Haidilao Hot Pot Irvine
Hot pot restaurant · Westpark
2710 Alton Pkwy #215, Irvine, CA 92606
Highlights
Sichuan hot pot known for amazing service and noodle dancers
Sichuan hot pot known for amazing service and noodle dancers
"The world is full of unspeakable horrors, but at least there’s a hot pot place in the Century City mall with a DIY sauce station, talking delivery robots, and a guy who’ll do an improvisational dance at your table while hand-pulling noodles. Hai Di Lao is an ideal big group spot when you can’t get into DTF or you’re in the mood to absolutely obliterate your white button-down (just kidding, they provide bibs and plastic baggies for your phone). Get the spicy pork and tom kha as your soup base and then add in any protein that catches your eye." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"The hot pot restaurant in the Westfield UTC mall has lots of entertainment for kids and adults alike, starting with a robot that delivers ready-to-cook dishes to the table. Dressed in a traditional Chinese costume, an entertainer regularly performs with a “face-changing mask” that ranges from Beijing opera to Spiderman to the delight of children. A must-order item is the Dancing Noodle dish, which involves the entertainer performing an iconic dance while hand-pulling noodles tableside. Children get free meals, including unlimited chicken nuggets, fruit, a Yakult yogurt drink, and a sweet character bun, along with unlimited snacks of fruit, veggies, and popcorn." - Helen I. Hwang
"In 2017, James Beard–nominated chef Christina Nguyen and co-owner Birk Grudem expertly transformed a divey neighborhood strip club into a lush Southeast Asian restaurant. Hai Hai’s deep teal walls, ferns, and paper lanterns make the space hum with tropical charm, even in the dead of winter. The cocktails are excellent — think lychee slushies and espresso martinis with Vietnamese coffee and coconut — and the menu features dishes like delicate water fern cakes, beef larb lettuce wraps, and a tender Balinese chicken thigh with macerated kale and bean sprout salad. Nguyen won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Midwest." - Eater Staff
"This hot pot place in the Westfield is an import from China, where they’re known for their individual (rather than shared) hot pots, and the fact that you can get a neck massage while you wait for your table. Unfortunately, the neck massage didn’t make it to the U.S., but they do have little bags to put your phone in (to avoid soup splashes), a make-your-own sauce bar, and a guy who will come and do a dance while he makes you some noodles. There’s a lot going on here, but that shouldn’t distract you from the fact that the broths are great, the produce is high-quality, and you really shell out for the noodle dancer —a guy who is very good at rolling out noodles while doing an improvisational dance." - Jess Basser Sanders
"Whichever set menu one settles on here, be it seafood-focused or squarely land-based, make sure to order the hand-pulled noodles to go with it. Skilled noodle dancers flit to each table, whipping and pulling stretchy balls of dough and plopping the finished product into the hot broth to cook." - Cathy Chaplin
