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Hot Pot City

4.3 (315 reviews)
ModerateChinese, Hot Pot

Hot Pot City Photos

HOT POT CITY ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Trendy
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Hot Pot City

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Stacey C.

Hot pot city is an all you can eat hot pot restaurant located in Rockville. It truly was all you can eat including desserts! There were only a few items that costed a couple dollars extra so the total ended up being at $30-$35 per person which was nicely priced given all the food we got. We ordered off of an iPad at our table and got to select from a variety of broth, meats and seafood. Then we went to the open refrigerator to grab some veggies, noodles, and a few warm dishes like lo mein and fried rice. There was a sauce station where you could mix your own sauce. Finally, we had a number of dessert items to choose from including matcha ice cream! Overall the amount of food we got for the price was good and the overall taste of everything was good! Looking forward to coming back!

Signature Spicy Broth
Ted K.

You order your protein on an iPad at the table and get vegetables, noodles etc from their "bar". Had the signature spicy broth (after all it's their signature). Proteins were all very good quality (albeit the crabs were very small). Everything was fine. No rice cakes though. Ir was fine, personally can't give any hot pot restaurant 5 stars

Kylie D.

Food was great, but the variety was pretty average. I wish there were more veggies. Meat was high quality, and the soup was delicious. We came on a Saturday night and had to wait around 45min to be seated. Once seated, food and drinks came promptly. Staff refilled soup reliably. Vibe was a bit more rundown compared to other hot pot places in the area.

Marcus N.

Came here Xmas for hot pot with the family. We usually go to Kpot or other local hot pot places(there's so many). Its been a few years since I've been to Hot Pot City though so I decided to give it another try. Based solely on hot pot, I now prefer this place over almost all other local spots. The variety of meats, the service, and the cost seem better than a lot of the other options. My kids also liked the various included desserts too. The only downside I'd really mention is that parking may not be the best.

Atmosphere inside.
Ketsanee P.

Overall, food was fine (Standard - clean and fresh) but not many choices as I expected. I like the idea they have appetizers bar around the corner and ice cream machine.(There are more selections but need to pay) Anyway, all you can eat price (Dinner) seem a little high for me - but if you are a person can eat a lot - maybe it is value for you. (price includes food, soft drink and dessert) Atmosphere inside the restaurant is nice - but parking is quite limited and not free all the time. (Located in Rockville Town Center). Also I felt not comfortable with my table and seat. Anyway their service was excellent - fast and friendly. p.s. I used to hear they have the belt for serving food in the restaurant but when I was there, it doesn't work anymore.

What we ordered
Jenny T.

Really solid spot. Came on a Saturday afternoon around 4pm. Inside wasn't anything fancy and had a very fast food vibe. At time of writing it was AYCE lunch only but that included a full bar of pre-made foods too- most of them were dried up and sitting out for awhile by the time we got there. There's also a soft serve with matcha and vanilla ice cream. They had a decent sauce making area and selection. Loved that you can order and reorder on an iPad and it's very clear what the prices are vs what is included in the AYCE. And very shortly after we put our order in, all the foods arrived. I thought everything was pretty fresh and in decent sized portions. There weren't that many non beef options - I wish there was a bit more pork. The upon noodles they had were great. I liked that they have a process for leftovers even though it was AYCE while you still have to pay about $6 per pound, it is great that they have this option to reduce food waste for people who really liked and wanted to finish the food that they ordered. The key is to not just pay for broth but if you had leftover meat and vegetables... half the container cost me $11 and it was a whole other meal. Overall the broth was good, service was fast, food was fresh, Jasmine iced tea was amazing... it was a great post hike meal for my friend and I.

Diwen D.

Clean AYCE hotpot place, with self serve dishes and sides. Service is fast and friendly

Meats
Tarik C.

Amazing food,excellent service. The ambiance here is absolutely to die for. Have been here so many times and keep coming back!

AYCE Hotpot lunch
Diana D.

First time here for lunch and my friends and I enjoyed it! They were even nice enough to accommodate one of our friends that had a gluten allergy which was really nice. Usually for AYCE they would require everyone at the table get the same but they allowed my friend to do a la carte! For a Friday lunch the ambiance here was pretty much quiet. Not many tables were filled but it was nice for a quick lunch with family or friends! AYCE hotpot for lunch is $22.99 but the menu is a bit more limited than dinner. There was no enoki mushrooms option for lunch which I was bummed about haha. The food choices were alright to my liking but there is a variety of options for meats, seafoods, veggies, tofu, even certain drinks! My table ordered a bit of everything so we got to enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Food arrived pretty quick after we had ordered on the iPad at our table. I had chosen the tom yum broth but it was a bit too much "sichuan" taste to my liking. Maybe I'll try a different broth next time. What's cool though is that they have a sauce bar station and an appetizers station! You can create your own dipping sauces at the sauce bar. The appetizers bar has multiple different prepared sides such as garlic cucumbers, cold spicy chicken, orange chicken, etc! We went straight for the sauces and appetizers after ordering and the food arrived as we finished up at the sauce bar.

