Hotpot Champ is a popular hot pot restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown with a signature meat wheel. They have $39.99 ayce hotpot all day (60+ dishes to choose from), as well as $18.99 malatang + 1 free drinks on lunchtime weekdays. There are 7 soup bases: sichuan spicy, tomato, wild mushroom, coconut water with chicken, tomyum, pumpkin and clear broth. Their soup are amazing. There are also various meat and veggie toppings to choose from, and they are all fresh and delicious. You also make your own dipping sauce and I remember their sesame dipping also very fragrant and flavorful! Plus, panda decorations!!!! Very cute panda themed restaurant Overall great value!!! Highly recommend! read more

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Came in no wait time. Server sat us down asked us our broth gave us an ipad to order. No music playing no other customers and pretty much no service other than coming out every now and then to drop off the food. Sauce and sides are self serve and unless you like vinegar or soy sauce, that sauce is going to be thick or dry. Theres no ponzu or other liquid sauce. The hot pot stove kept turning off due to a bad cord and instead of moving us to a different table or fixing the problem they had us sit a little bit back away from the table and told us to not accidentally hit the cord thats directly under us. The older lady server also has a small attitude when serving. read more

Decent AYCE hot pot with a lot of sauce & ingredients variety. It's a self serve sauce station, some ingredients in the fridge, and ordering system on an ipad. Paid about $44pp and left super full! I liked the bean curd roll but they ran out quickly. The meat quality was ok -- could be better but not too bad. They were able to accommodate a huge group which was helpful. Service was quite slow though and they took a long time to refill our order and come around with the check. read more

Hotpot Champ - hot pot - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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It was a cold day and I was craving something soupy so I thought I'd check this spot out. I opted for the premium AYCE which at the time of me doing this review is $39.99 a person. I ordered the beef and lamb combo which presents your meat on this cool looking Ferris wheel contraption. They also have an extensive sauce station and you can grab your veggies and noodles of choice in their refrigerator which is pretty cool. The service here was good and I like how there are a lot of parking garages nearby making this place more accessible. Not normally a hot pot person, but this is a place I'd definitely return to. I definitely recommend checking this spot out if you haven't already. Try it out if you like. :) read more

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Went on for lunch one day and ayce dinner the next. The lunch was so delicious and filling!! I was surprised that the combination of meats and veggies went so well together. I usually eat ayce hot pot. The ayce was really yummy and I like that the beef and lamb wheel didnt cost an additional price! The sichuan spicy broth is my favorite. So delicious! read more

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Solid hotpot spot in Chinatown that offers AYCE. I came here after a show on a Sunday close to them closing so there wasn't a wait at all! There are 2 tiers to the AYCE and we just stuck with the cheaper option since we weren't that hungry. They have a variety of meat and veggie options so you don't really need to order the more expensive tier and you'll be satisfied. As for the veggies, you can grab them yourself in a nearby fridge. Overall, although nothing stood out I thought the atmosphere and quick service was great and I would come back here if I was in the area! read more

There was 3 tables open and women told me there was none. As I was blindfolded I would agree but surely I am stupid to not notice. Will not be coming here again since she really didn't care or check the table in the back. read more

We stopped in at lunch time and were immediately sat. This is very industrial looking and some big tables for parties of six along with four tops. Service was quick but not very attentive. This is a combination order at the table but go and obtain the ingredients from the buffet like bar. The ingredients were plentiful and tasty. AYCE for sure and we were all pleased with the selections. We went for the basic and were happy to not added on extra drinks and things. We focused on the meats and vegetables. Next time we will skip the rice noodles though. I would suggest this place as the hot pot was great! My favorite broth was the Tom yum one though. It had so much flavor. read more

