Came here on a weekend at noon. It was busy but managed to find seating for 5 before the afternoon…read morerush. We were greeted despite being mostly self-serve. They had a wide selection of ingredients to choose from. I love my seafood and meat balls but there were some unique ones that I don't often see sold at supermarkets. My favourite of the ones I've picked had a salted egg yolk filling. I went with the collagen bone broth which was flavorful but not heavy which is perfect for me. Servers brought out ice cream when our group had finished eating. The flavor that day was chocolate. It was a nice light dessert to finish off our meal. Overall would return again!

It's okay. Other locations are better. Soup wasn't that hot, some different kinds of fish balls,…read moreless of other options. Service is eh, mostly run by young persons the weekend we went. Paid parking.

Quality/Quantity - Select your own meats, seafood, veggies, etc…read more Decent selection, fresh. Select your broth and spice level. They weigh your food and charge you accordingly. See pictures of our dinner and ice cream. Happy hour - See picture. Ambiance - Good size location. One of the hottest trends in the USA currently. Fairly busy but we got here during the dinner rush. Convenient, as we just walked from the house (the house with the amazing view, but you know that because you are following)! Open 7 days a week. Service - Good. They have a team member watching the self service food station. Plenty of cashiers to weigh and check your selected foods. Table service. And complimentary ice cream at the end of our meal. Price - Approximately 65 CAD; $47 USD, half the price we paid in Palo Alto, CA, USA!!! Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success and with your 25+ locations. And your two+ locations in the USA.

Overshot my pot this time, as I haven't gone to a pay by weight for awhile. - but that's okay had…read moreenough food for a second meal later that day lol. Location is larger then most, and is usually very well staffed, so it's quick moving. Location is bright and clean - bathrooms were spotless for the most part, aside from tissue here and there occasionally. I really like the Matcha milk tea at this location, however if you are sensitive to sweets, you will want this one half sweet. Ingredients stocked well here, and everything seemed pretty fresh. For sure one of the better locations! Will visit again.

Big Way has something for everyone. Inside, the space is a little small. The area between grabbing…read moreyour items to the tables is pretty tight so it can affect your meal if you want your space. Although there's usually a line, the turnover is relatively quick. After checking in, staff gives you a breakdown of what's next. You grab whatever you want and it's all by weight - they have various meats, veggies, and seafood options you can add. What I like is that there's a bigger selection than other malatang spots. After selecting what items you want, you then select the broth that you want your items cooked in - they can be in broth or done dry. I really liked the dry spicy tomato dry pot. It wasn't super spicy and full of flavor especially because it was a dry pot. At the end of the meal, there's also free ice cream cones!

Best lunch deal in town! Build-a-hot pot concept is really like a Chinese style bowl of ramen…read morecustomized to your taste and desire. With a generous portion of beef slices, bouncy fish balls, seafood and veggies, my bowl weighed in at $18. Free mango beverage and ice cream too. Service was excellent - they even gave my sister a piece of cake for her birthday!

Food was good. Good value if you know which lighter weight items to pick…read moreAmbiance is typical big way. But the new west location is currently the largest in the lower mainland for Big Way Service was decent. Although the line up can be quite chaotic. The girl who took my bowl was nice. Forgot her name!

