Danny H.
Yelp
"Rice Cake House" isn't so accurate as much as this place has way more than just rice cakes. However, it was this name that drew me in the first place, because I was seeking out rice cakes, without having to fight with all of the savvy ajummas at H-Mart who get there earlier than I can and bogart all the good stuff.
Rice cakes are an important part of first birthdays in my culture, and I wanted to be as accurate as I could be with my child's first. Plus, I love rice cakes, and it would be the perfect excuse to get a whole bunch to have.
I called them ahead of my visit to make sure I could order what I was looking for, and I had to struggle through my rudimentary Korean to convey my message, but we managed. They were friendly and more than happy to accommodate my needs, and when I explained the needs for a traditional first birthday, they took the reigns without much more explanation needed.
This place is located off of (shocker) Buford Highway, closer to the I-285 section of Doraville. They're located in the Pinetree Plaza, on the side strip probably best described as where Chef Liu's used to be and is some hot pot joint now. PN Rice Cake House is further down the strip from them.
Be aware that PN is taking the pandemic extremely seriously, and they have a current rule of only one group allowed inside at a time, so if there's anyone inside when you get there, you might have to wait outside. Frankly, I appreciate the extreme caution and I wish more people and businesses did too but that's just a personal opinion.
Inside, the business is not large, and it's easy to see why they only want one group in at a time. Aside from the rice cakes, which only takes up like a 1/4 of their retail space, the business is an oasis of traditional Korean banchan (side dishes) and most of all, large varieties and sizes of kimchee.
But seeing as how there were people behind me, I didn't want to take too long, so I couldn't really examine prices so much as I could simply marvel at their variety and availability. I simply got my custom order and left, to be courteous to them and those waiting to get in after me.
All the same, their rice cakes were fresh, of fantastic quality, and I was more than proud to put them on display for my child's virtual first birthday party. More importantly, they were delicious, and since a one-year old can only eat so much rice cake, I basically stuffed my face with the rest of it over the next few days.
I recommend this place to anyone who is jonesing for some rice cakes, or is looking for some traditional Korean banchan, without wanting to fight the crowds at your local H-Mart. The staff is friendly, they take their safety measures seriously, and the quality of their product, as indicative of their rice cakes, lends a lot of confidence that it's probably great.