Family Cafe

The definition of a dive Chinese joint, except the food isn’t that good. Family Café is a fast-​casual place with an emphasis on the casual. Order at the counter, food is brought out. The menu is quite clearly presented on signs behind the counter, including helpful photos.
Several haphazardly-​placed bare tables with too few chairs adorn the eating area. A couple of the tables were dirty. There’s a door off to the side that leads to a restroom. No TV.
Mongolian beef — small pieces of beef covered in thick, cloying sauce. Not good. Accompanied by an enormous amount of tasteless fried rice. Also not good. Both could have used hot sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, anything, but there were no condiments anywhere in evidence. This one sample might not be representative of their menu, but it didn’t make a good impression. Compared to other, divey joints which often are gems in the rough (think Burger Win in EAV), Family Café falls way short.
Service is efficient and friendly (ish), but sparing. Once I ordered, the owner came out to deliver the food to the table and said nothing else.
Value is high — one dish with fried rice and a Diet coke came to about $ 7.
The café is located in a building that includes auto repair shops. Coming from the N Decatur/​Ponce intersection, I found it easiest to turn left at Valley Brook, left past the gas station and then drive up to the café’s parking lot. Turning left off Ponce onto Alcove Dr (where the café is located) with lunchtime traffic can be challenging.
The billiard room (which was not open when I came in during lunchtime) is not connected to the café from the inside — it’s next door.
Family Café is not recommended unless you work nearby and your lunch budget (time or money) is limited.

I’ve driven by this place a 1000 times and finally decided to try it out. I will be back! A really good hamburger at a really good price. Great for pool or take-​out. You will be forgiven for skipping the dinning room, though if they gave it a fresh coat of paint, a checkered floor and a juke-​box it could become a real neighborhood hangout.

I love a great hole-​in-​the-​wall…
While visiting my mom in Atlanta, we stopped by the Family Café, a local neighborhood hangout that serves up yummy hot wings, sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and… Chinese food! An odd combination I know, but it’s owned by a really nice Korean couple that work here all day! While I was there, several regulars came in and it’s obvious that the owners are on good terms with their customers… always a good sign!
I had some spicy hot wings that were yummy… fried and tossed in a tasty sauce! I also had their veggie fried rice and that was delicious! I couldn’t get enough of it. I usually don’t like fried rice because it’s on the dry side, but theirs is moist! A friend ordered a tilapia sandwich and that was tasty. Their food is fresh and well-​prepared, certainly NOT what you’d expect from the exterior! My mom got the broccoli chicken and that was really good too.
I think really the thing that you can’t miss about this place is that the prices are SOOOO reasonable! For the price you’re paying, the quality and quantity of the food is amazing!
They also have a billiards room off to the side, but I didn’t play. I took a peek over there and the beer prices seem reasonable ($ 3 per bottle) and $ 7 per hour to rent the tables. LOL — and when the owner saw me peek over there to take a picture, he offered to pose for me! In Los Angeles, everyone takes pictures of their food, but maybe not so much in Atlanta! :-)
They’re open late too… 11 AM — 11 PM, but alas, closed on Sundays.