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WOW! I am thoroughly impressed by this hot pot conveyor belt restaurant, even though I’m normally not a hot pot kind of girl. Seriously, though, wow! Our family of 4 made reservations for 7:30 on a Saturday. They weren’t that busy, but after talking to the host, he said they’re usually busy on Saturdays so I was glad that we made reservations regardless. We sat at one of the inside booths, with tables containing circular cutouts at each place setting for the hot pot. This place is located inside the mall, at the food court. But, with the inside booth seating and “counter” seating all around the perimeter, you feel somewhat isolated from the food court feel, especially because you sit and then order, rather than ordering at a counter, getting food that is already prepared on hot plates, and finding a seat somewhere in the middle of the mall. The host was really good at explaining what we were up against, as we watched the potential hot pot ingredients circle around us on the conveyor belt. Since we sat at the hot pot booths, we of course ordered hot pots. There are 4 different broths to choose from. The kids each chose the chicken broth (which was very tasty), and the hubby and I each got the spicy beef broth. Both broths were delightful. The chicken broth wasn’t just a normal chicken broth. There was something extra that made it special, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what they added to make it really good. I can’t even put in words how much I enjoyed the spicy beef broth. It was so flavorful, tangy, and complex, with the perfect amount of heat (for me, but maybe too much for the hubby as he downed several glasses of water). We added all sorts of veggies and proteins to our pots: salmon, shrimp, a raw egg (which of course cooked in the hot pot), canned (cooked) quail eggs, pork meatballs, spinach, napa cabbage, carrots, and bok choy. There were a number other options in either category that we didn’t have enough stomach space for, but shows you that this place really caters to any palate preference. I have to say that we all were extremely satisfied with our experience. My biggest regret is that I forgot to order non-hot pot items, such as the Laotian fried chicken wings, sausage, or papaya salad. I will definitely be back, probably many times over again.

• Maki Of Japan – Menu with Prices – 4125 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers
• Uncle Zhu Spicy Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr, Duluth
• Square Mixx – Menu with Prices – 450 S Western Ave, Los Angeles
• Liuyishou Hotpot Flushing – Menu with Prices – 136-76 39th Ave, Flushing
• Chick-fil-A – Menu with Prices – 4201 Coldwater Rd, Fort Wayne
• Poké It Up Menu with Prices 1100 S Hayes St, Arlington
• Haiku Tokyo – Menu with Prices – 2224 E Williams Field Rd Suite 108, Gilbert
• Aji Ramen Bar – Menu with Prices – 301 N Shackleford Rd Suite F3, Little Rock
• Gourmet Sichuan Chinese Restaurant (ç?¥å?³?è?) Menu with Prices 3303 156th Ave SE, Bellevue
• Chinese Wok – Menu with Prices – AA Marketplace, 13220 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove
• Phu Quy Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 3213 17 Ave SE, Calgary
• LITTLE CAFE – PARK CENTRAL – Menu with Prices – 1111 N Loop W #150, Houston

Maki Of Japan – Menu with Prices – 4125 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers

This counter ordering restaurant is located inside the Edison Mall at the Food Court. The service ordering was quick and easy as they have a pretty basic menu. Chicken, Beef, Shrimp or Veggie with a few sides offered. The meal took a little longer to wait for mainly because it seemed to be cooked to order. The rice and veggies are ready but the main item is cooked to order. Drinks are your basic Coke offerings through their fountain. Meal was hot and relatively tasty. Beef was cooked fine but the teriyaki sauce could have been a little more infused with the beef. But then again it is food court food so not that bad considering.

Uncle Zhu Spicy Hotpot – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr, Duluth

