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    Hot Spot Lowell

    3.9 (27 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    We were very excited to give this place a try. Showed up on Monday night at roughly 6:30 to find the doors chained up and the establishment closed. All despite their hours of operation stating anything but. The only sign posted was for the following evening. Disappointing to see a business unable to either adhere to their schedule, or utilize all forms of social media, etc to let potential customers be aware of any changes!

    Yummy drink
    Chanra P.

    I love their spicy broths, not oily taste as other place in downtown. It's pricy though. Friendly service, accompany with nice music and good tv network. If you're single, just order large carte meat combo, it will fill you up. They have good ideal drink for summer

    Tofu pho
    Sathasaurus T.

    The spring rolls were pretty good. I like that they put an eggroll wrap in there for the crunch..... but they only put that in one spring roll. The other one didn't have that. The tofu pho was okay. I feel like the broth was kind of oily which I did not like.... I do like that it had mushroom and plenty of bean sprouts/mints. Tofu megathung was great! They give you a lot of tofu and veggies! Most place give you so much noodles and so little tofu/veggies. (Thanks for not being stingy guys! Lol)

    a plate of fried spring rolls with dipping sauce
    Chris K.

    I've been keeping my eye on this place as I'd love for there to be a hot pot place in downtown Lowell. However it seems they have encountered issues after issues as there is currently no hot pot due to ac issues. They're also doing a very limited menu as they're still working through a soft opening. So I've been here when it was still Garcias, and it looks like they separated the bar area from the main dining area. There are several hot pot tables with regular tables in the middle as well. It was very bright inside but I didn't care for the loud dancing music that was playing in the closed bar area. The bar area was dark but they were still playing music that you could hear very clearly from the bar area. I do wish they had just the limited menu being shown instead of the full menu as when ordering, my initial items that I picked wasn't being served yet. We opted for the shrimp in a blanket for a starter, pho, and bun. The shrimp in the blanket was fine, I though the ginger was a little strong in the sauce and overpowered everything else here. The shrimp tails were fried lovely and was delightfully crunchy. The bun was good according to partner and on par with other buns in the area. I was a little disappointed by the pho. The spices weren't quite on par with other pho I've had in the area. The meat portion was fine and the noodle portion was good as well. Service was fantastic even as we were the only ones in the restaurant. They'll need to work out some kinks with the music and pho, but I hope this can be a regular spot for me to come eat and I look forward to trying their hot pot once it's ready. My rating is more like a 3.5 but I'll give this place a try again to see if their other dishes are good or once they work through their soft opening.

    a hot pot of beef and vegetables
    Rothana K.

    Been here a few times for the pho, the pho is amazing. Waited for the hotpot here and I was not disappointed. I got the spicy mala broth and it def has a good kick. I'll definitely come back here!

    Delicious Flavorful Hot Pot!!
    Ann W.

    Hot Pot is very sparse in the Lowell area and the only other place that offers hot pot in Lowell is NOT handicapped accessible so I can't go there. But our luck was with us! Hot Spot is fantastic. I got the regular chicken soup base and my daughter ordered the mala one. We both raved about our choices. Our server was super friendly and very helpful with helping us make our choices. Am open, well lit area and we were beyond thrilled. It is a definite new favorite!

    Hot pot
    Sundilynn T.

    Can definitely say this is the perfect spot if you're looking for cozy, affordable, & authentic home food. It definitely sets the tone for comfort. The service is also amazing & they clearly care about the people they are serving. Will be back again!

    a woman sitting at a table with a cup of coffee

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    2 years ago

    Sooo good! I never knew how much I liked hot pot until here. Try it! It's awesome!

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    3 years ago

    The service and food is amazing! The ladies are so friendly! The hot pot broth is flavorful and definitely hits the spot on a cold day

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    2 years ago

    Food was ok. Waitress was a mess. Couldn't remember our order. Kept forgetting to bring things.

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    2 years ago

    The food is awesome. I love the options at the Sauce bar. The food is reasonably priced.

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    3 years ago

    The food and drinks are really good. But it is way too expensive for their small portions. Was still hungry when I left.

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    Shabu Shack

    Shabu Shack

    3.3(21 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    We were looking for an ayce hotpot spot in Lowell after a conference and was recommended this place…read moreby a local. We came in between lunch and dinner hours, but chose dinner because it just has more options for $39.99. By more, I mean we can order three kinds of seafood (shrimp, mussels, and calamari) and 2 more cuts of beef. They didn't have much variety on the tablet, but they did have fishballs/quail eggs/veggies/noodles at the self serve bar. Honestly it was pretty pricey for the selection, as well as the time limit they put on us despite the restaurant being pretty empty. I feel it's common for ayce places to have a time limit on eating, but there was a time limit on ordering here too. However, the moment we tasted the broth, that was worth it. I've never had such good tom yum broth at a hotpot place! It definitely elevated the rest of the experience. They also put care into making things look nice, so that's a plus. Our server were pretty clear with time limit and all that, so it wasn't a surprise. Everyone was really nice as well! Overall, a positive experience. My meal was paid for, but if I had to personally pay for this, I don't think I would come for dinner.

