Haidilao Hot Pot West Broadway - 海底捞火锅 — Restaurant in Vancouver

Rarely is the occasion where one walks into an establishment and both patrons and employees have genuine smiles.

On this particular encounter, it was experienced as a solo diner, and a first timer to this location (although I’d experienced Haidilao, and an abundance of hotpot elsewhere, including in China).

I was kindly guided through the menu selection, encouraged to register for the Haidilao membership (where diners can earn redeemable rewards and additional savings). There was a brief moment where we came up against some registration issues (with the verification code not being accepted, but it transpired that this was likely to do with special characters in the password).

Even as a solo diner, all the passing waiters and waitresses acknowledged my presence (a key detail which is often missed in comparative establishments), and soon after, a companion (the “Hi” mascot), was soon brought to the table, much to my pleasure and the joy of many of the children (and adults!) of families who were passing by to their tables.

The hotpot, is conveniently divided into 4 segments, allowing patrons to choose up to 4 or double down on their favourite broths. For this assessment, the pork bone broth and pork bone/chicken were chosen as base flavours.

The food was to exacting standards of Haidilao’s global reputation, with each bite seemingly more favourable as the broth marinated. A nice gesture of the server was to offer a small bowl to taste the soup as it warmed up ready for the dipping ceremony.

To top it all off, an ice-cream (a local staple, called Chapman’s was free), the perfect ending to a case of overindulging to help the stomach settle.

10/10 and next time I’ll be sure to bring...

I come dine at Hdl very often and everytime I visit i was always satisfied with the amazing customer service. But today we had the worst experience ever. We participated in 31%, first our server said if we wants to choose ayce beef and lamb or 31% off for ALL dishes, which I knew was a bit strange since i thought the discount was for certain dishes. Also, our empty plates were kept on the table, our cups were empty the whole time and when we asked for something it took ar least 10 mins for him to get back. We waited very long for icecream. He asked us for flavour and he came back 20 mins after. Also took 15 minutes to get the bills and we kept track of time when he got back to us as we were chatting thru sns. Also, when it came time to pay, I found a bit strange since the 31% happy hour deal seems not to be included on the total bill so I asked him if the discount is applied and he said yes so then I proceeded to pay it. After we were doing our own calculation, he came back and said he will give us cash back without an explanation. So we were certain that our happy hour promotion is not applied. If we did not find what was wrong and we wouldve been overcharged and indeed we were. Even after I asked if the promotion was applied. The worst part is that there was no apology after all, no explanation, no apology. He seemed to not even discuss about his mistake with his manager.

We got completely ignored, he only focused on other tables because one of the table seems to be friend with manager? (Calling her by her first name) and we were not...

I'd like to think I'm a bit of a veteran hotpot customer. I've been to almost all of the ones in my hometown and they are relatively the same when it comes to the quality and value. I also never leave hungry. This prompted a visit here as its new to me and it was highly rated. I was expecting the same quality and value and since it's in Vancouver, maybe it might set the bar higher. Unfortunately I was not impressed with the food or experience to justify a bill over $100 for 2 people. Maybe if this was an all you can eat which included premium items I could justify the price but sadly it was not. Food was good quality but portions small and price high. I thought it was a mistake that a small handful of mixed basic veggies was $12. I legit got charged for every little thing including $8 or $9 to go to the sauce bar. The service was great, staff on hand and checking on us almost every 10 mins. I noticed the restaurant was spotless, staff that weren't serving customers were all cleaning like crazy. To order and view the menu was all done on a tablet, food was served by a robot. Aprons were provided to keep your clothes clean. Wife said the bathroom was beautiful and stocked with a bunch of goodies and feminine hygiene products. I like what they are doing to up the experience while eating here but unfortunately it has a cost. I'm pretty simple and I like to eat good food at a fair cost. Not a fan of the gimmicks, just a fan of food. This meal back home would have cost us $60 tops and we would have left...