ATL Chinese Food | Chili Spot Review 🌶️🇨🇳

I've visited Chili Spot three or four times now—right after they opened, mid-last year, and most recently this February. Each visit left me with a completely different impression, which is honestly pretty fascinating given how many Chinese restaurants Atlanta has... 🤔 Fair warning: I'm not great with spice, so this place hasn't been the friendliest to my palate. You really have to choose carefully! Also, some dishes taste different each time—maybe the chef changed? 👨🏻‍🍳 Dish by dish breakdown: ❌ Smashed Eggplant with Century Eggs – Skip it. Even at "mild spice," those little Thai chilies will wreck your throat after mashing. First time was fine; second time? Never again. 💨 🌶️ Tofu with Beef in Chili Oil – Too spicy, even at mild. Friend and I both had upset stomachs after round two... 🥵 ✅ Peppercorn Beef Tongue – NEW FAVORITE! Fresh beef tongue, numbing peppercorn flavor (not spicy!), perfect with rice. Highly recommend! 👅✨ ✅ Dry Pot Cauliflower – Solid choice. Never dry or overcooked—consistent performer. 🥦 🌽 Golden Sand Corn – Decent but gets greasy fast. Not really my thing. ✅ Chili Spot Stir-Fried Pork – Delicious! Meat and veg both on point. Not spicy—worth ordering. 🐷 🍖 Dongpo Pork Hock – Meh. Too fatty for me, gets heavy fast. 🍠 Candied Sweet Potato – LEAST recommended. The sugar tasted sour?? Completely different from any candied sweet potato I've had. 🤨 🍮 Brown Sugar Rice Cakes – Perfectly average. Bottom line: Some dishes are genuinely good, prices are reasonable, but if you can't handle spice—BE CAREFUL. Quality control varies quite a bit. Safe bets: Peppercorn Beef Tongue, Dry Pot Cauliflower, and the Stir-Fried Pork. All three are fantastic! 🌟 One weird thing: food comes out SCARY fast. Asked if it's pre-made; staff said no. Maybe prepped in advance and just reheated? Not sure. If you're in the Duluth plaza, those three dishes are worth trying. Sichuan natives—feel free to weigh in on authenticity! 📍 📍 Chili Spot, 2180 Pleasant Hill Rd suite E, Duluth, GA 30096 #Atlanta #ATL #AtlantaLife #AtlantaChineseFood #AtlantaFoodie #AtlantaRestaurants #ChineseCuisine #FoodReview