How to Make the Most of Your Haidilao Visit

A visit to Haidilao is about more than sitting down to a hot pot. There is the food, of course, but there is also the service, the sauce station, the waiting lounge, the little extras, the noodle-pulling performances and all the different promotions that can make a visit considerably better value.

After our first visit to Haidilao Hot Pot in London’s Piccadilly Circus, we realised there is quite a bit of planning involved if you want to get the most from the experience. We had already done some homework before our visit and found the Set Meal for 2, available during weekday off-peak hours, worked particularly well for us. We also discovered several other offers, including student discounts, off-peak all-you-can-eat hot pot, straight-up discount on selected signature dishes and monthly promotions.

The trick is knowing what is available before you book.

Here are some things we’d recommend checking.

1. Decide What Kind of Haidilao Experience You Want

Start with the most important question: How much do you actually want to eat?

Haidilao gives you several ways to approach the meal. You can order dishes individually from the menu, choose the set menus route if you are 2 or more, or go for the all-you-can-eat hot pot during qualifying times.

For two people with moderate appetites, we found the set menu particularly appealing. You still get a selection of ingredients and sides for your hot pot in moderate portions. Plus, you get visits to the sauce station (seasoning station) thrown in.

For a larger group, or people who really want to sample lots of different ingredients, the unlimited option could make more sense. Don’t automatically assume that all-you-can-eat is the best value. It depends on your appetite, the time you visit and what else is included in the promotion.

2. Check the Set Menus Before Choosing All You Can Eat

This was probably our biggest discovery. When we visited, we chose the Set Meal for 2, available Monday to Friday before 5pm. At the time, it was £46.99 for two, or about £23.50 per person before any extras and service charge. We later realised that it goes for as little as £39.99 for two elsewhere (O2 and Birmingham)

For us, that was more than enough. Our set included choices covering:

• 2 soup bases
• Main ingredients
• Carbohydrates
• Side dishes
• Access to the self-service seasoning station

We also upgraded one of our soup bases to the Golden Broth Fish Maw Chicken Hotpot for £6. We ended up with Kurobuta pork, lamb, luncheon meat, duck blood, beancurd roll, crispy pork and noodles alongside our two soups.

There was plenty of food. For two people who aren’t interested in eating as much as possible, we thought the set menu made much more sense than paying for unlimited hot pot.

Set menus aren’t just for two

It’s also worth looking at the larger set menus if you’re visiting with family or friends. The principle is the same: you get a selection of dishes for a fixed price rather than building the entire meal individually. The exact choices and prices can change, and they can vary between branches, so check the menu for the restaurant you are visiting.

3. Compare the All-You-Can-Eat Prices (including timing)

If you have a bigger appetite, Haidilao’s unlimited hot pot can be very tempting. When we researched the London branches, the all-you-can-eat price was approximately:

Location	Off-peak unlimited hot pot
Haidilao The O2	£29.99 per person
Haidilao Piccadilly	£32.99 per person
Peak periods	Around £36 per person

These prices are useful for comparison, but check the current price before booking, as Haidilao promotions and pricing change. The important thing is that the unlimited option isn’t necessarily available at the same price throughout the day. That’s where timing becomes important.

Even All-You-Can-Eat Hot Pot Buffet Comes in Different Levels

At the Birmingham outlet, there are two tiers on offer, the Standard and Deluxe with prices for lunch and dinner as follows:

• Lunch: £25.99 per person (Standard tier) or £35.99 per person (Deluxe tier).
• Dinner: £30.99 per person (Standard tier) or £40.99 per person (Deluxe tier).

Details: Includes unlimited meats (beef, chicken, pork, lamb), fishballs, sides, broth bases, and the DIY sauce bar with a 90-minute limit (minimum 2 people). Again these are for illustration only. Prices may change but worth checking out if you have a big appetite.

4. Go During Off-Peak Hours

If you have flexibility, this is probably the easiest way to save money. The London Haidilao branches have offered unlimited hot pot at reduced prices during certain weekday periods. Typical promotional windows have included:

• Monday to Friday before around 4pm or 5pm and
• Monday to Thursday after around 8:30pm or 9pm 

The exact start and finish times can differ according to the current promotion and branch.

There have also been promotions where you can pay and leave before 6pm on weekdays or dine later on Sunday to Thursday after 10:00pm for less. This is particularly useful if you’re visiting London during the day.

