Your Guide to the New KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot -

Last month KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, a chain with dozens of locations around the country, opened its first spot in Columbus. It’s tucked into the Bethel Center mall (just down from one of our favorites, New India Restaurant).

For those who aren’t familiar with hot pot and Korean barbecue, it might be an overwhelming experience at first. Guests cook their own food at the table, either in a sunken grill or in boiling pots of soup on individual burners. You order plates of raw meats and veggies that are brought to the table, and then you grill or boil them to your preference.

At KPOT you can do the grill or the hot pot, or both. But the whole table has to choose the same formats.

Your server will then take an initial order of dishes to cook, and they slowly come to your table. They’ll help with getting the grill hot and getting your bowls of broth boiling. There are helpful cards suggesting proper cooking times for different ingredients, too.

The menu does differentiate between which dishes are best for hot pot and which are best for the barbecue.

And the menu is huge! You’ll find red meat, poultry, seafood, even delicacies like quail eggs, plus loads of veggies, both familiar and new. For the hot pots there are different noodles, too.

You pay a flat fee for the experience (drinks, gratuity, etc. are extra). There’s also a small cold bar with sauces, salads, and desserts. You aren’t allowed to take leftovers home, and there is a food waste fee if you over-order and leave ingredients uneaten.

Monday-Friday, lunch is priced at $18.99 per person and dinner at $28.99 (kids are usually $7-11 cheaper, depending on their age). If you want to do both hot pot and barbecue, you add $5. On Saturday and Sunday dinner is served all day at $28.99 per adult.