Where to eat hotpot in Hong Kong this winter: 9 must-try restaurants, from Michelin-starred Dong Lai Shun and Southeast Asian Cloud Nine, to shabu-shabu at Gyujin and healthy options at Wu Lao Guo

Jan 14 , 2023

Hong Kong’s hotpot scene is thriving with old and new establishments. Photo: Getty Images

Though Hong Kong has plenty of winter warmers, hotpot is the undisputed king of cold weather comfort foods. With so many regional variants to try - from Southeast Asian bak kut teh at Cloud Nine to shabu-shabu at Gyujin to truly local Cantonese interpretations at Lau Haa - these are our top picks for the soupy communal delights to enjoy as winter folds into spring.

1. Cloud Nine

Cloud Nine’s bak kut teh soup base. Photo: Handout

Nestled in Happy Valley, Cloud Nine serves up something different for hotpot enthusiasts. Its specialities are soups with Southeast Asian influences – think nyonya laksa, tom yum kung and bak kut teh.

iG/F, King Inn Mansion, 13-15 Yik Yam Street, Happy Valley

2. Dong Lai Shun

Mutton hotpot is a signature at Dong Lai Shun. Photo: Handout

Possessor of a Michelin star since 2013, Dong Lai Shun’s most famous dish is its Inner Mongolian mutton hotpot, which comes with paper-thin slices of black-headed mutton.

B2/F, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East

3. The Drunken Pot

The Ultimate Drunken Pot at The Drunken Pot. Photo: The Drunken Pot

Another innovative hotpot specialist. There may be your regular Sichuan-style numbing spicy soup base but also look out for its drunken chicken and black truffle flavours.

27/F, V Point, 18 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay

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4. Gyujin

Gyujin is famous for shabu-shabu. Photo: Handout

If shabu-shabu is more your style of hotpot, Gyujin is for you. Diners can get both Kagoshima kurobuta pork and Japanese Wagyu beef for their pots, as well as plenty of Japanese vegetable sides.

Shop 301-303, 3/F, Causeway Bay Plaza I, 489 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

5. Lau Haa Hot Pot Restaurant

This Causeway Bay favourite stands out for its colourful retro decor. Still, the food is nothing to sniff at. There are more than 20 types of soup base to choose from and plenty of options to accompany your choice.

Shop A, G/F, Lockhart House, 441 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay

6. Megan’s Kitchen

Megan’s Kitchen has a variety of original hotpot soup bases and handmade dumplings and meatballs. Photo: Handout

One of the most popular hotpot specialists in town, Megan’s Kitchen is renowned for its original hotpot soup bases – tom yum kung cappuccino, for instance – as well as its handmade meatballs and dumplings.

5/F, Lucky Centre, 165-171 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai

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7. Nabe One

Nabe One offers buffet-style hotpot dining with lots of Japanese ingredients. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A Japanese hotpot restaurant, the hook here are the all-you-can-eat dinner options. Choose from the likes of pork and chicken all the way up to A4 Japanese Kagoshima Black Wagyu to go with your soup.

Shop A, 17/F, Lee Theatre Plaza, 99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay

8. Quan Alley

Taiwanese hotpot at Quan Alley restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Alex Chan

Another popular Taiwanese outpost in Hong Kong, trek through the maze that is Harbour City to reach Quan Alley for its numbing spicy soup that supposedly takes seven days to ferment.

Shop OT G57, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

9. Wu Lao Guo Hot Pot

Wu Lao’s combination spicy and tofu broth hotpot. Photo: Wu Lao

With a name that means “elixir health pot”, Wu Lao Guo serves hotpots with a twist. There’s a focus on supposedly healthier options like the collagen chicken and ginseng chicken, as well more typical hot and spicy options.

2/F, Kyoto Plaza, 491-499 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay

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Did someone say drunken chicken and black truffle flavours? Hong Kong’s hotpot scene is thriving and restaurants like The Drunken Pot and Megan’s Kitchen are coming up with innovative soup bases
Michelin-starred Dong Lai Shun sticks to its OG mutton dish, Quan Alley’s numbing spicy soup takes seven days to ferment and Wu Lao Guo offers supposedly anti-ageing options like collagen chicken