Old Alley Hot Pot Austin | 龙门阵火锅奥斯丁店

This was my first time dining at this Old Alley Hot pot restaurant. I found it through highly rated reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I chose the Premium Beef set and switched from the Beef & Lamb option to beef only. The ingredients were fresh and clean, and the vegetables came in a wide variety. They also offer many à la carte dishes to choose from. Aside from the food, there were desserts I truly enjoyed. I recommend the Sweet Light Cake, and the bingsu was also delicious. I liked that the portion sizes were not too large—perfect for customers who don’t want to overeat but still want to enjoy something tasty. The restaurant has a beautiful atmosphere with traditional Chinese–Taiwanese–style décor. The staff were cheerful, attentive, and constantly refilled the broth while making sure customers were well taken care of. I’m very impressed with this place, and I will definitely come back again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First time here and I LOVED everything! Got the half Golden Chicken Broth and their Classic Spicy Tallow. Meat quality was great, the portions for the prices in my opinion were generous. Service is great, sauce bar has desserts included which is nice. Definitely my favorite spot for hot pot now in Austin. Not AYCE but honestly didn’t think of it while eating. 10/10 experience!!

Delicious, authentic Sichuan hotpot. I came with girlfriends and we ate an array of dishes and thoroughly enjoyed every single one. The restaurant is also beautifully decorated. Definitely IG worthy if you care. One request: please include more options like tempura, beef balls and similar on your menu. The menu was more limited for a hotpot place.

FOREWARNING before you go!!!!: *There’s an $80 minimum spend and their ordering system is online (charge your phone!). *Even if you don’t order the sauce bar, the server may make you their “favorite sauce” and say it’s on the house, only to later charge $2.99 per person. *You may be stopped before exiting to confirm your tip (not the parking lot, but right before the door—iykyk 😂). That said, the food tastes great, the broth refills were generous and the vibes are cool. We went on a weekday when it wasn’t busy at all and ended up staying for about three hours. Still, none of that justifies the lack of transparency. Unfortunately, because of that experience, we won’t be coming back.

Came here right around they opened on a Tuesday. Glad we came early as it got really packed! Family friendly. We ordered three broths and I was too weak for the spicy broth. My mouth got really “burnt” I should have known better. Please don’t judge: we ordered pork blood, pork brain, pork intestines, beef tongue, beef rib eye, pork belly and mushrooms. You have to scan the QR code to order, they don’t have menu. What’s cool about it is if you’re wihh th company, the QR code does recognize the order of everybody on the table. The sauce bar you have to pay I believe $2.99 and because of too much spice on the main menu, j enjoyed the sago and eight fortune dessert. They have fruits and the fish/shrimp crackers too. The ambience took me back to Hongkong. They do not offer military discount. Overall, it’s an authentic Asian hotpot to go to! Next time we come I won’t order the spicy soup! 😆

Honestly the best hot pot I've had in Austin. This is the only place I would go to instead of making my own at home, which is honestly high praise. Extremely authentic ingredients and sauces, generous portions, and surprisingly good prices. The drinks and desserts were also excellent. It's obvious how 地道 this place is when you see 90% of the clientele is Chinese when you walk in. The decor is also really cool, but I'm just impressed at how good the food was.

Went there 8 times ever since it’s open. My favorite hotpot place in Austin for sure. Went there last night, the new item “milk mochi” is soooo good, the cereal wrapping reminded me of childhood flavors. I like spicy but soup base I prefer “little spicy”over “medium spicy” since that’s less oil and I can taste ingredients flavor better Sauce I like pepper + sesame + peanut + garlic + sesame oil , sesame oil is my new favorite dipping Food wise - I didn’t have their seafood much, but most items for hotpot are pretty good. My top 1 recommendation is the fried tofu skin in tomato soupbase. Other than that I order beef & lamb combo, sausage, fish tofu etc every time.

Great hot pot spot in Austin! The atmosphere is fun and lively, with a very authentic Chinese vibe. The broth options are flavorful, ingredients are fresh, and the meat quality is really good. Service was attentive and the restaurant was clean and well organized. Definitely a great place for friends or family to enjoy hot pot together. Will come back again!

