potwhale hotpot — Restaurant in Tucson

This was my first time dining at a hot pot restaurant, and I have to say it was a memorable experience! Me and two others arrived on a Tuesday, late at night. There was only one other group there. Don’t dine alone if you stop by; one pot is enough to serve three to four people.

When we squeezed through the narrow door, we were quickly greeted by both maneki-neko and the host. The restaurant itself is sparsely decorated, without a lot of personality. We were quickly seated, as we had our choice of spots being late on a weekday, on long wooden benches facing a cafeteria style table. On the table was a convection oven that proved to be very much up to the task in keeping our food boiling hot.

We ordered a half “mild spicy”, half chicken broth pot. Let me tell you, the mild spicy was too hot for me and one friend, and the other person who enjoys spicy food said it tasted bitter. The chicken broth side was very good though, so next time we will be sure to do the chicken broth, and maybe the tomato one.

For the ingredients, we ordered the following: prime lamb, quail eggs, raw egg yolk, crab sticks, lobster meat ball, mushroom combo, potato, seaweed, broccoli, glass noodles, handmade noodles, hot pot dumplings. Everything ordered for the hot pot was substantially proportioned. The prime lamb was sliced very thin for a shorter cook time, and did not taste too gamey. I loved the tiny quail eggs, seaweed, and handmade noodles especially. We also ordered a side of fried steamed buns, which we all agreed were hot and delicately sweet.

They had quite a few options for sauces, including a build your own station. It was late at night, so they were running a little low, but I enjoyed my mix of green onions, cilantro, oyster sauce, garlic, and chives. Don’t knock it till you try it! Be warned though, if you have a peanut allergy, stay away from the sesame based sauces, as there is potential for cross contamination.

When I used the bathroom, it was very clean and well stocked, though they had added water to the soap, nearly rendering it useless. There were handicap accessible bars for the toilet, and it was roomy enough for a large wheelchair and more. I was pleased. Unfortunately, the front door is not handicap accessible, so keep that in mind!

My takeaway is that this is a great way to experience food. We all agreed it is best suited for winter, or a rainy day. The food was fresh and delicious, in good sized proportions. The restaurant itself is clean. We didn’t really get to interact and get to know our servers, but they were very polite and quick with everything. Check this place off of your to...

So this is actually the second time we have been to Potwhale and both times the experience was outstanding. A quick explainer for the uninitiated: when you go out to hot pot, you get a huge dish of broth that boils and bubbles in the center of your table, and you order fresh ingredients which you proceed to cook yourself. My partner and I always get the yin-yang bowl so we can get two different flavours of broth- I prefer the medium spicy (which is plenty hot, I love Sichuan food and have no need to try the extra spicy!) and she likes the house beef broth. We have ordered the beef, lamb, and pork belly, the vegetable combo 2 with the fresh greens, the mushroom combo, the dumplings, the handmade noodles, and the lotus root. Things all take different times to cook so you have to judge accordingly. That said, all the ingredients have been exceptionally fresh and well-prepared, and it's a joy to partake in the experience of sharing a meal in this way. A word to the wise- the sauce bar at $1.50 per person might seem a bit steep, and potentially superfluous, but it's actually a mission-critical piece of the hot pot puzzle, as the dipping sauces you make yourself are a beautiful last punch of acid, salt, and flavour before the sizzling meats and veggies hit your tongue.

The atmosphere isn't anything especially to write home about, but the whale art they have on the walls and windows are great, and most importantly it is clean and bright inside. It's a perfectly fine space to spend a few hours with friends around a hot pot (or, as I do, gaze lovingly at my partner through the rising steam). On that note, do make sure you budget plenty of time. The service has been relatively quick and we've never had to wait for a table, but we also go off-peak hours. The reason for the extra time needed is simply that hot pot should be savoured- and indeed, by its very nature, it demands that you do so.

Not one to be missed. You should probably go there...

It was our first time giving this place a try tonight. The food was okay. The broth we ordered was their house special - medium spicy. It was not spicy at all. No kick for spice - it tasted like watered down beef broth. The meat and veggies were good and fresh.

The service... this is where I wanted to get up before I even started eating to leave. I felt like a child being scolded while I was cooking my food in the broth. I added some of the sauce that they have on the side to my broth because it was too bland, and I really offended our server. Never in my life, been to a hotpot place where I am being told how I need to cook my food. The service soured the rest of the meal for the night, and I don't think driving 30 minutes to eat here is worth it. There are better places that I would spend my $ at, and not be made to feel like I don't know how to cook or eat. You shouldn't be condescending to your customers. I value knowledge, so if the waitress had approached me by being informative then this would be a different review. Don't speak down to your customers. If your customer tells you that it's their first time to your establishment then please take the time to go through your processes, customs, and walk through the menu with your customer. We were seated, given a whiteboard marker and a pen to mark what we wanted for our meal. We had no idea what we were doing as every hotpot we have been to has their own process of how they do things.

The establishment was OK. It felt clean and the workers were quick to clean as soon as a customer leaves. I did appreciate the cleanliness. My husband mentioned that the men's bathroom was a mess, but it was only because someone had thrown paper towels into the toilet and tried to flush it. It clogged the toilet so my husband didn't want to use it after someone else tried....