Rice Mac

This is not the place to go if you want to enjoy authentic Asian food. But if you want cheap, fast Americanized-​Chinese it’s totally fine. I ordered delivery and it was timely and piping hot when it got here. I had a 50% off groupon so I paid $ 3 for an order of Mongolian Chicken and Chicken with Mixed vegetables both of which come with soup and rice, as well as an order of spring rolls.
Spring rolls– a little soft, but really tasty. I can’t say I’m confident they were made in house, but they were still good.
Mongolian Chicken– this was my fiancé’s order. A little sweet for my taste but still fine, the chicken was tender and the vegetables were nice. He also had the mushroom soup, which is the same base as my wonton soup, but with a few sliced mushrooms thrown in. He liked it fine, I wasn’t that impressed.
Wonton soup: The wontons themselves were nice. The onion broth is a little salty, in the end I actually poured a bit of it onto my entrée and it tasted quite good.
Chicken with Mixed veggies: the vegetables were a little on the overcooked side but I actually prefer mine that way. It needed a bit more seasoning, but I used some of my leftover soup to add salt.
Overall I highly recommend this place if you have a coupon, and if you don’t it is still a large portion for the price with timely hot delivery.

I wanted something different during my lunch break so I tried this place. My standards weren’t placed too high for it since they serve a variety of dishes. I got the orange chicken, which came with fried rice and a bowl of soup for about $ 8. Great price for the amount of food this came with. The black container is full of chicken itself and rice is in separate box. BUT I was not satisfied with the taste of the chicken at all. It was very, very bland. If you want a lot of food for your money, this is a good place for that.

Okay the parking can be a challenge, the inside was nice and clean service was pleasant and fast. Liked that the menu wasn’t that big an they have a lunch special. I used my Groupon coupon for $ 9 ($ 12 cost of coupon) I was able to get 2 dinners which come with soup and an order of steamed dumplings. The food was hot and the wait was short. The food was good not great but decent.

super slow delivery, average to below average food.

Decent food, terrible service. Both times I got pickup they said it would be ready in 10 minutes, but I waited close to 30. It was also completely empty both times and it was clear I was waiting, yet they didnt say a word to me or offer me a drink.

Not sure about what the current 3 star Unilocal average is all about, but I dig this place for its likely intended purpose: fast Asian (whatever specific cuisine thatmay include, be it Chinese, Thai, or Japanese) food, preferably to go.
More specifically, I have never been let down with the freshness of the food or promptness of service. The fact that entrees (already reasonably priced) come with a choice of fried rice or steamed rice and soup is a major bonus in my book.
The bf digs the Mongolian Chicken, with a side of fried rice. I have had the basil tofu, which I really liked!
We have always come on the weekend during off-​hours, so I am not sure how busy it might get during the work week. But there are a handful of small tables as well as a long counter with seating, so I bet it could be a good place to grab some quick, casual lunch with a coworker or solo.

We’ve gone here probably a dozen times and, at first, it seemed fine — cheap (especially with coupon), pretty good tasting, convenient. We probably went once a week when it opened.
But recently, they’ve repeatedly messed up the order. Once, they forgot one of the boxes of rice — okay, but not horrible.
Another time, I ordered a Thai basil — supposed to come with string beans, onions, peppers (and we’ve ordered it before, so we know how it usually looks). Somehow, the container ended up literally 75% filled with zucchini or some other vegetable that I hate (and isn’t even on the menu — how’d that happen?). That was bad, but I didn’t return it since at least I could just pick out the meat and eat that.
Eventually, we gave it another try. But that time the vegetarian dish we ordered ended up with chicken instead. The dish was for a vegetarian, so we had to bring it back that time. They did replace it and apologize. But the replacement still had pieces of chicken in it! Like, they obviously just tried to pick out the chicken instead of making a new dish. That’s disgusting. Of course, we ended up just throwing out the food.

