Daniel B.
Yelp
I give NaanStop 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It's good/not bad.
NaanStop is an LA food truck turned Atlanta restaurant chain. The restaurants serve fast-casual Indian food. This location in Atlantic Station is the company's third location. It opened in February 2019, replacing Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, across from Pho 24.
Parking in the Atlantic Station parking deck is free for the first 2 hours. I recommend parking on level P2 (the lowest level) because it's less crowded. Enter via 16th St. Regardless which level you park on, try to park near stairwells 5 or 8 (green color) or 1 (red color). Those stairwells are closest to NaanStop.
NaanStop renovated the old Tin Drum space and it looks great, inside and out, with colorful and interesting murals, artwork, and decor. The kitchen has been opened up so you can see inside. The highlight is a tandoor oven where each and every order of naan is cooked fresh-to-order. The ordering line is set up in an assembly line format, Chipotle-style, so you can pick and choose toppings and chutneys (sauces) as you go. They've got a bar in the back and sell alcohol. Combined with Indian pop music playing in the background, this place has a fun atmosphere.
The day's naan selections are posted next to the naan-making station. During our visit, they were regular naan, garlic naan, and bullet naan (spicy). The food menu consists of build-your-own bowls (rice/salad) and sandwiches ("naanwiches") with up to 2 main entrees ($7.99 for 1, $9.99 for 2), naan, and any number of toppings and chutneys. If you don't want to build your own meal, there's an "easy ordering" menu with entrees like chicken tikka masala and even a family meal for 4 ($39.99). Sides include samosas ($2.49 each, $3.99 each for a loaded version), masala fries ($2.49 each), and extra naan ($1.99+ each).
Non-alcoholic beverages ($2.49+ each) include Indian juices and soda, housemade sodas, chai, mango lassi, fresh coconut water ("fresh" as in, coconuts are chopped-to-order and you drink the coconut water directly from the coconut), and self-serve rosewater lemonade and Assam black tea. The seasonal bar menu offers a limited selection of beer, wine, and cocktails.
I tried a few items:
* Rice bowl with gobi (cauliflower) and paneer (cheese) tikka masala, topped with corn salad, spicy cabbage slaw, fresh spinach, and hot and cool chutneys ($7.99)
* Side of bullet naan (included with above)
* NaanStop Feast ($10.99) - chicken tikka masala, kabob (turkey), and chola (chickpeas) topped with grilled onions and peppers, corn salad, spicy cabbage slaw, and hot and cool chutneys
* Side of garlic naan (included with above)
* Chai ($2.99) - iced, black tea with milk, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper
* Mango lassi ($2.99) - mango and yogurt smoothie with cinnamon and cardamom
In general, the food was good, though in this category of Indian (modern casual), I still prefer places like Chai Pani and Botiwalla. That said, in Atlantic Station, Westside, and Midtown, NaanStop is worth checking out. Really, I think the only food we were "meh" on was the chicken tikka masala. It wasn't great. I enjoyed everything else.
At NaanStop, you can choose between white or brown basmati rice. I chose white (it tastes better to me). I originally wanted fish tikka masala which is made out with wild-caught North Pacific salmon. However, the server scooped it up, took a look, and gave me some honest advice not to get it. He was right. What little bits of salmon that remained in the serving container looked sad and dry. What I got instead, the paneer tikka masala, turned out to be excellent. It was my favorite of the foods I tried. Very appetizing flavor (rich, creamy) and texture (soft, smooth). I recommend it. The gobi was fine.
My second-favorite item was the kabob (turkey). They almost didn't have any for us, but the stock was replenished just in time as we placed our order, so we got fresh kabob. The meat was chopped into small pieces. It was tender and savory.
As for the toppings and chutneys, they were A-OK. I can't say I recommend one over another. They were all fresh and worth getting. My fiancee especially liked the cool chutney (raita made from yogurt, cucumber, and mint). The hot chutney was legitimately spicy. It's no joke. A customer that sat at a table next to us didn't realize how spicy the hot chutney was. It set his mouth on fire and he started hiccupping.
Speaking of spicy, the bullet naan brought the heat. I love how NaanStop's naan is made-to-order, but the staff had problems getting orders out in a timely fashion. After a short wait, the naan we received was glistening and piping hot from the oven. They smelled and tasted terrific. If you can't handle spicy food, I suggest going with the garlic naan.
Both the chai and mango lassi were delicious. I recommend both. They were premade and served in clear, sealed bottles. The chai was sweet, creamy, and aromatic and the mango lassi was cool, thick, and refreshing.