China Hot Pot
Order: all-you-can-eat hot pot with spicy and bone broths, lamb dumplings, DIY sauce bar
Best Hot Pot in Atlanta: All-You-Can-Eat and A La Carte
The short answer: Atlanta's hot pot (火锅 huǒguō) restaurants cluster on Buford Highway and in Duluth and Johns Creek. Choose a Sichuan-style spicy broth for heat, or a split pot so the table can share a mild and a spicy broth. Our picks are below.
Chong Qing Hot Pot
Order: Chongqing-style seafood and beef hot pots, crispy fried pork pot, spicy chicken
Chuan Yu Hot Pot
Order: all-you-can-eat individual or split pots, bone or spicy broth
Good Harvest
Order: Sichuan dry pot, all-you-can-eat hot pot, golden pepper flounder
Imix Hot Pot
Order: Chinese hot pot plus stir-fries, dumplings and noodles
J’s Mini Hot Pot
Order: individual hot pots, tender sliced lamb, fish slice combos
Nine Spices Hot Pot
Order: conveyor-belt individual hot pots, DIY sauce bar
Pop Pot
Order: Taiwanese individual hot pots, sukiyaki bowl, popcorn chicken
Xi Hotpot
Order: Chongqing mala hot pot, milk-marinated thick-cut beef, fried crispy pork
Yummy Spicy
Order: Sichuan noodles, broth and dry hot pots
How hot pot works
- Pick a broth. Common choices are Sichuan spicy (麻辣 málà, numbing and hot), tomato, mushroom and bone broth. A split pot (鸳鸯锅 yuānyāng guō) lets you have two.
- Order or fill your plate. All-you-can-eat restaurants charge one price per person with a time limit; a la carte restaurants price each plate.
- Mix a dipping sauce. Most places have a sauce bar: sesame paste, garlic, scallions, cilantro, chili oil, soy and vinegar.
- Cook in order. Thin-sliced meat takes seconds; root vegetables, tofu and dumplings take a few minutes.
What to order
- Thin-sliced lamb and beef
- Fish balls, shrimp paste and beef tendon balls
- Tofu skin, frozen tofu and enoki mushrooms
- Napa cabbage, potato slices and lotus root
- Hand-cut noodles to finish in the broth
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best hot pot in Atlanta?
Our ranked list above names specific restaurants, mostly on Buford Highway and in Duluth and Johns Creek.
Is there all-you-can-eat hot pot in Atlanta?
Yes. Each listing says whether it is all-you-can-eat or a la carte; check time limits before you go.
What is the difference between Chinese hot pot and shabu-shabu?
Both cook food in a broth at the table. Chinese hot pot usually uses stronger, often spicy broths and a sauce bar; Japanese shabu-shabu uses a light kombu broth and dipping sauces like ponzu and sesame.