CHOCHO Hot Pot: All-you-can-eat Chinese hot pot in Burnaby

CHOCHO Hot Pot is a premium hot pot restaurant offering all-you-can-eat hot pot at $50 per person. In the last year, it has garnered a lot of attention and is a popular spot for food influencers since it is a sub-brand/chain of The Dolar Shop Hot Pot, another popular hot pot restaurant. However, The Dolar Shop is notorious for being expensive, hence CHOCHO in comparison seems like a better deal.

I actually have been avoiding going to CHOCHO for a long time because I actually don’t like hot pot that much (*avoids all the rocks being thrown at me* 😣). I prefer eating hot pot at home with one big communal pot (cheaper too).

I finally checked out CHOCHO in January for my friend’s birthday. This post will review my experience at the South Burnaby location (which is also the only location currently).

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The vibe

CHOCHO Hot Pot was super busy when we arrived for dinner on a Sunday night.

Our table was a group of 11 people and we had to split into 2 tables. The semi-private group dining tables can seat around 8 people, and the remaining 3 of us sat in one of their regular booth tables that can seat up to 4 people comfortably. If you are trying to book for a large group, I wouldn’t recommend going with more than 8 people because you will have to split up.

The restaurant is pretty large but there are a lot of privacy walls set up at each table and booth so you don’t really see that many people around you. Seating was comfortable and you order on an tablet device.

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Food and drinks review – how it works

CHOCHO’s menu is pretty limited because they basically only sell the AYCE hot pot. Before 9pm, it is $50 per person but after 9pm it is slightly cheaper at $40 per person. Vegetarian AYCE is $44 per person and kids AYCE is $20.

The only other things you can really add is an AYCdrink package for $3.

Step 1: Select a soup broth

There are several soup broths for you to choose from – spicy, mushroom, cream, sukiyaki, veggie, tomato and pork. I chose one of the only options where it comes with 2 broths – the tomato and pork – because I wanted to try more than 1 base.

The bowl that it comes in is pretty cool because it is divided, but I do have to say the design of it did make me feel like I was eating out of a dog bowl 😅.

Step 2: Order your meats

After selecting your soup base, you can order as many meats as you want from the tablet. They offer boneless short plate, oyster blade, rib eye, beef brisket, chuck roll, lamb shoulder, pork belly, and chicken. All meat orders are 100g per order.

My favourite meat order is the boneless short plate – it is on the fattier side. But I found all the meat options at CHOCHO to be pretty good quality if I compare it to other hot pot places I’ve been to. They don’t look frozen and curled up either.

If you cannot finish all the food you order, they may make you pay for leftover food that is more than 150g at $9.99/150g. 

Step 3: Pick your sides and veggies

After you order from your tablet, you can get up from your table and start selecting what toppings and sides you want for your hot pot. They have a buffet section in the back of the restaurant filled with all sorts of veggies, balls (fish balls, tofu balls, etc.), noodles, sides and toppings. You pick up a plate take whatever you want back to your table.

They also have a side table full of questionable items like breads, deep-fried items, and just stuff that would fill you up. I thought it was interesting but I need to be strategic at AYCE places so I steered clear of those items.

Items I like to grab for myself:

• Some sort of fresh noodles – thin kind
• Soft tofu
• tofu balls
• Napa cabbage
• Spinach
• Fried bean curd rolls – so good! You just dip them in for a few seconds
• Potato noodle/jelly
• Shitake mushroom

I also tried adding some mussels, fish and shrimp but found I enjoyed veggies and meat more.

Step 4: Make your sauce

Lastly, there is a make-your-own-sauce station. Again, you just put in and mix whatever you like. I like to do a pretty balanced ratio of the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, chili oil, lots of garlic, green onions and sesame oil.

After this, you have everything you need to eat like a complete homeless person until your 120 mins is up.

Step 5: Dessert bar + ice cream

After you have eaten until your burst and made your 1 friend eat all the remaining meats you guys over-ordered, it is time to head over to the dessert bar.

They have a little sign teaching you hot to make their cute little panda dessert, but it is mostly comprised of different jellies, fruit, syrups and milk.

I thought the dessert was just meh but pretty cute. Over this dessert cup, I much enjoyed their ice cream cone more but you have to ask a server to bring it.

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Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am hovering between 3-4 stars for CHOCHO. On one hand, I think they do live up to their “premium” branding as the meats and toppings were all good quality. They also offer a really large selection of toppings, sides and other items, including a whole separate dessert bar. Service was fast and they don’t really bother you while you eat. It is definitely a fun spot to go to with friends and family since it is easy and everyone can decide what they want to eat.

On the other hand, it is really hard for me to give AYCE places a super high rating because it is just never worth it for me 😟. I am a small person under 120lbs and I just can’t eat $50 worth of hot pot. I found myself forcing to continue eating to make the price tag more “worth it”.

Because of this, I don’t think I will be back at CHOCHO very often. Maybe for special occasions or if I somehow still don’t eat by 9pm, but I can’t justify going to an AYCE $50 hot pot frequently.

Do I like CHOCHO though? Yes, I think it was a great experience and the food was good. Definitely worth trying at least once, and if you’re a big eater or hot pot fan, you may return more often than me.

Sincerely, Loewe