International Restaurant Map points diners to local favorites and hidden gems
You could go around the world in 80 days to try all the delicious flavors that await, or you could just go out to dinner in Greenville.
For the past 10 years, the nonprofit media group Off the Grid Greenville has hunted for the most authentic international flavors around the city, with a mission to highlight and empower locally owned and underrepresented businesses.
In May, Off the Grid Greenville partnered with local publisher Good Printed Things to introduce the International Restaurant Map. Juliette Cheatham and Jackie Brooker co-wrote the map, and Brando Zellars illustrated it. “The original idea [for the Good Printed Things’ map series] was to use art to support other small businesses,” says designer and founder Lib Ramos.
Featured restaurants meet OTGG’s criteria for hospitality, exceptional food quality, and authenticity. Brooker emphasizes that the team wants to visit all the restaurants again.
The map and the guide are not only for Greenville residents, but for anyone coming to Greenville to explore the city. “My hope is that more people learn about the diversity that we . . . have in Greenville with this map; this map can travel,” says OTGG’s founder Jackie Brooker. She also notes that the guide welcomes international visitors to the area and helps them find “a little taste of home.”
She and Ramos are both excited about the impact a physical, giftable, and shareable restaurant guide could have on keeping local businesses alive and thriving, as well as fostering an appreciation for Greenville’s multicultural community.
“I want to make sure we’re really celebrating the diversity that we have here and encouraging more support,” says Brooker.
The 19 restaurants featured on the map are a small slice of the complete guide, available on OTGG’s website.
Find the International Restaurant Map at goodprintedthings.com or local bookstores including M. Judson Booksellers.
Favorite stops
We asked Jackie Brooker of Off the Grid Greenville and Lib Ramos of Good Printed Things to point us to a few of the their top picks from the map.
Jackie Brooker
Pita House (Middle East)
Asia Pacific (China)
Taqueria Mixtepec (Mexico)
Lib Ramos
Trappe Door (Belgium)
Korean BBQ (Korea)
