Hungry Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Natick

Hungry Pot is a brand new AYCE Korean BBQ and Hotpot restaurant near Natick Mall, with many locations across the Northeast (another one near Dartmouth).

Let's begin by getting this out of the way, yes the wait is crazy and the restaurant does need to figure out how to solve these issues. At least 40 people were turned away or were at least getting annoyed, even if they were on the waitlist for a smaller party. They don't have reservations over phone (for good reason), however they tend to wait for incomplete parties, even if parties claim that the people are close, there were some parties that were waiting on 1-2 people for over 30 minutes until they eventually showed up, leaving many tables empty and annoying people who had their entire parties present. They have a couple of tables that could be split by a divider, and I would highly recommend the owners to use said dividers to move smaller parties along. However, my review's rating is not based on this, as we were actually seated far quicker than what was expected (We were told a 2 hour wait, and were seated in 35 minutes).

The staff treatment overall is good, it's very interaction-less and you can call the server over on the IPad if needed, but most orders are done through the IPad. There were times when meats were missing, or we were handed the wrong order. They seemed quite busy and swamped, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The staff had a lot of birthday parties, and it was funny to watch.

As for the meat quality, contrary to what most reviews are saying, it fell pretty flat. The marinade is quite good, and we enjoyed the marinade, but the quality of the meat is very subpar. There were times the grill was charred and the marinade came off, and the meats just didn't taste right. This was especially true for the beef short rib, which was kind of gamey and didn't have a nice juicy taste as other Korean BBQ AYCE/a-la carte restaurants, so we didn't even finish the beef short rib. The Pork Belly was probably the best, but the meats overall were disappointing to see. This is especially true for the hotpot. We tried grilling the meat to the shortest time possible, but it didn't help the meats lacked a tender feeling, and were just off. It was still good enough to eat, but overall we began to just stick to pork belly and ignored the rest.

The hotpot broth had an ok flavor, but the meats itself were not great, and we eventually stopped ordering hotpot and only went for Korean BBQ. The heat on the hotpot is also a bit weird, as it wouldn't boil for a while until it started boiling all of a sudden, resulting in some pieces of meat sitting in there for almost 3-4 minutes, where in other AYCE hotpot locations meats can be done within 30 seconds - 1 minute.

The sauce bar is good, but lacks sauces for the korean bbq, as it was primarily sauces you'd find at a hotpot restaurant. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and even though we were filled by the end of the night, I don't think I'd come back here and wait the 35 to almost an hour wait for the food quality. You are better off driving to Boston to get a better experience at lower wait times.

NOTE: They give free drinks away for rating them on google maps as well. Please keep that in mind when...

I've embarrassingly been here four times in the past couple of months because I'm absolutely obsessed with the meats.

I'll be honest--I genuinely hate driving through Natick. Even though it's mostly a straight road, it always feels claustrophobic and mind-numbing. The restaurant's parking lot entrance sneaks up on you, so pay close attention to the small yellow-and-black sign that distinguishes it from the monotonous curb. Once inside, though, parking is straightforward, with plenty of diagonal spots.

When the restaurant first opened, my wife and I tried visiting two or three times, only to find out it was completely packed. Tip: avoid weekend evenings unless you're prepared to wait hours. Instead, weeknights around 8:00 PM have consistently worked great for us--we usually wait just a few minutes as they prepare a table.

I LOVE the decor here. I'm not even sure how to describe it--retro-futuristic? Gen-Z neon? Whatever it is, it's a vibe. They offer cozy booths suitable for up to four people and larger tables for bigger groups.

Upon entering, you'll choose between Hot Pot, Korean BBQ, or both. Be aware: everyone at your table pays the same rate, even if someone wants only one option. Unfortunately for my wallet, my wife loves Hot Pot and I'm strictly a BBQ guy, so we both end up paying for the combined package price.