Just don’t eat it– I went cause I had a coupon and threw all the food away/​went somewhere else
I got the hot and sour soup, which was very bland and watery
I also got the hibachi steak, which seemed low quality/​the sauce tasted like sour canned gravy and the lettuce wraps
I would’ve been more upset if I ha paid more for it

This is a small me shop directly opposite McDonald’s. I always have reservations when visiting American Chinese places or even the Chinese-​Thai-​Vietnamese, all rolled into one types of restaurants. Such restaurants attempt to cater to a wide audience but never produce good food. Some are just too sweet, others too salty or just simply bland.
So when we drove up to Rice Mac, we saw only 3 people eating, I wanted to get back into the car and go somewhere else more familiar. Since my husband said that we should try because of a 50% scoutmob deal, we walked in.
The selection was not too wide. Good. I ordered the American beef and broccoli. The serving was big for the small price tag. The taste just right. Must go if you want to try. Must keep this little shop in business. Good for a quick bite with enough for takeaway.
Each set comes with a complimentary soup and option of steam rice or fried rice. Very fulfilling.

After moving from Los Angeles (after living in Southeast Asia), we have been severely disappointed by Atlanta’s Asian food options. Rice Mac, though an admittedly odd name, is our new go-​to Asian take out joint after 2 years of extensive searching in Atlanta. Maybe we’ve just been lucky with our orders, or maybe the other reviewers aren’t quite as experienced asian food aficionados. Either way, we’ve had great experiences with Rice Mac. We’ve loved everything we’ve ordered, except for the Hot and Sour Soup– other reviewers are right, it could use some help. They also have had consistently quick and friendly service on each of our visits. As you can see, I’ve never reviewed anything before, but I just thought it a travesty to leave Rice Mac with all these poor reviews.

I was excited about finding some good Pad Thai but this place just didn’t pan out. This dish didn’t have much flavor and the noodles were very sticky.
I ordered Mongolian Beef and got Mongolian Chicken. No big deal, mistakes happen. This dish was also not very exciting or flavorful.
Delivery was very quick and courteous so that is a big plus.
I always root for non-​chain restaurants and just because it didn’t ‘wow’ me doesn’t mean it won’t be your favorite.

PROS: music selection isn’t terrible
décor is minimalistic, but cute
CONS: soups were subpar
Rice was dry, but rice is in their name
(That alone is disturbing)
Nothing seemed to be seasoned

I feel like the pricing is a little ridiculous for the quality of food they’re putting out, but I feel they get away with it because of the location (Druid Hills).

Pros: suuuuper cheap (there are coupons for ½ off your entre if you search online), my to-​go order was ready when they said it would be, portions big enough that you could make two meals out of it, lots of parking.
Cons: miso soup was disgusting — ate one spoonful and threw the rest away, the food in general isn’t anything worth writing home about.
I got the pad Thai and it was mainly just noodles with some egg and like two shreds of carrot. Also, I like pad Thai for the flat rice noodles but the ones here are just normal thin noodles aka very disappointing. The taste was so bad it was actually good.
I definitely do not recommend planning on sitting in and eating at the actual restaurant. It’s basically just a space for people to sit while they wait for their to-​go orders.

I ended up trying Rice Mac when my sister had bought some groupons. We drive by it only every day we go to work!!! We ordered the Black Pepper Chicken, Basil Thai, and their Lo Mein. Your order comes with a choice of soup, so I chose one of each (hot and sour soup, miso soup, and wanton soup). I was also able to get free spring rolls (egg rolls) when I checked-​in via Unilocal.
Appetizer ( Unilocal-​Check-​in Offer): You get 3 little egg rolls which are mushy and filled with almost nothing. I did get 3 tiny strands of carrot! haha. At least I didn’t have to pay for this.
Soup: I ordered three different soups (hot and sour, miso, and wanton), but I only ended up with two of the three in my carry-​out. hmmm… I was able to try their hot and sour soup which tasted soooo bad, I would like to advise EVERYONE to opt for a different option. However, you can try it if you enjoy the taste of cardboard. yummyyy~!! haha. jk. I did not find their miso soup very enjoyable either as it tasted really water downed.
Entrée: As stated earlier, I ordered the Black Pepper Chicken, Basil Thai, and their Lo Mein (listed in order of most enjoyable to least). They get an A+ for portion size, but I found their dishes SUPER greasy and I ended up with a stomach ache for 2 days. The Lo Mein stands out for me because I love Lo Mein and I REALLY DIDN’T like their Lo mein noodles. Their noodles lacked flavor not to mention tasted really stale… If I were to compare it to Panda Express, Panda Express is a 10 and Rice Mac is a low 1. Rice Mac should really consider revising their recipes and the quality of their food.
Interior/​Seating: I didn’t end up dining here because I took my order To-​Go. However, their interior is really clean. They do serve your dine-​in orders in the same plastic carry-​out containers which really adds to the fast food/​food court vibe. Wish they would save on the plastic even if it meant they might need to do some dishes.

