Second time here and food has been amazing. Service is quick. Food options are plentiful! Choose from any broth and there's many different proteins, vegetables and even sides to choose from. However choose your broth wisely. To change broths it'll be an extra $5. My favorite broth is the tom yum! It's very tomato forward but has a slight kick. There are many beef and pork options. The kurobota pork is very yummy! As well as the Shanghai noodles! It can get pretty hot inside as you're eating though and you can end up getting somewhat sweater. Depending on where you're sitting. You can choose to have a shared single hotpot or the option to have individual hot-pots! There is also a sauce bar with some small bites that include mini sesame red bean donuts. The sauce bar has many options to choose from and it is very clean as there are windows to cover the sauce bar. They even have their own signature sesame oil in mini cans! Super cute. Once you're done eating there's an ice cream fridge and a cute little dessert bar to make your own jelly dessert cups! It creates such a refreshing cleanse after eating hotpot. read more

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Recommend coming here with family and friends whenever you're craving some hot pot but don't want to buy and assemble the ingredients yourself at home! We went for dinner and not sure if it's cause we went later in the evening but it wasn't very crowded and didn't have to wait for a table. You order everything on a tablet and they bring it out to you. I got the pork bone broth and would recommend that one. There are plenty of meat, seafood and veggie options. Highly recommend ordering the ribeye if you eat beef! I was disappointed that they were sold out of few items - one being enoki mushrooms cause I feel like that's a popular choice when it comes to hot pot. And the lady who gave me the check pulled up the wrong order on the machine for me when I paid. I'm glad I looked at the final receipt because the order I paid for was more than ours. She ended up refunding the difference but only of the base price. Overall, a solid place to get some comfort hot pot :) read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Some friends suggested driving here from Arlington because it is such a good deal. They were right. I do not think you can beat it for value. The all you can eat model is so so nice. The sauce bar is also pretty clutch. Ambiance was fun, too. Service was a little matter of fact, but you order using a tablet at your table so getting more of exactly what you want is pretty efficient. I'd put it right in the middle for vegetarian-friendliness - it is a little limited compared to the carnivore experience but you can definitely still eat and be very satisfied. For non-vegetarians the variety of broth options is really impressive. Basically, just look at my pic to understand everything you need to know. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Have you ever seen so much food in your life. - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

You can get all you can eat hotpot or order dishes individually. There's a lot of drinks you can order as well. There's a fridge with ice cream and a dessert station where you can select the items to put in your bowl such as lychee jelly, grass jelly, other toppings, and brown sugar. The meat and seafood were fresh, such as octopus, calamari, and pork kidney. The appetizers were good as well such as the spicy beef stripes and spicy chicken (ko shui ji) that was juicy, fresh and soft. read more

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This is probably the best hotpot in the DMV!! Food is always served fresh and onto nice plates! Everything here is just good from the consistency to the quality + the dessert bar is such a good way to end the meal. Shoutout to Mama Amy and staff!! read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This has become my favorite hot pot. For $35 they give you GIANT pieces of premium beef. This is honestly a steal considering how big each piece of beef is. The sauce station is legit - each sauce does not taste watered down and all have some body to it. Mixing it together gave me the best concoction which went perfect with my Costco sized flaps of meat. I've had haidilao which I thought was the best of the best but i think this unassuming spot in Gaithersburg Maryland might be the best hot pot I've ever had. Hot Pot Hero is definitely my hero! read more

One of my favorite hot pot places in MoCo. Meat quality is good and the variety of ingredients is great. They also have a really good sauce bar with a lot of condiments, and its kept clean. Service was good too. read more

The service was amazing!! The tomato broth is a must for newbies!! The atmosphere was lovely. Amy, our server was personable and fast! She was attentive but not overbearing. This is a great place to try new foods and adventure a little bit. -Jacky and Jackson read more

