Food: had the spicy noodles (ma la mien) and boy were they numbing (owing to the peppercorns). Although the bowl didn't look large at first, eating it became more and more difficult because it's literally noodles in chili oil with three stalks of bok choy. But it was good! Cost: average for Bay Area ($10) Environment: If I could describe this restaurant in one color, it would be mahoganey. Otherwise, it's in a nice shopping plaza and everything looked pretty clean. tl;dr Next time, DEFINITELY getting their dry pots instead! read more

This place is literally a general pot. You pick a general pot, then you can add things into that pot. They cook it all up for you and bring it out and keep it warm on a portable stove. I like that they serve Beijing Yogurt here, and that they have free wi-fi that is decent. 5 stars because I left my iPad there and they were very honest and quickly informed me that I had left it behind. I really really really appreciate the honesty of the staff here. read more

The pot and appetizer looks very good. Lunch special has big portion with good service! read more

General Pot - Chinese Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

Service: slooooooow Food: spicy, even if you pick "mild" It took close to an hour for our food to come out, and we were never updated about what was happening. The explanation we got after informing them that we had been waiting too long for our food: they were busy fulfilling a large take-out order. I don't think that's a valid excuse. Getting a large take-out order shouldn't mean that your patrons who are already present at your establishment have to suffer. Even if you like spicy food, please consider the poor service before deciding to try this restaurant. read more

the best Chinese dry pot in Bay Area. my favorite is the cat fish dry pot, there are two styles, with and without bones, I always ordered the cat fish with bones dry pot, which is more tasty read more

Who can eat this food. It extremely. They should at least give people a warning. I wasted my money. I couldn't even swallow it.

Lost, confused, and dejected on Father's Day (see preceding review), this was the only place that was quiet and without the crazy long lines at the other restaurants along this strip. Hot pot on a hot day didn't sound like fun, but there we were. Upon entry and even looking over the menu, we were still confused. The waitstaff informed us that it was a hot pot without soup - I think he cheerfully chirped, "first of its kind in the U.S.!" (Hmm, do we cook the food ourselves on the table - couldn't I just do that at home?) Basically, you pick different ingredients that they'll throw in a pot with varying degrees of spiciness. The burner at the center of the table is just to keep the food warm after they've cooked it for you. We selected some spare ribs, fish balls, tofu, lotus root, and greens with the med level of spiciness, along with two other veggie side dishes. The wok pot came out piping hot and nicely presented, with colorful greens and red chili peppers on top (although by the end of the meal, the pot became one big murky mess). Lo and behold, it tasted good, too, everything soaked up all the spicy flavors in the pot (we also found bean sprouts, mushrooms, and chunks of potatoes in the pot, which made the pot even heartier). The side dishes were a bit more bland, but were a good contrast to the bold flavors in the pot. Well, sometimes no or low expectations can lead to good things. More stars because the place was clean and service efficient. One more star because they salvaged Father's Day. read more

Authentic dry pot and very reasonably priced! The interior could use some improvements tho.

their entrees are on the salty side. portions are huge though. the first time i had it, it was salty, so the second time i went, i asked for less salty and it is still slightly more salty than i like. the green onion pancakes was a hit last time, this time, it is just okay. be careful and watch what's in your entree though. as i was eating the soup, there was something blue in it, turns out to be part of a sponge, that ruined my appetite. not coming back. read more

General Pot - westlake soup and green onion cake - Chinese Near Me - Fremont, California

The whole concept of a pot of stir-fried-whatever on your table is just odd. The Spit Chicken (don't worry, not actually spit) was terrible. It was grainy and soggy and not at all fresh. The fried noodles were boring average noodles. The main pot was.. interesting. We added the spareribs, corn, some fish balls, and other veggies to it, but the combination of those with the spices are just so strange. The entire pot just tastes like peppers and chili, and on the good way. I love spicy food but this just only had lots of peppery taste and no spice taste. It was also very very oily. No idea, just didn't like it that much. read more

Really bad service and portion size. I took 2 large portions of chicken dry pot and fish fillet dry pot togo and they hardly gave anything!! Filled with onions and green pepper and even the hardly any chicken, filled with batter. This was a complete rip off! Never going back. read more

Don't be fooled. This is NOT hot pot with soup. Once we sat down and looked at the menu, we wanted to leave but we were too polite, so we ordered something. What we got was a mess of stuff in a wok with chili oil. Will not be coming back ever. read more