Ordered delivery last night… The estimated wait was between 30−45mins — it took 65mins… We ordered pan fried pot stickers– they were only steamed… We also ordered sesame chicken, fried rice, and Pad Thai… Honestly they were all under seasoned & the Pad Thai came with a lemon slice instead of the traditional lime slice–
Both my husband and I got food poisoning (vomiting & diarrhea) on top of everything else… Needless to say we won’t be eating here again…

Not a happy camper.
We ordered delivery almost 2 hours ago — and the order STILL has not arrived. Not impressed!

Great Chinese and Thai Cuisine to Go!
Rice Mac is not a new macaroni and cheese concept. Instead, Rice Mac is the latest addition to The Pan Asian offerings in the glamorous neighborhood of North Decatur in Atlanta. This place seems to crank out great Chinese and Thai food to go. They have seating inside, but you will be eating your select items from a to go container. The interior is clean, modern and organized. This newly renovated shopping center bookend property is small but with plenty of seating. All the standard favorites, fresh ingredients and friendly staff.

Space — stark, with just a few tables and a long window you can belly up to.
Service — fine. This is fast casual — order at one of the two stations and they’ll deliver the food to you. The person who took my order was pretty awkward and seemed not to know what he was doing but that’s probably because he didn’t. No problem — everyone has to learn and we got through the process just fine, eventually. My food came out fairly quickly.
Menu — You have to refer to the printed takeout menus, and there is no lunch menu. If you order one of the entrees, you will also get a tub of rice (brown, white or fried), a tub of soup (hot & sour, miso or mushroom) and at least for now, a spring roll. The menu is not laid out well — it doesn’t seem to mention the soup as being part of a beef/​chicken/​shrimp/​tofu/​house entrée order (as listed on top right) until you look down to the bottom left under ‘Classics’. And what the hell is ‘House’?
Thai basil chicken — not bad. Good, even. I like the flavors and the serving is quite generous. Not spicy.
Hot & sour soup — worst H&S soup ever. Ever. Not only did it not have that expected vinegary kick but it was almost totally devoid of flavor of any kind. It’s also listed as spicy on the menu. I tried one spoonful before pushing that away.
Fried spring roll — Complimentary but very oily and not very good. One bite was enough of that, too.
Fried rice — not totally flavorless but also not worth the stomach space. It comes in a separate tub like you get with all Chinese takeout food when it should be plated with the entrée, I think. As served, there is no good way to mix rice and entrée. And as I stated, the rice wasn’t good enough to eat on its own.
Bubble tea — can’t really say much about this item because I was told the bubble tea ‘was not ready yet’. I had to settle for a fountain soft drink.
The portion size is generous. Too generous, perhaps. An entrée was pretty much all I wanted for lunch. No soup, no spring roll and not that much rice.
Packaging — even if you say you are dining in, you will get your food packaged in plastic tubs with plastic lids, except for the rice, which comes in the typical Chinese takeout tub. The amount of plastic this place must send to the landfill bothers me. They need a system that is more sustainable.
Parking — Rice Mac is in the strip with Eagle Bookstore, FedEx and others. The lot fills up pretty quickly.
Rice Mac might be a 3 or 4-​star lunch spot if I base it on the entrée alone. It was quite good. They lose a star for the environmentally disastrous packaging. And another one for the hot & sour soup. That soup was a crime.
So, two stars. As Unilocal defines it: Meh, I’ve experienced better. Rice Mac is not recommended for dine-​in. If you’re going for takeout — which always involves excess packaging — it’s OK.

