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Canton Cooks
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri 11 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Tue, Thu 2:30 pm - 12:30 am
Fri 2:30 pm - 1 am
Sat 12 pm - 1 am
Sun 12 pm - 12:30 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
131 reviews for Canton Cooks
Review Highlights
"The best salt and pepper squid I had was in Boston, MA."
(in 33 reviews)
"I had the pan-fried Sea Bass and it was the BEST OF THE..."
(in 3 reviews)
"The fish maw crab soup and salt & pepper squid are awesome."
(in 2 reviews)
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131 reviews in English
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Review from Cheryl L.
This is one of those authentic Chinese restaurants that you take your family out to for a feast. Canton Cooks has a HUGE menu, with just about all the best Chinese dishes I could think of. And everything is delicious. They have large tables with lazy Susans so you can order lots and spin, spin, spin!
We went a little crazy for two people and ordered 4 dishes. If you're a seafood person, I recommend the Fried Oysters. Then Snow Pea Leaves are a staple, and Shredded Dried Tofu with Pork is an added delight.
I'm generally not too big on Cantonese food, but Canton Cooks is great. It's a bit of a drive from Downtown ATL, but definitely worth the time and energy. This restaurant is also huge, so there's no wait, and plenty of space even when it's busy. Yum! -
Review from Bonnie F.
Marietta, GA
2/2/2012
CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS BUT OPEN LATE ON OTHER NIGHTS.
Okay now that we got that out of the way. Great Cantonese chinese food in the style of New York, Boston, or San Francisco chinatown. Some of our favorites include salt and pepper squid, chicken wings, sizzling rice soup, hot and sour soup, beef chow fun (dry), fried green beans with chinese meat (it has chinese sausage in it), eggrolls (just like the kind you had growing up), curry chicken (chinese style with the bone in), eggplant hot pot, mu shu pork, garlic chicken, and sesame chicken (a kid favorite), We play around with other items on the menu once in awhile and haven't had too many misses. It can get really crowded but the owners are always there and keep an eye on making certain things run smoothly. We get takeout all the time and they do a good job with that too. It's always ready when they say it will be and still piping hot when you get it home. -
Review from Melissa K.
Atlanta, GA
1/24/2012
OPEN LATE!
Yum. This is a nice place that feeds the night owls too.
I've had the Mapo Tofu and the Kung Pao Chicken.
All yum. Not too salty, and the portions are huge. Well worth a late night (or anytime) visit. -
Review from Kayn B.
Alpharetta, GA
2/5/2012
At first glance the place looks a little old but the food was terrific. I had somethings that I had never tried before including snow pea leaves which were fantastic. We had a lot of high end dishes including sea bass and salt & pepper scallops. Great food and can't wait to go back.
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Review from Cove C.
Atlanta, GA
2/4/2012
The food is great and the price is right. I ordered Mongolian beef with braised tofu- the tofu was actually cooked to perfection, and the mongolian beef was terrific, some of the best i've had. definitely going back.
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Review from Kate T.
12/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had been to this restaurant several years ago and it's been a long while since I went back. Since a friend was in the mood for Chinese, we decided on Canton Cooks. I had the impression of it being very authentic and solid (based on the word of mouth from Yelp Elites in the past) but I was rather quiet disappointed...
Since there were only two of us, we order just two dish. Salt Pepper Shrimp and Fried Bean Curd with Mix Meat in Hot Pot. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp was nothing but salt, no other flavor, just fried salt shrimp. Where did the pepper seasoning went?! The Bean Curd Hot Pot was... eh... OK... The flavor was ordinary (for lack of better word). Nothing stand out to me, yet it's packed. I don't see as much Asian dining in there they it use to...
Sigh... Any other suggestions for good Chinese food in Atlanta anyone? -
Review from Jillian M.
Atlanta, GA
1/19/2012
My mom and I were first-time visitors to Canton Cooks. For years we have been trying to find a Chinese restaurant that was as good as Chef Chu's in Cumming, which closed years ago.
This place is it. Maybe it's that Chef Chu's food might have been Cantonese (unfortunately we can't remember), but the taste was almost identical.
The service at Canton Cooks was pleasant and minimal, which is a compliment by me. I don't like when servers come by a lot. Mom and I had a booth, and while the restaurant got busier, we appreciated the space we had and didn't feel crowded.
