I teamed up with Georgia Foodies again for another delicious Atlanta-area food adventure! This time, we visited Pao Pao Ramen at their Buford location to try some of their recommended dishes, from crispy appetizers to spicy bowls of ramen.
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I love spicy food, so the Angry Pao Pao and Kimchi Seafood Ramen were right up my alley. But one of the most memorable bites of the visit was actually an appetizer: their Mushroom Dynamite. Those stuffed mushrooms were HUGE!
About Pao Pao Ramen
During our visit, we chatted with Ming, who shared that Pao Pao had been serving Georgia for almost a decade, with locations in Buford, Toco Hills, and Snellville.
He described the restaurant as a ramen factory with an Asian fusion approach, bringing together Chinese, Korean, and Japanese noodle dishes. Along with ramen, the menu includes rice dishes, appetizers, and boba drinks.
For this visit, we focused on a few of their recommended appetizers, ramen bowls, and drinks.
The interior is super cute too btw! There's a playful mural of cartoon characters slurping noodles, red booth seating, and warm pendant lights over the bar. They even had Dragon Ball playing on the TV during our visit - a fun backdrop for digging into a big bowl of ramen!
What We Tried
Yum Yum Shrimp
We started with the Yum Yum Shrimp: fried jumbo shrimp topped with yum yum sauce.
And they really were jumbo! The crispy coating paired with the creamy sauce made for a savory appetizer with plenty of texture. If you like crispy shrimp and yum yum sauce, this is an easy one to add to your order.
Mushroom Dynamite
The Mushroom Dynamite was a standout for me. These tempura mushrooms came with imitation crab stuffing, and they were so big that picking one up with chopsticks became its own little challenge. I promise I know how to use chopsticks! 😂
The stuffing was very flavorful, and between that and the crispy exterior, there was a lot going on in each bite. The mushroom flavor took a back seat to the rich, savory filling.
If you usually skip mushrooms because of their flavor, this might be a fun dish to try. It definitely wasn't your average little stuffed mushroom appetizer!
Angry Pao Pao
Ming recommended the Angry Pao Pao, which features spicy braised beef, thin noodles, and a creamy broth.
This bowl brought both heat and flavor. The beef had a lot of seasoning beyond just spiciness, and the broth made it a satisfying bowl to dig into.
I enjoyed the spicy kick! We had some fun in the video comparing the heat between the different bowls, but spice tolerance is personal. If you're sensitive to spicy food, ask about the heat level before ordering.
Kimchi Seafood Ramen
As someone who loves both kimchi and spicy food, I was excited to try the Kimchi Seafood Ramen.
The bowl came with shrimp, mussels, imitation crab, and kimchi, with more seafood tucked underneath the noodles than I initially realized. It was also a big bowl-once it was right in front of me, the portion looked even more generous!
What I especially enjoyed was the broth. It had a delicious seafood flavor without tasting fishy, along with plenty of kimchi flavor and a spicy kick.
If you love kimchi, seafood, and spicy noodle soup, this is the bowl I'd point you toward.
Another Ramen Recommendation
Ming also highlighted the Spicy Garlic Tonkotsu, describing it as a classic Japanese tonkotsu topped with their house-special braised pork belly.
That was another recommendation from management during our visit, though the bowls I talk about tasting in the video are the Angry Pao Pao and Kimchi Seafood Ramen.
Boba & Fruit Tea
The drinks featured in our visit were a Brown Sugar Boba Tea and a Mango Fruit Tea.
The brown sugar boba offered a milk tea option with chewy tapioca pearls, while the mango fruit tea was a refreshing, fruity choice with chewy bits of its own.
It's nice to have both options depending on whether you're in the mood for something milky or a fruit tea to go with your meal.
Watch Our Visit with Georgia Foodies
Want to see the dishes up close-and watch us tackle those giant stuffed mushrooms? Check out my latest collaboration with Georgia Foodies, "Best Restaurants in Georgia | Don't Miss This Ramen Spot!"
We had a fun time trying the food together, and you can hear more of our reactions in the full video!
Planning Your Visit
We visited the Buford location for this collaboration, but Pao Pao Ramen also has locations in Toco Hills and Snellville! Here's where you can find them:
- Buford: 3290 Buford Dr NE, Suite A-2, Buford, GA 30519
- Toco Hills / Atlanta: 2929 N Druid Hills Rd NE, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30329
- Snellville: 1350 Scenic Hwy, Suite 624, Snellville, GA 30078
Visit Pao Pao Ramen's website for online ordering and location details.
Have you tried Pao Pao Ramen? Let me know which location you visited and what you ordered or which of these dishes you'd want to try!
Got questions or comments? Drop them below!