The 8 Best Hot Pot Restaurants in Calgary That I’ve Personally Tried and Tested
When the weather starts getting colder, there’s always one thing that pops into my mind: hot pot. Once I start craving it, there’s nothing else I want more.
There’s just something so soothing about ordering a variety of ingredients and watching them cook right in front of you. And as someone who’s a bit of a picky eater, I absolutely love getting to choose what ingredients to put in.
My friends are so used to me requesting hot pot that we’ve practically tried most, if not all, of the hot pot restaurants in the area. Listed below are the best ones in Calgary that we keep coming back to over and over again.
1. Happy Lamb Hot Pot
– Media credit: happylamb_canada
Address: 999 36 St NE Unit 100A, Pacific Place Mall
Contact details: +1 403 475 6889
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM
Must-order: England Prime Rib Brisket
Whenever I meet someone who hasn’t tried hot pot before, I always make sure to bring them to Happy Lamb Hot Pot. This Mongolian-style restaurant is great for first-timers because of its food selection and quality.
All of their ingredients always taste premium. They offer meats such as the usual beef, tofu, and shrimp, but the real highlight here is in the name: their lamb cuts. It’s incredibly tender and melts in your mouth, even if it’s only been cooked for a short while.
And even though they have a dipping station, you can enjoy your meal without making one. Their broths already have plenty of flavor. You can choose between mild soups to ones that’ll make your eyes water from spice.
People with a sweet tooth will also have a reason to love this place. At the end of your meal, you can head over to the self-serve bar for a tasty dessert.
| Pro tip: Happy Lamb Hot Pot is a great place for the whole family. Apart from the self-serve ice cream bar, the kids will love seeing the cute robots that serve the ingredients in the restaurant. |
– Media credit: chinehotpotcalgary
Address: 8971 Bonaventure Dr S E
Contact details: +1 403 452 0656
Operating Hours:
- Sunday to Friday – 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
- Saturday – 11:30 AM to 12:00 AM
Must-order: Specialty Tomato Broth
Chine Hot Pot & Noodles Bonaventure is the perfect hot pot place for big groups. They cater to different kinds of dietary preferences, from vegetarians to those with allergies.
It’s also very convenient that they offer private spaces for those who wish to have more intimate meals. This ranges from booths that can accommodate 2 guests to rooms that can hold celebrations with up to 24 people.
The food served here consists of flavors from Chinese Szechuan cuisine. Out of all their soup bases, the ones we keep coming back to are their invigorating tomato broth and aromatic bone broth.
We also like how easy it is to adjust their hot pot settings. They use modern touch-control induction cookers that’ll make you feel like a Michelin chef preparing a 5-star meal.
| Pro tip: If you end up falling in love with the flavors here at Chine Hot Pot & Noodles Bonaventure, you don’t have to wait until you come back to taste them again. You can order their soup bases to go and enjoy them in the comfort of your own home. |
3. Golden Dragon Hot Pot
– Media credit: goldendragonhotpot
Address: 30 Brentwood Common NW Unit 130
Contact details: +1 587 351 8124
Operating Hours:
- Monday – 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Tuesday to Thursday – 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM
- Friday to Saturday – 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM
- Sunday – 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM
Must-order: Cheese Fish Balls
Golden Dragon Hot Pot’s goal is to have each and every one of their customers indulge as much as they want. They even have Halal-certified options to ensure that there’s something for all their customers.
This hot pot restaurant is ideal for indecisive diners. They offer a soup base trio so you can have a taste of all their best-selling broths.
We always end up spending way too much time at their self-serve sauce bar.
Depending on our mood, we love mixing and matching ingredients to create a dip that’s either savory or spicy.
And whenever we start sweating from the heat of the hot pot, we never have to worry. They have an impressive selection of refreshing drinks, including coconut milk, herbal teas, and plum juice, that’ll counteract any spice.
| Pro tip: Those who are having hot pot for the first time can rely on the service at Golden Dragon Hot Pot. The servers here will carefully explain each station and ingredient to you so that you know what you’ll be getting into. |
4. Centre Street Japanese Hot Pot
– Media credit: centrestreetjapanesehotpot
Address: 2243-2213 Centre St N
Contact details: +1 403 455 3188
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Tuesday, Thursday to Friday – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – 12:00 PM to 10:30 PM
- Wednesday – Closed
Must-order: Tom Yum Kung
If you feel like you’re too impatient for hot pot, we’ve got the restaurant for you. Centre Street Japanese Hot Pot uses extra strong burners, so you won’t have to wait too long until your food cooks.
You and your group also won’t have to spend a long time debating which soup base everyone would like. Here, they provide individual pots and soup bases per diner.
However, you still might have a hard time choosing for yourself since they have over 15 flavors on the menu. Personally, we think their kimchi and tom yum broths are the most flavorful.
