Haidilao is one of those restaurants people recognize before they ever visit. It is known for Chinese hotpot, attentive service, a huge dipping-sauce station, hand-pulled noodle performances, and small extras that make the meal feel like an event.
For this visit to the Myeongdong branch, we chose my usual tomato and mala soup combination and ordered a table full of beef, lamb, seafood, tofu, vegetables, processed meats, and you tiao. I also made my favorite aggressively spicy sauce with mala seasoning, garlic, cilantro, peanut butter, and minced beef.
The meal cost more than a basic malatang dinner, but the broth, ingredient variety, service, free porridge, refillable soup, and milk ice cream made it feel worth it. Here is exactly how the meal worked and what I would recommend ordering.
1. What Is Haidilao Hotpot?
♡ A famous Chinese hotpot chain known for customizable broth, fresh ingredients, attentive service, and small extras throughout the meal.
Haidilao is a Chinese hotpot restaurant where a pot of broth sits in the center of the table and everyone cooks their own meat, vegetables, seafood, tofu, and noodles. You choose the soup bases, build a dipping sauce, order raw ingredients, and cook everything together as you eat.
I grew up around Chinese food and Chinese-speaking environments, so the flavors and social style of hotpot feel familiar to me. Haidilao costs more than a basic malatang or neighborhood hotpot shop, but the ingredient variety, service, sauce station, free porridge, and dessert make it feel like a complete experience.
The Myeongdong branch is especially convenient for tourists because it is close to shopping, cafés, hotels, and subway stations. Many Chinese diners were eating there during our visit too, which made it feel reassuringly familiar rather than designed only for tourists.
Helpful picks for a Myeongdong food day:
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2. Choosing the Soup Base: Tomato and Mala
♡ For a shared meal, I always recommend choosing one spicy broth and one non-spicy broth.
My go-to combination is tomato broth and mala broth. The tomato base is rich, savory, slightly sweet, and easy for almost everyone to enjoy. The mala base is spicy, numbing, oily, and packed with Sichuan-style flavor.
When sharing hotpot with friends, one spicy and one non-spicy base is the safest choice. People can cook ingredients in whichever broth they prefer, and anyone who needs a break from the mala heat can switch to tomato.
When the pot arrived, the staff poured broth into individual bowls so we could taste it before cooking. The soup can be topped up, so ask for more broth if the level gets too low during the meal.
3. How I Make My Haidilao Dipping Sauce
♡ The sauce station can feel overwhelming, but a bold spicy sauce makes every ingredient taste better.
Haidilao has a self-service sauce station filled with seasonings, aromatics, oils, herbs, and condiments. It can look overwhelming the first time because there are so many possible combinations.
I like my sauce extremely spicy and flavorful, so I add plenty of mala seasoning, minced garlic, cilantro, peanut butter or sesame-style sauce, minced beef, and extra chili. The peanut butter makes the sauce creamier, while the garlic, cilantro, beef, and mala seasoning keep it savory and intense.
Start with a small amount because you can always return to the station and adjust it. Once your ingredients are cooked, dip them into the sauce before eating.
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4. My Spicy, Flavorful Sauce Combination
♡ Mala seasoning, garlic, cilantro, peanut butter, and minced beef made my favorite sauce of the meal.
My bowl was much stronger than a simple soy-sauce dip. I wanted something thick enough to cling to meat and vegetables, with enough spice to match the mala broth.
- Mala seasoning or chili oil
- Minced garlic
- Cilantro
- Peanut butter or sesame-style sauce
- Minced beef
- Extra chili and aromatics to taste
This combination is not subtle, but that is exactly why I like it. It works especially well with sliced beef, lamb, spam, cheese tofu, shrimp paste, and vegetables cooked in the mala broth.
Helpful picks for a Myeongdong food day:
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5. Everything We Ordered
♡ We focused on beef, but added seafood, vegetables, tofu, processed meats, and a sweet fried side.
We ordered several types of sliced meat, mostly beef, plus lamb for extra variety. Thin slices cook quickly and absorb the broth well, making them one of the easiest and most satisfying things to order.
- Different sliced beef cuts
- Lamb
- Shrimp paste
- Squid
- Quail eggs
- Sausages and spam
- Cheese tofu
- Cabbage and bok choy
- You tiao with condensed milk
Haidilao is priced à la carte, so the final bill depends on how many soup bases, meat plates, vegetables, sides, drinks, and sauce-station fees your table orders. Our exact receipt total should be inserted here: ADD RECEIPT TOTAL, approximately ADD USD ESTIMATE.
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6. How to Cook the Meat and Ingredients
♡ Thin meat cooks quickly, but do not pull it out before it is properly cooked.
Add vegetables, tofu, sausages, seafood, and other slower ingredients to the broth first. Thinly sliced meat cooks much faster, so I prefer holding it in the soup with chopsticks instead of dropping it in and losing track of it.
A thin slice of beef may take around 20 seconds depending on its thickness and how strongly the broth is boiling. Move it through the soup until it changes color and is cooked through, then dip it into your sauce.
