Boiling Point — Restaurant in Irvine

want the company to know this, that I am really disappointed . I want to be heard and just warning you that I posted this on yelp and I will be posting it around and telling people because I tried to be tolerable about the service but it just kept getting worse. Heads up excuse my language, I am just so heated that I will write what I feel.

But I am going to warn who ever is going to the Boiling Point in Irvine, they suck. There is a lot of locations that you guys can go to and it might be a little bit more of a drive but honestly trust me, that it will be way worth it than going to this shitty place.

To start off with, whichever Boiling Point is the one in the corner next to tebo tebo it sucks. I go there asking a table for 2 and wondering how long the wait is, and the lady wouldn't tell me and kept ignoring the question which pissed me off more. All she would say is that there are reservations, and I was like okay well how long is the wait, and she wouldn't tell me and it pissed me off so much cause all I wanted was an estimated time and she wouldn't let me. That place is great if you are okay with stupid people but at least they would have a reservation so you wouldn't have to wait in a long line.

But anyways back to the main Boiling Point. The fact that I understand if the location is busy and that there are many trainees everywhere, but the problem is the fact that while we were waiting for our food a server comes by giving us 3 drinks which we were telling them it wasn't ours, which I wasn't gonna get mad cause its understandable they are "busy" and got confused, but then by the time the food came out it just got worse. I understand that certain ones contain nuts, but at the other locations if I ask for no nuts they warn that it wont be as favor full which I understand, but over here it is straight up just water. I don't understand how this is considered Boiling Point if they aren't the same as the one in Westminster, Cerritos, Gardena. I went there when they were new and I still go back and they never were shitty like this place. To top it off, they got my friends order wrong, when we all ordered beef hot soup. When they were giving us our food and we told them that we didn't order a Japanese Miso we all ordered beef, our waiter was sure it was ours even after we told them that it wasn't. Then my server was so smart and asked us, if we knew who ordered it and we looked at him like, seriously? Did we take the order... Do we know everyone in this room or what? Then he didn't even light our soup. So our food was cold and we were so annoyed we didn't even want to ask them. It's like common sense, if we come to a hot pot place we would expect it to be hot.

What's even worse, if you do have a problem and you do speak with a manager or supervisor or shift lead all they offered after hearing how irritated and mad I was, even though I warned them I wouldn't come back because of this crappy time and the fact that it was a mistake of bringing new people to try it, they tell me to come back again and see if they will improved. After spending about $50-$60 today, why would I come back. It was a waste and why would I waste another $60 for the chance that it would be just as bad. Then in the end, the way they tried to fix it was to say sorry, and then offer me a free drink. I thought it was nice how she offered me a free drink but then I rejected cause I was so heated but when I left she gave me a card for what I thought was a free drink and then I realized it was only for $3.25.

What the heck was I supposed to do with $3.25 when our drink that we got was $4.75 and I didn't even add the tax yet. I just got more pissed cause I realized I should just of gotten so I went back to get my mom a drink and in the end having to pay more. The lady was offering a free drink the drink should of been completely free. Don't tell me that you are sorry when obviously you just made me feel like you thought I was stupid cause I wasn't even worth a free drink only $3.25.

Thank you Boiling Point for being the...

I’ve been coming here for nearly 10 years, and I have to say the service has really started going down hill since they reopened. My dinner last night was the nail in the coffin in deciding to post a review.

During one visit right after reopening, my friend and I ordered drinks while ordering our food. My friend’s drink and our food arrived, but my drink never did. When we asked about it, it seemed they forgot about it and had to now make it.

On another occasion, I came in to order a single drink to-go and was told it would take 10-15minutes. I sat inside and waited 30 minutes thinking they were just busy. Upon asking about it, I could tell they forgot to put the order in and they told me they would make it now. Because of this mistake, I was late to my next appointment.

