Haidilao Hot Pot London Piccadilly — Restaurant in London

Come to this restaurant if you want to feel like you’re crawling from one loud, cramped and festering pit in the ground (Leicester Square) into another loud, cramped and festering pit in the ground (this restaurant). Any dignity that you came in with is swiftly stripped away by the recommendation of a bib and beyond reasonable prices.

When me and my girlfriend entered, we were put into a waiting room, where we sat for about 20-30 minutes, leaving us to feed off mini cheddar-esque snacks they had left on trays. We were then whisked downstairs by a waiter into a large food-court basement room. I should’ve done some stretches before coming here because the waiter was running into the crowd of tables and other waiters like it was some market chase scene in an action film. The atmosphere in this restaurant was obtrusive and obnoxious, and if I soon develop tinnitus I will know why. After catching our breath, we sat down at our table and were handed bibs and iPads. I almost expected some high chairs and baby food to come out afterwards. We said to the waiter it was our first time at a hotpot place and she said she would come back to explain the hotpot lore but alas she was never to return, leaving us to explore the tablets ourselves. The iPads were not intuitive at all and we barely managed to order anything with them. Seeing the price for the broth alone made me slightly queasy, but with all the meat and vegetables on top it was ridiculous.

Once the food was ordered, our iPad time was over and they were hidden away from us. Unfortunately, that meant when the food arrived we had no idea how long to cook anything. At first, we guessed how long to cook the food but after several mouthfuls of cold tofu we decided to get some help. We asked for the cooking times and thankfully they gave us the iPad back (only for a bit) to prevent giving ourselves food poisoning. We started cooking the food properly this time, but were distracted by the noodle dance (see video attached) which was happening just behind me. It was an optional menu item, however, nothing about it was optional as everyone in a two table vicinity of the people who ordered it were all implicated. Fortunately, all eyes were left unwhipped by flying noodles. Other than the noodle dance, I could feel waiters constantly brushing past the back of my chair as they darted about giving service to everyone but us.

Overall, the food was nice but was nothing more than a morsel for an expensive dinner meal, and left us feeling hungry and confused. The service and the atmosphere are the main drawbacks of this restaurant (unless, of course, you like the prospect of being flogged by an egg noodle) and was surprised that it got such high reviews on Google. Do...

I had a disappointing experience, especially since it was my first time there, and I had booked the restaurant to celebrate my birthday. I arrived an hour-ish early for my booking (5:30pm booking) , thinking I could wait in the designated area for my friends. However, when I tried to explain this to the host, he rudely cut me off several times and insisted I take a table, even though I was clearly waiting for my friends. Despite speaking to him in English, he kept responding in Mandarin, even though I had heard him speak English to other customers. It felt dismissive and disrespectful as I 'm not fluent in Mandarin.

What made this situation even more frustrating is that I was aware of the 90-minute time limit for tables. It was unreasonable for the host to push me to get seated when my friends hadn’t arrived yet, especially since I didn’t want to start dining alone. When my friends started arriving, and we were still waiting for the last one, the host continued to insist we take a table, despite our booking being for 4 people. His attitude was rude, and at one point, he sarcastically asked, "So you want to wait until 5?"—as if it was unreasonable for us to wait for our full party. This made the whole situation unnecessarily stressful, and I was close to canceling my reservation because of how poorly we were treated. Once the last friend arrived, we wanted to see if we can get a table that he kept insisting then he told my friend that it was us who did not want an earlier table and wanted it to be 5:30pm. I get that he insisted it earlier but we were not a full pack yet and wanted to enjoy that 90 mins time limit in the restaurant.

Thankfully, once we were seated, the service downstairs was much better, and the staff were polite and attentive. Though they no longer offer secret codes, they still sang the birthday song, which was a nice gesture. The toilet amenities were also great, but it’s unfortunate that the rudeness of the host cast a shadow on what was supposed to be a special occasion.

Overall, while the service inside the restaurant was good, the negative interaction with the host left a bad impression. I hope the management addresses this issue, as it can significantly impact a...

Went there on a recommendation of friends, and wanted to try some of the more interesting items hence went to Haidilao.

Firstly, your confirmation text is sent to you in Chinese - a bit of a problem if you dont read it. But they also email you which has English which helped. You also have 90 mins to eat, hence then you ‘check in’ for your reservation, they suggest you look at the menu and order in advance - DO IT so you have enough time to eat.

As soon as you get to the table, everything starts coming. Starts with the bibs and instructions and then the food and then any additional showy stuff you order (ie pulled noodles which were actually good).

Food items were all good - fresh and well made. They even had pork blood chunks (true Asian), and white tripe which was really authentic. We chose the spicy stock (wrong choice as it was too spicy for us) and the beef stock which was lovely. We also did the spice bar which really should be done so you can mix in your own spicy sauce. They even have guides so you really cant go wrong.

Dinner for 3 people came out to about 70pp as we ordered alot of food, most of which was seafood because it was so good.

It is a loud place, with lots of singing for bdays and pulled noodle performances. Its a hectic meal so perhaps not for a first date but good to go with friends who like to eat hot pot. I would go back although as the food was good, the sauces were good, the noodles were good - I would aim for a less busy time if possible in hopes for a more civilised experience (here’s to hoping).

Staff are well versed in the expected phrases and response (thank you so much for coming, is everything ok, please order using this iPad) but if you ask them a question outside the standard - they can often get stumped which was funny. This is not a place for a relaxing meal so don’t expect anything but efficient service. Eat quickly and get out.

Washrooms were helpful, warm toilet seats,...