Went there last night for the first time since it opened and I was nicely surprised. The place was super clean and very fresh looking… as it should be since it just opened. The cashier /​server was extremely pleasant and helpful without it feeling fake or forced. In fact, I believe he may have actually been the owner as well but I am not certain of that… just the impression I got as his family was there too.
As for the food… I can honestly say that it was pretty dang tasty! The menu is your basic Americanized Chinese /​Thai food which is often bland, oily, and just downright bad. But not this time! It was, by far, the best version of that type of food, I have had in a long time. We had 2 entrees which both came with rice and our choice of soup. I got the beef with broccoli, he got the Thai basil chicken and we both got the mushroom soup. It was made within seconds of us ordering… in fact, the cooks watched /​heard us order and started cooking everything before the cashier had even finished ringing us up. It was brought out to our table and served to us within minutes by the cashier/​owner. It looked fresh and quite lovely in presentation even in the plastic to go containers used in almost every Chinese delivery restaurant.
The soup was very flavorful with the broth being the highlight. It also had very thinly sliced, fresh mushrooms which was so much better than the dried mushroom pieces you typically get anywhere else. And it was piping hot, so watch those first few bites! Quite yummy!
The entrees were also a pleasant surprise. The veggies were crisp and cooked perfectly. The meats were also flavored well and were of a good size. And both sauces were flavorful and tasty… not swimming in oil or greasy in any way. The portion size was hearty and we were definitely full by the end of meal with still enough of each to bring home doggie bags. The rice (we both got the fried rice option) was probably my least favorite part but it was still much better than the usual dried out rice you tend to get in places like these. Their choice of soy sauce was fabulous and helped the rice along in my opinion which made the overall entire meal surprisingly yummy.
Another great thing about this place is that they deliver with a 3 mile radius from the store which is great news for Emory, Medlock, and the Decatur hub. I can honestly say that this is best Chinese delivery option for those in their area and I am hopeful that they continue with the good food and pleasant customer service.

We stopped by Rice Mac on early Tuesday evening at just past 5. The restaurant looked clean and newly renovated. A very long bar spans the length of the window facing the parking lot and provides ample, if a bit cramped, seating. Alongside the other wall, there are 6 two-​top tables for additional seating. The cashier greeted us warmly and gave us a couple of menus to look at.
There’s a variety of appetizers to choose from, ranging from $ 4.00-$ 7.50. The pricing seems a bit odd. For example, 2 fresh spring rolls cost $ 5.50 whereas 3 chicken or beef skewers cost $ 4.50. I don’t know about you, but I would take some juicy, smokey skewers over cold, fresh spring rolls any day. But, that’s just me.
Most of their entrees consist of the typical stirfries and noodle dishes you’d find at Americanized Chinese restaurants, like Kung Pao, Broccoli, Pad Thai, and Lo Mein. The price depends on your protein choice. For a couple dishes, the only option is chicken (Sweet and Sour Chicken, Orange Chicken, and Sesame Chicken). All entrees come with a choice of soup (Hot and Sour, Wonton, Mushroom, or Miso) and a choice of rice (steamed, fried, or brown [$ 1 extra]). I ordered a Thai Basil Chicken with Miso soup and steamed rice.
By the fountain drinks, there’s a self-​serve station with utensils, condiments, and napkins. After we ordered, we sat down at one of the two-​tops and waited for our food. There was only 1 other patron at the restaurant at the time, so unsurprisingly, our food came out within 5 – 7 minutes.
When the cashier brought our food out to us, I finally accepted that Rice Mac really is the typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. Everything from the bright red plastic tray to the plastic to-​go containers (each thoughtfully sealed up for our dine-​in pleasures) screamed «FOOD COURT!!» to me.
Unlike typical food court fare, both of our meals were piping hot out of the wok. As in, burn-​your-​fingers-​off hot when you try to open up the lid. I gave up and started with my lidless Miso soup.
Miso Soup — Very light miso flavor and not overly salty. It contains cute little cubes of tofu and cute little squares of seaweed. Not bad, but it could use a lot more miso flavor.
Thai Basil Chicken — Not good but not bad. The green beans could have been cooked a minute less to retain some snap, but the onions and bell peppers were wonderfully crunchy and sweet. The dish contained plenty of Thai basil (yay!) and a generous amount of chicken. The dish was marked with a red chili symbol on the menu, but sadly the spice was barely noticeable. The chicken also had an odd textute, as if it had been overly tenderized by cornstarch, and the sauce was a bit one-​note and salty. Still, not a bad dish.
Having been open for a week or so, they’re still hammering out the details here (staff training, colder AC, dripping pipes from condensation). They are much more suited for takeout and delivery orders, or for a quick lunch. With their decent food, generous portions, friendly service, and clean restaurant, Rice Mac has a good chance of surviving, maybe even thriving, at a location where several predecessors have failed. I look forward to ordering some takeout here in the future!