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    Hotpot Bay

    4.9 (73 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

    Waitlist - Hotpot Bay

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    Hotpot Bay Photos

    Business Info

    HOTPOT BAY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Hotpot Bay

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    Reviews With Photos

    Michelle Y.

    We have been coming to Hotpot Bay consistently since they opened and they just keep getting better! They recently introduced a lunch menu on the weekends which is a great value at $19.99+. Jacky & Tan are always super welcoming and ensure that your meal is enjoyable. The tables are clean and spaced apart from each other. They're typically showing basketball or some other sport on the TVs so you have something to watch too. I love the sauce bar they provide (favorites are still green pepper and mushroom). They even have appetizers such as spicy cucumber & chicken feet too! If you're ever in the Sunset area, I would highly recommend checking out Hotpot Bay!

    Judy L.

    Really enjoyed the selection of hot pot ingredients here! The establishment was also very clean and spacious. There was a wide variety of sauces at the sauce bar as well :) Service was quick and efficient. Would definitely stop by again! :)

    Anna T.

    Food 4/5 We came on a Sunday around 1pm and there was no wait. They currently have a happy hour menu where you can get a set meal for $20! Comes with one meat, veggies, plum juice, and sauce bar. The mala broth was spicy and very fragrant. Service 5/5 The waiter/owner? was very nice in explaining everything and letting us know the diff options. Ambiance 4/5 I like that the tables are spaced far enough so you're not squished right next to each other. Bright, white colors in the restaurant and overall very clean an organized.

    Vanessa F.

    I went to this hotpot place for lunch with a friend and it was so great. I would love to recommend this place to others! They have a variety of combos for lunch and dinner also including a complementary plum drink or soda with meal. Their sauce bar also includes edamame and a great cucumber salad I could eat a whole bowl of. My lunch combo came with one plate of veggies, one protein, and I decided to choose ramen noodles. The establishment was very well kept and the bathrooms were very clean. They were playing basketball when I arrived which was nice. I spoke with the owner at the end of our meal and was informed there's even a karaoke room! Jacky is a great guy and deserves to be recognized for great work. Thank you for the sample of a fabulous coconut pudding and the excellent service. Please go support this business, you won't be disappointed!

    Menu as of March 2026
    Belinda C.

    Hotpot Bay recently opened this year in the old Fiery Hotpot location on Taraval and has now become my favorite hot pot place in the Bay Area. From the outside, the place looks small, but as soon as you walk in, it's actually pretty spacious. They have tables for both large and small parties. I like how each table has an additional cart for you to use to put more food on, which makes the table feel less crowded. This is not an AYCE hot pot place, but more of a set menu or à la carte spot. They have a really good deal for their set menus, with two options for a 2-person combo. Option one is the Build-A-Bay Combo, which gives you a choice of two soups, two meats, two sides, and two noodle/rice options. Option two is the Meat-a-Bay Combo, which includes two soups, three meats, and two noodle/rice options. In my opinion, Option 2 (the Meat-a-Bay) is the best bang for your buck. They also have a sauce bar with a variety of sauces and snacks, like chicken feet, edamame, cucumber salad, and aiyu jelly. Each combo also comes with a veggie plate, which includes cabbage, corn, winter melon, pumpkin, two different mushrooms, spinach, bamboo, broccoli, and tofu puffs. Their beancurd skin was actually our favorite because it was so silky, so I highly recommend it. When it comes to the meat, we ended up getting the Wagyu beef boneless short ribs, the Australian Wagyu beef shoulder, and the lamb shoulder. All three were extremely tender and literally melt in your mouth. The cuts weren't too thick, so they cooked in seconds. The portions for each plate of meat were huge--like double the size compared to other places. Even though we got three plates of meat, we still weren't able to finish it. We spoke to the owner, Jacky, and he said he did a lot of research on the meats before offering them. It sounded like it took him months to find the right meat and perfect the cuts. He also mentioned that the beancurd skin is one of the most popular veggie options and sometimes sells out. Overall, you can tell that the owner put a lot of dedication into this restaurant. For dessert, we ordered the coconut pudding, which came in a real coconut. The pudding was very good, and I would recommend it if you're a coconut fan. It was also perfect to have at the end of the meal since it helped cool us off. I love that they are open for both lunch and dinner, and during lunchtime, the combos are available at a cheaper price. They also came by with a raffle box where you have a chance to win something with a scratcher--Jacky told me that someone once won a Labubu! I would have to say this is one of the best hot pot places in the Bay Area. The quality of the food was excellent, and the service was top-notch. I'll definitely be back with more family and friends.