Uncle Zhu is a food court stall located inside Jusgo Supermarket that serves authentic, spicy, and delicious Chongqing-style (Sichuan) Chinese hot pot. This is the first restaurant you see if you enter the food court from the entrance outside (not the interior entrance from the supermarket side). It’s got a corner stall in the mini-mall’s large rectangular wraparound hub. I really enjoyed the two hot pots I tried from this place. The restaurant offers over a dozen kinds of hot pot and noodle soups along with other dishes like “hot woks” (Sichuan-style stir-fries, kind of like a brothless hot pot), Sichuan cold noodles, spicy shrimp, dried shrimp cauliflower, and three different kinds of “fried cabbage” (bok choy and other leafy green veggies). Expect to spend about $9-10 each for most hot pots. You can also create your own hot pot. The kitchen’s ingredients are on display in multiple bins behind glass at the counter. Pricing for custom hot pots is $6.95 per bowl, $11.50 per pound. I tried the spicy boiled fish hot pot ($12.95) and the beef malatang hot pot ($8.99). Both were excellent. If you like spicy food, especially spicy Sichuan food, then you’ll like both of these dishes. The spicy boiled fish hot pot is a dish you can get at other Sichuan restaurants around metro Atlanta. I really like Uncle Zhu’s version. It comes with plenty of boneless, meaty fish fillets. I’m pretty sure the fish used is tilapia. The fish is served in a large bowl containing a customary deep red, spicy, oily broth with red chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, bean sprouts, cabbage, cilantro. and green onion. Thanks to the Sichuan peppercorns, this dish brings the “mala” which is Chinese for numbing and spicy. It’s a unique mouth-numbing, tingling sensation that only Sichuan peppercorns can bring and I love it. Out of all the Sichuan spicy boiled fish hot pots I’ve tried in metro Atlanta, I think I might like Uncle Zhu’s version the best. The ingredients were fresh and in the ideal proportions and everything about this dish seemed to hit all the right notes. If you like spicy food, you should give it a try. The beef malatang is a unique hot pot dish. Malatang is a popular street food in North China. “Malatang” literally translates as “numbing spicy hot.” At malatang shops, you pick and choose the ingredients you want to be boiled in a spicy broth which is then seasoned. Uncle Zhu offers the same experience. If you don’t want to pick your own ingredients, there are five kinds of malatang on the menu: the aforementioned beef malatang (which is what I got), seafood malatang, shrimp malatang, beef stomach malatang, and ball malatang (either meatballs or fish balls, I’m not sure). The beef malatang was terrific. It was chock-full of all sorts of yummy ingredients including slices of beef, sweet potato noodles, lotus root, Chinese jelly fungus (cloud ear, I believe), tofu skin (or bean curd skin), bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, cilantro, red chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. There was another ingredient in the broth which I think was green seaweed (the long, relatively thicker kind), but I’m not certain. I think I covered most of the ingredients. This dish was quite flavorful and sufficiently spicy, though it didn’t have the same numbing effect as the spicy boiled fish which I would’ve liked. I’m sure I could have asked to have the malatang prepared with even more Sichuan peppercorns and they would have obliged. I question the quality of the beef in the beef malatang because it was a bit too tough and chewy. Perhaps it was overcooked. That’s my only real gripe about the food here and I wouldn’t hesitate to order the beef malatang again. Uncle Zhu’s hot pots are cooked in the back and are served in these nice-looking, large, yellow and red bowls that are decorated with Chinese text and Chinese masks. The restaurant ha

Square Mixx – Menu with Prices – 450 S Western Ave, Los Angeles

“Yay! I’m a fan” is exactly how I feel about Square Mixx. In the beginning, I was a bit skeptical and was not expecting very high quality food from a food court, but it is actually a lot better than what I would normally expect from an actual Korean restaurant. Everything was made fresh, seating environment was comfortable (and cleaner than most Korean restaurants). Best part is that you can get a little bit of everything since it is, at the end of the day, a food court! They have Japanese as well as Korean options so I would definitely recommend my readers to give this a try! Foods: Fried Chicken: Probably one of the better Korean fried chicken places I have tried. The wait is about 20 minutes, but that is because they fry their food when you place your order. The meat is soft and hot on the inside, skin is nice and crispy on the outside. The flavor didn’t really impress me so I would probably get something else next time as I tend to prefer healthier options. Spicy Pork Bi Bim Bap: Recommend! Not only were all the ingredients super fresh, but the rice was cooked very well (Crispy at the bottom). Most Korean restaurants don’t get this right.. Seafood Noodles: A bit spicy and similar to ramen. Taste was good overall, but I would probably try something else next time because it wasn’t spicy enough for me and the noodles aren’t made fresh (not pulled daily). Parking: The parking situation is also not bad. The food court is located at the rooftop of a grocery mall so parking is free and abundant. Overall, I would come back.

Liuyishou Hotpot Flushing – Menu with Prices – 136-76 39th Ave, Flushing

Hot pot at Liuyishou was definitely an experience. My friend and I came here on a busy Saturday night and were seated after about a 20 minute wait. We were pretty hungry so ended up ordering way too much. We started the meal with panfried beef rolls which are essentially Chinese pancakes wrapped with thin slices of beef and sauce. They charge an extra $3 or so for the unlimited sauce and fruit/side-dishes bar which I think is worth it. The broths we picked were the original spicy beef soup base and non-spicy pork rib soup base. The beef broth was too spicy for me but the pork broth was really rich and flavorful. The hot pot ingredients we ordered included the beef/lamb platter, fresh tofu, king oyster mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, a-choy, and fish balls. Everything was really fresh, and the meat platter was more than enough for the two of us. Lastly, our waiters were attentive and terrific. This was the best hot pot experience I’ve ever had, and I hope one opens in Chicago soon!

