I recently visited iCook Buffet in Elmhurst and had a pleasant experience. The restaurant had a wide variety of dishes available, including Chinese, Japanese, and American options. The food was fresh and flavorful, and there were plenty of vegetarian and vegan options available. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was clean and well-maintained. Overall, I would recommend iCook Buffet as a good option for a casual and affordable dining experience in the area
Mors
Tried but there are far more better hotpot than here. You might need to look somewhere else.
Jack X.
Was going to write a review however as of 2023, the Elmhurst location is CLOSED. Please note that it is closed.
Henry S.
I ordered lunch box. I got fish soup... the picture made me thought it was miso soup... the chicken is not fresh. It's frozen and after being cooked it'll taste hard and chuky. I would avoid.
Joolie T.
i guess i've become numb to all the Hot Pot/Korean BBQ places that iCook Buffet did not impress me. mediocre quality, everything was served on paper plates (not eco-friendly and wasteful), the servers never check on you, refill your water or refill broth unless you request for it. their protein options were okay at the least, but the minced SHRIMP is a must. it's like ordering the filling of a har gow dumpling without the wrapper. this is def not worth the price to come here when there's far better options in Manhattan and Brooklyn. never catch me in this hood unless my friend coax me to come to Elmhurst.
Ivan T.
I have lunch hotspot with fatty beef and it comes with side vegetables and non-spicy broth (tastes like a bit of miso ). The server non pay attention to customers who orders lunch special but I don't expect much from this restaurant.
Guillermo K.
Friendly, efficient service; great prices; no need to venture all the way into Chinatown or Flushing for hot pot. All that amounts to four stars!
Ran Z.
The hot pot is no good at all, I don't like it. Lol The food is not fresh. I think they can do better than this. I don't care if it's all u can eat as long as it's taste good.
Gerardine R.
Came here on a rainy day and were seated right away. Price is very reasonable for an all you can eat. We chose to do hotpot only. There were so many ingredients to choose from. We also chose to get razor clams which isn't part of the regular menu. This was bought fresh right from the market. It was the first time trying this and it was delicious. We spent about 2 hours there and we were stuffed!! They also still use paper plates which I wasn't expecting. But I guess it's easy clean up for them. Waiters were very attentive as well. Def will come back.
Kelly Y.
Came here with my husband on a weekday afternoon so we didn't have to wait at all. AYCE hot pot with broth of your choice - there's pork bone and spicy but spicy is basically a whole bunch of red peppers. Good service - we weren't rushed and handed the check immediately after sitting down like some places. A server comes around to input your order into an electronic device and brings out enough portion that isn't too big that you feel overwhelmed. If it's not enough, you can always order more! Great selection of meats, veggies and fish balls. No complaints there.. it's your standard selection. Probably not my top choice for hot pot places.. haven't tried their bbq option but I would probably go to a krn bbq for that.
AYCE hotpot is $27.99! Large selection of meat, seafood, balls, unique meats, vegetables and noodles! We came in on a Sunday around 12Pm. No one was here. I got a spicy broth, my hubby got the herbal broth. Lots of delicious meats and vegetables. Everything was super clean and fresh! No complaints at all. Very attentive and friendly. The sauce bar has a pretty limited selection, but they have everything we usually get. I hope to come back soon!
Ichwan P.
It's one of the more convenient kbbq place around where I live. The food quality is okay (the last time I came here, they were a bit too salty), it's enough to fulfill my craving for KBBQ for reasonable price.
Jhamilex M.
Waiter first lied saying that they didn't do hot pot and kbbq together since it required different tables until we settled for just hot pot and sat down only to open the menu and on the very first page see hot pot & kbbq for like 40 bucks I think. Which isn't a bad deal however not everyone wanted kbbq and apparently everyone in the party was required to take the deal. Why would he say they don't have tables for both when the menu clearly says other wise and when we asked nicely about it he decided to give us attitude and try to rush us in ordering when we hadn't even gotten past that first page. Not to mention we had to tell them multiple times to remove the dirty plastic plates off before putting the new order on top. Plastic and paper plates with plastic cups, very limited sauce options and shitty customer service for $100 is not worth it imo. I definitely should've gone to 99 flavors in flushing for mediocre food, bad parking availability but way better customer service, way better sauce and menu options and appropriate dishes and cutlery.
Axel C.
This was one of the worst restaurants I've been too. I had the kbbq all you can eat option. Arrived there at 8:30 and waitress said the kitchen closes at 9 and the restaurant closes at 10. We agreed and sat down. We ordered a variety of the menu and asked for rice. The rice was cold. The waitress then started grilling meat immediately as the grill turned on. She didn't attend the meat for a while so I started grilling which I was fine with. The grill was burning as the meat finished cooking. The waitress turned off the heat then immediately started putting all the cooked meat on to the raw Chicken wing plate. She switched out the grill and did not even put the meat soaked in raw chicken juice back on the grill. The waitress also didn't tell us to not eat this or grill at all. She then asked for our last orders at 8:45-8:50. She was then rushing to cook everything and have an attitude. The customer service was not there at all. Do not recommend at all!!!
Steve T.
An ACYE spot located in the Elmhurst area. They offer ACYE hotpot or BBQ for $30. For an additional $10, you can get both ACYE hotpot and BBQ. There used to be a sushi option, but that option is no longer available. Each seat had an individual hotpot station, which was a plus. However, the pots were a bit small which made it difficult to cook many ingredients at once. There is a good selection of meats, seafood, and veggies. The sauce station was a bit dinky, but it had all the ingredients you needed to put together a fabulous dipping sauce for yourself. iCook Buffet is an no frills place to get your hotpot fix. Don't expect the bells and whistles that you might find at some other higher end options. Also, at the time of visit, they were using paper plates as a method of serving. This was a bit off-putting as you would except actual plates when dining out.
