Happy Lamb Hot Pot — Restaurant in Falls Church

I'm a pretty big critic when it comes to hot pot at restaurants because I'm a seasoned hot pot expert and tend to prefer hot pot at home. I was really excited to hear that Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot was coming to Northern Virginia because prior to finding Hai Di Lao, Little Sheep was the seasoning I used for my own hot pot at home. I've also been to the Little Sheep in Hacienda Heights, California, which was a great experience and I hoped that they would be able to replicate that experience here in Virginia.

The BF and I headed to Little Sheep on a Friday night. We went around 9, so it was crowded but we were able to snag a table in about 10 minutes. Since it just opened, there are still some service kinks to work out but nothing unmanageable. They were having some issues with their credit card machine, which seemed to occupy most of their time and energy.

We managed to snag a menu and made our selections before we sat down, choosing the yin/yang pot, beef and ribeye, tiger shrimp, tofu platter, napa cabbage, spinach, winter melon, noodles, and fish balls. Everything came fairly quickly after we placed our order. The broth was fantastic. In fact, I think it's even better here than it was in California. In talking with the manager on duty that night, he told us that their broth had been steeped for over 10 hours, allowing for all the flavors to really soak in. The ingredients were all fresh and of high quality too.

A con of this restaurant is that there's no sauce bar and they charge for any dipping sauces. When it comes to hot pot, you can add various seasonings and condiments such as soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, sha cha, vinegar, hoisin, peanut butter, and etc. They state that since their broth is so flavorful, you don't need any of these sauces. However, we requested some sesame paste anyways and we were charged for each.

Little Sheep has quickly climbed to my top 3 for hot pot restaurants in the area. I'm eager to go back now that the weather is perfect hot...

The worst Little Sheep hot pot place. Disappointed. We went around 2pm on a Friday and wanted to make sure they still opened since it's kind of late, so we called and got a positive answer. But when we arrived 10m after the call, the manager said there's no food left. We were refused for seating despite the call we made literally 10 minutes ago to check. Rather than comforting customers or apologizing for the mistake they made , the manager, Danny, gave no explanation besides saying no food left. For a hotpot place opens into the late evening you tell me no food left in the kitchen whatsoever? And the cooks are busy preparing for evening food that they can't simply serve 3 people who just called and confirmed a table? If you don't want to serve people after a long, busy holiday noon, just say so. We get it. But don't treat us like fools. And train your employees better. The girl answering the phone clearly knows nothing. I don't blame her though. It's the manager who didn't have a clue how to properly run the business. Btw right when we were leaving another lady was refused to dine for same reason. She was so disappointed too. When I complaint this experience to my friend who lives in DC (we come from VA) she said why did you even go? This place is the worst. Now I know why. Just because you are kind of running a monopoly, you are doing these things to risk your brand? No wonder Little Sheep is no longer a thing in China. You simple can't survive in a competitive environment. Sincerely wish another hot pot giant could come to US market to break...

Absolutely wonderful! Delicious food, fantastic service, and great value for your money (especially now that they've switched over to AYCE). The second we hit the fall / winter months, I find myself constantly craving hot pot, and Happy Lamb is definitely my go-to spot in the DMV.

The broths are all incredibly flavorful; I particularly love their herbal broth, but both the classic / traditional and Sichuan / spicy options are phenomenal as well. There's a phenomenal selection of seafood, veggies, and noodles available at the food bar, as well as a smattering of ready-cooked items like shrimp chips, dumplings, or mini donuts with condensed milk.

The staff is also quite accommodating of vegetarians / vegans; while the broth is traditionally bone broth, you can get a water-based version for any of the menu options. You certainly end up missing out on some of the flavor, so I wish they were better able to supplement some of the richness that you would've gotten from the bone broth otherwise, but I appreciate that there are at least veg-friendly options available. It also would have been helpful for them to have different pricing options for vegetarians; there are different tiers of meat sets, but I wish there were a "no meat" option as well.

Overall, super tasty spot for some good ol' classic hot pot (none of the single-person hot pot nonsense). Will...