Preface
Ahhh… Panda fest. I still have mixed feelings about it. I think it’s a great idea to showcase local Asian food—we have so much here in Georgia. However, it fell flat in the actual execution. Not only was it extremely crowded and loud, but it was also very expensive. The lines were ridiculous, and it was borderline unbearable until nighttime.
Yes, I know that festivals are traditionally crowded and food lines are long, but it’s different from other festivals I’ve been to in Atlanta. Traditionally, you’re only in the food line once, and then you get to walk around and enjoy the rest of the event. However, when the entirety of the festival revolves around food, you’re left standing in line the whole damn time! I felt like I was at Disney World, but instead of getting to ride “It’s a Small World” at the end, I got to eat some over-priced, mediocre food! How exciting!
Why Was This Disappointing / Hawker Centres
“Drink stall at an iconic hawker centre in the central business district of Singapore”
Why did I think this was a good idea? It reminded me of hawker centres in parts of Asia (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia). My mother is from Malaysia, and I have been there a couple of times. They’re truly a gem, and I really want that experience here in Georgia. If you’re unfamiliar, hawker centres are open-air markets where the stalls serve cooked food, and sometimes they specialize in only one dish, which I think is a lost art. They’re also community spaces where people of different cultures get to interact, dine together, and try other ethnic foods.
One place Panda Fest fell flat is that it was not affordable… not even in the slightest. I think I went to one booth that was affordable, and that was Java Saga, and everything was $10, and I commend them for doing that. Hawker centres are affordable, and I know that this was not advertised as one, but I think if they wanted to improve their festivals, they could take some inspiration from hawker culture.
If you went there hungry (like me), you had to drop so much money. It’s hard to fully enjoy the festival and relax when you’re dropping $15 or more on a small portion of food at every booth, and sometimes it wasn’t even that good. We spent $24 for one (1) chicken skewer!!! Like what the fuck?
Anyways, this is a contrast to hawker centres, where you can get a wide variety of food for reasonable prices… and the food is amazing and hot. It makes me borderline depressed that we probably cannot have anything like that here. Especially with the upcoming (and current) tariffs, that dream is even further from my grasp. In parts of Asia, these markets are an integral part of the culture. At Panda Fest, however, the food didn’t feel as special. It didn’t really taste special, either. Yes, the festival was very cute, but the food and experience weren’t up to par.
Food Reviews
The first things I ate happened to be the best, and it happened to make me super optimistic about the whole experience. That slowly faded away, though. I had teriyaki takoyaki at a booth that just said “takoyaki” on the front. It was $16—a bit steep for sure, but not even the worst offender for tonight. If you’re unfamiliar, takoyaki is a round, ball-shaped Japanese snack which is made with batter and octopus in the middle. It is really cool to see them made. The cook pours the batter into a pan with a bunch of round divots, puts the octopus in, and then quickly flips all of the snacks over with chopsticks.
Anyways, it had a nice, soft batter on the outside, with a pleasant, chewy octopus on the inside. It was a good blend of savory and sweet from the teriyaki drizzle on top. One critique is that the batter was a bit too wet. However, this was easily the best thing I had that day.
Next, I had a Mongolian chicken skewer. Honestly, I am not too sure what is particularly “Mongolian” about it since it is just a skewer grilled over charcoal, but it tasted exactly how you think it does… like grilled chicken. I wish it were on the grill a bit longer to get more of that barbecue/charcoal taste, but the chicken was moist. However, this skewer was a whopping $24. Even with everything going on economically, I am not sure what on Earth compelled them to price a chicken skewer with nothing else on it at $24. For that price, I could buy a whole chicken and slaughter it myself. God has truly left us.
It was hot as hell out, so I stood in line for thirty minutes to get a lime refresher from “Brown Sugar Panda”. It was very much needed, but it could’ve used more flavor. It was kinda reasonably priced at $7. Ding Tea also has a lime drink for around the price… however, it costs a bit less and is wildly better. Go there instead.