If you don't know how Big way hotpot works, right after you go in you get your own toppings like…read moreseafood, meats, veggies, and noodles and put it in a bowl. Then you bring it to the cashier and pick your broth and add-ons like cheese or rice. The price is based on weight. Then you grab a number stand and bring it to a table and wait while the kitchen cooks your food and broth. Optionally, you can type your phone number on the tablet at the counter to collect loyalty points and redeem it for stuff. On this visit, I came with a friend for lunch on a weekday afternoon. There was no wait so I was able to get inside and get started picking up my toppings right away. Every time I visit Big way, there is a staff member who will come to the front entrance way and hand you tongs and a bowl. Interestingly, there was no one that greeted me so I just got the bowl and tongs myself. But there was a small hiccup at the cashier. When I tried to pay for the meal with a gift card their scanner had trouble picking it up. Props to the cashier for trying different ways to try to fix the problem instead of giving up and make me pay some other way. They were able to fix the problem eventually after many tries. I asked the cashier about the different broth options and the cashier lady was happy to explain the differences. I went lightweight for an inexpensive meal so I got the beef strips, glass noodles, a couple of random seafood balls, some bak choy, and lettuce. I got their ma la tang with peanut sauce and it was pretty tasty. You can pick your own spice level. I got it medium spicy which gave it a nice kick but it may be pretty spicy for some people. It was happy hour so I got green tea (or lemonade drink) free with the meal. Pretty refreshing. I couldn't finish the broth because I filled up with the green tea, and it was spicy with no toppings left since I decided to go light on the toppings. The staff were great at taking away our bowls and utensils as soon as they saw our bowls were finished and immediately offered ice cream. It was a nice refreshing dessert to finish up the meal. I got a free mini sized milk tea flavored ice cream. It came in a black waffle cone. As for the vibes of the dining area, they played Kpop music but it wasn't that noticeable since there were a lot of loud people, mostly teenagers. I can definitely say that this location is the most spacious (and nicer) one I've been to yet. There were lots of tables that were spread out so you don't have to awkwardly angle your body sideways to get out of the table. (On the flip side, the seating at their Robson location is really cramped) There's a spacious patio outside overlooking New Westminster that I would have opted to try but it was raining that day. The washrooms were clean. Most locations have private washrooms but the ones at this location are public. Overall, despite the little hiccup at the cashier, gotta give 5 yelp stars based on this visit. This is a great location!

Chinese DIY Hot pot battling it out in an area dominated by Korean restaurants…read more Small plaza parking available - watch out though as some of the spots are limited to 30 minutes / pretty transit friendly as location is a short walk from Lougheed. Place was very clean and color scheme was a lot like "Fish with You" (fish pot restaurant at crystal mall ). Service was very quick - got a table on a weekend afternoon instantly. They do have a minimal order weight of 1LB/19.99 / so this might be the reason why some stated this place is expensive, and it could be if you're a small eater seeking the $10-15 pots. In terms of selection - I don't think they have that large of a selection compared to say Big Way - I felt like there was less of everything. The Fried Egg here was a disaster and don't recommend / it was very dry. Broth selection was mid , tried the #1 spicy broth , apparently most popular among customers - the medium level spicy was alright - you can taste the gentle numbing of the peppercorns, however it still lacked intensity , maybe I should got max heat. They were having a happy hour - so the drink was on the house, no option of type of drink. It tasted pretty good. Did not get the ice cream at the end, believe they had basic Vanilla.

First time at YGF Malatang, a Chinese chain with over 6000 stores worldwide. Upon first glance,…read morethis outlet is very clean, with all their items kept very cold and their sauce bar was pristine. I liked their selection of items as they had more interesting options like cooked razor clams and buckwheat noodles. The staff were friendly and helpful in answering any questions we had about the spice levels or beverage options. I found their broths to be on the creamier side, and my husband got his malatang mild as per the staff's suggestion, but found it too mild for his liking. Just a note that there is a minimum of 1 lb at $19.99, which can be a deterrent for smaller appetites. I did end up packing my leftovers to go so I could have room for their complimentary ice cream, which was more of a froyo texture. I'd come back if I'm in the area, but it's not a must for me, maybe 3.5 stars?

Great place for diy hot pot. No long lines and great service . Food is replenished frequently and…read moresauce bar area is kept clean. Broths were flavorful and hot. Enjoy the ice cream at the end of the meal. $3.50 drink special was the queen of mango which has mango chunks jelly sago and a whole bunch of surprises.