Hot Pot Hero - 2 different broths and an assortment of meat and veggies. - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hot Pot Hero has basically been our go-to hotpot spot in this area, and it has been wowing me ever since the first time my in-laws brought me here. TL;DR Good ambiance + service, basically all my favorite hotpot and sauce fixins, bubble tea robot, don't miss dessert! Hot pot has become popular in this area over the past few years and I remember being super excited when I was brought here for the first time. The ambiance is nice enough to bring parents here (in fact, my first visit was courtesy of my in-laws inviting me!) and the servers have always been super kind to me when we visit. You order via tablet and help yourself to the sauce bar at the front. (Oh how I ADORE a sauce bar...) Some highlights: + This sauce bar includes EVERYTHING needed for my favorite recipe, which is great as many hotpot places will be missing 1 or 2 ingredients for what I think would be considered a Beijing hotpot-style sauce? Into my bowl goes sesame paste, fermented chive sauce, red fermented tofu sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, minced garlic, scallions, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, sugar, fish sauce, chili oil, and some black vinegar. It just makes me happy knowing they have every single ingredient I look for to make my perfect sauce, since I am a HUGE dipping foods in sauce person and usually will have to make a second helping of sauce before I leave hotpot. + Some of my favorite ingredient items that I don't always find at other spots are also featured here (with many being on the dinner/premium menu), like fish balls with fish roe and shrimp paste and woodear mushrooms, and we have been happy with the meat and seafood and veggie and mushroom options (iykyk, mushrooms are their own category when it comes to hotpot) + I appreciate the traditional Chinese dessert of grass jelly and lychee jelly, with toppings options like brown sugar syrup, red beans, lychees, and crushed peanuts. AND there is also ice cream if you'd rather go that route. + You can order drinks from Ben Gong next door directly through the tablet system. - I started this review a while back and will say that I haven't seen the robot in use for a while, as a note for folks looking forward to seeing it - The last time we visited, we noticed a mildew-y smell that came and went in waves. At first we thought it was the cart they used to bring ingredients but we realized it was actually the seats, as the hotpot creates a very humid environment and there is no venting of the steam away from the table. I hope this is something they fix soon, as it did affect our experience. - Another thing of note is I usually have great service here but there is one server who is a bit more stern about time limits and refills, but YMMV. We still have a great time but it is something we notice when we get that server. We have been regulars at Hot Pot Hero since we moved back to the area because I love hotpot and this one has most of the things I'm looking forward to in a hotpot dinner. It's also been a great meal for my toddler, even though I am less relaxed and less full handling the logistics of feeding a toddler (I have a whole setup involving a bowl of ice water to cool down the food) but the customizability of the meal makes it really great for the littlest eaters! read more

Definitely ask for Amy she was a great server with quick service and very funny to talk with! Will definitely be going back and asking for her! The meat was very fresh and vegetables tasted great. The restaurant was very clean and the sauce section was large. The dessert section is something no other AYCE hot pot place has totally worth it! read more

May 23, 2026 Hotpot Hero is a fantastic spot for anyone who loves interactive dining and bold flavors. The staff are very friendly and helpful, They take the time to explain how everything works and make sure your table is well taken care of throughout the meal. -Amy, Vu, Lyna, Henry- read more

I had lunch with my mom here. Hot Pot Hero delivers an outstanding dining experience from start to finish. The service is truly excellent--Amy was attentive, friendly, and always ready to help without being overbearing. She took her time to explain the menu, make great recommendations, and ensure everything runs smoothly at the table. The quality of the ingredients is fresh and flavorful, and the overall atmosphere is warm and inviting. Whether you're new to hot pot or a regular, the team makes you feel welcome and well taken care of. Highly recommend for anyone looking for great food paired with top-notch service! read more

3 Nov 2025 Update Amy continues to be a constant pillar of great hospitality at Hot Pot Hero! She always takes care of myself and the guests I am with. She will ask about how things are going and make sure that we are all having a good/safe time - which really matters when we are sometimes just looking for a place to have good food and good conversation. Thank you Amy and thank you to all the staff! read more

This hotpot place is AWESOME! I have came for so many times and this lovely server Amy is so so so sweet. We were late at the restaurant and she was waiting patiently for us and she was asking us whether or not we need more food (love the crawfish btw) I will definitely be back!! Amy is wayyyyy too awesome! Good! read more

