This place is such an interesting concept, and I really didn't know how it would work going in. From the other reviewers pics it looks like an AYCE buffet but it's not. This place has such authentic Chinese flavors, and to preface I highly recommend trying this place out. Upon entering you start on the left wall and pick a pair of tongs and a big plastic bowl. From there, you use your tongs and choose whatever you want to be cooked in your soup. There are 2 sections in the self serve area: the left side is all veggie, noodles, tofu etc, and the right side is all the meats, seafood, fish cakes etc. The price here is by weight, so you can pick and choose whatever you want. Just keep it mind you pay by weight, similar to how you pay by weight at yogurtland. In addition to the weight of your bowl, each soup base costs anywhere from $1-5. Once you're done picking your soup base and pay, you get a number tag, sit down, and they bring your order to you. For my group someone ended up with 2 pounds, and you do get a bigger bowl if you end up with more food. I do recommend not letting your eyes eat for you, it's easy to over add when you're picking stuff out. Now to the actual food. Every soup base our group ordered was phenomenal. I got a spicy soup base at medium heat and it was not for the faint of heart. It was spicy and it was delicious. Just a heads up, I love spicy foods (think Sichuan peppercorn spicy), and I found the medium here to pack a good punch. There are alot of places where I will order spicy because the spicy is pretty mild, but don't do that here. If you don't like spicy, definitely order mild or below. From the soup bases tried, my favorite (that I didn't take a pic of) was the very first broth in medium spice. I believe it's called the hot pot broth. That was my favorite and it only cost $1. The foods are cooked perfectly and the meats and seafoods tasted delicious in the broth. The meats are frozen but they are definitely not low quality. You know how sometimes you go to an AYCE restaurant and the meat lacks any flavor? Not here, the meats flavor shines through the broth. Not the best meat in the world by any means, but they aren't cutting corners for sure. From the buffet I will say one of my favorite items was the intestine, it's fatty and delicious and if you're into that I highly recommend adding a couple pieces to your bowl. Overall, this place is fantastic and I'll be adding it to my rotation of restaurants. The flavors are surprisingly authentic and I love the concept of being able to pick and choose what you want. I would pick this place over any AYCE shabu spot and even some sit down Chinese restaurants. read more

Fast Hot Pot - My soup, medium spice and delicious - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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Extremely casual environment. You can definitely tell this used to be some sort of fast food/fast casual restaurant upon walking in, but they did a decent repurposing the location. Their hot pot is honestly very delicious! It's really easy to overspend because you just keep adding ingredients into your pot and the cost adds up very fast! The good news is you can always take food home for leftovers. Their pricing is reasonable however, you just have to select ingredients carefully. Their ingredients themselves are very fresh and delicious, the broths my favorite! The bone broth especially. All in all, I recommend this casual hot pot spot! read more

Fast Hot Pot - the inside of a fast food restaurant - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

pretty solid spot, the place could be a little cleaner but service is pretty usual and the broth is good. i used to come here more before i started going to show hotpot (i personally like that place a bit better) read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

basically DIY hot pot! Irvine/OC sadly doesn't have that many malatang places so I was super excited to find this place. I love being able to customize my bowl and even pick the flavor of soup. You can pick between broth and dry mix. In my picture below I got the spicy bone broth in mild spicy, which to be honest is already pretty spicy. This is also perfect for sharing between two people. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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Fast Pot is a DIY hotpot situation and I am absolutely here for it. When you enter the restaurant, immediately to your left are large, see through bowls and tongs. You are then presented with a buffet of hotpot's greatest hits: noodles, other noodles, vegetables, fishballs, tofu, more tofu, and protein. After you fill your bowl up, it gets weighed ($12.99 a pound) and you select your broth flavor. So, from what I've gathered, the Laochengdu (+$1.99) soup base is the way to go, HOWEVER, on the new English translated menus, this is no where to be found. After some detective work (and ordering the wrong broth flavor), the Laochengdu soup is the same as the Pickled Cabbage Soup Base. You're welcome. I have to warn you, it's really, really spicy here. I asked for small spice and I proceeded to sweat throughout my meal because dang, it was very spicy. I loved the glass noodles - these had a nice chewy texture to them. I loved the ramen noodles. Oh! And I included long bamboo stems which they graciously cut into smaller pieces when they do the cooking for you. The tofu variety was also great. The soapy tofu sucked up all the broth. I loved that I was able to pack my bowl with my very favorite hotpot things and have it cooked for me. My friend assured me that my bowl would cost around~$10, however I went a little heavy handed and mine ended costing a whopping $25 lol. So be careful when you're filling up your bowl. read more