I purposely got a popular dish in the sweet and sour pork to compare it to Chu. I consider it equal. I ate everything because it was very good. Mom concurred with the chicken with broccoli. Complimentary tea at the table was a nice touch.
Aside from the massive MSG hangover I got, the experience was awesome. I will be back, but I will try to make sure I pace myself and have leftovers to enjoy at home. -
Review from Kai L.
Suwanee, GA
1/29/2012
Love this place. I have been coming here for years and it has never been a disappointment. A great place for both the chinese cuisine newb (house fried rice, shrimp lo mein) and the more advanced eaters (fried pork intestine, stir-fry frog legs). Be sure to go hungry, the portion sizes are huge.
recommendations: salt and pepper squid (a MUST TRY), stir-fry snow pea leaves, pan-fried sea bass -
Review from Joe B.
Marietta, GA
11/29/2011
First things first, closed on Wednesday. Can say I have forgotten this on more than one occassion.
Even though they are closed on Wednesdays, one of the great things about this is thier late hours. They are open to 2:30 AM on all the other nights and is a great alternative to the other late night eats.
The food is outstanding, I don't think I have found a better egg roll anywhere else. Thier combination dinners are a great value with the amount of food that they bring you.
Go for dinner and you will always find it crowded which is a good sign. The place lacks a little in atmosphere, but the food more than makes up for it. -
Review from Yane Y.
10/3/2011 2 Check-ins Here
NOTE: CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS.
I've been here many times over the past 10 years or so. There's tons of Chinese people here. Over the past several years, though, I've seen the crowd and diversity of this place change so much!! 10 years ago, it was primarily Chinese people. About 5 years ago or so, I started seeing tons of Chinese and then Mexicans! And most recently, i.e. this past week, I saw tons of people there for an early dinner: white, mexicans, chinese, me! (koreans), and other races. Talk about CHANGE! (Between you and me, I was a little sad that there weren't as many Chinese people filling up the place, but alas! the secret couldn't be held for too long, right? Everyone was bound to find out about this place!) I digress. Let me get back to the food.
SERVICE: The service is okay here. It's not anything exceptionally outstanding, but it's not horrible either. Just standard.
FOOD: I'll comment on the few dishes that I have ordered. While I've had other foods in the past, I'll choose to write on the dishes I ordered most recently.
BEEF CHOW FUN (Dry) -- The beef chow fun is HUGE. The dish is absolutely huge and can be shared amongst 3 people. The noodles are cooked well (not overly, not under-ly!). The beef was not the best grade, but it wasn't horrid. The sauce was excellent. Although noodles are so bad for you, they're so good! So, everyone kept eating this!
SHRIMP and VEGETABLES -- The sauce was like a moo goo gai pan sort of sauce. Clear, thick, gooey, sauce. A little on the healthier side, with broccoli and vegetables being cooked fine. Shrimp were quite large and plentiful. It was good, but I'm just not a fan of this type of sauce, so I shall pass next time.
Anyway, I'll continue to update on the other dishes, but ... most of the things I've had are good.
They are open till 2 am, so it's awesome for a late night snack!!! -
Review from Claire S.
Littleton, CO
7/24/2011
My hubby insisted we get takeout here and I was mildly irritated as it took FOREVER in the rush hour traffic and there are multiple chinese places much closer...even some that deliver.
I would drive there every day during rush hour to get takeout. I want to order it now writing this review even though I'm not at all hungry.
We had the general tso's chicken, the BBQ pork, the steamed dumplings, and the fried rice. Everything was good but the general tso's and fried rice were particularly amazing. I can't remember having better takeout fried rice ever. Or general tso's for that matter.
Easily my favorite place for Chinese food in the Atlanta area. Yay! -
Review from Stormy C.
Anaheim, CA
12/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Yummy Cantonese food, just like Hong Kong...or L.A....or San Francisco! They have Chinese broccoli (gai-lan) and a lot of seafood dishes. Portions are generous. They are open for late dinners, which is good to know!
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Review from Robert O.
Atlanta, GA
11/28/2011
The best Cantonese in Atlanta maybe. Bunch of 2-star gweilo expect sticky chicken and beef. Go to PF Chang or Panda Express instead. Maybe Korean or Japanese devil sabotage rating. Learn something about Cantonese food, come back, order something other than beef and broccoli.
