Treat yourself every now and then: A quick guide to 6 top-tier hot pot restaurants

Travel Desk / Compiled Report

Although December has arrived without the usual winter chill, it’s still the season for hot pot. Taiwan offers an especially wide variety of hot pot options at many price points — from just over 200 NTD to over 1,000 NTD — and the ingredients vary accordingly. If you’re craving the delicious taste of premium ingredients, go ahead and splurge a little. ETtoday EBC News has rounded up 6 top-tier hot pot restaurants where you can spoil yourself every once in a while.


▲r? Washoku Sanmi serves Australian wagyu graded AA12, near Omi-grade. (Photo / From official website)

r? Washoku Sanmi
Combining teppanyaki, hot pot, and sushi, the three classic Japanese cuisines, “r? Washoku Sanmi” is a well-known brand under the renowned teppanyaki group “r? Group,” and is also a high-end hot pot option in many major hotels. It offers a refined and elegant dining environment, with private rooms available for reservation. The interior design is sleek and modern, and the courses are thoughtfully structured to allow diners to fully enjoy the rich flavors of the ingredients.

Address: No. 4, Lane 102, Section 1, Anhe Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-27848299


▲The beef can be eaten after just a light dip. (Photo / Taken by Huang Shih-yuan)

Tahima Shabu Shabu
Following the 2015 opening of the Thai & Thai restaurant, Mandarin Boutique’s focus this year is on building the Tahima brand to offer shabu shabu, teppanyaki, and Japanese cuisine. After a period of trial operation, Tahima Shabu Shabu officially opened on October 7. To best savor the natural flavors of the ingredients in shabu shabu, the order of ingredients and cooking time are crucial. Tahima has specially assigned professional food attendants (one per table as a general rule) to cook meat, seafood, and seasonal vegetables right at your table.

For quality assurance, Mandarin Boutique Chairman Lin Ming-chiun hired renowned Japanese chef Toshio Sato as the culinary consultant for Tahima Shabu Shabu. The menu features carefully selected seasonal ingredients from Japan and Taiwan. The chef’s appetizer selection changes daily, and the seasonal vegetable platter uses fresh, in-season produce such as Hokkaido yam, sweet corn, Kagoshima chestnut squash, Tokushima Beniimo sweet potato, Taiwan Dajia taro, and Lishan cabbage — 70% of which are imported from Japan. Premium meat options include Australian wagyu, U.S. Prime ribeye, U.S. Kobe-style beef short ribs, and Hungarian Mangalitsa pork (also known as sheep-pig).

Address: 5F, Mandarin Boutique, No. 166, Dunhua North Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2712-1606


▲The sirloin set meal at Orange Shabu Shabu. (Photo / FromOrange Shabu Shabu fan page)

Orange Shabu Shabu
Topping the popularity charts in Taipei is Orange Shabu Shabu. For those who truly care about texture, ingredient selection, and cooking methods, this is definitely the top choice. This high-end shabu shabu spot prides itself on premium ingredients and generous portions, letting you eat heartily without worry.

Branch One
Address: B1, No. 135, Section 1, Da’an Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-27761658



▲He Shabu. (Photo / FromHe Shabu fan page)

He Shabu
Promoting itself as a high-end gourmet experience, He Shabu not only maintains strict standards for its ingredients but also emphasizes a comfortable and luxurious dining atmosphere. From the complimentary hot towels and impeccably clean restrooms to the curated selection of tableware and cookware, it offers a refined hot pot experience fit for royalty.

Address: 4F, No. 28, Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-27239222


▲ A huge American Prime-grade ribeye steak at Spicy No.1. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Spicy No.1
Located in the alleys behind Cathay General Hospital in Taipei, “Spicy No.1” emphasizes bold flavors that are spicy and numbing but not greasy, leaving no heavy after-feel. The restaurant uses over 20 unique spice blends combined with fruits and vegetables to create its signature spicy broth, which enhances the umami of ingredients while offering a fragrant, mildly spicy taste. After finishing all the ingredients, diners can even turn the remaining broth into a spicy congee — one of the restaurant’s signature features. Meal sets include a Deluxe 4-Person Set (NT$4,580) with a choice of 4 out of 7 main dishes; a Value 2-Person Set (NT$2,180) with a choice of 2 out of 6 main dishes; and a Sea & Land 4-Person Set (NT$5,680), which includes a choice of 4 out of 7 main dishes plus scallops, white shrimp, clams, Taiwanese tilapia, Penghu squid rolls, and crab sticks.

Address: No. 12, Lane 20, Alley 300, Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2702-2033

▲ Danny's WhatsNabe is a crossover creation by steak master Deng Youkui. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Danny's WhatsNabe
Nestled in the alleys of Siwei Road in Da’an District, Danny's WhatsNabe has a low-key exterior and can easily be overlooked. This is steak master Deng Youkui’s foray into the hot pot scene, featuring only top-tier steak meats. Diners can choose from three types of steak: American Premium Ribeye Filet, American Premium Ribeye, and Australian Fullblood Wagyu Ribeye.

Chef Su Yukai of Danny's WhatsNabe explains that most hot pot restaurants boil all ingredients together, which can cause the ingredients to lose their original flavors and the broth to become murky with impurities over time. Therefore, Danny's WhatsNabe uses only water infused with kelp for its broth. Once the water boils, ingredients are briefly dipped in, allowing diners to enjoy their purest flavors.

Address: 1F, No. 17, Lane 52, Siwei Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2704-1717