HaiDiLao Hot Pot Shinsaibashi Branch — Restaurant in Osaka

First Time Trying HDL in Japan.

The weather was cold, and after two weeks of Japanese food, having some familiar and warm dishes was amazing.

I’ve tried HDL in Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea, and I must say the food and service standards remain consistently high.

I didn’t make a booking, and the waiting time was supposed to be 90 minutes on a Sunday evening. However, after the front desk 小姐姐 learned that my younger child had been unwell for the past two days and hadn’t eaten much, we managed to get a table in just 40 minutes—huge thanks to her!

Price-wise, it’s much, much cheaper compared to Singapore. The half portions of meat, especially the beef, are more affordable and generously served.

Service-wise, I was attended to by 潘邦迪, a humble and very attentive server who managed to provide excellent service despite handling 8 to 10 tables. The branch manager, 周振亞, was also very kind. He noticed my two kids and personally brought over some unique toys for them.

Unique Food Highlights: Duck Blood: A rare dish that’s also available in Malaysia but less common elsewhere. It’s absolutely delicious. Warabi Mochi: Unlike other outlets that offer free desserts like ice cream or soybean curd, I ordered this to try, and it was fantastic. Highly recommended!

Overall, I had a 9.5/10 dining experience. Thank you to everyone at this HDL outlet for making it such a...

As someone who used to live in Sichuan, I really missed hot pot. I was in the area and decided to swing by on my own to get my fill. When I arrived I definitely felt judged for showing up alone, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

The food was amazing, which is almost a shame, because I don't ever want to come back. My waitress was very sweet and did a great job, but her manager (I'm assuming it was her manager, that is) was INCREDIBLY rude to her while they were both standing at my table. She raised her voice at her, smacked her arm multiple times, and forcefully took things from her. My Chinese is bad nowadays, but it was clear from watching the uncomfortable interaction that her manager thought she was an idiot (she was NOT).

Is this how you treat your own staff? That's shameful. And to do it in front of customers, no less. The poor waitress was probably humiliated, and I was really uncomfortable for the entirety of my stay. It felt like I was being scolded as well.

I've also never been bothered for a nail service while in the middle of a meal before. I found it weird and unnecessary. You have to pass the nail counter on your way into the restaurant, so if I was interested, I would have inquired there...

Absolutely weird vibes. Thank you for the delicious meal, but I don't want to...

The staffs are very polite but service standards are not up to what Hai Di Lao’s is famous for. My prawns were not de-shelled nor asked if I needed help to do it. Serving size was small compared to other their outlets. The most disappointing part was that I was given my bill and asked to check the bill before I finished eating. I felt I was being asked to quickly finish and go. And after a while, the waiter came up to me and said they needed to take back the table for the next guests who had made a reservation. This is the first time I am told to give back the table when I am not done eating. I did not order more food yet it does not mean I am done with my meal. I was not told that I have to give back the table by a stipulated time at any point from I arrived at the shop till I was shown to my table. It was such a rude shock. And overall, the standard of the soup base is not up to standard also. I will not come back to this...