Looking for the next food item, I came across a booth where everything was priced at $10! It was honestly a breath of fresh air, and the attendant at the front was very kind. It was Java Saga in Doraville. I’d encourage you to check them out just for this reason. I got the Taiwanese chicken bites. They were super crunchy and satisfying, though it was a little heavy-handed on the seasoning. Still, it was a good snack, and I loved the fried basil.
I wanted a dessert, and I came across this soufflé pancake booth since I love the soufflé pancakes at Fluffly Fluffy. I don’t know what this evil and dark-sided pancake was, but it was pale in comparison. It was pretty mediocre, cold, and the ube topping was a bit too sweet. The plain pancake itself was okay, but it was expensive for what it was. For $15, the pancakes were so tiny. Go to Fluffy Fluffy instead and get a really great soufflé pancake for the same price.
Lastly, I got the “king squid” at a squid booth. It is a HUGE squid grilled on a skewer that includes meat from the body as well as the tentacles. I honestly can’t believe my boyfriend and I finished the whole thing since it was the size of both our heads put together. Overall, it was pretty solid. I wish it were hotter, and the marinade was nice but slightly salty. It was $24, and I’m not really sure what the squid market is like, but for it was, the price wasn’t as horrendous as the skewer. It really was a ton of food.
What They Did Right and Future Opportunities
Okay, let’s talk about what they did right. This isn’t going to be super long. I liked the VIP section, the VIP was definitely worth it. They had nice bathrooms for the VIP section—I know it’s a weird compliment, but I know some people would appreciate it. Though I wish that VIP had more to offer, a great idea is having VIP lines for the booths to cut down wait times. I would definitely pay for that (once food prices come down). I honestly didn’t see many seating and eating areas for everyone else, which would overwhelm me. I’m glad I had somewhere to retreat to, and where I knew that they would have tables and chairs to eat my food.
I did feel bad for other people who didn’t have VIP, not just because they didn’t get the cute panda knit bag (which I actually loved BTW), but because I mostly saw people sitting on the ground and eating. It isn’t unusual for people to be sitting and eating at a festival, but at least at Piedmont Park, they get to sit on grass and not hard pavement. They should’ve set up some places where everyone else could eat—I know they wanted to make the VIP more special, but I think giving everyone else no seating is a bit cruel. Right? Make the VIP special by having shorter lines for them, like I mentioned before.
I also like how they marketed it in a way that highlights different Asian cultures. However, I think the marketing needs to be done with fewer influencers—have a more genuine story. Their influencer marketing campaign may have been done a little “too” well. Like I stated before, way too many people showed up, and it caused a bunch of people to not want to go again (based on other review videos I watched). It might’ve made the organizers happy for now, but they probably won’t be too happy when less and less people show up because this festival is honestly poorly organized and set up.
I also liked their cute panda mascot. I wish the merch was a bit cheaper and nicer looking, though. It was kind of comical seeing grown adult people wait in like to take a picture next to a giant panda inflatable. Was it really worth it, guys? I would’ve liked to see that branding more throughout the festival and possibly have more activities for adults.
What Atlanta Needs
Like I’ve said, this wasn’t a bad idea. Apparently this festival started in New York. I am honestly surprised because how can you plan a festival in the streets of New York City but not a lot in Atlanta? Anyways, I would love a hawker-style festival in Atlanta… better planned and executed, of course. It doesn’t need to be Asian food, but we need a festival that’s more affordable and one where the crowds can be managed either with a very limited sale of tickets (just price accordingly) or with a more robust VIP system to break up the lines.
It’s great to highlight different cultures and have people try their dishes and learn about different heritages. I’m not sure blasting K-pop music taught me much about Korean culture, but I guess Panda Fest tried. Get proper organizers and hire people who truly care about the cultures and countries they’re highlighting. I’d love to see a festival in Atlanta that doesn’t feel like a cash-grab.
Rating and Conclusion
Taste: 3
Value: 2
Memorable: 2
Total: 2.33
Leave a Reply