Doc Chey’s Dragon Bowl

Tried Dragon Bowl today for the first time. I order a ramen bowl with broccoli, zucchini, and brussel sprouts and received a bowl with a lot of lettuce, zucchini, brussel sprouts, and chicken. Bit of a bummer for a vegetarian. From what of the bowl I ate, it tasted pretty good. But with the messed up order and the dingyness of the restaurant itself, I am not sure I will make a return visit.

Definitely one of the better options in Emory Village. Lots of great veggie options (the brussels sprouts are particularly excellent). Just wish they would add a vegetarian ramen!

It is all about the brussels sprouts! Seriously, if you are trying to get your children (or just any picky eater) to learn to love these green delights, you must try the brussels sprouts in your dragon bowl. My go-​to order is the kale/​slaw with brussels sprouts, broccoli, chicken and peanuts topped with a mix of teriyaki and Korean BBQ sauces. The generous portions usually feed me for two lunches though I am sometime tempted to overindulge and eat the whole thing! I’ve also had the peanut pancakes and spring rolls, which were delicious, but not as exciting or needed to make it in the weekly order.

My bowl took 25 minutes to make for some reason, the restaurant was not crowded. Fifteen bucks for a curry bowl with shrimp– Five small shrimp! The curry sauce was tasty but I feel like it was over priced for what it was.

Awful. I didn’t like their food. I tried their curry bowl, and they seemed to have tossed a salad in it. The dressing/​sauce and the coldness of the veges didn’t mix well with the curry, and it ruined the curry for me. I have a soft spot for all kinds of curry, including Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Jamaican. It takes a special kind of skills to ruin any curry dish for me since curry has such an overwhelming flavor. I gave this an extra star for the spirit of experimenting with food and trying new dishes. However, have to know when it doesn’t work.
I also feel that it is overpriced for the portion and quality. I can easily get better food in larger portions at the same or lower price. I don’t plan to be back.

Great food but got there 40 minutes before closing and felt rushed out of the restaurant! Didn’t have a chance to get a refill on my tea because all the urns were drained at 20 minutes till 9 PM…

My boyfriend and I have been coming here for almost two years and within the last year the quality of food and quality of service has diminished GREATLY. The last 3 – 4 visits, there has always been a problem with my order or my boyfriend’s order. Today, I ordered a ramen soup bowl with no meat and I received a ramen bowl with only ramen noodles and soup base. When I attempted to complain to the manager, he blatantly lied to me and said that my dish did not come with veggies despite being written on the menu board right in front of his face. He was rude when I pointed it out and made up a lie about a shortage due to an e coli outbreak in the scallions… despite one of the appetizers we were eating containing scallions! WTF? Do yourself a favor and hire a new manager ASAP. This guy has been the cause of my bad experiences here and he should be removed immediately. He is the reason you are losing two loyal customers.

This place does not want your business!
Walked in and we were not greeted. So we grabbed a couple menus and sat ourselves down. After 5 minutes, no one came to greet us, even though there were at least 4 – 5 other employees here. There was just one other table here, and they had their food.
After 10 minutes of browsing the menu, we figured out what we wanted but still no one wanted to acknowledge us. If this is an establishment that requires you to order at the counter, then why would no one tell or even acknowledge us? Or do they take your order at your table?
At one point, an employee walked to a room behind us, no more than 2 feet away. Didn’t even look at us. On the other side of the room, a waitress was erasing something off of their board. No one who worked here made any eye contact with us! We were hungry and wanted to order. They clearly did not want our business so we walked out.

PARENTS BE ADVISED. The food here was not bad, nothing to write home about but not bad. On their website they say that with their loyalty card, kids eat free. It’s the reason that my family and I went there. Unfortunately, when we got there we were told that this was only a summer special and no longer available. Even though it was on the website for this location and their other business they were not willing to honor it. The excuse was that the website did not get updated when the special expired. There was no expiration date anywhere either. So, overall, food was decent but marketing leaves a lot to be desired.

This place is my go to relief lunch. I know that the food is going to be fantastic and every choice I have made has never been for not. Everything here is good if you like Asian fusion. You can choose between Chinese, Thai, Korean and Japanese. What more can you ask for!
The food is fresh and they have optional daily menu items offered daily. They even have sauces specifically created for the dish you order.
I also recommend the flax seed lemonade when it is in season. It balances well with any style you choose.

The food was healthy and tasteful but don’t order the flaxseed lemonade with braggs and apple cider vinegar! I should have known better yuck! Healthy maybe edible not at all

Enjoyed weekday lunch here last week. Fresh, tasty food. I had the Vietnamese noodle dish with pork. Crunchy and crisp, and loved the roasted Brussels sprouts. Friend had a rice and veggie dish she liked too. Interesting, almost sour, homemade lemonade with flaxseed and apple cider vinegar. Good sized portions, but not totally overwhelming. Not cheap at $ 10 – 12 per bowl, but good. Fun décor, friendly service. I bet the patio would be a good spot for people watching, but it was raining. Will be back at some point.