    We've been to this restaurant several times, and while the food has always been just okay for the…read moreprice ($29.99 for all-you-can-eat hotpot), this most recent visit was a new low. First, the selection at the self-serve bar has become very limited compared to before. They still have a 90-minute dining limit, which is standard, but they've now added a hidden rule that we had never been told about: you can only place orders during the first 60 minutes of the meal. What makes this worse is how they apply it. More than half of our party arrived a bit later, and the first few people who arrived were told to go ahead and start by choosing the soup bases. What they did not tell us was that this action would start the 60-minute countdown, even though not everyone had arrived and no actual eating had begun. By the time everyone was there and ready to order, most of that hour had already passed--without any warning from staff. On top of that, the portions they bring out are extremely small, and the serving speed is painfully slow. We would finish what little they brought each round and end up just sitting and waiting for the next one, which made the 60-minute ordering window feel even more restrictive and unfair. When we asked about this unclear policy, we were told to wait for the manager--who took nearly 20 minutes to come over. And when she finally arrived, she spoke to us with a condescending attitude and essentially said, "What more can you expect for $29.99?" The contempt in her tone was shocking. I'm not sure how other customers feel, but we're done with this place. We won't be coming back and we DO NOT recommend it to anyone. No restaurant should treat customers with that level of disrespect.

    Photos
    Shabu Shack
    Shabu Shack
    Shabu Shack - Half mala and half tom yum broth

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    Half mala and half tom yum broth

    Tasty Dumplings

    Tasty Dumplings

    4.6(325 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    This place is such an amazing spot to have in Lowell. Parking is street parking, and you can pay at…read morethe kiosk or through the Passport app. It really depends on when you go since parking can get a little tricky. Inside, it's very cozy and has that Chinese cafe feel. It's clean, and they also have outdoor seating. My favorite are the individual window seats. I like sitting there and people-watching, though it's not exactly the busiest area for people-watching. Soup dumplings? Yes, please. The skin is slightly thicker than the ones I've had in New York, though they're still great. I never just order one thing here. They have a lot of variety with Chinese appetizers, dumplings, noodles, rice, and even mala hot pot. Do not pass up the braised pork rice bowl if you like hearty, authentic Asian dishes. I keep forgetting this place is here until the weather gets colder or I'm craving dumplings. Overall Service: Always so nice. There was one time I was on-call while dining here and got paged, and they helped box everything up for me to take home. I really appreciated that. Definitely a place I'm glad to have in the area.

    This place has the best dumplings in the area, their mala stir fry is amazing. A group of friends…read moreand I are almost regulars here. But today's experience was sub par to what we are used to. I didn't leave the establishment because I was with others who wanted to enjoy the food. The first issue was we couldn't seat where we wanted, it had to be where the waitress or manager decided we were to seat. Not one client in the restaurant. Then she brought the bill before we requested no one was waiting to be seated, then refused to split the bill when previous times with a different server was not a problem. We split the bill to only 2 because thats all she could do, me paying for 4 people she denies my tip amount and says if I don't tip a 18% , theywill charge me $80 extra for a party of 6, again we were only 4 people. I am very disappointed with my service and treatment, unfortunately I don't know the server name but she is one that speaks more English. Will I go back and be bullied into tipping what they want? Probably no.

    Photos
    Tasty Dumplings - Inside

    Inside

    Tasty Dumplings
    Tasty Dumplings - Main door

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    Main door

    Simply Khmer - Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Simply Khmer

    3.7(373 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    Simply Great! This was our first stop on our trip to Lowell MA. I went to this spot a few years…read moreback on my own, but I wanted to bring my family here as well. Our standouts were definitely the Angkor Wings and the Cha Kreuong. The Angkor Wings had the perfect amount of crispiness and also the perfect blend of sweet and saltiness from the sugar and fish sauce. I liked that the Cha Kreung Sach Muon was made using ground chicken. The flavor mixed well and it was easier to eat than having to chew through larger pieces of chicken. My parents thought the taste was more towards the American pallete, which seemed accurate as my friends who never had cambodian food before liked everything we had. Service was kind and quick. And the ambiance was also clean. My parents noticed the classic cambodian songs playing and was reminiscing of their younger years. Definitely a spot I would come back again.

    We had a great server. She was so nice and even though she forgot our coconut shake (we weren't…read morecharged for it) she brought us one on the house. She was very sweet and attentive. There was no AC when we went. Not sure if this is all the time or not, but be prepared. They don't serve alcohol so you can BYOB. Mee katong kok noodles: Similar to a pad Thai with the wide flat noodles and pork. Quite tasty and not very spicy to me, but it never is. Lort Cha: My friends favorite dish here. She always gets it and enjoys it. With chicken or pork. Yuom: Reminds you of a Vietnamese cold vermicelli dish. This one has some different flavors and was very refreshing on a hot day. Mango fried rice: Very creative fried rice served with mango pieces and it is served inside of the mango rind. They do a similar thing with the pineapple fried rice as well. Our friend enjoyed this but prefers the pineapple.