Ordering is done entirely through an iPad at your table, and everything on the menu is included in your buffet price, so feel free to indulge. Hot Pot and BBQ items are clearly separated on the menu, minimizing confusion. My only gripe here is that the pictures don't accurately represent portion sizes--for example, you'll only three shrimp when the picture shows six.

On our first visit, we struggled a bit--the grill repeatedly charred after cooking just a few pieces of meat, requiring multiple replacements throughout the meal. Turns out, we weren't applying enough butter. My recommendation: set a timer and flip your meats every two minutes (the tip recommend two minutes). On our latest visit, amusingly enough, I brought my own stick of Kerrygold Butter, which dramatically improved the cooking experience, reducing char build-up significantly.

Towards the back, you'll find a self-serve station offering fresh fruit, ingredients for custom sauces, and, importantly, butter refills.

Okay, okay--how's the food?

It's DELICIOUS. The marinades are incredibly flavorful--I'm especially hooked on the spicy beef bulgogi and spicy pork belly, and the lamb is fantastic too. My wife consistently enjoys the high-quality Tom Yum broth for Hot Pot. Just make sure your grill is set to medium heat: low feels like it doesn't cook the food while high will just burn everything.

Service from the kitchen is impressively fast once your order is placed. Plates start arriving quickly, so be mindful of table space. My only consistent complaint is that the front-of-house servers don't check on you frequently enough--I often find myself waiting several minutes for drink refills. The hostesses could be a bit more attentive instead of chatting with each other, especially compared to the blazing fast food runners.

Overall, despite these minor hiccups, this place is addictive--I'll definitely be...

This is a great spot to have open in the Framingham/Natick area. I wish more places like this would open.

We need Japanese BBQ (like Gyu-Kaku), a new sushi buffet (Minado is gone), a top notch ramen spot (Doragon has dropped), and more Chinese restaurants serving authentic dishes of a high quality. We also need a proper H- or C-mart!

I made my first visit to Hungry Pot and chose the lunch AYCE KBBQ. I do plan to try the Hot Pot on my next visit. Then maybe the dinner KBBQ or date to do both. So yes, I will be back. Let’s break it down.

The ordering process: This was probably the best electronic ordering system via a tablet that I’ve experienced, with Kura being a runner up for speed. I’ve tried many, but they’re usually all so complicated or failure prone that you end up trying to get someone’s attention. Picking the items we wanted and hitting order was super easy. Then our order came out shockingly fast each time with no mistakes. Excellent job!

Other service: Staff and our waiter were all great. Plates cleared quickly, kind personalities, and generally good about drink refills with some delay.

Food: I’ve had better KBBQ, but you can get pretty wild with ordering a La carte at KBBQ joints and cost can get high. When it comes to AYCE KBBQ, pricing, quality, and offerings are all up for debate. I’ve had better AYCE KBBQ in NY, but this is not NY. Being able to drive down the street and enjoy KBBQ is just amazing. The food was solid enough for me to go back. I will need to try more via the dinner menu next time for a more wholesome review. A+ for being able to order white rice on the tablet and it’s included in the total price.

The price: Pricing is very fair. $21 lunch, $33 dinner, $38 combo BBQ+hot pot. You pick either BBQ or hot pot if you don’t pick the combo. Everyone at your table has to order the same option.

Atmosphere: The renovation work they did from the previous Trend restaurant is nicely executed. It has a cute outer space vibe with astronauts, rocket ships, and space-like backgrounds and celestial bodies. It’s now worthy of being a great first date spot, a family spot, or a place someone can become a regular.

Overall: They’re worth a visit. Especially for someone that is not familiar with KBBQ or hot pot. You’re missing out. Get there! I plan to go back. I am grateful they’ve opened and I hope that over time they don’t lose quality while amplifying prices. These places often do. Prices go up, while the facility falls apart and quality goes down. Cut the romaine leaf under the raw meat as a method cost savings in the years after the grand opening, but maintain meat quality, pricing, and the facility as best you can. This is a small chain restaurant that is worth your time and...