Top Pot — Restaurant in Pacifica

Every weekend we find a beautiful place in NorCal to visit and this time it was Cascade Falls and Muir National Monuments. On the way back, my son introduced us a hot pot place that he liked and this Top Pot was on our list to visit. On the way back from Muir Beach, we had to go through Golden Gate (now it's $9.75 - wow) to get to Pacifica on 101 to get to this restaurant. It's in a big shopping center with another hot pot, but this one is the one to try. It's close to the beach so we can get the sea breeze while staying out front, quite refreshing. It was a Saturday evening so quite crowded but we didn't have to wait. This is a very nice place, clean and simple. I was impress with the washroom, very clean, modern and everything is well stocked. The price is more than Shabuya or any other in SJ, $40/person but looking at the menu, and trusting my son's taste, I believe it's worth the money. We went to get the sauces for our dippings. I like the ponzu, sesame sauce mixed with some grounded peanuts, quite delicious. The sauce bar got every sauce you can think of to make your own. The menu has many things for you to choose from, I noticed the beef only has a few choices, ribeyes and beef belly, no briskets, toro or anything like that. But it has tendon and tongue and a few others like tripes. Quite many varieties for many different tastes. I do like it. The appetizer chicken wings are excellent and the crab rangoons are tasty.

The service here is second to none for any restaurant. Everyone is extremely concern, pleasant, attentive and fast. To me for 1.5 hour limit to all you can eat, with this fast service, you can finish your meal in 40 minutes unlike many places taking their time to deliver the foods.

The broth I chose was spicy soup with only 1 red pepper instead of 2 or 3. It's a very good soup.

The meats, seafoods and vegetables are very fresh. The meats are cut thicker than many places so don't order too much. There's something new that I didn't know is that when I order something just for me, it came out with the portion of many. Like tripes, I should ask for a single instead of a big bowl of tripes and I had to eat it all because wasting food is a NO NO LOL. So make sure everyone in your table will share or ask for a single order.

This is the first place that has Tong Ho, my favorite veggies, the Napa Cabbage is very fresh and crispy. The soft tofu and clear noodles everyone like.

And a bonus, we had free dessert, green tea ice cream. My son wanted to try the plum juice drink but it's too sour so I had to finish it. It's quite good IMHO.

One thing I noticed is the foods weren't frozen when they came to your table, so they cook very quickly in the pot, excellent way of serving.

One thing great about the Bay area is we can enjoy all the best foods in the world without breaking the bank or not LOL.

Will we stop by here again? My wife already said to take our daughter here when she visits us from NYC. So definitely. Yes it's worth the money because of the location and the quality of food...

If you’re looking for the ultimate group dining experience, Top Pot is the place to be. I recently came here with a group of friends, and it quickly became one of my favorite hotpot spots. What sets this restaurant apart is the brilliant idea of combining both hotpot and Korean BBQ at the same table—you truly get the best of both worlds.

The menu is extensive and impressive. The meat selection was a highlight, with melt-in-your-mouth prime rib, savory beef belly, and so many cuts to choose from. Beyond the meats, the variety of appetizers and sides felt endless—fish balls filled with roe, delicate dumplings, soup dumplings, and even fun surprises like spam. It felt like every craving was accounted for, and each bite was delicious.

And just when we thought the meal couldn’t get any better, the desserts arrived. The fried buns with condensed milk were perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside—absolutely irresistible. Another standout was the bun filled with a sweet yellow custard-like filling that was rich and comforting. To finish it all off, the ice cream truly was the cherry on top, leaving us perfectly satisfied.

Service was just as memorable as the food. Despite us being a large party of 14 during a busy dinner rush, the staff remained incredibly friendly, attentive, and quick. Everything we needed arrived promptly, and they made sure our experience felt effortless and enjoyable.

The atmosphere is lively and energetic, which makes it perfect for groups, though I recommend arriving early or being prepared for a wait during peak dinner hours. But once you’re seated, it’s absolutely worth it.

For anyone who loves hotpot, Korean BBQ, or simply can’t choose between the two—Top Pot delivers an unforgettable dining experience from start to sweet finish. Highly...

This place is FANTASTIC. I went here for the first time tonight, and was just blown away. I had high expectations because the reviews were already so good, and they met them and were even exceeded.

First off, the inside of the restaurant is surprisingly spacious, as well as clean and orderly. They have different seating options depending on if it is shared or individual hot pots, but all of them are fine. The menu is extensive and straight forward. You select your options using a dry erase menu, and then they bring it out. In addition to the usual hot pot staples, they also have tasty appetizers and desserts like crab rangoons, beef short ribs, freshly fried Chinese donuts, ice cream, and fried dough with evaporated milk. And yes, as many other reviews mention, the biang biang noodles are EXCELLENT!

The final thing I have to really sing the praise of is the service. The staff member we had waiting on us was SO kind, thoughtful, and attentive. Near the end of the meal, my mom wanted to sample things so she was requesting single items. Like just one single fish ball, and just two pieces of Chinese donut. The waitress did not even bat an eye at these requests, and she did indeed come back with a single fish ball, and sample size portions of the Chinese donut. It was going above and beyond! She also made sure to ask if we wanted ice cream since it isn’t on the menu and she wanted to be sure we knew they had it! I gave her a generous tip because she honestly made our night better with her cheery and helpful presence, and she even came back over and thanked us. No thanks was needed, we just wanted to thank her!

All in all, Top Pot was a wonderful experience and I definitely...