Three Cobb County spots serve West African, seasonal, and doughnut menus

A new dining guide released Tuesday directs Cobb County residents to three specific restaurants for West African stews, seasonal seafood, and handmade doughnuts. The recommendations cover locations in Marietta, East Lake, and Tucker, providing detailed menu suggestions for each venue.

African Soulfood operates from Nazareth Plaza on Franklin Gateway in Marietta. The full-service restaurant serves West and East African cuisine and offers takeout options. The menu features jollof rice, efo riro, mafe, and mbuzi wet fry. Diners can also order egusi, a melon-seed stew served with fufu. The establishment hosts DJs and dancing, particularly on Saturday nights, and serves homemade hibiscus tea alongside a nonalcoholic drink called Dakar Drip.

In East Lake, Clockwork operates inside the Babygirl restaurant. Chef Jared Warwick leads the kitchen, preparing a seasonal menu with hyper-local ingredients. The dining room is open for dinner from Thursday through Saturday. Recommended dishes include madai crudo, dry-fried mushrooms, and candy roaster squash tortellini. The menu also lists Indian River pompano. The bar offers wine, beer, and a limited cocktail list, including a drink called Clockwork No. 1 made with rum, sake, and crème de banane.

Donut City in Tucker focuses on handmade doughnuts and all-day breakfast sandwiches. The shop uses a counter service model and includes a drive-through. It is open Monday through Saturday at 6 a.m. and opens at 7 a.m. on Sundays. The menu includes glazed and chocolate-frosted doughnuts, bear claws, and breakfast sandwiches on toasted bread. The location has some indoor seating, though it is primarily designed for takeout. A nearby Mint Coffeehouse on Lawrenceville Highway is cited as a spot for a chai latte.

The guide is part of a broader expansion of dining coverage that now includes Athens, Georgia. The publication launched a weekly newsletter for the Athens area on Friday, covering news and happenings in the Classic City. This expansion follows a selection by the Google News Initiative’s Growth Catalyst Program, which chose the outlet for its current cohort.

Reporters will visit Athens regularly to cover its restaurant scene, focusing on areas such as Five Points and Normaltown. The first story in this new series profiles Puma Yu’s, a Thai restaurant owned by former University of Georgia students. The owners are currently married and expect to open a new cafe and bar named Hin in Five Points.

The outlet also shared a recipe for esquites from Amasa Mexican Kitchen in Alpharetta. The restaurant opened earlier this year. Esquites are a Mexican street food snack often called corn in a cup. The recipe provides instructions for preparing the dish at home.

Dinners at Clockwork are available Thursday through Saturday. Donut City opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays. African Soulfood offers indoor seating and hosts live music on weekends.