KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Kansas City

We went for lunch at KPOT on the weekend, where you get full menu at lunch and we truly enjoyed it.

Food: The food was great with a lot of option for both beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish and shellfish, together with a wide assortment of veggies. We all got our broth and we even had people trying different ones, as they don't mind you changing it if you feel like something else, or maybe if you chose something that was a little spicier than you can handle. I can highly suggest the different kinds of porkbelly for the BBQ, the garlic one especially. The spicy bulgugi was also amazing. For the Hotpot, I would personally go with the tomyom base if you like it a little spicy, it tasted fantastic, but the mushroom base was also very good for a non spicy option with good flavors. All the meats and veggies are good there, but some special ones are the lamb, tongue, ribeye, brisket and porkbelly When I think of the veggies, the enoki mushrooms, shiitake, daikon and taro, but that is just a few of their many good greens. Also, do go with some rice. Many people come to places like this and want to get their money's worth in meat, but get some some rice and put you meat on top as you eat it. It's worth it and they have good steaming fluffy rice.

Service: We came 5 people and was nicely meet with smiles. We where given a nice table and there we were met with our waiter. Jim was a nice guy that truly showed how good a waiter can be. He first helped us starting it all, explaining what we needed clearly and got us started. We had a person with shellfish allergy. We where worried about what to stay away from and how to make sure we could all enjoy it, but Jim took care of it, made sure that everything was separated. Everything was OK with the extra orders, and they kept up with what the person could eat and even gave her her own little area, where her food was good at the table. He was always there as it was needed and looked out for us at all times. We ordered a lot of things, plates everywhere, but Jim , or another server, simply came over and removed used plates as soon as it was needed and made room for new plates, so we never felt over stuffed at the table. Even if we made mistakes, Jim took care of it with a smile. He also changed our BBQ multiple times, making sure that everything was good for our those with shellfish allergy. He was there when he needed to be, but neither break in to conversations nor make us feel watched. He was a great waiter and we would ask for him again next time. That said, we had a lot of others helping us with the food and they always came with a smile and helped where they could.

Things to look out for: Lunch menu on week days are cheaper, but also smaller, you can't have everything. But for a smaller price, I feel like it is fair. When they say spicy, it is spicy. I enjoy my spice, but not all are used to spicy being real spicy, I have noticed, so this is a place that gives you what they say they give you.

Final words: This is a good hotpot and korean BBQ place, they have good flavors and you can truly get as much as you want. We didn't even eat dinner that evening. They do have a dessert bar and it seems like it's not a lot of things there, but I didn't even go there. They have so many good things, that I feel like a few desserts seems like something I don't need, when everything else is so good. This is not gourmet, this is good food, that taste fantastic, that you can have a much of as you want, KPOT is perfect as it is and I really don't have any complaints. I enjoy it from start to end and 35 dollars with all you can eat of this is a good and fair price if you ask me.

Thanks for a great time KPOT and all it's staff,...

The food here is great, no worries there. The biggest issue I have is the price.

We'll start with the base price. For two hours of all you can eat it's $30.00 per person. There's a lot of other places in the KC area where I can go for equally good food that charge a fair deal less than that, and they cook your food for you at those places. So I'm not sure why they charge so much since they don't even employ chefs cooking your food, but are instead just cutting up some meats and veggies for people to cook themselves. I somewhat get it's an experience of you and your dining partners cooking food, but that central grill isn't big enough if you have a lot of folks using it at your table. Maybe Im just old and crotchety though and would rather have someone else do the cooking if I'm paying $30.00 for a meal.

However the next problem I have with pricing is the way they practically force the entire table to pay an extra $5.00 per person for their meal. There are two different "meal plans" here. You have your BBQ which uses the central grill, and your hot pot which uses a stovetop burner in front of each person. IF every single person at your table agrees to do the same thing, then you get the $30.00 per person pricing. However, if even just one person wants BBQ while everyone else wants hot pot, or anyone wants to mix and match, everyone at your table will now pay $35.00, no matter what they eat or don't eat. This practically ensures that every group larger than 2 that walks through the door will pay $35.00 per person because what group larger than a couple can agree in any food choices.

Fact is, I looked at both menus and other than a few slightly thicker cuts of meat, and I do mean slightly because there was no BBQ steak I received thicker than 1/4", the menus are very close to each other. Second fact is, no matter which meal plan I choose, or even if I mix and match the two together, its all you can eat, and I'm not going to eat any more or less based on my options. So what if the hot pot meat is sliced thinner, I'll probably order more of it to make up for that. At the end of the day all I see is deceptive pricing for all the same stuff that forces everyone to pay more than what they thought was a base price. I don't see Cinzetti's charging me more or less if I eat JUST pizza or JUST pasta. Perhaps I shouldn't give them any ideas though lol.

To sum up this review, the food is good here, if you can afford the sticker price and enhanced sticker price for you and your crew. Maybe they'll start offering lay-away or short term...

My Grill, Myself, and I: A Culinary Adventure in Self-Cook Korean BBQ!

Let me start by saying, I love Korean BBQ. The endless banchan, the perfectly marinated meats, the intoxicating aroma... it's a symphony for the senses. So when I heard about "KPOT" a self-cook Korean BBQ spot, I was intrigued. And by "intrigued," I mean "ready to unleash my inner chef with absolutely no training whatsoever." Upon entering, the staff greeted me with warm smiles, which I initially mistook for an encouraging "You got this!" but later realized was more of a "Good luck, you're gonna need it." The concept is simple: they bring you the glorious, uncooked meats, and you become the master of your grilling domain. This is where things got… interesting. My first attempt at grilling pork belly can only be described as a charcoal-infused science experiment. It turns out, "crispy" is a fine line between perfectly seared and "this looks like it was excavated from an ancient ruin." Luckily, my dining companions were good sports, mostly. One even bravely declared my creation "unique." I think that's polite for "inedible." But here's the thing: despite my culinary mishaps, it was genuinely fun. We laughed as I chased runaway kimchi with tongs, giggled when a piece of bulgogi launched itself off the grill (a true escape artist), and practically cried tears of joy when, by some miracle, I actually cooked a piece of steak to perfection. It was like a cooking show, but with more smoke, less talent, and significantly more profanity. The quality of the meats and banchan was top-notch, which is a good thing, because even my questionable grilling couldn't completely ruin the deliciousness. And the service was excellent, with patient staff who, I'm convinced, have seen far worse grill-related disasters than mine. "KPot" isn't just a meal; it's an experience. It's a test of your hand-eye coordination, your patience, and your ability to admit defeat gracefully when your mushroom decides to become a burnt offering. If you're looking for a fun night out, a chance to bond with friends over shared grilling failures, and a delicious meal you mostly didn't mess up, I highly recommend it. Just maybe wear something you don't mind smelling like a campfire for the next few days. And for the love of all that is holy, don't try to flip the entire grill. Trust me...