Xita Lao Tai Tai Singapore — Restaurant in Singapore

Edit after 2nd visit: While some meats are tasty, service and atmosphere was utterly disappointing during peak period (dinner time). Pancake is very bad as well, very flat and starchy, not crispy and looks so different from the image.

The different servers that attended to my table all looked reluctant and nonchalant. They all kinda look disinterested to serve and had a 'black face' throughout my meal. Quite a turn off to see an uninterested service crew throughout my meal.

Made a reservation for dinner, but was not informed beforehand that dining limit is only 1 hour 30 min. They only mentioned it after calling for confirmation the day before. First, it takes time to cook BBQ meat and this is not a cheap meal, considering that a small handful of thinly sliced beef costs more than 20++ dollars. Understandably, during peak periods I have to grill my own meat, however, this also adds time to the already meagre time limit, leaving little time for conversations with my dining party.

Towards the end of the time limit, was again reminded by the staff that dining limit was about to be up, even though we just ordered another plate of beef and two alcoholic drinks not too long ago. At this point, we also did not have our fruits and desserts yet. The refill of side dishes at this time became virtually non existent, with serving carts that whiz past us constantly, even though we still had meats on our table, seemingly wanting to 'chase' us away to turnover for the patrons coming next.

Considering that time limit is not very generous given the overall cost, you're probably getting better value at Haidilao next door. A true pity, was originally looking forward to share the positive first experience with my dining party, but turned out to be an embarrassment.

1st visit review: Excellent service by Xin Hui, meats were superbly cooked and dishes were all delicious. Very attentive service by other staff as well. Exceptional dining...

If you're eating this after having tried Xita in China, you'll end up SO disappointed in quality of food and service. If Xita in China was a 10/10, Xita in Singapore was a 3/10. So if you're eating this hoping to relieve your experience in China, you're better off not eating it in Singapore.

Service - non-existent. White rice took 5+ minutes to be served when it was a weekday dinner seating (half full only).

Meat served quickly but had to raise hand repeatedly to find a server to cook it. Also, servers seem to be very busy walking around but with nothing on their hands.

For such pricing and given that such grilling service is available, servers should be trained to automatically grill meat for all customers and not only upon request.

Asked for sides refill but waited for 15 minutes for lettuce & kimchi refill

Pork belly was so disappointing... Xita in China had such thick slices and made sure all 4 sides were crisp. Xita in Singapore was so thin, hard, fat. Before you say it was overcooked, maybe? Because 80% of the time the server put the meat on the grill and disappeared. We had to cut and take off the meat ourselves. Service was non existent.

Pictures of pork belly in Xita SG and Xita China have been uploaded. You can tell from the pictures the vast difference in quality.

The charcoal was not placed properly such that food on one side was so quickly burnt black and the other side was not ready. Even though I ate the beef immediately after cooking it, it was barely warm.

Seafood pancake was crispy and tasty. Prime thick cut beef skirt was also the star of the meal. The rest really disappointed us.

If you haven't tried Xita in China before, you could give this a try for an...

Overall, this dining experience was below our expectations. We had previously tried this brand in China, where the food quality, variety, and service were significantly better.

We ordered the set meal for four, and while the portion was generous and sufficient for four adults, the lack of staff to assist with the grilling was disappointing. It's not that we mind grilling ourselves, but there were no instructions or guidance provided—no one explained how long to cook different cuts of beef or what to watch out for. The outcome was left entirely to the customer, which feels off—especially since service charges are included.

The restaurant provided some special sauces—a mix of sesame, peanut paste, onions, and coriander—but no one explained what they were for, and they didn’t pair well with any of the dishes.

The food itself wasn’t bad, but also not particularly impressive. There wasn't a single standout dish we could name—it just felt like we ate a lot of beef without any lasting impression.

Although the restaurant claims to offer a fusion of Chinese and Korean BBQ styles, our group—which included Chinese, Korean, and Singaporean diners—felt that it landed nowhere at all. It didn’t resemble either cuisine clearly, and that was a letdown.

The environment was also noisy and stuffy, and due to the strong smell of BBQ, you’ll definitely need to change your clothes after the meal.

All in all, it wasn’t terrible, but it certainly didn’t live up to the brand’s reputation or...