While Mai Kitchen is a brand new restaurant, it is the culmination of decades of experience and a reflection of Kinjo’s passion for Vietnamese cuisine. The owner was super nice and the food was amazing.” “I don’t eat meat but my family does and they have certain dishes, like spring rolls, that you get to go through every step of eating the meal. Having visited the restaurant during its soft opening, Carter was very impressed by the attention to design and the quality of the food. Junior Ryan Carter lives in Virginia Highland and appreciates that an authentic Vietnamese restaurant has opened in her neighborhood. I want them to come and enjoy and share our food and culture.” “I feel part of the community and responsible to serve the people and make them happy. “Having a platform now, with the food and audience, we are ready to fine tune this and make it great for the community, for the Virginia Highlands, for everyone,” Kinjo said.
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That’s the goal I’m trying to accomplish, when you do that, you have done something right, that’s your true identity and the meaning and purpose of what I try to do in terms of food.”Ĭurrently, Mai Kitchen is operating under a soft opening, using trial and error to try new dishes, so the menu is evolving and Kinjo hinted that there are more great options to come. “You can be Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, or American, white or black, you eat my food, you’re going to have a smile on your face. “When I say innovative, when I say curated, in other words, the dish has to be beautiful, the taste has to be right traditionally, it’s a universal palette that I want to create,” Kinjo said. To create the best food, Kinjo and his team are constantly testing new dishes with the goal of refining a menu that everyone can enjoy. “I want people to feel like they can walk in anytime and have the best time, the best food and not feel discriminated against.” “I want people to feel like they belong, not excluded,” Kinjo said. Kinjo wants to create an environment where people feel comfortable and welcomed. After 7 months of thoughtful design, owner Alex Kinjo felt inspired by the yellow color of the Mai flower for his new restaurant. “You walk in the door and instantly feel a welcoming and friendly environment,” Williams said.
Longtime resident of Virginia Highland, Jordan Williams appreciates the inclusivity that Mai Kitchen’s menu brings. If you come in and you’re not sure, just ask what the special is that day and the chef will provide what we have that day.” “The food aspect is our main focus and there will always be something inspired, something special. “I want to give a lot of variety to this community,” Kinjo said. The addition of Mai Kitchen to the local cuisine adds diversity to the dining options in the area. “I want to create a more innovative menu, very up to date but keep it traditional,” Kinjo said. After the closure, Kinjo maintained his passion for authentic Vietnamese cuisine, which led him to travel around the world, sampling Vietnamese dishes with the goal of curating a menu that respected the traditions of Vietnamese cooking while adding innovative touches that modernize his dishes. We became very popular over the years.”įollowing a recession in 2008, Kinjo was forced to close NAM. “At the time we had 5 stars, which was a very big deal for a Vietnamese restaurant.
“It was the first Vietnamese restaurant that had a very nice setting, very romantic, cool design, the whole nine yards,” Kinjo said. For many years, NAM was a place for people to gather for food in a romantic atmosphere. In 2003, Kinjo opened NAM in the Midtown Promenade shopping center. Mai Kitchen is not Kinjo’s first Vietnamese restaurant to open in the Atlanta market. “I want to bring color, I want to bring happiness and warmness to the concept, but mainly to draw it to the food,” Kinjo said. Inspired by Vietnam’s national flower, the Mai, Kinjo designed the entire restaurant to reflect the flower’s vibrant yellow color, beauty and warmth. In this case, the menu focuses on Vietnamese dishes that reflect Kinjo’s heritage. Like many of Kinjo’s restaurants, Mai Kitchen is heavily influenced by Asian cuisine. Kinjo owns 13 other restaurants around the city, including MF Sushi, Pho Nam and Sakura Ramen. Its owner, Alex Kinjo, is no stranger to the Atlanta food scene. Mai Kitchen is the newest addition to the Virginia Highland food scene, recently taking over the space formerly operated by Genki Noodle and Sushi.
A long awaited homecoming of authentic and creative Vietnamese cuisine has quietly arrived in the Virginia Highland neighborhood.
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