Chun La Hao Chong Qing Hot Pot

The worst hot pot I ever had. The sesame oil is incredibly bad. I can't believe this business is still alive.

If you like hot pot, then you DEFINITELY have to check this place out. This place is like Hai Ding Lao, but more aesthetic, affordable, more sauce options, and sides included. The broth I got was the bone soup/half&half (left), spicy (right) which tasted almost the same as Hai Ding Lao with few minor differences. Meat was pretty good, and their noodles were just as tasty too. They have a bunch of snacks you can get, as well as different sauces. They have really unique sauces here, better than Hai Ding Lao. It was also a nice gesture that they offered complimentary sides. I do wish that the snacks, sauces, and sides were not out in the open for people to get but instead delivered at your table (for health and safety issues). But overall, this place was great. I definitely will be coming back and trying out other things on the menu.

A very unique hot pot experience! The restaurant is meticulously designed with so much intricate details from the bamboo painted booths to the old school lanterns and fruits strung over head. You order on a paper menu and check off what you want, from the soup base, to the meat, tofu, and veg. What's super cool is that they have an amazing sauce bar with everything you could dream of as well as a snack area with peanuts, shrimp chips, yummy vinegar marinaded vegetables and much more... for free. I love the chilled bean sprouts with the spicy Shabu meats. Definitely recommend ordering the bell roll, it's like a fried tofu skin that you quickly dip in the soup for 3 seconds! For vegetables I like spinach or the tang go chrysanthemum leaves, both are fresh and tender. Meats we stick mostly to the classic like beef brisket, beef belly, and pork belly. The only con is the ventilation is pretty much non existent, so be prepared to do laundry after dinner! Overall delicious food and fun experience.

Meat quality is awesome! Great environment and fast service! Authentic Sichuan taste. I will go back again.

The sauce bar was a highlight, featuring not only various sauces but also an assortment of small appetizers, snacks, fruits, and other items. Additionally, they charge for the broth and all the different ingredients you choose. We might have ordered a bit too much—while we managed to finish most of it, it was a challenge. I recommend starting with lighter orders since you can always add more if you’re still hungry. It took a little while to get the attention of the waitstaff, but the ingredients arrived quickly. We definitely over-ordered at the beginning, primarily noodles, which expanded and filled us up. At least we didn't have too much leftover meat, as we noticed quite a bit at the table next to us. I wonder if we could have taken the extras home. Since it wasn’t an all-you-can-eat situation, you pay for what you order, and any uneaten food can likely be taken home. Choosing the broth was somewhat confusing. They explained how it worked, but I still felt a bit lost. We ended up going with half spicy and half non-spicy broth. The spicy side featured a numbing type of chili, which I avoided, but those who tried it were definitely sweating! They had to be careful not to leave anything in there for too long; otherwise, it could get too spicy. I enjoyed the regular broth, which was flavorful, although I’m not sure what it was exactly. We ordered sampler platters of veggies, mushrooms, and tofu, and for the meat, we opted for the lamb and CAB ribeye. Naturally, we also got an abundance of noodles, choosing both handmade noodles and bean thread noodles. The meal was on the pricier side—around $40+ per person—so it can add up, but we were certainly satisfied by the end. Another nice touch was the chopsticks; they were long, high-quality wooden ones that were perfect for hot pot. I do wonder whether they wash and reuse them, as it seems like such a waste if they don’t!