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Walking by a number of times, I passed on trying it as the lunch menu choices were limited. Recently, I noticed signs taped to the windows offering wallet friendly lunch (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=03zug2FTxq78jMe4zw4_wg). On a recent Wednesday late morning, I walked in and there was no one at the immediate greeting area. Looking to my left, there was a lady prepping some things. I caught her attention and she offered me one of two tables just to the right of the greeting area. I chose the one further back and she quickly handed me the one sheet menu (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=smFuho-kHiM92Aqn8fjmUg). I asked for her recommendation on two different menu items and she guided me to the non-spicy one which I tried. I started with the grape smoothie (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=5jWyvk76yO-oa5-sKA_EeQ), which was more of a non-carbonated grape soda with a creamy top layer. It was okay as nothing about it particularly shined. For my meal, I had the tomato beef pot (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=nWywvg5R0UUtlRbSH7DLYg) with noodles; ingredients listed were beef, beef meatballs, quail eggs, luncheon meat, enoki mushroom, konjac knot, white radish, wood ear mushroom, Napa cabbage, tofu pocket, soybean roll, and fish tofu; my pot arrived warm and there was a little steam (smoke) that came from the soup but it never came to a boil. Thinking this was intentional for safety reasons, I didn't think much of this. The ingredient variety that I mentioned made this interesting as I constantly covered my noodle bowl with alternating ingredients from the soup pot. I was impressed to see a good amount of goji berries, a red date, and dried longan, all herbs that have medicinal value. I liked the mix with the variety of mushrooms and various form of tofu or soy products being my favorites. Unfortunately, the beef cooked relatively quickly in my warm broth so it was on the well-done side. There aren't very many greens so you might supplement your meal with side of veggies. Here is a photo of the burner after finished my meal (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=Wfq-H_6I8slt7ypHbPMb4Q) after removing my empty pot. The portions are such that I had around six to seven bowls of food and made for a filling meal. As I was finishing, a young couple took the adjacent table right by the entrance. As I was paying my bill, their food came and I noticed that their pots were both bubbling and hot. This made me question my meal and gave me pause; being that I finished and paid for my meal, I made a point to calmly tell the lady about my experience and how my pot never reached a boil. She didn't comment or apologize, probably shocked to silence by my words. I asked her to tell the kitchen about this and left. Hopefully, she and the business will take this to heart. read more

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Came here at 10:30PM for the late night special of all you can eat! The interior of the place is very casual and I believe it has 3 floors, I was sitting on the first. The waiters were very kind and helpful when choosing the broth and other items. My partner and I chose tomato soup and Tom yum and both flavors were good! Not too overwhelming. The vegetables and noodles are in a fridge on the side but they do not restock too often so we had to ask for the items we wanted. The meat was good quality and not frozen like some other places. Would come back sometime in the future! read more

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Love the variety you get for $38.99/person AYCE (pre-tax)!! They have a huge assortment of meats, seafood, veggies, and other hot pot staples. For $38.99/person, you can order 1 ferris wheel and 1 beef plate (comes in the gold bull) for the table - would highly recommend starting with that and some other toppings, and then adding more after that. Super easy to place orders with the iPad they provide :) We did individual pots, but they also have shared pot options. I opted for the spicy soup in medium, but I think I could've increased the spice level! The rest of my table preferred my spicy broth to their chicken broth as well. They also have a phenomenal sauce bar included in the price, with some nice side dishes as well while you wait for your soup base to arrive. Will definitely be back here and will make a reservation first! They fill up quickly. read more

Hotpot Champ - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

How do the employees get a job here? They were SO damn rude. They gave us the menu for 2 seconds and then took it away again... how are we supposed to order all you can eat when we have to menu in front of us? So odd. Our waiter seemed like he was ready to quit - so sad and unhelpful. Not coming back, awful experience. They also offered all you can drink but all they had on the menu was Modelo. Great. Modelo. Would rather get a car to the Sunset than come back here ev read more

Came here with a group of 9 and we got seated at two different tables. Each table had one giant pot to split. Good: - You can choose 2 soups that you want - I loved the tomato soup base since it was nice and savory but not too salty - I liked how much variety there was in the AYCE options - the Ferris wheel of course is the most famous thing here - The appetizers were pretty great - there were glass noodles and tons of sauces - The mango coconut dessert was delicious! - Nice and private back area for groups Bad: - Overall more expensive, about $45pp after taxes Overall a really fun group activity! read more

