Guide to the best hot pots in London

Make your way to Hotto Potto for the ultimate hot pot experience. Located on Leman Street, just a stone's throw from Liverpool Street, this restaurant boasts a diverse selection of broths and fresh ingredients, allowing you to enjoy a fully immersive dining experience tailored to your taste. Opt for the bone broth for something extra hearty, or the spicy broth if you really love spice, like really love spice (this one is not for the faint-hearted). Beyond the tasty Sichuan cuisine, including the comforting hot pot, Hotto Potto offers an exciting post-meal activity: on-site karaoke booths. These boast state-of-the-art equipment and an extensive song list, enabling you to extend your night well into the evening.

Located in the beating heart of the city, Happy Lamb Hot Pot in Holborn is the place to go for Mongolian-style hot pot. Here, you can handpick your preferred broths and fresh ingredients to cater to your ideal hot pot experience. The restaurant is cosy and warm, making it the ideal setting for communal dining with friends, allowing you to cook your own food right at the table. 

Muyang Hot Pot & BBQ is the first Chinese restaurant that brought authentic mini hot pot to London. The menu is chock full of tasty ingredients to dunk in your broth, from black fungus and quail eggs to pig intestines, trotters and bamboo.

This laid-back Sichuan restaurant in Shepherd's Bush by Chef Zhang Xiao Zong boasts a long menu of classic dishes and hot pot. The hot pot ingredients include everything from squid and fish balls to lotus roof and beef. Again, the spicy broths here are true to their Sichuan roots; expect to have your head blown off if you go extra spicy.

This family-owned restaurant is known for its mouthwatering selection of smoked meats and succulent sides. From tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs to their signature smoky brisket, Master Jay BBQ House offers a wide range of dishes that cater to a wide range of preferences. When it comes to hot pot, there are several distinctive choices for dipping ingredients. You can opt for fresh biang biang noodles, hand-pulled right at your table and dunked directly into the simmering pot. Alternatively, you can enjoy tangy fish paste or even pig's brain.

Shu Xiang Ge is an authentic Sichuan restaurant that has become a local favourite. This is the place to go if you want bold and spicy Sichuan cuisine. With a cosy vibe and a menu bursting with aromatic and mouthwatering dishes, Shu Xiang Ge is a go-to destination for those seeking fiery flavours in dishes like ma po tofu, kung pao chicken, and Sichuan hot pot. The restaurant is also committed to using traditional ingredients and cooking techniques throughout everything they do.

Elevating the hot pot experience to new heights, this cool restaurant offers a fusion of bold and flavour-filled broths paired with delicious ingredients for dipping and dunking. Their menu features an assortment of thinly sliced meats, fresh vegetables, and hand-crafted dumplings. The undisputed star of the show is the fiery and numbing Sichuan-style broth, not for the faint-hearted. The menu is particularly good for meat eaters, offering various creative options, including tripe, succulent meat skewers, tender white fish, crispy pig's ears, and much more.

Located in the heart of Brick Lane, this cosy restaurant has earned a reputation for its genuine Sichuan hot pot, featuring hearty and comforting broths. The menu is thoughtfully curated and brimming with a variety of dishes, including mixed dim sum platters, zesty smacked garlic cucumber, sizzling pig trotters, and kidney slices in a rich sauce. A standout feature is their dry pot, which combines hearty, restorative broths with an assortment of ingredients such as tofu and crispy lotus roots.

Located in East India Quay, Super Three Hot Pot is a must-visit for those who love authentic hot pot. There are a wide variety of broths to choose from, ranging from the fiery Sichuan to the hearty herbal and a variety of fresh ingredients for dipping, including thinly sliced meats, seafood, and a variety of vegetarian options.

Haidilao Hot Pot has gained renown for its mouth-watering Sichuan-style hot pot. This restaurant provides a fun, communal dining experience, allowing diners to select from a delicious range of broths and fresh ingredients, including tender meats and crunchy vegetables. What sets Haidilao apart from other hot pot restaurants is its commitment to top-notch customer service, offering unique features such as live noodle dancers and manicures while you wait.

For those seeking a communal hot pot experience, Real Beijing in Chinatown stands out as a top choice. Here, guests can enjoy a diverse range of meats, seafood, veggies, and noodles, all offered at an affordable price. The option to customise the hot pot includes choosing a split pot with different broths, such as the Sichuan and pickled vegetable soup bases or any other preferred base. Although it's reasonably priced, the all-you-can-eat Hot Pot Buffet comes with a small caveat—a charge for wasted ingredients—so diners are advised to pick wisely.

You can craft your own bespoke mini hot pot at Mealtime Malatang. This restaurant group has more than 50 locations in China, as well as one in Goodge Street. Choose your fave ingredients from the fridge - you pay by weight - and let the kitchen cook it for you. There are plenty of veggies available as well as one vegan broth, making this bustling spot suitable for all diners.

Dragon Inn Club specialises in fiery Sichuan cooking, including offering plenty of hot pot options. Go for a set hot pot, a vegan version, or design your own with all your favourite ingredients. The restaurant space is full of atmosphere, inspired by eighth century China and featuring bamboo, wood panelling, and red lighting.

YGF Malatang, a celebrated Chinese street-food brand, established its inaugural UK outlet in Hammersmith. As the world's leading brand specialising in malatang, a favoured style of Chinese hot pot, it offers customers the opportunity to select from a diverse range of noodles, meats, vegetables, and seafood to create their own customised broth. Additionally, a takeaway option is also available.