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This spot is my favorite hotpot place in the MoCo area! You could never go wrong with any of the broths. There's most likely a wait during the winter time during dinner rush, but that just means that this place is worth the wait! Amy is great and always recognizes people who return and that made me feel special (especially since there are so many people who come to eat here!) and also gave me a dessert since it was my birthday! I really appreciate the small attention to care and service! Would 10/10 recommend, I've taken a lot of my friends and family here and they all agree that this might be their go to spot when they visit! - Mimi read more

Hot Pot Hero - Birthday celebration at Hot Pot Hero! - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Great place to dine . My go-to for hot pot Fast service Highly recommend if you enjoy hot pot Amy is very helpful read more

Absolutely delicious Cajun seafood boil! Server was pleasant and attentive. Ordering off the tablet is rather impersonal; I'd rather give my order to the server, so that I can ask questions. There was a faint, odd, "old dishcloth" smell, but everything looked to be clean. Will definitely return! read more

A solid hot pot place for AYCE for its price. Their spicy pot is great for spicy lovers and loved their meats, especially their premium beef and lamb. Service is attentive and it's a huge spot. Their bathroom is in the hallway to Ben Gong's. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Spicy pot - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Haven't had hot pot in a while so I was really excited. I finally got the chance to go during lunch so the selection was limited. There was only a couple meat option/ and one option of beef but still good. I have had better hot pot before but the staff was amazing! They were so kind and attentive! Might try dinner next time for more options! read more

AMY IS THE BEST SERVER EVER!!! Great spot to eat and the food was cooked by us at the table. Very friendly staff and very informative when it's your first time coming in. We were clear on how to order. It was great. We did the upgraded dinner so we could get the premium meat choices. We did the family pot so it was two pots in one versus the individual pot. I had the herbal broth, he had the mild spicy broth. We ordered a variety of items to put in it but the main thing was ribeye, lamb, chicken. It was DELICIOUS and we left full!!! The peach Moscato was good. Don't forget dessert!!! Ask for Amy because we won't eat unless Amy is our server!! read more

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Amazing hot pot and outstanding service. Amy was hands-down the best--friendly, attentive, and super helpful with recommendations. She made the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. Great food is a given here, but her service is what really stood out. Will definitely be back for Amy to be our server! read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I've been to many hot pot all around the DMV and this is by far the best one. Soup is great, food selection is the best and customer service is top quality. All of the staff members are genuinely nice, especially Amy. We live far away but Amy's wonderful customer service brings us back everytime. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Ambience - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Amazing. As always. Went with a big group of friends, we had a blast. Spicy mushroom soup very flavorful, good spice level. Meats were fresh and delicious. Great staff. Shout out Amy the goat!! Even went back by myself a day later. Highly recommend. Always will stop here when in MD. Elite sauce bar read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I have several favorite spots for Hot Pot, and today I tried Hot Pot Hero for the first time. It sits right there with my favorites. It is an all you can eat hot pot, you order the meats, fish and veggies on a tablet and they bring it to the table (fairly quickly!). We got individual soups, and shared the endless items family style. They have a well stocked dips station with all my favorite items to mix together, very yummy! Our daughter ordered a bubble tea and we were greeted by a cute, friendly robotic server. I will definitely be back! read more

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this hotpot is over rated, service were terrible, only 2 staff in the whole dining room, if you need something you may wait at least 15mins, plus staff requested for 22% gratuity after taxes. read more

