Have Hotpot as Locals Do

Chengdu locals show a special passion for hotpot, which is part of the happiness and satisfaction in Chengdu living.

Dinner time and you'd smell the special aroma from hotpot restaurants in the streets and lanes of Chengdu—Chengdu locals show a special passion for hotpot, which is part of the happiness and satisfaction in Chengdu living.

Things to know

Looks of the pot

The pot is relatively flat and wide. The red chili pot (spicy) or clear soup pot (not spicy) has no partitions, while the double-flavor pot is divided into two parts or with a smaller pot in the center.

Menu

Normally a sheet listing the kinds of pots, food, snacks, wines, drinks and prices for customers to choose from. Tick the orders with a pen and then hand the sheet to the waiter.

Flavors

We recommend the red chili pot or the double-flavor pot if you want to try local hotpot. The red chili pot usually has two kinds, the beef tallow based and the rapeseed oil based, which are classified into three degrees according to the pungency level (mild, medium or very spicy). The beef tallow flavor is more traditional and tastes stronger, while the rapeseed oil flavor is milder and has more subtle tastes.

Sauces

Dip the cooked food in the sauce before eating it. The traditional sauce generally is a blend of sesame oil, coriander, scallion and mashed garlic, but oyster sauce, spicy sauce and vinegar are also popular choices to mix with the sesame oil for a richer taste.

Food

Ox tripe, duck intestines, pig brain and animals' kidney are common orders by locals, and the menu is greatly diversified with more and more choices added to it.

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