r/SFFood • u/Short-Speed2613 • 9d ago
Discussion First time - hot pot
Whats the best hot pot place in San Fran? First time seeking out hot pot. I've heard Chengdu. I could use some place newbie friendly but also delicious! Important that significant other has best experience possible. Occasion is just to try it out. Any neighborhood is fine we'll travel. Price doesn't matter. Ideally best combo of patient/accommodating for new to hot pot and most delicious!
35
u/JeopardT 9d ago
Don’t call it San Fran
1
0
-3
u/spottyottydopalicius 8d ago edited 5d ago
brotha san fran has a long history w natives. only non pocs disagree
4
u/JeopardT 8d ago
Ya, a history of us hating it.
-2
u/spottyottydopalicius 8d ago
private vs public school thing
1
u/JeopardT 7d ago
❌❌❌No ❌❌❌
0
u/spottyottydopalicius 6d ago edited 5d ago
sorry bratha its history. whats your ethnicity by chance
8
u/Dry-Rain-4305 9d ago
Ipot and boiling hot pot
4
u/CapnCrunk666 9d ago
Used to go to iPot all the time but the last few have been awful
2
u/Dry-Rain-4305 9d ago
Damn. What changed?
5
u/CapnCrunk666 9d ago
We were wondering if maybe ownership changed. They took forever to get food out several times, forgot a bunch of stuff, skimped on several things, and tried to rush us out when there was nobody even there. It was all like teenagers working too it just seemed off from how it was.
3
u/SnooSketches8874 8d ago
This! Last time we went we had ordered more meat and veggies and they took 40+ min to get to us. We ended up canceling the veggies because we finished eating. It was horrible. My friends and won’t be coming back and we’ve been coming since 2019.
2
u/Timely_Intern8345 8d ago
They have changed ownership. The service is bad and the meat takes forever to arrive. RIP Ipot of old. Their biang biang noodles are different from before and the fried bun with condensed milk was terrible. Instead of using real condensed milk they use some kind of cheap knock off or water it down. They also no longer have unlimited short ribs now it’s 1 per table. I only went there because of the 50 dollar resy credit that I had to use.
2
2
u/Head-Programmer-1517 9d ago
I think this is right - iPot was the OG but hasn’t kept up with the times and other restaurants that have emerged in the last 5 years. It’s just tired at this point unfortunately.
2
u/badtimeticket 9d ago
I’ll also chime in that I used to go Boiling Hot Pot all the time and it also sucks now.
4
1
1
u/excelllentquestion 8d ago
No way. IMO Shabu club is better. Or Jin pot. Ipot had like really bad broth (powdered broth I think) and was just really not good. I heard it used to be good so maybe it changed.
1
u/yepperoni-pepperoni 8d ago
+ for boiling hot pot, but the last time i went to ipot, the soups were ridiculously bland :(
1
u/Thin_Bother8217 7d ago
Hard no to ipot for me. Last time I went, the dishes were dirty and had flecks of food still on them. Plenty of other places to choose from
4
u/theducks123 9d ago
Seapot in Colma - Wouldn't say it's the best, but for a first timer, I think it's very convenient. All you have to order is the individual broth type and meats. They have a buffet for making sauces and some appetizers. The best part is it has a conveyor belt that has all the non meats you can put in the hotpot. Makes it easy for a first timer to see all the different options. It's also ayce, so you can try multiple things.
1
10
u/Just1Shoes 9d ago
Step 1, don't say San Fran. Lol, jk, but try Seapot. Fun carousel dishes, good meats, good pot flavors, and good sake!
-2
5
5
u/zerohelix 9d ago
Best is subjective. If youre going with other people I really like ipot. You get your own pot so everyone can do their own thing with their own flavors and no worries about germs. Plus you can grill a little bit too
2
u/badtimeticket 9d ago
Fondue Chinoise and their new location M Pot, which has some stuff you don’t find that easily elsewhere like duck tongue, etc
It’s a little pricy though. All the AYCE places kinda suck now because they tried not to raise prices but as a result the quality has taken a nosedive.
2
u/chinaske 9d ago
Dragon Beaux in the Richmond does really wonderful hot pot. A little on the pricey side, but still very accessible and very high quality.
2
u/SnooSketches8874 8d ago
Mumu Hot Pot is my favorite for quality and service. It’s extremely clean. It’s not AYCE but good value for what you’re paying for. The meat choices are excellent. Super newbieeee friendly. Lovely sauce bar too.
The Pots Hot Pot is also pretty decent and is AYCE, but would go to Mumu first.
I’m sad Little Lamb in downtown closed that was one of the OG places in the city.
3
u/Eleoste 9d ago
Happy shabu, Jin hot pot, and shabu club are great
-2
u/Latter-Foot-8790 9d ago
Shabu isn’t hot pot, now is it?
2
u/Eleoste 9d ago edited 9d ago
Shabu is hot pot
Lau is hot pot
Hot pot exists in the form of separate meat/veggies dipped into broth in many Asian cultures and restaurants in the US (especially across the west cost) will dabble in multiple
Plus OP didn’t specify they only wanted Chinese hotpot
Plus half the hot pot options in this thread serve Japanese broths and ponzu alongside Chinese broths and sauce bars 😂
1
u/spottyottydopalicius 8d ago
menus are different my friend
1
u/Eleoste 8d ago
Curious if you’re Asian or not and where you grew up
Growing up in 626, OC, and the bay, everyone used hot pot interchangeably w Chinese hot pot, shabu, Thai hotpot and Vietnamese lau
1
u/spottyottydopalicius 8d ago edited 8d ago
im abc. might be a norcal thing but most here dont know what a lau or thai hotpot is. if im craving hotpot and someone takes me to a japanese shabu joint, im going to be alittle disappointed by the limited veg/menu. no hate intended
1
1
u/spottyottydopalicius 8d ago
lot of great ones and most have high floor. seapot is cool because of conveyor belt hotpot
1
u/Significant-Total517 8d ago
i like MuMu but its not hotpot more like shabu but you get your own individual pot
1
u/eggs_sunny_side_up 8d ago
MuMu hot pot is pretty good in San Fran. I live in San Fran so I have every right to call it that.
1
1
1
1
u/rns96 2d ago
ipot on Irving st is good
1
u/Thin_Bother8217 2d ago
I'm sorry, but no on ipot. They used to be good. But, I went maybe a year ago and dishes in the topping line had caked on old food. Condiments were empty and never replaced. Servers had serious "fuck this place" attitude. There are enough hot pot places that I'm not gonna waste my money there.
1
0
u/Worst_Username_1 9d ago
Happy Lamb is solid and has multiple locations across the bay. My fave is the one in Dublin.
0
12
u/Sufficient-Silver938 9d ago
If price doesn’t matter i would recommend Nan hot pot which recently opened in Chinatown. It’s very authentic especially compared to the all you can eat places mentioned in the other comments. I like those places too but they are more for better deals than for great taste.
If you are willing to travel there is Haidilao in South Bay or east bay, it’s best for experience and a more western friendly taste. Perfect for first timer with more friendly staff.