Haidilao Hot Pot Irvine
Hot pot restaurant · Westpark ·
Sichuan hot pot with noodle dancers and DIY sauce bar
Sichuan hot pot with noodle dancers and DIY sauce bar
"Hot pot might not seem like the kind of food you can eat at home (because who has hot pot equipment just lying around?), but in addition offering their full menu to-go, this Sichuanese restaurant is also selling “self-heating” hot pots that even the most culinarily challenged can manage. All you have to do is add water to the heating pack and let it do it’s thing. Pick one up from either of Hai Di Lao’s outposts in Arcadia or Century City." - kat hong
"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
"The world is full of unspeakable horrors, but at least there’s a hot pot place in the Century City mall with talking delivery robots, a giant self-service sauce station, 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 Din Tai Fung or you’re in the mood to wear an adult bib in public (they provide some along with plastic baggies for your phone). Get the spicy pork and tom kha as your soup base, then load up from the long list of meat options." - cathy park, brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce, garrett snyder
"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
