Best hotpot in Singapore (2024): 7 alternatives to Haidilao-Paradise, Xiao Long Kan, Old Beijing and more
PHOTO: Instagram/Beauty in The Pot
PUBLISHED ONJuly 27, 2024 9:00 AMByAudrey Ng
Singaporeans are a funny bunch. Although the weather is sweltering most of the time, there seem to be more and more hot pot places popping up all the time.
Also known as steamboat, the main draw of hot pot is not just about being able to choose your favourite ingredients and cook it yourself in a bubbling, flavourful soup, it's also a perfect activity for hanging out with friends and family.
However, hotpot in Singapore can be a costly affair if you dine alone or in small groups. But if you want to satisfy your craving for hotpot at the various restaurants in Singapore (and skip the neverending queues at Haidilao, here are more affordable hotpot restaurants to choose from and with a large selection of quality ingredients that can satisfy the pickiest of eaters.
Price guide to the best hotpots in Singapore (2024)
Of course, we'll start with Haidilao as it is one of the most well-known hotpot restaurants in Singapore.
Haidilao - $50 to $80 / pax
To date, I haven't had my "free" manicure at Haidilao, but my friend's daughter always gets a free kid's meal. You can also ask for a complimentary birthday cake if you go on your birthday.
Other "freebies" include toys for the children, snacks and maybe even the latest TikTok dance performance from an obliging staff member.
All these "freebies" are factored into the cost of Haidilao's rather steep prices. Everything is a la carte, including drinks (yes, there's beer).
There are also additional charges, such as the $4 condiment charge (but in addition to sauces, you can get fruits, dessert and some side dishes), and you'll need to pay for the soup base (around $20+, depending which flavour and how many are selected).
A platter of fishballs costs $10, while pork belly is $18 per serving. Beef, especially if it is Japanese Wagyu, can cost anywhere from $28 to $108. Suppose you decide to go vegetarian.
The vegetable platter costs $20, and golden enoki mushrooms cost $11 per dish. If you are a mala lover, just go for the basic stuff because they'll all be flavoured in the same spicy-numbing soup anyway. Half portions are also available, so that's good news for small eaters who want more variety!
- Address: About 20 outlets islandwide
- Opening hours: Varies, typically opens at 10.30am with some outlets staying open till 6am
Don't want to wait ages for Haidilao? Here are 7 alternative hot pot restaurants
We've all been there. Arriving at Haidilao and seeing a crowd just sitting around outside the restaurant, waiting for their turn. Even when you take a queue number, the staff tells you it's about a two-hour wait.
If you can't wait, here are seven alternative hotpot restaurants in the same calibre to consider.
| Hotpot restaurant in Singapore | Average price per pax |
| Paradise Hotpot | $25 to $45 |
| Bijin Nabe by Tsukada Nojo | $30 to $50 |
| Old Beijing Hotpot | $30 to $60+ |
| Xiao Long Kan Hotpot | $40 to $60 |
| Shang Pin Hot Pot | $40 to $60+ |
| Haidilao Hotpot | $50 to $80 |
| Beauty in The Pot | $50 to $80 |
| Little Sheep Hot Pot (Xiao Fei Yang) | $50 to $80 |
Paradise Hotpot – $25 to $45 / pax
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The concept of Paradise Hotpot, by the Chinese restaurant group of the same name, is individual pots so that each diner can enjoy their own personal vessel of piping hot soup and selection of ingredients.
This is also a great option for solo diners, for whom a full family-sized hotpot would be overdoing it. Dine in luxe comfort, as you sink into the plush velvet seats for an all-you-can-eat hotpot session.
Because this is a buffet, you can eat your fill with the 80-minute value set for just $19.90++. Just go straight for the premium set at $29.90++ (lunch) or $37.90++ (dinner) to enjoy over 80 ingredients for your individual pot.
To let off some steam, help yourself to the unlimited snacks and ice-cream, as well as condiments and home-made drinks.
There are also premium ingredients including kurobuta pork, fresh scallops, ebiko prawn paste and more.
Choose from a variety of soup bases, such as tomato with sweet corn, spicy mala tomato soup (best of both worlds in my opinion), and Cordycep Flower with Mushroom Soup Base (Vegetarian).
- Address: Paradise Hotpot at Compass One, 1 Sengkang Square, #03-05, Singapore, 545078
- Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-10.00pm (Last seated timing at 8.30pm)
- Tel: 6386 4838
Bijin Nabe by Tsukada Nojo – $30 to $50 / pax
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Tsukada Nojo, also known as Bijin Nabe (beauty pot) is a Japanese-style collagen hot pot that gets its name from the supposedly skin-plumping effects of the soup.
The soup, brewed from chicken bones for over eight hours, arrives as a wobbly pudding, which then "melts" into a soup over the fire. Other than the original, these come in six other variants such as pumpkin, spicy and white miso soy milk, starting from $19.
The meat combo costs $25 for a combination of beef, pork and chicken, or up to $50 for premium wagyu beef. Crowd favourite chicken meatballs cost $7 per serving.
The vegetable combo costs $20, seafood combo $26, or add a side dish like spinach salad for $10. Do note that the soup is not free-flow. If you've chugged all of the beauty broth before cooking your ingredients, additional servings cost anywhere from $5 (250ml) to $12 (700ml).
- Address: 3 outlets; Plaza Singapura, Thomson Plaza, and SingPost Centre
- Opening hours: Varies by outlet. Daily 11.30am-2.30pm/3pm, 5pm-9pm
Old Beijing Hotpot – $30 to $60+ / pax
Not to be confused with Lao Beijing, which is a Chinese restaurant concept under Tung Lok Group, Old Beijing Hotpot was newly launched in Singapore only in November 2022.