    Photos
    Simply Khmer - Store inside

    Store inside

    Simply Khmer - Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Pleah Sach Ko (Khmer Beef Salad)

    Simply Khmer - Cha-Kroung Trey (fish fillet)

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    Cha-Kroung Trey (fish fillet)

    Sichuan Palace - Ma Po Tofu

    Sichuan Palace

    3.7(153 reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $$

    Plaza Parking Great…read moreplace for a sit down Chinese food place with good portions and prices. They have a large seating area with tables for smaller and large groups. They have a big parking lot although it took a weird turn for me to figure out how to get to the street. And my car did get in the lot so just a warning for that even though the lot was basically empty somehow my car was struck ‍The service was great, they were attentive and were pretty quick to get all food. For appetizer we got the crab rangoon and beef rolls which are both with a good sized portion although the crab rangoon was more heavy on the cream flavor. We got the large size of the hot n sour soup and the portion was a lot larger than expected for the price of $6. The noodles were a little let down, lacking some flavor this was both for the cold noodles and beef soup. The mapo tofu and the sichuan chicken were definitely my favorite, the mapo tofu had the perfect numbing flavor that I love.

    Several more visits since last time have yielded mostly excellent results. High quality Sichuan you…read morerarely see in the 'burbs. -- Sweet Crispy Duck: A do-it-yourself duck bao arrangement with soft wheat buns, sticks of cucumber and scallion, and mostly-shredded crispy duck in a sweet and savory sauce. Think understatedly sweet pulled pork on a bun, only with duck and Chinese flavors. Looks small, but pricing is in the appetizer range, so I treat it as such. Good. -- Shredded Beef with Cayenne Pepper: Not your typical brown sauce glop, even though it might look that way. Lots of spices mixed in, and possibly tiny bits of garlic, along with a fermented, slightly salty quality. Longhorn pepper added mid-level spice. -- Spicy Lamb Dry Hot Pot: Plenty of spiciness and plenty of numbing action from the chili peppers, though no whole peppercorns I could feel. The lamb was both crisp and tender, with spices clinging. Texturally, the vegetables (broccoli, string beans, lotus root) and thin potato slices were all perfectly in the sweet spot between too firm and too wilting. Intense lamb flavor and sauce flavor. Elite. -- Fish Filet in Chili Oil Sauce: Tried this on a lunch combo after enjoying it several times as an entree and it's almost as big as the entree. Very soft, tender, unbreaded fish chunks in an oily, spicy sauce. Near-elite to elite. -- Fish Filet with Green Sichuan Pepper: A huge bowl with delicate white fish and a mostly clear broth that suggested lack of flavor, but looks can deceive; this was very spicy in a pickly, peppery, mouth-numbing way. The broth was too thin to make it suitable for rice, so best with bowl and spoon. -- Shredded Pork with Wood Ear in Hot & Sour Sauce: A new dish introduced in October 2025, this had very tender wormy-shaped pork shreds in a treatment that lived up to the name. Spicy for sure, and very tart as well, with pickled green chili peppers doing double duty. The black mushrooms were relegated mostly to textural enhancement. Clean flavors and no real sauce per se; a nice, unique dish. -- Ma Po Tofu: Pretty solid but pretty standard rendition, with a Boyardee color and consistency, but a spicy, peppery flavor. Soft tofu. Average or a tick above. -- Green Beans with Yacai: Perfectly cooked vegetables with plenty of crunch, just enough wilt, and every one of them well lubricated but not heavily sauced. I'm talking zero glop. Accented with yacai, another vegetable additive that lends some mysterious (actually fermented pickled mustard greens), addicting flavor along with salt. Not saucy, not spicy, but not the least bit lacking. Excellent. -- Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken: Tried on a whim to see how different it would be from standard. It's spicy chicken, with a bit of Sichuan peppercorn tingle, but not that spicy. Same peanuts, no celery. Slightly but not overbearingly sweet. Tender but not crisp. Nice little diversion, but prefer my Spicy Shredded Chicken (much spicier, no sweet) when in a chicken mood. -- Hot & Sour Yam Noodles: Thick, slippery glass noodles in a thick, dark brown condiment with a strong soybean flavor. A little too intense for me, like trying to down a Guinness. Whole soybeans on top. Service is solid, even with just a couple servers at most times.

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    Sichuan Palace
    Sichuan Palace - Spicy Fried Wings

    Spicy Fried Wings

    Sichuan Palace - Pickled Pepper Beef

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    Pickled Pepper Beef

    Hot Spot Lowell - bars - Updated August 2026

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