    Tofu skin roll
    Ada H.

    My fiancee was craving hotpot and we decided we wanted to try somewhere not AYCE for once. Servers here are all cordial and was very accommodating. We went with the combination set where you get veggies, 3 order of meat and noodles. Shortrib (4.6/5) beefy, tender, and high quality. The only thing I didn't like about it was the meat cut was on the thicker side. Later on I found out you can request the meat to be cut thinner. Australian wagyu shoulder (4/5) not as fatty as the shortrib (I prefer fattier meat) but I still enjoyed it. Chuck eye (2/5) There was no marbling which was disappointing but we did request this to be thinner which made it more palatable. Tofu skin rolls (5/5) delicious and soaked in the flavor of the broth well. The clear noodles that we picked were soooo good! The chewy texture made eating it delightful. I like how they have a sauce bar and there are appetizers available like cucumbers and chicken feet. Coconut pudding (5/5) is a must get! Refreshing, light and you can taste the real coconut within the pudding. My mom forgot her phone here and they were kind enough to keep it safe for us until the next day. The service is impeccable and I highly recommend coming here for their shortrib for hotpot.

    Michele T.

    Made reservations for 6:30pm on a Saturday and glad we did because it was busy. Friendly service, explained the menu options and provided recommendations. Since there were 3 of us, we ordered the Meat-a-bay combo and the My-bay combo. Hubs ordered the Tom Yum soup and I ordered the mushroom soup - good. Kiddo ordered the House Spicy soup but had to change it as it was way too spicy for him. Forgot to take pictures of the meats we ordered - quite a bit of meat. Not sure what was what, but they all tasted fresh. In my opinion, this hotpot was much more flavorful than others I've had. Dinner ended with a coconut pudding for us to share. Kiddo's fave so he was happy.

    Suzanna A.

    My new favorite and, in my opinion, better than MUMU. The plates of beef are bigger and equally as fresh. I love the mushroom broth and my partner got the miso. They also have a scratch card that has a 100% chance of winning, where you can get a free dish either for this meal or to use in the future. I thought that was super fun. Street parking was easy on a Thursday night. We parked right outside. The male staff was super attentive and fun! I'll be back!

    Tiffany K.

    I love a good hotpot and am always on the hunt for one in the city. Hotpot Bay is a new spot on Taraval that everyone should be flocking to! Ordering was easy. Get the combo so you get a little of everything. I tried the meat-a-bay combo since I was feeling carnivorous and greatly enjoyed the boneless beef short ribs and beef chuck eye roll. The lamb was a bit too gamey for me here. You also get an assortment of fresh veggies and two choices of noodles. Plenty for two very hungry adults. The sauce bar was fully stocked with all the toppings and sauces one can imagine. I did think the layout of the sauce bar was a bit awkward and limited 1-2 people at most to comfortably access the different sauces at the same time. Service was prompt and great. I'm definitely making this my go to hotpot place now!

    Coconut pudding
    Sarah W.

    [Taste: ] You can taste the quality in the beef AND in the broth. The sauce bar selection was very impressive (recommend their mushroom & ponzu sauce!) Good selection of sides that you can also add in à la carte. Very consistent taste both times I dined here. The coconut pudding was also show-stopping coming from someone who doesn't like coconut! [Service: ] So attentive & gave us extra coconut desserts at the end! Our server jack was particularly attentive. [Comments: ] You definitely get what you pay for and more! Usually hotpot places put so much MSG I am chugging water afterwards. BUT what amazed me the most was that I was not thirsty at all after dining here! [Bathroom: ] Yes

    Udon noodle
    Harry W.

