Hotpot, arguably the most beloved meal in China, enjoyed all year round, but especially favored during the winter months. Here are eight different styles of hotpot in Shanghai, featuring popular styles from Chongqing, Beijing, Chaoshan, Guizhou, Hainan, etc., as well as a vegetarian one.
What is hotpot?

Hotpot is a communal Chinese meal whereby diners stew a myriad of raw ingredients in a soup set in the middle of the table. Popular food items include meats, which are usually thinly cut for quick cooking, as well as mushrooms, vegetables, and tofu. It’s all accompanied with sauces, which are often DIY at a condiments bar, allowing diners to tailor their own preference for saltiness (soy-based), tangy (vinegars), spice (fresh and fermented chilies), and fresh aromatics (chives and cilantro).


There are more than 30 regional varieties of hotpot in China, mostly categorized by soup bases, the design of the pot itself, and the focus on specific ingredients.
Popular Hotpot Styles in China
- Chongqing Style Hotpot
The signature flavors of numb and spicy from Sichuan whereby aromatics and spices are first fried in beef fat to release its flavor, and then added into the broth. Hands down the most popular style in China at the moment. - Beijing Style Hotpot
Iconic copper pots of the north with a variety of soup bases, generally lamb and beef based with an emphasis on lamb or mutton. - Cantonese Style Hotpot
Emphasis on fresh seafood in a thick and golden chicken-based broth, sometimes a seafood broth. - Chaoshan Style Hotpot
Beef-centric. Bone broths are either clear or milky, and utilizes every part of the cow. - Guizhou/Yunnan Style Hotpot
Mushroom based broths or a sour soup made from fermented tomatoes, the latter is generally eaten with river fish. - Hainan Style Hotpot
Coconut water and chicken-based broth of the south that is often sweetened with fruits like figs and dates.
Chongqing Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Chongqing hotpot is the most popular style of hotpot in China. The “hotpot capital of China” is famed for their fiery brand of soup base, made with a blend of chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and aromatics, which are steeped in hot beef fat to release its aromas before combining it with the broth. It’s known for its signature numb and spicy kick (mala) and for being oily (from the tallow).

Try it at Pei Jie (珮姐重庆火锅), originally from Chongqing, or Hong Jie (鸿姐老火锅), which started in Shanghai.
Both are similarly priced, average check around ¥170, have multiple locations and are quite popular (be prepared to queue) and come highly recommended by people from Sichuan.

Pei Jie Flagship: 2/F, 186 Maoming Bei Lu 茂名北路185号2楼
Tel: 13472852798
Hours: Daily, 10:30am-2am
Hong Jie Flagship: No. 102, Bldg 5, 1394 Yan’an Xi Lu 延安西路1394号5栋102室
Tel: 52997217
Hours: Mon, 11am-2pm, 4pm-2am; Tue-Sun, 11am-2am
Beijing Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Lao Men Kuang (老门框爆肚涮肉馆) is a traditional Beijing-style hotpot chain that specializes in hand-cut lamb and beef. It is also listed as a halal restaurant.
As per Northern-style of hotpot, the restaurant employs copper Mongolian-style pots, putting coals in the center to heat the broth. People favor this restaurant first for its lamb, which is sourced from inner Mongolia, then offcuts and intestines, then beef. Cow and lamb innards of all shapes and colors can be found on the menu. It’s their specialty! It’s even in the name (爆肚). Multiple soup bases available including a light bone broth, numb and spicy, etc.

While you’re there, be sure to get their sesame bings, large baked discs of sesame and pastry, and chuanr, cumin and chili-spiced lamb skewers. Average check is around ¥180. More than a dozen locations in Shanghai: Huaihai Dong Lu, Zhongshan Park and Jinqiao.
Lao Men Kuang
Address: 45 Huaihai Dong Lu 淮海东路45号
Tel: 80197237
Hours: Daily, 11am-midnight
Cantonese Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Cantonese-style hotpot is all about seafood, and the soups bases are usually made with either chicken or seafood. You’d rarely find spicy soups at a Cantonese-style hotpot place. Loushang Hotpot (楼上火锅) is a popular destination for said variety in Shanghai.
It’s more upmarket, but it reflects upon the quality of fresh seafood, which are live and on display in tanks, offering up geoduck, conch, king crab, lobster, and fish. They also have beef, meatballs, tofu, and vegetables.

The Golden Chicken Soup (¥328, 金牌走地鸡煲花胶汤) is the signature hotpot soup base. It’s a deep yellow soup that’s ultra-rich from slow-cooking chicken for 4-6 hours. This is most certainly the kind of soup you want to slurp on early on, before the broth gets too muddled.

In addition to the hotpot, be sure to get the claypot rice, a simple dish with Chinese wax sausage and cured meat. My favorite part about that dish at Loushang is that after its mixed and portioned, they crisp the rice (guoba) and serve it as a dish on its own.

Other non-hotpot related a la carte dishes are also excellent. Average check depends on how much premium seafood you order; ¥400 to ¥800. Opens until late.
Loushang
Address: 73 Nanhui Lu 南汇路73号
Tel: 62477778
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 11am-3:30pm, 5pm-4am
Address: 2/F, 46 Maoming Nan Lu 茂名南路46号2楼
Tel: 62470007
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 11am-3:30pm, 5pm-4am
Healthy / Taiwanese Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Wulao (鼎王无老锅), also known as Elixir Health Pot, is a Taiwanese hotpot chain that prides itself on its healthy broths. With every pot ordered, you also get unlimited “tofu bread” and duck blood.
The soup base to order is a half-and-half of “tofu bread bone broth”, a milky, collagen rich broth made with pork, ginseng and an assortment of other healthy herbs, and a fiery chili and peppercorn base.