This place is legit, an à la carte hot pot place. We got the two soup flavors: the pork broth was excellent but the spicy beef soup was too spicy for us (mala numbing chilis plus other chilis). The beef and lamb combo was fresh and we also got the snow pea leaves and hand made noodles - both would order again. Service was great, nothing to complain about Would come back!

THE BIG: Super vibey and delicious hot pot place in Austin. The interior transports you into an ancient chinese building. Plenty of parking in the lot outside. THE BLACK AND WHITE: I came here with a few friends after a long day of mini golf at the Pitch. I never tried Old Alley however the friends swore by it that it is the best place in Austin. After having it, I can also confirm. For the hot pot setup, we got the dual broth, beef and lamb combo, beef tripe, fish balls, beef aorta, quail egg, pork intestine, spinach, mushroom combo, spicy beef slices, fish fillet, pork blood, and dried mountain jelly veggie. This might seem like alot (and it is) but we were able to house everything, all four of us. There was a dipping condiment bar that had everything you need to create your ideal dipping sauce. Mine is always some sort of sesame oil and then gochuchang. THE FINAL BAMBOO: This grand meal was around $155 for everything. I left very full and satisfied. I would definitely come here again to eat more items.

It's cold! (40 Degrees as of this writing), so what would hit the spot? Hot Pot. Makes sense for the name. Atmosphere: Modern, bright, and a little buzzy once the burners get going. Tables are set up well for groups, and the room hums in that cozy way once the dinner rush hits. I Food: Hot pot here is à la carte, not AYCE--so you build your own lineup and it adds up based on what you pick. I did a split pot with spicy Sichuan (mala) and chicken. The mala has that numbing-tingly heat without nuking your palate; the chicken side is clean, slightly salty, and great for seafood and veg. Thin-cut beef swishes to tender in seconds, shrimp stayed snappy, and the assorted meatballs scratched that comfort itch. Sauce station leans classic--sesame, garlic, vinegar, chili--mix and keep tweaking as the broth develops. If you're used to unlimited places, the per-item model here feels more curated Service: Friendly and patient--good about walking first-timers through cook times so you don't turn ribeye into shreds or shrimp into rubber. Wrap-up: Solid Sichuan-style broths, a thoughtful à la carte setup, and staff who keep you on track. If you want hot pot that feels a step more intentional than the all-you-can-eat circuit, Old Alley's a worthy add to the rotation.

We visited Austin for the first time and wanted to explore some Chinese restaurants here. We did some research on the Red Note (a very popular Chinese social media app), and someone mentioned this is the best hotpot in town, so we Ubered all the way from downtown to try it. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing from the start. The waitlist system makes zero sense. There is no differentiation between small, medium, or large parties. We saw two people sitting at a table that could easily fit six or more, which reduced efficiency and extended the wait time for no reason. When we asked the hostess for an ETA, she was incredibly dismissive and simply said she had no idea and that we would have to wait until others finished. My friend and I waited almost an hour before finally getting seated. We ordered two types of beef, shrimp paste, cilantro meatballs, some veggies, and plum juice. Both the ingredients and the broth were underwhelming. The dipping sauces, especially the satay and sesame ones, were so watery that it genuinely felt like they had been diluted to cut costs. For about $70 per person, this was absolutely overpriced. If this place opened in New York, they would be closed in a month. I feel sorry for the hot pot fans in Austin, you deserve better.

Opted for the mala, tomato and golden chicken broths. The golden chicken broth is not worth the additional $5 to be honest. This was the least favorite broth. The sauce bar is an additional fee which is a bummer. The meat quality was great as well as the vegetables and mushrooms. We split this amongst 3 people and we all left pretty full. I wish they offered soft serve or some kind of dessert other than the fruits!

I think this is the best hotpot in Austin for the price, service and atmosphere. When you walk inside the restaurant, you're transported to a village in China! It's not all you can eat, but both times I came I was stuffed at spending $30 a person. You can have an options of sharing different broths and they have a variety of meats and veggies available. Sauce bar with fruit, kimchi, rice crackers and desserts is always a plus. Highly recommend getting. I love the meat trays, mushrooms and fish balls. They also provide aprons to use while you eat and refill the broths frequently. There can be a long wait - so prep when you go during dinner time.

