Best Communities for Koreans in Atlanta
Did you know that Korean is the 3rd most commonly spoken language in Georgia and that the South’s largest Korean population is right here in the Metro Atlanta area? So, what can you expect living in Atlanta as a Korean? Stick around and watch this whole video to find out!
Hello! I’m Tim Trevathan with Tim Trevathan Homes and Keller Williams Realty. On this video, I am going to tell you about the best communities for Koreans in Metro Atlanta. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my channel and check out my other videos! I have already done a full VLOG style video for the Koreatowns in the cites of Duluth and Suwanee in Gwinnett County, so you definitely want to check them out! And you might be wondering, why is this white guy covering a topic that’s not related to his ethnicity? Well, guess again! I am actually half Korean, half Caucasian as my mother is Korean and my father is American. I also lived in South Korea as an English teacher for nearly six years from 2010-2016! While living in a neighborhood of Bundang in Gyeonggi province, I had a chance to explore the cities of Daegu, Gwangju, Busan, Incheon, Paju, Jeonju, Ulsan, Jeju, and so much more! So, you can imagine why I am doing this video in the best communities for Koreans to live in Atlanta. It’s because I have a passion for Korean culture, have a fair knowledge about it, and understand the challenges of finding the right community to live in Atlanta as a Korean, and really the entire United States.
So, if you are planning to make Georgia your home, please reach out and connect with me whether it’s a call, text, or email. I’ve worked with people from across the country who now call Georgia home. And no doubt, many native Koreans and Korean Americans have been my clients whom I have thoroughly enjoyed working with. Today we are talking about the best communities in the area for Koreans.
Koreans first started moving to the Atlanta area in any sort of significant numbers back in the 1980’s and 1990’s and over the past decades has exploded. The Korean population in the Atlanta area is concentrated in Gwinnett County and doubled in just the past decade. Today, we are going to look at four popular Korean communities.
First up is Johns Creek. In 2014, it had the 4th largest Korean population in the state, with Koreans making up 4.9% of the population. It may have the smallest Korean population of all of the communities we’re going to talk about today, but it is certainly thriving.
The Korean community in Johns Creek has an H Mart, which serves as its retail anchor. In the same plaza as the H Mart, you’ll find Hansel and Gretel Bakery Café and its popular breads, cakes, coffee and boba tea. Tour les Jours is a popular French-Asian bakery with a location in Johns Creek. Its hard to make a wrong choice here, but their artisan pastries, their cakes, and their coffee is especially popular.
Popular Korean restaurants in Johns Creek include Tofu Kitchen Johns Creek, located on Medlock Bridge Road. Diners especially enjoy the Tofu soup and the casual environment. Also on Medlock Bridge Road is the brand new Oh K Dog. Serving Korean street food, including the popular Korean Hot Dog, it brings something new to the area and has been a hit with customers.
One Korean business especially worth mentioning in Johns Creek is Sooni Pouch. With a vision to bring popular K-beauty products to the local community that are not readily available outside of Korea, Sooni Pouch offers customers the option of shopping in their Johns Creek store or ordering online from the comfort of their homes.
If you are looking for a Korean church in Johns Creek, you’ll find Johns Creek Korean Church on McGinnis Ferry Road.
The Korean community in Johns Creek is newer than that of next door Duluth, and thus much smaller. While not exclusively Korean, about 25% of the students at Johns Creek High School are Asian. At nearby Northview High School, which also serves the Johns Creek Community, 57% of the students are Asian.
Next on the list of best Metro Atlanta communities for Koreans is Doraville. This is home of the original Korean community in Atlanta. Even today, along Buford Highway you’ll find Korean restaurants and businesses of all sorts. Doraville has long been a little glimpse of the globe, with people from all around the world making their home here, Koreans included.
As with Johns Creek, there is an H Mart in Doraville. The Buford Farmer’s Market is Korean owned and provides customers with food from across the globe, drawing visitors from all around Atlanta
Along the Buford Highway corridor, you’ll also find Korean BBQ, karaoke bars, and a variety of other Korean restaurants. In particular, KPOP BBQ and Bar on Buford Highway stands out as a local favorite with guests not only loving the food, but the fast and efficient service as well. Another favorite is the Cho Dang Tofu House, also on Buford Highway. Diners love the authentic Korean food served by this small, family-owned restaurant, particularly the Tofu soups.
If you are looking for a Korean bakery in Doraville, check out Paris Baguette. It is also on Buford Highway. It is impossible to leave Paris Baguette hungry. The hard part is deciding what to order! They have a great selection of salads, pastries, breads, sandwiches, and a large selection of hot and cold beverages. You’ll want to visit many times so you can fully explore their menu.
Remember the Korean bakery Tours le Jours we just talked about in Johns Creek? Well, they have a location in Doraville, and there is actually a location in each of the most popular Korean communities in Atlanta, which makes it really easy to grab your bakery favorites no matter where you happen to be.
I have to mention one more amazing Korean bakery in Doraville: White Windmill Bakery and Café. Also on, you guessed it, Buford Highway, White Windmill is popular with the locals, but is also a destination for those outside of the Doraville area. Their selection of breads in particular draw customers, but they have coffee and cakes as well as a nice selection of breakfast and lunch items. In particular, guests comment on the clean, fresh environment.
There is no shortage of amazing eateries along Buford Highway. I’m just skimming the surface with the restaurants and bakeries I just mentioned, and there are so many more great places you could visit as well.
