Hill and Powers Ferry, not far from I-75. Other restaurants in this shopping center include Fuddruckers, Barker's Red Hots, Red Elephant Thai Cuisine, and 7 Star Chinese Restaurant. Three Dollar Cafe Jr. opened in the former IZBA Crepes & Grill space.
This restaurant serves American bar food. They're best known for their wings. They have their own special house sauce along with teriyaki, regular and spicy BBQ, lemon pepper, and garlic Parmesan. Party trays of up to 500 wings are available for order. The menu consists mainly of salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and other foods like chicken fingers, chili cheese fries, nachos, and quesadillas. Prices are reasonable as most entrees are just under $10 each.
I stopped by for Friday lunch with some coworkers and the restaurant was slammed -- a stark contrast to the days of empty IZBA. The restaurant is two stories, but the overall space is small, definitely fitting of the suffix "Jr." It's like they tried to fit a full sports bar into a tiny cafe. When it's busy, the dining area feels crammed. There are several TVs, limited outdoor patio seating, and the atmosphere can get loud.
I had a Reuben sandwich ($8.25) which consisted of toasted marble rye bread, thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and dressing, served with a side of squash casserole and French fries. My tablemates ordered the chicken wrap, egg burger, and Southwestern chicken salad.
The food took an inordinately long time to come out. The portions were huge.
I thought the Reuben was okay. It was certainly filling, but probably the messiest Reuben I ever ate. Dressing was spilling out everywhere including all over my hands. Good thing each table has a roll of paper towels. The squash casserole was overly cheesy and unmemorable and the fries were dense and bland. My coworkers seemed satisfied with their orders except for the one who got the salad. The salad didn't look appetizing, resembling a prepackaged or bagged salad in a bowl, and most of it was left untouched/uneaten on the table. The egg burger did look cool with it's sunny side up egg and sweet potato fries (side substitute), so burgers may be the way to go here.
Our server was Alicia and she did a good job. She was mindful of our table and was proactive in separating checks. It wasn't her fault our orders took so long to arrive. I realize the restaurant was busy, but they should've been staffed and equipped to handle the demand.
There are currently eight Three Dollar Cafe locations in the Atlanta metro. I still remember some of the old Three Dollar Cafe locations like the one in Buckhead and the one on Windy Hill, on the other side of the interstate. read more