My friends surprised me with a birthday celebration, and the wait staff was incredibly accommodating! They brought out a cute boombox playing birthday songs, lit the candle, and truly made me feel so special. Thank you, Amy, for such an amazing experience! read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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I left Hot Pot Hero so full I skipped my next meal, and I absolutely love how flavorful their broth is. I just wish this business offered the lunch price to vegans as the dinner price too. I think the food is incredible, but I am only willing to pay $25 for all you can eat vegetables. If this business offered a $25 option to vegans at dinner time I would 100% be a regular here! Hot Pot Hero has two vegan broths to choose from. Both are fantastic! The tomato one will stain your clothes so pro tip is to where black when dining here. I also wish they had cloth napkins to help absorb the splatters better. For vegetables to add to the broth they have multiple tofu options, so many noodles, white rice, plenty of greens like bok choy, spinach, and watercress, pumpkin, sweet potato, lotus root, and every mushroom you have ever heard of. I absolutely love the selection of toppers. On the dinner menu you can order a few more tofu options but again I can only eat $25 worth of tofu, not $35. The sauce bar and desserts are a great station to visit. I love adding chili oil to everything. Their watermelon and orange slices are a nice sweet treat to enjoy at the conclusion of the meal. This business refuses to accept more than 3 credit cards. That is frustrating in a group setting where everyone ordered the same thing. I don't understand why not all the credit cards can be accepted and the bill split up evenly. That is another deterrent for me to come back with my friends. Overall I love the food, the service was pretty smooth since you order whatever you want from an IPad, and my friends and I all had a great time. To get 5 stars I think there should be a different dinner price for vegans, and I hope they can work on accepting more than 3 credit cards when 5 people dine together and all order the same thing. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Vegan tomato broth, vegan dippers - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I streamed a mukbang here on Twitch during lunch hours (dinner menu) on a Monday last week. First time eating hotpot in over a decade so don't have much to compare it to. Waitress explained the protocol to me which was appreciated. There were 2 other tables who dined at the same time with me. I asked for the music to be turned off since my mic was picking it up and the staff took care of it. The meats were enjoyable, the fish paste items were mid, vegetables were good, and the spicy broth was to my liking. I moaned, groaned, and spoke very loudly at various points during the meal and the staff never commented on any of it. On the contrary when I left she told me to come back soon which was nice. I ate 14 dishes. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Beef - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This place is definitely my hot pot hero! I have eaten here a handful of times and have had consistent experiences. I like to go for the individual hot pot and tomato broth, which is quite flavorful. Also love that the frequently cleaned + organized sauce bar has a sesame sauce that other AYCE hot pot spots do not offer. They have a decent selection of everything and the meats and veggies are reliably fresh. Dishes are ordered from a tablet at the table. The conveyer belt, cat robot server, and BenGong's boba options are also a plus to see here. Lastly, their dessert bar features a jelly station and ice cream freezer that makes a nice treat if you can make it to dessert! Considering the quality of the food, inviting atmosphere, and friendly service, Hot Pot Hero is a delight to experience through and through. read more

Hot Pot Hero - | STOREFRONT | - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Went last night and it was great! The line was a tad long when we got there at 7:15 but worth it. With they had a better method of signing in as it was confusing and not obvious. The food tho - delicious. Even the 8yr old was thrilled. The sauce making bar was plentiful. The meat plates are bountiful. The dessert is adequate. Was it cheap? No. Was it delicious and we'd do it again? Yes. You will smell like hot pot when you leave... and maybe in the morning too! lol read more

This is my family's go to spot for hot pot. I haven't been in a couple years so what's new is the iPad ordering system, drinks from the boba tea shop next door/attached and some plates ! I thought there was a very wide selection. Like 6+ mushrooms, 3+ fishballs, lots of vegetables, range or carbs (noodles/potato/rice cakes), juices, milkshakes and sparking water drinks. Pretty extensive to go through It was pretty poppin and I like the amount of red that's going on. Hanging lights and nice decor. The dessert bar and the sauce bar are also things I never knew they had to v cool and useful. It was me and my Bebe going so we had about 2 rounds of 6+ plates and that definitely filled us up. Next time ill have to order a drink from the boba shop read more

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Had dinner for 2 for $69.98. Food was standard but portion is large (at least doubled) compared to other hotpot restaurants. Tom Yum soup not as rich as Thai version and a little strong on vinegar. Do watch out with the check. The "taxes & Fees" was $5.19. That's 7.4%, more than Maryland 6% sales tax. "Fees" was not disclosed anywhere except when you get the check. Don't know if that fee is % or per person. Default tip was 22% with minimum at 18%. That's for you to cook your own food. 18% was charged for $13.53. That means tip is calculated on total with sales tax and fees. Tip should be based on $69.98, not on the inflated $75.17. So you are double charged with fee and tip on tax. read more