Chick-fil-A – Menu with Prices – 4201 Coldwater Rd, Fort Wayne

Tasty food up at the Chick-fil-A! The chicken sandwich is nothing short of incredible, it’s very juicy and fresh. Unlike other fast food chains, Chick-fil-A is giving you top quality chicken that you don’t question what’s in it. I love the waffle fries and the freshness of the food here. It’s always piping hot and delicious. This establishment is inside Glenbrook mall down at the food court and yes it’s worth checking out. I would say it’s the best restaurant in the food court. This is my favorite location to come to. I like the mall and the food court is spacious and pretty clean with good scenery. Christian based business that serve you proper and without all the fillers and stuff you don’t want, no nano fibers in the chicken like mcdonalds chicken nuggets. I would go as far to say the chicken here beats KFC and they have become more questionable over the years putting hormones in it’s chicken. Chick-fil-A doesn’t play these games.

Poké It Up Menu with Prices 1100 S Hayes St, Arlington

There’s not a whole lot of options in the food court inside the Fashion Center at Pentagon City that’s not a mall chain cliché. But among the Panda Expresses and the McDonald’s is Poke It Up, offering shoppers something different that’s not a burger, pizza, or bourbon chicken. Poke It Up operates like most other raw-fish-in-a-bowl joints with a Chipotle-like ordering system and a selection of pre-configured dishes as well as the ability to build your own dish. The fish is fresh and the spicy aioli has a good kick to it, overall this is a place that will meet your Poke needs during a Pentagon City shopping trip. It’s simply A-OK for me however given it is inside the extremely busy mall, where it’s hard to find a table and at the end of the day it’s not a place where I would tell you that it’s a destination. It’s simply an oasis among the dreary options that makes up your typical mall food court.

Haiku Tokyo – Menu with Prices – 2224 E Williams Field Rd Suite 108, Gilbert

So we ended up here by default because we couldn’t go to the intended restaurant of choice. I admit I had my qualms about this place when I first stepped in. I tend to be skeptical about Asian food restaurants in the malls because they often turn out to be generic and disappointing. Well this place I have to say…I was PLEASANTLY surprised. I ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen with beef as the protein and Minus the corn and chilis. The broth was rich and just enough saltiness from the pork and chicken broth. The soup had a nice creamy buttery after taste to give it an umami flavor. The beef was nice and tender and went well with the soup. My only critique is that the broth still has chili oil added to it making it slightly spicy. I actually thought it was a perfect hint of spiciness to go with the soup, but I was actually getting it to share with my kid so I didn’t expect it to be spicy at all. Also, if you have been to other ramen places you know the egg is usually seasoned. This egg was not seasoned. For me I didn’t mind at all because the egg was cooked perfectly and enjoyed it with the broth. Overall I was satisfied. Side note: they do military discounts! Final verdict: Would I go back? YES Would I recommend it? YES

Aji Ramen Bar – Menu with Prices – 301 N Shackleford Rd Suite F3, Little Rock

A small ramen spot laid out in a narrow way. They have a handful of tables (maybe about six) to seat four people along the walls and then bar seating basically along the other wall. A bit warm on the inside, but not so much that it was miserable or even that distracting. The menu is pretty small, but they did have an extra paper with some new menu items… though even with some more options I’d still say the menu was pretty small. I went with the chicken ramen. It came in pork broth (which I thought was interesting since it was chicken ramen, but that’s probably pretty common and I just never noticed before). I thought it was good but pretty simple. I would have liked the flavor overall, and specifically the broth, to be more powerful. I did really enjoy that it came with a soft boiled egg instead of having to order it as an “extra” like some other places. I also liked the chili hair since I’ve never tried it before and it looked cool. It added a tiny bit of spice. The noodles were thinner than I’ve had with this kind of ramen, it was more similar to the thickness of packaged ramen. They gave a good amount of chicken and the chunks were pretty big. To me it had a soy sauce flavor, like the chicken was cooked in it or something. I didn’t eat any of the seaweed paper but I liked that it was there still because it added a little more flavor to have it kind of continue to soak in the broth. The staff was very nice too!

