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    The Melting Pot

    3.7 (412 reviews)
    PriceyFondue
    Open 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    The Melting Pot Photos

    Business Info

    THE MELTING POT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Romantic
    Intimate
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - The Melting Pot

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    Nicole N.

    As someone who loves The Melting Pot and has celebrated nearly every birthday here for the past 15 years, it truly saddens me to see how much the experience has declined. While the food was still good, it just didn't match the rest of the visit. The overall atmosphere felt off--no one greeted us at the door, the carpets were dirty, and the lights were on full brightness, which completely took away from the romantic, intimate vibe the restaurant used to have. Our server wasn't very knowledgeable, and unfortunately, the service didn't reflect the premium price point. What really disappointed me was that I had noted my birthday when making the reservation, but they were out of strawberries and told us they no longer offer anything special for birthdays. I've always looked forward to the birthday packages in the past, so that was a big letdown. The Melting Pot used to feel like a truly special, upscale experience--but now, aside from the pricing, it just doesn't deliver the same quality or charm it once did.

    Lobster tail
    Jahaan T.

    My first time here or at a place like this was on my birthday in October. Our server was Jeremy and I appreciate him for his knowledge and service! He was so patient and sweet. I still feel like "cooking for yourself" places are a little scammy lol but I had a great time. And they have some of the most delicious sauces. I'd love to try it again and get one of the courses.

    Hair
    Neil V.

    UPDATED REVIEW: I truly hate to give negative reviews, especially to a place where I normally love to go to with my family but after tonight, I have to revise my previous positive review. My family and I have been visiting this location for the past 20 years and the food and service is usually consistent. The last two times we dined here we have had bad experiences with tonight being the worst. We were served by a young man by the name of Sam B. From the moment we met Sam, it was very obvious he did not want to be there and we did not feel welcomed. His service was VERY slow and he couldn't answer some of the simple questions we had asked regarding couple items on the menu. The two cheese fondues he prepared for us were extremely watery and to make matters worse, we found hair in our food that didn't match the color of any of my family members. When we informed Sam of this, he never apologized and just walked away. When he came back, he sort of slid the new item on our table and walked away again. His actions were very rude. When you're paying $50 a person, you expect good service. If you visit this location, do yourself a favor and make sure Sam isn't your waiter. He clearly lacks customer service and has no personality or warmth.

    BFFF Entrée menu
    Tonyia R.

    The Melting Pot is STILL Melting! After over 15 years of enjoying an occasional meal at this modern HOTPOT staple....I have to say that they DID NOT disappointment me..YET AGAIN. Now I have to admit that with all the other new and interesting places to go I thought it very CLICHE to celebrate a birthday here but the newer generation wanted to try the place out. We enjoyed a night of fun...Skewer fighting, veggie dropping, delicious drinks, entertaining host and a beautifully calm, warm decor. We took part in the BFFF which was sooo much food...the cheese, the salad, the protein & the dessert was ALL soo good and more than we could possibly eat. I am glad I decided to give the Melting pot another chance. So whether you want to do an ADULT outting, or an intimate dinner this will give you what you are looking for. Now i just need to find me a date to take here!

    Dessert
    Deanna H.

    Delicious! The restaurant was pretty empty and slow so there weren't a ton of employees, but the waiter we had was super friendly and knew how to do the job well. The dessert round was definitely my favorite. This is a great place to go for a date:)

    Bar area with a glass of Kim Crawford, Pinot Grigio, Venezie, ITA and Classic Alpine* cheese fondue.

    It was a sad occasion that took me to the Melting Pot. A dear friend recently passed away and I went to The Melting Pot as a memorial/remembrance to her. We used to go there years ago before she moved to Florida and I wanted to do something that meant a lot to us. Daniel was so kind and he and the staff were so caring and took such great care of me as I laughed and cried and talked about my friend. That meant so much to me. Thank you to the owner and team at the Melting Pot. I will never forget your kindness during my time of great sorrow.

    Bacon Mac & Cheese Fondue
    Kamali F.

    I really wanted to like this place, but I was so disappointed. While the table was setup so cute for date night and the service was exceptional, the food was so incredibly bland and mediocre. I find this place to be far over priced for the quality of the food. All of the meats/proteins were bland and the sauces didn't make it much better. Also, I'm pretty sure something in the food made me and my boyfriend sick. We left with very upset stomachs. The tables are really small and don't allow for much space for plates, silverware or glasses. It was also very dark in the restaurant and made it difficult for even the server to see what he was doing.

    S'mores chocolate fondue
    Chavonte H.