Came here right around they opened on a Tuesday. Glad we came early as it got really packed! Family friendly. We ordered three broths and I was too weak for the spicy broth. My mouth got really "burnt" I should have known better. Please don't judge: we ordered pork blood, pork brain, pork intestines, beef tongue, beef rib eye, pork belly and mushrooms. You have to scan the QR code to order, they don't have menu. What's cool about it is if you're wihh th company, the QR code does recognize the order of everybody on the table. The sauce bar you have to pay I believe $2.99 and because of too much spice on the main menu, j enjoyed the sago and eight fortune dessert. They have fruits and the fish/shrimp crackers too. The ambience took me back to Hongkong. They do not offer military discount. Overall, it's an authentic Asian hotpot to go to! Next time we come I won't order the spicy soup!

It's so nice that we finally have hotpot options in Austin. I remember the times when the only option we had was the premium option of DipDipDip (RIP). Old Alley brings a new "flavor" of hotpot to Austin as they're more of a Sichuan style. We tried the three broth option and my personal favorite was the vegetable oil spicy broth. I thought I was going to enjoy the classic beef tallow spicy broth more but it ended up being a bit too gamey for me. I would recommend having the non-spicy pork bone broth for vegetables since vegetables tend to absorb a lot more of the spicy flavor if cooked in the spicy broth. My only gripe is the charge for access to the sauce bar. :( Make sure you finish off with some milk shaved ice!

This year has been the year of new hotpot spots opening up in Austin. Old Alley is a welcome addition, and I appreciate that they aren't an AYCE establishment, focusing on high quality, fresh ingredients. We tried a trio of beef tallow spicy broth, pork bone broth, and golden chicken broth (extra $5 charge). The broths are flavorful and rich. My favorite was the beef tallow spicy broth since this gave the numbing, Szechuan kick of spice. You can also adjust the level of spice to your taste. They have an immense selection of items. The three of us ordered the deluxe beef and lamb, shrimp paste, mussels, fortune bags, mushrooms, greens, and noodles. The meat is presented beautifully around the hotpot. I would recommend having a group of four or more if possible if you want variety and more bang for your buck as the individual items can add up quickly. Our final cost was about $45/person before tax/tip. Service is prompt, and the staff are friendly. Our waitress even made a sauce for my friend. I don't love that they charge $3/person for the sauce bar though. I do love the retro, street style decor. The parking lot is tight on space, so I recommend getting here at opening time. When we got here a little bit before they opened, there was already a line at the door at noon on a Saturday.

Reallllly tasty hotpot place. It's a la carte with no AYCE option. If you're looking for quantity this will come out more expensive than the AYCE options. We got the broth trio, prime angus beef, lamb, greens veggie combo, lotus root, and 2 sauce bar add ons (sauce bar also includes some kimchi, spicy radish, and little rice crackers + some desserts). The total came to around $80. The service was fine but not the most attentive. Busy wait of around 40 minutes on a Sunday night. Ambiance is the nicest of any hotpot place I have been to and they have decorated really nicely for the holidays.

This place is such a whiplash of opinion. The good part is that it's some pretty good food. I enjoy every broth and the presentation for the meat is great. The taste is traditional and I enjoy the pork broth and golden chicken broth as my top 2 easily. The golden chicken broth is a $5 upcharge but at least there's good flavor with chicken actually in the broth itself so it feels normal for the price. You can order using their QR code and you can see everyone add to the same table/bill so there's no need to do that math or fight over one phone to order. The only thing is that this place is SO expensive for what it is. Also, sauce is over $2 each little bowl. They end up asking you how many you used at the end so there's no point in not ringing it up. Every other hotpot I've been to has never charged for sauce in this way. I brought a friend's husband from China here and he was so surprised at how much this place will charge, although we all agreed that the flavors are nothing to complain about. It's just not really worth it to have often. I still enjoy many places in Houston over this one, but at least Austin has a relatively good and authentic hotpot place in town. If this was in any other city, it would be outperformed by a place that has lower prices and a larger Asian population. If you're not super picky, I would go somewhere else. This is considered a fancy and high price tag for what's pretty much soup at the end of the day with little service.

