One of my favourite hot pot specialty restaurant in Richmond. Exotic interior decoration and reminiscence of ancient Chinese palace. Freshly prepared food with lots of variety and very friendly and helpful services throughout. An out of this world experience. Must try.

A bit pricier than my usual hot pot spot, especially with some smaller portions and (according to the meat eater of my party) the quality of meat was not as good as you'd expect. However the ambiance of this restaurant takes you I n a little journey away from California! Whenever I come here, I feel like this is the place to take folks...just for the decor alone. The sauces here are also good, and I personally feel like they have more options than my go to. The other thing I love is their mushroom broth. While my go to spot has the dried and preserved delicious mushrooms that look like they've been stored for thousands of years (the good stuff!), this place seems to use fresh mushrooms that I ended up devouring as if I ordered a fresh mushroom plate on the side. Their broths are very delicious! Service wise, I was impressed as they were constantly coming over to refill our soup (because I kept drinking it, hehe!) Overall, it's just a bit pricier than I'd expect, and would love to have better portions as well, but I'd definitely come back if i were in Alhambra and craving hot pot nearby!

We came for a surprise birthday for one of our coworkers. It was my first time here and I was surprised just by the pretty interior. I showed up late because the uber cancelled my ride twice so my coworkers did all the ordering. Everything taste pretty good and the price is reasonable.

I was craving for hot pot for dinner since it was kind of chilly but I don't like AYCE places so I was looking forward to trying this place out. Luckily we didn't have a wait around 5 PM but it got busy as we were getting ready to leave so I would suggest coming early. Really liked the traditional chinese decorations inside. Ordering is done through their online ordering system and it was pretty easy to navigate. Everything came out pretty fast and it was easy to add additional items if needed. We ordered a 3 soup base pot and I really appreciated how the servers came around to check on us multiple times and would ask if we wanted more soup when they saw we were running low. Their quality of meat is pretty good and though I am not a fan of the more unique meats (organ, brain, etc), I do like how it's offered. I'll definitely come back on a cold night!

Exceeded my expectations with the quality of their ingredients and portion size! Love how they have the option to do 3 soup bases rather than just 2. The spicy mala, beef bone broth, and mushroom bases were all very solid. Surprised at how solid their beef quality was and that they had beef tongue. Their other veggies and tofu products were also very fresh. Enjoyed how their shrimp paste had a strong white paper flavor and they offer to help you divide/cook it. They have a solid range of appetizers, sauces, and desserts. The garlic cucumbers and chicken feet were my fav to start off. They have all the standard sauces for you to mix. Everything was really clean and temperature/ventilation was well regulated. We were surprised we didn't smell like hotpot after! Loved the traditional Chinese decorations. It was easy to navigate their online ordering system. Service was pretty good too; they checked in on us regularly and added soup in a timely manner. I initially was thinking we would have to ball out for this place but their portion sizes were much bigger than expected so it ended up being affordable. Compared to other hotpot places in the 626, this place was very well-rounded and worth coming back!

Came to XLK for dinner with my girlfriend last week - I didn't realize it was the spot they filmed some scenes for The Brothers Sun on Netflix until we walked in! The interior decor is very Chinese style, and the aroma right from opening the door is of spices (peppercorn/mala). We were seated immediately around 6pm (not too busy), but the restaurant did get busy around 7/8pm. Parking is easy, they have a lot behind the restaurant or street parking on 2nd St. You scan the QR code to order for your table. My gf and I wanted non-spicy broth option so we just chose 1 broth (Golden Broth), and since my gf doesn't really use sauces, so only I got the ~$3/pp unlimited self-service sauce/appetizer/dessert bar. Self-service bar includes: house sauce, satay sauce , they also have sesame sauce, cilantro, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, some oil jars that I'm not sure if it was sesame oil or something else; appetizers included a mildly spicy cucumber salad and pickled radish; desserts included: sesame balls w/ red bean paste filling, grass jelly, white snow fungus soup). The bill can add up fairly quickly since everything is a separate item, especially if you get multiple broth flavors it increases by a few dollars for each broth, up to 4 I think. We got some veggies, glass noodles, lotus, fried fish tofu, fish balls with roe, and ribeye and beef tongue. Both the ribeye and beef tongue were good! They also offer some pretty *adventurous* meats like bullfrog, pork brain, organ meats, etc. Overall I liked the flavor of the broth and I'm curious to try their house spicy broth and others and will be bringing my mom to try too! Restrooms are clean and service is quick to bring out everything you order table-side. However, flagging a server down when it gets busy can sometimes be difficult. The great thing is we had a bunch of broth leftover and they gave us two soup containers to take it home! I was happy that it wasn't being wasteful like some AYCE hot pot places can be.