I don't know why this restaurant is under rated. For those who love authentic dry pot ... this is the place you need to try. The pot is too big for two person and it's super delicious. The waiters are very friendly and attentive.We ordered sweet and sour fish, pork intestine dry pot with Hot spicy... we love both dishes. We will come back for sure to try the rest dishes from menu read more

This place is crap. That is unless you like oily, unbalanced, stingy on the meat portion, poorly serviced food. We felt totally ripped off when we order our fish pot and got nothing but bones and skin. The numbing spice was way too overpowering and the oil ruined my digestive system for 2 days. read more

I'm glad this place has lower ratings, because it ensures getting a table at dinner time on a Friday night! I'm so glad a restaurant like this opened up! I haven't had dry hot pot since I lived in China and I crave it a lot. But this restaurant is a lot more oily than the way they make in China. Nonetheless, it was awesome!!! My friend and I got the Chicken Wings General Pot. Each General Pot comes with sweet corn still on the cob (sliced up), celery, bean sprouts, lotus root, and potatoes, and we ordered mild. Since other reviews say the spiciest is truly spicy, I figured getting mild would just be spicy enough. It was perfect spicy for me, but then my friend said it was too spicy for her. I guess that conditioning living in China was helpful :)! Next time, I think I will just get the Not Spicy, because I have a feeling they just use the same spatulas or whatever, and some spice will still be left over, and make it spicy just enough. Aside from the one pot, you can add different stuff, just like hot pot ingredients. The waitress suggested since there was one two of us, just picking two extra side dishes each should make it more than enough. We went with shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, tofu skins... Maybe we only ordered three extras?... I wanted to get a cucumber appetizer that I haven't had since China either, to help offset the spiciness, but they were out of it :( General Pot + extras all get stir fried in a wok, then brought piping hot to your table and left on top of a burner, just like soupy hot pot, to warm at your table. They never did this in China, just brought it out, and it sat on the table. This Is one of the only restaurants I've been to since being back where they really use chilli flakes AND crack corns to really give it that more authentic mala () taste. Most Chinese restaurants here seem to be a little minimal on the chili flakes, and use jalapenos. We also ordered one bowl of rice and shared it. But maybe my friend should have just gottena bowl for herself because it was too spicy for her :D I got a glass of plum juice () for myslef. I swear, plum juice is the perfect match for spiciness (Chinese spicy). It had a thicker texture to it and reminded me of BBQ sauce, but I still enjoyed it. The kind I remember having in China had a lighter texture and more sweetness, more like a fruit juice. ... My mouth is watering just reminiscing the meal for this review! We couldn't finish it, so there were yummy yummy leftovers to take home! So happy! I don't know what spicy level the couple at the table next to ours got, but their faces were red when they walked out, and they didn't even drink alcohol! And on our other side, a lone woman got a whole pot for herself, ate what she could for one sitting, and brought the rest home. I would totally do that! I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to try the other stuff on their menu, seeing as that I'll always want a General Pot :) They have another full menu of other Sichuan/Hunan looking dishes, which I hope I'll get to try one day. Those who could not make it out to eat with us were quite jealous after we posted a picture of it. I can't wait to go back again! read more

General Pot - Chicken wings general pot, comes with celery, bean sprouts, and potato. Seaweed, tofu skin, shiitake mushrooms... - Chinese Near Me - Fremont, California

First off - this is a pretty authentic Chinese food place. If you're coming here to be wined and dined and be pampered (even a little), you might want to adjust your expectations, and probably head somewhere else. If you love to eat, and don't really mind as long as the flavors and taste is killer - keep reading. General Pot's specialty is a somewhat-rare dish called Chinese Dry Pot. Basically, it's like hotpot but dry. Like when you take something liquid and dry it out (see: raisins), the flavors become super-strong, and can really pack a punch. If you like Chinese spicy, this is a good indicator: the top level of spiciness they serve here translates to "Injury Spiciness". Yes. We've come here on a crowded Friday and also on quiet weekdays. Each time, the pot itself will take between 10-15 minutes, which is pretty decent. We've only added a few vegetables, but I would guess that their extensive list of add-ons is pretty handy - adding extra meats or food shouldn't add too long to the order. They'll serve your pot on top of a butane burner, and generally set it so that it'll keep cooking - pretty hot - I recommend you let it cook, but turn it off a couple minutes after it's served, unless you like literal fire in your mouth. They also provide kids' plates and utensils if you're borderline irresponsible parents like myself and bring your 1-2-3 year old to a restaurant where they'll be within 1ft of open flame. Thankfully, the tabletops are well spaced and pretty big, so that there's no REAL danger. Just that you may be judged by other store customers. But really, who cares - it's amazing hot pot, and you'll get more than enough with 1 order to fill 4 people up. Or 2 people for 2 days. Worth it! read more