Last night it happened again. From the start of the visit, the tone/attitude of the host was off-putting. Everyone in my friend group could tell she did not want to be there and could not be bothered to try and display more polite mannerisms. I understand people have off-days but it doesn’t make it okay to act that way while working. Additionally, when we came in after getting the text it took a while before the host even came up to finish checking us in. When we sat and ordered, the server took our order, confirming everything: two pots and two drinks. Our food came out but halfway through eating the drinks still had not been brought out. When we asked about it, another server said we never ordered it/it was not on our tab. If we had placed the order separately from the soup, we would have understood the mistake, but this was confusing and a bit baffling. She was kind, apologized for the mistake, and placed the order for us. The pots also seemed to be lacking. I think they were running low on supplies as they were out of several things like the vermicelli. But our pot seemed to have a lot less meat than usual which is upsetting since the extra meat provided helped justify the price increase when they reopened. Playing it by ear, we waited until we were 1/3 of the way into our meal before ordering a side of sliced beef. The meat never came. We were basically done eating and the meat still had not come. As a result, we asked to cancel the order and remove it from our tab. The server very nicely and apologetically confirmed the order had been removed from our tab. We trusted this and paid without checking the charges (our mistake) and we were still charged for the meat. Also, it took 10 minutes before they took our check. I think the main problem is poor communication with customers and among the team, and it appears this location is constantly severely understaffed. Orders are forgotten and it take FOREVER for anything to come. It’s honestly a bit shocking because their service had been so quick and good in the past. At least the food and drink itself tastes very good! Sometimes I decide to eat here solely for the hokkaido milk tea.

Another event that comes to mind is the inconsistency in what is possible to modify. When I ate at boiling point for the very first time as a teenager, I wanted to eat the beef pot but couldn’t as I have a peanut allergy. The server recommended having it without the sauce which is the flavoring for the soup that contains the peanuts. It might be a bit blander but I could eat it. Since then, that’s how I’ve always eaten it. However on two separate occasions after they reopened I was told it was not possible to make such a modification and that they have not done such a thing before or if they did they no longer would. Every other time I have gone, though, it has not been an issue. It’s very confusing.

Also, I am curious why they have changed their drink menu so drastically, removing some of their most popular drinks. One of which was the hokkaido milk tea which they recently brought back while supplies last. I understand menus change, but they removed like half the drink menu...

This is original & first Boiling Point location since it was introduced to SoCal & I'd say is the best. Not all things are made equal or created equal; even if it's a franchise. First of all; I can smell the aroma of Taiwanese Soup before I get to the door. This is pretty authentic hot pot with tons of ingredients & flavor done in one personal pot full of goodness! Quality & consistency is what makes this location the best because I've been disappointed numerous times at other locations from SoCal to NorCal.

Don't forget to check-in! I'm not talking about Yelp; although you should do that too! I'm talking about seatings. Just go up to the booth to grab either a paper ticket or input your cell phone number into the check-in device/tablet. I opt to use my phone number because it's easier for me through text to get a confirmation text as I shop at the nearby supermarket & then 1 more text when my table is ready. You can see how many parties are in front of you on the tablet but do ask the hosts the wait time

The prices range from $13-$15 per pot; which is affordable for hot pot leaving me stuffed! Every hot pot comes with a bowl of rice or a little portioned plate of vermicelli. I always pick the rice because the hot pot already has vermicelli. Every hot pot comes with FREE ICED GREEN TEA OR BLACK TEA during lunch time between 11am - 3pm. I share with my kids sometimes & would still be full; as it's a challenge and try to finish everything myself with some extra appetizers & dessert that we get.

All of the workers are super nice and attentive to my kids; especially Cammie N & Kevin D. though! When you take care of the kids first; you will always have a return family. Cammie N. & Kevin D. never fails to refill more water for my daughter as her cup runs out & before she gets overly thirsty. Thirsty is expected because flavorful means high salt. I'm ok with that because I have chronic low blood pressure so I look for family meals with high sodium content at least once a week.

The servers light up the hot pot as it gets to the table & kill the fire when you want as well as refilling your pots with more broth whenever you need!My favorite pots are the Beef, Taiwanese Spicy, and the Milk Cream Curry BUT MY NUMBER 1 IS THE LAMB. All of them tastes amazing & different in their own way. I just pick my cravings according to my mood. But again... my all time favorite meat in the world is Lamb meat & Boiling Point really knows how to do Lamb minus the gamy! The Taiwanese Spicy is VERY SPICY but great if you can handle & hold down your spice! The milk cream curry is creamy & full of flavor on those days that I having a craving for curry.

I highly recommend that you try their MATCHA COCONUT or HOKKAIDO MILK TEA because it pairs very well with any spicy hot pot to help calm your tongue. Their milk tea is very creamy which I became a fan of when eating spicy hot pots. Hokkaido is a milky caramel tea & Matcha Coconut is exactly just coconut milk with matcha tea; I prefer no added sugar as the coconut milk is naturally sweet enough & the matcha give it balance. Again, both are very addicting when you eat spicy hot pot.

Make sure you download the BP reward app to your phone. You can add your membership number and get points towards a $10 coupon reward at the bottom of your receipt. I love loyalty program as I eat...