Cast Iron Pot Original — Restaurant in Fairview

Update August 2023 Been a busy year…just came here for the 3rd time this year. Came here with my wife and some dear friends for dinner. If you have a big appetite and a big capacity to eat, I definitely recommend the dinner menu (even if you are having lunch). Why? There is way more variety. The garlic steak, hanging blade steak are to die for. Unbelievably tender, juicy and flavorful.

I really missed this place and if you have not been here, you’re truly missing an amazing dining experience.

Update March 2022 This year we have been here 4 times. This is our go-to All-You-Can-Eat place. The meats are fresh and the sauces are awesome. The coleslaw is super fresh and delicious. You will not be disappointed with the quality of the food. The brisket is to die for!!!

Update Sep 2021 Came here twice this month. That’s how much we like this place. They added new stuff on the menu and the meats are fresh and really tasty. I’m not thrilled about the chicken only because the beef and pork are sooooo tasty and juicy.

Update 5/14/21 Been there a 2nd time now. As with the first time, had an excellent experience. The food was great as usual and I’ll be going back there again soon.

Previous experience We tried the All-you-can-eat Korean buffet in Edison and ended up paying more than the advertised price. While the food was okay, here the food was stellar!!! It was such an amazing place and I took my big kids there and they all agreed that this was one of the best all-you-can-eat dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. The quality of the food was excellent — fresh, tasty and plentiful. I love that the waiters and waitresses would come around and cook the food right on your table.

And the kicker is that the price is great for an all-you-can-eat place. The ambience is wonderful — not a large and overcrowded joint but cozy with friendly staff to serve and cook your food for you at your table. Yes, that’s right—you tell them what cuts of meats you would like and they bring it out and cook it for you. You don’t need to race to the buffet hoping that there’s more of your favorite food still left.

While the selection of food is limited, honestly speaking, I’d rather enjoy a few good dishes than stuff myself silly with a gazillion different things and not really being able to appreciate and distinguish the quality and wonder of each thing you eat. Traditional AYCE is simply a place to stuff yourself silly and get a bang for you buck. Life is more than stuffing your face—if you want a quality experience and excellent food, then the Cast Iron Pot is for you.

Btw, we had lunch there and it was under $20 per person.

We will definitely be going back to the Cast Iron Pot and...

I went here this past Monday around 12 PM with my friends. It was my second time there, and honestly, I didn’t remember how the Korean BBQ service worked. The first time, we had a server named Mr. Lee, and it was a terrible experience—he was inattentive and unhelpful. Unfortunately, this time was even worse.

Sadly, Mr. Lee was our server again. When he approached our table, he told us that because it was a holiday, we’d be charged dinner pricing, which we understood. Then, we asked him to explain how the service worked since we weren’t completely familiar. He seemed annoyed and gave us a rushed explanation we could barely understand. When we started ordering (appetizers and proteins), I mentioned wanting half portions of four different meats. Instead of accommodating or clarifying, he interrupted and said, “ONLY THREE MEATS AT A TIME.” Fine, I agreed. But when he returned, he brought full portions—completely ignoring what I’d said.

My friends and I didn’t want to argue, so we tried to make the best of it. But when he placed the meat on the grill, he just left and NEVER CAME BACK TO FLIP IT. We were shocked because THE MEAT LITERALLY BURNED ON THE GRILL. We noticed other servers flipping the meat at their tables, but not Mr. Lee. So, we ended up flipping it ourselves and asking another server for help.

To make matters worse, we had to ask this other server to bring one of the appetizers we originally ordered from Mr. Lee because he completely forgot about it.

When Mr. Lee finally returned, he seemed visibly upset, almost like he didn’t want to deal with us. While serving the next items, he made it clear we couldn’t order more after 90 minutes from the time we sat down, stating this in a rushed and dismissive way. At that point, it was obvious he just wanted us gone. It completely ruined the vibe of the meal.

And the worst part? When we were paying, Mr. Lee didn’t even stop staring at the check while my friend was filling out the tip section. Of course, we left a tip—even though we weren’t pleased at all with the service—but as soon as she finished writing, HE RIPPED THE CHECK OUT OF HER HANDS. She was so shocked. It was such an unprofessional and rude way to end an already terrible experience.

To be fair, the food itself was good. The proteins were high quality, and the fried calamari appetizer was excellent—a must-try. But the terrible service from Mr. Lee overshadowed everything. We left feeling upset and unwelcome.

Unfortunately, despite the good food, we don’t think that we will be returning. Good service matters, and Mr. Lee made it clear he didn’t...

TLDR: The rating of this place is an overestimation of the true experience and food.

Dined here with my family with great expectations. However, I found the entire experience to be less than. The parking situation was diabolical with very little parking and the valet attendant had unprofessional communication. Valet staff would crowd the front of the door--a very unwelcoming sight to squeeze past.

Crowd control was one of the poorest examples I've ever seen. It seems they truly prioritized quantity over comfortability. For a restaurant that charges $45+/person, I would've expected adequate spacing between myself and other patrons--I could simply half stretch my arm out and reach someone else's table. It was like we were all sardines in a can. Seeing the serving staff having to scoot past the tables was a sign that the space simply should not be as filled out as it was.

Our server had surprisingly little amount of communication during our entire experience. She did not introduce herself, promptly left without ensuring we finished making our orders (i.e. we paused to look at the menu for about 5-10 seconds and she left without a word), and failed to ask us if we wanted any drinks besides water. I had to take the initiative many more times than I would have at other restaurants with less, equal to, or greater price points.

The drinks were delicious, but that was the only selling point. The menu had about 8-10 meat options (and that's overall--including all beef, chicken, seafood options), no sign of add-ons like vegetables (I had to ask), and I believe none of them were pre-seasoned or marinated. Truly, I was baffled. I've been to KBBQ's that have their raw meats at least seasoned or marinated; minimal sauces and not-salt mixed with pepper can only bring so much flavor. We ordered one of the beef dishes and I was concerned about what the butcher did to the poor meat. Consistency and precision of the cuts were not a priority; I saw the meat as a hack-job. With such inconsistent sizing of beef "chunks," the meat did not cook evenly together, so we had to wait for some pieces to cook more than others.

Maybe we just went on a particularly bad evening, but I could not fathom how it was worth $45+/per person (yes, I've seen past reviews with the different price tags; they've shot up exponentially). This review is as extensive as it is with the hopes to gleam some light on much needed...