Inside Kanpai BBQ & Hotpot in Rockville, MD: the most flavorful marinades on the grill

What sets Kanpai BBQ & Hotpot at 1701 Rockville Pike in Rockville, MD apart from other table-grill restaurants is the flavor it puts on the meat before it reaches your grill. The restaurant marinates its meats, seafood and vegetables with Southeast Asian spices and sauces, and the menu names show where the flavors come from.

Lemongrass and garlic

Lemongrass appears twice on the grill menu, on the lemongrass chicken and the lemongrass pork chop. Garlic leads the garlic chicken and the sweet garlic pork belly.

Satay, curry and cumin

Satay is the flavor of both the satay beef, cut from chuck, and the satay chicken. Thai curry chicken brings a curry marinade to the grill, and cumin lamb adds a spice note of its own. These are, to us, the most distinctive items on the list.

The broths

The shabu shabu side has its own craft: five soup bases. Laksa and Tom Yum carry Southeast Asian flavors, Spicy Green Mala brings the heat, and Original and Shabu Shabu stay clean so the fresh ingredients lead.

The result

The combination works for guests: Kanpai holds 4.7 stars from 751 Google reviews as of October 2026.