The 5 Best Chinese Hot Pot in Singapore

Written by Sarah Ong | June 19, 2024

Image: Guo Fu Steamboat

1. Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

Image: Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

Address

313 Orchard Road, #04-23/24 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895

Phone

+65 6835 7227

Opening hours

Daily 10:30 – 06:00

Website

www.haidilao.com/sg/

What makes Hai Di Lao Hot Pot become a steamboat attraction shortly after coming into Singapore’s food scene? It must be the beautiful overall experience that the place gives to diners.

Highlights:

Pampering service: While waiting for the table, diners are served with free flow of drinks, fruits and snacks, and even free manicure service. Children are provided an entertainment area to have some fun. While eating, you and your belongings are also protected from the smell and splashes. The attentive staff always make sure that your hotpot experience is comfortable.
Fiery mala soup base: Hai Di Lao is one of the best places to have mala hotpot in Singapore. The delicious soup comes with different spicy levels, the mild one gives diners a good kick while the spicy one is strong enough to set people’s tongues in fire.
Huge selection of sauces: Delicious sauces add more flavours for a steamboat experience. With more than twenty types of condiments and sauces at the self-served seasoning bar, diners have more chances to create different mixtures of sauces. Be noted that an amount of four dollars is charged per pax for the dip.
Noodle dance: Order homemade noodles to have a noodle master performed an interesting dance in front of your table. The little show is entertaining to watch and the noodles are yummy to taste.
Open till 06:00 everyday: Located at Clarke Quay and open till 06:00, Hai Di Lao is an ideal place to recharge energy after clubbing.

SOUP BASE: Sichuan Spicy, Tomato Soup, Seafood, Chicken Soup, Mushroom Soup, and Local Laksa are on offer. Diners can have a two-in-one experience by choosing double flavours. Want to know the standouts? No doubt, they are Sichuan Spicy and Chicken Soup.

MENU: The ala carte menu of Hai Di Lao offers a fresh and high-quality selection of meats, seafood, fish & meat balls, soybean products, vegetables, mushrooms, and noodles. But the best part of this menu is its flexibility, allowing diners to order foods in half-portions to sample a little bit of everything.

MUST TRIES

Pork Belly Slices
Black Pork
US Beef Slices
Hai Di Lao Style Beef
Hai Di Lao Style Fresh Tripe
Tender Chicken
Crispy Meat
House Made Noodles

LOOK AND FEEL: This hot pot place has a warm and fashionable interior. Accommodating up to 252 customers, the spacious Hai Di Lao makes diners comfortable with ample space between tables.

AVERAGE PRICE/PAX: S$45

NOTES

A waiting time of one to two hours should be expected
Reservation for dinner is not allowed, but request for a queue number can be done by phone.

2. The Magic Of ChongQing Hot Pot

Image: The Magic Of ChongQing Hot Pot

Address

19 Tanglin Road
#04-06/07 Tanglin Shopping Centre
Singapore 247909

Phone

+65 6734 8135

Opening hours

Daily 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 23:00

Strongly survived for more than twenty years, The Magic Of ChongQing Hot Pot satisfies steamboat lovers with good quality foods and pleasant service at inexpensive prices. This restaurant offers diners two steamboat dining experiences, buffet and a la carte. Whether you are a small eater or want to have premium ingredients like abalone for your hot pot, the a la carte option may suit you best.

Highlights:

One of the first hot pot restaurants introducing mala soup to Singaporean diners: Come into Singapore’s food scene since 1994, The Magic Of ChongQing Hot Pot with its addictive mala soup keeps the locals coming back time and time again.
Wide variety of steamboat ingredients: Whether diners go with the a la carte buffet or a la carte option, the ingredient choices are plentiful. With around hundred of high quality menu items, this hot pot place will take you on a delicious Sichuan culinary journey.
The restaurant is serious about giving diners a true Sichuan hot pot experience: Having the super spicy Sichuan soup may make one’s tounge numb and body sweat. This restaurant emphasizes on three steps to maintain the pleasure from the beginning to the end – taste sweet and savoury titbits served in between the meals to clean and refresh the palate, dip the cooked hot pot ingredients into the restaurant’s special sauce to enhance the flavours, and enjoy Eight Treasures Tea to reduce the heat and restore the yin yang balance.