    Melting Pot is a unique experience as you have to cook your own food in front of you. There is a parking garage and it's validated, so no worries on that end. In regards to service, the host is always so polite, unfortunately, our waitress wasn't as attentive and kind of just brushed over the details and didn't really check on us. We even had to wait over 20 minutes to get our final course of dessert. When paying the prices you do at Melting Pot, I expect a certain level of service. When it comes to the food, overall, it was tasty. The chicken and steak are well seasoned. Not really a big fan of the salmon though. As always the spinach and artichoke cheese fondue and s'mores of dessert was everything. Unfortunately, my salad was overdressed and had croutons, even though I said no croutons twice to the waitress. I prefer going with a smaller party, so if you go, I suggest date night or a girls night with your best friend. Also, a solo happy hour might work!

    Spinach Artichoke
    Anushka M.

    My first time at melting pot and it was really fun! We had an amazing server who gave great suggestions and brought everything out quickly. We came for happy hour which allowed us to get their chocolate fondues and drinks discounted. We were a group of seven and got 2 savory and 2 sweet fondues. Starting with savory we got the spinach artichoke and classic alpine. Both were really good but I liked the spinach artichoke the best. For dessert we got the original and s'mores fondue. S'mores was so good and the assortment to dip in the fondue was great. Overall I had a great experience and loved the variety available for fondue.

    Chocolate Fondue
    Kay L.

    We came here to have some drinks at the bar and try the chocolate fondue. The restaurant was busy, since it was a Saturday night, but the bar area was pretty empty. The bartender was super busy, so it took a little while before he asked what we wanted. I ordered a wine flight, my husband ordered a beer, and we ordered the chocolate fondue to share (which comes with strawberries, bananas, and various bite-size desserts for dipping). For $16, I thought the wine flight was a good deal, because it included 3 generous pours. We ordered their signature chocolate fondue, which is milk chocolate melted with crunchy peanut butter. The fondue was delicious of course; what's not to love about melted chocolate?? My only complaint was that we ran out of chocolate before we had finished dipping all of our desserts. It wasn't a big deal, since we were full, but I think a little more chocolate would have been great. Overall, it was a nice spot for chocolate fondue and drinks.

    Surf Land & Sea*

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    Arianna T was the absolute best. Attentive and friendly - she provided us a phenomenal experience.

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    Page 1 of 11

    The Melting Pot Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Melting Pot

    I found this place through the "DC Area Vegans" facebook page and I heard the vegan options are soooo so so amazing. does anyone know whats on the menu for all the vegan options?

    They have a daiya cheese fondue, salad options, an entree with veggies and tofu, and dark chocolate fondue. I'm eating this tonight and will post pics later!

    Is this like an American version of asian hot pot?

    Yes, they offer steak /shrimp/ chicken and veggies, cheese/ bread /fruit and veggies, chocolate/ fruit / cake/ brownies. Depending on your taste and diet they let you pick which item you would prefer.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    I appreciate Swiss culture being part of the DC food scene! I came here for both brunch and dinner…read moreservice, and I'll say the drinks/food I had were amazing. Especially with the fondue service, they did everything right and I felt like I was back in Switzerland! Would highly recommend for dining here, especially in the back rooms indoors where it feels like you're in a lodge. I will say I am not giving this place 5 stars because of the quality of service I received here. It was disappointing for brunch, the server kept on messing up mine/my friend's orders, and eventually we gave up trying to correct him because we didn't want to inconvenience him anymore. Furthermore, for dinner, we were only served when we did our initial order, when the food came out, and when we were presented the bill. Overall, I very much enjoyed coming here. Perhaps I went on off days, but would be willing to do the dining experience again.

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    What a hidden gem! Located in a courtyard with great scenery! They have indoor and outdoor seating…read more There is a bar area as well as a couple of different rooms with tables. The place is bigger than you would think. An average wine selection. I thought the real winner was the food. Usually wine bars have minimal food but not this place. It had a good selection of French dishes. I enjoyed the chicken. It said it would come with French green beans and pomme frites. It actually came with asparagus and mashed potatoes. I still loved it. Service was great. The wait staff worked together so you always had someone available. I would recommend this restaurant.

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    The Melting Pot - Fondue prep

    The Melting Pot

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    (3.85) ~ Good overall V-day food & service…read more MENU: ** Butter Mint (free) = (5) Excellent! ** Sparkling Apple Cider = (4.25) Very tasty ** White Chambord (raspberry liquor) Chocolate Swirl Fondue = (4.25) Very tasty. ** Water (tap) = (4) very good, must be filtered;) ** Bacon Caesar Salad = (4) very good ** Coq Au Vin = (4) very good ** Dips (Blue Cheese - steak; Yellow Yogurt Curry - chicken; Green Goddess - vegetables; Cocktail Sauce - shrimp) = (4) very good & you ask for extra;) ** Garlic Herb Chicken = (4) very tasty * Sparkling Gruyere Cheese Fondue = (3.75) Good * Jumbo Shrimp = (3.75) Good * Shrimp Cocktail = (3.75) Good * Chocolate Strawberries = (3.75) Good * Petite Filet = (3.5) good, but not that tender... * Teriyaki Steak = (3.5) good *** Coffee = N/A (Not available)

