Little Hot Pot

This is our new family favourite and we go here at least twice a month! It is scrupulously clean and the food is the best! The wait staff is always friendly and courteous. The first time we went, we didn’t really know what we were doing, and they were so helpful! We had a wonderful meal and we just keep going back. The food is very fresh, healthy and high quality. We’ve tried three of the different broths and now we have difficulty deciding on which one to choose. They’re all great! They do a lunch special for about $ 7. Maybe its just me, but I don’t call that «really expensive?»

My bf and I came here on Valentine’s Day this year… yep, not the fancy romantic restaurant I imagined, but it was a last minute plan, and we wanted the Korean bbq next door, but was a 30+ minute wait.
Little Hot Pot didn’t have any waiting time, and were seated right away. However, we did have to wait awhile until our orders were taken. Probably because we saw only 1 wait staff running around and cleaning the tables too. The menu has tons of selections of what you may want for your hot pot (soup flavors, ingredients, drinks, etc). But, it doesn’t list the price for each item, it only shows you the picture. You have to correlate with the other sheet (you write for your order) for the prices. A separate sign on the table lists the «specials» so keep in mind for that. Dinner special is $ 12.99pp (min 2 people), and lunch is $ 7.99. We got the dinner, and under had a list of choices in which you can get for your hotpot. You had up to 3 choices, such as… seafood combo, beef, meatball combo, etc.
I didn’t think it was too busy, but we had to wait awhile for our hot pot to actually come out, and then wait for everything else. It’s a fun experience if you are new to hot potting, because you get to put whatever you want into it, and have it cook to your liking.
What was really hilarious was that we asked if there was any sauce (to dip the meat/​veggies) and the waiter came over and said yes, brought us three different sauces on a dish. We wanted to clarify if it was free of charge, and he said yes… but «I will charge you if you waste and don’t finish». Okay… (we made sure to really make use of the sauces).
I probably wouldn’t come back again. Its a super clean, bright, and welcoming setting/​environment, steady but slow service, but food wise– it didn’t impress me, and instead I would prefer Boiling Point (restaurant) instead of HK-​style hot pot.

Meh. Unfortunately, there really isn’t all that much to say about this place. I’m not really a fan of eating out at hot pot places in the first place, so there has to be something really special to win me over. However, the food was mediocre, and came in teeny plates that cost ~$ 4. Thus, even if you go with a group, the cost does add up.
Basically, this is exactly what you would expect at a hot pot place; they provide broth and uncooked food. To their credit, I enjoyed their broth. We ordered the half&half broth, with spicy (2 star) and vegetarian. The spicy was unexpectedly and refreshingly spicy for «2 stars,» and I can handle my spicy pretty well. The meat and veggies were acceptable, but definitely not stellar.
Overall, it wasn’t a very satisfying experience when the restaurant can’t provide much more than what you can do yourself at home. Plus, the servers gave us an attitude when they made a mistake on the order, and this would have not happened if I had set up my own hot pot.

There is nothing much to complain about this place nor brag about it. The place is clean, well-​organized and service was decent. I was surprised to see that they have such a huge menu. Although the price is cheaper than Little Sheep, I find that the meat quality and soup base isn’t as good. The meat was not as tender and the menu items are not as unique/​homemade. The items here taste store-​bought and because of this, one could make their own hot pot at home instead of visiting this restaurant.
Keep on eating, diners!

Little hot pot on a rainy day! :)
Best hot pot in Seattle, super yummy. However, it’s quite pricey… And service is bad, you have to ask for specific condiments/​sauces all the time.
They have the cheaper combo deal per two person Mon-​Thurs. It’s a pretty good deal if you’ve never had hot pot/​shabu-​shabu before. I personally don’t like the combo deal only because they don’t let you bring the leftover home… I was getting the impression that they might have serve the uncooked leftover meat/​veggie to other customers…

Definitely the best place for group Hot Pot I have tried. Good broth and good selection of food.
It is a bit more expensive than other places with hot pot but the selection and quality is way better so I would say it was a decent value.

I come here … once a month with the same group
And I love this place!
It’s like grocery shopping for a meal. haha
Everything is fresh, the soup bases are delicious and it’s a fun experience.
And if you ask for a spicy broth, they have a scale and you better know your level!
The restaurant is open to everyone. The other customers around you and to the waiters. (Who are very kind!)
No matter your group size, like out for a date or with a party, this is the spot to have fun!

Food 4 star — The soup stock remind me of home.
Value 2 star — 7 dollars per person for stock. I don’t mind to pay for soup but 7 dollars per person, get real.

