From sambusas from Sudan to tabbouleh from Turkey, the Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival gives visitors a chance to sample foods from around the world that they might not ever typically try.
So where do Augusta’s foodies go for their favorite ethnic foods for the other 51 weekends in the year? Then what’s stopping you from going, too?
Here’s a brief list of Augusta-area restaurants that have carved out well-known niches for their international menus:
France: Bistro 55
Many Americans’ impressions of French restaurants are wedded to formality and elegance. Bistro 55, at 465 Railroad Ave. in North Augusta, instead embraces Europe’s more relaxed neighborhood bistro concept but without sacrificing the taste of haute cuisine.
Your order, please? How could it be anything else but the Escargot de Bourgogne? The baked-in-shell snails in garlic butter are earthy and chewy.
Germany: Villa Europa/Villa Wagen
Rumors spread last summer suggesting that the 50-year-old restaurant and lounge, with the motto “Where Friends Meet,” was about to close its longtime Deans Bridge Road location. While nothing is yet set in stone for the building’s future, the Villa Wagen food truck resurrected by the restaurant in 2022 has still been hitting the road.