Creative Loafing Atlanta

search cl

only show
	best of winners
	critics' pick

Cuisine

Neighborhood

Austell/Powder Springs

Buckhead/Brookhaven

Buford

Cabbagetown/Old 4th Ward

Price

Good eats home > Advanced search

Abdullah the Butcher House of Ribs & Chinese Food

[ American | Barbecue | Chinese ]

[Outside Perimeter]

[$ (Under $10)]

2387 Fairburn Road, Atlanta, GA 30331

Phone 404-629-2332

user rating:

restaurant tour

cl review

user comments

events

Abdullah the Butcher's

review by Jerry Portwood

2003-03-12

Tag team: Barbecue and soy sauce at Abdullah the Butcher's

Abdullah the Butcher lives. That's right, the former pro-wrestler known for beating people with chairs, barbed wire, brass knuckles and other blunt objects lives in Atlanta. Abdullah's "Madman from the Sudan" days are long gone -- and like many former "athletes," he has his own restaurant, Abdullah the Butcher House of Ribs & Chinese Food. Abdullah (aka Larry Shreve) is now serving up a gimmick that doesn't involve blood and bruises: a unique combination of barbecue and teriyaki.

Just west of I-285, the restaurant looks like something between a ranch house and a fast-food joint. For fans looking expecting souvenirs and memorabilia from wrestling's yesteryear, good luck. While there are some framed pictures of Abdullah in various bloodthirsty poses, and two heavyweight belts hung in a separate dining area, the restaurant is dominated by rickety tabletops and a steam bar. The best attraction is Shreve, who is usually present -- and pleasant. He kindly thanks people for coming and eating, hanging out in the dining area smiling and answering questions in his sweet voice.

Abdullah's culinary split personality represented by two registers for orders -- an African-American woman at one, and an Asian woman at the other. If it's busy, line integrity disintegrates and either cashier will take your order. But the duality is strangely disturbing.

Barbecue selections are kept simple: Ribs, rib tips and chicken. The ribs are smoked in a small building next to the main structure. Thankfully, the rib meat is soft, pink and tender. But it comes drenched in a smotheringly sweet, tomato-based sauce that tastes uncomfortably store-bought and lacks any hint of authenticity. And while the rib tips are a little easier to handle than the ribs since a fork is employed, forget trying to keep clean with the quartered chicken. Sides included a moist, cheesy mac and cheese and some kick-ass collards. The collards were not too mushy and served nearly whole, with red peppers thrown in for flavor. A splash of peppered vinegar, and you're in business.

I wasn't at all tempted by the thought of Chinese food at a rib shack. Finally, though, I bit the bullet and ordered a serving of "Abdullah's Favorite" (6.99) from a list that includes standards like kung pao chicken and lo mein. The mix of miniature shrimp, beef strips, green peppers, baby corn, carrots and mushrooms was sauteed in a sweet sauce and served with a side of fried rice. The Styrofoam container in which all meals are served was weighed down with the stuff (yes, we even took turns feeling how heavy the it was). But honestly, it's generic Chinese for the masses -- and like Abdullah himself, it's not half as scary as you might suspect.

Comments

12 comments

AWESOME!

I was down for the count after tasting this food. Cool premise and good eats!

josh provosty 06.28.07

this is probably my 5th time eating this meal there and i was UTTERLY DISSAPPOINTED !!!

I always order the same thing
RIB TIPS FAMILY MEAL for the family person ...$25.91 w/tax
the meat was Horrible....you would think that on Valentines Day the meat would be Fresh ...but this was the worst ..TOUGH AND ROUGH...i was so DISSAPPOINTED...never will eat there again...after the rough meat incident ...thats bad !!!

ree 02.15.08

BBQ

I'm a huge fan of BBQ. I love ribs, brisquit, etc. I live in the Minnesota, Duluth area and we don't have that many ribs places. I'm also a huge wrestling fan as well.

tran 02.19.09

an experience...

it's not the best BBQ i've had, but it's certainly not the worst. the atmosphere alone of being in the premise of the living legend of hardcore is half the experience. if you are a wrestling fan, it's a must see. more of an attraction than a place to rate on superb quality, but it's more than edible!

bubba ray dudley 02.26.09

I REALLY ENJOYED

I ENJOYED THE ATMOSPHERE.
SAT DOWN AND TALKED TO ABDULLAH HE TOLD ME A FEW JOKES
HAHA THE FOOD WAS GOOD. IT WAS WORTH EVERY RED CENT

JUSS ME 03.10.09

hi we are from toronto

hi we will be there sat.2pm or so.going home. do you remember. erny egypt,sweet daddy,wipper billy watson, lorne wideman, stampede wrestling... take care steve.

steve 04.30.09

abdullah the butchers house of rib and chinese food

i drove up there from newnan ga about 20 min away but we took back roads and got lost so it took us 2 hours to get there but we finally made it and i am a huge wrestling fan so i had high hopes of meeting abdullah the butcher in person and talking about wrestling with him butt unfourtinally he was not there but a walked around the restraunt and looked at alot of wrestling autographed photos of sabu,rhyno,mick foly, balls mahoney, macho man randy savage, booker t,dusty rhodes, dustin rhodes,ect... and i also looket at some of hi championship belts on the wall and i ate seseme seed chicken and rice and it was good average but good. and i was amazed at the health inspector report score it was a 92 so thumbs up to abdullah and his crew for keeping it clead for 16 years im going back some time soon so i can try again to meet abdullah the butcher

matthew potts 07.13.09

Food at Abdulla

They do our reunion every year its been since 1996. I tried one year to give someone else the business and my group was upset. We love the food and the value. Abdulla and the family are very helpful

Ms Mi Mi 07.28.09

autograph request

Dear Abdullah,
I am a big fan of yours and you are my all time favorite wrestler. You are very talented indeed. I wish you continued success in all your future endeavors. I collect autographs and would be honored if you would send me an autographed photo of yourself for my collection. My address is Jeff Tiffey P.O. Box #5 Dow City, Iowa 51528 USA. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Jeff Tiffey

Jeff Tiffey 10.14.09

i always enjoyed your matches,you should be in the wrestling hall of fame

shannon powell 10.27.09

Abdulla vs NWA champ Gene Kiniski

Remember seeing Abdulla take on the NWA champ Gene Kiniski at the bigger building next to the Gardens on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds. There was a big crowd. Best 2 out of 3. Abdulla had his way & took the 1st fall. Kiniski was in such pain as Abdulla hit him with everything except the kitchen sink. Chops throat jabs elbows kicks. Infact Kiniski was still down when the bell rang to start the 2nd fall. Again Kiniski was being battered by the Butcher & I thought for sure a new champ would be crowned. Then outside the ring Kiniki rammed Abdulla's head into the iron post. Adulla's head was so split open that the ring doctor stopped the match. Kiniski retained his title.
Abdulla when in Vancouver in the 1960's was quite trim as I htink his weight was about 260. He would fly high in the air & ram his elbow across the chest area of his next losing victim. Also remember he had a tag team partner for awhile named Dr. Jerry Graham. A great team. Matches against Don Leo Jonathan were great. Abdulla remember Jesus loves you. Take care.

Al 11.06.09

Great place!

Abdullah's place is great. Me and my friends went their for my friends birthday party. When we opened the door I was amazed on how the walls are scattered with wrestling photos. Their are title belts, cool displays and everything. I ordered sesame seed chicken, it was great. The man who runs the place is very nice, and while we were eating he played a Abdullah DVD that had Abdullah talking and matches. The place is clean and the food was great. We even got photos of Abdullah which was cool. I love this place and want to come back!

Taylor 02.07.10