🇨🇦 Waterloo’s Militarized Restaurant – Liang You Ji

A $30 AYCE hot pot place open only 4 days a week. Finish your food or get scolded. Stay too long? Scolded. Dare to tip? Still scolded. 😤 Waterloo’s infamous militarized restaurant—come if you dare and prepare to be yelled at. The dim yellow lighting, the greasy-worn tables and chairs… I thought I’d stumbled into some obscure Chinatown gang hideout. 👀 The old man pointed at my face, demanding, “How many people?” before coldly jotting down my number. His retreating figure looked straight out of a GTA NPC encounter. 🎮 Though it’s all-you-can-eat, they start by slamming a pre-set spread onto your table. You can order more later—if you dare. Say what you will, but the broth here is 100% free of artificial additives. Left side: plain boiling water. Right side: boiling water with chili oil. 🌶️💦 The meal kicks off with the classic satay sauce + raw egg combo—absolute perfection. This is the boss’s secret recipe satay sauce, which bears zero relation to the Fujianese original. Beef 🥩 Limited to 2 plates per person. Fresh, with clear marbling—quality stuff. We got seated with strangers, and as an introvert, I just shut up and ate. 😶 Beef Offal & Brisket Featuring lung, liver, and intestines. Dipped in satay sauce, it’s weirdly addictive. Handmade Meatballs Tiny, scrappy little nuggets—clearly made from leftovers. Chicken 🍗 One word: tender! Two words: silky tender! Dumplings & Wontons 🥟 House-made, with chewy wrappers and generously stuffed fillings. Black Pork Slices 🐖 As a pig, it carries zero gaminess—a rare feat! Tender and smooth. How does the boss even do it? The drinks? Mid. Tastes like powdered mix blended with ice shavings. 🧊🚫 Driving 1.5 hours from Toronto just for this? Not worth it. But for locals, Liang You Ji is their cafeteria, student hub, and Waterloo’s nightlife. Out back, in the dimly lit alley, some have smoked there, some have laughed there. Now, everyone’s scattered to the winds—each facing their own battles. 💨 #TorontoWaterloo #UniversityOfWaterloo #LiangYouJi #LiangYouJiHotPot #WaterlooFood #TorontoFood #TorontoLife