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Review from Rob F.
11/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here with a group of 5 and we split 3 entrees between the table and still ended up with left overs so keep in mind that the portions are hefty. Unfortunately, the group decided on a tofu dish and an eggplant dish- neither of which I'm very found of. Additionally, we got a General Tso's chicken dish, which I'm always up for. As it turned out the General Tso's chicken was just mediocre, but I actually liked the egg plant dish a lot. Go figure. Normally, I would give this place 3 stars but we found something kind of gross in the tea kettle they brought out.
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Review from Michael B.
Atlanta, GA
Went there for my 34th birthday this past weekend. I guess we arrived at the perfect time because there wasn't many people there.
We ordered the Peking Duck. I have only had it once so that is the experience I am comparing it to. The price was very reasonable, only $35.99 and it was definitely enough for 3-4 people. So, my friend and I had a lot to carry home. I debated on either 4 or 5 stars, but decided to go with four. Here is the reason why. We ordered the Peking Duck and they had it at our table within 10 minutes. The duck was already carved out, and I was looking forward to the whole experience again of them carving the duck. Last time I had Peking Duck, it took them about 40 minutes to bring it to the table.
Now that that is out of the way, I have to say the duck was very delicious. The skin was nice and crisp and it appeared to be a "lean" duck as there wasn't much fat. The meat was very tender and juicy. The first time I had it there was a lot of fat. I actually preferred this one. The presentation was outstanding.
The soup that is served before the duck was very tasteful and thick, not watered down like some other types of soup. I also ordered fried rice, since it only came with steamed rice. I asked the waitress how the rice was cooked, and they said it would have peas and carrots in it. Well, she forgot to mention the onions. I didn't mind, but if I would have known that, I would have had them hold the onions.
This place is definitely popular on a Saturday night. By the time we finished our dinner, there was a line of people out the door. All in all, this was definitely a good choice for my birthday dinner. If you are looking, or want to try, a nice, lean, delicious Peking Duck dinner, this is definitely the place to go. -
Review from Diana C.
7/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
A month-ish ago, I ate THE MOST delicious squid at this place, and my mouth is STILL craving it. Mmmm!
We had a family-style dinner; we shared 7 dishes among 7 people. It was, at first, I think 5 dishes that we ordered, but we craved (ha) for more.
We left with happy full stomachs and happy smiling faces - thanks to the great service, but mostly thanks to the food.
Will return again, most definitely! -
Review from Adam S.
7/21/2011
I have been looking for a decent chinese place in Atlanta for over a year now and I finally found it today. To be honest, I was basically resigned to the idea that Atlanta just wasn't a city that knew how to do Chinese. But this place has changed my mind.
Potstickers: pretty great.
BBQ pork: wonderful flavor.
Fried Rice: Some of the best I have had anywhere.
General Tso's: Probably the most flavorful version I can remember eating.
This is officially my Chinese spot in ATL!!!
PS: They are closed on wednesdays for some reason. -
Review from Tramaine W.
Lithonia, GA
9/27/2011
I am really conflicted about this place. The food is a hands down five stars. Probably the best Chinese food I have ever had and I am a girl that loves some Americanized Chinese food. The experience was 0 stars, so do some averaging and I give them a round up 2.5.
Here is my problem and if you aren't into childish rants stop reading. Whenever I get Chinese food I always get the dinner or lunch combination with shrimp lo mein and whatever else that comes with it. When I went to this establishment on Saturday afternoon I looked at the menu and saw that they only do combination meals mon-friday.As soon as I saw that I went to speak to the lady at the front desk and I told her this is what I want and I will even pay you extra because I didn't want to order that much food separately, I just wanted the combo. She refused to aid me in any way possible. I talked to her a total of 3 times I even offered to pay the difference for whatever inconvenience may occur.She then explain that apparently lunch is somehow special and they cant recreate that specialness outside of the given times. I was so upset I honestly wanted to leave but it was 2:30 and I had not eaten all day. I literally sat there for 5 minutes baffled and lost.
Seriously people, it's not quantum physics .If all the other Chinese places I have been to can have a dinner combo menu obviously it's not that big of a deal. I ended up having to buy everything in the combo separately which took a would be $7.95 meal to $19 and cents. Not only did I more than double what I wanted to spend I had a bunch of food that I didn't want. This experience just really grinded my gears.3 days later and I'm still upset.Gooooosh, I just want my lo mein laid nicely next to my rice in a Styrofoam or metal pan, one chicken wing and a egg roll wrapped in a little baggy. -
Review from Orrin A.
