Bamboo Garden

3509 Baker Road
Acworth, GA 30101
770.529.9828

Bamboo Garden is located on the west side of I-75 near the HIghway 92 exit.  It is behind the Zaxby’s in the shopping center with the Publix. (Google Street View)

This is your typical retail center, take out Chinese place.  There are 4 tables for eating on location, but most people will call their order in ahead, show up, pay for their food, and leave.  Our lunch group ate there and took up half of the tables.

Overall, everything about Bamboo Garden is typical.  It is almost like there is a website that you can go to and order a Chinese take-out in a box.  When it shows up, you simply follow the instructions on where to hang everything and before you know it there are customers walking in the door.

Lunch was $5 which was the best part of the meal.  I was not impressed with the actual food (although there was plenty of it) and I ended up with that, “You ate at Chinese restaurant didn’t you?” smell that lingered all day.  Chinese food is one of those personal things though.  What one person likes another may not.  With a take out Chinese place on each corner around here the best thing to do is try them all and decide which one is your favorite.  For me?  I’ll keep looking!

Read more lunch reviews at www.acworthlunch.com.

Catfish Jim’s

41997 Cob Parkway
Kennesaw, GA 30152
678.290.8808

Catfish Jim’s is located on the west side of Cobb Parkway less than a mile north of Barrett Parkway.  It is right next door to the boat dealership which makes sense since Catsish Jim’s is a seafood restaurant.  (Google Street View)

First, a little history.  I think this building is cursed.  In the 10+ years  that I have lived in this area, there have been at least 3 restaurants that have attempted to make this location work.  It is also the first time I have stepped inside the building and for several years I worked less than 2 miles away.

The wear-and-tear on the building shows through as soon as you walk inside the door.  The soda fountain’s spill over tray was full and running on to the floor when we arrived.  When it was brought it to the attention of a staff member, a guy grabbed a bucket and used his hand to scoop enough water out of the tray into the bucket to stop the leaking.  The air conditioning system was rather crude as well with several exposed ducts blowing cool air and several portable construction fans placed around to help with air flow.

The menu was pretty simple… fried seafood and hush puppies.  I opted for the fried whitefish.  It came with a drink, 2 HUGE pieces of fish, 4 hush puppies, and 2 sides for $6.99.  The food was decent and if you leave hungry then you probably have a tapeworm.  The consensus from the lunch group was that the hush puppies were amongst the best they have ever tasted.

While the food was good, the staff were friendly, and the facility itself was an interesting experience, I am still in search of a good place to get seafood for lunch.  I would love to find somewhere that has non-fried choices on the menu in that $5 to $7 price range that is perfect for lunch.

Read more lunch reviews at www.acworthlunch.com.

Daddy’s Country Kitchen

4525 S. Main Street
Acworth, GA 30101
770.974.2281

Daddy’s country Kitchen is located on Main Street in Acworth just north of the old Day’s Chevrolet buildings in the parking lot of of the Save-A-Lot grocery store.  (Google Street View)

This is one of those places that you will drive by a hundred times before you actually get up the courage to go in and try it out.  The building is run-down, the signage is dated, and the place has remained unchanged longer than you have been in Acworth.

When you step inside the front door you will see the buffet line immediately to your left.  I have been told that the items on the buffet change daily.  On this particular Friday there was: a small salad bar, green beans, brussel sprouts, potatoes, stuffing & gravy, fried fish, fried chicken, hush puppies, and peach cobbler.

Overall the food was average.  The salad bar was a nice option but other than lettuce, cheese, onions, and few dressing choices there was little choice in customizing your salad.  The fried chicken was decent and the potatoes and green beans were cooked well but submerged in butter.  On the other hand, the hush puppies were excellent, prompting a second trip to the buffet for more.  I think the $7 (plus tip) price tag was a fair price for my lunch there.

While Daddy’s Country Kitchen will not become a regular lunch place for me I would urge everyone to try it out at least once… especially if you are really hungry.  It has that southern, out-of-the-way, home cooked feel that you won’t find in many restaurants these days.  Plus, it is a great conversation starter in Acworth when you tell people you have eaten there.

Read more lunch reviews at www.acworthlunch.com.

Oyster Cafe

3060 Cobb Pkwy #101
Kennesaw, GA 30152
770.529.2197

The Oyster Cafe is located on Cobb Parkway south of the “old” Walmart.  If your coming north on Cobb Parkway it will be on your right.  If you are coming south on Cobb Parkway you will want to turn left on Blue Springs road and make a right just before the day care center.  Otherwise you will have to drive halfway to Kennesaw in order to turn around and come north.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that it had a Chinese buffet-style feel.  Not sure why, it may have been the layout, the style of table, or the pictures of the food hanging on the wall when you walked in.  Don’t get me wrong the place was clean it just had that feel to it.

The second thing I noticed was that everything on the lunch menu was fried.  For someone that is trying to lose some weight, and watch what I eat, there was not really a “better” choice.  I ended up choosing to try the fried oyster sandwich since we were at the Oyster Cafe.  I can’t comment on the oysters since this is the first time I have them.  What I can say though is that a fried oyster sandwich is a little clumsy to eat.

There are some non-fried options on the menu if you want to stray into the $12 to $14 range for lunch.  By staying on the lunch menu and drinking water my lunch was $7.37 plus tip.

Will I go back?  I may be willing to try the dinner menu at some point if I am out with the wife and no kids.  For lunch, I would pass.

Read more lunch reviews at www.acworthlunch.com.

Big City Deli

3061 Jim Owens Road
Kennesaw, GA 30152
770.975.9237

Big City Deli is located on the west side of Highway 41/Cobb Parkway across from Aldi, just north of the new Oyster Cafe.  The bright yellow building makes it hard to miss if you are looking for it.

The menu here has a little bit of everything: burgers, hot dogs, turkey legs, and hot wings; but it is the sandwiches that you should come for.  I had a grilled bologna sandwich, chips, and water for $6.65.

The sandwich was awesome and when they say the bologna is “thick cut” they mean it.  The chips are made on-site and seasoned well.  A word of warning though, you will not leave hungry.  Save a little bit on lunch and split a side of chips or fries between 2 or 3 people.

My $6.65 was the cheapest lunch out of the group I went with.  We all agreed that in order to attract a better lunch crowd the owner needs to create a lunch menu with combos that include a half sandwich, half order of fries/chips, and a fountain drink for the $6 to $7 range.  Expect to pay $8+dollars for most of the other sandwiches on the menu (not including a side or drink).

Overall the food was excellent, the place was nice, the staff were friendly, and they were displaying a 100% health department score (bonus).  Next time I am in the mood for a sandwich I will be going back.  Hopefully there will be some lunch combos by then though.

Read more reviews at www.acworthlunch.com.