Daniel B.
Yelp
Thanh Thanh Restaurant is a very good authentic Vietnamese restaurant located on the south side of Atlanta OTP (outside the perimeter) in Forest Park. There are several Vietnamese restaurants in the vicinity catering to the south-OTP Vietnamese community. Food-wise, I think some of these places can stand up to the majority of Vietnamese restaurants on Buford Highway and in Gwinnett County. They just aren't located in very appealing or the nicest of neighborhoods.
While it's only about 1 mile OTP, Thanh Thanh feels like it's out in the sticks. The stretch of Jonesboro Rd. it's located on is filled with low-end strip malls and small Hispanic businesses. The restaurant is located in a giant shopping center which feels abandoned and has seen better days.
The restaurant is casual and straightforward. Each table is equipped with the Vietnamese-standard of chopsticks, spoons, napkins, and condiments such as Sriracha hot sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, etc. It's interesting to note the multiple flat screen TVs, assorted-colored light fixtures, and karaoke stage in the back.
According to the menu, the restaurant is open from 10:30am to 2:00am, 7 days a week. If visiting during an unconventional hour, I'd call ahead just to make sure they're open. We once called and no one answered. However, we received a return call minutes later and the folks on the phone seemed quite nice.
Thanh Thanh's menu is nearly 100 items deep. It's chock full of Vietnamese cuisine and includes many dishes that are rare in the Atlanta area. All of the dishes are prepared in "home-cooked" fashion. It has a different style and feel than Vietnamese restaurants like Pho Dai Loi, Nam Phuong, and I Luv Pho.
Some "standard" Vietnamese fare include goi cuon (fresh spring rolls), cha gio (egg rolls), banh mi (sandwiches), pho beef noodle soup, hu tieu (rice noodle soup), bo kho (beef stew), bun bo Hue (spicy Hue-style noodle soup), com (rice) dishes, and catfish in hot pot. More unique and special items include banh xeo (fried rice cakes), banh cuon (rice noodle rolls), grilled green mussels, duck with ginger sauce, lotus root and snow mushroom salad, pork "pudding" salad, sweet snails salad, clams, duck, rabbit, frog legs, whole squid, crispy large intestine with salty mustard leaves, and whole quails fried in butter.
Expect to spend about $8-12 for most single-serve entrees. Some dishes can only be ordered in family-sized portions only (e.g. baked catfish, stir-fried clams or mussels, whole quails). The family-size entrees run anywhere from $18-34+ per order. They're worth it if you have folks to share the food with.
I've been very pleased with what I've tried here so far. The list includes pho dac biet ("pho tai, bo vien, nam" on menu, $8), bun bo Hue ($8), and com dac biet ("com suon, bi, cha" on menu, $12). There is only one size for noodle soups. It's comparable to a medium or large at other places.
Thanh Thanh's pho dac biet (special combination pho or pho with everything) comes with slices of beef, meatballs, and flank. It doesn't have the tripe and tendon that the other places serve, but that's OK because it's still a dang good bowl of pho. The broth is very clear, one of the clearest I've seen. The pho is fragrant, but not perfumey.
Along with the noodles and meat, the pho comes with sliced scallion, chopped cilantro, and onion. It's a comforting, not-overpowering, well-made bowl of pho. This is the kind of pho I imagine is made and served in Vietnamese homes. The pho sides (basil, culantro, bean sprouts, lime, jalapeno) are fresh and some of them, such as the basil and culantro, seem home-grown.
Like the pho, the bun bo Hue has a very clear broth. This is unusual for me to see from bun bo Hue. The bun bo Hue is made with rice vermicelli noodles (thicker, rounder than pho noodles), marinated bone-in beef shank, oxtail, congealed pig blood, and Vietnamese steamed ham. It's not as spicy or rich as the bun bo I've had at other places, but it's still hearty, flavorful, and delicious. Like pho, bun bo Hue comes with fresh veggie sides like banana flower and shrimp paste with chili oil.
The com dac biet dish is a tasty and very filling rice dish. I recommend adding a fried egg to your order for $1 extra. The rice dish comes with a pork chop, pork skin, Vietnamese egg meatloaf, veggies (tomato, lettuce, cucumber), pho broth, and fish sauce with carrots and radish. The pork chop is bigger and greasier than I'm accustomed to. Very tender and savory, though. The pork skin has additional sausage bits added, which is a nice touch you often don't see at Vietnamese restaurants. Overall, it makes for a very enjoyable, stomach-stuffing meal.
Service can be slow. This feels more like a "mom and pop" business than one of those well-oiled machines on Buford Highway.
In the end, Thanh Thanh is excellent food for the area and, for some dishes, worth the extra drive from Atlanta.