$80 takeout special combo
Boris W.

The $80 takeout combo special was pretty good. The combo came with five different dishes: crunchy fried shrimp, garlic bok choy, Sliced Beef and Ox Tongue in Chilli Sauce, flounder, and the main dish: Spicy Frog pot (with lettuce stem, chili pepper, and pickled pepper). Rating 5/5: The Spicy Frog pot was excellent. The frog pieces felt like they were first fried and then stewed in the pot along with the other ingredients. The pieces were tender, juicy, and spicy! The lettuce stem was soft and flavorful. The pickled pepper tasted superb! The serving size of this dish is plentiful! The four of us barely got through three-fourth of it! This was the star of the combo special! Rating 3.5 or 4 out of 5: The Sliced Ox Tongue dish was good. The three other people in my party thought the dish was amazing. They thought the chili seeped through the meat and the overall spicy flavor mixed with the dense meat was an unforgettable combination. I, on the other hand, did not find the dish to be as amazing as my friends would make it out to be. I just thought the spices and the meat worked well enough for it to be a good and simple dish. 2 or 2.5 out of 5: The garlic bok choy, flounder, and crunchy fried shrimp were so so. The dishes did not stand out. They tasted as you would expect. Unfortunately, the three dishes were just too simple. Every bite was uninspiring. There were plenty of rice. Also included in the combo was a sweet drink and some egg rolls. For $80, the amount of food we got can easily feed five adults! The frog dish alone can probably feed two adults! If I were to go back for another round of takeout, I'll probably only get the frog dish though. 4/5 overall.

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1 year ago

Food was really good! Very fresh and tasty. Service was good and the store has good ambience.

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Hot Pot City Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Hot Pot City

Is the price cheaper for vegetarians?

Looking at the picture of the sauce station, does every customer use and touch the same serving utensils? How does the customer mix their own sauce?

There is a spoon in each container at the station which everyone does touch (think buffet style) and you scoop sauce into your personal bowl, then mix it with your own utensils at the table.

Was their conveyer belt closed due to covid?

Yes, but you just need to order your food through the iPad.

Are the broths gluten free?

Are their broths pork based?

Not all of them maybe the milky broth

Do they accept reservations?

No but you can "join the wait list" on Yelp to hold your place in line before arriving.

What's the difference between lunch and dinner? Is there any item only available during dinner but not lunch?

No difference.. some of the appetizer are included in dinner compare to you have to pay for individual appetizers at lunch . Same hot pot stuff!!

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Hot Pot Kitchen

Hot Pot Kitchen

4.0
(37 reviews)
0.6 mi

We were here for AYCE hot pot lunch on a weekday and I was shocked at how empty the place was. The…read morequality was very good and the price was reasonable. The lunch selection is maybe a bit smaller than some other hot pot places, but as long as you're not looking for the fancy stuff you'll be fine; we had no trouble getting the variety of basics we wanted. (Dinner does look great, though!) No idea about the bbq or other things they offer. This is a "one big pot in the middle of the table" place, not an "each person gets their own small pot" place. They have divided bowls, you're not just limited to one soup base for the table.

Came here with my teen daughter Friday after Thanksgiving. The decor was nice but there were no…read morecustomers in the restaurant at 5:30PM. You have to order via a QR code on your phone, which I don't like and it was confusing. Not to mention, the waitress didn't explain the process as she should have, especially knowing it was our first time there and we had to call her over several times. We thought this was a typical Korean BBQ/hot pot place ... it's not. We frequent many of the AYCE restaurants in the area. This was nothing like the others. You don't cook the food on the grill yourself, they cook it in the back for you. Usually we get several different cuts of beef/pork/chicken. We ordered beef/chicken and pork skewers. They were tiny and we didn't love the dry seasoning they used. The fried pork was listed as an additional charge, so we didn't get it. We feel like there weren't enough meat options (for grilling in the back), seemed like a lot of seafood or exotic selections. So we were stuck eating stuff like chicken nuggets and the hot pot (which we usually enjoy just as a side option in addition to our grilled meats. They also forgot our two rice orders. I felt like the Hot Pot was too big and needed more flavor. We tried the plain chicken broth and the spicy beef chili oil (it was spicy but not flavorful). They brought out a ton of rolled meats but seemed like not enough sides. In essence, we spent $100 (including tip) on freaking Hot Pot. Disappointed and won't be coming back here.