    Individual Hot Pots, Excellent meats and a focused menu with just about all of the essentials you normally find at a Chinese Hot Pot Place. Inside you'll find a bright modern cozy interior with bench/table seating around each hot pot table of 4 hot pots per table. It's an energetic happy vibe here. There are many screens along the upper walls silently displaying the latest ESPN/Warriors coverage so sports fans don't miss out on anything! Electronic dance music playing somewhat gently over the speakers. This used to be the original location of Fiery Hot Pot, which was our go-to place for many years, but since they moved to a larger location over on Irving, Hotpot Bay has now taken up the baton back here on this quiet block of Taraval St between 26th and 27th Avenues. The menu here kicks off with a decision to make - order stuff ala carte, or run with their set menu combos which are good for party sizes divisible by 2, with an individual single-person combo menu for $35. We went ala carte, and for us, the price turned out around the same anyways with 2 plates of meat, shrimp paste and a ton of veggies and a plate of noodles or two. The meat plates were big, fresh and had the right ratio of fat to meat and were certainly way more than enough for moderate eaters. (5/5) Udon was good too. (4/5( Shrimp paste wasn't bad, but we've had better on that one. (3.9/5) We all enjoyed our different soups - mushroom, tomato or miso for us, though I wish there were more choices of mushrooms. Pro tip: When cruising the condiment bar in back, the Ponzu sauce and Sesame Oil are in large jugs on the other wall! This is a solid spot for Hot Pot. I wouldn't mind coming back here.

    Veggie combo
    Victoria W.

    We tried HPB shortly after the grand opening. We ordered the build a bay combo which came with two meats and some side dishes. The Wagyu beef meat cuts (short rib and chuck) were both delicious and high quality / fresh, and the portions were filling for two hungry people - bear in mind that this place isn't AYCE and that you're paying for quality. The veggie assortment was also good and came with choice of noodle or rice. I appreciated that the spicy Szechuan soup was actually spicy, and that the sauce bar was clean and well stocked. The staff were also very friendly and attentive. Since we came close to the grand opening, they were still running a 15% discount special and $1 draft beers. We'll be back!

    Mark R.

    The service was very good and got order out in no time. They had a good amount of choices for the meat. With good soup options and meal. I was surprised with the amount of meat provided as well. Cozy location with great choices

    Coconut pudding in a fresh coconut

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    great service - the waiter was very attentive and helpful. Won a free plate of meat :)

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    2 months ago

    The menu was easy to understand and order from, the waiters were fast and very kind. Def coming back soon.

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    Hotpot Bay Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Hotpot Bay

    My birthday is coming soon . I am wondering if you are ioffering birthday deals for one's birthday?

    I went for my birthday a few days ago and asked the wait staff if they had any birthday specials. He said they did not have a specific deal or offer but went to ask the chef/manager who came out and offered me an extra portion of meat! It was the… Read more

    Is there an all you can eat option? Seems like it's comparable in price to the AYCE places.

    No , they don't have an all you can eat option. However, I feel the quality of their meat options are better than ayce places. And for the Meat -a-bay combo for two , it was pretty big already. We didn't even finish it

    View All 3 Questions

    Sobakatsu - Cold soba

    Sobakatsu

    4.4(281 reviews)
    4.3 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
    $$

    Loved this place so much! It is a super tiny space and not ideal for large groups! My bf and I went…read morethere late afternoon in February and they ran out of food shortly after, so be aware of this when u plan to come. So many visuals to teach you how soba is traditionally eaten and what things are. I don't remember exactly what we got tbh but it was delicious

