You don't want to miss this authentic Taiwanese spicy hot pot. Best in California. Hands down. For a truly unforgettable hot pot experience, look no further. From the moment you step inside, you're transported to a world of culinary delight. Prepare to be wowed by the taste of food and the exceptional service, both of which deserve rave reviews.
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Roxie Chuang
Really good mala soup base. Authentic Taiwanese
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Felicia Yen
Update 12.25.2023: The enoki mushrooms were completely unwashed and I will not buy them again in the future.Authentic Taiwanese spicy hotpot, the business is very good but the service attitude needs to be improved a bit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Kenneth C.
This place been around for decades, their spicy mala soup base is still great, but I don't think they realize the competition and price point, they are just expensive for what they offer.
CarryMeOrFeedOk carry
I know the owners very well, they're extremely friendly, I love the food, and whenever I get to eat here brings back extreme nostalgia for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
T C.
I finally got to try this place since an old friend of mine loves this place. I have to say their SOUP BASES are what makes this place shine. We ordered the half and half (spicy + sour cabbage). You can tell that the broths were made in-house and doesn't come from any packaged ingredients. Maybe there's minimal to little MSG, but the soup bases had a lot of flavor, were clear, not greasy, and weren't heavy like other hotpot places. We order several cuts of beef, which were pretty good. They aren't like wagyu cuts, but they were fresh and good. I was just happy it didn't taste like something I can buy from Hmart (which is acceptable) or Ranch 99 (which I refuse to eat). We also ordered several veggies (tong-ho, nappa, watercress, various mushrooms) and they were thoroughly clean/fresh (no yellow parts). They have a pretty comprehensive list of sides to order and I enjoyed their meatballs/fishballs. We ordered items that exceeded our table space so the owners just left things on adjacent tables until we were able to make room for them. LOL. This is a low-key, mom-and-pop place, so don't come here expecting X-pot or Mikiya grade of service/setting. The couple that runs the place is casual and nice. The waitress (mom) was very honest. She made sure we ordered what we ordered because she didn't want us to over order and not eat everything, so I appreciated that (they aren't all about large tabs and profits). Our bill came out to like $180 for 3 ppl before tip. This is not an AYCE place. We could have ordered a little less, but I would definitely come back again because it is a humble hot pot place with TONS of flavor in their clean broths
CarryMeOrFeedOk AsianRiceFarmer
I know the owners very well, they're extremely friendly, I love the food, and whenever I get to eat here brings back extreme nostalgia for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Clanda Sh
Authentic Taiwanese hotpot with reasonable prices. My go-to is their half and half pot, half spicy (mala) and half sour cabbage. The best combination! Both came with tofu, so good. (Note: two soup bases would be charged around $14 per person, yes, they charge per person)All the hotpot ingredients are pretty fresh. Also, meat quality are good. Would recommend getting their spare ribs(排骨酥), tempura, duck blood to experience the true flavors of Taiwanese hotpot. Bonus points: you can do half order to try as many as you want!!!Overall, it’s a yummy Taiwanese hotpot place, and we love this place. Highly recommend.#bb13
包子&布丁
One of the only Taiwanese spicy hot pot place left in SG Valley.The interior is a bit dated but it's clean. Staffs takes the order right away and food is served quickly.The flavor of the hot pot was amazing. We got the half & half soup base. Half spicy and half regular. If you cannot take too much spicy then let the server know so they can dialdown the spice level.The dinner was so good. All four of us are so full and satisfied. We will be back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot, Oyster Mushroom
Vicky L.
I don't like hot pot very much anymore but this restaurant still continues to be my favorite since I was a child solely due to their soup base! I've been eating here since it was still in San Gabriel. The soup is unmatched. Since I live pretty far, I buy the soup base and lao doufu and bring it back to eat with my family. The lady that helped me is also super sweet! There are so many new mediocre hot pot places opening up with gimmicks like robot servers, ayce options, etc. but don't be fooled. Ah-lien might not be fancy or gimmicky but the food is great. This is the last place in the area that still has authentic Taiwanese hot pot according to my family. Please keep this place alive since I can't bear to live without it
This Taiwanese hot pot place is full of traditional dish like duck blood jelly , deep fried short ribs, deep fried taro , baby corn …..
Kimberly Iwamoto
This Taiwanese hot pot place is full of traditional dish like duck blood jelly , deep fried short ribs, deep fried taro , baby corn …..
Alyssa Chen
The most authentic Taiwanese mala hotpot I’ve found!! FYI I literally traveled from NYC for this :)Parking: Easy to find parking
Wendy Huang
Food is ok but way too expensive. Not worth the price. Will not visit again.
Jennifer S.
Disappointed.. Used to be frequent customers at both this and their Irvine locations years ago yet stopped coming as the owner began nickel-and-diming everything and it's only gotten worse.- Sauce bar is EXTREMELY diluted, with sesame/peanut/and Shacha sauce watery like soup- Ma La soup base is FLAVORLESS and watered down to point of no salinity and minimal spice. PLUS they charge $7 PER PERSON for soup base versus per pot, which quickly gets wildly expensive for large parties. - Used to refill tofu and other soup base items along with soup, yet now do not and require an additional charge.This place used to be our favorite and we would drive an hour to come here to support a fellow Taiwanese. Not only will we not be coming back, but also recommend people avoid this place for the plethora of other local options.
