Atlanta Feasts: Breakers Korean BBQ

This was our first experience trying Korean bbq and going on a Saturday night, we definitely saw how popular the place was.

Before I get into the food, the time really does matter when attending this restaurant. They do mention that the food stops coming out 30 minutes or so before they close, which of course, makes sense. However, we attended a time or two close to their food closing time but still within reason (maybe an hour or more before) and it definitely changes your experience - you feel a lot more rushed and force-fed at times (trying to choke down the first mouthful of freshly cooked meat before realising it's been piled up on your plate from the grill to make room for the next meat) which is not a nice feeling - so I definitely recommend not leaving it until late to attend.

The atmosphere is very well done and they clearly want to present more of an upscale look and vibe than other Korean bbq joints. They have TV screens all over (as seemingly typical in other Korean places), but they play their Atlanta Eats segment on repeat - clearly proud of it but, take it as you will. Either way, our first experience was really great. The service was impressively good despite the packed restaurant - the servers are clearly very well trained and keep cooking tabs on every table they're assigned; what the grills need, what meat is done cooking, serving the next option, etc.

Now, this place is pricey when you think of the multiple dishes you have to buy/want to eat (similar to tapas), so since there was only two of us and we wanted to try as many dishes within as reasonable a price tag as we could manage it, we opted for one of the all-you-can-eat (AYCE) options (no. II as there were plenty more meats to choose from and only a few $'s more).

The meat options for us were, of course, bulgogi, then spicy and teriyaki chicken options, spicy and teriyaki pork rib and pork belly options, brisket and squid. We tried most from this list and all marinated options were extremely tasty with delicious flavouring, as expected from good Korean food. The only option for us which fell flat was the pork belly but understandably it was an unseasoned, plain meat, sandwiched between all these powerful flavours, so it just stuck out more.

The sides were decent but limited. They do give rice but not always - we found we had to ask for it quite a few times on our multiple visits despite it saying it came with the AYCE options. We also rarely got the soup which was a given for this as well. The salad and cucumber salad (or cucumber kimchi) were some of the best sides as it cut nicely through the strongly flavoured meats, along with the radish slices and rice paper wrappers. They also have a small assortment of dips, seasonings, bean sprouts, and of course, kimchi. Although nice accompaniments, I felt myself needing more, otherwise it was very meat-heavy for me.

All in all, it was a very nice experience and they have quite a few meat and seafood options to play with, especially if you venture out of the AYCE selection. You also have the fun option to cook some of the meat yourself, which is a nice little experience to take with you. It would be a place I would go again, and maybe more so somewhere to take parents or business colleagues, but being Atlanta (or Duluth more specifically), there are so many Korean bbq restaurants seemingly opening every month (!) that either incorporate many other aspects of Korea itself in their restaurant/food, or just take unique, sometimes comical spins on their presentations, with equally great tasting food.

Definitely give it a try, especially as one of many Korean bbq places in the area and check out their menu to help you decide, here.

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