Shrimp paste, squid, sausages, spam, tofu, eggs, and vegetables all need different cooking times, so avoid putting everything in at once. Cooking in smaller rounds also keeps the broth from becoming crowded.
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7. Free Porridge, Refillable Broth, and Haidilao Service
♡ The small extras and attentive service are part of why Haidilao costs more than basic hotpot.
Haidilao offers free porridge, which is useful when you want something mild between spicy bites. The staff also check the table frequently, refill broth, clear empty dishes, and help keep the meal organized.
The broth level naturally drops as ingredients cook, so ask for a refill when needed. The staff add more liquid so you can continue cooking without ordering a completely new soup base.
That service is one reason Haidilao feels more expensive but still worthwhile. You are paying for the full experience, not only the raw ingredients.
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8. You Tiao With Condensed Milk
♡ Crispy, airy, sweet, and also surprisingly good dipped into mala broth.
The you tiao with condensed milk was a dessert-like break from the hotpot. You tiao is a fried dough stick with a crisp exterior and airy center, while condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess.
I also like dipping it into mala soup instead of condensed milk. The bread absorbs the spicy, oily broth and creates a completely different savory version.
Order it early enough to enjoy both ways: sweet with condensed milk and spicy after a quick dip in the mala broth.
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9. The Noodle Dance and Free Milk Ice Cream
♡ We skipped the noodles this time, but you may still get a show from a nearby table before finishing with free ice cream.
Haidilao is famous for its hand-pulled noodle performance. When a table orders the noodles, a staff member stretches and swings the dough before placing it into the hotpot. We did not order it this time, but sometimes a nearby table orders it and everyone gets to watch.
After the meal, make sure to grab the free milk ice cream. The mild, creamy flavor is exactly what you want after mala broth, chili oil, garlic, and a heavy dipping sauce.
It is a small extra, but it helps cool down the lingering spice before you continue walking around Myeongdong.
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10. Is Haidilao Myeongdong Worth It?
♡ It costs more than basic hotpot, but I think the flavor, variety, service, and experience justify it.
Haidilao can be more expensive than a casual malatang shop because soup bases, sauce-bar access, and individual ingredients add up. It is easiest to control the bill when dining with friends and sharing a focused selection instead of ordering everything that looks good.
I still think it is worth it. The mala broth tastes authentic and satisfying, the tomato base balances the spice, the sauce station lets everyone customize the meal, and the service keeps everything smooth.
As someone who grew up around Chinese environments and food, I would recommend it to people looking for a reliable Chinese hotpot experience in Seoul. The number of Chinese diners there during our visit was another good sign.
Helpful picks for a Myeongdong food day:
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11. FAQ: Haidilao Myeongdong
Is Haidilao Myeongdong expensive?
It is more expensive than a simple malatang shop because soup bases, sauce-bar access, meat, vegetables, seafood, sides, and drinks are ordered separately. The final price depends heavily on how much your group orders.
Which Haidilao soup bases should I choose?
For a shared meal, I recommend one spicy and one non-spicy option. Tomato and mala are my go-to combination because the tomato broth is comforting while the mala broth is spicy, numbing, and flavorful.
How long should thin beef cook in hotpot?
Very thin slices may cook in roughly 20 seconds, depending on thickness and how strongly the broth is boiling. Hold the meat with chopsticks and make sure it changes color and is fully cooked before eating.
Does Haidilao have free food or dessert?
During our visit, free porridge was available, the broth could be topped up, and guests could take free milk ice cream after the meal. Availability can change by branch and date.
Is Haidilao authentic Chinese hotpot?
In my experience, the mala flavors, broth choices, sauce station, ingredient selection, and social dining style felt familiar and authentic. Many Chinese diners were also eating at the Myeongdong branch during our visit.
12. Sources and Visit Notes
This review is based primarily on my personal visit and the food we ordered. Menu prices, promotions, free items, opening hours, and availability can change, so check the current branch listing before visiting.
Check Haidilao Myeongdong on Catchtable
Current listings show soup bases in roughly the low-₩10,000 range, but exact pricing depends on the pot configuration and may change. Ingredients are ordered separately.
Replace ADD RECEIPT TOTAL and ADD USD ESTIMATE at the top of this file with the total from your receipt before publishing.
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13. Final Thoughts
Haidilao Myeongdong is not the cheapest way to eat hotpot in Seoul, but it is one of the easiest places to recommend for a group. Tomato and mala broth give the table both spicy and non-spicy options, while the sauce station lets everyone make the meal taste exactly how they want.
Our best orders were the sliced beef, lamb, shrimp paste, cheese tofu, vegetables, spam, sausages, and you tiao. I would also make the same spicy sauce again with mala seasoning, garlic, cilantro, peanut butter, and minced beef.
The free porridge, refillable broth, attentive service, noodle performances, and milk ice cream make the higher price easier to understand. As someone who grew up around Chinese food and environments, I thought the flavors felt familiar and satisfying.
My verdict: Haidilao Myeongdong is worth it when you go with friends, share ingredients, and treat it as a full dining experience rather than a quick inexpensive meal.
