Boiling pots of broth, some so spicy your nose already burns from the smell alone, right in the middle of the dining table, with raw meat and seafood on the side waiting to be cooked? That doesn’t exactly sound like a kid-friendly picture does it? And yet, hotpot is such a great group dining experience it’s hard to leave the kids out of it here in Beijing. So is there a safe, kid-friendly hotpot restaurant? The answer is a resounding Yes!

With over 1,300 stores in China, Haidilao Hot Pot is a ubiquitous brand across the nation. But in the last decade, Haidilao has spread its name far and wide beyond these shores – their stores can be found in Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, all the way to United Kingdom and the United States. Though I have yet to step into a Haidilao in Los Angeles to see what it’s like, I can definitely attest to the family appeal of Haidilao here in the capital city.

Firstly, Haidilao restaurants usually have a dedicated kids’ playroom which is completely enclosed with a security door. From our experience, it’s spotless and well-maintained. There may not be many toys, but service staff have been known to get down on their hands and knees to engage the kids themselves – part of the incredible service culture that Haidilao is so famous for. On top of all that, the playroom is under CCTV supervision, where parents can survey what their kids are up to via a digital app.

The playroom isn’t the only place that you can spy on with that powerful digital – the kitchen is also available for you to ensure that nothing untoward is taking place to your food. That’s how transparent Haidilao wants to be with its customers.

While its food is hygienic and tasty enough, it’s really the least memorable part of the Haidilao experience, in my opinion. What I really recall is the staff performer who spins, twirls, stretches, and whips the noodle dough in a nifty little show. Having once caught the team of noodle-pullers practicing in a park nearby, I know that they definitely spend lots of time training. If you’re game, they are happy to let you try your hand at it too!

Last but not least, birthday celebrations are kind of a big thing at Haidilao. Not only will the staff and the Haidilao mascot come and sing an original birthday song (not the Chinese version of Happy Birthday), the birthday person will also enjoy a colorful plate of fresh vegetables and fruit – which is a nice, healthy change from yet another sugar-filled cake. The whole birthday spectacle is certainly quite an experience to top off a kids’ birthday party after playing all day, and perfect for a couple of families and friends.

It’s easy to find the nearest Haidilao to you by searching Haidilao in Dianping. While you’re in the app, don’t forget to follow Jingkids International’s Dianping account for English reviews of more family-friendly restaurants, sights, and places! Or simply scan the QR code below.

For more family friendly restaurant recommendations, add TBJButler on WeChat and ask to join the FamFriendlyEats WeChat group.

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Mina Yan

In the last 48 hours, any time someone’s asked “How are you?” I’ve replied, “Freezing, thank you.” That answer isn’t going to change for the next couple of months, as we head into what I feel will be the coldest winter yet, even if I mutter that every year. Which is to say, winter is well and truly here, people, which also means it’s hotpot season! If you’re looking to change things up from the usual Haidilao hotpot, but are unsure of how to select from the many other hotpot restaurants around town, we’d like to help. Here are some of the best family-friendly hotpot places as recommended by Beijing natives. Oh, and the following restaurants all have a rating of 4.8 or above (out of 5) on Dianping.

Having Luck 行运打边炉 (xíng yùn dǎ biān lú)

This popular hotpot franchise has outlets across Beijing, all of which will take you on a trip down to the fragrant harbors of Hong Kong. Each of the stores is decorated with iconic Hong Kong sights such as MTR – aka Hong Kong’s metro system – station signs, famous street names, and neon store fronts. The lively visual setting enhances the flavor of the restaurant’s signature chicken hotpot, which is creamy and flavorful. Another recommended dish is their new roasted pork and seafood combination hotpot, which has received some rave reviews from local food vloggers. The restaurant also offers Hong Kong-style dim sum and kids will love their cute bunny-shaped pudding for dessert!

Search 行运打边炉 (xíng yùn dǎ biān lú) on Dianping to find the nearest outlet to you!

Fu Lu Wa Family Hot Pot 葫芦娃一家人火锅 (hú lu wá yì jiā rén huǒ guō)

Got that one person in the family who loves spicy while the rest of you do not? Have no fear, for at Fu Lu Wa Family Hot Pot, you’ll be able to satisfy both with a special vessel that cooks two different soup bases alongside each other! Their spicy soup base is definitely a must-try for spice-lovers. The restaurant also offers one of the largest condiment bars I’ve seen, allowing you to mix up your own saucy concoction to better flavor your meats, though the restaurant has its own special house sauce which they also bottle and sell in the most adorable gourd shaped containers. Incidentally, fu lu refers to gourd, which is why that shape appears everywhere in the interior decoration of the place.

