37 Xiang Seafood Hot Pot Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

My family came here last night and had probably one of the worst dining experiences of our lives.

For $51.99 + 5.50 soup base, options were very limited for a seafood buffet. The restaurant was out of 2/3 types of clams, blue crabs, cauliflower, watercress, and a whole lot of other items. It seemed that every somewhat more expensive item was "sold-out."

We wanted to order lobster and the waiter gave us the market price. We ordered a 1.6lb lobster and another waitress told us that it's actually double the price originally quoted. We cancelled the lobster and caught it at the very end of my bill which was removed upon request.

Given that it was late-night and a holiday, I called ahead to confirm their hours and "last call." However, they decided to close an hour early, limiting our time to over 1.5 hrs and last call was within 45 mins. This was not explained to us when we arrived, but rather when we started eating. When I explained to the waitress about the situation, he responded, "I'm not responsible for what the front desk/cashier says over the phone." We were asked to pay while we were still eating and they started turning off the lights as we were still eating.

Sauce tray options were very limited as well and it was the most difficult thing getting soy sauce. The waitress removed our soy sauce from the booth and when we asked for soy sauce, she brought back vinegar (someone refilled vinegar into the soy sauce bottle) and it tasted horrible.

Items were brought to the table very delayed. Lack of napkins, bowls, plates. I had to ring the bell 3 times before someone finally came to the table.

I'm giving the restaurant 2 stars for the way the booths are setup. It offers privacy since we are sectioned off into individual rooms. The appetizer boneless chicken feet and crispy pork were good.

I get that everybody is responsible for their own roles the restaurant. The male waiters were definitely a lot more patient and well-mannered compared to the two female waitresses who seems just as frustrated with me as I was with them.

I'm reading these 4-5 star reviews and I just don't get it. Maybe somehow I just...

Overall was good experience but a couple of areas weren't great.

Pros Most of the ingredients they give you were very fresh and tasted good. The servers' attitudes were very good Shrimp paste is good Crabs were fresh and had roe Beef and poek belly were also good Price is okay for the quality of the food Did not cheap out on the vegetables

Cons/improvement areas We had 7 people, they squeezed us into a booth which was probably for 4-5 max. Probably would be more comfortable with less people because I think most of those booths are like that. The table was also very small so while I enjoyed the presentation for a second, it literally was not practical because the plates were so big and not like they were filled. They have serious operations management issues, the orders don't fully come so you have to ask them to order the same thing like 8 times. When you order the same dishes or ingredients, it was always packed differently and not the same amount. Normally all you can eat hot pot places give you more in the beginning and then gradually lessen it, which makes sense. Whoever packs these just randomly pack them, first dish with 5 pieces of pork belly, next one had 15 pieces of pork belly, following ones continues to fluctuate. When we ordered the sashimi, we would order like 10-20 pieces to share amongst 7 people, they took things like scallop and split into 4 pieces and literally only give you two scallops (~8slices after they cut it up) when you order 20 pieces. So honestly for the sashimi, it was annoying to keep ordering. They might as well have given us the correct # of pieces and they wouldn't have to wash so many dishes Fish options available that day weren't good, had a lot of bones and didn't cook well Hotpot broths could have been a lot better, kind of bland especially since they charge you for it

We might give it a try another day with a smaller party to see if it's a...

When I say the seafood was fresh, I mean the lobster still had attitude. Walked into Thirty Seven Xiang thinking it was gonna be your average hot pot joint—nope. This place came correct with the iced display upfront and tanks full of live swimmers giving you the side-eye before they hit your pot. You already know it’s about to go down when the seafood greets you before the waiter does.

It’s an all-you-can-eat spot, but not that sketchy buffet kind. They bring everything out fresh, clean, no shortcuts. I had raw slices of wagyu, shrimp flapping like they were trying to escape, and clams so juicy they didn’t even need sauce. My friend swore by the spicy broth, but I went half-and-half, yin-yang style, because I like a little chaos in my cooking. The sauce station? Wild. Garlic, chili oil, scallion, soy, even raw egg—you can mix it up like a chemist.

What got me was the setup—private room vibes with huge tables, hot pots built in, screens playing K-pop or Chinese ballads depending on the crew in the room. We stayed for hours. They don’t rush you, they don’t skimp, and the servers were on point with the refills and recommendations. Even the crab legs came out looking proud. I had to pause and appreciate the presentation before going full beast mode.

By the end, I was leaned back like I just finished Thanksgiving dinner, shell bits everywhere, smiling like I survived a delicious war. If you’ve never had hot pot with lobster so fresh it still looks you in the eye, this is the spot. Come hungry, bring people who can eat, and don’t wear anything you’re scared to...