Hong BBQ & Hot Pot Grandville — Restaurant in Grandville

TLDR: this is a bit of a mixed review. I enjoyed my food and the atmosphere quite a lot. I hated the service, the argumentative nature of the management, the accusatory and frankly, trashy signage and the full table up charges for when a single guest wants to add food to their seat. A very strange experience- I’d try it again to see if anything has changed since the grand opening in August, but my boyfriend hated the hot pot broth that was recommended to him- and I concur, his was foul tasting- and he couldn’t get the flavor out of his sinuses for 2 days 🤣. He’d rather not experience that again, so we probably won’t be returning.

The decor and atmosphere of this place were great. We were greeted at the front door and the staff was pleasant. They explained the difference between the Korean bbq and the hot pot. I was curious to try that. The buffet of sauces and sides was fairly extensive and nice, and the aromas of all the foods cooking around us were captivating.

I ordered a Hong Thai Milk Tea with tapioca boba, and he ordered a Diet Coke. The coke was as expected and the boba tea was great! I quite enjoyed it.

My boyfriend wanted to try the Korean bbq and I wanted the hot pot- there were seemingly more seafood options for the hotpot than for the bbq, so I was not interested in that. The menu advertises “all you can eat” for a set price, which seemed a bit overwhelming but kinda awesome. We were then told that if he ordered the BBQ, they would charge an additional $5.99 for me to have it too. When we tried to explain that I was not interested in it, and only the hot pot, they said that if anyone at the table gets BBQ, everyone else is also charged $5.99… like what?! Why?! We were told it’s because “they can’t know if the other guests eat off the barbecue.” I explained that I don’t eat meat, and they said I could order fish, and I said, “right… but I won’t be, so why would you charge us??”. They sent the manager over to argue with us and insist that we pay the extra. I was shocked. We almost left at that point, but we were hungry so my bf decided to just get a hot pot as well. He asked for a recommendation for broth and the manager suggested Green Peppercom Style. I ordered the Chinese Herbal Style, as it was the only one that was not a meat based soup base.

As you can see from the pics of the menu, there are TONS of options of meats, seafood veggies and sides (like shrimp dumplings, for example) to put in your hot pot. I got 6 or 7 items and REALLY enjoyed my soup. My bf on the other hand, did not have a good experience. The broth he ordered was super spicy in an umami fish paste horseradish kind of way and he struggled to eat his dish.

There were signs on the napkin dispenser, as well as on the bottom of every page of the menu saying “reserve the right to impose a $13.99/ Ib surcharge for unfinished food”. While we understand that people might waste food, it’s pretty rude to advertise all you can eat, unless you can’t finish, and then it’s an additional $13.99, and if someone at your table orders something different than you, that you have to pay extra for it too. Just really strange and aggressive financial strategies at this restaurant…

So while I enjoyed my food, he didn’t, and we didn’t like that management was sent out to defend their strange extra charges. If these policies change, I may be back with friends at some point, but the poor experience was too much for my boyfriend to reconsider trying something else that he might enjoy. We aren’t “cheap” and we feel like this restaurant...

My Wife and I went for lunch and it was our first time experiencing this style of Korean BBQ. The food was brought out in small quantities raw to cook at a grill on the table or in a broth, and the food is "All You Can Eat". This was all fine with us but the service and Atmosphere was bad. The Decor is ok and fits the theme, but you sit down, open the menu and there are warnings scattered all over the menu not to waste food and there could be a $14 surcharge and there's a 2 hour limit. This had us questioning how much is considered wasteful? What if we don't like something after we cook it? When we were leaving did we leave too much on the table? The server took what seemed like 15-20 minutes in between visits to take orders and whenever she came to the table she turned off the grill. This all came across as a way for them to pinch pennies and stretch out the time between orders. When she brought us fresh food she would turn it back on and it would take time to warm up. We had a hard time gauging how done it would be given the constant switching on and off of the grill. We felt unsure taking our first bites each time we finished cooking. One time she forgot to turn it back on so we waited 15 minutes or so for her to come back. I think overall we would have enjoyed the experience more had the service been more informative and attentive, and the grill would have stayed on while we still had raw ingredients at the table. The Restaurant also has the server bring over a handheld and gets to watch which tip you give them, which always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Overall I think the food we had tasted good, reserving a few complaints about service which could easily be resolved with better communication. It's a unique experience I think people should try, but maybe not this restaurant. My Wife and I agreed we didn't value the experience enough to go back. It's possible now that once we've been there once our next trip might be better, but for the amount we spent it's hard to say I'd risk it. Total we spent $84 with tip for two and for that money or maybe a hair more we could go to a place much nicer, and get drinks and an appetizer with dinner. A place where the service is better and the food is cooked to perfection by a professional. Overall based on my experience, I would avoid going to this location unless you've been before and know you'll get...

First time here but not first time to Kbbq or Hot pot. Party of 3 girl friends. We did the KBBQ so I can only attest to that. A couple unique things about this spot: the whole table doesn't not have to agree to one thing. I can get bbq and my friend can get Hotpot. Usually at other spots, everyone at the table has to agree on either or just get both. Another thing is there's no 2 hour time limit on the food. I imagine at one point you'll have to stop eating lol but if you go beyond the 2 hours, you're good.

The food was the typical kbbq. They have a sauce, app, and dessert section. It isn't as large as other places, but it will definitely satisfy. I mean, who goes to kbbq to fill up on egg rolls and such? So that isn't a downside for me. The egg rolls are yummy (my friends and I thought they were pretty good as a buffet eggroll) and the red bean fried sesame balls are crispy. The ice cream is the generic ice cream cup. Theres fruit, kimchi, seaweed salad. I was a little bummed they didnt have pickled daikon separate from the kimchi, but not a big deal. A whole bunch of sauces and mix ins to make your perfect concoction to eat with the meat. My favorite kbbq meat is always short ribs and even without your made sauce, the favor from the sauce in comes in, is still wonderful. The waiters are attentive, they come and see how youre doing before you run out of food to cook, so you will never just be sitting there without cooking something or wondering where your waiter is. The Boba teas are good. I wasnt fond with the one I ordered (not their fault, it just wasnt the type of tea I should have ordered). Boba is fresh, soft, and chewy in a good way. Soju bottle is served in a bowl of ice so it can stay relatively cold vs just sitting on your table. This place is only 9 mins vs like 23+ mins to other KBbq places in GR so thats definitely a plus in my book. Also, does have that "club" vibe like other Kbbq places try to portray and though I like a good club and good music, I like hearing what my friend is saying across the table. Also, it's open until midnight!!! Whattttt??! I can put my kids to bed, drive just 9 mins and eat without being too close to closing time? Yassss

All in all, definitely recommend...