Powder Springs, GA
8/5/2011
We went on a Friday night and the place was hoppin'. A good mix of all sorts of people. This alone suggested to me that the food wasn't going to suck. Towards the end of our meal, several Chinese (I think) families started to pour in and load up their table with all sorts of dishes. I wanted to join in!
The Mrs. and I were looking for comfort food, so we didn't experiment with any exotic dishes. We stuck with Egg Rolls, Orange Beef, Sautéed Veggies, and Pork Fried Rice.
Everything was executed very well. There were zero issues with our meal. This is the way Chinese food should taste.
Staff was attentive and available. Decor and furniture are a little on the chintzy side. Hey, what do you expect?
We'll definitely return here and bring the kids here next time. -
Review from Daniel B.
2/7/2011
Canton Cooks is a popular Chinese (Cantonese) restaurant just OTP on Roswell Rd. If you are traveling north on Roswell, the restaurant is located inside the Whole Foods shopping complex on your left. Canton Cooks is all the way in the back.
The restaurant gets very busy for dinner on the weekends. There's usually a wait. The times I've had to wait, it's been no longer than 15 minutes. When business is good, you're almost packed in like sardines. If you don't have the fortune of sitting in one of the booths along the walls or at one of the large round family-style tables, you'll probably be sitting inches away from the customers at the table(s) next to you. It can make dinner awkward since you're practically having a meal with the strangers sitting next to you. They can hear your entire conversation and vice versa. Of course, I bring it up because I had this happen to me once. It was just my dad and I. The older gentlemen sitting next to us hardly said a word to each other over the course of their entire meal. I could tell it was because they were uncomfortable (haha).
I've found the quality of the food at Canton Cooks to vary from time to time over the years. I've been when it's Yelp five-star "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" and I've been when it's Yelp one-star "Eek! Methinks not." On average, it's closer to three or four stars. My favorites here include the salt and pepper squid (as many here have already mentioned) and the snow pea tips in garlic sauce. The salt and pepper squid is fried and is served with jalapenos and onions. As the name states, it's salty and spicy (just a little bit), and very tasty. The snow pea tips are a pretty standard Chinese vegetable which I order often at Cantonese restaurants. The snow pea tips prepared at Canton Cooks are exceptionally good, IMO.
Their steamed ground pork with salted duck egg was a big fail. We ordered this because our server recommended it. It's a popular dish for some, but it was just downright gross to me. Even my dad, who *loves* Cantonese food, was disappointed with it. It was a huge plate-sized pork patty with duck egg mixed in. Looked promising, but I think we took at most 4 bites total and then left it on the table.
Service is good. The servers are always moving and the dishes come out fairly quickly. Overall, I'd say this is not bad Cantonese restaurant, but the dishes can be hit or miss.
#Yelp365 - 38/365Listed in: #Yelp365, Xie Xie! Chinese Food in…
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Review from Addy C.
1/7/2011 6 photos
You forget you're in Sandy Springs when you walk into this place. And you will see a lot of Chinese people (good sign) and non-Asians, too. Plus it's always packed (another good sign). I'd been here several times but surprisingly not in the last few years ... too many new restaurants to try! But this place is good - definitely one of the better & more authentic Cantonese restaurants in Atlanta.
We ordered 1 soup & 5 dishes for 6 people - and it was the perfect amount of food. Picked dishes that had gotten good reviews. Everything was delicious.
FISH MAW & CRAB SOUP - $8.95
Menu says the bowl of soup serves 2 people but if your party is fine with just a small bowl for each person, 1 soup served 6 people perfectly. Honestly I'm not a soup person so I thought the portion was perfect - plus I just wanted a sample anyway b/c all the reviews were raving about the soup. The soup was perfect comfort food for the cold weather, and had the same thick consistency & similar taste of egg drop soup. Only 1 piece of crab though ... we gave that bowl to the birthday girl :)
PEKING SPARE RIBS - $12.95
Yum, the coating for these ribs tasted like candy :) It's only b/c the spare ribs were deep-fried that I didn't eat more. I loved loved loved the flavor of the sauce. Probably my favorite dish of the evening.
