Haidilao Hot Pot

Haidilao in the South Loop is a Chinese hot pot chain famous for its robot servers and noodle dancers. And while robots beep-booping around the dining room with trays of sliced ribeye and servers whipping long, fresh noodles around the table are neat, they’re not the main reason you should come here. That would be the food, which is quite good.

Haidilao has an extensive menu, with nine soup bases to choose from—and you can get up to four. There’s also a long list of options like shrimp paste stuffed with salted duck egg, omasum, boneless duck feet, and various other fun things that are begging to be dunked into boiling broth. Unsurprisingly, the condiment bar is equally robust. It has snacks like little fruit leathers that act as great palate cleansers between spicy bits. Also worth noting is that Haidilao accepts reservations, and will give you free soft serve at the end of your meal.