Very good hot pot place, service is quick and attentive and all ordering is done via tablet to ensure food can always be coming. Beside the standard meats, they have some really good seafood options and noodles to end the meal. Lastly, they have a fully stocked sauce bar with a few cold apps. A little bit on the pricier side but quality and experience is worth it IMO.

This place is a gimmicky restaurant with its Ancient Chinese exterior (that's pretty much been done to ad nauseum by now). I've only been here once prior but was too drunk to eat any food since I was at a friend's bday winery bash earlier that evening. Anyway, fast forward to this time. I came early at 5pm on a Saturday and was able to get a table for 3 with zero problems. The staff were nice enough. I actually like ordering through a QR code so no orders would be misheard when being placed. I was super happy that they have Soju for 9.98 and beers were at a very reasonable price, too. It was easy to add to our order and the staff brought everything out with no mistakes. The soup bases were decent and the freshness of the ingredients were good. I didn't have any complaints about anything. Everything was CLEAN and pretty standard. We ordered 2 soup bases. The beef broth seemed a little too bland, but the house spicy was good at medium. My friend thought the medium spicy was more like hot spicy, but I thought it was just right until the next morning on the t. LOL. I would return again. This place is actually a solid 3.5, but I will round up because I had a good experience. I'm not in love with it like I am with Mikiya (which is shabu shabu style), but I now understand why some of my friends keep coming back.

For my latest foodie escapade, I took the plunge to try out Xiao Long Kan in Alhamba, CA, for a taste bud rollercoaster! It's a item-by-item hot pot order experience where you get to be the master chef. You pick your broth and add additional dishes to cook right there in your shared hot pot. Think of turning dinner time into a fun and delicious game! My boyfriend and I got the "Half and Half Two Flavor Broth" to get the best of both worlds. On one side, there was the House Special Chili Broth 小辣 (Small Spicy) for a spicy flavor party. The other, had the Beefbone broth for a rich and savory soup base, a classic choice for a base. Both broths were like a warm embrace for your taste buds. As for our items to cook in our hot pot, we got Veggies Combo, Beef & Lamb, Shrimp Paste with Roe, Wide Potato Noodles, Fresh Tofu Skin, Winter Melon, and Taro. It sounds like a lot for just 2 people and I definitely went overboard on ordering these items - just because I was so excited with the variety of options. My favorite was their speciality "Rice Cake Lucy Bag." It's like a little pocket of joy! It had shrimp and roe and was wrapped in a egg pocket I believe? I've never had anything like this and I loved it so much I would come back just for this item! On top of the variety of items, there is a sauce making station as well as complimentary side snacks like cucumber salad, grass jelly, etc. The make your own sauce section is a must-have. As a sauce-loving gal, I find myself dipping every item in sauce so it's a necessity. They will charge $2.98 for the sauce & snacks section per person FYI. The real charm of Xiao Long Kan is the communal experience. Grab your buds, family, everyone you know to have a fun party here. So if you're ever in Alhambra and ready for a warm and flavorful meal, make a beeline to Xiao Long Kan. I'm already plotting my next visit here!