This isn't the type of food I typically gravitate toward, but after my first visit a month ago, I've been coming back almost once a week. The food is great, and I love being able to try new things and explore a cuisine I'm not used to. The atmosphere is excellent, and the service is top-shelf. Amy, in particular, was amazing. She makes sure everyone is enjoying themselves, takes the time to talk with you, and you can tell she genuinely cares about her job and the customers. She now recognizes me and my family, warmly welcomes us back, compliments my young daughter, and connects with us on a level that goes beyond serving--it's caring. Thank you, Amy, and the Hot Pot Hero team! I'll continue to be a loyal customer and highly recommend this place to friends and family. read more

Came here on a whim - wasn't busy at all around 5pm on a Sunday! We were seated quickly, and ordering was super easy. I got the tomato soup broth, which was excellent and full of flavor. Love that the conveyer of add-one was behind sliding plastic doors too! The only downside is that the type of plastic that the bowls and plates are made of is really slippery, so it was kinda hard to hold our bowls and plates while gathering food or eating. It got pretty packed around 6pm, but that was about the time we were ready to head out. Highly recommend this place if you are looking to get your hot pot on! read more

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Hot pot hero/ Cajun hero, looked very promising. However when you walk in there's nobody there to help or greet. We waited for anyone to even acknowledge us then we let them know we were there for Cajun hero not the hotpot menu and they said ok and sat us down. We'd never been there before so we asked how it works for the seafood boil (Cajun hero) and they just said order through the iPad. We did and our orders came out wrong, we had asked for sauce on the side and I don't eat pork so I don't get sausage but there was sausage all over my plate. When we told the server and she said nobody in the back speaks English, you have to tell us and she proceeded to get argumentative and loud and basically just told us we have to eat it like that and ask next time even though we had specified it on the iPad. We had ordered $115 worth of seafood so we had to eat it even though the order was wrong. The flavor on the food was good, but the service ABSOLUTELY AWFUL! As someone who's worked in the service industry, tip is earned so we did not tip because we didn't go there to get yelled at or in argument. When they saw that we didn't tip not one but two servers came to ask us why no tip and proceeded to get angry with us. I would never come here again. So much potential and such a cute spot but they should just stick to hot pot and not the Cajun hero menu or maybe just have that as a to go option. read more

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Great food quality and outstanding service! Amy gives top service!!! Highly recommended

The service wasn't great. The food was decent, and the overall quality of the dishes was about average.

Pro: free parking garage, modern interior. Con: fishy smell, paying person stand next to you. Ate at firebird a few weeks ago and passed by this restaurant so I got curious to try this place. Upon entering I was hit by a fishy market smell that linger so I guess they don't have adequate ventilation here. Like most hotpot you got the iPad to order from and staff was attentive to our needs. The food was very average compared to other hotpot restaurants. There is a garage that you can park in that is free. I didn't like that when you are done eating and want to pay the person will take your credit card on the iPad while standing next to you. The tip screen will appear and the person is staring at you making you feel uncomfortable. All in all, this place was very average and I don't see myself coming back here again in the future due to the price and better hotpot in the area. read more

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Came here because kpot was shut down unexpectingly. I personally would not recommend this place. My parents felt robbed because of how expensive it was (for lunch) and there was no deal for birthdays and we had 2 people celebrating birthdays at our table (our whole reason for coming out to hotpot) the food did come quickly and ordering was fast, but besides handing us our dishes and pouring some water there wasn't much service and we got hit with that 18% service charge. Then after everything my dad got food poisoning and ended up throwing up right outside. At the end when I begrudgingly paid the bill the host asked if it was good and my mom said no, my dad got sick and she got very defensive saying their food is clean and there is no msg....Such a disappointing birthday celebration. read more

Hot Pot Hero - Hot Pot Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Momma Amy took care of us and made sure that our visit was memorable. The food was great and the service was excellent. E sure to stop by and ask for Mamma Amy. read more