Like a phoenix, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is rising from the ashes.
After a corrosive fire tore through the restaurant’s Flatbush Avenue building in 2021, the neighborhood staple was forced to close for some serious renovations. According to its staff, work to bring the restaurant back to life is complete, and signs for advertising Morgan’s have gone back up outside the eatery.
The Austin-style meats hub was a success for over a decade after it first opened in 2013. But then, last year, a midday kitchen fire quickly spread through the eatery’s building. More than 150 firefighters worked for two hours to put out the blaze, and though one was hurt, damages to the floors and roof put Morgan’s temporarily out of business.
Over the course of the last 17 months, restaurant owner Mathew Glazier and Morgan’s executive chef Cenobio Canalizo have operated out of the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania and Tiny’s Cantina on Flatbush Avenue, both properties also owned by Glazier.
“We get a lot of takeout requests at the cantina,” said George Canalizo, manager of Tiny’s Cantina. “Takeout has been a hit. We’ve been rocking it.”
Even though there is no set date for the reopening, George confirmed his team expects to have Morgan’s up and running again before the end of October.
Once open, the barbecue joint’s flagship location will display a new wood bar-top, an amplified 45-seat interior with central bar, open kitchen, wooden furnishings, metal accents, and chalkboard menus. Architects Chris Smith and Dan Kocieniewski of CMS Architecture & Design undertook a painstaking restoration of the Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue space, which will also feature a new outdoor patio.
A new Philly-style smoked brisket cheesesteak will also debut on the menu’s second-coming, but, above all else, Cenobio said he wants to keep things familiar for Morgan’s old regulars. The chef, a native of Puebla, Mexico, started as a dishwasher at Morgan’s 22 years ago, and slowly worked his way up through New York City’s restaurant scene.
From Morgan’s white oak-burning smoker, returning patrons can expect all the classics, including beef brisket tacos, pulled pork, house cured bacon ribs, smoked sausage, pork ribs, three-hour smoked chicken, an extensive bourbon selection and, of course, a stellar selection of craft beer to wash it all down with.
For Brunch on Flatbush, there will be brisket hash, chicken and waffles, buttermilk pancakes, candied bacon and micheladas and Bloody Marys. There will be takeout and delivery, too.
“We expect it to be packed,” Tiny’s manager told Brooklyn Paper.