Our 11am lunch worked brilliantly

We booked our Piccadilly visit for 11am. We had a 2pm theatre show, so this gave us nearly three hours for lunch. We were the first customers to arrive and didn’t have to wait. It also meant we weren’t eating during the busiest period.

If you’re visiting Haidilao before a theatre show, I’d recommend allowing plenty of time. Hot pot isn’t really a meal you want to rush through.

5. Look Out for the 31% Off Lunch & Late Evening Deal

One of the more interesting promotions we came across was the check out before 6pm or 6pm on weekdays and late evening after 8:30pm, 9pm or 10pm offer giving 31% off the bill for University Students. The latter promotion applies on Monday to Thursday after around 8:30pm, subject to the current terms.

This could be a particularly good option if you’re already in the West End for a show. Instead of trying to squeeze dinner in before the theatre, you could enjoy your evening and have a late hot pot afterwards. Of course, you will need to be a student and be able to present a valid student ID at payment.

Again, check the current terms because promotional times and eligibility can change.

Students Should Check the Student Discount

If you’re a student, don’t assume the general promotions are the best deal. Haidilao has also offered student discounts, so it is worth checking the current student promotion before ordering.

This is particularly useful for students who are visiting with friends and might otherwise be tempted by the all-you-can-eat option. Bring the required student identification and check the terms before you sit down.

Promotions can have restrictions around days, times, participating restaurants and membership.

6. Check the Weekly/Monthly Specials

There is another part of Haidilao’s promotions that is easy to overlook.

Monthly specials: The menu has a section dedicated to current or seasonal promotions, so don’t just start ordering from the main menu. Look for the monthly special when you sit down.

For example, one promotion we came across offered two jugs of plum juice free for a group of four dining together. That might not sound like a huge saving, but when you are already planning a meal for four people, these extras can add up.

And sometimes the monthly promotion is more interesting than a straightforward discount.

7. Members Exclusive Deals and Prices

Look out for members exclusive deals and prices in the app. Simply download the app and create an account. While there are app exclusive offers, some outlet offers only require you to show that you have the app and account to unlock the exclusive member priced dishes. Check online and on instagram for member benefit or member price posters.

8. Read the Small Print!

This is perhaps the most important piece of advice from our own experience. Check the conditions attached to every promotion.

We found a Set Meal for 2 promotion advertised through Haidilao’s Instagram account. It looked straightforward. But when we looked closely at the small print, there was an important condition:

The promotion was only available to customers who were logged-in members.

We hadn’t realised this before arriving. There was another complication. We were eating in the basement at Piccadilly and there was no mobile signal. The restaurant’s Wi-Fi also happened to be down.

Fortunately, our waitress was understanding and waived the membership requirement for us. It worked out for us, but I wouldn’t rely on that happening every time.

Our advice? Join Haidilao’s membership before you go, it’s free

If a promotion says you need to be a logged-in member, you won’t have to sort it out at the restaurant. Download the app, create an login account and have your phone ready to receive these exclusive offers. It’s one less thing to worry about.

9. Check the Branch Before Assuming the Offer Applies

This is another easy mistake to make. Haidilao has several London locations and the promotions aren’t necessarily identical everywhere. Outside of London, there is an outlet in Birmingham.

We noticed that the Set Meal for 2 we found was cheaper at The O2 than at Piccadilly Circus. The O2 was offering the same set for 2 at £39.90, while Piccadilly was also £46.99 at the time of our visit, but other promotions and pricing can differ by location.

The same applies to:

So don’t assume an offer you’ve seen online automatically applies to your chosen branch.

10. Think About What You Actually Eat

Hot pot menus can be overwhelming. There are so many things to choose from that it’s easy to order far more than you need.

You’ve got:

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Carbohydrates

• Glass noodles
• Konjac noodles
• Yam vermicelli
• Rice cakes
• Hand-pulled noodles
• Other noodle options

For your first visit, there’s no need to order everything. Pick a few things you know you’ll enjoy, then add one or two ingredients you’ve never tried.

11. Don’t Forget the Soup Bases

The soup is the foundation of your hot pot. With a set menu, you’ll normally have the opportunity to choose multiple soup bases. This is a good opportunity to choose contrasting flavours. For our visit, we had:

Tomato Soup: The tomato broth gave us something familiar and comforting

and

Golden Broth Fish Maw Chicken Hotpot: richer and more unusual with added chicken thigh slices, fish maw, goji berries and dates.