Search 葫芦娃一家人火锅 (hú lu wá yì jiā rén huǒ guō) in Dianping to find the nearest outlet to you!

Phoenix House 囍风楼 (xǐ fēng lóu)

Also known for its Hong Kong style offerings of dim sum and hotpot, Phoenix House is a well-respected name around town. Its menu is so thick it can easily take at least 20 minutes to peruse completely, and just about everything we’ve tried there is delicious – from the aforementioned dim sum to fresh sashimi slices and of course, the must-try chicken hotpot, which has a rich soup base full of collagen that’s also known to have beauty benefits. Their fresh vegetables go great in the yummy soup base, such that even kids will eat their greens without much protest here. There are two locations, one close to SKP and the other in CityWalk at Universal Studios Beijing, and both are very well-kept and clean.

SKP address: Xifenglou, No. 1 West Dawang Road, Winterless Center Block A, Chaoyang

KEEP READING: Time to Huddle up Indoors at Our Fave Kid-Friendly Cafes

Images: Dianping

After this summer’s scandal involving Haidilao, yet another popular Beijing hot pot franchise has become embroiled in a food safety scandal.

The Xiabu Xiabu hot pot restaurant chain is undergoing a media meltdown after a video emerged online that showed live cockroaches scampering on top of a dining table at the restaurant’s U-Town location near Chaoyangmen.

However, as damaging as such allegations can be for a restaurant, Xiabu Xiabu have shown themselves to be completely inept at handling the fallout from the scandal.

When confronted by a reporter from The Beijing Times, a person identifying himself as the manager for the U-Town Xiabu Xiabu restaurant did his best to minimize the backlash. Masquerading as an acquaintance of the affected party, the reporter was offered free meals and was told, “it’s not as serious as you think.”

However, when another reporter from The Beijing Times contacted the store, a man identifying himself as the manager (with the same voice) completely denied any knowledge of an incident with a cockroach.

The meltdown doesn’t end there. Besides getting the U-Town Xiabu Xiabu manager contradicting himself on tape, The Beijing Times also sent a correspondent to the restaurant with a hidden camera. When asked about cockroaches, an unidentified Xiabu Xiabu employee was caught on tape saying “the entire U-Town Mall is infested with cockroaches.”

The bald-faced lying stands in contrast to the way Haidilao handled its own food safety scandal earlier this year. After a month-long undercover investigation discovered rats and unhygienic conditions at two Beijing locations, Haidilao responded by voluntarily shutting down those locations even before municipal health authorities became involved.

It’s more than likely that a speedy response by the restaurant helped maintain its popular image with the public, especially since patrons were still seen attending the affected restaurant on the same day the scandal broke out.

Meanwhile, Xiabu Xiabu has not made any statements regarding the allegations on its Weibo account.

This news comes as a shock to fans of the popular hot pot franchise that has distinguished itself with Western-style counters that make it suitable for solo dining. But even though Xiabu Xiabu is so popular in China that it opens a hundred new locations every year, it hasn’t been immune to controversy in the past.

Back in 2015, a couple dining at the Xidan location of Xiabu Xiabu found a cockroach cooking inside their hot pot. Under food safety laws that allow for compensation worth tens times the original amount, the couple was given RMB 600 for their trouble.

Photos: Sohu Auto, NetEase Finance, Wochacha, Xiangmu

This post first appeared on our sister site, The Beijinger. See more stories by this author here.
Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com

I’ll be honest, I am not a big fan of hotpot. My husband and I are chefs by trade, and going out to cook your own food is just not appealing to us. Also sharing a boiling bowl of broth with other people is not something I like to do, unless I need a proper “cleansing” the next day.

But then I was invited to a hotpot dinner for a friends’ farewell party. I was not very happy, not only because my friends were leaving, but also because my hotpot experiences in Beijing have been, how can I say this? Horrible. My husband got out of the dinner on the basis that he had to stay home with our toddler. Well done!

I was promised a fancy hotpot, and my leaving friends assured me that it would be great. The hostess would even cook all the food for me. So they whisked me off to a hotpot restaurant called Red Bowl. It’s located in the Rosewood Hotel, and I must say I was impressed. The interior is very modern and the music was hip. We had a private room and our host ordered for all the food for us. Her selection was great, and included meats, noodles, dumplings, potatoes and vegetables. I was actually loving the smells of the spices, and was delighted with a great cocktail called the Dark and Stormy which featured a mini roasted marshmallow.

My opinion of hotpot has changed, as it was so flavorful and fragrant. Even now, I am craving the distinct flavor of that spicy broth. I even spotted one-person hot pots, so I might go back when I need some “mommy me time.” Red Bowl would make for a fantastic date night.  For more information on Red Bowl look here.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt, Rosewood