Don’t let the size of this small, cozy restaurant fool you, though. They provide large meat portions that require the help of friends to finish.
| Pro tip: Although most people come to Centre Street Japanese Hot Pot for the meats, don’t overlook their drink selection. Their bubble tea is just as delicious and worth trying with your meal. |
5. Spice and Aroma Calgary
– Media credit: spicenaroma.calgary
Address: 2111 Centre St NW
Contact details: +1 403 769 9009
Operating Hours:
- Sunday to Thursday – 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
- Friday to Saturday – 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM
Must-order: Mild Szechuan Soup Base
When it comes to hot pot, Spice and Aroma Calgary has a different setup compared to most restaurants. Instead of ordering each ingredient at your table, you’ll pick them out at the start and weigh them at the counter before they add the soup base.
They call this method the pick-and-mix express. It’s inspired by how Sichuan locals eat their street food. So, by the time you get to your table, your ingredients will already be mostly cooked.
Besides the meats though, the restaurant gives a nice treat for its customers. You get to choose between a selection of free drinks, free dessert, or free rice with your hot pot order.
We find that this place is a big hit among people who really love spicy food. They offer 5 levels of spice, with the highest level not being for the faint of heart.
| Pro tip: Do take note that the space is quite small, so try to arrive before the dinner rush. Otherwise, it’s very common to see a long line of diners right outside waiting for their turn at the hot pot. |
6. Skewer Hot Pot
– Media credit: shangshangqianyyc
Address: 5211 Macleod Trl SW #106
Contact details: +1 587 351 0066
Operating Hours:
- Sunday to Monday, Wednesday to Saturday – 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Tuesday – Closed
Must-order: Sweet Deep-Fried Milk
For those who have always wanted to experience an authentic Chinese hot pot, Skewer Hot Pot is here to make your dreams come true. Just as the name suggests, their ingredients are prepared on skewers.
Prepare yourself for some spice, though. The flavorful heat of their broth will make you feel like you’ve been transported out of Calgary and into China.
Luckily, diners who aren’t that great with spice don’t have to worry too much. This restaurant offers a dual-burner pot so that groups can have both mild and spicy soup bases.
More adventurous foodies will love their special ingredients. Besides the usual meat cuts, they also have rare slices such as beef tongue, chicken feet, and pork stomach.
Be warned, though, it’s always best to book in advance. This restaurant gets pretty crowded early on, and it’ll be hard to find a table without a reservation.
| Pro tip: Skewer Hot Pot will give you the option to either pay by the skewer or one all-you-can-eat price. We usually choose the latter since we want to indulge and try as many ingredients as we can. |
7. Master Beef Hot Pot
– Media credit: masterbeefyyc
Address: 4640 Macleod Trl SW
Contact details: +1 403 209 1289
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Must-order: Satay Broth
Master Beef Hot Pot combines the best of Chinese flavors and Calgary meat to create a stellar hot pot experience. They only source their ingredients from premium local cattle in Alberta.
We highly recommend including their Masterbeef beef balls in your soup. The staff makes it by hand, giving it a unique and tender texture, which elevates its savory flavor.
Apart from this, you should also try their satay and miso broth combo with lots and lots of vegetables. Their greens are always fresh and crispy, making them fun to eat with the meat.
What really makes this restaurant stand out, though, is its attentive servers. They will regularly check in on you to make sure that everything is going well and will refill your soup base every once in a while.
| Pro tip: Out of all the hot pot restaurants in the area, Master Beef is one of the top choices for celebrating birthdays. It can easily accommodate big groups of people because of its spacious interiors and it always plays great music that’s perfect for a lively party. |
8. ChengDu Hot Pot
– Media credit: chengduhotpotcalgary
Address: 5220 4 St NE #14
Contact details: +1 587 619 1666
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Tuesday – 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM
- Wednesday to Thursday – 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM
- Friday – 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM
- Saturday to Sunday – 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
Must-order: Enoki Mushrooms
Chengdu is a city known for its magnificent flavors, and ChengDu Hot Pot is Calgary’s very own gateway to it. They don’t shy away from lots of spice in order to stay authentic.
That doesn’t mean you have to love spice to be able to eat here. In fact, they’ve got an extensive kids’ menu with plenty of mild options.
What makes this place even better is that it’s one of the more affordable hot pot options in the area. Their generous portion sizes ensure that you’ll leave feeling full without breaking the bank.
You won’t even have to wait that long to get your order because they’re known for their speedy service. All you have to do is scan a QR code and order from your phone, and a server will bring your ingredients to you shortly after.
| Pro tip: In case you’re curious about ChengDu specialties, this place is Calgary’s leading source. If you’re feeling adventurous, just ask ChengDu Hot Pot’s staff for their ‘secret menu’ and try stuff that you can’t find anywhere else in Calgary. |