Hot Pot Haven: Taipei's Ultimate Comfort Food

Taipei is famous for its hot pot, a simple dish where a pot of heated broth is placed in the centre of a table for diners to cook their own combination of raw meat, seafood, and vegetables. It is traditionally a winter dish, but thanks to air conditioning, it is now enjoyed all year round.

Hot pot is a social meal, with diners gathering around a communal pot to cook their food. It is also an individual meal, with some restaurants offering single diners their own personal hot pot.

There are many restaurants in Taipei offering the hot pot experience, from all-you-can-eat deals to high-end establishments serving premium ingredients.

Where to find the best hot pot in Taipei

Taipei is a hot pot haven, with hundreds of restaurants serving this communal dining favourite. Here is a list of some of the best hot pot spots in Taipei:

Mala Yuanyang HotPot

Located in the Ximending area, Mala Yuanyang is a highly sought-after buffet-style hotpot restaurant. It offers an extensive selection of ingredients, including beef, pork, dumplings, oysters, noodles, and even ice cream. The restaurant is known for its signature Mala Soup, a numbingly spicy sauce that is tailored to local Taiwanese taste buds. Despite being a spicy hot pot, the broth is drinkable on its own and is not too greasy. Mala Yuanyang is perfect for foodies who want to sample a variety of flavours in one place.

Orange Shabu Shabu House

With two branches in the Da'an District of Taipei, Orange Shabu Shabu House is known for its fresh seafood, including Hokkaido crab, Japanese abalone, and Jumbo Shrimps. The restaurant also offers a range of beef options, from USDA Prime Sirloin to premium Kuroge Wagyu Ribeye Beef. The hot pot here is known for its unique dipping sauce, which consists of ponzu, green onion, and radish, giving it a slight citrus flavour. The restaurant provides a private dining experience, with sectioned-off rooms for an intimate hot pot experience.

Elixir Health Pot (Wu Lao Guo)

Elixir Health Pot, also known as Wu Lao Guo, is considered one of the best steamboat restaurants in Taipei. The name translates to "never old pot," reflecting its focus on providing diners with healthy and beauty-enhancing hotpots. Wu Lao Guo offers a twin "ying-yang" hot pot, allowing diners to sample two of their most popular broths: the Layered Tofu and the Spicy Wulao. The restaurant is on the expensive side, but its naturally seasoned soups and signature pork and beef slices make it well worth the price.

Top One Pot

Top One Pot is a popular choice for hot pot in Taipei, known for its nourishing soup broths, including the premium Phoenix Reunion Pot and the Royal Spicy Hot Pot. The Royal Spicy Hot Pot is surprisingly drinkable and is not overly spicy, with the option to adjust the spiciness according to your preference. The restaurant's concept and dining ambiance are inspired by Chinese dynasties, providing a unique dining experience.

Host Shabu

Host Shabu offers an elevated hotpot experience with premium beef and fresh seafood. The restaurant features private booth options for intimate dining and a modern and kid-friendly atmosphere, making it suitable for special occasions. Host Shabu provides a range of shabu shabu and hot pot dishes, including seafood options such as lobster and wagyu beef.

What is Taiwanese hot pot?

Taiwanese hot pot, also known as shabu-shabu due to Japanese influence, is a popular dish in Taiwan. It consists of a soup made with a variety of ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, seafood, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, noodles, tofu, and various fish and meat balls. A simmering pot of flavoured soup stock is left on a burner, and diners place the raw ingredients into the pot to cook themselves. The cooked ingredients are then eaten with a dipping sauce.

The dipping sauce is often made with shacha sauce and raw egg yolk. Shacha sauce is a Chinese condiment made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chillies, brill fish, and dried shrimp. The soup base and type of meat used also differentiate the hot pot from other regional varieties. Taiwanese hot pot is particularly popular in the winter, but due to the popularity of air conditioning, it is now enjoyed year-round.

The history of hot pot

Hot pot, or steamboat, is a dish where a heat source on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering. It is accompanied by an array of raw foodstuffs, such as meat and vegetables, which diners dip into the broth to cook before eating. The cooked pieces are then dipped into sauces for added flavour.

The emergence of copper pots during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) is generally acknowledged as the origin of the hot pot. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), people began to use hot pots for cooking, mostly chicken and duck. This period was a global cooling period, with extremely cold temperatures, which explains the popularity of hot pot.

The Mongols, who are said to have used their helmets as cooking vessels, also influenced the development of hot pot. During the Yuan Dynasty, they began to put beef and lamb into the hot pot, which was then inherited by Northern Chinese cuisine.

Over time, hot pot spread throughout China, with distinct regional variations developing. It is particularly popular in the city of Chongqing and the Sichuan province, known for its spicy cuisine. The Chongqing or Sichuan hot pot features a dark-red broth with chilli peppers and the mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper.

