So we went to 海底撈火鍋 (HaiDiLao Hot Pot), one of the most famous hot pot chains in Asia - and honestly, it totally lived up to the hype. If you've never been, Hai Di Lao is known for its flavorful broths, super fresh ingredients, and over-the-top service. They make hot pot fun whether you're with friends, family, or just craving a cozy, bubbling meal.
About HaiDiLao Hot Pot
HaiDiLao started in Sichuan, China, and became popular for its spicy broth, DIY sauces, and thoughtful little extras - like getting your phone wrapped so it doesn't get dirty, free snacks, aprons, and even noodle dance performances at many locations. The Kaohsiung location we visited was clean, modern, and had really friendly service.
Service & Experience
The service at HaiDiLao is honestly next-level - almost too amazing. The staff checks on you constantly, brings anything you need within seconds, and makes sure your table is always clean and your broths stay topped up. It's one of the reasons HaiDiLao has such a cult following.
One thing to note: the DIY sauce bar and snack station are an extra fee, but it comes with way more than sauces. Along with all the dipping ingredients (sesame sauce, garlic, scallions, chilies, herbs, etc.), there are also little extras like papaya salad, edamame, fruit, and snacks. Honestly though, the broth flavors are so bold and intense that you don't even really need dipping sauce to enjoy your meal.
Because HaiDiLao is so popular, there's often a wait - but they actually make it fun. While you're waiting, there are massage chairs, little activities for kids (when we went, they could make charm bracelets), and even complimentary nail services at many locations. It definitely helps time pass quickly and adds to the whole HaiDiLao experience.
Literally... here's where they were doing nails LOL and also where my grandniece made charm bracelets while we waited:
So I guess if you want your nails did... come here first for your nails done and your hot pot!
What We Ordered
Ok real quick because this is super cute, when we sat down, they offered aprons to protect our clothes from splattering broth and sauces and plastic bags for our purses and even hair ties for our hairs! So I said yes to the apron (I was already prepared with my own hair clip lol):
Hot Pot Broths
At HaiDiLao, you can choose up to four broths, so we went all out and did a four-soup hot pot (四格鍋). Our broth choices were:
- Mushroom Soup Hot Pot (菌菇湯底) - Light, earthy, and perfect for cooking veggies.
- Pork Stomach & Chicken Soup (豬肚雞湯) - Rich, savory, and super comforting.
- Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot (四川麻辣鍋) - The classic mala broth with numbing Sichuan peppercorns.
- Plain Water (清水鍋) - A super clean, neutral base great for gentle cooking.
Hot Pot Ingredients
For ingredients, we ordered:
- Signature Beef
- HaiDiLao-flavored Beef
- HaiDiLao-flavored Beef Tripe
- Grass-Fed Lamb Slices
- Seafood platter - shrimp, clams, and scallops
- Sliced fish
- Shrimp paste & squid paste - they cook into bouncy, meatball-like pieces
- Fresh pulled noodles
- Tofu skin (豆皮)
- Fried tofu puffs (油條)
- Fried tofu skin
- Assorted veggies - cabbage, mushrooms, leafy greens, corn, etc.
- Pork brains (don't judge - it wasn't my choice 😂)
Look at all the yummy stuff we got:
Ok let me take a moment to talk about how awesome the ramen noodles are. it's fresh, and they literally do the noodle pulling right in front of you! And the person doing ours would throw the noodles to 'scare you' and it would come so close I thought it was going to smack me in the face but it doesn't - super entertaining!
And of course, we hit the DIY sauce bar, which not only has all the classic sauce ingredients (soy sauce, garlic, sesame sauce, scallions, chilies, etc.) but also extras like papaya salad, edamame, fruit, snacks, and more - a fun little bonus between cooking sessions.
Just FYI tho the sauce bar costs a little extra, but honestly you don't even need it cause the broth was so flavorful and they do give you some spices and sauces with it:
OH also we got this tasty rice which had flavorful pork lard sauce and fried shallots on it - my grand niece went to town on this:
Overall Thoughts
I can see why people love Hai Di Lao Hot Pot so much - it's flavorful, fun, and everything is served quickly and fresh. Definitely worth visiting if you're in Kaohsiung and craving hot pot!
To learn more check out the HaiDiLao website!
Also to check out what else delicious I've been eating in Taiwan - check out all my blog posts here!
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