Haidilao Hotpot Darling Square — Restaurant in Sydney

I have been to haidilao so many times (always had positive experience in the past) but our recent experience was extremely bad, especially given how much effort I made to organise things in advance.

I rarely leave bad review on google maps and I’m giving 2 stars because the staff at our tables really tried to improve the experience after our bad start.

I called the venue to book for a group of 13, making it very clear that we had two birthday guests and would like two tables next to each other outside. I was told this was possible and guaranteed a 6pm outside booking with birthday decorations. I even followed up via message to reconfirm the timing and asked for photos of the table setup to avoid any misunderstanding.

On the day, when my guests arrived at 5:50 we were told that we were only on a waiting list, and that the wait would start at 6pm. We ended up waiting over an hour just to be seated at one small table. Yes, 13 people at one table with no space for food.

Then I find out from some staff that outside tables are not usually bookable, that’s probably how this whole chaos happened. If that’s true, why wasn’t I told this on the call? If I had known, I would’ve happily come earlier to queue. Instead, I was misled into thinking we had a proper reservation, only to be told we were essentially walk-ins..

Then I had to repeatedly ask staff if we could get a second table. We were already seated at the far end of the area, which meant only one side of us had an adjacent table. When that adjacent table became available, the staff almost gave it to another group, even though they were aware we were waiting for it to seat the rest of our party. So I had to keep asking for it and explain how that would be the only way to get two adjacent tables. If they had done that, we would have had no way to ever get the second table next to us.

The food was fine as always, and the waiters at our tables were all trying to help improve this situation. Really appreciate it. However, the planning chaos and miscommunication completely ruined the experience. I had to make changes to other bookings I made after the dinner because of Haidilao’s mistake. It made the birthday celebration very messy.

Do not recommend for large groups and...

Absolute amazing experience followed by staff that are attentive to make the experience unforgettable and enjoyable throughout.

This is the first time dining at haidilao as me and my friend wanted to try hot pot and boy… we were blown away.

The service from the staff from reception to our server was immaculate and friendly. Our server sherry or cherry, was very nice, friendly and helpful. Since it was our first time ever having hotpot, she was recommending us something’s and even confirmed if we ordered enough food cause you may order too little from the amount we did. She also gave us tips and insights as well as shared her favorite sauces and seasonings from the sauce bar. She really made the highlight of our dinner and made it welcoming. I truly applaud her friendly and caring ethics.

In terms of food, we ordered a large number of meat dishes as well as veges, tofu and more. As this was the first time we ordered quite a lot and left very full. Food was amazing and had not a single issue.

The noodle dance from the gentlemen was a unique twist that went a long way as this isn’t something most restaurants typically do and it made the dining experience all the more enjoyable. We asked how long he practised for and he said 3 months+ which shows the dedication.

At the end of our dinner sherry say to keep our receipt and present it to the reception to take part in a little game that we could enter to get a gift. We went there, provided the receipt and was offered to get a card from a box randomly which contained a gift. We got two pretty cool unique pins and it was a very unique and memorable thing.

I would definately return and bring more friends conworkers and tell more people. Amazing service and food and you will not be...

Haidilao has a fun atmosphere, i do prefer the chatswood branch for a few reasons following. After booking there was still a 20min or so wait for a table, they do try to make this as pleasant as possible with offerings of free tea and popcorn while you wait, but being up on the 5 floor just outside the lifts, the space can get quite cramped quite quickly. The whole experience feels super rushed, we were barely dining for an hour when you start to get this constant coming to your table and makes what feels like you're being rushed out. The waitress, altho super cute and friendly, needs to allow some allow some personal space with customers, usually an arms length distance is considered normal in Western countries, hovering about 15cm away from your face makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. The sauce system compared to the rest of the offerings is a rip-off at $6 per person. Especially when someone only wants a little soy sauce or chilli sauce for dipping or something. Perhaps $2 pp, or included like some other places, or $2 per sauce on the menu would be more acceptable. If you go with a group of 6 people, you are potentially paying $30 for sauce, enough to sauce up for an entire year at your home Pantry, and dont think you can get away with sharing a sauce. Even if you only had one dip off your mates plate they will still charge everyone on the table. On the plus side, the place is clean, the toilets are nice, the soup broths are pretty good and the food offerings are pretty good too. The vibes they try to...