Chinese Restaurants in Covington

While growing up in Taiwan, Grand China Restaurant co-owners K.C. Chang and Tse-Chih Chang watched their mothers—“the best cooks in the world”—prepare fresh, delicious meals. While she tinkered with the balance of herbs and vegetables in her secret recipes, Tse-Chih’s mother dreamed of owning her own restaurant. As the mother of eight, she never had the time, but her daughter did. After Tse-Chih moved to the United States for graduate school, she opened a Chinese restaurant with her husband.

In business since 1978, Grand China Restaurant dishes sizzling plates of Chinese fare crafted with family recipes. As food trends evolved and customers grew more adventurous, the Changs have expanded their menu to add pan-Asian cuisine, including Vietnamese and Malay appetizers and Japanese and Thai entrees. The new menu earned Grand China the Best of Citysearch award for Best Chinese food every year from 2007 to 2010. Haute Living also called it one of the top five Chinese restaurants in Atlanta, recommending the scorpion or zombie cocktails. Like the food, the cocktails are made from scratch, using fruits, flavored rums, and top-shelf liquors rather than juices or mixes.

At Chin Chin, diners watch various menu items being crafted by skilled chefs behind a large plate glass window, resulting in a dining experience that’s as delicious to the eyes as it is to palates. Witness culinary artists steam a boneless long island duckling for the braised duck plate ($16.95) or stir-fry marinated beef with dried orange peels for the tangerine beef dish ($14.95). Flora-feeding diners can discover a selection of vegetarian options, such as eggplant with garlic sauce ($8.95) and vegetarian general tso's chicken ($11.50). The eatery's contemporary dining room of bright walls, exposed brick, and linen-covered tables coax patrons into sipping on a post-diner libation, such as a glass of wine ($5.75–$8.25), a martini ($8), or imported beer ($4.50). Diners can also wrap up each meal by noshing on the green tea, mango, or coconut ice cream ($3.95) instead of attempting to stuff a tablecloth and utensils into their wallets.

Chin Chin-Mu Lan tempers the raw rage of growling stomachs with a menu of specialty sushi rolls and saucy Chinese plates. Traditional dishes such as general tso's chicken provide the comforting familiarity of a heated blanket embroidered with your family portrait ($6.75 lunch, $11.00 dinner). Mu Lan specialties include the Happy Family—a crowd-pleasing compilation of meat and seafood sautéed with mixed vegetables ($6.75 lunch, $14.45 dinner). Sushi rolls such as the Chin Chin crunch roll wrap up an assortment of seafood with land-based treats including asparagus and chili mayonnaise ($10). Chefs happily customize the hotness level of any spicy dish to each customer's unique tongue print.

In spirit with the olden days of romantic turkey-leg gnawing by firelight, Olde Towne serves up an extensive menu of protein-packed fare, including grilled meats, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, hand-tossed pizzas, gourmet salads, soups, and more. Pique your palate with an order of Chesapeake crab fritters served with roasted red-pepper aioli and wasabi slaw ($9.99); or Cajun chicken nachos, topped with wood-fired chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños, and a mix of cheeses ($7.99). Jumbo fresh fried chicken wings come doused in your choice of sauce (house specialties include lemon pepper, ranch, and lemon-yaki), served with celery and blue cheese or ranch dressing ($8.99 for 10). Treat your mouth to some wood-fired protein, such as prime rib served au jus with horseradish ($12.99 for 8 oz.), chicken Florentine stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip and topped with sun-dried tomatoes and a demi glaze ($13.99), or seared tuna served with veggies, wasabi slaw, and one additional side ($13.99). To satisfy the mini taste sensors on your fingertips, try a handheld creation such as the Black and Blue Burger (bacon and blue, jack, and cheddar cheeses, $8.50) or patty melt (Swiss and American cheeses and sautéed onions on rye, $8.99), and satisfy creative impulses with a build-your-own pizza topped with your choices from Olde Towne's bevy of meats, veggies, and cheeses (starting at $9.99 for 14").

With its high ceilings and exposed pipework, Bento Cafe “feels more like a cool converted warehouse in the heart of a major city than a restaurant in a Norcross strip mall,” according to Creative Loafing. Servers top polished steel tables with Taiwanese street food such as chicken nuggets and gua bao or deliver main-dish plates of fried or grilled chicken drumsticks and mix 'n toss noodles in pork meat sauce. As they eat, diners can test their dexterity by plucking up morsels with chopsticks or juggling tapioca pearl balls from a heat-sealed cup of Bento’s fresh-brewed bubble tea.