Fast Hot Pot - pickled cabbage soup base ~ $12.99 per pound - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

The food and the service were excellent IMO. I like the variety of ingredients are fresh, the customer service that was provided to me by this kid named Samuel was the highlight of our evening! I'll be back! read more

Food is decent and the portions are generous service is OK overall I would give a space four stars because the location is convenient and the price is less than a traditional hot pot place read more

It's a small quick hot pot place. We have been here a few times already. The selection is a bit small, but it has the basics. It's like Mongolian BBQ style where you grab a bowl, put what you want in it, and they weigh it for the cost. It's easy to add too many items, so less is better. The tomato soup broth is a bit too salty for my preference. So, I usually get the fish-based broth. It's a nice hot pot spot if you're in the neighborhood. read more

I love this place. It's small but never really busy. For $13:99 per pound you can pick what you want in your pot. The special chicken broth for extra $5 is amazing must. I usually spend $20-25 on my meal read more

Owner is very nice and service was great. I got the extra spicy level and it was spicy, but not crazy spicy. There is so much selection for and the ingredients taste great. This is better than the traditional places as its faster and you can get a lot of vsriety. If you went to a traditional place and picked 15 items, it would be very expensive. It's a great value here and you can get your own spice level if whoever you are with doesn't like the same spice level Everything tasted delicious and I will be back read more

This was my favorite hot pot place I've ever been to. The owner was so kind and very attentive. We weren't sure exactly what to do so she helped us. Super delicious. I got extra spicy and it was perfect. My friend and I both agreed it was amazing. Inside was very cute. I loved the bowls and chop sticks they used. read more

If I could rate 0 stars I would. I was debating whether to write a review on their service and how they treated me and my friend but telling my friends and family how our experience was they told me to write this. I came here with my friend last week and the service was so terrible. The workers were lowkey racist and rude. Mind you my friend is Mexican and I am Filipino. When we walked in we saw a group of Caucasian friend group and two East Asian costumers. Right when we walked in I did not like the vibe as the workers did not great us and just stared at us very rudely. When we finished ordering my friend and I sat down then realized we wanted to get drinks. I forgot to order a Dr Pepper and filled my cup with it and wanted to pay for it afterwards. However, the man who helped us earlier literally ran towards us and told us we couldn't get any soft drinks only water but I was planning on paying for it later. I got thrown off to the point I tossed the drink and didn't want to give them a cent of my money. Later, we went to get up to get sauces for the hot pot and every movement we would do the worker would break his neck and stare at us as if we were going to steal something. I noticed also that he would cater to every table asking if they were okay, refilled their drinks without asking, cleaned their trash except our table. He didn't check up on us ONCE the whole time we were there. The whole time we were there the workers were just staring at us making us uncomfortable as if they wanted us to leave already, mind you my friend and i were only there for 30-35 minutes. This was when I realized they were being racist just because my friend and I's skin tone was a little darker than theirs. When my friend and I finally left because we didn't feel wanted, the worker immediately rushed to our table and cleaned it and didnt even say thank you or have a good night. Don't recommend coming here unless you have fair skin. read more

Food is delicious, fast, consistent, and a competitive price. The service is sincere and attentive.

It's a small quick hot pot place. We've been here a few times. Selections is a bit small but it has the essentials. It's like Mongolian bbq style where you grab a bowl, put what you want in it, and they weigh it for the price. It's easy to add too much. So less is more. The tomato soup toy is a bit too salty for my taste. So I usually get the fish based soup. It's a nice hot pot place if you're in the area. read more

This is the place where you can pick the ingredients and weight $13 per pound. It was good to pick what I want. But the soup tastes wasn't good as expected and the quality of some of ingredients were't fresh or fully cooked. 3/5 Service was really good that the cashier brought the water and so on. 5/5 Only 4 tables, so place is cozy. 4/5 read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