I’m not even sure what I ordered but it wasn’t worth what I paid for it. This establishment seems clueless when it comes to serving what the people want. Terrible food and service. Avoid.

Pricey for the minimal amount of food I received. My beer was served hot in the bottle from the fridge and another waitress admitted the lady took out the hot one instead. The food was okay. The art work was amazing. The would be so much better if they really filled up that bowl.

Not sure why this place has such terrible reviews but I really like it! I’ve been to the regular doc Cheys in the highlands and did not like it, and think this place is way better! I like the concept of making your own bowl, the roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts are my favorite things to add. The scallion cakes are great. I’ve been here 3 times now and haven’t had a bad experience. People are friendly and the service is super quick!

Quite shocked by the negative reviews for Dragon Bowl, though it seems a lot of it is by comparison to other locations or the previous Doc Chey’s. I discovered this place a couple months ago and my family has been there 3 times. Never went to the previous or other locations so can’t compare. My kids and I loved the food we’ve had here. I’ve had the Thai Curry rice bowl twice and had a consistently great meal. The food seemed fresh and I loved that it had brown rice and a good amount of vegetables (particularly liked the small cubes of sweet potatoes!). My kids have had the ramen noodle bowls and again, lots of veggies in those. When we went last week we also ordered the homemade lemonade. Loved that it contains healthy ingredients (flaxseed and organic apple cider vinegar) and half the sugar/​calories. Probably the only time I’ve felt okay letting my kids order lemonade in a restaurant!
One thing I didn’t like as much was the level of service — pretty much lacking, though I think that’s the concept (order/​pay at counter, sit, eat, leave). I should also say that I’m yet to go during the lunch hour, will do so next week. Hopefully the experience is the same!

Bring back regular Doc Chey’s!
This concept takes all the fun out of dining here, and we lost some great dishes. We used to go once a week, no longer.

It’s rare for me to give a higher-​rated Unilocal review for a restaurant than the average, but I really do believe this Doc Chey’s joint deserves the full 4 stars I’m giving it.
I feel I can closely compare Doc Chey’s to Noodles & Company, for those that understanding this comparison (anyone? ANYONE???), especially when it comes to meal offerings, portion sizes, restaurant environment, and amenities. All in all, you get a solidly-​sized meal of tasty (though Americanized) food at a price that’s right on the upper-​edge of what you’d expect to pay. So, it’s really hard to come up with a complaint without seeming petty.
The staff here is incredibly nice and very helpful when it comes to picking out a meal. They are low-​key yet professional.
You can definitely choose worse places for a nice lunch spot.

Not sure why this place gets the hate but I absolutely loved my dinner tonight! I got the dragon bowl with brown rice, shrimp, roasted carrots and sweet potatoes and it was so fresh and nommy! I mean, I get that it’s not fine dining and while its a bit pricy, I felt like it was worth it for the quality!

We love the food at Doc Chey’s Noodle House, on Highland. We looked up the menu online, and thought we might like to give them a try.
So, we decided to give this Doc Chey’s Dragon Bowl a try for lunch. Boy did we regret that decision. This location obviously doesn’t cook everything here fresh to order. At the other one, you can actually watch the chef preparing your food fresh to order, right in the open kitchen.
The lady taking orders today… if she listened as much as she talks, the ordering process for people who know what they want to order would go a lot quicker. She also spent the majority of the time we were here eating, trying to tell all of the other staff what to do. Some training for the staff here might come in really handy.
On to the food/drink…we ordered the Samosa Spring Rolls, and the Scallion Pancakes. The spring rolls were incredibly tiny. They were mostly wrapper, hardly any filling. The pancakes came to out table burnt. We sent them back, but the new ones were just mediocre. I should mention that they bring the main dishes out right after the appetizers so, eat ‘em quickly! I poured some of the «Tropical Mango» tea as my drink. I put those words in quotes, because there is nothing tropical, nor mango tasting about that tea. We both agreed that it tastes like sweet cinnamon candy. Gross.
I ordered the choose your own Noodle Bowl, with ramen noodles, chicken, broccoli, carrots, and the Japanese rice topping (Furikake.) The veggies & chicken were cooked nicely, but non of it was actually hot.
My bf ordered the Ramen Soup, with chicken. He said the meat was dried out (yes, even in the soup!) and he found the broth pretty flavorless. Like my dish, his food was not hot/​fresh either. We were both incredibly dissapointed with everything about this place; and will only take our Karma Card to the location on Highland from now on.

