The Pots, San Francisco CA

Wife and I went for the first time. Great experience for AYCE (all you can eat) hot pot / buffet. Highly recommend trying it out. Our only complaint is that the soup was WAY too salty to drink. (Though it's fine if you're just using it to cook, though still on the salty side). They told us it's because this place caters to a lot of drinkers who prefer salty foods, so they do consciously make the soup on the salty side. We didn't know that we could tell them to make it less salty in the beginning. Otherwise, all the food and beverages were excellent. The place was very clean. Stylish. Decent service.

Be sure to order the dessert "crispy mantou condensed milk" - so simple but amazing.

Also, be careful not to eat too much. It can give the slight feeling that you've had food poisoning (even though it's not!), and especially tends to happen if you combine many kinds of food in your stomach at once. Just like any buffet. This is not the restaurant's fault, obviously, and in the case of a buffet like this, it's a testament to how delicious the food is. Moderate yourself!

Hadn't been here since 2018, and decided to try out out again tonight as we start going back out. Came around 6: 30 on a Sunday and there were only 2-3 other groups there. Got busier as the evening went on. I do not recall how the buffet area was precovid, but basically everything except raw meat and dumplings are set up in the buffet. I'm still a bit weary, but I suppose all germs will cook off in the broth

The broths were delicious, we got the tonkatsu and the spicy miso which was like a 4/10 on spicy scale. Note they charge $5 for two broths vs just one. But worth it to try more!

The meat was great and not too fatty (Im overly picky & hate when there's tons of fat on the sides, my husband doesn't care). The wagyu was very tender, and pork was good. Everything is ACYE, for around $37.99 per person. They have lots of different noodles at the buffet (right side in pic), and all kinds of fish (shrimp, mussels, squid, octopus, tofu, baby corn, bamboo) and everything else you'd find on a hot pot menu.

Left side is sauce ingredients, veggies that were very fresh, mushrooms, some brownies for dessert and far left was some fried items (egg rolls, potstickers, yao tiu). Lots of different aloe juices in the fridge in left, mango, prune etc.all included. Soda & alcohol are not included.

They give little ice cream bowls at the end, vanilla or green tea. Pro tip: put brownie chunks in the ice cream!

Overall, it felt like everything was very clean. Each table has hand San and wipes to use after being at the buffet. I'd like to see a hand San at the buffet asking guests to use before touching tongs, but happy to see it's at the tables for each guests discretion. Will definitely be back again! Staff is also super friendly and I got to practice my Cantonese!

Fresh hotpot ingredients with lots options of sup base, I like it a lot, a little pricey though

Absolutely delicious food and wonderful service at a great price! The Pots has a great selection of high quality meats, vegetables and other ingredients (noodles, tofu, meat balls, dumplings etc.)! The lunch buffet was really worth it at $21.99. One of my favourite meals in SF!

There is a variety of both spicy and non-spicy soup bases. We had the Tonkotsu and Mala which were both delicious. Would also recommend the fried buns with condensed milk and the Thai iced tea ($2).

10 minutes waiting on the table and no one came to explain how restaurant works. I leave ashamed with my parents that i brought with me.

My wife and are visiting SF, fist time to The Pots. The beef pho soup base was flavorful. Very attentive staff and wide selection of proteins, veggies, and noodles.

Be aware that you only have 60 minutes for lunch. Be sure to bring some cash or pay with Venmo.

It's been over a year since I've went to The Pot's due to COVID. I was very happy to see that they were able to survive the craziness that was 2020. Mom and pop shops are hard to survive, but in The City, it's definitely magnified due to the high cost of rent. I used to go to The Pots when I lived in SF, but now I'm in the south bay -I don't get that much of a luxury to. I went again today with my family (first timers) for lunch and the quality and service is still the same as I remembered. Everything was very clean on the inside and every table gets their own basket of hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes (first time seeing this at a restaurant and I applaud them for it).

