THAT'S HOT. Eau Claire will soon be able to enjoy hot pot right in town from not one, but two locations.

Beginning this summer, locals who dine out are likely to stumble upon a new type of restaurant: hot pot. Hot pot is an Asian-style dining experience that’s kind of like soup, the set-up including a fondue-like pot at the center of a table, allowing for a cook-it-yourself meal. If my description is any indication, it’s something you should just experience for yourself.

Hot pot is one of the (many) food varieties that has not been offered in the Chippewa Valley before. (The closest hot pot eatery is in the Twin Cities.) That is until recently, when signs began appearing on two long-shuttered properties, indicating hot pot was incoming: the former Old Country Buffet located on East Clairemont Avenue, which closed around 2020, and the former TGI Friday’s at Oakwood Mall, which closed in 2019.

Chako will open at Oakwood Mall by December.

Chako Korean BBQ & Hot Pot is poised to open at the former TGI Friday’s between November and December, if the remodeling and permit processes go as planned. Chako will be open seven days a week – Sunday-Thursday from 11am-10pm and Friday-Saturday from 11am-10:30pm – and will also serve beer, wine, and sake at its bar. It is not a chain, but will be one of two locations, the other being in California.

According to one of the owners, “Chako is a hands-on, all-you-can-eat dining experience that merges traditional Asian Hot Pot with Korean BBQ flavors. BBQ includes pork, beef, seafood, chicken (and) fresh vegetables.”

Meanwhile, the towering sign recently put up at the former Old Country Buffet, an 8,000-square-foot building, declares it an all-you-can-eat restaurant for hot pot, barbecue, and sushi. According to the owner’s interpreter, the owner is shooting to open at the end of June or early July, if electrical work is completed on time. Hot pot will be the main feature, though there will also be varieties of sushi, beef, chicken, shrimp, and side options.

The second hot pot eatery will open at the former Old Country Buffet, pictured at left.

Keep up with the Oakwood Mall’s Facebook page for updates on Chako, located at 4800 Golf Road, Eau Claire • Hot Pot & Barbecue Sushi is located at 2613 E. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire