Hotpot Champ

We are a group of four and came on a Saturday evening, waiting around 30 minutes to be seated. Soup Base Selection: We opted for the Sichuan Spicy Broth and the Wild Mushroom Soup Base. As a spicy food lover, I appreciated the spicy level--it packed just the right punch for my taste buds. Our friends, however, were sweating buckets throughout the entire meal! If you're up for a fiery adventure, this is the way to go. Meat Quality: Hotpot Champ continued to impress with its high-quality meats. Unlike some other places where meat disintegrates during cooking, these cuts held their integrity. Tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Service: It took a while for our subsequent orders to arrive. Waiting approximately 25-30 minutes for each round tested our hunger levels. Additionally, the dipping sauce station needed to be refilled--we waited for Shacha sauce throughout the meal, but it was never refilled.

Contrary to all the negative reviews I had read about this place beforehand, my experience here was amazing! My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night, not sure if it was a slow night, but the staff were incredibly kind to us. We came about an hour to drop off a surprise birthday cake for our friends, and they helped us with unwrapping the cake, lending a lighter to us to light the candles, and even providing us with their own plates. They were incredibly kind throughout the process as us kids seemed a bit chaotic! Everyone says that their food took an incredibly long time to come, but ours came quite fast. Even if it did come later, they had a cool sauce making bar, that had some snacks like cucumber salad, peanuts, shrimp chips, edamame, and chicken feet that you can help yourself to. As we ate the cake, the staff surprised us with a complimentary panda stuffie from their brand which was so cute. My only concerns were that I wished they would have been less short staffed. We picked the AYCE Hotpot option and getting someone over to our table to order more food took a while as there were only 2 people working. At times it seemed like the sauce bar was not getting regularly refilled as well. The food was delicious, however their menu is quite limited in terms of what you can normally see at other hotpot places. For example, we were looking forward to enoki mushrooms but only a couple other options were offered. Definitely recommend the meat wheels and meat boats as they are aesthetically pleasing and also filled with lots of delicious meat. Overall was a great experience I believe and definitely recommend this place. Judging from what I read in reviews and my own experience, I would say this place is most likely Hit or Miss. Thank you to the wonderful staff for this experience though!

Cute and nice decoration with panda 🐼 around. Surprisingly hotpot restaurant can be so clean and spacious. Great service, the servers always smile. Food was good, spicy beef was fresh and delicious. And they were served with windmill, golden big and devil ox were a highlight. I ordered a red bean ice drink, but taste wasn’t really good, not enough milk. Overall experience was good. Highly recommend for a group of people to hang out for dinner in downtown.

Who knew a wheel of meat could be so captivating? This restaurant had us spinning with excitement! From the chic interior design to the friendly service, we were off to a great start. We ordered the broth extra spicy, but it didn't quite have the kick we were expecting. The mushroom broth lacked a bit of oomph too. When we went to explore the sauce stations, we discovered they varied between floors, leaving us feeling a little lost. Luckily, we found the jackpot on the first floor with a plethora of options. Sadly, the second floor didn't have sesame oil. Overall, the price was fair, but we might not be spinning back around anytime soon. However, if you do decide to visit, be sure to order the spicy beef - it was the star dish of the night!

Hotpot Champ is an amazing restaurant where I got to try hotpot for the first time ever. I am absolutely amazed with the freshness and quality of the food they have. The waiters were so friendly and patient. We also loved the cute pandas around the place. I loved the tofu, wintermelon and beef meatballs.

A new hot pot spot in a Chinatown with a cool meat Ferris wheel on their menu. Overall a great experience with a wide selection of meat and sauce bar. The inside is clean and modern. Would recommend reserving ahead of time because tables filled up pretty quickly around lunch time. Good pop music playing in the background. Service was friendly and quick. Hot pot base: We got the spicy and mushroom soup base. The mushroom base was my favorite, it had a rich savory flavor. Spicy soup was definitely spicy! Sauce bar: Large variety of sauces. My favorites were the roasted peanuts and sesame sauce. Sliced oranges were also very juicy and fresh. Meat Ferris wheel: On the pricier side at $50. Portions were alright, we managed to finish the whole thing split between three of us with room to spare. Overall, a unique dining experience and the Ferris wheel was cool to see. I really liked the frozen tofu. :)

Bro this is the worst hotpot shop that I’ve ever had. First, the meat is really bad. It tasted like some bark of the Oak trees. Secondly, the service is sooooo bad. We had the All you can eat. It takes them 20min to move the raw meat from first floor to second floor. It was 8pm. It takes them 10min and 3 times of reminders to have the menu. Thirdly, the hotpot is turning into a spicy pot. It takes them 20min to get us some new soup. Fourthly, the capacity of all dishes except spinach is sooo small. We ordered 3 times for 4people. Really bad experience in San Francisco. You guys should try some hotpot restaurants in New York and Boston.

I had an amazing experience at this newly opened traditional hot pot place in San Francisco's Chinatown! The meat was incredibly fresh and the soup bases were beyound expectations. It's the perfect place to go with friends, take your time, and savor authentic food. I highly recommend it!

This is a nice relaxing spot to grab a hotpot in SF. The one dinner me and my friends had there, we had very friendly service, and a very good meal,by the way,the waitresses here are very cute!!!

Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 4/5 Vibe: - lively, lots of people go here - there is a communal sauce area - all you can eat - u get 90 minutes Food: - Szechuan broth is sppiccyyy - get the deluxe meat combos

We are a group of four and came on a Saturday evening, waiting around 30 minutes to be seated. Soup Base Selection: We opted for the Sichuan Spicy Broth and the Wild Mushroom Soup Base. As a spicy food lover, I appreciated the spicy level--it packed just the right punch for my taste buds. Our friends, however, were sweating buckets throughout the entire meal! If you're up for a fiery adventure, this is the way to go. Meat Quality: Hotpot Champ continued to impress with its high-quality meats. Unlike some other places where meat disintegrates during cooking, these cuts held their integrity. Tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Service: It took a while for our subsequent orders to arrive. Waiting approximately 25-30 minutes for each round tested our hunger levels. Additionally, the dipping sauce station needed to be refilled--we waited for Shacha sauce throughout the meal, but it was never refilled.

We had walked by Hotpot Champ a few times and was intrigued by the AYCE hot pot for $40 per person from the posters. We came on a saturday evening pretty late at night, and started with the split soup base. The menu itself has a decent selection that has most of the hot pot staples. I was a little disappointed that the enoki mushroom required the additional upgrade. The service was pretty good and meat came out at a decent speed, but more importantly the meat was quite high quality. Unlike some other hot pot places I've been to, the meat didn't fall apart while being cooked which means higher quality meat. The final price came out to closer to $50 per person which isn't cheap but I think it was worth it

Chill hot pot place in Chinatown. We were seated right away, they explained how to order and answered questions, and served water. Menu was easy to understand with good variety of meat and veggie options. We ordered the spicy broth (level twice) and mushroom broth; both were very flavorful and I would have the Szechuan again even spicier. Everything tasted great and they served the second round we ordered without a long wait. Tasty and filling, would come again.

A new hot pot place in Chinatown and I'm all for it! For AYCE, this place is pretty good. The overall food was good, but what I really enjoyed about this place was its uniqueness with the presentation of the items, which was the ferris wheel. The place is fairly big, and it's located next to Portsmouth Square park on Kearny Street. The ambiance is pretty cool and the ferris wheel concept that they used for the meats was very pleasing to the eye; quite refreshing to see if I say so myself. One of my usual soup bases is the tomato soup broth and I thought it was pretty good. The meats, to the eggs, seaweed knots, all tasted like normal hot pot dishes, and I honestly had nothing to complain about food-wise. I also enjoyed that this place was really generous with the ample amount of ingredients they offered. They weren't stingy with amount of items on each plate and I give them kudos on that! You also have your classic sidebar with sauces as well as some appetizer snacks like peanuts and seaweed salad. It's not too much of a variety of mini eats tho. My only complaint was that the service was a little bit slow in the beginning. Everything was fine, but sometimes, especially in the beginning, it was so difficult to get the waiter's attention for the longest while. But other than that, the experience was really cool and I would definitely come back here again!

Meat was tough, service was mediocre, and the hot pot broth levels were so low even after asking to add more. The options were plentiful and the sides were delicious, but as a Chinese person I have high hot pot standards and they were not met at hot pot champ.

It's actually WHEELY good here, and I'm not saying this cuz of the ship nor the ferris wheel of meats. Service and food quality on point. .:: FOOD ::. AYCE (ferris wheel can be ordered once and ship as well) $38.99 A la carte option available, but more worth for AYCE since a la carte price will quickly exceed the AYCE price - Broth - We chose Chicken Broth Soup: which was a very good balance and perf for cooking the meat in without overpowering everything Tum Yum Soup: i enjoy the flavor, but it def was overwhelming, and I couldnt taste anything but the tum yum, like you cant tell if you're eating meat or veggies cuz its just so pungent on taste - Meats highlights - Beef and Lamb Combo Ferris Wheel: what we are all here for. A ferris wheel of meats. I dont like the lamb tbh. Its extremely gamey. Love the beef though. Beef Ship: would prefer to order this since its all beef - MISC - We ordered a bunch of other stuff which were good Hand Cut noodles, fishball with roe, tofu skin , fish tofu, spinach, cabbage -Dessert- Panda Bing Fen $5.98: not included in the AYCE, paid separately. Very refreshing. Consists of sago, coconut milk, jelly, red bean, matcha pocky .:: Service / Ambiance / Parking ::. Service was awesome. Waiters were ALL so attentive and nice. Food came quick after we ordered. Self serve sauce station. Could use some more variety, their shacha sauce was completely liquid.... The place was very clean cut. Entrance had a bunch of pandas and bamboo. Parking in DTSF seemed shady and scarce so I didnt drive and ubered with my friend instead.

We visited Hotpot Champ on a rainy Saturday night. The front area of the restaurant has a brighter feel (and lots of cute pandas!) while the back of the restaurant is sleeker and darker. There are lots of tables but if you have a big group, it may be a good idea to arrive early. When we arrived just after 5pm, the restaurant was completely empty but by the time I left at 7pm, it was packed! We decided to go for the AYCE. At $40 per person, it's a great deal even though some menu items are not included. They allow you to do half and half soup base for AYCE so we picked Sichuan Spicy Broth and Tom Yum Soup (highly recommend!). We of course had to order the famous ferris wheel. It comes with various meat, fish balls, tripe, and crab. It looks impressive in the photos but it's really not a lot of food, more for fun. Its important to note that the ferris wheel and the beef combo that comes in a boat are limited to one order per table. This didn't bother us because we were a party of 2 and you could order items on both combos separately unlimited times but just something to know before you go if you're a bigger party! Service was attentive when we were the only ones in the restaurant but as it filled up, it got really slow. We had to ask them to add soup to our hot pots and then waited over 10 minutes for someone to come. Nonetheless, I would recommend checking out Hotpot Champ!

This is such an amazing hotpot spot! Lots of seating inside, and everything is reasonably priced as well. Both AYCE and a la carte options and the sauce bar was stacked! We ordered the meat combo, which was served on this cute Ferris wheel that made the dining experience so much fun! The servers were also super attentive and would always come by to refill water or the broth levels. Can't wait to come back soon!

I'm so glad we found this hot pot spot right in the heart of Chinatown! It's right next to Portsmouth Square, making it easy to find and at a spot with lots to do and see afterwards as well. The restaurant was quiet on a Saturday for lunch, but that was great as we had pretty attentive service and were not rushed despite the time limit. The high ceilings and built in vent around the hot pot burner ensured a dining experience free of hot pot fumes. I was definitely most impressed by the quality and quantity of the ingredients they give! Many AYCE hot pot places give you less and less portions when you ask for more ingredients, but Hot Pot Champ did not skimp and the quality of the meats, seafood, and veggies were all really good and presented beautifully. The sauce bar was extensive as well, and it even included some sides like sliced oranges, spring rolls, edamame, and some steamed water chestnut jelly! Overall, I thought the price was well worth the quality of the food. It's the best hot pot place I've found thus far!

Fabulous hotpot in the heart of China town. The restaurant is very clean, contemporary, and almost luxury feeling with its furnishing and well thought of interior design. Recommend to do the 40$ all you can eat. Plenty of options. I did the half and half for the soup base. I always like spicy and light. There is also self service appetizers and sauces. If you are going on date you can opt for the shared pot. The staff was friendly. The soup does take a bit to come so make sure to get some bits from the self service station.

This place has been on my list for so long and finally made it here. They're known for their viral Ferris wheel. Located at the edge of China town, they offer more than 60 items for your hotpot and AYCE at a certain time frame. Their broths were so flavorful and just perfect for a rainy day. Great ambiance and excellent service from their friendly staffs!

Hotpot Champ is, without a doubt, a true champion in hotpot dining. The selection of fresh ingredients is staggering, and the quality is top-notch. The assortment of meats, seafood, and vegetables leaves no palate unsatisfied. The broth options are equally impressive, with a range of flavors to suit every taste bud - from mild and comforting to bold and spicy. What truly sets Hotpot Champ apart is their presentation and service. The staff is incredibly attentive, always ready with a smile and eager to assist. They patiently explain the process to newcomers and provide insightful recommendations. The dining experience here is nothing short of interactive and engaging. The self-cook concept adds an element of fun, allowing you to customize your meal to perfection. The aroma of simmering broths and sizzling meats creates an enticing sensory experience. Cleanliness and hygiene are of paramount importance, ensuring a comfortable and worry-free dining environment. In the world of hotpot, Hotpot Champ reigns supreme. Whether you're a seasoned hotpot enthusiast or a first-timer, this establishment offers an unforgettable journey through the world of flavors. It's no surprise they've earned their title as a hotpot champion!

It seems like this is a relatively new hotpot place that opened in Chinatown, as according to one of their servers it's only been around for 6-7 months. For my group, the service here was good and since we had made a reservation we were able to be seated immediately. I liked the decor here (with the 50 pandas they have all around), and the restaurant has a good amount of space inside. For the food, we were given the option for having AYCE for around $40 per person or so, which I think is more worth it than paying a la carte. They have a sauce bar with appetizers available, and they have a good amount of options for meat/vegetables including some more unique ones (like Ox Throat Slices, Boneless duck feet, and Beef tongue). Although I saw some other reviews mentioning meat quality, I didn't notice any issues with it and they were all pretty good for us. We had the pork belly, quail eggs, tripe, beef/lamb combo, as well as the brisket served in the Ferris Wheel. While it is gimmicky, I can't lie and say that it wasn't part of the reason that I wanted to check out this place (and it is still pretty cool ngl) Overall, I really enjoyed this place and I hope that it does well in the coming years/months! I think if they keep up the same quality and service, this restaurant has a good chance of being a staple within SF Chinatown in the future.

I really enjoyed this Hotpot spot in SF - I've been looking and asking around for hotpot recommendations and I would definitely come back to this one. I came by on a Sunday evening, and it was not overly crowded. It was 38.99/per person for AYCE and a great variety of options to eat. The sichuan spicy broth soup base was was numbing, but also delicious, and I loved the noodles with it too. I was surprised by the overall quality of the ingredients (in a good way). They had quite a few of my favorite items like quail eggs, fish balls with tobiko and many mushroom options. Overall, good spot that I would recommend!

I too am not a hotpot expert and will without hesitation defer to those who are for Many Details and comparisons to other local hotpot spots. I can testify that last evening's food was very tasty and the meat was fresh and in abundance and the wheel of good fortune was novel. Like sushi boat novel except for the food all being there when the wheel arrived and no surprises floating down a river of mystery from points unknown. As it was just hours ago I know we had a tom yum broth and a tomato base broth and both were pleasant; we didn't sample all the sauces so I cannot offer useful commentary on that aspect. What I can offer useful commentary on is an aspect upon which I believe I can speak knowledgably - the staff and the vibe they were able to resonate. Maybe partly bc we sat just inside the front door and not in the other main floor room or the tower rooms above and by being there elbows up we got a different frequency of interaction but perhaps not as well. Because the interaction was so genuine and happy I expect it would have been the same elsewhere. Staff rocks. They made my night. Good food. Happy people place. These are the simple fundamental things in life. If you're in the neighborhood you should for sure give them a try.

I'm not really a hot pot girly so I don't have a long history of hot pot places to compare to, but good is good. I ordered the Ferris wheel to get the full experience and to try differed meats. The beef was delicious in the spicy broth. My only ick would be that you have to get up to the sauce bar. I'm not sure how I feel about that but not that much of an issue to not give 5 stars. I will be back

I have visited more than 7 different all you can eat hot restaurants in last couple months. After 5 visits to my most favorite one Seapot (in San Mateo),I decided to try a new one Hotpot Champ that got pretty good reviews on yelps. First of all, Hotpot Champ probably got best hot spicy soup among all these all I can eat hot pot buffet I have visited in last several months. All others are not hot spicy to me and I barely needed drink any water at all. Spicy hot soup from HotPot Champ is the only one I would call indeed hot + spicy. If you prefer hottest spicy hot pot,Hot Champ is what you need. One guy next to my table was even mocked by his friend as he was not able to take the hot spicy hot pot. Secondly,my favorite food Beef Tripe and another favorite one are in very good quality. As best as what I am able to find from Happy Lamb Hot Pot. But they failed at 1. Below average services. A: Little cold attitude counter people. Mechanical robots that answer questions and help you if you need any but don't expect them give you big warm welcome or friendly smiles. B:After your table is served,you are pretty much on your own. Zero explanation about menu,how to order,location of sauce,restroom,etc. Through out my one hr 30 mins dinner with them,they didn't bother to come to check if I needed new water added,new foods to be ordered,new napkins,etc. Ps: It took me 25 mins to get my table while yelps indicated wait time under 5 mins. But there were not many customers after I got my table so I can recall that "being too busy"is not the reason why they gave bad services. C: While I ordered my second round of foods also my last round of foods,waiter took my order but some of them screw my order as I waited for more than 10 mins and the food would never come till I asked a waiter to get my food. Again,though it took 25 mins to get my table ready,they didn't have many customers. 2 empty tables next to me remained empty throughout my 90 mins dinner at HotPot Champ. So it should not take them so long to deliver my food. Best guess is they simply forgot about it. In my experiences with all you can eat hot pot buffet,it doesn't take 10 mins or longer to get your food ready since most of the foods if not all foods are fresh and are able to serve fast to we customers. 2. Quality of their beef. The nightmare. They have 1 limited beef combo and 1 limited beef+lamb combo. I went for the beef combo. Since they make them as limited food per table,they are supposed to be superior than other unlimited ones. Unfortunately it is not the case here. First,their beef angus brisket was too thick as their snowflake brisket. They would be a good or perfect cut for bbq but not for hot pot. But at least the angus brisket didn't taste bad. On other hand,their snowflake brisket was not just too thick and not fresh cut. The beef was obviously frozen in refrigerator and remained half frozen by the time they were delivered to my table and make it worse,somehow they remained frozen for quite long time as 15 mins or longer. After 2 pieces of these half frozen snowflakes briskets,I already felt I should just give up at this bad tasting snowflake brisket beef. The biggest nightmare came after I switched at these beef angus briskets and while I finished 1/2 of these beef briskets,I noticed a quite uncommon beef brisket. I took a pic and posted as below. A decent size black dot on middle of the beef and a big long one at its bottom. Though I may not be a meat eater as many of you guys,I don't believe this disgusting food could ever possibly served to we customers. I did find flies,hair,plastic,paper...from foods once awhile. For this kind of angus brisket,it is my first time in my 47 yrs life. Make it worse,after I pointed this to one waiter and asked him to remove the whole beef combo from my table. He explained nothing about the strange disgusting beef nor apologize for it. At conclusion,they do have some good foods and probably best hot spicy hot pot soup but they can't cover the damage from their below average services and this mystery disgusting beef angus brisket. PS: Anyone. Please correct me if it is indeed a right beef brisket.

First off, I love this place. We came here twice. Once with the original menu. (Which I like better.) Once with the new AYCE menu. The broth can be made vegetarian which is awesome. Everything about this place is awesome. You can make your own sauces. There's a cute giant cat robot named Bella who brings all of your dishes to you. Why four stars? May I suggest... 1) Decrease the portion size for the meats. It will prevent food waste, too! 2) Bring back the fresh scallops! Also, the enoki mushrooms! Even if it's an extra charge. They were our favorite ingredients. See you soon. :)

Full disclosure: I prefer Japanese shabu (preferably AYCE) over hot pot so I was already coming in with some hesitation.. However, I surprisingly enjoyed my dining experience here! Definitely come with a group of friends as it makes the whole experience more enjoyable. First off, the location is central as it is in Chinatown but also steps away from FiDi and North Beach. The dining space is also clean, modern, and spacious. The food itself was pretty good and the meats were fresh. They have several soup base selections and I was surprised at how flavorful their broths are. Our group tried the mushroom and tomato based soups and I highly recommend either! The combo Ferris wheel is a must (yes, it's kitschy but it comes with a good amount of meat -- and is actually a smart way of serving it as it doesn't crowd the rest of the table). They also have a good selection of vegetables and other sides that all came freshly prepared! The shrimp paste/balls was a big hit!

Price: 10/10 For AYCE, under $30 for lunch from Monday- Thursday, and just shy of $40 for dinner for the rest of the week, this new downtown hot pot spot is a steal. Service: 8.5/10 They have a lot of space, three stories, the upper floors were mostly empty. We got seated on the third floor, where a waiter was dedicated to serve us and just another table, and the food was sent up via two dumbwaiters. The service therefore was relatively quick. Although with this design, I could imagine it being challenging to serve more tables up here in a timely manner when the restaurant is more full. Sauce Bar and Starter: 9/10 Restaurant is well decorated and very clean inside. They have a very nice sauce bar with lots of choices and even a variety of free starter dishes, including braised chicken feet, fruits, edamame, and some (flavorless) shrimp chips. I like the design of the pot. There is a ring vent right above the rim of the hot pot to suck the air out immediately to reduce the smell and prevent the hot air from fogging up your glasses. Food: 8/10 For AYCE, there are lots of meat, seafood, tofu, and veggie choices. The food is well presented. For the most part I think the food is very clean and relatively fresh. My only complaint on quality is the lamb, which isn't as tender/fresh as I hoped, I think the lamb meat is a little tough. As a lamb lover, I would suggest the restaurant to source lamb from a different supplier. The beef brisket is decent, thin pork belly is very tender and tasty, and the crab roe fish balls is one of my favorites. I think they should also add some additional options of mushrooms on their menu, right now the only options are shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. I would add the classic enoki and oyster mushrooms. For vegetables, I'm very happy that they have very fresh Chinese yam, which is not a cheap vegetable here, and one of my favorites. I would suggest to add Tong Hao (茼蒿) to the menu, another hot pot classics. Overall rating: 8.5/10

We were looking around for a Hot Pot place. Unfortunately, there weren't many option around us, so we decided to give this place a try. Overall, the quality of meat did not justify the non-ayce option but the selection did not justify the ayce option. Meat Quality 2/5 We had the beef boat, but it was very mediocre, and the quality was not there. The pork belly was okay, but it's the quality of meat was similar to what you would get in supermarket, the lower tier obviously. I would recommend the shrimp paste. Veggie and side 2/5 The selection of veggies was very limited. In the ayce option, there were only 2 leafy green option, and 2 mushroom options. I understand enoki is expensive nowadays, but there are other mushrooms out there. On top of that, the lotus root was sour, indicating that it might have got bad. There were 3 types of noodles, very mediocre options. Service (2/5) I usually care less about service, but at this place, it did not help its case. Service was slow, and option forget your request. Sauce bar (4/5) Good sauce bar, but you also pay separately for it. The chicken feet was on point, highly recommend.

We came directly from OAK airport, honor a B day wish to dine here it's about 3pm on a Sat. not yet many customers, it cost $38.99 per person, we picked one large pot, seating was ok, two soup base, 1-traditional spice, 1-chicken based, both no special favorite ok only. we ordered meats, 2kind of fish (came 3,4 strips), few fish balls ...no specials. services at basic levels (putting orders on table) but, * Jan who came in the middle of our dining saw our soup level low spontaneous she add soups for us she also done it with her Hand in front to prevent splashing, got to gave her a "two thumbs" up. Not a shining hotpot experiences makes B day girl refused us to pay for this meals. usually I comment "recommended or not" , today, I hold comments.

Attention Foodies!! There's a new hotpot spot in town, not just any hotpot but one with a playful twist-the spinning Ferris wheels. No silly, you won't actually be on a Ferris wheel, but your food will be. How cool and fun is that! Happy Eating! Although this is not an AYCE place, the meats were high quality. @hotpot_champ_sf offers beef, pork, lamb, fish fillets, fishballs, meatballs, and a variety of seafood, vegetables, drinks, and desserts. Gotta love the creative Ferris wheel & the friendly service. This spot is definitely Instagram- and TikTok-worthy! A must-try!

I went there for brunch with a friend on a Sunday and the place was very empty. We picked the large pot, which allows half and half. The 2 soup bases that we picked were pumpkin broth soup base and Thai hot and sour soup base. Thai hot and sour soup base was really good and pumpkin not so much. In fact, we pretty much didn't use the pumpkin broth soup base at all. We ordered- 1. Beef and lamb combo (large)- this is the item that comes on the wheel display 2. Sichuan pepper beef tongue 3. Scallops 4. Winter Mellon 5. Vermicelli noodles 6. Canadian pork belly 7. Fried soft tofu 8. Brown sugar boba (milk tea) 9. Super fruity green tea The drinks were pretty good. Brown sugar boba was frozen, so I had to let it sit for a bit. It was definitely more food for a group of 2. Canadian pork belly was okay. A few other things about the restaurant- The food comes out on automated electronic carts. You can make your own sauce to go with your food. They also have chicken feet in the self-serve section where you make your sauce. Overall, it was a good dining experience. We forgot to order one of the 2 soup bases by mistake, but the staff was kind enough to let us fix that.

Ehh, could've been better and won't be coming back anymore :( I came here for the second time after a mediocre first visit, but wanted to give this place one more chance because of how much love it's getting on TikTok. Hate to say it, but it's so overhyped and there are better hot pot places in the city than here. +1 for the sauce bar - there's lots of sauces to choose from and some small plate appetizers, ie. cucumber salad and wood-ear mushroom salad. The wood-ear mushroom salad was so yummy, probably the best thing I ate there. However, besides the sauce bar, everything else was so mid. I got the Tomato broth and Chicken broth, and they both just didn't stand out at all. The tomato broth was on the sweeter side and the chicken broth had a very floral taste to it (because of the different herbs/spices), but not in a hearty way. If it weren't for the dipping sauce I made, everything would just taste plain and average. I also ordered the Angus beef and I'm not sure why, but the beef didn't hold together very well... It all kind of just fell apart and was kinda odd. This time around I opted for the Vermicelli noodles which there's literally no way to mess up, but only because when I came for the first time, I got their knife cut noodles and felt that they weren't chewy or bouncy at all.. disappointing. Overall... eh, I'd check out other hot pot places instead. The plating and ambiance is great, but what matters the most to me is the food, and that's just not cutting it for me here :(

My kiddos said it would be even cooler if the Ferris wheel could spin! Haha Generous portions, great quality of meats. Enjoyed the sauce station and the recommended ratios for each ingredients. Must try the pigs feet and kids really liked the cut noodles. Love that the vent fans were built into the table so when you leave you don't spell like hotpot. If you get saucy meats, cook that first since the bamboo boat doesn't hold in the juice too well.

4.5 stars I'm a simple woman - I see hot pot, good quality beef and AYCE under $50? Happy, solid review from me. Yes the service is underwhelming, but just be persistent about flagging down servers and try to order a bunch of food at once so that you're not consistently pestering your server for more food. Found the meat quality good and the chicken/mushroom broths were quite bland/not salty at all except for the sichuan broth. Also WARNING the sichuan broth is no joke in terms of mala spice. I only had a few bites from my partner's sichuan broth and my tongue went numb for a couple minutes lol.

Hotpot Champ is a new hot pot place that opened in Feb'23; they're currently in soft opening. The interior of the restaurant is modern, with a high ceiling. They offer shared pots that can accommodate one or two soup bases, as well as individual pots (i.e. each person having their own); what you get depends on the table you're seated at. They have the type of hot pot stoves that suck the air downwards which is great, so that you don't smell like the food you ate for the rest of the day long after you leave. Hotpot Champ offers six different broths: a Szechuan broth, a Tom Yum broth, a chicken soup base, a mushroom broth, a pumpkin broth, and a tomato broth. To me, the soup base is the biggest differentiator for Hotpot Champ. The waitress recommended trying out the broth before we added in the other stuff to cook in it to taste the broth's flavor on its own. I had the chicken soup, and it's quite tasty on its own!! My dad also loved the mushroom one. What's more, as the owner/chef explained to us, unlike most hotpot places, he uses no MSG and I did notice I wasn't thirsty as I would be at other hot pot places. All the food we order were good - fresh and satisfying. Price-point is OK; the three of us spent ~$112 before gratuity. Your meal comes with a self-serve bar mostly of different dipping sauces and a few Szechuan appetizers as well. The appetizers were tasty and it's nice to have that availabl before our broth and food came out. Note there is a charge of $2.50 per person for the self-service bar, which is reasonable. It is a self-serve bar. When we went, it was late lunch on a weekday, so not very many people. But given covid is still a thing, just be aware and make your own decision about whether you'd feel comfortable using it. I'd be remiss not to mention the service. There was one waitress when we went. She was quite busy, being there's just one of her and several tables; but she was attentive enough (we didn't need much), friendly in a no nonsense way, which I appreciated. E.g. I had asked for additional chopsticks, and she had just pointed me to where I could get it myself. As we were the last guests before they close for the afternoon, the chef/owner (I think?) had come out to chat. I appreciated his passion for food from his home; he almost got giggly as he shared that he plans to rotate soup base every season, and he talked about a couple upcoming flavors he's thinking about. His passion for feed is clear.

Introducing a fun way to hot pot, check out Hotpot Champ in SF's Chinatown This is not AYCE, but you will be full as the portions are pretty generous. They do have unlimited sides by the sauce bar though! The pickled cucumbers are soooo good! * Tomato Soup Base * Beef and Lamb Combo (Ferris Wheel) * Abalone * Mussels * Beef Meatballs * Quail Eggs * Enoki Mushroom * Spinach * Lotus Root * Cut Noodles

This was a pretty good hot pot place, it looked pretty new! They have a pretty good all you could eat special, I think it was around $37 a person. They had a ton of variety of vegetables and meats. This place had a really good sauce bar which I think is important for Hotpot! The broth was really good, we all got the spicy Szechuan broth. I'd give it a four out of five stars only because I felt like the meat quality wasn't as good as other places.

Came to hotpot champ with 4 other friends after seeing raving TikTok's of this place. Most of the TikTok's included this fly wheel of meat plates - although it looks cool, the portion size is not worth the price. We paid $50 for probably the same amount of food the $18 plate of meat gave. I would give the food a 3.5/5 and give the hotpot base a 3/5. The base did not have enough flavor, especially the spicy base. We were a little sad since we waited so long for the food. The store just opened not too long ago, so I don't blame them for being slow. But wow, they were slow. It took us 20 mins to get seated even though we had a reservation because they had to clean the previous table. Water, utensils, and the pot itself came after another 20 minutes. The food followed after about 10 minutes. Towards the end, we still had a couple of items that the waiters just forgot about. I really hope the restaurant can have their processes more streamlined in the future since service is key when it comes to Chinese hotpot. I will not be coming back here any time soon in the time being.

A new hot pot spot in a Chinatown with a unique Ferris wheel of meats on their menu. Overall a cool experience with a wide selection of meat and sauce bar. The inside is clean and modern. Would recommend reserving ahead of time because tables filled up pretty quickly around lunch time. Good pop music playing in the background. Service was friendly and quick. Hot pot base: We got the spicy and mushroom soup base. The mushroom base was my favorite, it had a rich savory flavor. Spicy soup was definitely spicy! Sauce bar: Large variety of sauces. My favorites were the roasted peanuts and sesame sauce. Sliced oranges were also very juicy and fresh. Meat Ferris wheel: On the pricier side at $50. Portions were on the smaller side, we managed to finish the whole thing split between three of us with room to spare. Overall, a unique dining experience and the Ferris wheel was cool to see. I really liked the frozen tofu. Just wish the portions sizes were larger.

3.5 rounded up to a 4 for the Ferris wheel! In general, the food quality overall was not bad (hence 3.5)! I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary so I was not disappointed. The sauce bar ($2.5/person) was typical, but did have pig feet and cucumber salad which were a bit more special. We came here solely for the Ferris wheel we've been seeing everywhere on IG so that was a fun experience! We tried making a video of carefully spinning it and did have a slight accident of a meat falling so be cautious doing that too haha. The restaurant did seem a bit short-staffed but the servers were nonetheless great - we were not in a hurry anyway. In general, there were no complaints and the Ferris wheel did deliver. The food itself to me was not mind-blowing, but i appreciated the decor and the cute dishes that everything came in. Come check it out if you're in the area and looking for some hot pot!

The food and service here are incredible. I came with my children and friend and we had a great evening learning how to cook everything. The food is really good I especially recommend the spring rolls and dumplings as they were really good and easy to cook. The ambiance is here, good music and good people. Would highly recommend.

I admit I fell for the ferris wheel gimmick. This place was very understaffed during the time I went (a weekday night). I can't believe hot pot can be this bad of a time :( SERVICE: There were only two people doing everything on the first floor (seating, cleaning tables, serving food, submitting orders). There was one woman working especially hard and she was definitely carrying the entire restaurant. We only got to order once for AYCE because it took 1 hour for everything to come out (after asking for our missing items). They also mistakenly brought our vegetables to a different table that was seated after us. I gave up on ordering or asking for anything after realizing how understaffed they were. I had to go grab a drink menu and utensils myself. FOOD/SOUP: The sichuan soup was SOOOO SALTY, I had to dump three glasses of water into it to make my meal edible. Also, please add ice to the water. The portions are good but the meat quality is just okay. There also aren't as many side options compared to other hot pot places. SAUCE BAR: I did not see a single piece of food in the three "snack" bowls at the sauce bar during my entire time there. I was looking forward to the cucumber salad, but never saw that get refilled either. Basically nothing was ever refilled. The house soy sauce is also incredibly salty. The sauce bar also has spoons that don't make sense and make it hard to fill up your sauce bowl. This is a beautiful place but I just had so much feedback to share and I really do hope they are able to improve in the future and staff properly.

TLDR: There's potential, but I think they still have a lot to figure out. Food quality could have been higher, there weren't bowls and soup spoons at the table -- just plates and chopsticks -- and the chairs were a little uncomfortable and low for the table. That being said, they had a unique area for an array of sauces and some sides (fried peanuts, chicken feet, etc) that I thought was awesome! FOOD: - if you're going to get fish, get the carp fish slices and not the sole fish slices. Trust me, it's worth it for $3 more. - Wasn't a huge fan of the beef meatballs. It felt like biting through a rubber ball? - We got the mushroom combo platter which we thought was quite good with a nice assortment of mushrooms - What this place does well is the sauces and sides! I've never seen a place with free chicken feet? And they were marinated quite well. Choose from an assortment of Asian sauces and oils and garnishes from a long table relatively close to your hotpot table. ENVIRONMENT/AMBIANCE: - I really liked the decor of this place. Definitely felt new and clean - I would say the ambiance was calm and relaxing, not crazy loud and bustling. Very easy to have a conversation - Chairs were weirdly low relative to the hotpot table which might have been on purpose? But the reality was that we were a bit uncomfortable. SERVICE: - I thought service was alright. They really did try their best and I acknowledge that, but they forgot a couple times things that we had asked for and sometimes it was difficult to communicate with the waitresses. Still, they were very nice and seemed like they wanted to accommodate as much as they could!

04/12/24 day of SF Chinatown Night Market When you first walk into the restaurant it is actually quite nice with its modern look and decorations. You can tell this place had opened recently. The place is clean and well organized. It was not busy and we got seated in 3 minutes. Now let's get to the important notes... This place is more of a game of testing one's patience because if you are expecting the food to come out in under 10 mins you will be quite disappointed. Me and my friends ordered our food and waited more than 20 minutes before we were given our broth and some sides. Funny because the sides actually came out before the broth. The protein was still not out. And... Since there was a night market going on I managed to go out to buy some snacks and came back and the meat was still not on the table. It came moments after. The food was not bad at all it's quite good, but the amount of time we waited for it really just ruined the enjoyment. The restaurant was in no way busy. There were not that many people and plus we were quickly seated. Three staff worked the service. I don't know if they were short on staffs, but my experience there was just a waiting game. Also note that this place has a 90 minute limit. However we were there for more than 2 hours we were not asked to leave. Half that time was waiting for the food so they better not have. I will still give this place a 2 star because the food was not bad and I managed to get full because we decided to just be patience and wait for the other rounds of food. Will I come back? No Do I recommend? No Am I disappointed? Yes

Came in around 515pm on a Saturday for a table of 2. When we entered, we were standing there for 5-10 mins waiting to be seated and it's not like there were no workers around. There were a few of them just standing around but chose not to greet us for some reason. After they finally asked us if we needed a table, they sat us upstairs. Only individual pots (small) were available because the 2 tables downstairs that had the large pots were taken. The upstairs only has individual pots. There was no music for a good 1.5 hours and the space is big, so it gets very noisy and I can hear all conversations in the room. They finally turned the music on around 7:30pm. Some of items were not available on the menu. See image of menu with items crossed off. After we ordered, we waited for 30+ minutes. Not sure why it took that long for uncooked items? We've never had to wait so long for hotpot items before. In the meantime we got sauces, chicken feet, mushrooms and cucumber salad at the station near the stairs. The side items were really good. I liked the mushroom especially. We ordered the Beef and Lamb Combo (the ferris wheel), popcorn chicken, seafood combo, noodles, rice and cabbage. I picked the sichuan spicy broth. It was the most saltiest broth I've ever tasted. It was so salty that I asked the server to change it to another broth. The ferris wheel is not worth it. Only had a few different kind of lamb and beef meats and diff kind of tripe. I would've preferred more meat than tripe. Also, the portions were small. We each got like two pieces of meat per tray. Not worth the price especially since the wheel did not come with vegetables. They didn't even explain what the different kinds of meat were. The seafood combo was $32 and it didn't have a lot of seafood included. There was two of everything. We paid $140 but with tip, it was $160. For that price, I could've gotten a Michelin star meal. The price is not worth the experience esp for 2 people and we regretted coming here when we could've went to an AYCE hotpot that gives way more meat. The only reason why I'm giving this place 2 stars is because our server did the best she could. She offered to change the broth since it was salty, she kept on apologizing, and she always checked on us. She was great. Also, the presentation of the food was pretty. Overall, disappointed with the experience and we will not be back.

A pretty decent hot pot spot in Chinatown. I definitely have other favorite hot spot places in San Francisco but this one is okay. I would definitely come back if it was convenient but if I could choose a different spot, I would. I would compare this spot to Hai Di Lao style hot pot except the quality of meat. They have similar broths like they offer at Hai Di Lao. The restaurant is super nice inside. There is a good amount of seating and everything seems very clean and modern. They have those little robots walking around that bring you your food, like they do at Hai Di Lao as well.

Our experience was amazing at this place. First of all, it gave modern and very clean atmosphere. The good was delicious. They have whole spice section for $2.5 per person, unlimited. Here you can get seaweed salad, chicken feet, herbs, souses, green salad, peanuts and some fruits. The hotpot was amazing, the food seemed high quality. The stuff is very polite and friendly. The have cute robot-assistant. A little bit pricey to compare with other hotpots but it wor

This place is over hyped on social media and not good at all. There was no wait time when we showed up but everything was bad. Service is slow. Broth isn't piping hot. Meat isn't fresh or good quality at all. Veggies were dirty black spots on the napa. We barely ate anything and it was like $100 wasted. Not coming back.

Come on an empty stomach. The wheel is good for about 3 people. It's another $2.50 for the sauce station. The wheel contains pork, beef & lamb. Can choose 2 different flavors of broth. At the end, their recommended dessert is delicious. I think it was some kind of friend mochi with glazed honey. Can't quite remember but yes, all dishes were good. Can be pricey & presentable but yummy. The bathroom can use an update. Was a lil gross.

Instead of Hotpot Champ please change it to Hotpot Chump. All the Tiktoks and IG videos are so deceiving hyping this hotpot place up nothing close to it and I'll explain why. TBH I just came here for the Ferris Wheel Video.... I made a reservation for last evening for a party of 5 people at 6:30PM. I arrived early to check in. No one was there to greet us, everyone that worked there looked super confused. It took them another 10mins to find my reservation that was written on a notebook. Finally we were seated, no water was offered until we asked, had to ask for extra plate and chopsticks cause there was only 4 on the table. The waiter didn't even explain their was a sauce station and appetizer station. We were provided one menu to share with 5 people. We choose the tomato soup base and chicken broth. TBH the tomato broth was too overpowering and sour IMO. Their soup broth was very basic. The soup station had flys around and it wasn't sanity. They had chicken feet, seaweed and oranges that was covered, peanuts and edamame. I was super excited for the Ferris Wheel Beef and Lamb Combo that cost $48.99, but when it arrived the portions were super tiny. For the price you pay and what you receive, it's not worth it. The beef and lamb wasn't even fresh, and their meat quality is at best C. The soup broth kinda killed the vibe for all the meats imo. There vegetables options were pretty limited. We ordered Calamari and popcorn chicken, that arrive at the end of our meal. It had no flavor looked undercooked. The food was pretty mid I give it a 5/10. My favorite part was the quail eggs. The service was nonexistent, had to call the waiter over multiple times for hot tea, more napkins, getting rid of our old plates, having to refill the soup base. Service was 5/10. The ambiance of this location is pretty spacious big and so what clean. They had one Robot to deliver food items to the table, it did get stuck a few times from tight spaces. 8/10. Unless they change their portions and lower the prices and have better meat quality, I don't see myself ever coming back, and neither should you.

For the price, I didn't think this restaurant was particularly great. As far as hot pot goes, I think this restaurant is on the pricier side as it is a la carte, and the prices for each item are fairly high. The trademark meat ferris wheel, though flashy, didn't seem to have the best quality cuts of meat, and the amount that they gave wasn't a lot for $50 either. I came here with a friend and we ordered two hot pot flavors, the house sichuan spicy and the mushroom. For whatever reason, the mushroom broth tasted soapy, and the house sichuan was also lacking in flavor. I will give props to their service staff though, who were very kind and attentive. They also have a robot that brings around your food, which is super cute.

Must-try: their tomato base Why? this is one of the newer spots in the city, I really enjoyed the presentation and the servers were kind too - would recommend taking your friends, I think the flavor could be a little better Protip: load up on the free goodies before your meal

Saw this place on Tik-Tok and had to try it when I was in town. Kam was our waiter, and he was extremely attentive. He took excellent care of us! We got half chicken broth and half spicy beef oil. The spicy oil option is SPICY- even medium was a lot, but I was able to add more chicken broth to cool it down. We had to get the ferris wheel option, which was a fun experience to enjoy at the table. Only complaint is that you can't choose what meats you get in it, it just comes with lamb and beef. I would love to be able to choose other options if possible. We also tried the prawns (head on) which were SO GOOD, as well as the angus brisket. We also got noodles, mushroom and napa cabbage. It was more than enough food! They also had the cutest robot that delivered food. Loved that! Will definitely return when I am back in SF

We had their individual pots, mushroom and spicy, the snow beef and lamb shoulder, and cabbage. The good - sauce buffet with free cucumber, woodear mushrooms, oranges; meat and broths were delicious, presentation was great. Only downside were the price (definitely on the higher side, you gotta pay for the presentation!). Service was quick but we came at not a very busy time. They did seem understaffed. I would highly recommend you try it once and then decide if it's worth it to you.

Heading to iconic Kearny street in San Francisco? Check out the incredible Hot Pot Champ! This is a new spot for the Kearny street lovers. It's not all you can eat, BUT you get QUALITY over quantity without burning an SF-priced hole in your wallet haha. Nowadays, that's a rare find! Plus, you can either share the cooking experience with a grand hot pot or people can have their OWN, adorable, hotpot for themselves. Step into a cozy and inviting atmosphere, where the aroma of simmering broths tantalizes your senses. Hotpot Champ's expertly crafted broths are a labor of love, simmering for hours to develop rich, nuanced flavors that will transport you to culinary nirvana. Beyond the extraordinary cuisine, the attentive service at Hotpot Champ is truly innovative haha with their robo service bots! The passionate team takes pride in curating a dining experience that goes above and beyond. As you savor every bite, remember that Hotpot Champ's success is a testament to their relentless pursuit of perfection. Their journey from humble origins to becoming a beloved culinary destination is a triumph of passion and hard work. So, San Franciscans, venture to Hotpot Champ on Kearny and indulge in a symphony of flavors that will leave an indelible mark on your palate. Create food memories Isabelle Pinard