In recent years, Chinese Hot Pot has become popular in the U.S. With a lot of restaurants growing and other new ones popping up, Hot Pot is a great, customizable, and often all-you-can-eat meal. The great part of living with multiple cities close by is the number of times you can search “Hot Pot near me” and get a bunch of fantastic Tampa Hot Pot options.
It's also a fun and interactive way to enjoy on a date!
<div id="c3be0912bb716eee4ca644c1dfc4ecde4"></div>What is hot pot? If you're not sure what Hot Pot is, check out our Hot Pot Guide for the rundown, including some great Hot Pot restaurants in Tampa and the surrounding areas.
Tips for The Best Tampa Hot Pot Experience
If you're trying Hot Pot in Tampa for the first time, here are some tips I wish I knew about building the perfect pot before dining!
Typically, Hot Pot menus feature selections meant for the pot and selections meant for the BBQ—most Hot Pot restaurants feature a BBQ option, and vice versa. The vast Hot Pot selections can be daunting, and if you're like me, trying new food experiences can be paralyzing when prompted with so many options.
Keep in mind: Hot Pot is typically all-you-can-eat, so make sure you bring your appetite!
Build a Delicious Soup Base
Hot Pot restaurants usually have a standard list of soup bases to select from, but the tasty part is customizing your broth with additional sauces and spices. The soup bases often include a pork bone style, an herbal style, an original style, and a few others that may vary by restaurant.
For example, Hong BBQ & Hot Pot, located at 5840 E Fowler Ave. in Tampa, has a sauce bar featuring some of their own house-made sauces, spices, and herbs. I mixed their House Soy Sauce with plenty of green onion, cilantro, and a dash of garlic and added it to my soup base.
You can take as many trips to the sauce bar as you want, so don't be shy when it comes to building something delicious!
Order and Add your favorite foods
On many menus, there is a designated section for Hot Pot meats, seafoods, vegetables, and sides. Typically, the meats and seafoods for Hot Pot are cut thin or are small enough for quick cooking inside the boiling pot.
At Hong BBQ & Hot Pot, you can find the cooking times for each different item listed under the item name.
Selections include meats like pork, chicken, prime brisket, lamb, spam, and a lot more! For seafood, you can enjoy scallops, shrimp, mussels, frog legs, and a handful of other options. Certain seafood options are only offered seasonally, so be sure to check with your server about what's available.
And, yes, since Hot Pot is usually all-you-can-eat, you can totally just order meats only!
The veggie additions are plentiful with mushrooms, radish, bamboo shoots, broccoli, bean sprouts, Bok Choy, corn, and others. The veggies often require more boiling time, so it's usually a good idea to let them sit in the pot for a little bit before you add in your meats and seafood.
You can also ask for noodles, rice, soybean options like tofu, dumplings, fish cakes, and eggs.
As you continue to cook items in your soup, it will naturally become more flavorful. The customizations are nearly endless, and that means you can select everything you want and nothing you don't want!
Some of Our favorite Hot Pot Items
- Prime Brisket
- Pork
- Chicken
- Spam
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Fried Tofu
- Dumplings
- Bean Sprouts
- Bok Choy
- Mushrooms
- Corn
- Rice
- Ramen Noodles
When you place your order with your server, your items will come out in small portions to prevent food waste. Don't worry, you can always order more!
Important note: Most Hot Pot restaurants take food waste very seriously, and certain places will charge you a very high extra fee per pound if there is excess food waste from the table. Be sure you eat everything that you've ordered to avoid this additional charge!
Use the Provided Utensils Accordingly
Hot Pot restaurants will provide you with all the utensils you'll need to grab, stir, and ladle everything in your pot. They will also give you a separate bowl or plate for your cooked items so you don't have to eat directly from the pot while it sits on the burner.
Important note: Make sure you pay attention to what utensils and dishes you're using to handle your raw meat! You don't want to cross-contaminate the raw meats and seafood with your cooked items.
All-in-all we hope these tips help you and your date have an easy and delicious first Tampa Hot Pot experience!
In search of fun date ideas? Check out these great blogs:
Playful Date Ideas for Fun-Loving Couples
Things to Do in Tampa This Weekend and Beyond
Places for The Perfect Bridgerton-Inspired Date