SNOW PEA LEAVES WITHOUT CRABMEAT - $12.95
Menu has "snow pea leaves with crabmeat" for $19.95 but you can custom order w/o crab for $12.95. Take note - this dish is different from the "snow peas" which is also on the menu. Yum - this dish has always been a favorite, and theirs is no exception. Dish was wiped clean.
PAN-FRIED SPICY SALTY SQUID - $12.95
This is probably Canton Cook's most popular dish: salt-n-pepper squid. Nice size pieces of squid. Just slightly spicy. Served w/ jalapenos too if you need an extra kick. Yum.
BLACK PEPPER STEAK - $12.50
Another very tasty dish. Also served with green pepper & onions. This was a favorite, and this dish was wiped clean. My friend pretty much licked the plate with her finger. I'm serious.
MAPU TOFU W/ MINCED PORK - $8.95
Another good dish.
All of us enjoyed the food very much - and the food comes out pretty quick. Great place for large groups (aka more dishes to try!). Just wish they were better about drink refills.
I'll definitely be back - I still want to try the Wor Sue Duck and the Fried Chicken.
FYI - they're closed on Wednesdays.Listed in: Chinese Food in Atlanta
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Review from Ron S.
Atlanta, GA
6/20/2011
Three of us had Sunday lunch here. Although we love Chinese food and have tried them all multiple times in our city, we were pleasantly surprised with Canton Cooks.
The service was slightly better than average but the food was superb!
I had the House Chow Mein (Canton Style) and it was among the best I have ever eaten. Another great dish was the Chicken Lo Mein.
We cannot wait to return! -
Review from Omar A.
Lithonia, GA
12/16/2011
Maybe I'm biased because it was my birthday and treated, but that was as excellent as Chines cuisine can get. I usually don't get to the North area OTP, but I was tolad about this restaurant a few weeks earlier. Coming to Yelp, I tracked the other reviews to get a grasp about what to expect. Feeling confident, I took the long trek to Roswell Road. The parking lot was packed full of people filing in to all the neighboring restaurants. Lucky for me, I was the last to arrive and the rest of the party was already seated. Didn't take too much into the decor, I was glad to be with friends. It was clean and the tables were huge. Didn't ralize why until the food came. The waiter was fast, almost too fast. In a hurry to take orders, turn tables, etc., he felt a little forced. I had the Hot and Sour soup and fried squid. The others at the table had General Tso chicken, lettuce wraps, Chicken Chow Fun, and a pan seared fish. Authentic ingredients, original recipes, it was as close to being in Shanghai as one could get. The food arrived before I could finish my first cup of tea. I would pay top dollar to watch the kitchen in action. The portions were humongous, well worth the price tag, and the reason for the large table size. There was no clean plate club tonight, carry-out boxes for everyone. I was impressed by the speed of the waiters, once our food arrived, they were always moving. I really enjoyed the chopsticks they had on hand, no cheap wooden splinters here. I suggest taking a large group and when ordering, make sure at least three people can share each plate, it's that huge. Also, do some research on the menu before ordering. I believe my Hot and Sour Soup may have had pork in it. Vegans and religious restrictions be extra careful. Everyone else, enjoy, and tip your waiters. Really.
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Review from J. L.
Atlanta, GA
10/10/2011
I made a late night takeout order and I don't like their food at all. Since I didn't dine at the restaurant so I can not say anything about the service. I grow up and spent most of my life in Beijing. I had the cuisine from most part of China. I have to say their Chinese food is tasteless and too greasy. I cannot say if what kind of Chinese food they offer. The taste and texture of the food is not like any Chinese cuisine, it is more like bad home cooking. My people think Chinese food are supposed to be oily and greasy. This is not always true. Good Chinese food may look greasy or are cooked with a lot of oil but a good chef is supposed to make the dish does not taste greasy. I think this is the standard that many people here are unaware of. Anyway, the only good thing about this place is that it opens late and always do takeout order as long as they are open.
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Review from James M.
Atlanta, GA
10/9/2011
Regular Chinese food
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Review from Jinny Y.
11/21/2010
Too much hype makes for just an "okay" experience. It's been about 3-4 years since I last went to Canton Cooks, so I didn't really remember how the food was. We heard so many good things about Canton Cooks that the hubs really wanted to try it out. We went Friday night with my friend who speaks Cantonese. The wait wasn't bad and the service was pretty good. I agree with Tom C. the water refillers are super fast!
