PF Chang's; Not Just a Chinese Bistro
In 1999, the Mall of Georgia opened up in a fast-developing community on the Northeast side of Atlanta. On one of the most popular entrances stood two large horses. These horses were not just the “Mom, pick me up here” or “I will meet you by the horse” landmarks. These horses guarded the entrance to what we know as PF Chang’s.
Growing up close to the Mall of Georgia, PF Chang’s was always a go-to restaurant for me. Over the last 20 years, it hosted many events in my life, various celebrations from birthdays, graduations, and a fortune cookie that prophesized my relationship with my wife. The favorites were always Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Won Ton Soup, and of course the famous Chicken Wraps and Great Wall of Chocolate. PF Chang’s will always be one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the United States.
Recently, after no real planning, Jasmine and I decided to go for Valentine’s Day Dinner. You’re right, what were we thinking? A chain restaurant on a Saturday night on a busy road in Louisville, KY? On Valentine’s Day? After asking our Instagram followers what we should order and watching our friends at Delish try various menu items in this video, we were ready to go!
Our Instagram followers almost all said to try the same things. So we knew before arriving what favorites we’d be ordering. When we arrived to PF Chang’s, we had about a 45-minute wait which was expected and honestly surprised us considering how busy they were. We would have thought the wait would be longer.
When we sat down, our order was already ready to go. Starting off with a Coconut Mojito, Handmade Pork Dumplings (you can get both fried and steamed if you ask) and their famous Chicken Wraps. The dumplings are what stood out to me the most, but both dishes were amazing and savory.
After that, we moved on to Chang’s Mai Tai, Mongolian Beef, Fried Rice, and the Singapore Street Noodles with Chicken. This was the biggest surprise for me. Starting off with the Mai Tai, our amazing waiter (kudos to Johnathan at PF Chang’s - Louisville!) told me it was a strong drink, and boy was he right. A few different types of liquors, plus a rum floater had me feeling like I was on a beach in the Caribbean. The Mai Tai was very strong but had a good flavor. Rum is one of my favorite liquors so I might be a little bias. The Mongolian Beef was as good as the past 20 years of having it. Now the Street Noodles... that is what took me back to Asia. Outside of the tomatoes, the flavor reminded me of some of our meals with had in China and Thailand. I usually prefer rice over noodles, especially fried, but we were all fighting over the noodles. I highly recommend the Singapore Street Noodles and cannot wait to go back to try their other noodle dishes.
To finish it all off we consumed The Great Wall Of Chocolate, which I believe was gone in less than 3 minutes. My only complaint was not grabbing more raspberry sauce before the girls scooped it all up. Next time, I’ll be sure to get some extra on the side.
Overall, PF Chang’s is no longer the Chinese Bistro I grew up with. The Ownership Team has done a wonderful job of not just rebranding the menu but adding a mix of Asian Cuisine to it. Jasmine and I agree that PF Chang’s is highly underrated. Go visit if you don’t believe us!