Happy Lamb Hot Pot Restaurant - Naperville — Restaurant in Naperville

Note this is my first trip to Happy Lamb Hot Pot Naperville with their new menu - the menu now has a “standard” and “premium” meat selection. The standard meat selection is $26.99 and the premium meat is $31.99. If you haven’t been before, the meats are provided raw and you cook in the “hot pot” that is placed at the center of the table. You make a selection of 5 or so broth options that vary from a seasoned broth to a spicy broth - this is where I realize a picture of the menu would help. You can select 2 broths where the pot has a divider and both broths are served in one pot. The pot is for your table only that all members of your party can put the raw items into the pot to cook. For the standard meat selection you have a couple of beef options and a couple of chicken options - if I recall, the chicken options are provided at their new buffet.

The buffet is set up behind the host stand. You can’t see it until you walk into the restaurant off to the right. At the buffet, they have all their sauces. These accompaniments include, minced garlic (in oil), chili oil, sesame sauce, raw diced jalapeños, and some other sauces that I did not try. I got the chili oil, garlic and sesame - these would be the sauces provided if you were there before the new menu. Bowls and plates are provided for you to help yourself to any of the items. The vegetables are also here, along with the fresh noodle options. Again, all are intended to be cooked in the hot pot at your table. What is also provided are prepared foods at the butter that include small lumpia/egg rolls, pot stickers and chicken wings.

Back to the menu, the premium meat selection includes 2 lamb, beef ribeye and a couple of seafood items. Note this place is called Happy Lamb for a reason and I’m certain the lamb is very popular but some members of my party do not like the gaminess of lamb, anywhere we go, not just here. Previously, I would order the cooked lamb shank and have that myself on the side. I believe this may be an option to order on the menu but I may have missed it. We ordered the premium meat selection to include the rib eye (rib eye can only be ordered from the premium meat selection. We also got the raw pork, raw beef short plate, and one “other” raw beef dish. All were good but the beef short plate was by far the one I enjoyed the most followed by the pork. The other raw beef meat was very lean and the rib eye was good. But if I were to go back, I would more than likely just get the standard meats and go all in on the pork and beef short plate.

I wanted to mention that the lamb is very good, I do appreciate the Chinese seasoning on them. I’m not certain if it’s 5 spice and cumin or a combination of these and several other spices. The spices are pleasant, not overpowering, and offer a subtle flavoring that I like on the lamb. I mention this as I did notice this seasoning in the wings when I tried them.

As I mentioned, this is the first time I’m going with their new buffet. All the vegetable options are fresh as well as the mushroom options. They probably have 3-4 different types of mushrooms for you to choose from. I pulled enoki and spinach but almost got the bok choy; maybe next time. I do like that you can get your own sauces. One item to note, is that they did run out of the little bowls to put sauces in but I improvised by using a tea cup. The drinks are also here, they have cans of pop for you to grab and hot water. Cups with ice and water pitcher are provided at your table.

For dessert, I grabbed the sesame balls and little sweet rolls by the prepared foods at the buffet. They also had a mocha dessert dish that was delicious. I couldn’t help myself and grabbed a single serve chocolate ice cream in the cooler next to the drinks that located at the entrance of the buffet. They also have single serve vanilla ice cream available.

Service is very good. The staff there is consistent and I recognize their faces. I say this, as many restaurants appear to turn over their staff, this place does not. All are very friendly and...

Family and friends love this place! It's our go-to restaurant when we want to feast, everyone has different tastes, and it gives us freedom. It's open on nearly all holidays, if not all. We love hot pot for all seasons and especially winter. We've been coming to Happy Lamb for years since before the pandemic. It's been renovated to buffet style rather than ordering everything at the table. You get seated, share one big pot and choose your broth from the menu (or split the pot with two broths and a divider), then order any choice meats. We do the regular tier for $25.99 because we only eat hand sliced/fatty beef. We get two to three plates every time, ayce. The other tier has other choice beef and lamb options, but we're not big on lamb. All veggies, noodles, fried/white rice, tofu, and other seafood/beef/chicken options are at the self-service bar along with a soda machine, silverware, napkins, and sauce bar. All inclusive, unlike other places that charge extra fees for this and that. The staff recognize us and have our meat and soup broth orders memorized! We love seeing Joey! She's so funny and kind to us, and is multilingual so she gets along great with everyone in the family. She's so attentive and makes sure everyone is having a great time. Any question or concern we have, she addresses it immediately and keeps it light-hearted. We greet each other for all holidays (literally, we come here for all of them). We even traded vacation stories because of our shared background and culture. We love her! The manager (?) is also wonderful and has seen us here for years; gets us sorted with a table as soon as our queue is up. I love that Happy Lamb uses the Yelp waitlist; I check it on our way. On your birthday, you can get a free meal with an ID check! This is just the best option to please everyone in the group, and has a parking lot.

Veggies include spinach, watercress, napa cabbage, bok choi, bamboo shoots, broccoli, daikon radish, and green pumpkin/squash. There's soft tofu, bean curd (in 2-3 forms), luncheon meat, garlic beef, and chicken. Fridge has glass noodles, fresh flour(?) noodles, udon, rice cakes, king oyster mushrooms, brown mushrooms, fungus (forgot what kind), quail eggs, fish paste, shrimp paste, and seaweed knots. Seafood includes fish slices, mussels, shrimp, octopus, different fishballs, and imitation crab meat. Fried section includes chicken wings, sometimes fries, nuggets, onion rings, and dessert fried mantou buns (with...

I entered this place asking if they had Zabiha Halal food to which the manager responded angrily saying, everything except for the Pork!!! To which I replied, I already understand I'm asking if you could please show me your Halal Certificate. To which the manager brushed me off and ignored me after yelling at me for asking a simple question. After this happened I asked one of the staff members to let me speak to a manager, and after approximately after 10 minutes, the same guy appeared, no name tag stating he's a manager, suddenly claimed to be one and aggressively started ordering me to leave. To which I replied that I am a customer and I'm asking a simple question if the food is Halal Meat or not and I told him to not get so close to me and move away. He then threatened to call the police he quickly put his phone down, however other customers who were distraught by his behavior already called the police who later arrived within five minutes. Before the police arrived, this so called "manager" tried to apologize to me as he was scared of being held accountable for his crazy behavior towards me. I told him I want to speak with the other manager who never appeared. His fellow staff member said yeah he might be having a bad day as to why he was being rude and yelling at me, but that is no excuse for treating a customer like this. The police officer upon arrival was kind and respectful and told the managers to keep back and away while she was talking to me and she understood the sensitivity and that I arrived asking during Ramadan. They were afraid of being liable for their actions and the officer had to repeatedly yell at them to keep back while speaking with me.

Let it be known this place advertises itself as Zabihah Halal but they have no certification, on top of it they have a clear prejudice against Muslims, clearly. His behavior will cost a lot of loss of business and I can press charges against this unruly so called Manager who completely stepped out of line! If this was anyone else and not a dark skinned man like me he would have never thought he could talk like that way to anyone else!! I can press charges and will be reporting this guy to their corporate office and will be taking...