If one hot pot name is known outside China, it is Haidilao (海底捞, hǎidǐlāo). The chain started as a small restaurant in Sichuan and now has branches in most Chinese cities, often in shopping malls. For a first-time visitor it is an easy introduction to hot pot: the menus are picture-based, you can choose mild broths, and the staff are known for being attentive.

This guide explains how a Haidilao meal works in mainland China, from getting a table to paying the bill, with the Chinese words that help along the way.

What Haidilao is, briefly

Haidilao was founded in 1994 in Jianyang, Sichuan, by Zhang Yong with his wife Shu Ping and two partners, according to the company’s 2016 Hong Kong listing documents. CNBC reported in 2018 that the first restaurant had only four tables. The chain opened its first restaurant outside mainland China in Singapore in 2012, and a 2025 report by Jiemian News describes the group as having more than 1,400 restaurants.

The name comes from the idiom 海底捞针, “to scoop a needle from the bottom of the sea”. In practice, it means hot pot: you cook raw ingredients in a pot of simmering broth at your table and fish them out with chopsticks or a ladle. If you are new to hot pot in general, read our hot pot broth bases explained and hot pot etiquette guides first.

Getting a table: book or queue on the app

Haidilao is busy at dinner and weekend lunch, especially in malls. Rather than walking in and waiting, use the official Haidilao app or the 海底捞 mini program inside WeChat or Alipay. Jiemian News (2025) describes the mini program as the place to reserve a table and take a queue number, and notes that it now includes an AI assistant for booking.

The basic steps are:

• Search 海底捞 in WeChat or Alipay and open the official mini program.
• Choose your branch (门店), party size (人数) and time.
• Either book (预订) or take a queue number (排号).
• Arrive before your number is called and show the screen to the host.

If your phone number is foreign, some features may ask for a Chinese number. In that case a hotel front desk or a Chinese friend can help, or you can simply walk in at off-peak times, such as mid-afternoon. Queues vary a lot by branch and day, so check the app before you set out.

While you wait, many branches offer free snacks and drinks in the waiting area, and some offer extras such as manicures. These are branch-by-branch services, not guarantees.

Ordering on the tablet

Once you sit down, a server will give you a tablet (iPad) or ask you to scan a QR code. Jiemian reports that Haidilao began iPad ordering in 2011. The menu is mostly pictures, which helps even if there is no English option at your branch. Our QR menu guide and menu translation app tips cover the rest.

Ordering happens in three steps:

• Step 1: choose the pot (锅底, guōdǐ). A split pot (鸳鸯锅 yuānyang guō or a multi-section pot) lets you pick two or more broths.
• Step 2: choose the ingredients (菜品). Meat, seafood, tofu, vegetables, noodles.
• Step 3: choose drinks and extras.

Broths for first-timers

The famous broth is the numbing-spicy Sichuan beef tallow (牛油麻辣). It is genuinely hot. Good gentler options for a split pot:

• 番茄锅 — tomato broth, sweet-sour and popular with children
• 菌汤锅 — mushroom broth, light and savoury
• 清汤锅 — clear broth
• 骨汤 — bone broth (names vary by branch)

Jiemian (2025) reports that Haidilao kitchens use broth machines that let diners adjust numbing, spicy, savoury and salty levels at many branches. Look for options such as 微辣 (mildly spicy) or 少麻 (less numbing) on the tablet or ask the server. Our Chongqing hotpot guide for heat-shy eaters explains the scale.

Half portions

Most dishes come in a half portion (半份 bàn fèn) and a full portion (整份 zhěng fèn). Ordering halves lets a small group try more things. In 2023, when one branch’s trial menu dropped the half/full choice, Haidilao told Shenzhen media outlet Dute News that half portions had not been cancelled, and the report said more than 80% of orders were for half portions. If you cannot see a half-portion choice at your branch, ask the server.

What to order

A first meal that pleases most groups:

• Sliced beef (肥牛) and lamb (羊肉卷)
• Shrimp paste (虾滑), which staff squeeze into the broth in balls
• Tofu (豆腐) and frozen tofu (冻豆腐), which soak up broth
• Potato slices (土豆片), lotus root (藕片), lettuce or spinach
• Enoki mushrooms (金针菇)
• Hand-pulled noodles (捞面 or 拉面) to finish

At some branches, ordering hand-pulled noodles comes with a short performance in which a staff member stretches and swings the dough beside your table. Wikipedia describes this as available “at selected outlets”, so don’t count on it everywhere.