Personally I am a huge fan of spicy food which is why this place got a 4 star rating from me. My friend and I went in and ordered three dishes, none of which was the General Pot, which ironically is the name of the restaurant. We ordered the Cumin Lamb, the La Zi Ji (spicy fried chicken wings) and a Fried Intestine Dish. The fried chicken was delicious as was the intestine dish. My only gripe is that the Cumin Lamb was a bit too strong. I usually love Cumin Lamb and have eaten this dish at quite a few restaurants and I think this place should try to balance out the dish a bit more. A suggestion would be to ask the waiter to ask the Chef to go lighter on this dish, otherwise it was cooked well and the flavor was good. The food took quite a bit of time to get to us and the prices were on the heftier side, understandable as they are located in the more expensive Pacific Commons Area of Fremont. They were always quick to refill the waters and the service was acceptable. I think I found a new place to eat spicy food in Fremont! read more

Spicy szechuan mixed with taiwenese food? Worth a shot. They menu had the usual 500 options with no pictures, thankfully Yelp had photos. I had no idea what to pick so I asked the waitress what were the popular dishes and she asked, "Do you like spicy?" Does Lindsay Lohan miss court dates? ABSOLUTELY! She then recommended the beef and tendon noodle soup (sounds simple) $6.99 and the spicy, sweet chili chicken ($10). Done and done. The soup was fantastic, thick yellow noodles with tender beef brisket and tendon. The best part was the broth, it was filling, full of various flavors, I couldn't make it if I had their recipe. The chicken was great as well. Fully marinated with spicy flavors and cooked to the perfect soft and crispy texture. Loved it. I'd be back for one of both dishes or to try more. Most others were eating hot pot, so that may be tasty as well. read more

I've never had "pot" dishes quite like the kind from General Pot. I ordered the spicy beef pot with lotus flower and fish balls. The food came out in a large wok, which was set on top of a burner to keep warm. The flavors were pretty good and it was reasonably spicy for mild. My main complaint was that the food is VERY oily. I'm on a low carb diet so I didn't order any rice to go with it, which i feel like would have complimented the pot better. Since I didn't have anything to soak up the oil it kind of collected at the bottom of my plate making subsequent servings kind of unpleasant. If I go again, I'll probably stick to the non pot dishes. read more

Came here after a late night movie next door, and let me simply say that this place serves the best spicy beef I ever had. Ordered medium spicy and in my opinion it was a little overwhelming, next time we will go for the mild. Their complimentary tea was nice and mellow, very good for a chilly night! We also ordered a salad for an appetizer that was also spicy but very good. The portions were good for the price for the spicy beef(19.99), we had left overs. We ordered a side of steak rice (1 dollar) and a side of shrimp fries rice (7.99). All their ingredients are fresh and cooked to order and you can keep your food warm by keeping it on table top warmer. Only complaint is that waiters know very little English , but hey that could be a great sign since you could tell that the food is authentic. This will definitely be my go to place for Chinese from now on! read more

I'm only giving one star because they gave us straws in our cups and we did not ask for them. I'm blues they are aware this is illegal now, but I must admit, the food was quite tasty. read more

What is with the glut of average Chinese food in a city as Asian as Fremont? General Pot is rescued from total oblivion by occupying a unique niche. Its main specialty is the soupless hot pot, which comes with a base set of ingredients (spices, veggies, meat), to which you add more a la carte. I recommend getting the spicy base menu and adding lotus root. You probably need to order about 3-5 additional ingredients to make the pot really substantial. They also have a decent-sized menu of other dishes. The one standout I remember was the fishy tofu dish. I'm not sure how it was made, and I know it sounds kind of gross, but I think it contained fish paste and a really eggy tofu. It was soft, drenched in savory sauce, and the fish flavor was just right. Kind of like those fishballs you find in soup sometimes, but even better. Between this tofu and the hot pot-style, General Pot gets a slight bump--3.5 stars. read more

