Grandma Liu Hot Pot — Restaurant in Burnaby

There are so many hot pot spots in the community, but we recently checked out JOJO POT, the newly rebranded spot formerly Grandma Liu Hot Pot.

JOJO POT uses the same pay-by-weight concept and offers great value with extras like $3.99 lobster tails and $0.99 abalone each.

What sets them apart is their variety. We were impressed by the choices: 10 soup bases — from Lobster Bisque to Kimchi Cheese, Tom Yum Goong, Miso, and the Signature JOJO Pot 4 dry mix options — including Tianshui Malatang, tomato, curry and dry mix Over 100 ingredients 😮 And 12 new drink choices like milk tea, strawberry, and passionfruit

The drinks are extra, but pairing one of the new drinks with the hot pot is worth it.

There's also a sauce bar where you can build your own dip using chilli oil, sesame paste, satay, oyster sauce, green onion, cilantro, and more. There's also a self-serve water station where you can get a cup of cold water or hot tea.

We went with the Lobster Bisque soup base (new and limited edition), hoping for a bold seafood flavour. It was slightly too light and not too creamy, coming off a bit diluted for our taste—we were expecting something richer.

They were running an opening promo, so we also got to try their ✨new✨ mango & strawberry shaved ice. The mango and strawberry shaved ice come in different textures but are sweet and refreshing, especially for warm days! That said, the presentation looked a bit different from what we saw in their social media posts 👀😅

There are already so many pay-by-weight hot pot options in town that our expectations are high. We're looking for standout ingredients, diverse soup bases, and complimentary touches (drinks or small desserts included).

JOJO POT has room to grow and has a lot of potential. We'd love to see them introduce seasonal ingredients or limited-edition broths to keep things fresh and give diners a reason to return.

It was a solid experience, and we will return to try their other soup bases!

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Food: 🍲🍲🍲🍲 ShouldTry! Service: 👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳👩‍🍳 Kids: 👶👶👶👶 Yay! They have some non-spicy soup base. Price: 💲 $20-$30 per person; No minimum order required. Presentation: 📷 Parking: There is plenty of street parking in the neighbourhood. Tips: 📝 Check their IG for promo/deals. 📝 Provide services in the field of meal takeaway or order delivery. 📝 Can be perfect for a comforting meal. Would I...

Grandma Liu has rebranded to Jojo and I wish it was a separate Google page because all the old reviews are still here.

This place is like an economic version of other malatang places. There is only 1 server for the whole place. There is less variety of ingredients, your table number is told to you, and you have to remember to tell the cashier.

Their lobster promo for $3.99 was a gimick. It is half a lobster tail, and you have to pay both $3.99 and its weight (including the weight of the wooden stick).

Everything is self-serve. If you purchased a pop, you have to get it yourself. If you want water, you go take a pitcher yourself.

Unlike other spots, you don't have a personal number tied to your order. So, if you have a big group, they will say the soup name, and you have to figure out whose it was.

All the soups we tried were so bland. This included the kimchi cheese, lobster bisque, and their jojo signature. The only good thing was that the kimchi cheese soup came with pieces of kimchi, which is extra veggies for you.

The sauce bar was ok. It had the usual stuff and also green chili oil.

Unfortunately this place is not very green. Mostly everything was dispoable. The water cups, the dessert bowl and cutlery, and even the bowl they give you to put the lobster shell. This is to probably save costs for a dishewasher.

Lastly, the shaved ice was a disappointment. They don't even tell you the flavor unless you ask. It was supposed to be green tea, and it was indeed green but had no flavor. They decorate it with a knock-off oreo, a gummy candy, and 2 eyeball candies. The candies were rock solid, and the eyeball was so hard it could crack a tooth.

I feel they should not be charging the same price as other malatangs if they are going to skip out of quality.

Note: If you visit for the first time and sign up for their rewards, you can apply $5...

Food: I saw many food influencers visiting their newly renovated restaurant, so I thought it was worth a try—especially since my previous experience at Grandma Liu was just okay. Unfortunately, it still feels pretty mid. I went around 8 PM and the restaurant was about 60% full, but they were already out of their signature lobster bisque, which they’re promoting as their standout item. They were also out of kimchi and tomato soup base.

It seems like the team is still new and figuring things out. The cashier was clearly frustrated with the kitchen running out of items, but unfortunately, she let that frustration show to customers—even though no one was complaining.

I ordered the JoJo Pot Original with extra spice. Sadly, the chili oil was disappointing—it tasted burnt, wasn’t spicy or numbing, just greasy. I’d recommend sticking with the original (bone?) broth. Their hot pot selection is basic: frozen meats, seafood, balls, and veggies—nothing special. The sauce bar is also standard, with no unique options. Restocking was slow, which others have also mentioned.

They offer free dessert like most hot pot places—here it’s shaved ice. It’s “cute,” but I personally prefer soft serve ice cream.

Service: It depends on who you get. The cashier seemed stressed and a bit rude, but the host and bussers were friendly and attentive, especially with clearing tables and offering shaved ice.

Atmosphere: The space is newly renovated and clean, but the tables are packed pretty tightly. It’s not ideal for hanging out, as it’s easy to overhear other conversations. It’s more of a quick in-and-out...