MITTI DESI KITCHEN (2024 S. Milledge Ave., 706-215-9239, @mitti_athens): This low-rise building just before the Al Huda Islamic Center and the mall where Fooks Foods is located has housed a variety of things over the years, including a car wash that also housed an Indian grocery store, a delicious but dysfunctional Indian restaurant (Koyla), Athens Pizza (now across the street), and Iguana’s Mexican Grill. Now, miraculously, it’s Achachi Market on the left and Mitti on the right, which serves Indian and Pakistani food, both owned by the same people.
Achachi is a great place to buy whole spices, dried dal, fresh produce (the okra is especially good) and more. Mitti, which opened in May, sometimes calls itself a food court, but is actually a restaurant with a steam table, not a collection of different eateries. It doesn’t have as many amenities as Taste of India, but it also may have a larger and different menu, raising hopes that Athens might have two Indian restaurants again. Pick what you want from the menu above the counter while rocking out to a ’90s R&B playlist, then order and take a seat inside or outside. The umbrella-covered tables just outside can accommodate a lot of people, and often do so at dinnertime, when some of the Islamic center’s patrons are tucking in. Your food is delivered more or less quickly depending on what you order, and is packaged in Styrofoam. The standards are there: frankly delicious tandoori chicken, chicken and cauliflower 75 (essentially spiced nuggets served with a small cup of cool raita), saag paneer (thinner than usual but no less good), samosas that sat in a display case and didn’t look very exciting. What sets Mitti apart, however, is what it offers that you can’t get anywhere else in Athens: absolutely gorgeous Indian coffee (sweet, strong and milky), bhindi masala (a spice-scented okra dish), fish tawa fry (thin fillets of white fish coated in spices, citrus and aromatics and then pan-fried), sukka varuval with chicken or goat (dry-fried with lots of freshly ground spices), biryani (a rice dish with goat, chicken, egg or just vegetables, also available at Taste of India but more flavourful here, with every grain of rice infused with heat, flavour and ghee), dosas (hooray! Big, thin, crepe-like pancakes made from spicy lentil flour, browned and then wrapped around any number of wonderful fillings, mostly vegetarian, perhaps the best thing on the menu). There are many different varieties of naan, including bullet naan, which is flavored with loads of fresh green chilies but is a little thin and less fluffy than ideal. You can also get idli – springy, saucer-shaped cakes made of ground rice and lentils that you can dip in sambar, a lentil and vegetable stew flavored with coriander, cumin, pepper and mild chilies. Go with a friend so you can try more things.
Mitti is open most days Wednesday to Monday from 11am-10pm (closed Tuesdays), but has a lunch break from 2pm-4pm. No alcohol, but plenty of other choices.
SAN ANGEL COOKING AND CANTINA (2226 W. Broad St., 706-850-0977, @sanangelcocina): I know, I know—another Mexican restaurant. But this one is an improvement over an abandoned Applebee’s. As usual with the Lopez Restaurant Group (which also owns Lalo’s in Wire Park and La Cabaña in Watkinsville), both the atmosphere and the menu are a bit more upscale than the usual chips and margaritas. They’re perfectly capable of making a standard chicken enchilada with green sauce, and they do standards well, but they also push the envelope more than they need to on the menu. San Angel is no different. The interior features fancy lighting fixtures, lots of tile, bright yellow banquettes, a large bar and murals. On a date? Want something flambéed tableside? You can get dramatic with your cheese dip drizzled with tequila and then lit on fire. The pulpo a las brasas has a comparable “look at me” energy, several long octopus tentacles neatly grilled on a plate of roasted corn and potatoes with queso fresco. The side dish is actually better than the main attraction, which is a little bland, but both are fun. Garden fajitas offer a range of grilled items and are a relatively good deal at $13.99. It’s a very different experience than getting the superlative tacos at a gas station, but not necessarily worse. For one thing, there are more vegetarian options. The menu can be pricey, but the atmosphere is nice and there are lunch specials. Street tacos are $4 a piece a la carte, but are made with ingredients like rectangular prisms of panela cheese or pork belly, plus regular fillings. The tlalpeño soup (chicken, lots of veggies, tortilla strips, avocado) is nourishing and tastes good. A Mexican restaurant on every corner sounds like heaven. San Angel is open from 11am to 10pm most days (9pm on Sundays, 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays).
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