My first time at the dragon bowl. I was pleasantly surprised by the plating of the food. Very colorful and fresh tasting. Great flavor and it’s not overwhelmingly spicy. I got kale salad and coli flowers with dragon rice and chicken. I will definitely be back. My new favorite spot in Emory village. I’m excited to try the rest of the menu

Sadly, I wish my dragon bowl was served empty. My taste buds were confused and disappointed by the execution. The former Doc Chey’s delivered reliable and satisfying food for anyone in need of a quick fix for pad thai or coconut chicken soup. This new concept was underwhelming.
There’s a 4 step process to order: choose your (1) style, (2) base, (3) veggies and (4) meat. Easy enough. I went Japanese style with ramen and added roasted cauliflower, brussel sprouts plus tofu for protein. The Japanese sauce was made up of a teriyaki glaze, sesame miso sauce, Japanese pickles, and furikake. Furikake is a Japanese condiment that is generally sprinkled over white rice or Japanese rice balls. I think of it as Japan’s salt and pepper, consisting of ingredients such as nori (seaweed), sesame seeds, dried tuna flakes, ground shiso leaf, salmon flakes, powdered soy sauce or miso, and dried egg.
I really dig certain cold noodle dishes because the temperature of the noodles actually enhances the taste! In this case, the sauce was overly sweet and the flavors weren’t integrated. The roasted veggies shared a plate with the noodles but didn’t work together. The room temp ramen paired with room temp everything else –veggies and tofu — made me long for a sauté pan and tongs to quickly add heat to the dish and to incorporate all of the ingredients together. My friend’s dish was also doused in sriracha which overpowered her dish. The service was nice enough, but big changes are in order before we will return.

I like Doc Chey’s enough to go every now and then but this joint has severe problems.
First of all the food was literally cold. Secondly there were TWO large bites of noodles in the entire $ 10 dish.
When I sent the dish back, they offered to put it in the microwave. Pathetic.
Trust me, stick with Doc Chey’s in the highlands if yer in the mood for slightly above average Asian food.

I had visited this location when it was originally Doc Chey’s, however it’s new moniker Dragon Bowl is definitely not the same. Me and a friend arrived at 11:12, twelve minutes after they had opened …
FOOD: was not good. I ordered a Thai dragon bowl with dragon rice, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. The food wasn’t even HOT, and they had just opened for the day. The rice was undercooked and the mystery sauce drizzled all over my food was overwhelming. Please bring back the old menu.
APPEARANCE: typical Asian fusion chain restaurant décor. The table we sat at was dirty, I assume from the night before.
SERVICE: was the only reason this review is receiving any stars. Every one was super accommodating and polite. I eventually received a refund for my food.

Every time I drive past the Emory Village, I can’t help but notice the presence of several restaurants that I’ve always wanted to try, by the two roundabouts. It’s just that the circumstances haven’t ever really presented themselves for me to try any of them AKA I’m always in the situation of «already haven eaten» whenever I pass by. So it was a long-​overdue indulgence when the opportunity finally did present itself.
The parking lot is deceptively suspect, because it’s a one-​way lot, and with the occasional bouts of cars that ebb and flow across North Decatur, simply trying to leave your spot isn’t always the most convenient task in the world when you’re boxed in by five cars simply trying to leave. It’s almost as if the place is better served for the vast foot traffic of general Decatur, as opposed to us who live and die by our automobiles.
Either way, entering Doc Chey’s, it’s got a casual yet slightly hip ambiance, and the eloquently airbrushed artwork on the walls like to give off the impression that they somewhat have an edge. But they’re clean, and the restaurant doesn’t seem overly crowded and seems to breathe easily, so I had a good feeling upon entering.
One thorough examination of the menu should be sufficient for most to get how the ordering process goes — choose your style of bowl, what kind of protein you want, what you want all your sauces and proteins on top of, and any additional veggies. It’s pretty simple for those not afraid of words.
Given the fact that I guess I’m used to Asian fare being slightly less costly than what Doc Chey’s charges, my eyebrow arches a little seeing their prices. Regardless, I also have to remind myself that I’m not a starving student anymore, and I can afford a $ 12 dinner whenever I please, so it’s criticism not warranted. Besides, the portions were just right, and I was able to walk out of the restaurant satisfied, but not feeling like a pig.
As for the food itself, it was above satisfactory, and I could easily see myself wanting to go back and try some of the other nationalities’ styles. I had gone with the Korean style, which was a pretty decent play on traditional bibimbap, in terms of sauce and spices, but still unique. I’d be intrigued by the other styles, and am willing to go back and try.

Visited Dragon Bowl for the first time today. I like the concept yes, but do I like it enough to hope the other two locations convert NO!
If you haven’t been, your going to be ordering a bowl and its going to be either $ 9 or $ 10 depending on the meat. That’s it! There are no other main dishes at all. What goes IN the bowl though you have lots of choices!
First – the Ethnicity – Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, or Vietnamese. Basically its the sauces and fixings.
Second you choose a base, Dragon Rice, a noodle, greens, etc
Third the type of meat two make the bowl $ 9, two make it $ 10
last the side Vegetable, choose two.
This is all written along a huge blackboard on the east wall. You decide, pay, take a red tag, hang it on your table and they bring the bowl to you. It is in chalk so choices can vary if they choose too depending on availability.
Yes its nice, but I’m glad I can drive to one of the old versions Doc Cheys just as easy as I like that menu too. I think eating out of the same bowl no matter what you order is going to get old. Portion sizes at the old locations are larger.
Good thing they didn’t go convert them all!