If you’re visiting with someone who likes spicy food and you don’t, multiple soup bases are particularly useful. You can have your own side of the pot.

Other soup base options include:

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Some soup base options come with a top up. Be prepared to pay £ 2/3 more for certain soup bases or in our case £6 for the extra chicken and fish maw.

12. Take Your Time at the Sauce Station

The sauce station deserves its own section. It is easy to underestimate just how many combinations you can create. There are different sauces, seasonings, herbs, toppings and other ingredients that can be mixed into your own dipping sauce. You can experiment. But our advice after trying it ourselves is:

Start small. Don’t fill an entire bowl with six or seven ingredients on your first attempt. Try one of Haidilao’s suggested recipes. Make a small portion. Taste it. Then go back and create another. You can easily make more if you find a combination you like.

13. Take Advantage of the Complimentary Extras

Depending on the promotion and restaurant, your Haidilao experience can include more than the food you order. At our visit, the set menu gave us access to the seasoning station, where we also enjoyed cold side dishes, complimentary appetisers, pickled sides, fresh fruits and desserts. These are laid out at either ends of the restaurant, on friendly self-service buffet counters.

We particularly liked:

The ice jelly was a particular favourite. It has a cool, slightly chewy konnyaku-style texture and was a refreshing finish after a hot and fairly substantial meal. There was also mung bean porridge, although we didn’t try it.

Elsewhere we have seen Garlic Cucumber Salad, Seaweed Salad, Wood Ear Mushroom Salad, Crunchy Soybeans. Other sweets and desserts include white fungus soup, green bean soup or herbal grass jelly.

Together, these are separate courses on their own, think starters, desserts and fruits, not just side dishes.

14. Don’t Rush the Noodle Performance

You’ve probably seen the Haidilao noodle-pulling videos online. The famous noodle performance involves a member of staff stretching and twirling the noodle dough beside the table, often accompanied by music.

We were lucky enough to see it happening at the table next to us. It was quite entertaining. There are also various Haidilao “secret codes” and occasions that can trigger additional experiences or complimentary performances, gifts, merchandises and birthday celebrations.

If you’re celebrating something, tell the restaurant when you book or when you arrive. You may get a little more than simply a bowl of noodles.

15. Arrive Early If You Don’t Like Waiting

Haidilao can get busy. Our previous attempt to visit London without a booking showed us just how difficult it can be to get a table at popular times. This time we booked ahead. And we deliberately chose 11am on a weekday. It worked perfectly. We arrived as the first customers and went straight to our table.

At busier times, the waiting lounge becomes part of the experience. There are snacks, drinks, games and entertainment to keep you occupied while waiting for your number. But if you have a theatre booking or another appointment afterwards, I wouldn’t leave your Haidilao reservation to chance.

16. Leave Plenty of Time for Your Meal

Hot pot is not fast food. Even if the restaurant isn’t busy, there is quite a lot going on. You need time to:

We allowed almost three hours between our 11am reservation and our 2pm theatre show. We didn’t need all of that time, but having the buffer meant we never felt rushed. For a pre-theatre meal, I’d recommend allowing at least two hours, particularly if you’re visiting during a busy period.

17. Consider the Unlimited Option for a Group

Our Set Meal for 2 was perfect for us. A larger group may have a different experience. If you’re visiting with four, six or more people, the all-you-can-eat option becomes much more interesting. You can order a wider range of ingredients and share everything. Some outlet boast over 60 different dishes.

That’s one of the great things about hot pot. One person can order prawns. Another can have lamb. Someone else can try duck blood or fish maw. And everyone can cook their own food in the same pot. For a group who really enjoys eating and trying different things, the unlimited option could offer better value.

For us, it would have been excessive.

18. The Haidilao Experience Is Part of What You’re Paying For

It’s worth remembering that you aren’t simply paying for ingredients. Part of the Haidilao experience is the service. At our Piccadilly visit, our waitress:

That level of attention made the meal much easier for us. For someone who has never had hot pot before, it could make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and really enjoying the experience.

Secret Codes

Take that experience even further with free snacks, drinks and little gifts. Simply tell your waiter these secret codes. It has to be said that you can only use one secret code per table per visit. So use it wisely.

19. Check the Haidilao App and Instagram for Member-Only Offers

One of the easiest ways to potentially save money at Haidilao is to sign up for a free account and log in through the Haidilao app before your visit.

