KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Catonsville

Mind-blowing. What more can I say about a place that's rated 4.8 with 1,300 reviews. About as good as it gets.

I've never tried hotpot before, but it was so good, after trying it for the first time I came back the next day. I think I'm going to have a new addiction.

If you're reading this far into the reviews, you're probably like me and read way too much about a place before trying it out for the first time, so after a few test runs, here's the pros and cons and pro-tips.

Pros: the selection is insane, something for everyone and you can get as much as you want order freely, especially with groups, and share everything: if you don't like something, just pass it on... unlike when you order a single dish somewhere else, ordering something you don't like doesn't matter here service is also as good as it gets, attentive fast waiters keep all glasses and pots full, and clear empty dishes quickly. Orders come out insanely fast. mango cake is angelic, don't miss out.. even better a la mode

Cons: you do actually have to cook everything. Hopefully some of your group members are good at handling the grill. You have to time everything right: overcook and it's rubbery, undercook and risk food poisoning. Easy cross contaminating food with lots of raw meat touching everything. hopefully you don't mind smelling like your broth and everything you grill for the rest of the night. maybe I mishandled something, maybe it's my aging American-fed unacclimated digestive system, but the next day effects were significant...

Pro-tips: Use 2 plates if you do hotpot+bbq - one wet and one dry Get an extra empty sauce bowl and use it to separate out broth to sip without burning yourself by drinking it straight from a boiling pot The soup burner on low was still plenty hot enough to cook most things quickly Make a couple different sauces to keep it interesting Start a new grill with the biggest ring from an onion and put butter and oil in the middle to controllably lubricate things, before you just go stuffing it full of meat Veggies fatty meats lean meats marinated meats (bulgogi/shortrib) - save these for last because they destroy the grill with residue and will probably require a grill change Seriously don't forget to get a slice of mango cake, no matter how full you are - I'm not even a mango fan normally but that cake is outrageous

I think I'm gonna be spending a lot of time here. 2 hours feels just right to get your fill without...

My family and I have dined here several times since June 2022. We were initially very impressed with the food and service. Shay was our first server and has been the best server we've ever had. Unfortunately it has been downhill from our first visit.

Recently on two separate occasions members of my family contracted food poisoning from this restaurant (1/12/23 and 2/3/23). Each family member that experienced food poisoning had sauces from the sauce bar, whereas those that didn't have anything from the sauce bar were fine. After being fooled twice, we will no longer be dining here.

Apart from food poisoning, other than Shay and Katie all of our experiences weren't good at all. Before the tablets became available we weren't able to get our server's attention to order drinks or additional food unless our grill was burning. On one occasion our server never showed up after the initial greeting and passing staff members had to assist us instead. Once the tablets became available we could at least order food but it still required the servers to activate it and we needed our servers to order drinks. During multiple visits it was very difficult to get assistance for anything other than changing the burning grill. Needless to say we will have to find another restaurant from now on.

EDIT 2/13/23 to respond: I remember my first visit to this restaurant being the summer of 2022. I may have misremembered the month (July and not June) but I did visit during the initial opening weeks. Additionally, I may not have remembered "Katie's" name, but we definitely had her as a server. She was a nice young woman with blonde-ish hair. This was during October 2022 and she gave us halloween candy from the candy bowl as part of the special event at the time. I apologize for not knowing her name, but I really want to highlight how impressed we were with her service!

Regarding a receipt from our visits - we do not keep a receipt from every visit to this restaurant but I've attached one from one of our September 2022 dining experiences (Note to others: We split our bill among all guests in this transaction, which explains the total). I do not have a copy of my receipts from the visits in which some of my family experienced food poisoning. I do not know how this receipt or any receipt would help my situation, I'm just spreading awareness and hoping matters improve because I want this location to succeed and for...

Everything about this place is awesome - the food, customer service, and atmosphere! We ordered the KPOT and Korean BBQ. It was Deeee-licious! The quality of the meats, along with the seasonings they put on it, was excellent! While there, someone off the street came in and came up my table, and 2 other tables asking for food and money, but staff intercepted immediately. I was so impressed by the respect they showed this individual, even though this individual obviously didn’t have the money to buy anything there. She even tried to force her way to the back and refused to leave initially. The young lady who was the host or manager, and another host, handled the situation quietly and brilliantly. They ended up telling this person she would bring her food, but she would have to leave because she couldn’t disturb guests sitting at their tables eating food. They were very gentle and respectful. I really admired the way they handled the individual and the situation. They really treat people with so much respect in this place.

And our server, Kayla, was super sweet and very attentive the entire time we were there. I can tell she wanted to make sure we had a great experience and enjoyed the food. And oh boy, did we! When we ordered Margaritas she asked for IDs. She realized it was my birthday. I thought that was it. But do you know she came out with about 4 other staff members singing Happy Birthday, with a piece of cake, at the end of our meal. I felt so special. By the way, the Passionfruit Tea we took home was amazing! You gotta try it - never had anything like it before.

I wish I knew the name of the young lady who helped lead the person out the door who asked a few tables for money and food - she was awesome, too. The food comes out quickly. We didn’t even have to wait for a table. We ordered a peach and watermelon Margarita. OMG! It was soooo good! Everything was so clean; the price for everything was super affordable; and, the atmosphere was calm, despite the “little event” that only lasted a very short time.

I HIGHLY recommend eating here if you want good food, at a great price (I was shocked at the price for the amount of food we ate), with excellent service, in a great environment! It was our first time there because we’re fairly new to a nearby city, but it definitely won’t be our last. KPOT in Catonsville will be a regular hangout...