My Go-To Late-Night Spot For Korean BBQ In Atlanta

Working till 3 o'clock in the morning in Atlanta has its perks, especially when I worked in the northeast section, home to so many great Asian restaurants. It let my coworkers and me skip the late-night fast food crawl and instead hit up Morning House, a Korean barbecue joint in Duluth that stays open until 5 a.m.

The biggest difference between American and Korean barbecue is how interactive and communal the latter is, and that sense of raucous joviality seemed to ratchet up the closer to sunrise it got. Sizzling some bulgogi on the grill, drinking some beers I didn't have to pour myself, and goading my coworkers into trying some ox intestine made me fall in love with the place. While not quite as bright, noisy, and choked with hookah smoke as where we'd just left, its balance between a relaxed atmosphere and a respectable establishment helped us transition back into the normal world after each shift. Plus, the unlimited nabe hot pot and delicious banchan ensured us nightcrawlers actually got some vegetables in our diet (in between the third and fourth orders of pork belly and shrimp, of course).

From Uber drivers snagging a bite between rides, bartenders trying to line their stomachs after a few customer-purchased shots, or the young folk starving after not eating during their 10-hour shift, Morning House was always there for everyone. With good food, better drink prices, and lighting dim enough not to aggravate your incipient hangover, it was a roost for night owls in the A.

As someone who's patronized just about every kind of barbecue restaurant in Atlanta, what sets Morning House apart from the rest is its variety. Short-menu restaurants may have had some wagyu "if you knew a guy," and I always appreciated the fries and wings at some chains, but Morning House straddles the line between the two, offering quality food without needing connections or a fat wallet.

Its "B menu" gets you all you can eat for $30, covering all the basics, from five kinds of beef, 26 kinds of pork, and a solid array of chicken and shrimp. But when the tips flowed, we splurged on the "A menu," $10 more, but full of treasures. Steaks, beef belly, and that oh-so-delicious honeyed chicken always found their way to our grill. Still, it was the idea that we could get all that, plus a ribeye each, that really excited us. Serving the steak with some kimchi, a few quail eggs from the hot pot, and over noodles got you a steak and egg dish that would shame most breakfast spots.

While not for everyone, I always thought its snow cheddar hot pot made for a reasonable approximation of late-night fondue. With a bit of potato and a quick drizzle of teriyaki sauce, you had something sorta like a Korean poutine. A bit of gastronomic blasphemy? Maybe. But following your sleep-deprived brain to some mad-lib food combinations is what made each visit so fun, and the business so special.