Hwaseong hotpot: Friday wait and split broth at Lao Chongqing

On a blazing Friday night, I was craving a spicy, rich broth to blow away the stress, so I headed to Lao Chongqing Hotpot (라오충칭훠궈), a hotpot spot in Dongtan that everyone has been talking about. Since it is such a popular place, I expected some waiting. Let me tell you all about the real-time Friday-evening wait and the menu we thoroughly enjoyed!

How long was the wait at 8 p.m. on Friday?

With the weekend just ahead, the restaurant was already buzzing with people enjoying delicious hotpot. We arrived at around 8 p.m. on Friday.

When we arrived, about three parties were ahead of us, and Lao Chongqing Hotpot had a nicely set-up waiting area.

After a 30-minute wait, we got into the restaurant at 8:30 p.m.! If you are planning a peak-time visit, I recommend getting on the waitlist through Catchtable before you come!

Choosing a hotpot broth combination on the tablet

After being shown to our table, we conveniently placed our order using the tablet installed at each table.

Which red broth should you choose?

According to the restaurant guide, the red broth is divided into two main types.

• Chengdu mala red broth: numbing, intense, straightforward heat (beginner/medium/expert)
• Chongqing mala red broth: clean, smooth, approachable heat (introductory/beginner/medium)

We ordered a split pot with the clean yet deep-flavored Chongqing mala red broth and Chongqing beef rib broth, a white broth. It was the perfect pairing for alternating between spicy and mild flavors!

The self-serve sauce bar and sesame oil sauce combination

For ₩3,000 per person, you can freely enjoy the self-serve sauce bar.

Large recipe cards above the sauce bar show you how to make delicious sauces, so even hotpot first-timers can follow the guide without feeling flustered and easily make the best sauce combination!

💡 Sauce combination: I had the sesame oil sauce recipe, with soy sauce added separately. This was a little delicacy in its own right 🤤💕

My must-add hotpot ingredient combination

The real fun of hotpot is choosing ingredients and combining them however you like! Among the many menu items, here are the must-order picks you absolutely should not miss at Lao Chongqing Hotpot.

Pork belly

A hotpot would feel incomplete without meat, right? This was my fiancé's number-one pick—he said he wanted to curl it around his chopsticks, dip it in the broth like shabu-shabu, and eat it. With a good balance of fat and lean meat, it soaked up the numbing mala red broth beautifully and had such a satisfying bite.

Shrimp paste

The house-made shrimp paste, neatly presented in a tube, caught my eye from the moment it arrived.

Use the dedicated spatula to scoop off bite-sized pieces and drop them into the boiling broth; they quickly cook up springy and plump. The moment I bit into one, the bouncy texture of the shrimp and the spicy, numbing mala red broth were in perfect harmony. They were also delicious dipped in the nutty sauce, so this is a top menu item I will definitely order again next time.

Egg noodles & fried tofu rolls

The pleasantly chewy egg noodles and layered fried tofu rolls are also ingredients that excel at soaking up broth. Give them a quick dip in the soup and they absorb it softly like a sponge—every bite is wonderfully rich.

Final thoughts on Lao Chongqing Hotpot in Dongtan

Lao Chongqing Hotpot was such a popular spot that there was still about a 30-minute wait when we went at 8 p.m. on Friday!

From the meat to the shrimp paste, tofu rolls, and egg noodles saturated with broth, my fiancé and I had such a satisfying meal. If you are looking for a hotpot restaurant in Dongtan with rich broth and a well-stocked self-serve sauce bar, be sure to visit Lao Chongqing Hotpot at least once! 🤤💕