The sauce bar

Haidilao’s self-service sauce bar (调料台 or 小料台) is part of the fun. You mix your own dipping sauce. A simple formula for first-timers:

• Sesame style (northern): sesame paste (芝麻酱), a little soy sauce, chopped garlic, coriander, spring onion
• Oil style (Sichuan): sesame oil (香油) with crushed garlic, coriander and a pinch of salt — this cools down meat from the spicy pot
• Light style: soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and chilli to taste

The bar often has fruit, small snacks and desserts too, though what’s there varies by branch. Many hot pot restaurants in China list a sauce charge per person on the bill, so check the tablet if you want to know the amount.

Cooking times and table manners

• Thin meat: dip and swish for a few seconds until it changes colour.
• Shrimp paste and meatballs: wait until they float and look cooked through.
• Tofu and potato: a few minutes; they get better the longer they simmer.
• Use the serving ladles and spoons for the pot, and keep your own chopsticks for eating.

Staff refill the broth when it runs low, and many branches offer aprons, hair ties and bags for your phone. If you need something, wave or press the call button if your table has one. Tipping is not expected in mainland China; see our tipping guide.

Paying the bill

Pay on the tablet, at the counter, or through the mini program. Alipay and WeChat Pay are the norm, and both can be linked to foreign cards. Our Alipay and WeChat Pay guide for foreign visitors explains the setup. Prices vary by city and branch; check the tablet rather than relying on a figure from someone else’s visit.

Dietary notes

• Allergies: shellfish, peanuts, sesame and wheat are all common in hot pot. Sauce bar items sit side by side with shared spoons. Show staff a written note in Chinese if you have a serious allergy.
• Gluten: soy sauce, many broth bases and noodles contain wheat. See our gluten-free China guide.
• Vegetarian: choose a tomato or mushroom pot and vegetable dishes, but ask whether the broth is made with meat stock. Our vegetarian guide has phrases.
• Halal: standard Haidilao branches in mainland China are not halal. Look for 清真 restaurants instead; see our halal food guide.
• Heat: the beef-tallow broth is very spicy. Ask for 微辣 or choose a non-spicy pot.

Useful phrases

• 我要排号 — I’d like a queue number
• 几位？/ 两位 — How many? / Two people
• 鸳鸯锅，一半番茄，一半麻辣 — split pot, half tomato, half spicy
• 微辣 / 不辣 — mildly spicy / not spicy
• 半份 — half portion
• 加汤 — more broth, please
• 买单 — the bill, please

FAQs

Is Haidilao good for foreigners? Yes. Picture-based menus, mild broths and attentive staff make it one of the easier hot pot chains for first-timers.

Do I need a reservation? Not always, but dinner queues can be long. Book or take a number through the official app or mini program.

Is there an English menu? Some branches offer English on the tablet; others don’t. The pictures and a translation app usually get you through.

Can I order half portions? At most branches, yes — choose 半份. Ask staff if you can’t see the option.

Is Haidilao very spicy? Only if you choose the spicy broth. Tomato, mushroom and clear broths are not spicy.

Can I pay with a foreign card? Usually through Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card. Some counters may accept cards directly; ask first.

Before you go

Install the Haidilao app or open the mini program, check queue times, and plan a split pot with one mild broth. Order half portions, mix a sesame-garlic sauce, and save room for the noodles. Done this way, Haidilao is a relaxed first step into China’s hot pot culture — and a good warm-up for the real Sichuan hotpot in Chengdu or Beijing’s lamb hotpot.

Sources

• Haidilao International Holding Ltd., “Our History, Reorganization and Corporate Structure”, Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing documents (hkexnews.hk), 2016.
• CNBC, “Haidilao CEO Zhang Yong went from factory worker to multi-billionaire”, 9 October 2018.
• Jiemian News (jiemian.com), “当’服务界天花板’遇上AI，海底捞与火山引擎开启科技餐饮新范式”, 29 October 2025.
• Dute News (dutenews.com), “海底捞取消半份菜？官方回应：没有取消”, 17 November 2023.
• Wikipedia, “Haidilao” (etymology, first overseas restaurant, services at selected outlets).

Lovely China was founded in 2025 to publish practical English guides for travellers and expats in China. Questions or a broken link? Email [email protected].

Cover photo: Angelsu52 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).