This is particularly important because some of the promotions we came across were only available to logged-in members. The Set Meal for 2 we chose was one example, members discounts on à la carte dishes, special weekly or monthly offers and app and member-exclusive offers that aren’t necessarily obvious if you simply walk into the restaurant and look at the standard menu.

Offers on à la carte dishes

Here is an example of Member discounts we discovered on à la carte dishes: Haidilao London has offered up to 25% off selected signature à la carte dishes for members.

The discounted selection can include dishes such as:

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This could be particularly useful if you’re ordering individual dishes rather than choosing a set menu or all-you-can-eat option. The important point is that not every dish is discounted, and the selection can change, so check the current member prices in the app or instagram posters before ordering.

Member-only all-you-can-eat offers and Set Meal for 2 Offers

While this is not show on the app but on location, at the outlet, in their current promotional posters and social media, they require you to be a member with a login account on the app to access their latest offers, At the London Piccadilly and The O2 branches, member promotions have included special off-peak pricing for unlimited hot pot. Then there is the special Set Meal for 2 or 4 offers which offers considerable value of money.

The important detail was buried in the promotion’s terms: the offer was only available to logged-in members.

Log in before you go.

Why the app is worth having. For us, this is probably one of the simplest Haidilao money-saving tips. You don’t necessarily have to commit to an offer when you sign-up. Just having a free member account gives you the opportunity to access on location promotions that may not be available to non-members.

Before your visit:

1. Download the Haidilao app.
2. Create your free account.
3. Log in before arriving at the restaurant.
4. Check the offers available for your chosen branch.
5. Compare member pricing with the standard menu.
6. Check the qualifying day and time.
7. Read the promotion’s terms and conditions.
8. Take a screenshot of the offer if appropriate, particularly if you expect poor mobile reception in the restaurant.

That last point is something we’d definitely do after our experience.

20. Don’t assume the same offer applies everywhere

One final point: Haidilao promotions can vary by restaurant. Piccadilly, The O2 and Birmingham don’t necessarily have identical pricing or promotional periods, and member offers can change.

The £46.99 Set Meal for 2, all-you-can-eat pricing and à la carte discounts mentioned here are examples of offers we found rather than guarantees of what will be available on your next visit.

So the best approach is to check the app for your chosen restaurant, your intended date and your intended time. That way you can compare the options before you arrive rather than discovering the better deal after you’ve already started ordering.

For us, the Haidilao app is now part of the pre-visit homework.

Our Haidilao Strategy

After our first London Haidilao experience, this is probably how we’d approach another visit.

For two people with average appetites: Go for the set menu during an off-peak weekday period.

For a larger group: Compare the set menu with the all-you-can-eat price. The unlimited option can make more sense when everyone wants to try lots of different ingredients.

For students: Check the current student discount before ordering anything.

For an evening in the West End: Look for the Monday-to-Thursday late-evening promotions.

For a special occasion: Check the monthly promotions and let the restaurant know you’re celebrating.

For everyone: Join as a member before you arrive and read the promotion’s terms and conditions.

That last one is particularly important.

The best Haidilao deal isn’t necessarily the one with the biggest headline discount. It’s the one that fits when you’re visiting, how many people you’re feeding and how much you’re realistically going to eat.

Final Thoughts: How to Get the Most From Haidilao

Our first Haidilao visit taught us that a little planning goes a long way. We could have simply turned up, ordered from the menu and enjoyed a hot pot.

Instead, we checked the promotions, booked an off-peak time, chose the Set Meal for 2 and ended up with plenty of food, access to the sauce station, cold side dishes and dessert for a very satisfying lunch.

We also discovered that there are plenty of other ways to make a Haidilao visit better value.

The Set Meal for 2, 4 or more, weekday all-you-can-eat offers, student discounts, late-evening discounts and weekly and monthly specials can all change the calculation.

And that’s why our biggest piece of advice is simple:

Check the current Haidilao offers before you go, then choose the one that matches your appetite and your schedule.

Don’t forget the small print. Some promotions require you to be a logged-in member, some are restricted to particular days or times, and some offers vary between restaurants. A little preparation can save you money and make the whole experience much more enjoyable.

And if you’re new to hot pot, don’t worry about knowing what to order. That’s part of the fun. Start with a few favourites, try something new, make your own sauce, enjoy the extras and give yourself plenty of time.

Prices and promotions mentioned in this article are based on offers available around the time of our research and visit. Haidilao promotions, prices, participating branches, membership requirements and qualifying times can change, so check the current terms before visiting.