SOUP BASES
There are four types of soup for buffet option – Ma La Tang, Faithful Chicken Broth, Preserved Vegetable Soup, and Herbal Chicken Soup. Among those, Ma La Tang and Faithful Chicken Broth are highly recommended.

For a la carte options, the choice of hot pot soup goes up to six with some offers cannot be found elsewhere – Herbal Chicken Soup, Fish Head & Preserved Vegetable Soup, Black Chicken Soup, Nutritious Herbal Soup With Black Chicken, Nutritious Turtle Herbal Soup, and Nutritious Herbal With Frog Leg Broth.

ATMOSPHERE: The Magic Of ChongQing Hot Pot features a Chinese home-style ambience, set by the simple wooden tables and chairs, faux stucco walls, red lanterns, and oriental ornaments. With ample space between tables, the environment is comfortable for a hot pot place.

AVERAGE PRICE/PAX
Weekday lunch buffet: S$23.90++
Weekday dinner buffet: S$33.90++
Weekend lunch buffet: S$25.90++
Weekend dinner buffet: S$35.90++

3. Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant

Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant singapore

Image: Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant

Address

ION Orchard, #04-09/10
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801

Phone

+65 6636 9339

Opening hours

Daily 11:00 - 15:00; 18:00 - 23:00

Whether it is a family reunion, a birthday party, a business lunch, or a late-night meal, Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant has you covered.

Highlights:

Classy steamboat: Imperial Treasure has pushed the boundaries of the traditional way of having steamboat. At Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant, hotpot is taken to a new level by adding premium ingredients, a posh setting, and good services to the dining experience. It means now people can celebrate special occasions with a steamboat meal.
Luxurious menu items lives in harmony with affordable ones: In the restaurant’s comprehensive menu, there is space to celebrate the premium ingredients like Wagyu Beef, Australian Abalone, and Boston Lobster as well as room for the more affordable items like Kurobuta Pork Belly, Lamb Shoulder, Fresh Chicken, and Handmade Balls. The menu is designed to suit different tastes and budgets.
Set meals: Set menus are available, starting from S$88++ for two persons, and S$168++ for four persons. The quality of the foods and the stylish environment make the experience the finest steamboat indulgence.
Central location: The two outlets of Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant are located at ION Orchard and TripleOne Somerset, making it an conveniently gathering point for everyone or a fashionable venue for meal after shopping.

Image: Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant

SOUP BASES: From the popular soup bases like Sichuan Spicy and Healthy Chicken Soup to the unique ones like Parsley & Century Egg Soup and Seaweed & Kelp Soup, there are ten types of soup to choose from. Among those, Drunken Chicken Soup, and Parsley & Century Egg Soup stand out as the favorite choices of diners.

SAUCE: A tray containing twelve glasses of condiments and sauces such as chopped garlic, green and red chills, spring onions, peanut sauce, and plum sauce is presented on each table for diners to use. Note that the sauce is charged at two dollars per pax.

MENU: Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant’s menu offers both a la carte hotpot and cooked food options. While the hotpot covers a wide range of high-quality ingredients, the cooked food category showcases the finest dishes that the Imperial Treasure Group has to offer.

