Haidilao, which most of us seem to know for their famous dancing noodle dish, has food as tasty as the dancing noodles are entertaining. This is such a fun way to transform hotpot into a choose-your-own-adventure style dining experience.
First, there may be a small wait even with reservations because they're just that popular. However, the host is pretty good about checking in. Also, who can complain about a wait when you've got delicious Asian bugle and wheaties styles snacks to slowly munch on (don't ruin your appetite) and roasted barley tea! There are also a ton of fun things to do, ranging from karaoke, painting pottery, to escape rooms, for longer waits.
The menu is exploding with options. It's a bit of a headspin for first timers, but you'll be grateful for the options when you come with bigger parties with lots of different tastes! Highlights include the option to have up to 4 different broths going at once.
It's hard to go wrong with the broths - every broth I tried is tasty in its own right. However, pork bone broth is the clear flavor winner as you barely need any dipping sauce with whatever you cook in that broth. The tomato broth is nice for vegetables and has extra tomato-y, juicy tomatoes that stew inside.
The fatty beef brisket, beef tongue, varied mushrooms, and varied tofu plates were all fantastic. The variety of the tofu and mushrooms, including the wonderful tofu skin, mixed and matches with any broth flavor. The meats are all tender and soak up the broths like a sponge.
You've got so many options from vegetables, seafood, meats, mushrooms, Tofus, and crispy fried delights. Don't forget to try their crispy little buns that come with condensed milk. You'll be in fried bun heaven. The multi-meat "meatballs" are also a fun dish to order. Their shrimp balls were A+ in the golden chicken broth.
You can start, end, or accompany this hot pot adventure with a snacks, desserts, and dip station. Fun flavors like fermented black bean are available, but they also have the classic sesame paste and sesame oil. If you aren't sure how to mix the dip options optimally, they have a sheet showing you popular dip combinations. Don't forget to grab some shrimp chips!
While by no means cheap, Haidilao provides such a fun experience and is a great place to go for a family night out or to indulge with some friends. Servers check in pretty frequently and ordering is easy too. The only thing I've missed out on during each visit so far is the dancing noodles! But I can confirm it's worth visiting, with or without those dancing noodles.