Despite the sweltering hot weather in Singapore, the one thing that we can all unanimously agree on is how lovely it feels to gather around a hot pot with our loved ones whilst dunking slices of meat and assorted raw ingredients into a pot of steaming hot broth.

Singapore has an abundance of hot pot restaurants, with many of them sprouting long queues that can last hours on end. With that, the real question is; are the queues at some of these places worth joining? Or is it just another overrated hot pot restaurant that doesn’t warrant the long wait?

If you’re looking for the answer to that question, we have here a list of our 8 favourite hot pot restaurants in Singapore that we feel are worth the long, snaking queues.

Photo Credit: Beauty In A Pot

BEAUTY IN THE POT

This place is one of the more well-known places on the list due to the fact that they open till 6am in the morning, which is great for the hungry insomniac.

What makes this place stand out from the rest are their rich, collagen-based soup bases that are great for the skin, body and soul. When they said you’ll be getting beauty in a pot, they meant it!

OneKM Mall
11 Tanjong Katong Road, #02-21
Singapore 437157
Tel: +65 6284 8820
Daily: 11.30am – 6am
Nearest Station: Paya Lebar

CAPTAIN K 

Popular for its multi-tiered seafood tower, Captain K is the place to be at if you love having fresh seafood in your hot pot. Here, they do not compromise on the quality and quantity of their meat so you can be assured that you are getting the best hotpot experience.

We also love how this place is open till 1am on weekends, allowing us to indulge in hot pot goodness after a round of drinks.

122 Middle Road, #01-00
Midland House
Singapore 188970
Tel: +65 6255 5744
Mon: 5.30pm – 11m
Tue to Thu & Sun: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 11.30am – 3pm, 5pm – 1am
Nearest Station: Bugis

HAI DI LAO 

The most highly rated on this list has to be Hai Di Lao that is famous for its 2-3-hour-long queues. Despite being deemed as overrated, we feel that it is worth the hype. The service here is incredible and they never fail to serve up fresh, quality food.

We also love how they have such a wide range of ingredients and broths that leave us spoilt for choice. Even though the queues can get pretty ridiculous, we feel that it is worth the occasional indulgence.

313 Somerset
313 Orchard Road, #04-23/24
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6835 7227
Daily: 10.30am – 6am
Nearest Station: Somerset

HUA TING STEAMBOAT 

This underrated hot pot restaurant serves up a pretty impressive spread at affordable prices. We love how flexible it is here and you can opt for one of their set menus or go all out with their extensive a la carte selection.

Located in the heart of Orchard Road at Claymore Connect, this place is easily accessible and great if you happen to be in town.

Claypot Connect
Mezzanine level #01-08, 442 Orchard Road
Singapore 238879
Tel: +65 6739 6628
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Stevens/Somerset

JINJI TEOCHEW STEAMBOAT 

This no-frills Teochew steamboat restaurant is our go-to place for an affordable, authentic Teochew hot pot feast. The wall is plastered with photos of celebrities who have tried and loved the food here, so you know you’re in for the good stuff when you dine here.

What is reassuring and somewhat amusing is how the owner promises that if the food is not tasty, they will refund you back every cent.

176-178 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427447
Tel: +65 6348 8924
Tue to Sun: 12pm – 2.30pm
Mon to Sun: 5pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Paya Lebar

Photo Credit: Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang

LI JI CHUAN CHUAN XIANG

Li Ji Chuan Chuan Xiang serves a variety of delicious dishes which they carefully prepared using the freshest ingredients but the key thing they are known for is their unique coconut broth hot pot. Opened until 5.30am daily, they’re a decent joint to head to after a night of tippling at the bars just next door.

76 Prinsep Street,
Singapore 188663
Tel: +65 6251 7717
Daily: 12pm – 5.30am
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut / Bencoolen

PARADISE HOT POT

For an affordable, authentic Hong Kong-style steamboat experience, you should check out Paradise One Pot. Here, they too offer up individual hot pots with your desired broth.

We love how there are a whopping 14 different soup bases here for you to choose from as well as an extensive array of a la carte items for you to dunk into that steamy, hot soup.