    I had a pretty average dinner here with some friends. Since this is a chain, let me comment on this…read morelocation first. The biggest issue was that the service was super slow. We waited for long periods of time between courses. Dishes weren't cleared, drinks weren't refilled, and we didn't even see our server for long periods of time. Other servers and the manager seemed to avoid us and we just didn't feel welcome. I'm not a big fan of the chain overall. It's not a lot of food and not great quality for what you pay. The fondue gimmick is fun, but you could certainly get a better meal somewhere else for cheaper. Also, the food was rich and filling- just not very romantic for a restaurant that sells itself as a date night location.

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    The Swiss Bakery & Pastry Shop - Carrot Cake Slice

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    This place is a bit out in the sticks but I found occasion to be in the area and was thrilled. They…read moreoffer a robust baked goods display, as well as various imported products, all pertaining to Switzerland. As one might expect, their pastries were lavish and had many different ways of delivering chocolate. I saved only a seasonal Sakura for myself as we approach cherry blossom season. I got a large spread which was consumed by a happy group. Adding a farmer's bread, which was a light rye, as well as some imported German butter, also went over well. I did not have need of the imported chocolates and other packaged goods, but there was certainly plenty there worthy of perusal.

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    Hot Spot - Choices of variety of meats, here are beef tongue and brisket

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    4.0(1.3k reviews)
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    I had the BEST Lunar New Year celebration at Hot Spot! From the moment I walked in, the vibe was…read morewarm, lively, and so inviting. The service was fantastic. Evelyn and Brenna were super attentive, checking in just the right amount and making helpful suggestions when we asked about specials. They made everything feel seamless, so we could just focus on enjoying the food and drinks. Speaking of food... HOT POT HEAVEN. I loved the all-you-can-eat selection here which included unlimited meats, seafood, fresh veggies, noodles, and more. My go-to broth will always be the tom yum! It is bold, flavorful, and pairs perfectly with literally everything here. For about $14.99-$19.99, you can upgrade your hot by adding premium A5 wagyu, snow crab, or a whole lobster. It's so worth it! For Lunar New Year, Hot Spot is running a deal right now where you buy 3 drinks, get 1 free, which is perfect for trying a few different ones! All in all, I can't recommend Hot Spot enough. I'll absolutely be coming back again and again!

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    Happy Lamb Hot Pot

    Happy Lamb Hot Pot

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    This spot truly offers some of the best quality and value around. Their happy promo is unmatched…read moreand I have been back multiple times since they first launched it last year with the weekday after 8pm deal. It can get crowded inside, but it has never been intolerable. It is very well maintained and clean. Sometimes service may be slow but you will definitely be served. The cuts of meat and the wide variety of self serve hot pot options have never disappointed. The vegetables and mushrooms are always fresh and nicely prepared. I usually stick to lamb and beef, and if you are satisfied with those then go for it. The meat is consistently well balanced and never too lean or overly fatty. Just beautiful cuts. I have tried several broths including original, spicy, tomato, and pickled veggie chicken and all were exactly what you would expect and very satisfying. For such an established chain, it is impressive that it continues to get better. Recently they added more beverage options beyond the soda machine, which is already included with the dinner price, including my hot pot favorite drink, plum juice. One thing to note is that if you try to go on Fridays after 8pm, you will probably not get a seat. I went once, but the waitlist was already hours long by 7:30pm so I went elsewhere. They also have a milk pudding dessert that is very good, but not sure why it was not available the last time I visited.....

    Best broth in the game. A true standout - so complex and savory, yet not stupidly salty like most…read morehot pot broths. As the name of this restaurant implies - the meats are the star of the show here. The self-serve veggie and noodle station leaves a bit to be desired - not the greatest selection - but sufficient for a hit of spinach or broccoli. I never see enoki mushrooms or crown daisy (Tong Ho) here - disappointing. Also, the floor gets unreasonably greasy to walk on about halfway through the day and stays that way for the rest of the night, so tread carefully! All of the meats on the standard AYCE menu are good/great quality. This is one of the only hot pots that does not require dipping sauce (even though I always concoct one anyways) because the broth is so permeating and flavorful. Best standard lamb I've ever had. Looking forward to trying the specialty lamb menu someday. So far it has been hard to resist the $21 midday weekday AYCE special, and the even better $17 "late night" AYCE special. This'll keep you coming back!

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    The Melting Pot - fondue - Updated May 2026

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