Chong Qing Wharf Hot Pot 山城码头火锅 — Restaurant in New York

2023 Review: So let me breakdown every aspect of our experience here, from making reservations, joining waitlists, to the service and overall dining experience.

Reservation/waitlist: (PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE COMING HERE ELSE YOU MAY END UP WASTING YOUR TIME!)

They DO NOT take reservations, no exceptions. If you want to dine here, you will have to join their waitlist. In order to join their waitlist, search them up on google maps and then click the join waitlist button. The maximum number of seats is 8 and if your party is larger than that, you'd have to mention it in the note section and the best they can do is put your party into two booths back-to-back. Another crucial advice is to join the waitlist at least 2 hours in advance, especially if you decide to dine on a busy day like Friday or Saturday (we came on a Saturday night). I joined the waitlist at 4:45, even though the staff told me to join at 5 so that we can get our table by 6. This ended up not being enough, for they said they would get our table ready by 6:30 instead. So I highly recommend you joining the waitlist at least two hours in advance. If you decide to dine here, keep in mind that you will have no guarantee to dine at the time that you want; it's a gamble and you will likely have to wait, especially during a busy weekend.

Walk-in: During our waiting process, people who walked in (around 5:30pm on a Saturday) were told that they will have to wait 3 hours to be seated, even for parties of 2. So don't get your hopes up for simply walking in and dining on a busy weekend. I've came other times around 5 during weekdays and were seated immediately, so the timing is definitely random in case you want to risk it.

Service: The service is definitely top-tiered, for they are very kind, quick, and makes sure to take care of our dining needs to ensure we have the best experience possible. That means they refill our broth consistently, help us scoop up scum in the hotpot, etcetera. They gave us their recommendations and even provided us instructions on how to de-shell their mantis shrimps, a delicacy you can't get at other hotpot restaurants. So for their service, definitely 5 stars.

Food variety and freshness: Definitely a unique selection of all you can eat foods, ranging from oysters, salmon sashimi, stone crab, big shrimp, mantis shrimp, angus beef and many more. Their fatty beef is pretty fresh too and they refill it quite quickly. They also have a nice selection of broth and you can check out what they have on their online website. They also serve plum juice and iced dessert if you agree to pay in cash. Each party also includes a specialized dish where you get to choose one among lobster, crystal crab, and sashimi platter.

Overall, it's a great and delicious hotpot experience, albeit being a bit more expensive than other AYCE hotpot restaurants but understandably so since their selection of ingredients are quite unique. However, their waitlist system is definitely not optimal, so you are not guaranteed to eat at your desired time. They also do not have larger tables or private rooms for big parties, which is unfortunate for those who would like a peaceful and comfortable dining experience. Their waiting area, although comfortable and spacious, is not warm, for every time someone comes in (which is constantly), it gets very chilly. I really wish they would either expand their seating or create a reservation system so that it's easier to get seated and so diners can dine at their preferred time.

I would also like to thank Selena and the rest of the staff who were incredibly kind and quick with their service. They also helped us sing happy birthday to my brother by putting a candle on top of an ice cream cup. If they can improve upon the reservation/waitlist situation, the experience will be perfect!

Thank you for reading and...

I originally gave it a 1 star because their phone doesn't work but I am editing my review after our first visit. Overall an excellent experience. I love their soup bases. The soup base was thick, delicious, and full of herb/spices. We got the suggested half mala spicy and half coconut chicken. The spicy side had fresh spices full of flavors. It was spicy and "ma" and the aroma was powerful and addictive. The coconut had slices of dried coconut in the broth along with succulent chicken pieces. The coconut provided a nice aftertaste but it was not overly sweet or bland. The soup tasted like it was simmered for many hours (very rich and full of collagen). I think I could have drank the coconut chicken soup as is. This was one of the best soup bases I've had in awhile (same level as Haidilao or maybe even better). Maybe because this is still a fairly new hot pot buffet, the service was (still) very attentive. There were about 1 server taking care of 2-3 tables. They were constantly checking on us, helping us cook our shrimp paste, changing our plates, etc. They actually read our reservation requirement!! Nice smiles and very professional compared to Xiang. The service is very comparable to the Haidilao experience we had in Singapore (Non NYC service). Food arrived accurately and at a good pace. They did not "hide" the crabs/seafood from us or avoid us altogether like Xiang hotpot does. Comments on the actual food: There was a good selection of seafood but it was definitely not as big or fresh as Xiang's seafood. They will need to get a better distributor BUT at the least the seafood came every time we ordered it so it does balance out. The conch was cut up too small that it keeps disappearing in the soup. It really is a waste, I do suggest cutting it bigger. They offered a lobster or sashimi so we opted for the lobster. The lobster was very fresh and close to 1.5 lbs (love it). The shrimp paste was one of the best i have tried before served with dragon fruit or water chestnut. I strongly suggest it. There was also a selection of razor clams, stone crab, snow crab, conch, live shrimps, etc. The meat on the other hand is much better than Xiangs. Chong Qing Wharf offered a variety of premium cuts and they were SUPER fresh and marbley. They offer better beef than Xiang did. Decor was modern and new nothing spectacular with tables and private booths spaced far enough apart. Served unlimited sodas, Snapple, water and bottled soy milk. The sauce bar is the best/largest/most sanitary I have seen in this city. Condiments were all fresh/sauces were enclosed in large dispensers. .5 point deducted is due to the restaurant not picking up the phone and no birthday specials/desserts. Note: they take their 2 hours very seriously as there is a timer on their tablet. They will remind you to pay the bill upon the 2 hour limit. Love how you can reserve online and it tells you how many people are in front of you. Otherwise, it is a 5 stars restaurant. ...

My overall experience dining was far from ideal. The ingredients were decent, and the variety was okay but what really made the experience frustrating, though, was the poor service.

The first issue happened when I was getting sauces. One of the staff members was walking very fast and accidentally bumped into me, spilling sauce all over my hand and pants. He didn’t apologize right away — it was only after I said, “Seriously?” that he muttered a distant “sorry.” I let it slide, thinking maybe he was just having a rough shift. We’ve all been there.

But what happened next was unacceptable.

My brother, who recently had foot surgery and was still in recovery with a brace and bandage, was with me. Another staff member was walking outside carrying a bunch of boxes — one of which had water. He lost control, and the box dropped, spilling water all over my brother’s injured foot. The employee just said “sorry” a few times and looked ready to walk away as if that would be the end of it. I couldn’t stay silent anymore and called him out, saying, “This is already the second time today. What more is it going to take?” That’s when he finally apologized properly.

A female staff member later came over and said she had informed the manager and that they would give us a 10% discount. Honestly, I was speechless. I wasn’t looking for a discount — I wanted a proper attitude and genuine concern.

To make matters worse, while she was talking to me, the same male staff member walked past behind her and exchanged a smirk with her — as if the whole situation was just a joke and I was being dramatic.

He later came back again and said, “So it’s just a bit of water, right? It’s not like he’s applying medicine or anything, is he?” implying that getting a little water on the foot wasn’t a big deal. But the doctor had specifically said the area must be kept dry.

One accident can be understood. Two, both handled carelessly, is negligence. What made it worse was the dismissive attitude and the sense that they didn’t take the incident seriously at all. Working in service is tough — I respect that. But showing basic respect to customers and handling problems responsibly should be the bare minimum. I hope takes service seriously, rather than treating customer concerns...