Hot pot in Taiwan is without a doubt, a popular meal. Many different cultures worldwide have put their own spin on hot pot with different broth bases, spices, meats, and vegetables.

China is the home of hot pot and where it originates from. Though the origins may be debated, in terms of where within the country it originated from, hot pot is a uniquely Chinese meal and is immensly popular there.

It only makes sense that hot pot in Taiwan is also extremely popular, due to the close cultural ties.

The Origins Of Hot Pot

Hot pot in Taiwan is not only a delicious, beloved meal, it’s also very, very, old. Its origins date back to the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) which correlates with the creation of copper pots.

How it precisely evolved is a bit of a mystery. It’s said that the Mongols had a strong influence in it’s growth. It’s also rumored to have become more popular at the communal level within temples and other public spaces.

Regardless of it’s true origins, hot pot came to prominence during the Ming and Qing dynasties (late 14th century to early 20th century) when the meal started to be eaten and enjoyed by the upper echelon of society, most notably by the emperors.

Regional adaptions with different spices, broths, meats, and vegetables spread throughout the country over time and eventually the beloved Chinese dish spread throughout the world.

Hot Pot In Taiwan

I was a few days into my trip and was certainly looking forward to having my first hot pot in Taiwan experience. Love Hot Pot was right next to the hotel I was staying at in the Luzhou District, had great ratings, and most importantly, was BUSY (the photo below was in the morning before it was open, lol).

They had quite a large menu, with lots of different options and price points. It was easy to find something within my budget. It was tough to decide on just what I wanted to get though since there was a lot of items you could get on the side as well, which of course all sounded quite delicious.

I ended up getting the 14 oz. American Chuck Roast Beef which came with a big side of vegetables then as side additions I got two shrimp, hokkaido scallop, and two pieces of atlantic salmon (949 NTD, $29.54, USD). I went with Sichaun as my soup base, since I wanted that spicy kick!

While I was waiting for my food to come out, there was a dipping sauce station, with a whole lot of different items to mix and match and make whatever kind of dipping sauce you could want. I really have no idea what kind of concoction I made here. There was some soy sauce, garlic, daikon, onion, black vinegar, some green onion. So pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, lol.

The Food

The sichaun soup base was definitely tasty. It had a rich, deep, flavor to it, and as you might expect by how red it is, a hearty, spicy kick to it.

I got a huge bowl that was filled with veggies. There was napa, cabbage, mushrooms, lettuce, tofu, tomato, taro, and a ton of other stuff I wasn’t completely sure of, but it was a lot, and I ate all of it!

The plate of meat was quite hefty and definitely pretty tasty.

This was the extra seafood sides that I got. They literally came out on ice, nice!

Overall, this was a TON of food to get through, but I wasn’t complaining and was up for the challenge. I really enjoyed how fresh everything was.

The seafood was delicious, the shrimp nice and sweet and very meaty. The hokkaido scallop was sweet and delicious.

The vegatables were crisp, tasty, and really soaked up that spicy sichaun soup base.

That random dipping sauce concoction I made was actually really good. I dipped everything in it, haha.

To end the meal there was an ice cream station too. They had a handful of flavors, including Thai tea and tropical fruit, which is what I went with. I was quite full, but there’s always going to be room for ice cream at the end of a meal.

How Was The Experience?

All in all, this was a really delicious meal. For 949 NTD, $29.54, USD I got a ridiculous amount of food and stuffed my face. The meat, veggies, seafood, were all really fresh and delicious. I really enjoyed it. The dipping sauce bar, with its wide array of options and the ice cream were great little sides as well.

My first experience with getting hot pot in Taiwan was certainly a very enjoyable experience!