Inspired by the founder's hometown travels since the advent of the pandemic, Old Beijing Hotpot features a traditional Beijing-style hotpot experience, said to be the "purest form of hotpot that emphasises on the freshness and quality of ingredients".
It uses a special copper pot that quickly absorbs heat and doesn't react or impart its taste to the soup or ingredients.
The soup base costs $18, with flavours that include traditional clear soup, tomato soup, healthy chicken broth, and Sichuan spicy soup. You can get it as a yuan yang pot, and choose two soup bases at the same price.
Staple carbs are $1 per serving, while different ingredients are categorised under various price tiers: from $2.80 to $6.80 per serving. One speciality of the restaurant is its live seafood, which require pre-order and are marked as seasonal price.
However, if you are watching your wallet, there is a two pax bundle from $28.80, which includes soup base and free condiments, rice and noodles, and homemade drinks. There is also a four pax set from $58.80, with the addition of special prawn paste or homemade beef paste.
- Address: 501 West Coast Dr #01-302, Singapore 120501
- Opening hours: Daily 11am-3am (next morning)
- Tel: 6970 8300
Xiao Long Kan Hotpot – $40 to $60 / pax
Just like Haidilao, Xiao Long Kan is another hotpot chain from China. It has been praised for its speedy service, which could feel stressful for slow eaters having their plates cleared faster than they can dish out another piece of meat.
here are some really interesting soup bases at Xiao Long Kan hot pot. Fancy some "Butter Spicy Soup" ($26 per serving) or Mushroom And Butter Soup ($22 per serving)? These creamy-sounding soups sound delicious.
Sauces and condiments cost $4 per person, which is on par with Haidilao in terms of price, although the selection is much smaller.
The meats cost $18 for pork collar to $52 for American Wagyu Beef. Meanwhile, the vegetable platter is $19, and there's an interesting selection of snacks and an ice jelly dessert ($3 per serving), which are all a la carte items.
- Address: 5 outlets; Bedok, Bugis, Chinatown, Orchard, and West Gate
- Opening hours: Daily 11am-6am (next morning)
Shang Pin Hot Pot – $40 to $60+ / pax
It's said that Shang Pin Hot Pot's founders were once part of the Haidilao family, i.e. not blood related, but a former employee. That probably explains why everything at Shang Pin Hot Pot (established in 2014) is reminiscent of Haidilao, but without the frills.
For instance, there's the signature handmade noodles and signature soup base flavours like tomato, not forgetting the handphone ziploc bags and square-shaped soup pots.
One thing great about Shang Pin is that it is slightly cheaper than the full Haidilao experience, with most soups under $20. There's the exception of the spicy bullfrog soup, with the option to have four pieces of bullfrogs for $34 instead of $24 (two pieces).
Shang Pin is, however, slightly cheaper than Haidilao. Most of the soups are under $20, while the chicken and pork platters are just from $11 each.
There is also a "meat festival" platter (pork, beef, mutton) at $26. You are charged for sauces and drinks too, but all in all, an average meal here typically costs less per person ($40 to $60+) than its very close competitor Haidilao ($50 to $80).
- Address: Marina Square Outlet: 6 Raffles Blvd, #02-102/102A Marina Square, Singapore 039594
- Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-11pm
- Tel: 6565 7666
Beauty in The Pot – $50 to $80 / pax
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Not to be confused with the "beauty pot" of Bijin Nabe by Tsukada Nojo, Beauty in The Pot is another concept by Paradise Group. At Beauty in The Pot, it's signature collagen soup base is its claim to fame, costing from $10.80 for a quarter pot and up to $34.80 as a single pot.
Other soup bases at Beauty in The Pot are also nourishing for the body, such as the Slimming Spicy Beef Tallow Broth ($28.80 for a single pot), and Immunity Clear Chicken Broth (Contains Pork), also $28.80 for a single pot.
The Specialty Meat Platter is rather pricey at $44.90, but includes portions of Sliced Pork Belly, US Kurobuta Pork, US Marbled Beef Cube, and Sliced US Beef). There are also tasting platters for Szechuan delights like pig's aorta, cow tripe, duck web and more, from $26.90.
While this is slightly pricier than Haidilao, the dining experience feels less like a party and more exclusive. Compared to Haidilao and the other Chinese hot pot restaurants, Beauty in the Pot has a wider seafood selection, including premium stuff like Boston lobster ($12.90 per 100g), abalones (from $16.80 for a half-portion of 10-head abalone), prawns and various house-made seafood pastes (from $11.50 to $19.80).
Oh, and there’s entertainment too.
- Address: Various outlets; Jewel Changi Airport, Kinex, Nex, The Centrepoint, The Star Vista, VivoCity, Westgate
- Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-3am (The Centrepoint closes at 6am)
Little Sheep Hot Pot (Xiao Fei Yang) – $50 to $80 / pax
When Little Sheep (Xiao Fei Yang) launched at the cusp of 2018/2019, it was the most expensive new kid on the block, with an address on One Fullerton (which since shuttered, survived by its second outlet in Somerset).
That's because this Chinese chain, founded in Baotou, Inner Mongolia in 1999, was brought to Singapore by the fancy No Signboard Holdings.
As its name suggests, Little Sheep is known for its lamb. There's a lamb-based house soup that's made with 36 different ingredients like goji berries, ginseng and more.
It's available in original and mala flavours, and costs about $20 for a sharing pot. If you didn't already guess, Little Sheep's specialty is lamb. The signature soup is lamb-based, and the best-selling platter features lamb rolls and beef (about $40). They also have more cuts of lamb than any other meat (~$12 to $36).
- Address: 277 Orchard Road #B1-13 orchardgateway, Singapore 238858
- Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9.45pm
- Tel: 6881 9959
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This article was first published in MoneySmart.