Booming Hot Pot & Grill — Restaurant in Huntsville

Edit to my review below. They made it right. They refunded the whole amount and this make me and my party happy. We will now go back and continue support for them because like I said previously. I enjoyed the experience. I understand they are new which I am very patient and understanding of. So thank you to Booming Pot for correcting your mistake. 🙏 Everyone enjoy this place and please try and be patient and understanding not just here but to all service establishments.

Please be aware! We came in last Saturday for lunch. There are 2 different prices. One for lunch and one for dinner. So we were told that we would have to do the lunch option because it was lunch time. So the difference in price is certain items are not available for lunch so that is why the price is different. No problem we thought. Well come to find out after the fact, there is no lunch rate on weekends. Only dinner prices which we found out after the fact days later when we called to dispute the bill. The reason we didn't know when we paid was because they use the handheld devices to pay and being the first time we visited, we assumed they charged the correct prices because the server even told us, it is lunch time and certain dinner items are not available. There were 6 of us and we all heard her tell us this. Also, there is a 2 hour limit, which was not enforced on us but it took 1 hour for them to take the order, bring out soups, which we all just had hot pot, and bring our first rounds, so prepare to rush to eat if they do enforce the 2 hour limit. Also, they kept bringing us the incorrect items because I think the poor server got many items confused because she was using the handheld device. I think having a paper to order on or our own handheld to order would be much more efficient. But whatever, that is something for them to figure out because they will waste a lot of food bringing the incorrect items and the customer not eating it because that is not what was ordered. So fast forward to a couple days later we were talking about it and figured out they charged us for dinner prices after looking at our charges. We called to dispute this and the person on the phone was not nice about it and told us there is a sign when you walk in which obviously we didn't see and again, the server told us different from what the person on the phone told us. Also, they charged for tip and we tipped on top of that which is normal but again just be aware. It is difficult to see all the charges on the handheld so please be careful. I honestly enjoyed the experience until finding this out. I wanted to go back again to try the BBQ but I will not do so unless they correct this. Also, know that if there is one person who wants BBQ and the others just want hot pot, everyone will be charged for BBQ and hot pot. It is all or none. Anyway, good luck and I wish the best for this business. I know how difficult it is to have a successful restaurant because my parents had one and they worked very hard for it so customer retention is a big part of this. It would be different if this was $5 value meals but this is more on the pricey side so I say good luck and I wish you well. Me and my friends will not be back unless they correct the mistake they made. And I have already told all my friends to be careful so all you others be...

Let me start with the good things. The atmosphere and interior decoration are fantastic. The tables are nice and good at controlling smoke while cooking. The service was friendly and prompt. The bulgogi and shrimp I tried were good.

The problem for me is with the sides. At this restaurant they do a kind of buffet bar for sides and I get that in a place like this it's an afterthought. At least it is for these owners. But personally I absolutely love Korean food. And I get that this is a place that has been heavily focused on the American customer but I am one so maybe my feedback will matter.

Your kimchi is straight trash. So was the cucumber kimchi and pickled cucumbers. I mean they were literally worse than if you bought a mass market Walmart version of these things. Get some jonnga in there.

I didn't even see any museum or muchae. Or rice cakes. Or fish cakes. Or any number of other classic Korean barbecue sides. Maybe I'm the only American who likes them but I love them and they were sorely missed here. Come to think of it I didn't see any white rice at all but it's possible I simply missed that as It would be legitimately unbelievable for you to not have any.

Regarding your sauces, or your build your own sauce station, I get the idea here. There's nothing like an American to take a bunch of different Asian flavors and slam them together without any thought. It's classic. I can't begrudge you this but I would ask that you just have a couple of the more popular dipping sauces already mixed? I don't really want to follow a instructional pamphlet you have above the station to figure out how to make something half decent.

And finally, really my biggest complaint, the grilled vegetable options. I eat a lot of vegetables at home. Quite a lot of them browned on a skillet, roasted in the oven, or cooked on the grill. So I'm pretty familiar with dry heated vegetables with minimal seasoning.

I ordered the king oyster, zucchini, and eggplant. I literally had to spit out the King oyster and eggplant. I don't know what's going on. I've eaten those foods quite regularly at home both plain and as part of other dishes and it was disgusting. The zucchini was okay. Also, of all the restaurants in the world to not have salt and pepper at the table, the restaurant where you cook it yourself in front of you is not the one. I know it's probably over on that bar somewhere but it should be on the table unless it just wasn't on mine.

That's the gist of it. Everything about your restaurant is great except for the actual experience of eating the meal. The meat is okay but everything else is severely lacking in my opinion. I probably...

Ah, democracy—the beautiful system where I get outvoted by my own family and stuck with the bill for a meal I didn’t even want. We came in for hot pot (well, they did), and I thought, “You know what? I’ll try the BBQ side this time.” Silly me for assuming that meant I would be charged the extra $5, not that the entire table would be held financially hostage for my personal preference. Yes, folks—$25 extra for one person’s BBQ, regardless of whether the rest of your party touches it. Revolutionary stuff.

To be clear, this isn’t some quirky cultural tradition—this is just a baffling pricing model. I travel often for work and have had my fair share of hot pot and Korean BBQ in places that actually know how to run a restaurant. Usually, if someone wants to mix in sushi, BBQ, or another upgrade, they pay for their own plate. Shocking, I know.

Now, I’ll give credit where it’s due: they do have a seasoning and spice bar, so you can doctor up their tragically bland broths yourself. But at that point, you might as well stay home, save $100, and dump some garlic into a boiling pot of water on your own stove. Same result, less regret.

I should’ve trusted my gut the first time I came here when it opened. It was underwhelming then, but hey, the family hadn’t been, and I believe in second chances… to be disappointed more efficiently.

The food? Let’s just say if you like your hot pot as flavorless as your water and your sauces to taste like someone whispered “garlic” across the room, you’re in for a treat. This is the perfect place if your taste buds are on a strict, flavor-free diet. Bonus: the absence of any actual Asian clientele should give you a clue about how “authentic” this place really is.

Also, pro tip: that surprise $25 charge? Not listed anywhere up front. They kindly wait until you’re seated and locked in before springing it on you. Classy move.

On the bright side, the service was decent—everyone was polite and moved quickly. It’s just a shame the business model and kitchen didn’t show up with the same energy.

If this is your first hot pot experience, maybe try it somewhere else first—somewhere that doesn’t treat BBQ like a cover charge at a bad club. And if you’re already familiar with good hot pot?...