Hot Pot Buffet — Restaurant in Boston

While I do love this place —I love taking friends and family here when they visit Boston and I always enjoy the food — I'm leaving a lower rating because of my most recent experience...

NOTE: I guess my main takeaway is that if you're coming here, I highly recommend coming with a party of 4 or more people if you want to really get what you pay for/keep it economical. It is a great experience and they have delicious broths and food.

Now, about my recent visit here

MIXED MESSAGING On the first floor when you come in there's a dry erase board saying "please don't waste food" I think there was a note about supplies being low or something (shipping has been a growing problem globally ever since the pandemic, so I get it). It was just me and one other, a party of 2...I didn't think wasting food would be hard to avoid.

I kept that in mind when checking off items on the menu, thinking I was being conservative. The last time I got hot pot (at a different place) I impulsively checked off everything that sounded good and wound up with an absurd bill to pay (only 2 people that time as well) and a lot leftovers to take home. I wasn't going to repeat that mistake this time (leftovers, fine, but $100+ bill for 2...for hot pot? Nah)

So, we ordered just exactly what we thought we'd eat and to my surprise, because of the portions per serving of each item, we actually weren't able to eat ALL of it. Barely half altogether. I didn't feel guilty though because I was HAPPY to take the leftovers home, perfect for lunch the next day.

Except they don't accommodate taking leftovers home — not even what you've already cooked in your pot. So, they're kind of setting you up TO waste food because...let's talk about their portions and how unreasonable the expectation of finishing everything you order is (for two people).

[DO] YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR I wish their menu was more descriptive because the portions from one item to the next are REALLY inconsistent. For example, the amount of bok choy you get with one serving is insane compared to the amount of scallops you get in one serving (and they're "Japanese scallops" which are hella small, one serving gives you between 6–9 maybe...its really only enough for one person cus of how small they are, whereas the single serving of bok choy is enough for probably 4–5 people). Even among items in the same category (such as "meats") the servings are not equal. Compared to how many tiny scallops you get in one serving, you get far more slices of beef or pork (a whole plateful!)

Prices per serving are not listed either, which may be because prices vary depending on vendor/supply/demand...but man, for ordering conservatively I was honestly shocked when I saw the bill — which, including tip, was around $90 😳 dear lord. For how much food we were actually able to eat before feeling full...it wasn't $90 worth. I wouldn't even say it was $45 worth. And no, the pricing isn't similar to other traditional buffets where you pay a standard price for each person, because if that were true then a bill for 5 people would be

The total on the bill would have bothered me much less if we were ABLE TO TAKE LEFTOVERS HOME. Don't count on it. They tell me they "don't have take away boxes" which is puzzling considering I'm pretty sure I saw somewhere that they offer delivery or carry out?? So...what, do you have to cup your hands together when you pick up your carry out order? Do they deliver it to you in their hands?

Sarcasm aside, they really need to reconsider that restriction if they're asking people to "not waste food." It's a pretty obvious solution to the waste issue — let your customers take their uneaten food home! It would also provide the benefit of your customers feeling like they truly got what they paid for. By not providing the option to take food home your business is perpetuating "waste" on BOTH ends — you are throwing perfectly good food away, and your customers are wasting their money. At least this time, I really felt like I wasted a...

I never understood the hype on this place. It was a great value for what it was back in the day but now it's around $33 per person. Both quality of food and service leave something to be desired. I went with a party of 8 and we ordered at least 8 orders of beef and 2 orders of lamb along with seafood like crab legs, scallops, salmon and also a variety of veggies, tofus and fish balls. What we got was 2 plates of beef and lamb, no crab legs and a ton of veggies and fish balls. The scallops were tiny and very fishy smelling which was off putting. The staff barely checked in with us despite us trying to flag them down like you'd do at any other asian restaurant and we never received the crab legs despite ordering it multiple times. One of the staff brought our order to our table and she walked away without even acknowledging the fact that our broth needed to be refilled. When we asked for it to be refilled she looked like she couldn't be bothered and didn't say a word and left and reluctantly returned to give us the broth we need in order to cook the food she put on our table. I mean it's hotpot 101 common sense unless you want to smell the pot burn and not be able to cook your raw food. They also charged us 18% tip automatically which I felt was a little rude considering the service we got but I don't like to give any less than 15% anyways because I understand how hard it is for restaurant staff and 18% is fair for a larger party. However, it should have been a choice of how much I felt was fair, not a forced addition.

TLDR; Skip this place in favor of another hotpot restaurant in Chinatown if you want good food and service. If you've never been to a quality hotpot restaurant then this may suffice, but there are better...

I've been here three times so far in 2023 and I'm always polite, but I find that I always get looked down upon when I enter. This is due to racial differences but I still understand and I don't hold that against them. Frankly, I'm okay with being treated however as long as the food is great and I am charged fairly. This restaurant will upcharge if you are not Asian, will refuse to bring out all the food you asked for, and mock you for asking for spicy broth, or plum juice (my personal experiences). Most recently, I was charged over 80 dollars for just myself and my friend for hot pot. We just asked for one order of chicken, imitation crab, spam, cuttlefish balls, cilantro, and a couple of other things, but we were only given a few of what we asked for (mind you we only can eat around one round, we are petite [and we don't waste food]). I tried many times to support this business instead of going to a larger chain-type but I think this was the final slap in the face. I hope that other people can have a positive experience here but I have not. Like I said, I don't care how I am treated as long as I am receiving the food I am asking for and that I am not being unfairly charged. However, this establishment not only treats people outside their race like crud, but they also refuse to give you food, and WAY upcharge you. Sad that this is what we get from trying to support...