Drama Hotpot is a fun malatang experience. One of the awkward first impressions was seeing that…read moresome of the bowls to load ingredients in weren't super clean. At the time of visit, there were some items out of stock, including beef... so we had to settle for lamb and pork. However, after we got our food, the beef was eventually refilled. This was the same case for the light desserts. The selection of protein, carbs, and veggies were plentiful - hard to complain, really. The cost is by weight, and one of my favorite parts was the suggestions on which sauces might taste good. (They include many ingredients.) After paying, we also got a free drink (honey green tea?) which was on the sweeter end, but... free is free! Speaking of free, the freebies include sauces, light veggie appetizers, and desserts.

I had been to this restaurant but it was a long time ago. However, i noticed the qualitis have…read morechanged. I visited the restaurant the 2nd time last night. We ordered 2 set hotpot dinner. One was the fatty beef with pork bone brother and the other one was the Chicken thigh with pork bone broth. The bone broth was average. Regarding the meat, fatty beef looks average. however, the chicken thigh still had ice when the meat was brought out resulting with a lot of water on the plate soaking the meat. The meat was very soggy and fell apart. Overall, i think the quality and price are quite average. the service was acceptable as well But i have to say their milk tea is good though

upon entering, the first thing we noticed was the strong smell of gas. it lingered in the air,…read moresharp and a little unsettling. the restaurant also felt unusually cold, with little ventilation, which made the first few minutes uncomfortable. once the boiling cauldrons started, though, the room slowly warmed up and the chill faded, though a few in our group mentioned mild headaches early on. the space itself was bright and lively, filled with neon light and movement. reflections bounced off the tables and walls, giving the room an almost electric energy. servers moved constantly, weaving between tables, and the place filled up quickly with conversation and steam. menus were large, simple to read, and easy to follow. dinner included a drink, milk tea, yakult tea, or green tea and a dessert choice, either a fudgesicle or a revello style ice cream bar. the sauce station wasn't as extensive, but did have fresh minced garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, cilantro, green onions, sesame paste, rows of fresh ingredients and condiments let diners mix their own combinations. the sauces were flavourful, versatile, and worked beautifully for dipping or for stirring into the soup. each broth came with a generous set of ingredients: chicken ball, fish tofu, fish ball, corn, enoki mushroom, fried bean curd skin, lotus root slice, tomato, napa cabbage, quail egg, and a prawn. the bowls provided were small, so we learned to transfer ingredients from the large serving bowl into the pot, and later use that larger bowl for the soup itself. parking was free but limited, tucked under cover next to cm chicken in the newmark building. overall, despite the initial gas smell and cold temperature, i enjoyed the meal and the interactive experience. once the pots started bubbling and the table filled with colour and steam, it became warm, lively, and satisfying, the kind of place where flavour makes up for the flaws.

The entire experience was amazing starting with our server Luna and her team. The food was…read morefantastic because there are so many sauces options to create your own delicious meal to ones personal tastes. We got to see a magical dancer change faces in a mysterious and delightful way amusing all from toddlers to seniors like me. Of course, birthdays are always celebrated in a special way. Now I can't wait to go to Haidilao near my home in L.A.

Food 6/10 Service 5/10…read moreAmbiance 8/10 Ok so we finally checked out this restaurant after walking past it multiple times in the last 4 years. There was a $19.99 AYCE lunch special so we thought this is the best way to try it. The service was only ok.... The waitress we had seemed distracted and did not honour any of the special hacks we tried.... Also they seemed disappointed we were only interested in the AYCE basic which didn't include the sauce bar. We were disappointed as well that no sauces came at all with this special.... I am like hold up....sauces is the best part of hot pot. Anyways we asked just for soy sauce and they said there was a charge for that as well... at this point I am ready to get up and leave... seriously???? No sauce bar and charge for soy sauce???? WTF? The food is fresh, delicious and generous portions but everything else was disappointing and lacking here. I knew there was a reason we held back trying this place. Maybe their regular menu is different but I don't recommend their AYCE $19.99 special.... Doesn't come with any sauces and the charge of soy sauce says alot to me about their service mentality.... Never stepping into another Haidilao again.