This place is my ALL TIME FAVORITE place to eat! If I could, I would seriously eat here every single day and would never get sick of it. I love hot pot and I’ve had it at a few different places like Boiling Point and Hong Kong Bistro, but in my opinion Little Hot Pot is SOO much better than any other place I’ve been to.
The thing I like best about this place is their spicy broth… you can choose from a spice level between 1 – 10 and I absolutely LOVE spicy food so I always get a 10. I know a lot of people think it’s way too spicy though so only order a 10 if you’re immune to spicy food like me!
All of the meat and stuff you put in it is really good too and I like that you get to choose what you want. My only complaint about this place is that it can be a little pricey and the fact that it is in Crossroads which is a little far from me. If it was cheaper and closer, I would be going here a lot more often!

Price good. Win.
Soup had some medicinal herbs in it. Win.
Tasty and filling. Win.
Watch out for the spicy. We ordered either 3 our of 10 and it took my head off.

I can smell the Chinese herbs the second I walked in. It’s a nice looking place and very clean. They also had the AC blasting, which is a good thing. It can get hot with the pot boiling in front of you.
The soup was very authentic and they had a large selection of food items.
We ordered the dinner special ($ 13 each), which includes the choice of three meats and vegetables. They were very stingy with the meat, but did give us a lot of vegetables. I really liked the daikon raddish. In addition, we added a plate of baby corn ($ 2.5), pork kidney ($ 4) and rice ($ 1). The rice was so small, I had to order two bowls.
The total bill came out to be $ 38 for two people. So it wasn’t expensive. If they have bigger portions, this place would be a solid four stars.
Overall, the place is clean and the food was good. I would come back here again.

I debated whether to give 2 or 3, but went with 3 stars because the food is somewhat descent.
I think this place is alright, not the best hot pot. The food is not as fresh, you can see that the seafood plate is all FROZEN. My stomach also hurts the next day. I can usually take pretty spicy, so not sure what happened there.
I think you can go to Lao Shi Chuan and get better food. You won’t find me going back for a while.

Ok, first time with this style of hot pot people and wow, freakin impressed I was. The roommate and I were craving this place called Boiling Point in dt Bellevue… it’s close to home, been there a couple times before… but we didn’t feel like ponying up 13 bucks for what you get there.
She knew about this place but hadn’t been there before. They open at 5pm on weekdays which we didn’t know, so we were stuck at crossroads mall for an hour (which didn’t turn out all bad… half price books is fantastic) while we waited. Once we got in, we were immediately attended to… we ordered the half and half with the spicy side at 4 stars out of 10. The spice… kicked…my ass. Couldn’t believe it was 4 stars man… all coughing and blowing my nose right off the bat… We went low based on what other people had said on Unilocal… but… dammit man it was HOT.
We got the dinner special… 3 items for 12.99 a person… tons more variety than the Boiling Point, which serves specific recipes in bowls. You don’t get to cook anything yourself at Boiling Point so this felt like a better value/​experience. We ordered lamb, seafood and dumplings. Didn’t get the dumplings, got meatballs instead… waitress fail… cost ya’ll a star.
But man, what good eating. Napa cabbage (word), a mushroom plate with a few diff kinds of fungi, tofu, other squishies… and some random rabbit food i didn’t recognize but devoured with the spicy broth. I’m leaving some things out but it’s cool. You get the picture.
Totally bringing everyone I know here.

They have very good green onion pancakes.
Meats and veggies are tasty, but the fish is… earthy? We never order catfish, but that’s what it tasted like the two or three times I’ve had it. Dumplings are decent. I like the spicy herbal broth, too. I like things pretty spicy and 4 or 5 is plenty hot enough for me.
Had the lamb noodle soup once and it was pretty good as well.
Nice, modern, clean digs and equipment. A nice place for a leisurely meal on a cold rainy day.

Usually I don’t get super excited about having hot pot, since hot pot is a winter fall-​back meal, but this hot pot place was yummy! I’d definitely come back if I had the $$. 4 stars for really fresh food, beautiful presentation, decent prices, but slow service.
We came here for dinner and got an assortment of foods in the regular broth. They started with a small plate of boiled peanuts (loove boiled peanuts!) and pickled white radish. The broth came a bit later with lots of floating dried Chinese goodies (stuff you’d see at a traditional chinese medicine shop + garlic, leek, and ginger). It was a really clear yummy chicken broth that we all couldn’t resist sipping from before the food came.
Since we came at dinner time, the fresh veggies and meat came a bit later. Substantially later. So late, that ½ cm of broth had boiled off before we even got a sliver of beef cooked in it. Granted, I should have taken a cue and turned down the heat. but everyone else kept getting their food, I thought we would be next!
Anyhow, I really liked that they installed induction cooktops! The broth heated up really fast but it felt really safe. And the food was all super yummy. Aside from the general assortment of hot pot goodies, we also got a plate of fried rice — made with their thin sliced beef, and hints of garlic, green onion, and egg. Delish. Gotta love hot pot.