There are also several Korean churches in the area, in particular Korean Martyrs Catholic Church and Atlanta Good Church, which is Presbyterian. There are multiple other Korean churches located just outside of Doraville.
It can be hard to find a good mechanic, but in Doraville you are in luck. OK Auto Service is Korean owned and has been serving the Doraville community for decades, with many loyal customers who have used them for years.
While there is a strong Korean presence in Doraville, there is one thing to note if you have children or hope to have children one day: the Korean community here is aging and not as family oriented compared to other Korean communities in the area. Which, makes sense as this community dates back to the 1980’s and 1990’s and continuing suburban expansion has carried the Korean community’s next generation further into the suburbs over time.
The second-best community for Koreans in Atlanta is Duluth. In Duluth, you can find a Korean business for pretty much anything you need: grocery store, restaurant, bank, doctor, lawyer, spa, coffee shop, and more. If you need it, chances are great you can fine it in Duluth’s Koreatown.
Atlanta’s only Korean language newspaper is published in Duluth. There is also a Korean radio station based in Duluth as well as a few Korean TV stations.
In Duluth, you’ll find entire shopping centers filled with Korean language signage. It is very possible to go about your entire day speaking only Korean in Duluth. In fact, Duluth has become a popular tourist destination for Koreans from across the region who are craving Korean culture but don’t want to spend the money or take the time to fly all the way to Korea when Duluth is much closer.
Okay, its time to talk about food. This is a hard one. We’d be here for an hour if I told you about every great Korean BBQ spot or other Korean restaurants in Duluth. There are just that many good ones here. Duluth’s Koreatown is definitely worth a visit, more like multiple visits, if you are craving some delicious, authentic Korean cuisine.
For Korean BBQ, I have to mention 9292 Korean BBQ, off Satellite Blvd, and Breakers Korean BBQ on Gwinnett Place Drive. Both of these places are known across Atlanta and consistently get great reviews from their customers.
I promised myself I’d stick to no more than 2 Korean BBQ restaurants per city to keep this from becoming all about BBQ, but, I’ve got to mention one more in Duluth: Iron Age Korean Steak House. This is another restaurant that promises great food and delivers. Diners also love the large screens playing Kpop music and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant.
Another great restaurant choice is Jang Su Jang. This Korean restaurant sets the bar high for Korean food and, per diners, delivers on its promise of fresh, flavorful, authentic Korean cuisine. If you are looking for a great hot pot restaurant, check out 9292 Shabu (not to be confused with 9292 Korean BBQ).
When it comes to Korean bakeries, you’ve also got a lot of choices. Tree Story Bakery and Café on Pleasant Hill Road is loved for its breads and pastries. If you are hoping for a rice cake, Nak Won Sweet Rice Café on Mall Blvd is said to have the absolute best in town if not the state.
For a non-restaurant business, Miracle Hair Salon on Old Norcross Road is a popular Korean owned hair salon that is praised for their friendly service and diligence towards giving customers the hair cut and color of their dreams.
There are also several Korean churches in Duluth, primarily clustered along Highway 120. Most are protestant churches of various denominations. One of them is Korean Community Presbyterian Church, the largest Korean church in Georgia, but there is also a Korean Catholic church that serves the Catholic community. Off of Pleasant Hill Road, is Korean Church of Atlanta, a Methodist church.
The Korean community in Duluth is well established and very family oriented.
But over time, as tends to happen in suburbs, the Korean community has continued to expand further into the ever-growing suburbs of Atlanta and Suwanee has become the best community for Koreans in Atlanta.
The Korean community in Suwanee is growing quickly and is very family oriented. Here you’ll find an H Mart and also Assi Plaza. This Korean owned, authentic Asian supermarket has only 3 locations in the entire country and one of them is right here in Suwanee. In fact, their Georgia location used to be over in Duluth but was relocated to Suwanee.
There are a variety of delicious Korean restaurants in Suwanee and as with Duluth, there are also a variety of other Korean businesses in Suwanee that make it possible to conduct much of daily life in the Korean language.
Let’s talk about restaurants first. Choi’s Grill by Chef JK on Peachtree Industrial is known for the quality of their meats and the flavor of their food. Anjoo Modern Korean BBQ and Tapas, also on Peachtree Industrial is another popular Suwanee spot for great Korean food in a laid back atmosphere with great service.
Soon’s Bakery, on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road is a Korean bakery that makes all of their breads and pastries in-house and has a nice selection of sandwiches for lunch as well. Café Mozart Bakery, also on Lawrenceville-Suwanee is popular for its drinks and café atmosphere.
If you love KPop and need some new music, head on over to KPop story on Old Peachtree Road. It can get crowded if there is a KPop concert in town, but otherwise they’ve got a great selection of both older and newer music.
As with the other communities, there are also many Korean churches in Suwanee including Promise Church off of McGinnis Ferry Road.
Honoring Korean culture and maintaining strong community ties are important to many in Atlanta’s Korean communities, and the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta is headquartered in Norcross, nestled in between Johns Creek, Doraville, Duluth, and Suwanee.
An annual highlight is the Korean Festival the association hosts each fall. This event is family friendly and offers a variety of cultural experiences including performances and exhibitions showcasing Korean art, traditional and contemporary music, and martial arts. There is also lots of great food. The best part is the event is free!
The Korean community in Georgia was expected to reach about 93,000 by 2021, and over half, about 50,000 people live in the Atlanta area, primarily in these four communities we just talked about.
If one of those communities caught your eye and you’d like to learn more about making it your home, contact me and I’d love to help turn your dream into reality.
