Chengdu Laozao Hotpot in Irvine

So good and authentic!

Great good, great service

We tried this by accident and a happy accident it was!! I cant wait to go back. The owner happened to serve us and teach us all about it, as we knew nothing of Chinese hot pot. What a special treat!

The snack and sauce bar is self serve, the food is ordered through a web app and contact with staff is minimal. You can expect good quality and good sized portions for the price. However, it would not be the cheapest hot pot place in Irvine, do expect a two person meal to run over 60 or 70. Their broth choices are exception and the dish variety is wide. Definitely a must try.

I was beyond disappointed in the service. While the food was amazing our waiter or lack thereof was atrocious. When questioned about one of the dishes he snatched the receipt from the back of the booth seat and argued we had received everything despite the kitchen finally confirming they had sold out. Something as simple as offering water was a daunting task. Selection of meats, seafood and veggies are fantastic but do not go if you expect any amount of service other than the delivery robot.

Bone broth is great

Good

One of the best hotpot in LA

The soup base, side dishes and meat are on par and meet expectations. Stars were reduced for below expectations on snack/sauce bar, bathroom and stove. The fried snacks at the self service bar were very stale and most items were not refilled. The bathroom was out of hand towels and toilet paper for over 2 hours that I was there. There may be problem with our stove because it did not produce enough heat, most of the time our food was simmered.

Good quality food and decently large portions for the cost. We were pleased by our experience here as a party of four. I like their outdoor space.

Dirty, poor service, food made us ill, overall disappointing. We were super excited about lunching here on a Saturday afternoon in May 2022 because we have been looking for a good hot-pot place, but when we arrived, we walked into the building which smelled like Lysol and some other solvent or cleaner. After about five minutes of being seated in the indoor dining area, we had to move outside because the odor was too overpowering. Once seated outside, an employee began mopping the floors, which introduced more Lysol smell into the air. However, we were extremely curious about this mopping for three reasons: 1the area where the employee was mopping was ostensibly already clean 2the real troublesome spots were/are underneath the chairs and tables, so in order to do that properly, you have the move the furniture around 3why wasnt this done during off-hours so that the customers do not have the lingering mop smell in the air while they dine? See the below photos, there are/were dust bunnies, food particles, and other dirt lodged in areas near the base of tables and along the power cord that led from the table to the perimeter (why isnt this vaccumed regularly?). Also the vents for the hotpot tables are covered in decaying food (see photos), which was disgusting and may have contributed to the smell. Anyone that has ever worked in the restaurant business knows you have to clean everything at least once a day. Disgusting.Cleanliness aside, the service was a bit confusing. We tried communicating in Chinese and in English, but were not offered clear guidance as to how to navigate the menu or what the buffet-style bar of snacks/spices/oils work. Also they didnt offer any tea or any other beverages, we were given a pitcher of water and that was it for our entire meal. The food was OK in flavor (spicy), but we ended up feeling ill for the rest of the day.It were these things that made other parts of the experience just seem worse (maybe its natural to pile on at this point, but buyer beware)-- the hostess never made eye contact with us just dropped off napkins and bolted. It felt like we didnt belong there or werent welcome.This is a shame because hot pots can be a fun way to dine Chinese style, and you theoretically can cook many things in a hot pot (other meats, vegetables). Chengdu is an area of China known for its flavorful meals, so we wish this was different.

For a restaurant of this price and quality, I had a rather unpleasant experience. Also want to mention I’m a rather picky person when it comes to these stuff.1. The food ordering system. Placed an order and waited 10 min before calling a waiter to see what’s going on. Waited another 10 or so for the waiter to come back and say the order wasn’t placed when I received a verification that it did. Sat and waited another 10 min to actually get the meat placed on my table. I guess their food just takes longer and customers are always expected to have more free time than usual.2. Waiter/waitress. I don’t know what’s going on but them walking around empty handed bothers me when my table is loaded with empty plates. Their words of apology sure doesn’t sound like one of adequate attitude, and that is one fine way to get me frustrated. Put the chopsticks paper wrap on the table for waiters to pick it up and throw it off along the way, but why bother. Almost felt the need to stand up myself and find a trash can.3. Food. The food is more on the salty side because of the origin of the hotpot in China. So if the food is salty, don’t be surprised that’s just how it is intended to be. Quality and texture is not out of this world, more like an above average sort of feel.Now that I think about it, I didn’t find any aspect of their restaurant to be outstanding. I suppose the ability for your to customize your own sauce is quite nice.

So good. So hot! Indoor and outdoor seating. All meats and veggies are fresh.

There are not lots of authentic Chinese hotpot spots in OC, which is why we often drive all the way to LA for the flavorful pots. I’m glad that we now have a new and great option. We stopped by and tried the golden chicken soup broth and it is so yummy. Fresh ingredients and nice environment. They offer plenty of snacks at the self-service station.

took 20 min just to get a cup of water…?