Wulao’s calling card, apart from its marketed-as-healthy bone broths, is the unending flow of “tofu bread” (面包豆腐). These fluffy, aerated rectangles of light, porous tofu soak up the soups excellently and just melt in your mouth. Service is also excellent, as the servers will make their rounds to top you up with soup and all these glorious add-ons.
Average check is around ¥180. Currently has four locations in Shanghai: Beijing Xi Lu, MOHO Mall, Hongqiao, Gubei. (Update Oct 2024: Elixir Health Pot has closed some locations.)
Wulao aka Elixir Health Pot
Click here for the listing.
Chaoshan-Style Hot Pot in Shanghai

Chaoshan-style hotpot is a feast of beef — every imaginable cut of beef from neck to tail, all thinly sliced, as well as beef meatballs, beef stuffed dumplings, and a plethora of beef products, all simmered in a beef bone broth.

Baheli (八合里) is a Chaoshan hotpot restaurant chain that opened in 2017, and boasts 200 stores nationwide and more than a dozen stores in Shanghai. They source their beef from Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. The broth to get here is the beef bone broth (¥28), a clear soup. If you want to level up, they also do one with Chinese herbs and oxtail (¥138). Average check is around ¥120.

Baheli
Address: 8/F, Cloud 9 Shopping Mall, 1018 Changning Lu 长宁路1018号龙之梦购物公园8楼8059-8063铺面
Tel: 62340866
Hours: Daily, 11am-10pm
Guizhou Style Hotpot in Shanghai

The hallmark flavors of Guizhou cuisine are spice (heat) and sour (acidity). The latter, sometimes referred to as “sours,” is the liquid byproduct procured from natural fermentation, divided into red sour (tomatoes) and white sour (rice). Sour soups are an essential part of the cuisine, particularly so in the Miao ethnic minority. Guizhou-style sour soup hotpots are tangy and spicy and are often enjoyed with fish.

Try it at Maolago (毛辣果), two locations, operated by the OHA Group. They use vine tomatoes for their red sour broth, they have fresh whole sturgeon (¥288) for the pot, and their condiment/dip consists of fermented soybeans, chili, mountain lemon pepper oil, and aromatics.

Try the drip wine at Maolago. Other side dishes are also tasty. Average check is around ¥280.
Maolago
Address: 2/F, 318 Julu Lu 巨鹿路318号2楼
Tel: 13764318318
Hours: Mon-Thu, 5pm-9:30pm; Fri, 5pm-10:30pm; Sat, 12pm-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm; Sun, 12pm-2:30pm; 5pm-9:30pm
Address: 100-2 Fuxing Xi Lu 复兴西路100-2号
Tel: 17317239035
Hours: Mon-Fri, 5pm-9:30pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm
Vegetarian Beijing Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Yan Gege (焱格格云南雪菌老火锅) is an all-you-can-eat Beijing-style vegetarian hotpot restaurant with an emphasis on Yunnan mushrooms, located at 800 Show in Jing’an. It’s operated by Hong Kong celebrity and animal rights activist Lv Songxian.


Multiple broth bases available, including fresh tomato, spicy, organic coconut, tom yum goong, and even bak kut teh. Each pot comes with a seasonal platter of mushrooms like matsutake from Yunnan and bridal veil stinkhorn. The platter selection is a tad pricier and therefore aren’t included on the buffet.

What is included on the buffet is a wide variety of mushrooms like lion’s mane (猴头菇), dragon’s claw fungus (龙爪菇), fried chicken mushroom (鹿茸菇), shimeji, and a number of everyday mushrooms and fungi. Other buffet items include tofu, vegetables, cold dishes, and vegetarian stews.






In addition, there are snack dishes like dim sum, noodles, dumplings, and spring rolls, which are made-to-order. It’s ¥238 per person, includes non-alcoholic drinks.
Yan Gege
Address: A4-1, 800 Show, 800 Changde Lu 常德路800号800秀园区A4-1层
Tel: 62227217
Hours: Daily, 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm
Hainan “Coconut” Style Hotpot in Shanghai

Finally, you have Hainan-style hotpot, which typically uses a base of coconut water, poured fresh from whole coconuts, paired with chicken broth and chicken. The base usually would contain strips of coconut flesh.

Often most restaurants that serve this style tend to have soup options like tom yum goong, too. And Hainan-style hotpot places are usually where you’ll also find fruit-added options from fig to durian. (To each their own on that last part.)
Yeah Twenty-Three (23度不太冷椰子鸡) and Coconut Taste (椰子不语) are both chains, and pride themselves on using fresh coconuts from Thailand and chicken from Wenchang, Hainan. Average check is around ¥170.
Yeah Twenty-Three Flagship: 2/F, 219 Honghe Lu 共和路219号嘉里企业公馆2楼
Tel: 62080677
Hours: Daily, 11am-9pm
Coconut Taste: 5/F, LuOne mall, 268 Xujiahui Lu 徐家汇路268号LuOne凯德晶萃广场5楼
Tel: 63770257
Hours: Daily, 11am-9:30pm