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Hot pot champ didn't really act like a champ. The service was quite slow, despite it being not very busy on a Tuesday evening. There were not any check ins to add water or soup to the broth or clear any dishes. The ordering is easy at least, you can get veggies and sauce yourself. The meat quality is okay, not bad but not great. Although we ordered the premium ayce set, so many items particularly the desserts were not available. I wanted to try something different, but a la carte is way better or other AYCE places. read more

I wanted to preface this by saying we dined here during Thanksgiving which likely was one of the busiest times for them. The food quality was fine, frozen meat but fine. Options were appropriate given the price. They were clearly short-staffed on the holiday and most of us had to find ourselves a table on their 3rd floor while waiting for the staff to arrive. I think at one point a party just left after waiting for a while. Due to the staffing issues, everything took a while...probably one of the longest I had to wait for any hot pot or asian cuisine joints. You could tell people were starting to get frustrated an hour in with the broth just boiling with no new ingredients. That said, we still appreciated very much the friendliest of the staff and they were clearly trying their best ( maybe they were new recruits even) and the simple fact they worked on a major holiday. We gave them a 20 % gratuity and they were shocked and murmured they were sorry about how swamped they were today. We didn't get the ferris wheel combo also because of how overwhelmed the business was so that was a bummer considering we decided to come here for that purpose. Also one thing to note - you order your add ons using an ipad but there is a set waiting period before you could send more orders in. read more

The food was great! The broth was perfect, not over flavored with salt. I enjoyed the quality of the meat. Very satisfied with this hot pot! Although they took awhile with our drink, They were quick with meats, so service was good. It's clean and I would come again. read more

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It's okay. Hot pot is generally not my thing, but I did appreciate how this and other hot places have modernized the whole experience. The hot pot is situated level with the table so you don't have to lean over a steaming pot the whole time. I don't like having to pay extra for the "sauce buffet" but I think Hai Di Lao also charges for sauce. The shrimp/rice crackers were super stale. I didn't like the meatballs. The tiger prawns are a lot of work to peel if you don't eat the shell. The spicy beef for the hot pot had way too much dried chilis on it. The popcorn chicken is very basic. We got the Sichuan and Thai soup bases between the two of us, which helped give the food some extra taste and variety. There was a party of 6-8 guys who were having a great time and they all shared one big pot. They also ordered the ferris wheel thing which looked cool. Then there was another table near us, some white guy and his gf. The guy had a blatant racist tattoo which made me uncomfortable. I don't get how he can think it's okay to be racist yet enjoy another culture's food and hospitality like what? read more

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It was my first time coming to this place as I have my spot for hot pot on the other side of the town. This review will be in a comparative fashion. The environment is cute, and the presentation of food is also very modern and thoughtful. The broth is also fresh and tastes very authentic (in particular the tomato broth). The food options are not as extensive as the other place, and the sauces are also a bit limited. There are also small finger foods available here. The people here are very nice as well. read more

Hotpot Champ - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

Oo, I really enjoyed this place. I stopped by one day and saw their late night / midnight deal. Seemed like a great time to try on a Friday night, so we stopped by. Got their tomato and tom yum soup bases. They have a pretty extensive selection of veggies and noodles in the fridge that you can grab on your own. Then on the touch screen, you can order meats, small snacks, and other things. The staff was also incredibly accommodating as a vegetarian, but one thing to note is that when they refill your soup, make sure you let them know to give you the vegetarian version. I'd love to come again. read more

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Been there a few times for lunch! Great food with variety! Spacious dining space! Friendly servers and quick service! read more

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Best (maybe only?) traditional Chinese hotpot in Chinatown/FiDi. It's AYCE and the lamb is amazing. They also have a fantastic sauce bar. I come here all the time for lunch and never need a reservation. They provide bibs upon request! Well ventilated. read more

