18th Street Hot Pot — Restaurant in Adelaide

nope. absolutely not. let me tell you about this horrific experience.

we come in at about 9:30, wait around 10 minutes to get a table (quite normal considering they were busy), put our bowl together and paid at 9:46. they give us a stand with the table number and bowls with cutlery. around 10:20 i realised our food was still not here yet other tables after were eating- i went and checked and they claim they don’t own a stand with the number 12 (our number), to which i remind them it’s on our table and show them.

they then look confused and claimed I LEFT THE TABLE thus they put it in a takeaway box AND convinced me I ordered takeaway. i’m sorry but logically speaking if i ordered takeaway why would you give me a table number and bowls? this was clearly an illogically ill thought plan to say i was in the wrong. without even apologising they grabbed the take away bag put it into a bowl (was cold) and brought it to our table. i was so in shock i just ate what wasn’t suspiciously cold and left.

so disappointing and it was terrible service. btw for 0.6 kg we paid 30 dollars so please SAVE YOUR MONEY there are brilliant hotpot spots out there in Adelaide you don’t need to come here. lack of curtesy, civid mindfulness and most of all MANNERS! the worst part is we are all humans, mistakes happen. but to

1. claim i was wrong even though there were many instances that proved otherwise
2. roll your eyes and slam my food into a bowl cold
3. not even utter an apology shows that this restaurant does not teach its staff how to handle rough situations or what it means to be courteous. I will not be returning to this branch and i heavily urge to read this review twice before you think about going there...

Overall, food was good and delicious. However, during the evening 15/07/2025 1935, when it was quiet and no staff were at entrance, people including us walked in without knowing a ticket was required. It felt welcoming but also a bit confusing, as there was no one to guide us at the door.

My group of friends and I walked in, not realizing we needed a ticket. After preparing our bowls and heading to counter to pay, the cashier asked about our table ticket. Just then, a crowd started to form behind us. Since we didn’t have a ticket, the cashier told us we couldn’t proceed that way. She seemed a bit rude perhaps because of a long shift? or crowd? or just person?? but suggested we change our order to takeaway. We had 2 orders: 1 for dine-in and 1 for takeaway, but she asked us to make both takeaway as crowd were approaching so quick.

This interaction surprised my friend, as the cashier’s tone felt harsh. However, she later came back to us and explained things more calmly. I understand it might not have been her fault perhaps it was just the timing and the atmosphere.

The main issue, in my opinion, is that there should always be a staff member at the entrance to guide customers, even when it’s not busy. When there’s no one at the door, people assume they can just walk in, which can lead to confusion and uncomfortable situations like ours. Later, when it got crowded, we did see people showing their tickets at the front.

The food was great, but we didn’t enjoy the experience due to this situation. It would really help if staff were consistently stationed at the entry, with clear guidelines about ticketing and how to order.

Thank you and as always, we love the food....

SCAM ALERT!!!

BEWARE OF REDUCED BOWL PORTION AFTER FOOD IS COOKED!! ALWAYS ASK FOR A RECEIPT AFTER PAYMENT!!!

We’ve been customers of 18th Street Hotpot since they opened and we’ve noticed the very subtle portion reduction, along with some other things, but that’s for another review.

At first we thought it was just our imagination but NO. Tonight was NOT subtle at all. I ordered a bowl weight of over $50 in value (the picture attached is an example of that value, the contents are to the top of the bowl with ingredients including different types of seafood options, broccolis, spinach and some other vegetables with two instant noodle noodles. NO MEAT). We received ONLY noodles with three seafood fortune bags and a piece of MEAT!! I made it known to the staff and their reaction to the matter indicated this is not their first time doing this. They were NOT shocked or bothered.

So much more happened to this story, but my order was resolved eventually, after multiple questions from the kitchen staff, relayed by the lovely floor staff which got me my original order.

CUSTOMERS, please take a mental note of how much you put in exactly, take a photo of your bowl before they take it along with the amount you paid or get the receipt so they don’t scam you! If they don’t resolve the issue, you can use your proof and report it to the authorities. Check online for options on what accounts you can...