Gourmet Sichuan Chinese Restaurant (��?�) Menu with Prices 3303 156th Ave SE, Bellevue

Bae and I were craving some hot pot, but didn’t want AYCE nor did we want to spend beaucoup bucks at a fancy hot pot restaurant, so we found Gourmet Sichuan. Gourmet Sichuan took over the old Shibuya restaurant in Eastgate. In fact, Gourmet Sichuan was a tad challenging to find when we were following Google Maps because it kept telling us to go where Shibuya wa/is. We didn’t realize Shibuya had closed nor did we realize it literally is in place of Shibuya since the signage is still Shibuya. Until you get close to the actual restaurant, you see a banner placed on top of one of the Shibuya signs that it’s Gourmet Sichuan. Stepping inside, it’s still Shibuya. It’s all Japanese-themed, with the wood paneling, Japanese artwork, cherry blossom prints, the sushi counter, everything. Some serious renovation needs to be done here because it screams that of a Japanese restaurant. Gourmet Sichuan has a large menu with many Chinese dishes, including hot pot. What I specifically like here is that you can build your own hot pot for less than 15 bucks, with your choosing of two proteins and four toppings. My boyfriend and I both ordered our own hot pots, and when doing so, our server mentioned that we should share since it’s a large portion. He has no idea how much we eat. But yes, the portion was large and we both ended up taking leftovers. We were overzealous, so yes, share the hot pot if you agree on the broth. (Bae can’t do spice.) For my hot pot I chose the spicy broth, with beef and lamb, and ordered enoki mushrooms, cabbage, tofu skin and noodles as my four toppings. Food didn’t take long to get, which was nice, especially since everything is already cooked in the hot pot, like at Boiling Point. For most of the time I had to turn down my pot to low, since the portion was large, and I take a long time to eat hot pot. The only minor issue I would say is the bowl on the cookpot. The server did warn us that it wasn’t stable, so to be careful. But still, it’s scary when your bowl moves with hot ass broth boiling. Be careful! And I truly hope they’ve made adjustments before a lawsuit occurs. Despite that, the hot pot was awesome! Spicy broth was tasty and did have a spice to it, but wasn’t overbearing. I would recommend for any spicy fans. Lamb and beef were both very tender and good. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I did like the beef better. Noodles were bomb. The hot pot doesn’t come with a side of rice, so you’ll have to order it a la carte. However, I think the noodles are better with the hot pot anyway. Slurp your way through the bowl, and they give you hella noods! I would definitely come back to Gourmet Sichuan for hot pot and perhaps to try the other Chinese dishes. I just hope they fix the bowls for the hot pot, so it doesn’t wobble around when you’re trying to eat.

Chinese Wok – Menu with Prices – AA Marketplace, 13220 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove

Not to be confused with China Wok at Ralph’s, this place is located inside the small food court at AA Market. Prices are pretty reasonable and portions are decent. I didn’t order the combos, but got the family meal. Fried rice- not exactly the best. Rice was kind of dry. Chow Mein- yum. Better than the rice! Cabbage that hey put in was a bit undercooked though. Orange chicken- decent, but soggy. Broccoli beef- some broccoli was over cooked and some were just right. Beef is really tender and delicious- they do coat it in flour or something to make it soft. Curry chicken- the star of all I got. I believe his is a viet style curry with simple ingredients of chicken and potato. The chicken is cooked so long that it breaks apart when you pick it up. It is also flavorful. Ordered online via yelp eats, order was ready when I got there. Friendly service. Would come back again for the curry chicken!

Phu Quy Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 3213 17 Ave SE, Calgary

Order through Skip the dishes and it was horrible. Spring rolls were soggy, Raw Beef Pho was cooked beef(who cooks the beef for Raw Beef Pho? aka the beef was over cooked the broth also taste like chicken). Satay Beef and rice had no flavor at all. pork Vermicelli left a lot to be desired as the Pork was overcooked and kinda tasted like beef. Oh and don’t forget that you have to pay 1.00 per sauce like Hoisin. We ordered 2 Hoisin and only received 1. When I called the location to advise he told me I was lying. He would not listen at all no matter what I said, First time my office ordered will be the Last.

LITTLE CAFE – PARK CENTRAL – Menu with Prices – 1111 N Loop W #150, Houston

Excellent Banh Mi (pork) and Pho (beef) are my go-tos! Both dishes are so good, I rarely try anything else! I’ve had the lemongrass chicken before, too, and it was also excellent. Pho is only made on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Beef, chicken, and shrimp (and probably no meat) Pho is offered; I was recommended the beef and have stuck with it. Raw beef is given which cooks in the broth (fresh!); the other meats wouldn’t work well to cook quickly, so they are given cooked. Sometimes they offer lasagna which seems to be especially popular and they always offer more commonplace sandwiches (BLT, burgers, etc.). The cafe is on the first floor and offers seating, so it’s relatively welcoming to people who don’t work in the office building it’s housed in.