The Mall of Georgia might not be the first place you’d think of for the opening of a once Michelin-recommended restaurant, known for its handmade soup dumplings and pan-fried pork buns, but for Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao’s co-founder Michael Ma, it was an obvious choice.
“We were like, ‘This is perfect for our first location coming into Georgia,’” Ma says. “What really made us intrigued about the area is just how diverse it is. It almost feels like Queens, where our original location first opened.”
The restaurant’s first location in New York gained a cult following after it opened in 2006. It was Michelin recommended in 2009 and held the recommendation for nine consecutive years.
The Buford location, which opened quietly at the beginning of July and had its official launch event on Aug. 3, is the brand’s 13th across the country. The restaurant took over a 6,000-square-foot space, formerly a Buffalo Wild Wings, next to the Regal Mall of Georgia theater. The Georgia location is one of the brand’s largest so far, with seating for nearly 200 guests…