    i had been wanting to try sobakatsu for awhile, and i did not realize it was such a small…read moreestablishment. it only seats 11 -- two 4-tops and three bar seats -- so be ready to be in close quarters with other patrons! the entire restaurant is self-serve with clear instructions in the front. find a table, order from the tablet, pick up your order once your number is called, and clean up after yourself after your meal. because of the limited seating, be prepared for a wait. from the time when i arrived to when i received my food was about 40 minutes. the decor, setup, and entire ambiance made it feel very authentic. while i've never been to japan, this is certainly what i would imagine a soba shop in japan to be like! there is also soba-yu on the side to enjoy as a hot drink or to pour into the cold concentrated soba after. this is a very unique thing that i've never seen at other japanese places. now for the food! i ordered a hot soba with assorted tempura, which came with 1 jumbo shrimp, 3 normal shrimp, 1 yam, 1 mushroom, 1 shishito pepper, and 1 imitation crabmeat. the tempura was light and not too doughy. perfect for dipping in the broth! the soba noodles were absolutely delicious in texture and taste, and the broth was perfectly seasoned. as garnish, there is a fish cake, yuzu, and some leafy vegetables which i thought was a great touch. i also got surimi as a side, and this blew me away. it came with four assorted surimi -- mushroom, shrimp, corn, and vegetable. all were incredibly yummy, flavorful, and amazing. i highly recommend sobakatsu and can't wait to come back. next time, i'll come right at opening to ensure i don't have to wait! thank you for the wonderful meal!

    Photos
    Sobakatsu - Inside

    Inside

    Sobakatsu - Tenzaru Soba: Shrimp + Veggie Tempura w/ chilled soba noodles | $19.25

    Tenzaru Soba: Shrimp + Veggie Tempura w/ chilled soba noodles | $19.25

    Sobakatsu - Cold soba + tempura

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    Cold soba + tempura

    HINODEYA Ramen Japantown - Spicy Miso Ramen jt

    HINODEYA Ramen Japantown

    4.2(2.3k reviews)
    4.2 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
    $$

    Always love the ramen here! It's so rich with flavor. The chashu was a nice, thick cut of pork and…read morenoodles were perfect. Unfortunately, I felt my soup was slightly too salty that day. Otherwise, they're usually consistent with their ramen. Got lucky with no wait time for Sunday lunch. Quick, friendly service.

    UPDATE: The owner reached out to us shortly after our visit and handled the situation very…read moreprofessionally. They not only refunded the ramen with the issue but generously refunded the entire meal for our party. I truly appreciate the follow-up, accountability, and care--it made a big difference. I came to Hinodeya Ramen today with my partner, and this visit was really disappointing, especially considering I've been coming here for years. On a positive note, my Tokyo Duck ramen was actually very good, great portion and rich, flavorful broth. We also had gyoza and hot sake, which were enjoyable. Ambiance was a bit noisy. However, my partner ordered the beef sukiyaki ramen, and when it came out, there was a thick, short, wavy hair in the bowl, clearly not something that should ever be in food. This is a serious contamination issue. We tried to get our server's attention, and I understand it was busy, but being busy is not an excuse when it comes to food safety. Eventually, another server came over. We showed him the issue, expecting at least a proper apology or some explanation of what happened. Instead, he just took the bowl away and said a quick "I'm sorry" no explanation, no reassurance, nothing. They brought out a new bowl of ramen, but at that point, the experience was already ruined. It's hard to continue eating normally after something like that, it honestly just stays in your mind. What makes this more frustrating is that I've been here many times before with friends, family, and coworkers, and when everything goes right, it's great. But when something goes wrong, the response is just a simple "sorry" with no accountability or communication. Even on my last visit a few months ago, the broth was bland and the response was the same just "I'm sorry." At a minimum, for an issue this serious, there should be clear communication, reassurance about food safety, and a more professional response. Because of both past and current experiences, I don't think I'll be coming back. I really hope they improve their service and train staff to handle serious situations like this more appropriately.

    Photos
    HINODEYA Ramen Japantown - Inside restaurant

    Inside restaurant

    HINODEYA Ramen Japantown - Spicy Miso Ramen

    Spicy Miso Ramen

    HINODEYA Ramen Japantown - Chicken Karaage and Green Gyoza

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    Chicken Karaage and Green Gyoza

    Hed 11 - Shrimp Ceviche | @wha.eva.eats

    Hed 11

    4.4(115 reviews)
    4.2 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
    $$$$

    Absolutely loved this place. I tried the summer menu and everything was excellent, from the food to…read morethe drinks to the service. The quality was seriously impressive, and considering the price, this might be the best deal in the city for this level of food. Great flavors, great atmosphere, and definitely a place I'd happily come back to. Strange touch though if the pairing mistake was on the restaurant why take the glass away after I already had a sip? I didn't even care for it much but it still felt awkward.