You don't want to miss this authentic Taiwanese spicy hot pot. Best in California. Hands down. For a truly unforgettable hot pot experience, look no further. From the moment you step inside, you're transported to a world of culinary delight. Prepare to be wowed by the taste of food and the exceptional service, both of which deserve rave reviews.
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Really good mala soup base. Authentic Taiwanese
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Update 12.25.2023: The enoki mushrooms were completely unwashed and I will not buy them again in the future.Authentic Taiwanese spicy hotpot, the business is very good but the service attitude needs to be improved a bit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
This place been around for decades, their spicy mala soup base is still great, but I don't think they realize the competition and price point, they are just expensive for what they offer.
I know the owners very well, they're extremely friendly, I love the food, and whenever I get to eat here brings back extreme nostalgia for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
I finally got to try this place since an old friend of mine loves this place. I have to say their SOUP BASES are what makes this place shine. We ordered the half and half (spicy + sour cabbage). You can tell that the broths were made in-house and doesn't come from any packaged ingredients. Maybe there's minimal to little MSG, but the soup bases had a lot of flavor, were clear, not greasy, and weren't heavy like other hotpot places. We order several cuts of beef, which were pretty good. They aren't like wagyu cuts, but they were fresh and good. I was just happy it didn't taste like something I can buy from Hmart (which is acceptable) or Ranch 99 (which I refuse to eat). We also ordered several veggies (tong-ho, nappa, watercress, various mushrooms) and they were thoroughly clean/fresh (no yellow parts). They have a pretty comprehensive list of sides to order and I enjoyed their meatballs/fishballs. We ordered items that exceeded our table space so the owners just left things on adjacent tables until we were able to make room for them. LOL. This is a low-key, mom-and-pop place, so don't come here expecting X-pot or Mikiya grade of service/setting. The couple that runs the place is casual and nice. The waitress (mom) was very honest. She made sure we ordered what we ordered because she didn't want us to over order and not eat everything, so I appreciated that (they aren't all about large tabs and profits). Our bill came out to like $180 for 3 ppl before tip. This is not an AYCE place. We could have ordered a little less, but I would definitely come back again because it is a humble hot pot place with TONS of flavor in their clean broths
I know the owners very well, they're extremely friendly, I love the food, and whenever I get to eat here brings back extreme nostalgia for
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Authentic Taiwanese hotpot with reasonable prices. My go-to is their half and half pot, half spicy (mala) and half sour cabbage. The best combination! Both came with tofu, so good. (Note: two soup bases would be charged around $14 per person, yes, they charge per person)All the hotpot ingredients are pretty fresh. Also, meat quality are good. Would recommend getting their spare ribs(排骨酥), tempura, duck blood to experience the true flavors of Taiwanese hotpot. Bonus points: you can do half order to try as many as you want!!!Overall, it’s a yummy Taiwanese hotpot place, and we love this place. Highly recommend.#bb13
One of the only Taiwanese spicy hot pot place left in SG Valley.The interior is a bit dated but it's clean. Staffs takes the order right away and food is served quickly.The flavor of the hot pot was amazing. We got the half & half soup base. Half spicy and half regular. If you cannot take too much spicy then let the server know so they can dialdown the spice level.The dinner was so good. All four of us are so full and satisfied. We will be back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot, Oyster Mushroom
I don't like hot pot very much anymore but this restaurant still continues to be my favorite since I was a child solely due to their soup base! I've been eating here since it was still in San Gabriel. The soup is unmatched. Since I live pretty far, I buy the soup base and lao doufu and bring it back to eat with my family. The lady that helped me is also super sweet! There are so many new mediocre hot pot places opening up with gimmicks like robot servers, ayce options, etc. but don't be fooled. Ah-lien might not be fancy or gimmicky but the food is great. This is the last place in the area that still has authentic Taiwanese hot pot according to my family. Please keep this place alive since I can't bear to live without it
Restaurantji Recommends
This Taiwanese hot pot place is full of traditional dish like duck blood jelly , deep fried short ribs, deep fried taro , baby corn …..
This Taiwanese hot pot place is full of traditional dish like duck blood jelly , deep fried short ribs, deep fried taro , baby corn …..
The most authentic Taiwanese mala hotpot I’ve found!! FYI I literally traveled from NYC for this :)Parking: Easy to find parking
Food is ok but way too expensive. Not worth the price. Will not visit again.
Disappointed.. Used to be frequent customers at both this and their Irvine locations years ago yet stopped coming as the owner began nickel-and-diming everything and it's only gotten worse.- Sauce bar is EXTREMELY diluted, with sesame/peanut/and Shacha sauce watery like soup- Ma La soup base is FLAVORLESS and watered down to point of no salinity and minimal spice. PLUS they charge $7 PER PERSON for soup base versus per pot, which quickly gets wildly expensive for large parties. - Used to refill tofu and other soup base items along with soup, yet now do not and require an additional charge.This place used to be our favorite and we would drive an hour to come here to support a fellow Taiwanese. Not only will we not be coming back, but also recommend people avoid this place for the plethora of other local options.