We ordered salt and pepper squid, garlic snow pea leaves, and seafood pan fried noodles. Sale and pepper squid, awesome. Exactly how everyone else describes it, lightly battered with a small kick from the jalepenos.
Garlic snow pea leaves, also great. They weren't too bland nor too salty. Perfectly flavored.
Let me just warn everyone now. Their pan fried noodles are NOT the normal pan fried noodles you get at every other Chinese restaurant. We were all surprised when a ginormous bowl of starchy soup came out and the waiter called it "pan fried noodles". Ummm... where is the crispy thin egg noodle nest we were expecting? What is this gooey brown soup they brought us? Instead of the angel hair-like egg noodles, they used flat rice noodles (think thai pad-see-u). I guess at some point in the cooking process they were "pan fried", but it really just looks like they put the noodles into a brown seafood soup and called it a day. The three of us only made a tiny dent in the noodles, then no one wanted to take it home =/
Other than the pan fried noodles, the food was pretty good, not great though. 3.5 stars.Listed in: Asian Eats
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Review from Sarah E.
Lawrenceville, GA
11/12/2010
I've been to Canton Cooks twice now, and overall I've been impressed with the food. Both times, I had a few issues with the service we received, but nothing that would keep me from coming back.
On my first visit, I was with a big group of friends, all whiteys like me. My husband and I shared the Dragon Soup, and he had the Peking Pork Ribs while I had the Salt and Pepper Squid. I think we also had a pupu platter that we split with all of our friends. The pupu platter was fine, the soup and ribs were really good, and the salt and pepper squid was a little disappointing given all the people who have raved about it here. I expected it to be more salt and peppery - it seemed kinda bland.
We got all our food on time and everything, but the waitstaff seemed constantly annoyed with us. In my mind, it was because we were white, but I don't really have any proof of that. But our server was gruff and acted like it was painful to wait on us. And if you are white and not accompanied by an Asian person, you will be given a fork. You will have to ask for chopsticks. Oh well.
My second visit was last night. My husband and I split the Crab and Fish Maw Soup, Mapo Tofu, and the Wor Sue Duck. This time around, I was really impressed with everything we ordered. I think my particular favorite was the duck.
Again, my only issue was with the service. This time, our server was perfectly nice. However, we ordered our Crab and Fish Maw Soup a good 5-10 minutes before the table next to us ordered theirs. Our soup came out a good 10 minutes after theirs did. Then our entrees came out 5 minutes after that, so we had to eat soup and entrees at the same time, which is a pet peeve of mine.
(I'm going to be nice and assume it's not because we were both white and the other table had an Asian person at it. But I was a little annoyed.)
The slightly off-kilter service is worth it for the food, I think. But this is a once-in-a-while kind of place for me. The food isn't necessarily superior enough that I'd drive out here every other weekend. Still, it's good and there are a lot of more authentic dishes that you can't find in most of the Chinese restaurants here in Atlanta. -
Review from Kyra M.
1/30/2011
I don't know what it is with the Chinese restaurants in the Dunwoody/Chamblee area but they suck so hard to me...and then came Canton, which is technically not in Dunwoody but close enough!
This is the only place that my stereo-typical General Tso's appetite will allow. The chicken is not soggy but crisp and not overly smothered in sauce. The Mongolian beef is a close runner up as well. The shrimp-fried rice is average and the egg rolls are well, egg rolls. Why do some asian restaurants charge extra for fried rice vs. white? This one does
The servers are not the most friendly, business only, no party here.
The inside is so blah that it bothers me.
I always jus order it to go b/c it's crowded and awkward.
Nevertheless, I only go here and Chinese Buddha for my chinese cravings -
Review from Carolina C.
Roswell, GA
2/27/2011
Love it!!! Great location, quick service, great hours. It may be busy on weekend nights, but it's worth it the 15-20 minutes wait.
They serve the best SNOW PEA LEAVES and salt and pepper squid. But everything I've tried is great!
I've been going there for over 5 years. -
Review from Mike Y.
10/5/2010
It was packed the night my girlfriend and I stopped by. I've been pretty turned off by Chinese restaurant in the ATL thus far so I was curious to see how this joint stood out. There's nothing fancy or dramatic about the interior. Pretty basic motifs with cotton candy pink walls. Thanks to previous Yelp reviewers we got the recommended dishes.
