Ok this place is not 2.5 stars so I am giving the ratings a boost to where it should really sit at 3.5 to 3.8 stars.
Came in on a Thursday night as a walk-in and had no trouble finding a booth. It was pretty busy and I'm sure if you came with a larger group 4-6 you would probably have a little waiting to do. Although there is a 2 hour limit for dining.
Cash only! So go to the bank machine prior to getting here or have your girlfriend wait by herself while you run across the street to CIBC or RBC down on Spadina/Dundas. I seen a couple of girlfriends in limbo after the couple discovered it was cash only lol. Or not enough cash to cover dinner and tip. Which is $35/person not including tip yet.
Service for us was good surprisingly after reading all these reviews that the service sucked. Maybe Yelp made them pay attention! Good job yelpers! But our waitress was never too far away to take our orders and food came pretty fast like within 5 mins. A waiter even came by the check if we got our last order for the 2nd round.
I order the "super spicy" broth which is an additoinal 4 bucks and it is what it said friggin super spicy! My lips turned into Kendal Jenner's fat red lip challenge after a few minutes of eating and my taste buds were totally wiped out after the 1st round. I love spicy food (Sichuan style) but this was a little too spicy for me to enjoy. Although it was still good I wish I ordered the normal spicy. (They have the option of how much you want from high to low).
The ingredients were ok. The meats were better quality then other hot pots in the area. But some of the veggies were not that fresh but still edible. They give you portions according to your group to avoid waste. So you may find yourself ordering more frequently then other places such as Little Sheep etc where they give you quantity.
They have a sauce station which faces the entrance which i found weird as you are greeted by a bunch of people making sauces as soon as you climb to the top of the stairs. But whatever works.
Overall this place was good. Reminds me of Hai Dai Lao hot pot in Beijing and Shanghai minus the dancing noodle guy.
I would come back to this place but only during the week days since they jack up the prices on Friday-Sunday for some reason.
Oh and they play top40 music in the background a little bit loud so it's more of a place for younger crowds unless your parents and grandparents don't mind hotpoting to hotline bling..