General Pot - Spicy pot - Chinese Near Me - Fremont, California

Dry Hot Pots! Can you believe that? Excited and curious I went into this place with a couple friends. Wow I was blown away by such kind of Chinese food. The food is definitely spicy, but you can still taste the goodness of the entire pot. I would say that this place targets younger crowds as it provides satisfying portion (2-3 adults per pot is way more than enough!) with a decent price. This is definitely on my list when I'm craving for spicy Chinese food again. Again, not the traditional Sze-Chuan spicy Chinese food you've experienced, but you will be impressed. Cheers! read more

Got really curious about dry hot pots so I decided to give this place a go. And it didn't disappoint! We got the pig intestine dry pot with a half order of spare ribs just in case there wasn't enough meat. It turned out perfect! The intestine is spicy and crispy, and had an amazing aroma. It comes on a bed of beansprouts, cauliflower, and a little bit of wood ear. I ended up with quite a bit of leftovers, which is fine with me since the price can get a bit up there if you have add-ins. read more

I came here more than 10 times during the pass 2-3 years, The food here is good. A little pricy but the pot is really good. Pros: Good spicy food Unlimited rice refill Guy owner very friendly and care about his business Cons: A little pricy on the side stuff you order to put in the pot, it is really not much, by not much I mean around 5 pieces. Female owner/waitress, well......sigh, my recommendation is just enjoy the food. read more

味儿正量大好吃 老板姓王 年轻小伙儿东北银巨热情巨实诚 麻辣香锅的味道和国内一样一样的。叫上俩朋友 来个香锅 加个凉菜 再配上两瓶青岛啤酒 吹吹牛逼 圆满了 Fantastic spicy food, do yourself a favor. Go check it out. Please bring your friends cause the portion there is more than generous. Make sure you get the chilled qongdao beer to go with the spicy food. Supet fast service. Clean environment. The ower is super cute and funny :) read more

The food is AMAZING! Very authentic southern Chinese food at an affordable price. My family have been twice in the last couple of weeks and the beef pot is the best. Even the Chinese grandmothers agree :D. It is spicy so order mild if you don't like things too spicy. Contrary to the two negative reviews about the slow service, the service was quick both times we went and the staff was super nice. read more

I can't say I trust this restaurant with there lost and found policy. My husband took me here two weeks ago for my birthday. My husband didn't realize he had forgotten his wallet until we go home back in Tracy. So I called the restaurant and the hostess said let her check. She didn't come back and left on hold for 20 minutes. I hung up and called back and again was put on hold. Finally I called the third time and the girl hottest said she will go check with the manager. 15 minutes later she came back and said ma'am I talked to the manager and he said that we actually never keep anyone's wallet. We only hold cards. WTF! Why not hold a wallet if someone forgot it but only hold forgotten cards! I asked to speak to the manager and she said oh he is busy right now. Again WTF. If you go here make sure you don't forget anything. This was the only restaurant we went to that day. Thank god my husband put everything on hold when he realized he lost it. read more

Great spicy crab dry pot! This is the dish we order all the time. All friends who came here were impressed as well. For the people who have bad reviews are either not authentic Chinese spicy food eaters or don't know what to order. I agree the fish dry pot is not the greatest. Try the crab. For crab order, you'd need to call them ahead of time to order it. Service is very nice, especially compared to other Chinese restaurants. ---Cheers. read more

I randomly sauntered into this Taiwanese hot pot restaurant on a late evening when not many other restaurants in this strip mall had open kitchens and were still serving dinner. A family-run restaurant, the food was simple, homestyle cookin'. We ordered: - vegetable fried rice: I was surprised they used a stickier rice for this fried rice dish. I didn't enjoy the consistency as much. The flavor was very basic and devoid of any soy sauce flavor reminescent of traditional fried rice. It was also speckled with a few veggies. - garlic eggplant: Melt in your mouth. Super delish. - spicy string beans: A bit chunky in appearance. Okay flavor, but I've definitely had had better varities of this simple dish. P.S. This place is a hot pot restaurant, so it probably makes sense to order hot pot here in the future, which is why I had a "meh" dining experience. read more