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3 flavor hot pot
3 flavor hot pot
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Hot Pot Hero

Hot Pot Hero

4.4
(704 reviews)
6.5 mi
$$$
Vegan friendly
Casual dining

This hotpot place is AWESOME! I have came for so many times and this lovely server Amy is so so so…read moresweet. We were late at the restaurant and she was waiting patiently for us and she was asking us whether or not we need more food (love the crawfish btw) I will definitely be back!! Amy is wayyyyy too awesome! Good!

Second time here and food has been amazing. Service is quick. Food options are plentiful!…read moreChoose from any broth and there's many different proteins, vegetables and even sides to choose from. However choose your broth wisely. To change broths it'll be an extra $5. My favorite broth is the tom yum! It's very tomato forward but has a slight kick. There are many beef and pork options. The kurobota pork is very yummy! As well as the Shanghai noodles! It can get pretty hot inside as you're eating though and you can end up getting somewhat sweater. Depending on where you're sitting. You can choose to have a shared single hotpot or the option to have individual hot-pots! There is also a sauce bar with some small bites that include mini sesame red bean donuts. The sauce bar has many options to choose from and it is very clean as there are windows to cover the sauce bar. They even have their own signature sesame oil in mini cans! Super cute. Once you're done eating there's an ice cream fridge and a cute little dessert bar to make your own jelly dessert cups! It creates such a refreshing cleanse after eating hotpot.

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Hot Pot Hero
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Chuan Tian Xia

Chuan Tian Xia

4.4
(62 reviews)
2.3 mi

This is a short review based on my first (but definitely not last!) visit. Will update in the…read morefuture. Was heading home from airport after a long flight. Was feeling hangry because I had planned on stopping at Hard Times for a bowl of chili -and found out they were closed on Mondays. So, pretty much pulled a name out of a hat and would up at Chuan Tian Xia because, well, Szechuan cooking uses chiles, no? Yesssss! I ordered Signature Dumplings and a bowl of Beijing-style Beijing-style Zhajiang Noodles. The dumplings were outstanding: a mix of shrimp, pork, and chive that were plump, juicy, fragrant with the herbaceous flavor of chives. The accompanying sauce was not too sweet, not too hot, just right as a complement to the dumplings. Yowza. I was a happy camper... ...and then I dug into my noodles. Double yowza! Thick wheat noodles topped with a rich sauce made from (I think) fermented soybean paste and braised pork belly, garnished with cucumbers. The portion was way to big for me to eat after my flight, but I really, really enjoyed it (and the remaining dumplings) for lunch today. Did I say yowza? I'm an adventurous eater so the menu's less Americanized items were what I would have ordered given more time (like Maoxuewang: can you say "pig's tongue, spam, pork intestine, and beef tripe"? Protein is protein, baby!). Just means I need to come back, and I will, as quickly as I can.

Came here after a long day from a convention. My friends and I were hungry and wanted to give this…read morea try and it did not disappoint! Everything was so flavorful and was great! We had the Ma Po Tofu, chive dumplings, sesame chicken, and noodles and out of all of those, the noodles and Ma po tofu were our favorites! Service was quick and the restaurant was very spacious and accommodating.

Photos
Inside
Inside
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Fish with Hot Chili Oil 水煮活鱼(徹鱼/龙利鱼)
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Kanpai

Kanpai

4.5
(271 reviews)
2.1 mi
Locally owned & operated
Private events

First thing's first: I'm not a fan of Korean BBQ per se. I don't see the logic of going to a…read morerestaurant to pay for the privilege of cooking. However, sometimes you gotta get out. Kanpai is in a prime place along Rockville Pike, but depending on when you go you may find easy parking. (If you're not bothered about where to park, ignore what I just said.) Out front there's something that looks like a tuk-tuk or rickshaw. Tbh, don't know if it's theirs or the business next door. The restaurant itself is clean and elegant. Also, not as loud as some Korean BBQs (thinking of KPOT off of Randolph Rd), which is important if you don't like being overwhelmed by everyone else's noise. That is one big '+' in Kanpai's favor. The waiter was cool and very helpful. Because of him I now know what the thin meat slices are meant for (which is for the soup), before then I had no clue. The food itself is good. Like, why wouldn't it be? I actually prefer the shabu-shabu (soup), makes me wish I knew how to do that myself so I wouldn't have to go out as much. Yes, the grill meats were great, as was the kimchi. These places are not cheap, but it was enjoyable while I was there. If you're not in a rush you can go a few doors down afterward to an import store selling everything from K-chips to puzzle-kits. So I would say...take your time. But don't warm your seats for more than 90 minutes, as Korean BBQs tend to kick people out (nicely, nicely) if one overstays. P.S. I'm sure they have some great drinks there, but even if I wanted to I couldn't loiter. That's what Bethesda is for. (Or at least how it used to be.)