MUST TRIES:

Geoduck
Sliced Pork
Sliced Beef
Prawn/ Cuttlefish/ Pork Balls
Frozen Tofu
Handmade Cuttlefish Noodles
Shrimp Dumplings

AVERAGE PRICE/PAX: S$55

ALL IMPERIAL TREASURE STEAMBOAT’S LOCATION
@ ION Orchard
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, #04-09/10 ION Orchard, S238801
Tel: (65) 6636 9339
Opening hours: Daily 11:00 – 15:00; 18:00 – 23:00

@ Great World City
Address: Great World City #01-37, Kim Seng Promenade Singapore 237994
Tel: (65) 6235 6008
Opening hours: Daily 11:00 – 15:00; 18:00 – 23:00

4. Nan Hwa Chong Fish Head Steamboat Corner

Image: Nan Hwa Chong

Address

808/812/814/816 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198779

Phone

+65 6297 9319

Opening hours

Daily 16:00 – 01:00

For those who enjoy fish, Nan Hwa Chong Fish Head Steamboat Corner should be added to the must try list. At this eatery, fish is presented in style of steamboat with choices of Grouper, Pomfret, Song fish, and Red Snapper.

Highlights:

Charcoal style steamboat: It has been the way making Nan Hwa Chong’s fish soup alluring since 1927. The heat from the burning charcoal makes you sweat, but it also makes your soup great.
Classic Teochew fish soup: Nan Hwa Chong is specialized in fish hotpot so the best way to experience it all is enjoying the rich and sweet fish soup with all the good companions like mushrooms, fried yam, chye sim, white cabbage, spring onion, and beancurd. Added no milk, the fish soup is pure just like the way it is in a traditional Teochew version.

MENU: Besides fish steamboat, Nan Hwa Chong also offers a selection of home-style Chinese dishes like Oyster Omelette, Prawn Roll, Prawn Paste Chicken Wing, and Braised Intestine. Among those, Jing Du Pork Rib and Special Homemade Beancurd are featured menu items.

ATMOSPHERE: Located in an old shophouse at the corner of North Bridge Road and Jalan Sultan, Nan Hwa Chong has a typical coffee shop setting and a bustling atmosphere. The use of charcoal adds smoke and extra heat to the dining area downstairs. With air conditioners, the upstairs of the restaurant is a more comfortable dining room.

AVERAGE PRICE/PAX: S$20

NOTE: Long waiting time at peak hours should be expected.

5. Guo Fu Steamboat

Image: Guo Fu Steamboat

Address

20 Cross Street, China Square Central,
#01-31/32/33 China Court, Singapore 048422

Phone

+65 6557 0906

Opening hours

Daily 11:30 – 22:30

Wallet-friendly is the best word to sum up the hotpot service offered at Guo Fu Steamboat. Let the authentic beef hotpot from Northeast China satisfies your craving.

Highlights:

Individual hotpot concept: Unlike most of the hot pot places that offer a big soup pot for sharing among diners in a group, Guo Fu Steamboat invites people to experience the individual hot pot concept which promote the hygiene and personal preference towards the soup.
Affordable prices for the whole experience: The steamboat experience at Guo Fu is a pleasing mix of having fresh and good quality foods with a decent variety in a comfortable environment and paying very reasonable prices. At the lowest range of the hot pot price spectrum, what this steamboat place offers to diners are much better than its counterparts at the same category.

SOUP BASES: There are ten types of soup on offer. The soup bases are charged separately at different prices, ranging between S$3 and S$7 for individual pots, and S$9 and S$23 for the twin-flavour pots which can be shared among a group of four.

MENU: The restaurant offers diners three dining options – set meal, a la carte buffet, and a la carte. For those who have limited dining time, the set meal with price range from S$13.90 to S$17.90 is a good option. The a la carte buffet has the options spreading from fresh ingredients to cooked dishes like Xiao Long Bao and Shallot Pancake. A selection of desserts with choices of Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Cake, Fried Banana Fritter, and Fresh Fruits is also included in the buffet.

ATMOSPHERE: Located at China Square Central, Guo Fu Steamboat features a spacious and cool dining room. It is a clean and comfortable environment for enjoying hot pot.

PRICES