Really spicy, and I love spice! Not a true dry hot-pot- since everything is already cooked for you and they just place it on a burner to keep it warm and remix everything. It's like eating one big entree. A little bit pricey in my opinion for technically one dish that doesn't contain seafood. Staff are pleasant and friendly. Would come back again when I'm in need of some tongue tingling spice. read more

Great food. Good date night, close to theaters and shops. Staff is very attentive to needs. Will be looking forward to coming back. Fried cabbage is fantastic read more

See all

Beef! it's what's NOT in the pot. Ordered the beef spicy pot & really there's not much beef in it. The flavor is good & the food was spicy enough. Definitely all grease on the bottom just like how it should be but really not much substance. I'll still go back to try their other dishes but geeeezzz put the beef back will ya? read more

I still love this resturant. We drive 30 mins from san jose every few weeks to eat here and it never disappoints. If you are in the mood for spicy salty dry pot this is THE place to go. read more

General Pot - The beef in the dry pot is divine. Super tender. - Chinese Near Me - Fremont, California

Been here 3 times and have tried 3 different spicy dry pots. I still think that chicken wings pot is still the best. I also love the stringed potato, peanuts, and bean sprouts in spicy hot sauce appetizer. And they have this home-made gluten balls. They are yummy!!! Just a note, if you don't want soupy pot, make sure you don't order too much vegetables. read more

I've never had anything like the food at General Pot before and it's great! What happens here (or what they seem to be known for) is that they have a dry pot of goodies (whatever you want in your pot) and they throw it all together. The concept is kind of like Taiwanese or Mongolian hot pot but a bit heavier because the food is more oily. DO NOT drink the soup because you definitely do not want to drink oil. Another difference between General Pot and hot pot is that you don't really need any sauces with the stir-fry in the pot. The mix that they cook the food in is strong enough. Oh yeah, and usually everything is cooked before it is put into the pot so don't worry about sanitary issues. As long as General Pot stays open, it will be one of my favorite Chinese comfort restaurants and I'll keep coming back (and maybe next time I'll try their regular dishes!) Who should come to General Pot? Anyone who loves spicy food. The spiciness reaches a new level (but you can choose). Some extra points for this place go toward the variety. You can choose from so many items to put in the pot. Negatives: General Pot can be a bit expensive but if you do decide to order their dry pots, you can share them with everyone at your table. Tip: My favorite things to add are the glass noodles!! read more

Came here on a Monday around 2:30-3PM. Mom and I were walking around the area to find a place to eat, but this was the only one opened since all the other restaurants around close between lunch and dinner. It was eerily empty and quiet, but we were welcomed and seated right away. Mom ordered some stir-fried noodles with vegetables and I ordered spicy beef mixed with onions and bell peppers. Both were pretty mediocre, nothing special, but a little on the greasy side. They did forget the soup for my lunch special meal, but I wasn't too bothered to ask. Probably won't come here again with all the other options around the area. Lesson learned: come before 2:30 so you aren't forced to eat at the only restaurant still opened past 2:30PM. read more

Be aware, when it states Spicy, it IS spicy. The chefs here loves their chilli peppers & they mean business when it comes down to using it in their dishes. We underestimated this place & opted for the "hot" level for our Shrimp General Pot. Oh boy, did we regretted it. We were too busy sweating bullets and crying mercy to enjoy our meal, BUT would def love to give it another try next time. The General Pot was piled with beans sprouts, mushrooms, carrots so you don't need to order that many ingredients. We got shrimps, pea sprouts along w it and it was enough food for 4 ppl. We also got the spicy pork-- and again, if you can't handle level 3 at tapioca express for popcorn chicken, you should definitely pass on this dish! but it was definitely good tho. We tried counting the peppers & I lost count after 50. read more

We came here and had the mapo tofu and some pea sprouts. The pea sprout came with a lot of oil. The tofu was tasty, but it was waaaaayyyy too spicy. I realize you can adjust the spice level, but it would nice to know beforehand. I mean, I love spicy food, and I eat a lot of Korean and when I can get it, Szechuan. But the heat level in this tofu was downright painful to the point of nearly being inedible. As soon as it hits your tongue you start having regrets and wonder if you'll be able to stand more than a few mouthfuls. Didn't try their "hot pot" concept. Looks interesting. read more

The taste is ok but the bullfrog is like a stone. Maybe you order other meat. Don't go with bullfrog!! It's the worst I ever had