This spot is still my favorite hot pot place in the Bay. Fire Mala Spicy is a muuust here. I got a split soup setup for my party (additional $5) the other soup base being pork bone. They have a smaller menu for lunch broth wise (still got like 5 choices) and meat (got a lot of choices still!), but hey for like $20 bucks a person at an AYCE place in The City, you cannot complain. Don't get me wrong, you still get your Wagyu beef, your pork belly, pork, lamb. Again -$20 bucks. Sauce bar is self serve and all the sauces are in small individual containers for quick grab and go.

They also have dessert choices are freshly fried for you: sesame balls and buns with condensed milk (I can eat their sesame balls for days). Ha. Overall you cannot go wrong with The Pots. They still need as much support as they can!

If you're in the area for lunch or dinner, have The Pots on your radar for sure. They also have A La Carte if you still aren't comfortable going indoor dining. Thumbs up for service and food!

The BEST HOT POT spot in town! There are other good ones like Boiling Pot and Mumu but this place is a winner with their unlimited all you can eat and drink includes alcoholic beverages. It's pricier than other places but worth every dollar because their ingredients are fresh and their service is top notch! We've been to this place several times now and they never failed to deliver. The owner seems very nice and attentive along with all the staff. What I like here and only seen a few restaurants do this is all the staff wait on all the tables together. Team work makes the dream work. They're very efficient and everyone is nice. We always get the Tonkotsu soup based, Wagyu beef, beef brisket, vegetables, tofu and always their fresh fish fillets. I don't recommend getting the red wine beef because it ruins the entire broth. Overall, great place and definitely will be a regular if we continue to stay in the Bay Area.

Great to dine in. Busy at night, empty at lunchtime. Have different options to select for hot pot at $30/person (buffet style)

The best hot pot place in SF. High quality ingredients, clean, and all you can eat + all you can drink!

The owner has done very good job with soups- during pandemic time its great! Broth is most essential part of any Asian cuisine- I love it.
Will wait for all you can eat to come back!

This place deserves your business. Excellent food DURING the pandemic for takeout which sounds odd given they are hotpot, but trust me, they have pivoted. The dumpling noodle soup was fantastic and perfect for a cold sunset night. Devilicious chicken and pork belly kabobs hit the spot.

On top of it all, the people who run the place are the nicest, sweetest people you'll ever meet who care about the neighborhood and the people they service. I can't thank them enough for being open!

Very delicious Chinese hotpot with varieties of meat, seafood, vegetables, drinks. I came during happy hour (3pm-5pm) only $20.99

That place is great!

You first pick the soup you want (I got the fire spicy soup) and the protein (we got tofu, Kobe beef, some other magic Japanese cow, and lamb). Then you get some sauce (at least a dozen different kinds), green stuff, and sea food and miscellaneous items.

Then you enjoy that good until you're about to blow up (all you can eat). If you need that extra little mint, there's also another small table with desserts, which were pretty yummy.

I will definitely go back there.

My new favorite hot pot place! The new decor is beautiful! Go in during happy hour 3pm-5pm for the best deals! The Waygu beef is worth trying! Very friendly and nice staff, awesome customer service! Highly recommended!

Always looking for a good hot pot restaurant, and this place definitely didn't disappoint! One of the best I've been to, alot of sauce choices, food was incredibly fresh, meat and vegetables were spot on! Very reasonable price as well. Make sure to bring cash, no cards accepted. You will not be disappointed! Parking a bit of a challenge, depending on the time of day, but better than down town. Free parking.

The Chinese name of this restaurant 打边炉 refers to a specialty Cantonese hotpot, but this is more of a standard hotpot. But seriously, this place is GOOD. 和牛American Wagyu AYCE at 36, and their beef and wonton are delicious. No extra charge for soup base (3 dollars if you want 2), and they have cookies, cheese cakesn, xiaolongbao, coffee and Chinese baked goods on the side, all free to grab. Servers are also super polite.

This is how you run a restaurant.

New layout. Service is terrible meats are meh. Only good thing is they have different free drinks and desserts.