Big Way Hot Pot (Robson) — Restaurant in Vancouver

"Delicious Food, but Ongoing Service Issues Need Attention" I’m a regular customer and usually visit at least once every 3 weeks The food is always great, so don’t get me wrong, but I’ve hesitated to write this review because I generally don’t like to complain. However, after my most recent visit, I feel like I need to speak up.

Every time I visit, there seems to be something wrong. One recurring issue is missing rice. On multiple occasions, I’ve either been served undercooked rice or no rice at all. One time, I pointed this out to a server who checked my receipt, which clearly showed I ordered two servings of rice, but they initially tried to tell me I only ordered one. After reading the receipt again, they apologized.

Another time, I didn’t keep the receipt, and again my rice was missing. A manager came over with the payment machine and told me I had to pay $2.50. I explained I had already paid, but because I didn’t have my receipt, I had to insist they check my order. Sure enough, I had paid, and the rice was missing. This has happened at least three times now, which is frustrating.

Then there’s the service. One server, who’s a little older and wears glasses, delivers food in a way that feels dismissive—like I’ve done something wrong. For example, when serving soup, they practically threw it on the table. It made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

The last visit really sealed the deal for me. When our food arrived, my spoon was missing. I asked for one, and the server said the spoons were still being washed and she’d bring one over as soon as it was ready. I waited patiently, but the spoon never came. I ended up finishing my "soup" without it. When another server came to clear our plates, I mentioned I never got my spoon. He apologized, and I asked if I could have an extra scoop of ice cream to make up for the experience. He said yes and brought us two scoops, which I thought was a nice gesture.

However, when we finished, we realized the promised additional scoop never came. We had to approach him again to ask about it. He apologized again and eventually brought it, but at that point, it just felt unnecessary and frustrating to keep following up.

Before I left, I told the original server about the missing spoon. She apologized, but honestly, it left me questioning how something so basic as utensils could be overlooked in a restaurant. It’s disappointing when such a fundamental item isn’t available, and it diminishes the dining experience.

That said, there’s one server who always stands out for her kindness and professionalism. I don’t know her name, but she’s a South Asian/Indian lady who truly seems to be the heart of this restaurant. Her delightful smile and the way she approaches customers are pure joy. Even through my awful experiences here, I always remember her. She serves with such care and ensures all customers feel welcome.

I’ve worked in hospitality myself, so I understand how busy it can get. But the lack of attention, repeated mistakes, and staff avoiding eye contact made me feel ignored as a customer.

I hope this feedback is helpful because I genuinely love the food and want to keep supporting this restaurant. I just hope the service can be improved to match the...

If it were a drinking game, playing "Spot the Hot Pot Restaurant" in downtown Vancouver would get you wasted in a hurry. Even so, my wife and I were intrigued from the very first location we encountered, which just happened to be this one. The enticing array of sliced meats, veggies, and various edible aquatic critters idling in salty pools waiting to be devoured spans a wall running halfway to the back of the restaurant, was all the advertisement we needed.

After checking in, a host(ess) explains the procedure: grab a bowl, fill it up with ingredients (warning: this is a pay-by-weight establishment!), and select a broth (or dry rub) to finish it off, pay at the counter, surrender your creation to the soup sorcerers behind the curtain, grab a table, and wait for your piping hot concoction to arrive, a few short minutes later. For added customization, there's a topping bar containing such delights as green onion, cilantro, salt, sugar, vinegar, diced garlic, and all manner of sauces you're also likely to find at a Mongolian Grill, ready to be scooped into little brass serving bowls which you can take back to your table, and apply at your leisure.

In the end, our eyes proved larger than our stomachs. If you can finish the whole thing, you either underserved yourself, or you have a truly impressive appetite! Both my wife and I ended our meal with enough leftovers to go to last for another meal and a half, each! Fortunately, it does not suffer much from the re-heating experience.

Lastly, a soft serve cone of (taro?) ice cream awaits you, should you somehow still have room for it, or are simply in desperate need of cleansing (and cooling?) your palate. It wasn't my favorite flavor of ice cream, but my wife and kids loved it, so I am clearly in the minority here.

More than anything, even the delicious flavors (and everything was truly, wonderfully fresh and delicious!), my wife and I both remarked on how efficiently the whole place was run by the servers and bussers. As soon as a table was abandoned by its diners, than a veritable host of employees swooped in, bussed it, cleaned it, and turned it around for the next group. Similarly, each time one of our bottles of lemon-water was emptied, it was promptly replaced within a matter of seconds, sometimes without me seeing who it was that did it. Even our ridiculously bulky double-stroller was accommodated without issue or complaint by the staff, or any nearby customers. All in all, a shining example of an efficient, well-oiled customer service machine, without a single flaw to fixate upon.

Hot pot may be pricey (well, it is when you overload your bowl, as we did), but it was one of the most fun, memorable, and tasty dining experiences we had in Vancouver, and one we are not likely to ever forget. I foresee a return visit when we make our way back to Canada for our anniversary...

30+ different fruit and vegetables per week is the number cited in a number of plant-based nutritional websites. That's great in theory, but in practice, no regular refrigerator can house that much fruit and vegetables, and most importantly, it is impossible to eat that much before they past their 'fresh' date because you can't exactly buy a few leaves, you have to buy the whole bunch. That's why the Big Way Hot Pot is such a great idea for me. It provides a good way for me to increase my weekly vegetable count. At lunch or dinner time, there's generally a wait of around 30 minutes. Thankfully, they use a waitlist system. You just have to be there in person when your number is up and you are the next in line or you would have to start at the bottom of the list again. The first time, I surprised myself by choosing the bone broth after finding out that there is no garlic used, wow! It was absolutely the right choice as an introduction to Big Way. The website says that there are over 100 items to choose from, it was awesome to see the selection in person. I picked many different soy products and vegetables. There is no way I can gather this many variety of ingredients to make the same hot pot at home. I chose a lot of vegetables, they even had sliced winter melon, different sizes and texture of bean curd skins and tofu. Although they don't have gluten free noodles, they have Korean yam 'glass' noodles. There are lots for a vegan items to choose from, and many more items if I was willing to choose meat. After we made our selections, we'd line up at the cashier to pay. Then they took our 'bowls' to the kitchen, added soup, boiled our food. They avoid adding garlic and MSG to the broths by offering a counter full of condiments and sauces: peanut sauce, hot sauce, garlic, Korean hot sauce, MSG and lots more. I didn't check out that counter because I wanted to enjoy my broth pure. At subsequent visits, I chose the mushroom broth. Both broths were very clean tasting. I didn't add salt or seasoning, it was lovely as is. If they weren't so busy, this would absolutely be a place I would visit every week to increase the number of my weekly vegetable consumption. One thing though, this is an eating place only. The noise level was so high it was impossible to hear my friend talk. There were times when the hostess didn't get the timing right and invited people the start their selections too soon. When that happened, those people had to stand around in the corner of the room watching everyone eat, while their broth is probably already cooked and may be even getting cold. Well, I have been back more than once since. This is for sure my comfort food...