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Low quality meat - extremely fatty. Even all you can eat isn't worth the price at this quality. I like that the veggies and other sides are self serve. read more

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We are a group of four and came on a Saturday evening, waiting around 30 minutes to be seated. Soup Base Selection: We opted for the Sichuan Spicy Broth and the Wild Mushroom Soup Base. As a spicy food lover, I appreciated the spicy level--it packed just the right punch for my taste buds. Our friends, however, were sweating buckets throughout the entire meal! If you're up for a fiery adventure, this is the way to go. Meat Quality: Hotpot Champ continued to impress with its high-quality meats. Unlike some other places where meat disintegrates during cooking, these cuts held their integrity. Tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Service: It took a while for our subsequent orders to arrive. Waiting approximately 25-30 minutes for each round tested our hunger levels. Additionally, the dipping sauce station needed to be refilled--we waited for Shacha sauce throughout the meal, but it was never refilled. read more

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I went during lunch for all you can eat hotpot and it was filling. The panda bear plushies were interesting. read more

Hotpot Champ - Broth and sauces - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had walked by Hotpot Champ a few times and was intrigued by the AYCE hot pot for $40 per person from the posters. We came on a saturday evening pretty late at night, and started with the split soup base. The menu itself has a decent selection that has most of the hot pot staples. I was a little disappointed that the enoki mushroom required the additional upgrade. The service was pretty good and meat came out at a decent speed, but more importantly the meat was quite high quality. Unlike some other hot pot places I've been to, the meat didn't fall apart while being cooked which means higher quality meat. The final price came out to closer to $50 per person which isn't cheap but I think it was worth it read more

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It's actually WHEELY good here, and I'm not saying this cuz of the ship nor the ferris wheel of meats. Service and food quality on point. .:: FOOD ::. AYCE (ferris wheel can be ordered once and ship as well) $38.99 A la carte option available, but more worth for AYCE since a la carte price will quickly exceed the AYCE price - Broth - We chose Chicken Broth Soup: which was a very good balance and perf for cooking the meat in without overpowering everything Tum Yum Soup: i enjoy the flavor, but it def was overwhelming, and I couldnt taste anything but the tum yum, like you cant tell if you're eating meat or veggies cuz its just so pungent on taste - Meats highlights - Beef and Lamb Combo Ferris Wheel: what we are all here for. A ferris wheel of meats. I dont like the lamb tbh. Its extremely gamey. Love the beef though. Beef Ship: would prefer to order this since its all beef - MISC - We ordered a bunch of other stuff which were good Hand Cut noodles, fishball with roe, tofu skin , fish tofu, spinach, cabbage -Dessert- Panda Bing Fen $5.98: not included in the AYCE, paid separately. Very refreshing. Consists of sago, coconut milk, jelly, red bean, matcha pocky .:: Service / Ambiance / Parking ::. Service was awesome. Waiters were ALL so attentive and nice. Food came quick after we ordered. Self serve sauce station. Could use some more variety, their shacha sauce was completely liquid.... The place was very clean cut. Entrance had a bunch of pandas and bamboo. Parking in DTSF seemed shady and scarce so I didnt drive and ubered with my friend instead. read more

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Service was okay. After they seat you you mostly order via tablet. Limited noodle options on the tablet but they have a fridge on the side with more veggies and noddles not listed in the menu. The broths were also mild almost tasteless but the sauace bar along the side helped. read more

Hotpot Champ - Brisket & veggies - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Amazing food and service here. I love the atmosphere with traditional hotpot. I'd recommend getting the premium option.

