KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot — Restaurant in Upper Merion Township

I’m a huge fan of KPOT — the locations in South Philly, Franklin Mills, and even Austin, TX have all been great. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark. We came here to celebrate a birthday and left very disappointed. The food was just okay. The bulgogi lacked flavor, and the spicy beef bulgogi wasn’t spicy or flavorful enough. It was nice that they offered snow crab legs, which I haven’t seen at other KPOTs, but overall the meats were mediocre. The service was the biggest issue. Our waitress took about 10–15 minutes to take our drink and initial food orders. While we waited, half our group got up to grab sauces and appetizers from the self-serve area. She didn’t check in much during the first half of the meal and spent a lot of time standing near the host area. We ended up asking another waitress from a nearby section for help several times — she was much more attentive to her tables. During the second half of our meal, it took a long time to receive our order of prime brisket. Our waitress started coming by more often toward the end, but by then it was too late — we would’ve preferred that attention earlier so we could enjoy a better-paced meal. She also seemed annoyed to be serving us and had an attitude throughout. After the two-hour mark, she abruptly dropped the check on our table and told us — quite rudely — that our time was up but she’d still put in our final order. My wife explained that while we understood we were past the two-hour limit, the delay was largely due to how difficult it was to get service, refills, and grill changes. The waitress became defensive and insisted she had been checking in often, which wasn’t true. When she finally brought out the birthday cake we’d given to the host earlier, she set it down aggressively and even knocked over a bowl of sauce. Unlike other tables, we didn’t get candles, dessert plates, or forks — just the cake back in the box we brought it in, dropped onto the table. I went to speak with the manager, who had taken our name for the waitlist and the cake earlier. He was very professional and kind during every interaction. He offered a partial refund and genuinely tried to make up for the experience. Unfortunately, while we were speaking with him, the waitress could be heard loudly criticizing us to her coworkers behind him. Props to the manager, Donte, and the other server, Natalie, for trying to salvage an otherwise terrible experience. Overall, this was a disappointing visit — especially compared to other KPOT locations where both the food and service have been consistently great. Sadly, we won’t be returning to this one. This was my only experience leaving KPOT not...

I was really looking forward to this new hot pot spot in King of Prussia, but now that it’s open, I’m honestly pretty disappointed. The food was average at best. If you go for lunch, most of the beef options aren’t available. So if you don’t eat pork or shellfish, you’re kind of out of luck.

I decided to try both the hot pot and BBQ, which came with an extra $5 charge. I didn’t realize other tables had non-stick spray for the grill. Personally, I prefer real oil anyway, so I grabbed some from the sauce bar. About halfway through, the waiter came by to apologize for not providing the spray and offered to switch out the grill pan. As he placed the new pan down, he absolutely drenched it in the chemical spray.

When I first arrived, they led me all the way to the back room (the one with windows into the mall), even though the main dining area was mostly empty. Only one other party was seated back there. I asked to sit in the main restaurant instead and was told they seat based on rotation. I offered to wait, and they moved me without any issue, so that was fine.

The waiter was friendly but didn’t come by often. The meat arrived way before the hot pot itself, and when the pot finally showed up, they placed it on the burner but didn’t turn it on, so nothing was cooking.

Service was super slow, but since they’re still ironing out the opening kinks, I’m not docking points for speed, the low rating is for other things. That said, the runners were using carts that took up the entire aisle, so if anyone tried to get to the sauce bar, they couldn’t squeeze by. The sauce bar itself was a highlight, great variety, and they even had fresh fruit. I just wish they had better labels and maybe smaller sauce bowls.

When the check arrived, the waiter mentioned there were ice cream options for dessert. I placed my order, but a few minutes later he came back to let me know they were out and offered a substitute. Then he swiped my card…and I never saw him or the ice cream again.

All in all, after months of anticipation, this place didn’t live up to the...

Solid spot for hotpot and KBBQ located right inside the KOP Mall. Super convenient even if you're coming in from Center City. The layout works well — sauce bar and hot food tucked in the back, with the dining area all together. It keeps the flow nice and simple.

This is individual pot style, which I really like, especially when you're with a mixed group (half my friends are vegetarian, so this setup makes things way easier). That said, I do wish there was a separate vegetarian pricing tier, since meat is clearly the more expensive part of the meal.

Ordering works like most hotpot places — you pick your broth base (I went with the mala spicy, and it was flavorful with a nice heat that builds without overwhelming), and then you order ingredients off the menu for the staff to bring out. Here's where things felt a little off: veggies always came out super fast, like within 3 minutes, but meat took noticeably longer — sometimes not arriving until the end of the meal. It felt less like a coincidence and more like a way to stretch portions and cut costs. We got a few meat items up front, but it would have felt more balanced if the first round of meat came out alongside the veggies.

That said, the ingredients were fresh, and there’s a good variety. The hot food section in the back is a nice touch — I really liked the fried milk. I was a little disappointed this location doesn’t offer ice cream like some other KPOTs do, but they did have fruit and a few small dessert bites that were tasty.

The place is clean and busy — definitely popular — and while they seem slightly understaffed, the staff that's there works hard and keeps things moving. They also do birthday celebrations which is fun. If you bring three friends on your birthday, you eat free. Definitely a cool perk.

All in all, it's a good time with a few quirks. Still worth it, especially for group outings. Just go in knowing the meat might...