There are 7,173 miles between Atlanta and Beijing. A plane ride would take 16 hours and 25 minutes and cost more than $900. For under $20, however, (and just a 16-minute walk from  Grady) you can get five delectable stuffed buns, a bubble tea and a frappe, and your taste buds will be transported to China; though I saw no great wall, I did get great eats.

Sweet Hut has two locations inside the perimeter and one opening soon in Duluth. The most recent bakery located at 933 Peachtree St opened its doors in November and seems to already be quite a hit, as it was packed with patrons when I visited on a Saturday afternoon. Sweet Hut is not your average quaint, quiet bakery on the corner. The decor features sharp lines and low hanging, globe-like copper light fixtures. The stark white walls and shiny marble floors reflect the bright pink accent lighting located in the walls, giving the otherwise cold, modern interior a lush, warm glow.

To the left of the entrance, is a semi enclosed eating area with a long wraparound bar and stools. Other seating options include seating areas composed of small tables and miniature, low-armed arm chairs as well as outdoor seating. On the right is a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit with intricately decorated cakes and chilled beverages. These pale in comparison to the glistening display case jam-packed with tantalizing sweet as well as savory chinese buns that captured my attention as soon as I walked in.

I grabbed a tray, tongs and wax paper to select the buns at the case and bring them up to the cash register where you order anything else you may like. These instructions (listed on a card in the display case) were easy enough, but it was the selection that was a challenge. With four menus and hundreds of options to chose from, I found the ordering process a bit overwhelming. I had an intense sweet tooth, so I eliminated the sandwich options right off the bat and decided to stick to the bakery’s specialty—buns.

I grabbed a tray and went to town, selecting five varieties of buns, three sweet—Mexican milk, vanilla buttercream and Nutella cream—and two savory—Italian cheddar and barbecue pork, none of which cost more than $2. I also ordered a mango green tea with tapioca pearls and an “extreme toffee mocha latte” frappe—try saying that five times fast. My total came to just over $14 after I used a Scoutmob coupon which eliminated the cost of one of my buns.

I managed to grab a table while I waited for my drinks.  They were ready within five minutes and cost less than $5. The mango green tea was very sweet and refreshing, but the frappe was far from extreme. It coffee ice than iced coffee, as I could barely taste the coffee. The drink left me very cold and I was thirstier than before I drank it.

The buns, however, were quite delightful. The filling of the Mexican milk cream had a displeasing, oddly thick and gritty texture, but the outside was flaky and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. The vanilla buttercream was peculiarly garnished with stale craisins, but filled with a light and fluffy buttercream frosting. Both savory buns were slightly greasy but very satisfying, though they perhaps would have benefitted from a quick trip to the microwave. My favorite was, by far, the Nutella cream. Dressed like a glorified donut with a golden brown shell and chocolate shavings and stuffed with creamy hazelnut chocolate filling, it was probably the only one I would order again, which is saying a lot considering the multitude of other options.

Overall, the best part of Sweet Hut is its low cost relative to other bakeries and coffee shops like Alon’s or Starbucks. If you want to try something new to satisfy your sweet tooth and take your taste buds on a journey, I would highly recommend it.