yihotpot 燚火锅 — Restaurant in Nuevo León

The food here was honestly delicious. But to be completely honest, the staff’s attitude was shockingly indifferent. At some point, I really wondered what the male staff members were even doing were they there to work or just stand around?

There was one female server who was genuinely kind and helpful, and I appreciated that. But the male staff? I honestly had no idea why they were even there. They showed zero interest in the customers and made no effort to explain how anything worked or how to eat the food.

At one point, I even thought maybe they’d never actually eaten the food themselves and didn’t know how to explain it properly. And just to be clear it’s not that they treat Asians better than Mexicans or vice versa. They’re simply indifferent to everyone.

There was a man wearing glasses who seemed like a manager or someone in a higher position, but it honestly looked like he wasn’t doing anything at all. If you don’t ask for help, they don’t offer. And even when you do ask, they answer with little to no friendliness. This was my first time at this restaurant, and I’ve never been to China, so naturally, I didn’t know how to eat this kind of food properly. Which is exactly why I expected some kind of explanation. But unless you directly ask, no one says a word. And when they do answer, it’s just the bare minimum they don’t really think about why you’re asking or how they could actually help. It felt incredibly frustrating.

If I were the owner, I’d seriously retrain the entire staff. And honestly, if certain people aren’t willing to improve, I wouldn’t hesitate to let them go. It’s not about how professional they look, but whether they can actually provide service. And in this case, most of the male staff seemed to be doing absolutely nothing of value.

I came here because of the good reviews and was really looking forward to it. But after this experience, I don’t think I’ll be coming back. Sure, the food is tasty and has that traditional Chinese flavor. But when it comes to service which is part of what you’re paying for it was just plain disappointing. At some point I just wanted to leave.

And honestly, this isn’t the only hot pot restaurant in Monterrey. There are other options. So why would I choose to come back to a place where the food might be good, but the service made me feel unwelcome and ignored?

Yes, the place looks upscale and the ambiance is nice. But for people unfamiliar with this cuisine, it’s essential that the staff take time to explain things. That didn’t happen here. Unless you ask, you get nothing. And even when you do ask, the response is cold and unhelpful. It left me feeling completely...

You either have to cook (hot pot dynamic, 650 MXN), or have ready to eat food (250 MXN).

If you are open to cook in a hot pot soup, especially in company or in a group, this could be an amazing experience, well worth of the extra expense! The food given for cooking was excellent as well!

The hot pot dynamic is not common so you could get confused, but the servers and host are very cautious and gentle, so don't hesitate to ask for help and confirm your custom dishes selection before ordering on the tablet.

Just beware, some menu items are not translated from Chinese, or are confusedly named. Just ask for help, they are very open...

⭐ 1 estrella (porque no hay opción de poner media)

Entré al restaurante a las 9:15 p.m. con hambre, buena actitud y ganas de probar algo asiático. Gran error: no sabía que lo que realmente servían era desinterés con guarnición de desprecio pasivo-agresivo.

Vi que había asientos disponibles, mesas vacías (incluso la típica barra con asientos individuales que uno esperaría en un restaurante asiático), el lugar casi solo… lo que uno pensaría que es ideal para cenar tranquilo. Pero no contaba con el guardián de la entrada: un encargado con lentes que claramente estudió en la escuela de “Cómo espantar clientes en 3 pasos”.

Le pregunté si podía cenar ahí. En lugar de un "claro, bienvenido", empezó una clase magistral improvisada sobre el menú, mezclada con advertencias veladas sobre los precios (un intento de "prevenirme" ). A pesar de que le dije que no había problema y que quería ordenar algo rápido (como un ramen), se dedicó a dar largas y negativas hasta soltar, como quien lanza un “plot twist” innecesario: "es que ya vamos a cerrar". Faltaban 45 minutos para el cierre.

Y claro, el restaurante vacío. Literalmente vacío. Pero aparentemente también estaban cerrados… al sentido común.

No sé si era el encargado, el gerente o un heredero jugando a ser emprendedor. Pero lo que sí sé es que el servicio al cliente no estaba incluido en su paquete de privilegios.

Curiosamente, al leer otras reseñas, parece que este tipo de trato es la “especialidad de la casa”. Una lástima, porque cuando la atención no mejora, ni el mejor ramen o carne fresca lo compensa.

Y la ironía del día: un restaurante asiático discriminando a la gente. Digno de una novela...