    My friend and I came here for a girl's lunch to enjoy their $45 special. I was pleased to see there…read morewas a vegan option here and was excited to try it. My friend ordered the duck. I ordered the Lion's Mane Mushroom. *A lovely note for the vegans and lactose-intolerant: there is a dairy-free option for the Thai iced tea (made with coconut milk). Given that this was a Michelin guide restaurant, we had certain expectations of the place and sadly we were disappointed. While the service was friendly and the server knowledgeable on the menu, the service itself was severely lacking in detail you'd expect from a $$$$ type of place. Our drinks came out first, followed by the appetizer, then came EVERYTHING ELSE all at once. Papaya Salad Daikon Soup Trio of rice (purple, brown, white) Curry + protein (duck for my friend, lion's mane mushroom for me) We tried to tackle the soup first. It came in an artsy looking bowl with undulated/rouged edges that was awkward to drink from but equally awkward to spoon the soup from. The daikon was VERY WOODY. Both my friend and I awkwardly spit out splintery fibers and left them on our plate. Some of my daikon chunks were fine but my poor friend had double the amount of woody mass collecting on her plate which was really unsightly, especially when you're supposed to be at a nice place. I can't say I've ever encountered this with daikon before at a restaurant. It's pretty easy to see which parts of the daikon are too mature to use. Next we tried to get on to our entree as that was cooling quickly. Unfortunately the curries were already somewhat congealed by the time we made our way to it. The vegan one was pretty good, but again, I had some woody bits in my food. I don't know if that's from the mushroom or if it was from another ingredient but the splintery clumps amassing on the side of our plates was not what we had imagined we'd be doing at a Michelin guide restaurant.... My friend's duck wasn't much better. She complained about the awkward texture and wound up spitting out half of that one her plate. -not to mention, her meal was served to her without a steak knife. After waiting for much too long, she got up to go request a knife and walked the knife back to the table like a psycho. I'm not trying to sound entitled here, but when a restaurant is supposed to be "nice" and has "$$$$", you sort of expect a certain caliber of service. Having to go ask for a knife when you ordered a chunk of meat does seem like a miss. For what it's worth, the curries for both of us had a unique blend of flavors. My friend had a penang currty sweetened with lychee. I don't remember what kind of curry mine was, but it was tasty with a kick in the end. Curry to rice ratio was perhaps 1:3. We had to ask for extra curry to accompany the protein and rice to balance everything out. It would have just been so pasty and dry otherwise (you know, since everything was already congealed...) By the time we got around to our papaya salad, it had gone from chilled to room temp. While it was tasty, it wasn't as refreshing as the salad could be. We're not sure why all courses were served at once, or if that's how this specific lunch service goes? The best course of the day was 100% the dessert. Order the vegan dessert! "Mango-sticky rice ice cream". It was a homemade mango ice cream with coconut milk base. It sounds basic but these ingredients were masterfully put together to create something truly unique. Not sure where the rice was in this whole situation, but who cares! This dessert was incredible! Lightly sweet, creamy and freshing. It arrived like a piece of art, like a glossy, glimmering mango sculture. The way that chilled mango puree spilled over, coating the ice cream underneath... It clung on to the ice cream layer just barely coating it for most perfect combination of sweet and creamy. It was unfortunate I got the last one for the day. My friend had the cheesecake which she said was tasty but not mindblowing like my mango ice cream. It also was... not so glorious. In fact, it looked small and flat, like a half used stack of mini post-it notes. All in all, it was a fun experience. The dishes were familiar favorites with a creative twist. For $45, it wasn't bad but I don't know about coming back for the $$$$ dinner experience based on this visit. Maybe we'll be back for the $40-$45 prefixe again in the future.

    Photos
    Hed 11 - Inside

    Inside

    Hed 11 - Thai coconut pancake with caviar | @wha.eva.eats

    Thai coconut pancake with caviar | @wha.eva.eats

    Hed 11 - Yuzu sake and lemongrass pandan

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    Yuzu sake and lemongrass pandan

    Hotpot Bay - hotpot - Updated May 2026

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