Food is SUPER!! The choice of ingredients is not that plenty, however the choice of noodles there were like at least 7 different kinds of noodles. I recommend the vermicelli. Obviously you have to get the meat, but you also have to get the sausage and intestine,, they're so juicy and delicious. You have to tip! Tip and you'll be treated very nice. The boss/cashier is very nice after we tipped and gave us free refills of rice bowls and even drinks on the house. Place is clean and well taken care of, I recommend 10/10. Great experience! read more

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Our FAVORITE hot pot place! The broths are flavorful, rich and delicious! Many food choices to add to your soup and service is quick. We have been to many hot pot soup restaurants and always return to this place because it doesn't disappoint! read more

The waiter( which is also the business owner) snatched the bowl out of my hand and said "then don't eat" when I suggested to pay the tips after finishing the food. He was royally rude and aggressive . My friends and I were threatened and stood there in stunned silence. I got no idea how we just continued to sit there. But after a couple of minutes, the same waiter (the owner) came to me and said "if you don't spend money, leave my place! Get out of here" and again he snatched the water out of my hand and glared at me. I have never met such a mean and narrow minded person. If you plan to eat there, be careful. Or just RUN!!!!!!!!!! read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

Another visit to this hot pot place. And this time I learned to get more veggies and noodles. But still a bit pricy by worth it! You select your own stuff and they cook it for you in the broth of your choice. Small place and easy to get food and eat! read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

We came here to eat something quick before a movie. This place did not disappoint! We both ordered the dry pot, which was fantastic. You could choose your own ingredients and the price is calculated by weight. It even came with a soy milk, green tea, or milk tea for free. The staff were very nice!! The store itself is small but cozy and clean. I would definitely come back again and I think it would be quite delicious as take-out too. read more

Fast Hot Pot - dry spicy mix and green chili mix - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

Love this place! Really good value in terms of all the ingredients you can put in. The owner guy is super nice and offers amazing service. Our go to Chinese soup hot pot place - you just grab all the ingredients you desire (pay by the pound - a lil less than $14), then they add the soup flavor and spice level you desire. Then boom! Don't need to spend $$$$ for good food, like the new big hot pot two shops down. read more

Great experience at fast hot pot. The restaurant was clean and the gentlemen that seemed like the owner is so nice. Kept checking up on us. He doesn't speak English too well so please be patient. The spice levels is a bit tricky. The mild was spicy enough. Luckily I didn't get medium because no way I could've handled that. If you can eat spicy, I recommend just getting mild. I went a little overboard with my bowl. Weighing in at a hefty 1.8 lbs. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Self serve! - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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This is by far the best build your own hot pot place I've tried. The variety of ingredients is top tier, the soup base options are nice and flavorful, and the owner is really nice. Each time we've come he's offered either free coconut jelly or free drink special. The food is at least 10x better than other malatang / by weight hot pot places nearby (like zhangliang and show hot pot). Highly recommend the tomato and tom yum bases. read more

Fast Hot Pot - 3 tomato base soups, 1 tom yum - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

Delicious food, great service and nice vibes. I love coming here for a nice warm bowl of a perfectly crafted soup.

Highly highly recommend this place for those who like hotpot. My wife and I were hesitant at first, but their food is delicious! Although the owner did not speak much English he was very friendly to us. Definitely will be coming back here. Best part is that they stay open late so we can eat here for our late night dinners! Great option as well for those on a keto as they have a keto friendly noodle as an option. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

Great spot for a quick hot pot fix. Soup base #1 was flavorful and the ingredients I chose were fresh. Service is friendly. The restaurant was air conditioned and clean. You get to put the ingredients into the bowl yourself so you can go light if your on a diet or you can go nuts and get stuffed read more

I've been eating at this place since it was hidden in a mini strip mall off Santa Ana Ave and Bristol. Back then the owner had his restaurant labeled as "Pho Kitchen" or something of that nature. I'm incredibly happy that the owner managed to get a primo spot surviving the pandemic! The name of the restaurant Fast Hotpot and they whip up some of the best Malatang I've tasted in Orange County/LA. I think the quality of ingredients is what makes this restaurant so much more special than others. The hospitality is outstanding and the owner is very passionate about his product. Pick your veggies and protein. I highly recommend loading up on a veggie of your choice to soak up all that mala goodness. I'm very fond of the instant noodles as well, but it's totally optional! Pick up the coconut jelly as well it does wonders cleaning up your palate after the spicy savory goodness. Pro Tip: Mild can give you a good sweat so don't be afraid to let them know you don't want spice or you want just a hint of it. Please go and support this place it's Chinese comfort food 100%! read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

