KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Fort Smith

As most people know I am a huge foodie and I love to eat out. I absolutely loved K-pot. However with it being my very first visit, It was a learning experience. I learned that all you can eat actually means all you can eat within 2 hours and if you leave uncooked food on the table they can charge you an additional fee called a waste fee. Now I was told that your waitress is supposed to inform you of this however mine did not. I went at lunch time when it's 19.99 or $25 if you want both. I ended up spending $77 for only one adult and a teenager because I had to pay for food that was left over. When I explained to the manager that my waitress did not mention anything about that at all (because she said the waitress is supposed to tell you) and I really didn't know what I was doing because it was my first time, she said that my waitress said that she told me. So I went to my waitress and my waitress said I didn't tell her that. My waitress confirmed that she never informed me but told me that it's in very tiny writing at the bottom of the menu...a menu in which we never actually used because we ordered off of the iPad which is what you do there. I have heard some people say that their waitress had to tell them or they wouldn't have known, I guess she forgot. Okay, no big deal but I didn't appreciate the manager lying to me and saying that she told her that if she did not tell her that. Then the manager came back and tried to say that multiple people said they told me that. What reason do I have to speak to multiple people? When you go to a restaurant do you deal with multiple people? I have one waitress and that is it, so when I asked her to present these multiple people to me she would not and the reason she did not is because they did not exist. I didn't have a problem paying the extra money, but I cannot stand a liar. Do not lie to me or on me. Other than that the experience was amazing and I would definitely go back. This time I have more experience and I will actually know...

This was our first experience at this type of restaurant, and thankfully we went with others who understand the process and how to order. If it wasn’t for family we went with, I’m afraid our review would be even lower, as there was little to no help from the wait staff. I understand food costs and the bottom line, but I fail to understand when we requested an order of shrimp - we only got 4 pieces! Also, since my husband and I have never been to any place similar to this, we were totally unfamiliar with the soup bases, and we were beyond disappointed that we could not ‘try’ a sample of the broth before ordering! Seriously, how is someone who is unfamiliar with a lot about this cuisine supposed to know what type of soup bases they would like? Our server said that the owner ‘refused’ to budge on giving a small sample of broths - well, ok he won’t get any more of OUR money. This failure to allow us to sample broths, really made things difficult. Not everyone who goes into one of these places is familiar with everything on the menu, I really expected a more friendly and educational experience.

The experience was ok, but for us, it wasn’t worth all of the hype - especially when a dinner for 4 with a tip was $185.00!!! I really feel like the wait staff could be more knowledgeable and helpful with first timers - but got the feeling that business is good enough, so they don’t need to provide advice. Some of the meat items had a really ‘off’ taste - especially the mini sausages - which were beyond dry and tasted off.

Needless to say - we will not return. But kudos to all who enjoy it and can afford it -...

KPOT has been popping up all over the country in the last few years and it has landed in Ft. Smith. While the decoration and format are all pretty much the same, I have been to locations in South Carolina and New Jersey but unfortunately my experience at this store was not as good as the others.

For our visit, we just got the bbq and not the hotpot which is the standard as hotpot costs extra. The dinning room was very smoky from all the grills and the suction fan right on top of the grill did little to vent the smoke. And the fan was set so low it shaded the cooking area so we couldn’t even see if the meats are done! As for the meat, most of it was decent quality but the seasoning was lacking. The best dish was the beef bulgogi and the pork cheeks. But the rib fingers were just gristle and tendons, very hard to chew. My biggest complaint however is that for a Korean bbq restaurant, the rice was absolutely terrible! Very dry, not clumpy and tastes slightly undercooked. And also, this location did not even have the fermented soybean paste for the traditional Korean bbq lettuce wrap! Total disappointment.

Since the place is new, wait time was over 2 hours! So make sure you join the waitlist before you go. Maybe because there were so many people waiting, parking was completely full and there were many cars in non-spots. The staffs are friendly and eager to help. Once you submit your order, the food comes fast but not all at once of everything you ordered. Overall, it is not a bad experience but not on part with the other KPOTs we...