I recently visited iCook Buffet in Elmhurst and had a pleasant experience. The restaurant had a wide variety of dishes available, including Chinese, Japanese, and American options. The food was fresh and flavorful, and there were plenty of vegetarian and vegan options available. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was clean and well-maintained. Overall, I would recommend iCook Buffet as a good option for a casual and affordable dining experience in the area
Tried but there are far more better hotpot than here. You might need to look somewhere else.
Was going to write a review however as of 2023, the Elmhurst location is CLOSED. Please note that it is closed.
I ordered lunch box. I got fish soup... the picture made me thought it was miso soup... the chicken is not fresh. It's frozen and after being cooked it'll taste hard and chuky. I would avoid.
i guess i've become numb to all the Hot Pot/Korean BBQ places that iCook Buffet did not impress me. mediocre quality, everything was served on paper plates (not eco-friendly and wasteful), the servers never check on you, refill your water or refill broth unless you request for it. their protein options were okay at the least, but the minced SHRIMP is a must. it's like ordering the filling of a har gow dumpling without the wrapper. this is def not worth the price to come here when there's far better options in Manhattan and Brooklyn. never catch me in this hood unless my friend coax me to come to Elmhurst.
I have lunch hotspot with fatty beef and it comes with side vegetables and non-spicy broth (tastes like a bit of miso ). The server non pay attention to customers who orders lunch special but I don't expect much from this restaurant.
Friendly, efficient service; great prices; no need to venture all the way into Chinatown or Flushing for hot pot. All that amounts to four stars!
The hot pot is no good at all, I don't like it. Lol The food is not fresh. I think they can do better than this. I don't care if it's all u can eat as long as it's taste good.
Came here on a rainy day and were seated right away. Price is very reasonable for an all you can eat. We chose to do hotpot only. There were so many ingredients to choose from. We also chose to get razor clams which isn't part of the regular menu. This was bought fresh right from the market. It was the first time trying this and it was delicious. We spent about 2 hours there and we were stuffed!! They also still use paper plates which I wasn't expecting. But I guess it's easy clean up for them. Waiters were very attentive as well. Def will come back.
Came here with my husband on a weekday afternoon so we didn't have to wait at all. AYCE hot pot with broth of your choice - there's pork bone and spicy but spicy is basically a whole bunch of red peppers. Good service - we weren't rushed and handed the check immediately after sitting down like some places. A server comes around to input your order into an electronic device and brings out enough portion that isn't too big that you feel overwhelmed. If it's not enough, you can always order more! Great selection of meats, veggies and fish balls. No complaints there.. it's your standard selection. Probably not my top choice for hot pot places.. haven't tried their bbq option but I would probably go to a krn bbq for that.
Restaurantji Recommends
AYCE hotpot is $27.99! Large selection of meat, seafood, balls, unique meats, vegetables and noodles! We came in on a Sunday around 12Pm. No one was here. I got a spicy broth, my hubby got the herbal broth. Lots of delicious meats and vegetables. Everything was super clean and fresh! No complaints at all. Very attentive and friendly. The sauce bar has a pretty limited selection, but they have everything we usually get. I hope to come back soon!
It's one of the more convenient kbbq place around where I live. The food quality is okay (the last time I came here, they were a bit too salty), it's enough to fulfill my craving for KBBQ for reasonable price.
Waiter first lied saying that they didn't do hot pot and kbbq together since it required different tables until we settled for just hot pot and sat down only to open the menu and on the very first page see hot pot & kbbq for like 40 bucks I think. Which isn't a bad deal however not everyone wanted kbbq and apparently everyone in the party was required to take the deal. Why would he say they don't have tables for both when the menu clearly says other wise and when we asked nicely about it he decided to give us attitude and try to rush us in ordering when we hadn't even gotten past that first page. Not to mention we had to tell them multiple times to remove the dirty plastic plates off before putting the new order on top. Plastic and paper plates with plastic cups, very limited sauce options and shitty customer service for $100 is not worth it imo. I definitely should've gone to 99 flavors in flushing for mediocre food, bad parking availability but way better customer service, way better sauce and menu options and appropriate dishes and cutlery.
This was one of the worst restaurants I've been too. I had the kbbq all you can eat option. Arrived there at 8:30 and waitress said the kitchen closes at 9 and the restaurant closes at 10. We agreed and sat down. We ordered a variety of the menu and asked for rice. The rice was cold. The waitress then started grilling meat immediately as the grill turned on. She didn't attend the meat for a while so I started grilling which I was fine with. The grill was burning as the meat finished cooking. The waitress turned off the heat then immediately started putting all the cooked meat on to the raw Chicken wing plate. She switched out the grill and did not even put the meat soaked in raw chicken juice back on the grill. The waitress also didn't tell us to not eat this or grill at all. She then asked for our last orders at 8:45-8:50. She was then rushing to cook everything and have an attitude. The customer service was not there at all. Do not recommend at all!!!
An ACYE spot located in the Elmhurst area. They offer ACYE hotpot or BBQ for $30. For an additional $10, you can get both ACYE hotpot and BBQ. There used to be a sushi option, but that option is no longer available. Each seat had an individual hotpot station, which was a plus. However, the pots were a bit small which made it difficult to cook many ingredients at once. There is a good selection of meats, seafood, and veggies. The sauce station was a bit dinky, but it had all the ingredients you needed to put together a fabulous dipping sauce for yourself. iCook Buffet is an no frills place to get your hotpot fix. Don't expect the bells and whistles that you might find at some other higher end options. Also, at the time of visit, they were using paper plates as a method of serving. This was a bit off-putting as you would except actual plates when dining out.