After visiting again I wanted to update my review to state that not only is this place 5 stars the first time, it's also 5 stars the second time, and my guess is that the next few visits will also be 5 stars too. Some suggestions when visiting here are to fill the bowl with lots of veggie and meat and noodle and then choose one of the good spicy sauces for them to cook it in. 5 stars for a 5-star place read more

Fast Hot Pot - Spicy hot pot 麻辣 - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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Can't recommend this place enough. The staff is very nice and give great service. They don't speak English well but I've never had an issue ordering and they're always accommodating. Food is delicious and reasonably priced, just don't go overboard putting too much into your bowl. They always give freebies like tea or small desserts. I believe they're a small family business, and they know how to treat customers well. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

This place is really good. Highly recommend. Notes for myself next time: 1) get non-spicy broth or Tom yum. The broth has the back of the throat spiciness. 2) only get wood ear mushroom 3) the Hershey shaped fish ball is the best. It has roe inside 4) ramen noodle is good 5) the beef is really good 6) the lotus is good read more

Fast Hot Pot - Satay - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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I stopped reviewing on yelp years ago, but I'm thinking I wanted to start back up to give credit / support to this business! I've been walking past this place going to the gym and never dropped by. Finally we decided to go one of those cold days. glad we did! The gentleman behind the counter (didnt speak the best english) tried his best to explain the setup and how to go about getting your food. Super super friendly guy! The food also was delicious, being it was quick food, you can't expect the food to be 10/10 in freshness for all their items but I did choose everything I wanted! everything is by weight, you order you put your own ingredients into this bowl and its weighed. you then pick your soup base and they make it in the back! Soup comes hot, and all cooked and prepared just how you want it. you see families in here, and overhear returning customers so you know they're doing something right! Give them a chance! read more

Great food and very affordable! Hard to find an Asian restaurant in Irvine where you can have a meal at less than 20 bucks per person!

Delicious! You pick what you want, they weigh it and cook it for you. Good flavor, lots of options, and super friendly service. Would recommend! read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

I did not enjoy my dining here. The day I chose to go here, they do not have the broth that I prefer. After choosing all the fixings to go in the soup, paid and sat at the table. The place was buzzing with flies and did not feel clean. Overall it felt like highly priced and low quality food. Sorry not recommending this place. read more

Fast and tasty hotpot. Can choose your meats and veggies - pay by weight. They have a variety of soup base options too. Great for late night

This place was delicious. This was our first time and it did not disappoint. We had two bowls and the quality of the ingredients were very fresh. The service was great. The person who attended to us gave us a free drink, was able to suggest the spice level for us and payed close attention to our 10 year old who also loved the soup. We went pretty late on a Sunday night and were able to get good seating. Would totally recommend for a great hearty flavorful meal. Great service, great ingredients, tons of choices, delicious flavor and decent price. read more

Hands down one of my favorite places to eat as a relatively picky eater. The selection is right up my alley in having so many options that aren't usually found elsewhere. The different soup options are great. I highly recommend the Tom Yum but Tomato is yummy too. The service is so good. The owner is always checking up to fill waters. Also the food is cooked to perfection. Not over cooked or undercooked. I love it. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

This place is great. You pick out your own ingredients and they add the broth. Super fast and yummy. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

This place is very authentic. I've tried their "spicy mix" and "dry green chili spicy mix". Both have really good numbing mala spice. This place is clean and service is good. It's a small family business and the owners are very friendly. read more

Fast Hot Pot - Menu - Hot Pot Near Me - Tustin, California

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Potential. So much potential. Confusing menu 'til the gal explained it and it all came together. Basically you get a bowl, place all your ingredients in, and they weigh it all out. These items are "by the LB". They then ask if you'd like premium add-ons such as proteins. It adds up quickly. The soup is great but prices are out of line for what they're serving. Wish them luck. Really nice owners. read more