Delicious and good pricing for all you can eat! Recommend those who like hot pot. I really enjoyed the beef and lamb meat special

Went here with 20 people, for individual AYCE servings, they did a great job of accommodating such a large group, service was extremely efficient as well. Always love hotpot places where the sauce bar is self serve. There were a lot of options on the menu -- the meat fell a bit short in comparison to some other hot pot places in the bay area (3 kingdoms), but for the price value its quite solid. The famous wheel of meat was aesthetic, but such bad value for the price, the amount of ingredients on the wheel isn't worth for the picture. read more

we came here on a Sunday afternoon & were seated right away. we ordered the premium & the meat portions are huge so be cautious of ordering too much. there was only one waitress/hostess for the entire restaurant so service was extremely slow, but she was very friendly. one of the bathrooms was also out of order. it is only street parking, but we parking in the Chinatown garage which is just a few blocks from here. read more

Hotpot Champ - menu 5/25/25 - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

We visited Hotpot Champ on a rainy Saturday night. The front area of the restaurant has a brighter feel (and lots of cute pandas!) while the back of the restaurant is sleeker and darker. There are lots of tables but if you have a big group, it may be a good idea to arrive early. When we arrived just after 5pm, the restaurant was completely empty but by the time I left at 7pm, it was packed! We decided to go for the AYCE. At $40 per person, it's a great deal even though some menu items are not included. They allow you to do half and half soup base for AYCE so we picked Sichuan Spicy Broth and Tom Yum Soup (highly recommend!). We of course had to order the famous ferris wheel. It comes with various meat, fish balls, tripe, and crab. It looks impressive in the photos but it's really not a lot of food, more for fun. Its important to note that the ferris wheel and the beef combo that comes in a boat are limited to one order per table. This didn't bother us because we were a party of 2 and you could order items on both combos separately unlimited times but just something to know before you go if you're a bigger party! Service was attentive when we were the only ones in the restaurant but as it filled up, it got really slow. We had to ask them to add soup to our hot pots and then waited over 10 minutes for someone to come. Nonetheless, I would recommend checking out Hotpot Champ! read more

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Hot pot champ is pretty new in Chinatown on the corner of Kearny and Washington St. Upon arriving we were greeted right away and taken to our table on the right side into another room. You can choose to do 1 big pot to share or individual pots. We opted for individual pots. Once you decide on the soup base, the server sets you up on the iPad and you can feel free to order every 15 mins. It's $39.99 AYCE or plus an additional $9.99 you get premium meats and unlimited drinks. We went with the first choice as we aren't big eaters or drinkers. We ordered some smoothies to start (pineapple & lychee). From there, we ordered angus beef and snowflake beef. Love the semi fattiness of the snowflake beef versus the angus which was more tough and dry. I ordered a plate of shrimp as well. Everything else including the veggies, tofu, noodles, etc you would grab in a fridge yourself. There is a sauce station with recipes that you can follow or create your own sauce. The chicken broth soup base was piping hot. Good food, friendly service, with clean and modern facilities. read more

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Incredible experience definitely worth the try. The wheel of meat is so fun. They had a variety of veggie and fish options too for vegetarians or pescatarians!! Cute location, cool view, whats not to love?? Check it out read more

Hotpot Champ - Mushroom Soup Pot (Vegetarian) (T) 菌汤锅(素食) (T) and Beef Spicy Pot (T) 肥牛麻辣锅 (T) - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Fabulous hotpot in the heart of China town. The restaurant is very clean, contemporary, and almost luxury feeling with its furnishing and well thought of interior design. Recommend to do the 40$ all you can eat. Plenty of options. I did the half and half for the soup base. I always like spicy and light. There is also self service appetizers and sauces. If you are going on date you can opt for the shared pot. The staff was friendly. The soup does take a bit to come so make sure to get some bits from the self service station. read more

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While the food at this establishment is actually quite good, the service was easily the worst I've experienced in town. Several items we ordered never made it to the table, and basic essentials like chopsticks and napkins were never provided despite multiple requests; I eventually had to get them myself. The management seems highly inefficient--I noticed several staff members hovering to clean a single table, yet no one was actually attending to active customers. In such a competitive hot pot market, I'm surprised they can maintain business with this level of service. read more

