Chongqing Hot pot is the staple dish of the city.  Hot pot restaurants in Chongqing are everywhere – if you look up on the street you are in, chances are you are standing near a hot pot restaurant.  What exactly is hot pot and why do the people are like it so much?

Hot pot in Chongqing has become a lifestyle.

Hot pot is like Chongqing itself – strong, spicy, in-your-face with a down to earth history.  It’s a dish of the native. There are various tales about the origin of the  Chongqing Hot pot. One of them is widely accepted.  In the beginning of the 19^th century, at Chongqing Chaotianmen Wharf, one of the busiest places at that time, the boatmen and porters  in winters would take the leftover meat from the butcher and boil them in a spicy brew of chilies and numbing Sichuan peppercorns, afterward dipping the cooked food in condiments, creating a delicious dish that quickly spread throughout the city.  In those times, Chongqing’s famous “stick-stick men” would carry the broth and ingredients on a bamboo stick throughout the city, selling it to any passerby that wanted a meal.  In those times, the hot pot would be suspended on the bamboo stick over an open fire, right on the street.

Today, hotpot has grown and diversified into a culinary art-food with prices that run that gamut, and choice, fresh ingredients that far outnumber those when hotpot was first born.  There are also mild broths available for those that can’t handle spicy food. 

Everything edible can be cooked in hot pot.

Usually, the taste of food can reflect the attitude and status of life there. As a symbol of food in Chongqing, people in Chongqing have the sense of integrity and embrace the diversified culture. Everything edible can be cooked in hot pot, so hot pot is a must-eat when you come to Chongqing!

Recommended Restaurants

Pipayuan Shiweixian Hot Pot (Loquat Park Hot pot)

The Loquat Park Hot Pot established in 1995, locating on Hot Pot street on Nanshan Mountain. It is on the slope of a hill, containing more than 700 tables inside the loquat garden, and visitors can even pick loquats in May and June during dining. Like the environment here, the ingredients, cooked in an open kitchen, are fresh and healthy, provided by local farmers every day.

Badaotang Hot Pot Mountain Villa

Located on the “hot pot street” on Nanshan Mountain, there is a hot pot restaurant hiding on a hill inside the green woods. The style of the gate indicates the restaurant is a gorgeous and grand mansion. In the past 20 years, it has focused on making Chinese culture-based outdoor hot pot by broadcasting the caravan culture and land hot pot (initially began from caravan during the journey on land). The restaurant cooks soup by spring water so that the color of the soup is red and bright and is stomach-friendly. Fresh vegetables and horse meat are popular with visitors.

Yuwei Xiaoyu Hot Pot

In 2004, Yuewei Xiaoyu Hot Pot showed on “A Bite of China” and occupies one of TOP 50 Hot Pot twice in Chongqing.  The restaurant uses the spiciest Sichuan pepper “Chao Tian Hong” and the most color-bright Sichuan pepper “Xin Yi Dai”.  These condiments make the soup taste spicy and look beautiful.  Other selected condiments like star anise, fennel, etc. are cooked with beef tallow, stimulating the diner’s appetite.