Seapot — Restaurant in San Mateo

My brother and I dined here while on a business trip in Burlingame. We were able to use the bus system (very reliable and inexpensive) to basically go from the road in front of our hotel to the road in front of the restaurant, so that was very convenient. While the restaurant was very busy, we had a reservation and were seated in a reasonable amount of time. We opted for the hot pot and bbq combo, which I would definitely recommend, as many options are only available for one or the other, and several items are much better cooked one way vs. the other. We chose the mushroom broth for the hot pot, as it is mild, flavorful, and goes well with pretty much everything, which it definitely did. On the bbq menu, some of the best options we had were the garlic pork belly, short ribs/galbi, spicy pork bulgogi, spicy beef bulgogi, and garlic pepper beef. The bulgogi is definitely spicy, but extremely flavorful. For the hot pot, you are boiling the meat, so it's pretty much just your preference as to what kind you get. Once you order your meat, though, you are free to take whatever and as much as you will eat from the wonderfully stocked conveyer belt of wonders that passes right by your table. There are half a dozen or so types of each of these items on the line: greens (cabbage, bok choy, spinach, etc.), dumplings (shu mai, and I'm pretty sure one I tried had fish roe inside...so yummy, etc.), shellfish and other seafood (snails, clams, shrimp, scallops which were ridiculously delicious roasted on the bbq, octopus, etc.), noodles (ramen, rice, misua, green tea, etc., all of which picked up that delicious mushroom goodness from the broth, so I definitely recommend skipping the rice and enjoying your favorite noodles), mushrooms (straw, shitake, oyster, etc.), tofu (different consistencies), offal (tripe, etc.), and desserts (basic, but you'll be too full on the real delicacies to even worry about dessert). Other items included Spam, melon, sausage, and corn on the cob. There are so many wonderful choices that I truly would not recommend upgrading for the more expensive meat options, as you will not need them to have a life-changing meal. When we left, I was, quite literally, riding a food high. I haven't felt so good in years!!! There is also a sauce bar where you can follow the recipes to create your dipping sauces, but the meats on the bbq were so flavorful already that we never even considered needing any sauces. All of your meat orders come out very quickly, and the servers are quick to replace your bbq pan if it ever starts to get burn residue. A few notes for newcomers: -Make sure you turn on your hot pot burner (located on your side of the table) as soon as you get your broth and bbq (located on the server side of the table) as soon as you sit down, so that you can get started right away. There is a 90 minute time limit, but since the food is ready as soon as you sit down, you never actually feel rushed. -Throw as much as you can/like into the hot pot and onto the grill when you first begin. It's an amateur/rookie mistake to waste time waiting for things to cook. As long as you are still planning to eat more, always have your next morsels working in the pot and on the grill. -Try new things. Some of my best bites were things I had never tried before. -The price per person may come as a bit of a sticker shock. Overcome it. The food is top notch, and the experience is just as good. My brother and I agreed that we were fortunate to NOT live near a Seapot, because we would be...

Customer Service - 0 Stars Variety/Selections - 3 Stars Broth/ Sauce - 2 Stars

I was in the area tired and hungry. I looked for suggestions for something different, and found Seapot. Hotpot with conveyor belt! I figured, I’ll try it, and if it’s good, I can convince the family to try it.

Customer Service:

You walk in, put your name, number in party, and phone number. Some people put their phone numbers, some didn’t. I did not because I had every intention of standing just 8 feet away. Sure enough, I could clearly hear the hostess call the names. She only had to use the phone once when the guests were outside. Then she called 3 parties that came after me. I walked up, and asked if it would be much longer. She said no. She called 3 more parties. That was 6 people that she called that came after me! I went up, and pointed it out. She said she called my name but my number wasn’t on it so she couldn’t call my cell. I pointed out that I was just standing there, and she never called my name. She kept insisting she did. I asked her how much longer, she said “just a second.” One minute later, she sat my lone self in a 6-table setting. The couple called next was seated in an 8-people setting.

I placed my order of Diet Coke, Herbal Broth, and Rib Eye. 15 minutes later when the three tables around me got their meat but my rib eye never showed up, I asked the server. She said it was coming. Five minutes later when everybody around me got their 2nd/3rd helping of protein, I asked again. They got me the beef but it wasn’t the rib eye. I got one more beef order, and I never saw the server again. I really wanted more drinks.

When I got my check, it was for $21. I put $25 cash with every intention of the $4 tip even if the service was really lacking. I usually tip more but the service and the food did not call for more than 18% tip. However, I never even got the change back! They made the assumption that the change was theirs to keep without even asking! Yes, that was the plan but I hate that they never bothered asking!

Conveyor Belt:

Small plates of seafood, vegetables, noodles, fresh fruits and other stuff go around for you to pick and cook. Some selections disappear fast never to be seen again.

Sauce/Broth:

The broth was pretty bland. You have to be creative when you make your own sauce. The “hot” chili was not hot. I think it’s because there aren’t really any hot oil.

Vibe

Some people seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe a bunch of people called out, and they’re short staffed. I don’t know if I would go out of my way to come here...

After Hot Pot City in Milpitas closed down many years ago, Bay Area definitely needs another all you can eat hotpot/grille place. What sets Sea Pot apart is that not only they have AYCE but also they serve the food on a sushi style conveyor belt. It's also a chain so you can check whether there is another one close by. As an AYCE, the price is somewhat high ($30+) especially for adults. If you have younger kids then the price for them is reasonable. There isn't any birthday special like Gen. As for food I think the soup bases are bland (even the spicy ones) but they do the job. If you want grille in addition to hot pot you have to pay extra. I personally don't think the BBQ might taste better than hot pot. The food looks fresh but it's hard to control the quality of freshness and I have had crawfish that was spoiled. The meat is alright and if you can eat lot of meat it's probably worth it. You do have to wait for them to bring out the meat every time you finish though so that's kind annoying and you only have 90 minutes but I don't think these are problems as it limits wasting food and 90 is plenty of time. My only problem with food other than questionable freshness for some of the seafood is that they taste bland as nothing is marinated so you are based upon the sauce you use which they do have plenty of options like those Mongolian BBQ places. Overall it's alright if you crave AYCE. What sets the place apart is the service and atmosphere as they come very often to take away the empty plates and they come frequently enough so you can usually get them to bring more meat or soup. Of course that also means they expect at least 15% tip even if it's mostly self service. As for atmosphere it has a cool vibe but mostly it has private rooms that are great for large parties. This is common in Asian countries but not so much here in states so I'm glad they have the option. Place can be crowded so don't go in...