Chako Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Eau Claire

⭐️⭐️⭐️ We came here for dinner and tried both the hotpot and BBQ. The food itself was solid — flavorful broths, tasty grilled meats, and a clean, modern environment. If you’re craving both hotpot and BBQ, this place hits the mark.

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✅ Pros: ✔️ Clean and modern atmosphere ✔️ Flavorful enough hotpot broths ✔️ Good quality BBQ options

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⚠️ Cons (and what to know before going):

💸 Prices are high, so you’ll want to come hungry to feel like it’s worth it. $23/lunch & $33/dinner. 🍲 Hotpot portions are tiny — you’ll need to reorder several times to get full. 📋 All guests must order both hotpot and BBQ for both lunch and dinner — even though the menu only states this rule for lunch. This felt like a bait-and-switch and is an additional expense for anyone who only wants one or the other. 🍽️ In order to limit food waste you’re table is only allowed 4 items per round (we were a group of 3), and we each wanted different things — this made the experience feel frustrating and restrictive for an all-you-can-eat setup. ⏳ Service was slow. While it seemed organized, we weren’t offered drink refills and only received two rounds of food in over two hours. 🙅‍♂️ Nothing except sauces is self-serve, which creates unnecessary delays and limits the buffet-style appeal.

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Final thoughts: If you’re only in the mood for hotpot, I’d recommend the hotpot spot on Clairemont — it’s quicker, simpler, and priced similarly (though everything besides the hotpot there is of lesser and questionable quality ).

If you’re looking for both hotpot and BBQ, this place is the better choice. Personally, I’d come back only for the BBQ if they ever allowed it à la carte.

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Why 3 stars?

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5) • Food Quality: ★★★★☆ – Broths were flavorful enough but the BBQ is where it stands out. • Ambience: ★★★★☆ – Clean, welcoming space. • Service: ★★☆☆☆ – Slow and not very attentive. • Value: ★★½☆☆ – High prices + rigid rules + long wait times = not an ideal...

Was really happy with the food. Let me start with that. When we got there we came from the mall. I don't do well with alot of people. So I wasent feeling the best going there. So we sat ordered. Felt kinda rushed. Then dinner came. Kids loved cooking there own food. I ate literally five bites of food the whole time. Payed the bill trying to finish my food. I don't like people touching my food by the way. After paying still trying to maybe eat they came and took my food to like get us out. Paid over $100 to be rushed out and didn't even eat. Not happy. When I talked to I think was a manger we will talk to the server for ya. Really! Like I didn't even eat and still got charged. Well I guess I just paid to watch people put on a show of how to cook at the table. Really disappointed. Food was good though. Leason learned now. Update: was pleased with the fast response from owner. Wasent wanting a full refund a discount would of been fine but a full refund is much appreciated. That is very kind. We will hopefully beable to return. Thabk you again for the kindness. I had a 3 marked down. Will up it for sure. Thabk you again for also talking to staff to slow it down to clearing. It will make a big difference with guest. The attentiveness is valued but even more with understanding. Thank you again. And much surprised and...

In the two times I've gone the service is always swift and amazing, the soup broths are perfect, and the general atmosphere is great. Location features a very sleek, modern feel with the overhead music being contemporary pop music and the occasional EDM beat. Though hesitant at the pricier cocktail selection, after taking a dive I have zero regrets. The alcohol is strong and premium, and the flavors are great. Nhia was a fantastic server for my second visit, servers are generally as chatty as you allow them to be, but discrete if you simply want to enjoy your meal. The food is hard to give a standard review to due to the self-made nature of a Korean BBQ or hotpot restaurant. Although, the ingredients are very high quality and on occasion quite exotic such as cuttlefish meat or lotus root. Overall the selection is as good as your personal skills allow, the meals never suffer from subpar ingredients. One thing that isn't covered in an easily read way is the nature of the pricing, but that is quickly cleared by asking the staff for details. Each individual pays the meal-time fee, variable of $19 to $29 per person depending on lunch or dinner with an additional $3 fee per-person depending on the table selection both or a single option of BBQ or...