KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

So this was my second experience here, and trust me, if you go once, you will DEFINITELY be back! I, literally, was here twice in 3 weeks because it's THAT good! And I don't live close!

You have the option of enjoying an individual hot pot and/or Korean BBQ (get both it's less than $10 extra) for 2 hours. They provide you with a tablet where you can order UNLIMITED meats, veggies, seafood, noodles, dumplings, and more! It's about $40 pp without drinks, and it's totally worth it! They also have a sides bar with chicken wings, orange slices, sesame balls, French fries, etc. There's also an awesome sauce station and sauce mix suggestions! I haven't explored the bar options, but the drink I did have (unfortunately, I don't remember the name) was lackluster. I will explore it more on my next visit.

Usually the service is 5 star but we had CLAYTON and he, by far, was the worst waiter I've ever experienced. My bf and I arrived around 9:15p this evening, with closing creeping up on us at 10 p.m., but we know how to use our time very wisely (we're greedy). Clayton wasn't focused because when he asked if we'd been there before we answered yes, and he proceeded to explain everything we told him we already knew (taking away from the little time we had). It took him so long to change our first grill that the grill was burned. Clayton proceeded to scrape the grill with the tongs used to remove meat from the grill, stating that it makes things easier in the kitchen. This isn't my first rodeo... I've been to numerous Korean BBQs, and I actually cook, so it's KNOWN that you're not supposed to scrape cast iron with metal anything. I told him that I didn't care and needed the grill to be changed. After that, we didn't see Clayton again because he was leisurely conversing with guests at another table he was servicing.

It was so bad that we had to alert management and request a new server. I'm so sorry I didn't get her name, but she was the best. Extremely attentive and personable (even gave us water to cook our hot pot dumplings on the grill). She got her tip AND Clayton's tip. I'm coming back but WILL NOT be serviced by Clayton again. Hopefully, he won't be there (I've never wanted anyone to change occupations more than him).

A MUST VISIT! BE PREPARED TO BE MORE STUFFED THAN YOU'VE EVER BEEN BEFORE. Please be conscious of what you order to prevent food waste because NO...

UNFRIENDLY and RACIST services

We had a deeply disappointing experience at this restaurant, mostly due to the male server who waited on us. He had his hair tied up and tattoos of dogs biting each other on both arms—easy to remember, unfortunately for the wrong reasons.

From the moment he approached our table, he was cold and dismissive, and as the night went on, his behavior felt increasingly discriminatory. We’re not sure if it was racial bias or simply his attitude, but either way, it was unacceptable.

I ordered a cocktail called Korean Sunrise, which looked nothing like the picture on the menu. There was no fruit garnish, no ice, and even the glass was completely different. When I politely asked if there had been a mistake, he smirked and told me, “When we run out of glasses, we use others.” No proper explanation, just sarcasm. Then he walked away and returned with a small bowl of fruit, slammed it on the table and said, “Now it looks like the menu, right?” in the most condescending tone.

When I asked for a soup refill, he didn’t even bother to pour it for me—just handed me the pot wordlessly. I later noticed he personally poured soup for other tables. And while I was still eating, he came over, pointed at my dish, and said “Garbage?” before taking it away. That’s beyond rude. No one eating their meal should be asked if their food is “garbage.” It’s not just unprofessional—it’s insulting.

To top it off, while we were still finishing our meal, he came by and pointed toward the dessert section saying, “Ice cream and cake are over there,” in a tone that felt like he was rushing us to wrap it up. We had told him we’d been there before, so it was clear he wasn’t trying to help—we were just being pushed out. Meanwhile, the table next to us, who had been seated and eating long before us, wasn’t treated that way at all.

And at the end, when the recipe came, he threw it on our table and said, “It went through.” No thank you, no polite gesture, just more rudeness. Whether it was racism or just his attitude, I don’t know. But if you’re going to work at an Asian restaurant and treat Asian customers with such disrespect and unkindness, while clearly not enjoying your job, maybe it’s time to reconsider how you’re spending your time. And more importantly—don’t ruin other people’s dinner with...

Food and service are great, especially for the price. Probably the most affordable KBBQ place I've visited. It seems like such a no brainer for AYCE KBBQ, especially since they also include things like chopped fruit!

We have to cook everything ourselves, but I like how at this KPOT location, they spray olive oil on the grill when they change the grill for you. At another KPOT location, we had to oil/butter the grill ourselves. I've only been to one other KPOT location, so don't know which location is more "standard" to the KPOT chain, if there even is one for oiling the grill.

The iPad ordering system makes ordering a breeze. The ingredients come out quickly too.

The meat and veggie selection is great, and the quality of the meat isn't bad for the price. The chicken bulgogi was tender and not overly marinated or sweet, which is great. The beef bulgogi was really hard to chew though. It also wasn't overly marinated or sweet, but that might have resulted in the beef being tougher. The garlic shrimp is very garlicy (a bit too garlicy for me), but my friend really liked it. It wasn't bad! The spicy octopus I didn't like very much, but might just be a personal preference. The spicy sauce was bland, and the octopus didn't taste like anything either, so overall it was pretty flavorless. The spicy fish fillet was also just okay. The fish was tender, but I don't like any of their spicy sauces, which all seem pretty flavorless.

They have a good selection of sides/extra, which change up every time (e.g. sliced radish, picked radish, kimchi, fruit, popcorn chicken, spring rolls, french fries, and bunches of sauces). They switch out the fruit depending on the season probably, but when I visited in the summer, they had watermelon, which was so refreshing. One thing I noticed that I just wanted to note is that at both KPOT locations I've visited, their kimchi was oddly really sweet.

This might be one of my go-to places now for KBBQ, along with Cast Iron Pot and Won KBBQ, but among the three, this is the most affordable and...