I'm so glad we found this hot pot spot right in the heart of Chinatown! It's right next to Portsmouth Square, making it easy to find and at a spot with lots to do and see afterwards as well. The restaurant was quiet on a Saturday for lunch, but that was great as we had pretty attentive service and were not rushed despite the time limit. The high ceilings and built in vent around the hot pot burner ensured a dining experience free of hot pot fumes. I was definitely most impressed by the quality and quantity of the ingredients they give! Many AYCE hot pot places give you less and less portions when you ask for more ingredients, but Hot Pot Champ did not skimp and the quality of the meats, seafood, and veggies were all really good and presented beautifully. The sauce bar was extensive as well, and it even included some sides like sliced oranges, spring rolls, edamame, and some steamed water chestnut jelly! Overall, I thought the price was well worth the quality of the food. It's the best hot pot place I've found thus far! read more

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It seems like this is a relatively new hotpot place that opened in Chinatown, as according to one of their servers it's only been around for 6-7 months. For my group, the service here was good and since we had made a reservation we were able to be seated immediately. I liked the decor here (with the 50 pandas they have all around), and the restaurant has a good amount of space inside. For the food, we were given the option for having AYCE for around $40 per person or so, which I think is more worth it than paying a la carte. They have a sauce bar with appetizers available, and they have a good amount of options for meat/vegetables including some more unique ones (like Ox Throat Slices, Boneless duck feet, and Beef tongue). Although I saw some other reviews mentioning meat quality, I didn't notice any issues with it and they were all pretty good for us. We had the pork belly, quail eggs, tripe, beef/lamb combo, as well as the brisket served in the Ferris Wheel. While it is gimmicky, I can't lie and say that it wasn't part of the reason that I wanted to check out this place (and it is still pretty cool ngl) Overall, I really enjoyed this place and I hope that it does well in the coming years/months! I think if they keep up the same quality and service, this restaurant has a good chance of being a staple within SF Chinatown in the future. read more

Hotpot Champ - The Boat - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Randomly decided on this spot for dinner while we were in Chinatown and we were happy to have a good experience. No reservation on a Saturday, but we were seated right away. The restaurant itself is clean and cutely decorated with pandas in the front room. Pretty spacious restaurant, our table had a lot of room for the 2 of us. The sauce bar had good options and there were even appetizer items like roasted peanuts, pickles, and chicken feet. We got the regular AYCE with medium spicy sichuan broth and the chicken broth. My boyfriend loved the sichuan broth and the medium spice level was perfect for him. The chicken broth was solid, the flavor definitely improved as I cooked more ingredients in the broth. You are able to order 10 items per round, which we felt was a good amount. Our favorite items included the tofu rolls, quail eggs, napa cabbage, shrimp paste, sole filets, and mushrooms. My boyfriend appreciated his selection of food from seafood to veggies since he doesn't eat meat. I tried their beef brisket and lamb, both of which were good quality with a nice ratio of fat to meat. The service was great throughout the meal and we were so stuffed by the end of it. I'll definitely be back here to enjoy this spot before it gets more popular! read more

I too am not a hotpot expert and will without hesitation defer to those who are for Many Details and comparisons to other local hotpot spots. I can testify that last evening's food was very tasty and the meat was fresh and in abundance and the wheel of good fortune was novel. Like sushi boat novel except for the food all being there when the wheel arrived and no surprises floating down a river of mystery from points unknown. As it was just hours ago I know we had a tom yum broth and a tomato base broth and both were pleasant; we didn't sample all the sauces so I cannot offer useful commentary on that aspect. What I can offer useful commentary on is an aspect upon which I believe I can speak knowledgably - the staff and the vibe they were able to resonate. Maybe partly bc we sat just inside the front door and not in the other main floor room or the tower rooms above and by being there elbows up we got a different frequency of interaction but perhaps not as well. Because the interaction was so genuine and happy I expect it would have been the same elsewhere. Staff rocks. They made my night. Good food. Happy people place. These are the simple fundamental things in life. If you're in the neighborhood you should for sure give them a try. read more

Hotpot Champ - Wheel of good fortune! - Hot Pot Near Me - San Francisco, California

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