Salt and Pepper Squid, Spicy minced pork with eggplant (not spicy at all), and steak with black pepper sauce (lack of black pepper as well).
Everything was just OK. The lack of spice was surprising because the waitress even warned us about it.... *confusing...*
All in all the meal was kind of bland. They didn't mess anything up, but nothing was memorable about the meal. This would be my plan C if I was too lazy to head to Buckhead. -
Review from Tom C.
11/1/2010 1 photo
If you want really good, authentic Chinese food then come to Canton Cooks. I remember when I first came to Atlanta 5 years ago, this was one of the first Chinese food places that I enjoyed. It actually has been about 2 years since I last ate here because I live over by East Atlanta and it is a bit of a hassle to get over here. But I was able to come here for a friend's birthday.
Off the bat, one thing that I love about Canton cooks is that they are open till 2am in the morning except for Wednesday (they are closed all day Wednesday). So if you are hitting up a bar and get hungry, you have plenty of time to make it over here and get your grub on.
The service is great. All the servers and food runners are like a well-oiled machine. Once you enter the restaurant, they quickly seat you, get your drinks out, and when you are ready they will take your food order.
Their drink service is amazing. For any restaurant that can keep up with my water (I drink a lot of water while I eat), they win brownie points. With Canton Cooks....as soon as my water is full, someone always comes by and fills it up. Seems like they have a person dedicated to just pouring drinks which I love and if it were up to me all restaurants would have one.
Another highlight about Canton Cooks is that the food comes out really quickly. It seems like you hardly wait for it. It's not already made food that is reheated but food that they seem to figure out how to bang out quickly which is pretty consistent among other Chinese restaurants I've been to.
One final thing to know about their service is that I've been here when it is busy and when it is slow but their quality of service does not drop off. It is pretty consistent.
For food, I ordered Chinese chicken wings for an appetizer. The wings are big and they use some sort of Chinese seasoning and it has a subtle hotness to it (not too spicy). I thoroughly enjoyed the wings. My friends and I ordered sautéed garlic snow pea leaves and salt and pepper squid for entrees. The snow pea leaves were fine. For Atlanta's standard, the salt and pepper squid were good. It does the job. The best salt and pepper squid I had was in Boston, MA. I'm from the Northeast and we have access to fresh seafood and sushi. Atlanta does not have good seafood or fish. Maybe certain restaurants but I haven't been there yet.
So, if you want good Chinese food and quick & efficient service, come eat at Canton Cooks. You will be pleased. =) -
Review from Alex H.
2/21/2011
I can't quite wrap my head around this place. There's a lot of Yelp! love for here, but it just doesn't blow me away. If I come back, I'm eating in.
I've eaten from here three times, once eat-in and twice for take out. The eat-in experience was pretty good, as we didn't eat from the usual menu. But the take out has been consistently below expectations. The last time I did take out (and will probably be the last time ever) I asked for recommendations of something unusual or interesting or a specialty. They suggested Kung Pao, Mongolian Beef, and one other that is on every Chinese menu. It kinda hurt my feelings. -
Review from Lynda T.
Fayetteville, AR
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you're looking for good Chinese food and not really looking for a great atmosphere, this is the place to go. The fish maw crab soup and salt & pepper squid are awesome!
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Review from Wanda J.
Atlanta, GA
Updated - 10/24/2010 3 photos
This visit was not up to par with other visits. The snow pea leaves weren't seasoned enough. It needed more garlic, salt, and pepper. The mapa tofu had way too much ginger in it. Worst of all, one of the salt and pepper shrimp's brains exploded all over the table when my hubs bit into its head. Hahaha!!! It was funny, but disgusting. The look on his face was classic. I really thought he was going to throw up.
Caution: When biting the head off a salt and pepper shrimp, remember to bite off the whole head.Listed in: Chinese
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/24/2009 ROTD 7/27/2010
I haven't been here in over two years and let me tell you, I've been missing out! I came here for… Read more »
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Review from Brent H.
2/8/2011 3 Check-ins Here
The other reviews have nailed it so I'm not adding a lot to the conversation other than just agreeing so I'll try to just hit the major points:
Been here three times so far and each time has been excellent. If you want more traditional stuff order of the very first page of the menu.