As a Sichuan man (at least my parents are), I give my official seal of approval. As of writing, this place is the most authentic Sichuan style hotpot in Austin. The vibes are immaculate. In front of the door hangs gorgeous lanterns. Walking in, you are transported to a charming village style restaurant, with dilapidated brick walls acting as dividers between tables. Seating was quick for evening dinner Wednesday and food came quickly. We ordered the triple broth, which allowed us to choose three different flavors. They warned us that their spice levels are higher than usual, and they were right! We ordered mild, but it was perfect for us, and we have high spice tolerance. We ordered an assortment of meats and vegetables. For those more adventurous, you can try pig brain, I am not about that though. Service was excellent with constant attention to water refill and removing empty plates. We ordered a bit too much but the total came to about $40pp after tip. But you can probably be full spending $30-$35.

This establishment does not take reservations, so be prepared to be put on a waitlist once you arrive. Once our table was ready, we were transported to Asia, as the restaurant was beautifully decorated. We scanned a QR code to pull up the menu and order online. If you plan on using the sauce bar, they require you to pay a $3 fee. The hot pot is a communal pot, shared by all members of your party. While delicious, I would not order the kobe beef if I were to come again, since the beef and lamb platter was less expensive and came with a lot more meat. With some meat, fried rice, seafood balls and veggies, it was about $140 total for 2 people. If I were to crave hot pot, I would rather go to Soupleaf if I were to be honest, because they have more variety for a fraction of the price.

Came back the second time and still really enjoyed it. Service was excellent! staff were very attentive the whole time. We came to celebrate a friend's birthday, and they surprised us with a cute birthday song and complimentary shaved ice, so sweet.

OBSESSED!! So happy there is a quality hot pot place now in Austin !! Not only was the broth flavorful and the meats high quality, the ambiance was so amazing. It was well decorated and making it feel like you are in a cool alley while having hot pot. Be mindful of the spicy level. We do regularly eat spicy food but was warned that this place is spicier than normal so we went with "light spicy" which was already very spicy. We ordered a la carte for 2 people, but did not hold back. It ended up being comparable to AYCE at other places but realistically we were already so full. We waited about 5 min before we got seated and it was a Saturday and not too bad. We did go for a late lunch to avoid the rush. We went around 2 pm. I feel like this hot pot place is on the higher end. It does constitute overall higher prices, but you get what you pay for!

This is the best hot pot I've tried in Austin. We went with two broths. The spicy Sichuan beef tallow and the golden chicken. The spicy broth had that numbing heat that's so addicting, and the chicken broth was a savory way to balance it out. The lamb and beef combo was plenty of food for the two of us. My favorite bite was cooking the noodles in the spicy broth, putting them in my bowl, and then pouring a little of the chicken broth over them. The service was also super fast. You order everything from a QR code at your table, and the staff was always proactive about refilling our broth before we even had to ask. I loved the atmosphere, too. The whole restaurant is decorated to look like you're in an alley, and it's clear they put a lot of attention into the details to create a really cool vibe. I can't recommend this place enough! We'll definitely be back.

Old Alley is my new favorite hot pot in Austin! The meat, broth, and toppings are all so fresh and delicious. And the shaved ice is cracked!!!

Amazing hot pot experience. I've been to many different hot pots but this has been my favorite experience by far. The spice and flavor of the broth was some of the best I've ever had! For all the food we got, it was very reasonable and we left feeling so full. The service was super attentive and we were able to be seated as soon as we walked in. The restaurant itself is decorated so cute and was a great backdrop while eating. We loved the space and the food.

Incredible place it feels like you're transported to another world! The decorating is such a vibe great place to have dinner. The food was incredible you can add access to a little buffet area with sides and sauces and a few desserts def recommend adding that. We order a few plates it it was really good portions we couldn't even eat it all I recommend you start with a few things and add as you go. The service was just as amazing they were always attentive and friendly. Really fun experience!

I heard from a friend that a really famous and delicious hot pot chain XLK is rebranding into Old Alley Hotpot, but I'm not sure if that's true. I can definitely see the similarities behind the branding and how good the hot pot is. You can't deny that their broth and quality of ingredients are really good. The decor inside is so authentically Chinese, and it reminds me of old Chinese historical dramas. The only reason I give three stars is because I visited once a few weeks ago, and I came around 6 or 7pm with some friends. I purposely ate very little that day because I knew I was going to eat hot pot, so I was starving. The hostess told my friend it would be a 30 minute wait... and it ended up being a 2-hour wait. I have no idea how 30 minutes turns into 2 hours, but I'll still be visiting again because this is the best hot pot in town.