This is the best Chinese hotpot restaurant in Irvine. You can order food on your phone and send straight to the kitchen. They have robot coming out the serve food to you (very cute). The sauce and appetizers/ desserts bar has many options. Service is very friendly and good, price is affordable. Highly recommended!!

We came around 7 and the place was already packed with patrons.We were seated right away for outdoor seating. Indoor seating would require another 30 minutes wait at the time. The meats qualities are pretty good overall. We didnt dare to order the wagyu meat at 79.99. Maybe for special occasion. We left with full stomach and happy camper.

By far the best hotpot in OC. The facility is beautiful and clean. The staff is nice and welcoming. The broth is extremely flavorful and the meat of such high quality.

The second best hot pot Ive ever had. If you want to know the first test check out my posts

Love it. The soup base is better than most. The staff is friendly. The only thing keeping it a 4 star is, less vegetables options.

This is a realy authentic Chinese Sichuan Hotpot. The reason I ony left 3 star is that the serving is really little, even less than a hotpot restaurant serves in China. Youd better order twice amount than an other LA chinese restaurant.

Love the side dishes as well as the hotpot itself

Average broth, average options, high prices! I don’t think it was worth it!

The spicy broth was a bit oily for my liking but it was still delicious. Everything was packaged well.

This is only place that I eat hotspot in the Irvine area. This place is phenomenal for many reasons!1The service. My waitress was very nice and careful. The manager or the owner ( Im not surewas super nice and her name is Claire. She came and talked to us, asking what we liked the most and also recommended good items to ensure that we made the right choice. One of my item was wrong and when I asked my waitress, she just needed to double-check inside n quickly to brought me the right item. They forgot to give me a spoon and I was about to ask but there a male staff who walked by my area quickly gave us the spoon. It showed me how detailed they are in customer service.2The food was good, especially the broth because it was very tasty and due to covid-19, all the food has been stored in disposable containers for safety and ensured that they are fresh.On each table there is a hand sanitizer bottle, and before we eat they will have a bib and wet wipes for extra cleanliness.* Note: the price of this place might be higher than other places and I think its because of the containers and lots of things they buy for covid to protect themselves and customers.

Picked up some food here, food are not too salty which is nice but even mid tier spicy is very spice to me.

The best hotpot you can find in irvine!!! The food are so tasty, and the soup bases are so flavorful. Emily is the nicest staff here. Shout out for Emily!!!

A bit pricey, with difficult to understand menu, mostly in chinese. Fortunately we had a great waiter who spent some time with us explaining how it all works. So yes, kudos to the staff. The food was great but very spicy!

Authentic Sichuan hot pot in Orange County. Just like the real thing in China.

Looks fantastic very authentic Chinese food but complicated for gathering your food.

Well..this one is really authentic Chengdu hot pot. So it is spicy even just mild. I love their foods and AYCE snacks. I personally like their ice lemonade tea. I don’t understand why there’s some people think the foods here are not worth that price. If you have ever been to the Haidilao in DJ, then you’ll know what is OVERPRICED.

The best hotpot in Irvine! Great service and authentic taste!

No service, no service, no service!!! But they do charge you 18% service fee, for group of 6 people. By the way, the restaurant is self service now.

Super friendly staff and good food !!

Very good food & service!

Excellent hot pot. if you dont like spicy food, then it isnt for you

Great food and nice selection of beer awesome service

Great food and fast serving speed. Traditional Asian Hotpot

Fantastic! First time having hot pot and this place was excellent! Tried each kind if meat, tofu, tofu skins (thick), veggies, glass noodles... Amazing! Service was very attentive and helpful. Sauce bar had many things to chiose from and lovely sesame red bean dessert balls. Cant wait to go back!

Great place for Chinese Hotpot. Good selections. Lots of side dishes/snacks. Might be on the higher end side for Hotpot.

Great spot. Not our favorite style but great quality food.

Be careful with the spice level....just saying

Very salty, just the way I like it!But you really have to try hard to get the waiters to notice you tho.

The hot pot is really good and flavorful. Everyone in my family loves it. However, you have to pay for every item there so it can be very pricey to fill your stomach. The szechuan broth is super spicy so our faces became as red as a lobster! I subtracted a star because the waiters were very slow and looked away when we tried to ask for help. They seemed to be kinda racist too when they ignored us at first (we are Asian but not Chinesebut became very attentive when my brother in law who is an American joined the meal later :-/

One of the best hotpot in the countyGood overall quality and reasonable price

Lets just say Im a super white guy. I went with a work party of native Chinese and they loved it. Based on that, Id say that Id you are looking for authentic Chinese, this is the spot. Complete with goat blood, goose guts, and more.

Great food quality, nice interior and wonderful taste!

This place can not be a 1 Star . Fresh ingredients and friendly fast service . Whoever gave them the 1 Star must be a hater. Give them a try and see for yourself

Deliciously authentic! My wife took me out for Hot-Pot, very satisfying.

Great place, delicious food, graceful service. I recommend this restaurant for sure!