The suggestions were varied, but several people recommended the food court at Atlanta Chinatown Mall and Han IL Kwan. The help from strangers paid off for Wenzell, who brought his group of eight friends to three different stops along the storied boulevard known for its authentic international cuisine.

» AJC Fall Dining Guide 2018: Dining along Buford Highway

They started off their Saturday night at the food court, which offers multiple options for hungry eaters. Wenzell’s crew had lo mein, soup dumplings, steamed dumplings and fried dumplings.

“I like dumplings,” Wenzell wrote on Reddit.

Wenzell said the service at Han IL Kwan was stellar. (Photo courtesy of John Wenzell)

From there, they went to Han IL Kwan, a Korean BBQ joint located at 5458 Buford Hwy. Wenzell knew to call ahead, thanks to a tip from Reddit.

The group had a massive spread of meat and small vegetable plates, highlighted by what Wenzell described as “really great” service.

» MORE COVERAGE: Buford Highway Dining Guide

» RELATED: Eating late at night on Buford Highway

The birthday celebration wrapped up with three hours of singing and partying at Happy Karaoke.

“It was a lot of fun,” Wenzell said, “and now I'm definitely going to go on Reddit some more.”

A server brings out a dessert with birthday candles at Han IL Kwan. (Photo courtesy of John Wenzell)

His second post in the Atlanta subreddit recapping the evening got even more attention than the initial call-out, with more than 900 up-votes as of Thursday morning.

He thanked the internet strangers for their recommendations, prompting several commenters to jokingly ask if they could join his friend group.

The responses were a shock for Wenzell, who described himself as a “lurker” on the Atlanta subreddit who rarely had popular posts.

“I had some great ‘Game of Thrones’ memes and no one cared,” he said.

Now, the posts serve as mini-dining guides for groups on Buford Highway

“I was expecting a fraction of my replies on both of them,” Wenzell said. “It was special.”

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