CompassOne Mall #03-05,
1 Seng Kang Square
Singapore 545078
Tel: +65 6386 4838
Mon to Fri: 11.15am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Seng Kang

SPICE WORLD HOT POT

If you’re looking for a more extravagant (and overly dramatic) hot pot experience, then Spice World Hot Pot is the place for you. Here, they serve up dishes with authentic Sichuan flavours that will satisfy your hot pot and spicy food cravings at the same time.

We absolutely adore their quirky decor as well as their unique dishes such as their adorable Teddy Bear Spicy Butter and their Premium Barbie Wagyu Beef.

Clarke Quey #01-06/07 3B
River Valley Road
Singapore 179021
Sun to Thu: 10.30am – 4am
Fri to Sat: 10.30am – 6am
Nearest Station: Fort Canning

Photo Credit: Huanqiu.com

Haidilao—famous hotpot restaurant chain from China—opens the world’s first restaurant run by robots in Beijing.

No, this isn’t something out of a sci-fi movie. It’s very much real, and it won’t be long before they bring it from Beijing to Singapore too.

Thanks to a collaboration with between Haidilao International Holding Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation, this joint venture sees to the world’s first eatery with a fully automated kitchen and staff. That’s right; from taking orders, preparations and delivering raw meat and vegetables to the table, the robots do it all.

Photo Credit: WinShang.com

It’s hardly surprising, considering that China is so far ahead with its cashless technology and automated services. This automation will also lower labour cost and boost efficiency, boosting Haidilao’s plan to expand worldwide. It is, after all, difficult to expand to that size in terms of manpower alone, so this shift away from manual labour is really just part and parcel to reach their goal of 5,000 outlets worldwide.

What do you think about it? Sooner or later, the only other human faces you’d see in Haidilao are just your fellow diners. Not going to lie though, we’d love to see a robot fling around some hand-stretched noodles too.

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot is finally opening a new outlet in the East of Singapore at Bedok Mall. Known for its Sichuan-style hot pot and exceptional services, Hai Di Lao has quickly established itself as one of the most popular hot pot restaurants in Singapore.

The opening at Bedok Mall is certainly great news for East-siders who no longer have to travel all the way to town to satisfy the cravings for the awesome tomato soup.

Over at Hai Di Lao’s outlet at 313@Somerset, it is not uncommon to wait for at least 45 minutes for a table during dinner hours.

While Hai Di Lao has yet to announce an opening date for the Bedok outlet, the menu is expected to be the same as the other locations.

Other than the new location at Bedok Mall—which is located directly above UNIQLO and next to the entrance of Bedok MRT—Hai Di Lao Hot Pot currently has four other outlets at 313@Somerset, Clarke Quay, VivoCity and IMM. We wouldn’t bet against it opening the next outlet in the North of Singapore.

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot
311 New Upper Changi Rd
Singapore 467360

EXCLUSIVE: UberEATS is delivering Hai Di Lao Hot Pot on Chinese New Year Day 3 (30 Jan 2017) and you can legit get a Hai Di Lao meal for 6 (valued at S$300) for free. And no, we are not kidding.

THIS IS JUST ABOUT THE BEST NEWS, ISN’T IT?

Here’s how you can get Hai Di Lao Hot Pot on UberEATS:

30 Jan 2017 is the day. From 10am onwards, open your UberEATS app. Do make sure that you are within the UberEATS Singapore’s coverage area.

Tap on the Hot Pot billboard at the top of the app to request for Hai Di Lao Hot Pot for 6.

Demand will be extremely high and there are limited sets; you have been warned. So just keep trying and requesting, because good things are worth putting in effort for. If fortune smiles on your belly, get ready to feast and party!

UberEATS’ Hai Di Lao Hot Pot is free for new users to the app. You can unlock your free Hai Di Lao Hot Pot meal by keying ‘Hai Di Lao Hot Pot’ as your delivery address and ‘HOTPOT’ under Promotions.

Standard Chartered customers also eat for free. Unlock your free Hot Pot meal by keying ‘Hai Di Lao Hot Pot’ as your delivery address and ‘SCHOTPOT’ under Promotions. Remember to tap on your Standard Chartered credit card as the payment choice.

If you are not a new user nor are you a Standard Chartered cardholder, this Hai Di Lao Hot Pot set for 6 (U.P. S$300) is S$88—which is still a steal, anyway.

Good luck, guys! We are definitely keeping our fingers crossed that we can get the Hai Di Lao delivery on UberEATS!