My wife is Taiwanese and I lived there with her for over a year. One of my favorite things to eat there is spicy hot pot. We had been looking for a good hot pot place here in the Seattle area and a Taiwanese neighbor recommended this place.
For those of you unfamiliar with hot pot, in the center of your table is a burner and they bring out a giant pot filled with broth. You can get spicy broth, regular broth or a pot with a divider so you can have both. Then you order ingredients to cook in the broth that they bring out in little dishes. When the broth boils you add you slowly add your ingredients, let it cook, and pull it out and eat it.
This place is no different. It has probably near if not over 100 different ingredients, something I’ve not even seen in Taiwan. You can get anything from slices of beef, pork, lamb at around $ 4.50 a plate of about 20 slices to tofu, 10 different kinds of mushrooms, bok choy and more at around $ 2.50 a plate. Don’t forget the broth alone is $ 3.50 a person. The spicy is on a scale from 1 to 10 stars. They offer beer, wine, pop, water and complementary tea. On tap they have Bud, Amber Bock and Kirin.
We visited on a Saturday at around 12:00. We had made a reservation prior to arriving but it wasn’t necessary as there were only about 3 other tables in a place that has about 15 tables. We had a party of 6 adults and 2 kids and ordered the half and half pot. The spicy side we ordered five stars. It was just right for me but my wife (who is Taiwanese keep in mind) thought it was weak. We ordered plates of beef, pork and lamb as well as frozen tofu, regular tofu, mushrooms, baby bok choy, Chinese cabbage, trip and pumpkin (I love tripe and pumpkin in hot pot). We also ordered a pitcher or Kirin for $ 12.00 and in classic Taiwan style they brought out small glasses with it. Sweet. Throughout the entire meal the service was good and we had a good time.
The good: The hot pot was pretty close to what I have in Taiwan. The vegetables were fresh and meat was good (I’ve been to hot pots where the meat was very tough). The servers did a good job and I felt the ambiance was about right. Our servers spoke good English.
The bad: The price for me for a hot pot. I couldn’t get over paying $ 3.50 for a small plate of mushrooms or $ 4 for tripe. Just for that I don’t plan on going back for a dinner. Also in Taiwan they have a boatload of dipping sauces and after my wife asked (in Chinese) we still ended up with none although I’m not sure what the jist of the conversation was.
With that being said I did notice a lunch special M-​F for $ 7.90 a person. For now I’m giving it an average rank but will update the review based on my return.

I love Hot Pot.
I love Korean Hot Pot, Chinese Hot Pot… this place is good for what it is, and I like the yin/​yang pot. Asked for 1 star on the spice scale, and it’s more like a medium on the spicy factor.
Ordered:
Lunch special $ 7.90/person
1. Chicken: thinly sliced pieces of chicken that came out frozen, I had to ask what it was, it resembled turkey luncheon meat.
1. Seafood: 2 pieces of shrimp (shell on, not deveined) 2 mussels, 2 fish roll things, 4 pieces of fish ball
2 side dishes of Chinese veggies, napa cabbage, 4 different Chinese mushrooms
Added: 1 order of hand shaven noodles (AMAZINGLY GOOD!) 1 order of fish balls.
Total with tax: $ 27.90
Overall: the service was good, I was surprised when we came in right before noon that there was no one else in there, however, it quickly filled up.
The broth was okay. Way too spicy for ordering 1 star (I love spicy, but it makes me break out!)
The original broth has Chinese herbs in them (just a few pieces).
It was a lot of food for 2 people, and cheap. Asked for a container for the soup and she pointed out on the menu that you can not take it home.
It’s listed as: «No to go».
Wtf does that mean? Their printed place mat with the history of the location has excellent English — so why stop there? «No to go» translates to me as: «You can’t order this item for take out.»
Anyway — left a lot of food there, and I hate wasting food.
I think this is Taiwanese owned, based on my server; they opened the first location in Monterey Park.
Ask for the sauces if you go! The peanut sauces were distinctly Chinese/​Taiwanese to me — nothing like Thai (my least favorite version).
Worth trying if you’re in the area, but not spectacular enough for me to come visit again soon. Sorry.
Ps. This person next to me ordered Chow Mien — and the noodles looked so good!!!