Pan Fried spicy salted squid is excellent but if you're like me and don't care for the texture of squid some times, go with the pan fried spicy pork. Same great flavor on a porkchop. Goes well with chili oil if you want a little extra spice.
Always had great service and the food tends to come out very fast.
Huge portions. Pretty much never leave here hungry or without some leftovers. -
Review from James B.
Duluth, GA
2/5/2011
Canton Cooks is by far my favorite Cantonese restaurant in Atlanta.
I have no clue what their typical Americanized cuisine tastes like, and will never try it when I can have more authentic food. I recommend you order from the dinner menu and bypass the lunch menu if you come here during that time (order approx. 1 dish per person)
The pan-fried spicy salted squid here is excellent..I half wonder if the chef doesn't lace it with drugs b/c I can't get enough and keep coming back for more. The eggplant hot pot is also another excellent dish.
Their fish-ball dishes are a little disappointing as they're just the typical fish-balls you can pick up at any Asian Farmer's marketer. I was hoping for a more Fuzhou style fish-ball, where it's fish paste ball with beef in the center. -
Review from Jeff L.
8/2/2010
What a great find this place was for us! The drive to Buford Highway is a little over 30 minutes -- this means that finding good, and authentic, Cantonese food is quite the hassle. Ultimately, this means that we don't get to eat it as frequently as we'd like to. This can be tough given that my wife grew up on amazing Cantonese food and goes through withdrawal if she goes too long without it. Luckily, with Canton Cooks closer by, we can satisfy our cravings a bit more regularly.
Their menu is a hodge-podge of inauthentic Americanized Chinese fare intermixed with authentic Cantonese dishes. Case in point, their Chow Meins: their menu has two sections "Chow Mein" (Americanized) and "Cantonese Style Chow Mein" (authentic -- can't remember the exact section title). This is both good and bad -- you do have to sift through many, many inauthentic Americanized dishes to get to the great (authentic) ones; but unlike so many other places, at least the great ones are still there!
Their Cantonese pan-fried noodle (chow mein) is easily the best I've had in the area, and probably the best I've had outside Toronto. They also do an amazing egg scramble chow fun -- served in a ginormous bowl, enough to feed 8 people! As others have noted their Salt & Pepper Squid is out-of-this-world good -- I could eat several helpings of this. I will also note that their Fish Maw & Crab Meat soup is (like the pan-fried noodle) way lots better than any other I've had in the area.
The only disappointment we've had food-wise is their Chicken & Salt Fish fried rice. It wasn't bad by any stretch, but used a very different salted mackeral than any other dish, and it's definitely one thing that I make better at home. We were hopeful about it, but probably wouldn't get it again because of the very different flavor profile.
All in all, this place has been a bit of a saving grace. The main issue is that the overwhelming majority of their dishes fall into the inauthentic Americanized fare, and so we'd probably end up rotating between the same set of dishes again and again. But, that has not stopped us from coming back (several times); and what we've ordered so far has generally been exceptional. -
Review from Delphine L.
Atlanta, GA
10/23/2011
Best Chinese in Atlanta
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Review from Marcus O.
Alpharetta, GA
6/19/2011
my favorite place for chinese in atlanta.
when the place is hopping, don't expect great service. this isn't the usual chinese restaurant where your water is refilled after two sips. however, the place is well worth it. they get the job done.
crowds pack this place at odd hours. if you come during the usual dinner time, you'll be fine. if you try to come in for a late dinner, expect a line. the lunch time specials are your usual chinese american meals so ... if you only come for lunch, don't judge the dinner by the same thing.
unlike other places that have a distinctive hole-in-the-wall flavor goodness, the health rating is actually very high -- as in A rating.
salt and pepper pork chops is one of my favorites here. -
Review from Michelle M.
Chicago, IL
9/23/2010
Did you know? It's good when you see chinese people eat here.
My top 5 favorite dishes:
(1) Salt and Pepper Squid
(2) Chinese bacon with preserved vegetables - very authentic - watch out!
(3) Deep fried jumbo oysters
(4) Black pepper steak
(5) Any of the hot pots
You know you can always get consistent food with them. They're probably one of the closest restaurants you can get to authentic Chinese. If you're looking for dessert, stop right there. They don't have anything but orange slices after your meal.
