Master Ba's Hot Pot & BBQ

Casual atmosphere; amazing quality food options that can feed an army!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve been here about 10 times this year and normally really like it. The waitress is normally nice but I’ve seen a few things that I consider red flags. The BIGGEST one that has given my husband and I the “ick” is that if they are listed as closing at midnight, the kitchen will close at around 10 and they will pretty much kick you out by 10:30. They even have their door listed as closing at midnight. Today, we saw them actually turn people away at 10, stating they have limitations but it was only us. I took an Instagram photo when we got there and referred back to it when we were rushed out and we were there for a total of 45 minutes. The male waiter literally shut our grill off (we were still using it/had meat on it) without asking and bought us the check and stood behind me as I filled out the tip. A little over $16 for a tip for 2 people which normally I don’t mind, however, tonight it didn’t feel worth the cost. $100 for 2 people, 2 soft drinks and a tip. We couldn’t finish our food as it was very obvious when the table before us left that we were being rushed and they wanted to leave.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 1

We went here last night to have hot pot - usually we go to lemon grass which is amazing always , but thought we try this as we left saw grass mall - the hot pot was terrible . The meat was stale the vegetables were not fresh , I don’t know how this is still in business - I was vomiting after I came home it was really bad event again - the hot pot was tasteless and not worth the price at all - lemon grass has always been a hit and excellent value of money !! Horrible experience at this place . Would highly not recommend.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 3

We visit this location of master Ba's Hot Pot every time we visit Fort Lauderdale and it's a great experience every time! The service and staff are excellent, even the little serving robot that brings us our orders. Love having individual hot plates and they offer many options to enjoy! We will always go back every time we visit the area!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Great experience! The staff was very friendly and attentive. The food was well seasoned and delicious. This restaurant offers much more for the same price compared to other Hot Pot Korean BBQ places.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

If I could give it a 0 I would. Terrible service, bland food, rude waitress and just weird atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The waitress was nice, but the food was just thrown at you with no direct on how to best prepare it, if you have toddlers it’s even more scary cause you have these piping hot food and bowls around them. The food was decent, but no crackers for the crab they told me ‘to open the crab with my teeth’ no spoons, only soup spoons and small wooden spoons. The high chair clip ws broken and they said ‘oh yeah we know it’s the only one we have’ after I asked and I’m thinking why wouldn’t you say that when you give it to me?! Then k had to worry about my son climbing out of the high chair seat while trying to cook. Three adults one child was almost 200$ to stress over cooking my own food. I will not go again. Get crackers for your crabs, spoons for your guests and a high chair that actually clips. I will not go again.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Hot Pot, Crab Rangoon, Sliced Beef

Visiting from CA, we ate the hot pot. $30.99 per person, some food items were not fresh. The clams were bad, smelled terrible and the beef ball also tasted spoiled. Don’t understand why it has so many good reviews. Definitely should avoid this place.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Hot Pot

Very quiet and convenient place to have lunch or dinner, meat always fresh, sauce bar have great variety of sauces - personal is very friendly. BBQ and Hot pot - both amazing. This is our to go place for the lunch ( honestly almost every week )

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nice and familiar experience

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What a miserable experience from top to bottom. Nothing but condescending shouted instructions from miserable staff. I still have no idea what the expectation is at the table since apparently all of us were supposed to use separate cards, but the same card to order. The frustrated server was short, rude, and impatient. We walked out. I will not be returning to such a miserable atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Always excellent service! Friendly staff and delicious food. I did the hot pot. Yum

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a wonderful time at Master Ba's Hot pot & BBQ. The kitchen was fast, and our meals were delicious! I recommend the pork bone broth, or the tom yum soup base for hot pot and the short rib for the bbq. At one side of the restaurant you have a sauce station where you can make your own doing sauce. We were very happy with our choices and I'm sure you will be too!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The place looked nice and clean, and the robot that brought out the trays was a cool touch. However, the food was extremely salty, the BBQ meat marinade and the soup were both overwhelmingly salty. We even tried dipping the meat in water to tone it down, but it didn’t help. Also, the portion sizes were inconsistent, some dishes had too much food, others too little. Really need to change the way they serve food, for almost 40$ a person, that was horrible!

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

Absolutely disgusting. I’ve had hotpot more times than I can count and never had leftovers — until now. The clams were rotten, the Tom Yum broth tasted like murky, unseasoned water, and the short rib and seafood were the lowest quality I’ve ever seen. Massive portions of inedible food — not because I was full, but because it was genuinely gross.

The server was very friendly and attentive, but there’s nothing he could do to make up for how poor the food and setup were.

To make it worse, the KBBQ is forced to be cooked on a cheap PTFE (nonstick) mat, which prevents any proper sear or crust from forming on the meat — completely ruining the experience. PTFE also breaks down under high heat and can release toxic fumes, including potentially dangerous chemicals like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is linked to serious health risks. Why any restaurant would choose to use this is beyond me.

I made the mistake of confusing this place with K-Pot — huge regret. I tried another location from this brand years ago in Fort Lauderdale, and while that one was bad, it wasn’t this horrific. That location closed — and this one’s probably next. Half empty on a Friday night? Tells you everything you need to know.

Avoid this place at all costs.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 5