Tried this new hotpot place in town and it did not disappoint! First off, the hostess was so sweet. There was about an hour wait and she updated us on the status the entire time. There's no reservations so make sure to come early or expect a bit of a wait. This is more of a traditional Sichuan hotpot restaurant and the menu and ambiance reflected that. The place was decorated like an old Chinese alleyway with windows and exposed bricks. They had a few selection of broths and you can choose between 1, 2, 3, or 9 broth combos. We tried 3 of them and they were all good. I loved how the spicy broth is made with beef tallow which made it more authentic. There was quite a bit of meat selection and we tried the beef, lamb combo for $25. Portions was quite generous but I thought the beef was too fatty. Sauce bar was a separate $3 charge and it includes sides such as kimchi and Chinese desserts which I thought was decent. Highlight of the meal was the $7 shaved ice/snow. It was so good but the portion for that was very small. All in all, we had a great meal will be back. This is definitely one of the better hotpot places in town. Not cheap but worth it IMO.

This is a great hot pot option in the Austin area. Service is quick and friendly, and it's a cute place to eat with family and friends. Expect a long wait time.

Very delicious hot pot! I enjoyed my experience very much. The meat quality and broth flavor was best that I've had in Austin. Weekends get very busy.

This spot is legit. Service is friendly and attentive, and the staff are quick to explain the options or refill the broth when needed. We got the combo meat ring, the trio broth, and a few other items. Everything was fresh and plentiful. There's also a sauce bar for your dips and fruit slices to cool off your palate. Super cozy inside. Definitely would come back!

It's a SOLID hot pot spot in Austin. The tomato broth is fragrant and flavorful even with the water base. The inside is beautifully decorated, very oriental chinese vibes. Service is pretty quick and there is a $3 self serve sauce bar. I think that's a bit pricy, but it's okay because they have amazing kimchi. Lots of different vegetable options. It is a la carte not all you can eat. Expect to pay 20-30 a person.

Amazing fresh food, always a good experience! Service fast and kind. Ambiance is super cute and really shows the theme of the place I love it

I went to Old Alley Hot Pot Wednesday night around 8 pm, it was pretty full. The space is really cute and they even thought to decorate the ceiling with lots of laterns and the brick walls by each table. You order through an app on your phone, and once you submit, the food comes out fast since you're cooking everything yourself. We ordered the half beef half lamb combo, for the Gram, haha! It comes on a wooden board that circles the pot. The only downside is you can't choose your own two meats, like what if i preferred beef and chicken? As for the broths, the golden chicken was our favorite, though you can pick up to three. I also liked the beef tallow broth.Staff came by a few times to refill broths, which was great. What makes this different from other hot pot places is that the pot sits lower into the table, making cooking much easier. For dessert, we tried their shaved ice, it was basic but still good. If it's your brithday, they bring out the sign, blast the song and tambourines. LOL. I wish the staff wouldn't use fabuloso to wipe the floors while we were there. I know they are using the wrong ratio because it smells wayyyy tooo strong.

The food and service here was extraordinary!! Shout out to the best hot pot in ATX!! Try to come on week days cuz there's zero wait at all.

Very good. First time doing hot pot. The chef was quite excellent! Enjoyed the eggs. Yum!

NEVER COME HERE This is the worst hot pot experience I've ever had in my life. Their tomato soup is extremely sweet but somehow no matter how long I keep the foods in the soup it always comes out absolutely bland and flavorless. Not to mention the absolute highway robbery prices. We paid 170 dollars for 3 people just to eat the shittiest most bland food I've ever had. Don't ever come here unless you want to feel miserable for the rest of your night. I truly feel bad for all the people who might come here in the future. again, DO NOT EVER COME HERE

The food here was very expensive, each individual add in being 5ish dollars. The broths were very bland and they charge for you to get any sauces and they only had a few can drink selections. Overall spent 100$ for bare minimum. Additionally the music was so loud and the windows have a pink film that makes your eyes hurt. Will not be back.