Café Mangosix Coffee & Dessert in Duluth, GA

I am much, much too late to the hype.

You know when you return to your hometown during a break with a solid list of places you need to visit and things you need to do? All business, no survivors. That's me. I had been seeing pictures from Mangosix pop up on my personal instagram feed since last September so naturally it made it onto my all-too comprehensive list. 

Located in what I describe to my non-childhood friends as Atlanta's Ktown or Asian-central, Mangosix is a Korean café situated right next to Iron Age (for all your post-KBBQ dessert needs) serves a mix of desserts, drinks, frozen yogurt, and café foods like soups, salads, and sandwiches. It's quite spacious and has seating that accommodates groups of two all the way up to 10+.  

If I were to sum up Mangosix in two words they would be: bubblegum K-drama. The interior is trendy and modern, but I can't help but feel as if it was pasted straight out of a Korean drama, not that it's a bad thing. I actually quite enjoyed myself there. DC, don't get me wrong, I love all the eccentric independent coffeeshops, but this is one thing you're missin'.

Mangosix is most popular for its all-fruit based drinks and at $5.45 for a tall, they aren't cheap. My friend and I ended up splitting a mango+honeydew juice, which I found to be quite delicious and refreshing, but I'm still a bit apprehensive about the price tag. 

Pesto chicken panini // basil pesto + sun dried tomato + feta

Basil chicken sandwich // basil pesto + mayonaise + chicken breast + tomato + red onion + swiss cheese + romaine  

My friend and I ended up getting incredibly similar orders, both sandwiches served warm with a side salad. My biggest gripe with Mangosix was the service. There were only two other tables, but even then it took about 20 minutes for our sandwiches to be ready. In fact, they didn't even start making them until we went to the counter and asked how much longer it would take.

The sandwiches though were quite tasty and filling. I wouldn't come here for a protein-fix, for sure, but they were everything a café sandwich should be: light and relatively healthy.

I enjoyed my visit to Mangosix and I can see why it's so popular with the 20-something crowd, but quite frankly, I don't think the food quite lived up to the hype. The drinks are delicious, but with nearby drink places like Quickly's and Boba Mocha (and soon Sweet Hut) that are much cheaper, I can't see myself visiting just to buy a juice. However, I do think that it's a great spot social spot for groups, catching up with friends, or a post-dinner dessert fix. 

Of course I had to throw this shot in here. Thanks Umeki for buying me lunch. I had a great time (as always) catching up!

Café Mangosix Coffee & Dessert 

2131 Pleasant Hill Rd
 Duluth, GA 30096

Dessert Story in Fairfax, VA

It's like I never left home.

Colorful bubbly decorations + cute drawings + adorably strange wall decorations + random english phrases, you know you're in a bubble tea shop. Growing up in Atlanta, this is where all the young Asian hipsters hung out. You can keep your hand-roasted fair trade coffee beans because we're living the boba life. Sensing a pattern here? Clearly I love the Fung Bros.

Dessert Story is a recently opened Asian dessert shop that serves coffee, tea, bubble tea, and various desserts and pastries. Located in the same shopping center as Bonchon Chicken and Hot Spot, it's the perfect place to end an epic Asian-food saga. 

It's clear that the main attraction here are drinks rather than food. There is a small refrigerated section with a few dessert options including Swiss rolls, mini cakes, puddings, and cake pops and while they were really cute to look at, they looked extremely generic. Or maybe I've just been spoiled by specialized patisseries lately. 

One thing I really like is that Dessert Story really takes care of its lactarded folks (guilty) and while the default base for any of the drinks is milk, you can also opt to use almond or soy milk for an additional price. 

 Thai tea + mango // 4.95

My group and I ended up buy four or five drinks for ourselves and then getting another three to take back to other friends. Between use we got mango, coconut, thai tea, strawberry and black tea. I only got to try the thai tea, coconut, and mango though and my favorite was the coconut. It's just vaguely sweet, but very rich with tiny pieces of shredded coconut scattered throughout. For any coconut lover, this is a must. 

The bubble teas here are more Korean style than Taiwanese, meaning that there is little if any tea base in the flavored teas and they are a slushy rather than a liquid drink. While I prefer Taiwanese style drinks better, it was still a nice change. 

It makes me sad to say that I will probably not go back to Dessert Story again unless I'm going to get Bonchon or Hot Spot. It's simply too far of a trek out just for some tapioca and for someone who prefers coffee to tea, just not worth it. However, I am extremely impressed with Dessert Story and it looks like a very promising spot. If you're in the area, definitely give it a try!

Dessert Story

3238 Old Pickett Rd
 Fairfax, VA 22031