By Sam Hahn

Hot Pot 757.

Nestled into one of Broad Street’s many strip malls, Hot Pot 757, a new Chinese hot pot and Korean barbeque restaurant, can satisfy all of your dining needs.

I recently visited Hot Pot 757 with fellow Collegiate student Nash Craig (‘24). We took our trip on a rainy Saturday, during lunchtime. Upon arrival, Craig stated that “there is no better weather for some hot pot.” Walking into the restaurant, we were greeted by friendly employees who led us to our booth near the center of the restaurant. The restaurant has plenty of seating, which makes it seem like you will never need to wait for a table. Craig and I sat down and immediately were greeted by our waiter.

Table with six stoves and one grill.

Prior to arriving, Craig and I both decided on the all-you-can-eat option. This gives you access to 2.5 hours of both hot pot and Korean barbeque. Not only was the service fantastic, but the prices were extremely affordable as well. On weekdays for lunch, the all-you-can-eat option is $21 per person. For dinner and on weekends, it’s $32 per person.

Although the all-you-can-eat option seems inviting, you have to be careful of the extra charges. For every extra pound of food you have leftover, you must pay an additional charge of $13.99 per pound. This includes any veggies, meats, or grains that you choose to order. Craig and I were not aware of this surcharge when we started to order. When the waitress informed us of this, Craig and I force-fed ourselves to avoid this extra charge. Although we did not witness the staff physically weighing people’s food, we believed that if they see immense amounts of food left over, they will charge the customers extra. Craig posed the question to the waiter, “If we do not eat all of our food, can we bring it home?” According to the waiter, customers are not allowed to bring extra food home.

A hot pot bite.

Craig and I wanted to dive in as quickly as possible. The first of many choices you have to make is which broth you would like for your Chinese hot pot. Chinese hot pot usually consists of a boiling pot of broth and thin cuts of raw meat or vegetables that you add to the broth to cook and then eventually eat. At most restaurants, there is a stove at each table to keep the broth ​​boiling. You are doing most of the cooking yourself at these restaurants, cooking your meal the way you want it to be cooked.

Hot Pot 757 has nine unique broths you can choose from. Craig and I wanted to try a little bit of everything, so I settled for the Japanese Miso, and he settled for the Beef Butter, which was spicier. We were then guided to a bar of sauces and condiments to craft our own dipping sauce. Craig stated, “I really liked this addition to the restaurant. Instead of depending on the restaurant to make a sauce, you can create your own.”

Each booth includes six electric stoves—one for each person—and one grill for grilling the meats. This makes it very personalized for larger groups of people. We decided to start with the hot pot. I ordered the sliced prime brisket and the sliced beef belly. I also ordered some white rice on the side. Craig ordered the same and added chicken dumplings. The food came out exceptionally quickly. Leading up to the meal, Craig and I were concerned that most of our time there was going to be wasted by waiting for the food, but we were wrong. We both grabbed a piece of meat and then dipped it in the broth. We found that the perfect time to let the meat rest in the broth is about five seconds. Then you are ready to eat. The meat was tender, juicy, and soaked up the broth well. Craig mentioned that “the meat seems fresh and tastes delicious.” 

Grilling the meat.

We then moved to the Korean barbecue. We both agreed upon the bulgogi. Bulgogi is a Korean dish that consists of sliced marinated beef, normally served with rice. We put the bulgogi on the grill and continued to eat the hot pot. Consistently flipping the meat, it took about three minutes to fully cook. We both took a piece and took a bite. The meat had a wonderful, but subtle smokey flavor to it that matched well with the hit of barbecue. It gained a smoky flavor from the grill, along with being covered in a sweet sauce before cooking. The meat was tender and perfectly cooked. 

Bulgogi with rice.

Every five minutes or so, the waiter would come over and switch out the grill pan for a fresh one. We asked a waitress for recommendations, and she offered the LA short rib and the New York strip. All of the meat came out in strips about an inch thin, which made it much easier to cook. Both of these cuts of meat were house favorites, and we could see why. They both had a distinctive taste to them that made each of them delicious. The short rib was still on the bone and tasted like a rib you would get from a barbecue restaurant. The New York strip was juicy and seemed fresh. Craig and I both agreed that we liked the bulgogi the best, so we ordered more.

Short rib from the grill.

Throughout this whole experience, there was not one thing we would have changed. The restaurant had about 50 options that you could choose from, including crab, vegetables, a variety of dumplings, scallops, and many other options. They would constantly ask if we needed anything and made us feel welcome. For $20 – $30 per person, you may expect the quality of food to be sub-par, but it exceeded my expectations. When I asked Craig what he thought after we ate, he stated, “The food was amazing. I came into it thinking the quality of meat was going to be mediocre, but it was not. It was the perfect spot for a rainy Saturday afternoon.”

All photos by Sam Hahn.