Hot pot is fun… especially when you have 6 girls that all know what they want. We got a giant hot pot and a million things to share.
The hot pot is one giant bowl of water, split into two sides. One side, we asked for regular broth, the other an insane Thai chili red hot broth [see picture].
We got beef, chicken, fish cakes, shrimp, scallops, napa cabbage, gnoochi mushrooms, noodles, and whatever else we could have fit on the table. The server actually brought out a cart so that we could cook them when we’re ready.
Everything tasted great, but the scallops leave a lot to be desired. Everything was fresh except the scallops, which were frozen, and it was really chewy.
The sauces were also delicious. I like the peanut sauce a lot, but some of the girls liked the spicy ponzu better.

I came here for lunch with my boyfriend. We should of came for dinner because it’s really expensive for lunch time.
They have three different broths, we picked the split pot of their original and spicy. We did 4 stars like recommend from other Unilocalers, and it is REALLY spicy, but so good! Your meat really soaked up the flavors! I liked it better then the original. I couldn’t handle drinking the spicy broth after but he original was good. You want to be careful how you set your spoon because its all metal so it gets hot if you let it hang over the broth.
They have a huge selection of items to put in your hot pot. All sorts of meat, seafood, and veggies (including winter melon!) They also have yummy smoothies. If you like watermelon, their watermelon smoothie is a MUST its taste just like eating watermelon, but through a straw!

We’ve been watching the transformation of a corner restaurant near Crossroads over the last few months from its previous incarnation as a grungy Mexican joint.
About a month ago, new signs appeared: «Little Hot Pot», but no sign of when it was going to open or what would be inside.
Finally, this week, Little Hot Pot opened its doors and we went in on its first Saturday night to give it a try.
Little Hot Pot (we know from reading the place mat) is the sister restaurant of a place in Monterey Park, California called «Little Fat Sheep.» I can see why they changed the name this time around.
The inside is nice and modern, with wood floors and bright lighting, not the oppressive red and gold extravagance often seen in Chinese restaurants.
Little Hot Pot is similar to other restaurants that serve hot pot, but they have upgraded and improved the experience in several key ways.
If you haven’t had hot pot before, it’s basically a communal broth in which you cook your food at the table.
First, when you sit down, you choose a broth, normal, spicy, or a yin/​yang bowl of half and half. They put your broth over a huge gas burner which keeps the broth at a rolling boil throughout your meal.
Next, you get an ordering sheet for the table on which you can check off which ingredients you’d like to cook in your pot. Meats, vegetables, and noodles are on the front; seafood and other additions are on the back. This is a very good system because it gives you time to look over all the options and choose what you want without the pressure of an impatient waitress standing over you.
The selection of ingredients is impressive and varied, from the usual (beef, lamb, chicken tofu, seafood) to the not so usual (bamboo, many different kinds of mushrooms, dumplings, udon noodles, etc.)
Once you make your selection, the ingredients come to your table or to a wheeled cart they pull up next to your table. You use your chopsticks and a spoon/​ladle at the table to cook your food however you like it done, pull it out of the hot pot, and eat it. Warm and delicious.
So, how was the Little Hot Pot experience?
The ordering system is great, and the choice of ingredients and freshness of ingredients was far superior to any of the other hot pot places on the Eastside. The only hot pot we’ve had with more to choose from was actually in Beijing earlier this year. So that’s a huge plus.
The broth itself was excellent, not too salty, not crazy MSG-​y, but filled with nuance and herbs and spices that gave it a complex quality. Again, it was the best hot pot broth I’ve had outside of China.
While the service was friendly, the wait staff didn’t yet know how to operate everything and didn’t seem totally in sync yet. I’m sure this will get better with time.
They are currently open late (12 midnight!) While I’d love to see that continue, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them have to reduce their hours to 10 or 10:30 on weekdays and 11 on weekends to be more in line with other places in the area. One can hope they’ll tough it out though and set a new late-​night precedent for other eateries to follow.
A couple of suggestions for the owners that would have made the experience better:
1) The drink situation was not great. The water and soda glasses were much too small – child-​sized, in fact. This meant the waitress kept having to try to refill them and, when she forgot (which was pretty often), we went for very long stretches with nothing to drink. Please get larger glasses!
2) It would have been nice to have some music. There were speakers mounted on the wall, but nothing was coming out of them.
3) The restaurant got very steamy with all the pots going. The windows were dripping with water and it started to get a little sauna-​like at the end of the night. Some ventilation would have made the experience a bit more comfortable.
Little Hot Pot appears to be off to a good start and, if they keep it up, they may soon be known for having some of the best hot pot in Seattle.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area. Give it a few months, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find this place becoming a big success.