This is a place you need to come to hungry! I had a great time here with friends a few weeks ago…read more We were able to get some drinks from the happy hour menu right before it ended. Our server, Kelley, was great. She explained how everything works here. The buffet is pretty extensive and you can get full from that alone. They have an option to just do the buffet (during lunch hours). There is a good selection of meats. there's a robot here that brings stuff to the table - pretty cool. We were stuffed! It's a bit pricey but was worth it. I would visit again.

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Window seatings
Window seatings
Front desk
Front desk
Party room

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Party room
George's Hot pot & bbq

George's Hot pot & bbq

4.4
(168 reviews)
5.5 mi
$$

Versatile Chinese restaurant living up to its name. They have tables set aside for barbecue…read more(complete with ceramic table grills and over head ventilation). If not in the mood for it there is a hot pot menu (with table side burners for individual pots with broth that one cooks protein and veggies in). They also have a classic Chinese food menu one orders à la carte, where the dishes are made to order in the staff kitchen. One of the signature dishes is their Peking Duck. We didn't get the Duck, hotpot or bbq this time. Got 3 different entrees: jumbo salt shrimp, fried bean curd with vegetables and spicy chili fish filet. The fish had plenty of chili oil, dried chili, Napa cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, bean thread noodles and scallions accompanying. Was flavorful and numbing. The tofu dish was a solid vegetarian source, with fried soy braised tofu triangles, broccoli, mushrooms s, cabbage and carrots. The best dish is their shrimp. Large prawns with the shells on were fried in salt, pepper and chili powder. The shells were crispy and edible and absorbed the flavoring well. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and succulent. Great place, will need to try other dishes.

The duck was pretty good. Hot pot, although not AYCE was…read moredecent. This avoid overeating. The spicy fish was very good. The staff/owners were helpful and super nice. A casual atmosphere. Quite a bit of parking shared with Giant supermarket.

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George's Hot pot & bbq
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Spicy Chili Fish Fillet and Pork Bulgogi (3.14.25)
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Mala Canteen

Mala Canteen

4.3
(104 reviews)
0.2 mi

How did I not ever learn about this place before? I first had dry pot last fall in NYC and have…read morebeen obsessed ever since, acquiring the ingredients to make it at home which I have done thrice now. But then by chance I saw someone refer to Mala Canteen on Reddit and the rest as they say is history. We came for lunch on a weekend and had no trouble getting a table. We noticed the vast majority of the clientele is Asian which we took as a good sign. We ordered the cumin lamb burger, orleans chicken skewers, and a custom dry pot with shrimp, fish ball, bok choy, tofu skin, peanuts, and sweet potato noodles. We ordered mild spice knowing this would be very relative; it was. Their mild would be intolerably hot for most Marylanders but was slightly less hot than what I had been making at home. It was about an "Indian medium", and I suspect even "baby spice" is pretty hot. This is not a dish to order if you do not have STRONG heat tolerance. You have been warned. We also ordered a couple milk teas, mine was rose milk. It was the best rose milk tea I have had in several years. 5 stars for sure. Everything was delicious. I'm not sure why they called the Orleans chicken skewers "Orleans" but they had a good amount of seasoning, though it didn't scream Cajun nor Szechuan. It screamed delicious though. I think I could make a meal of these; perfectly textured and super flavorful, not spicy but very savory. The cumin lamb burger is a different form factor from an American burger; it is chunks of cumin lamb in a pita shaped Chinese flakey pancake. Can you say YUM? Yum!!! The dry pot was very similar in flavor profile to what I have had before, and the portion is absolutely sharable. We shared all this food and got several lunches out of the dry pot leftovers particularly. The bean curd skin is not fried, I wasn't sure whether it would be or not. The shrimp comes head and shell on, which isn't ideal, and the texture of the shrimp meat was mushier than I usually see. So I might choose something else in future. The fish balls were very good though. Maybe I'll try steak or pork next time. Scallops sadly weren't an option, I usually make it with those. All in all, highly recommended especially since it is hard to find dry pot in restaurants locally, but I loved all the other items just as much. Prices very reasonable given quality and portion sizes. Service was good. I will be back!

I have been here twice and I love it so much! Some great noodle and spicy dishes I've enjoyed,…read moreespecially the spicy pork intestine noodle soup, which they are very generous with when it comes to intestine and meat. I've also enjoyed their other dishes too. Dishes came out relatively quickly too, but the staff has warned us what takes longer to come out. I found the prices to be extremely worth it for portion sizes and quality, alongside their cash discount. So easy to walk in and order with the tablet. If this was closer to me, I'd come a lot more often, but I have already taken the hike to come here twice, so I like this place that much! The bathroom is nice too with their sink.

Photos
Variety of succulents for sale.
Variety of succulents for sale.
1 Piece Chicken Skin
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Fish tofu

Hot Pot City - chinese - Updated July 2026

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