Happy Lamb Hot Pot, Ottawa — Restaurant in Ottawa

I was a huge fan of the Little Sheep in New York City, so when I moved to Ottawa, I was thrilled to find a Little Sheep nearby. After two extremely disappointing experiences at the Ottawa location, I have no plans to return. The staff, the service, the food, and the cleanliness were all very poor.

I never saw the same server twice. Servers would come by, often in groups, chatting among themselves, and drop off food at my table without a word to me. Sometimes food that I ordered never came. Other times, food I didn't order mysteriously arrived. When I asked what one item was, the server could not even identify what they had just put on the table. When I said I didn't order it, the server asked if I was sure, pointing to the order form as if it indicated I did. But if you don't even know what the food is, how can you be sure I ordered it?

The plates were dirty, with some weird orange oily residue. We asked for new plates, which were cleaner, though I wouldn't exactly call them clean. The sauce bar area is downright unsanitary, with wide-open containers, spoons that make spilling a certainty, and congealed sauce everywhere. Considering one of the sauces contains peanuts, you'd think they'd try harder to keep the sauces from spilling and mixing.

The food quality was poor. Some of the vegetables were dirty and starting to spoil. The tofu was freezer-burned and stale. The meatballs were as dense as neutron star, and I felt a black hole in my stomach forming as I tried to eat them. The only food that seemed fresh was the sliced meat.

In summary, do not waste your time and money at Little Sheep in Ottawa. Hopefully I can find another hot pot place to get my fix, but otherwise, I'll wait for my next trip to New York City. This place is just...

Happy Lamb Hot Pot is easily one of the best hot pot spots in Ottawa — fresh ingredients, flavorful broths, and a great overall dining experience!

The all-you-can-eat menu is generous and packed with options. The meat is sliced perfectly thin, especially the lamb and beef — tender, fresh, and excellent quality. There’s also a wide selection of seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, noodles, dumplings, and more. I especially love their fish balls with roe inside — super flavorful and fun to eat!

The broth choices are another highlight. The spicy Sichuan broth packs a punch (in a good way!), while the original bone broth is rich and comforting. I always go for the half-and-half pot, which lets you enjoy two flavors in one go. You can customize the spice level too, which is great if you’re dining with friends who have different tastes.

The sauce station is clean and fully stocked, with everything from sesame sauce and garlic to satay, soy, green onion, chili oil, cilantro, vinegar — you name it. It’s fun to create your own dipping sauce combo.

The restaurant itself is spacious and clean, with a warm and lively atmosphere. Even when it gets busy, service is impressively fast and attentive. The staff are friendly and always quick to refill the soup base or bring out additional orders. They also explain things clearly if it’s your first time having hot pot.

Pricing is reasonable considering the quality and all-you-can-eat format. You definitely leave full and satisfied!

Whether you’re a hot pot lover or trying it for the first time, Happy Lamb is a must-visit. Great for family dinners, friend hangouts, or even casual dates. I always leave...

Before my review, a few important things to note: the Special Hot & Sour soup base is REALLY SPICY! It should have beside it at least 3 peppers 🌶🌶🌶 but they must have forgotten to print it.

Leave as many as possible of your belongings, especially jackets, in your car. Anything you bring/wear will smell like hotpot for days (unless you want to smell like that for days).

Onto the review:

GOOD friendly service fresh meat generous portions of meat most other non-meat ingredients are pretty fresh too kid-friendly good value for the price for lunch overall the place is clean and well-ventilated (we went in October so it might be different in the winter) and doesn’t smell weird when you’re eating inside (note: your clothes will still smell for days after you leave)

BAD spinach and watercress were not good. Very tough even after cooking them for a long time. they were short-staffed so the service was a bit slow, but I could tell the poor employees were being as efficient as possible. this applies to all AYCE restaurants, but the amount of food waste I witnessed during my meal there made me angry and sad, especially considering the environmental crisis we are facing now where the meat industry is a major contributor.

Overall, a very good AYCE hotpot place, but I probably won’t go again because of the food waste, the lingering smell, and the fact that I am getting old and my stomach just can’t handle...