In the early 20th century, hot pot restaurants began to open in cities like Chongqing, and the dish has since gained worldwide fame.

How to eat hot pot

Hot pot is a fun and interactive dining experience, and a great way to connect with friends and family. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to eat hot pot:

Choose your broth

First, decide if you want a full pot or a divided pot. If you opt for a divided pot, you can select two types of broth, usually a mild and a spicy option. Popular choices include chicken broth, tom yum, ma-la, and savory mushroom broth.

Select your meats and proteins

Thinly sliced beef is a popular choice for hot pot as it cooks quickly. Other options include chicken, pork belly, lamb shoulder, tofu, and offal. You can also choose from a variety of dumplings or balls made from meat, fish, or pork.

Pick your seafood

Head-on shrimp is a good choice as they cook in their shells, adding flavour to the broth. Other options include haddock, seabass, squid, and eel. Shellfish such as mussels, oysters, crab, and lobster are also great additions to your hot pot.

Order your vegetables

Include a mix of delicate and hardy vegetables, as they cook at different rates. Delicate options such as taro root, tomatoes, and lettuce will cook within seconds, while heartier options like turnip, daikon radish, and napa cabbage will take several minutes.

Choose your noodles

Noodles are a great way to round out the meal. Common choices include udon, vermicelli, chow mein, and shangdong noodles. If you prefer a low-carb option, look for yam noodle bundles or shirataki noodles.

Start cooking!

Place your hot pot strainer or chopsticks at the ready. Once the broth is boiling, add the meat or fish balls first, as they will take around 5 minutes to cook. Next, add the larger pieces of protein and hardy greens. After about a minute, gently lower in the delicate meats and vegetables, cooking them in small batches. Lastly, add the noodles towards the end, cooking them until soft.

Create your dipping sauce

Most hot pot restaurants will provide a sauce bar with various ingredients. Mix and match to create your own unique sauce. Common ingredients include scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chilli oil.

Enjoy your meal!

Use long chopsticks or a hot pot strainer to remove the cooked food from the broth. Dip it into your sauce and enjoy! Remember to always ask your dining companions before removing food from the hot pot. After you've finished cooking and eating, you can sip the broth, now infused with extra flavour from all the ingredients.

Taipei's best hot pot restaurants

Taipei is a hot pot haven, with the dish being a staple in the city's food scene. Here are some of the best hot pot restaurants in Taipei:

Mantanghong Top Spicy Mandarin Duck Hotpot

Located in the Zhongshan District, Mantanghong is known for its spicy soup base infused with Chinese herbal medicines. Its signature red soup is not too spicy, allowing diners to enjoy the flavours without their tongues being overwhelmed. Aside from the spicy soup, they also offer other soup bases such as desert cumin, LOHAS health, Japanese kelp soup, and milk miso. For the main course, diners can choose from a variety of options, including ultra black wagyu beef. The meal can be finished off with a coffee jelly for dessert.

Rolling Thai

This restaurant, located in the Zhongshan District, incorporates Thai cuisine into the traditional hot pot. The tom yum goong soup base and the Mandarin duck pot are must-tries. A variety of meats are available, including shrimp, beef, mushroom, and clams. The meal can be started with a green papaya salad and finished with ice cream.

Orange Shabu Shabu House

With two branches in the Da'an District, Orange Shabu Shabu House is known for its fresh seafood, including Hokkaido crab, Japanese abalone, Hokkaido scallops, and jumbo shrimp. They also offer a variety of beef options, ranging from USDA Prime Sirloin to Australian Wagyu Beef. The restaurant provides private dining areas, allowing for a more intimate hot pot experience.

Mala Yuanyang HotPot

Located in the Ximending area, Mala Yuanyang is a buffet-style hot pot restaurant. It offers a free flow of beef and pork slices, dumplings, oysters, noodles, and even ice cream. It is perfect for those who want to try a variety of flavours and ingredients in one place. The signature base soup is the Mala Soup, which has a numbing spiciness to it.

Top One Pot

With its concept and dining ambiance inspired by Chinese dynasties, Top One Pot offers nourishing soup broths such as the Phoenix Reunion Pot and the Royal Spicy Hot Pot. The Royal Spicy Hot Pot is not overly spicy and oily, and the broth is drinkable on its own. The restaurant also offers free-flow coagulated duck's blood and tofu.

Elixir Health Pot (Wu Lao Guo)

Also known as Wu Lao Guo, this popular hot pot restaurant has five branches scattered throughout Taipei and Taiwan. It is known for its twin "ying-yang" hot pot, allowing diners to try two different broths. The Layered Tofu and the Spicy Wulao are their signature broths, cooked with a variety of Chinese spices and herbs. The prices are on the expensive side, but the tasty and naturally seasoned soups make it worth the price.

Frequently asked questions