Yang Jia Hot Pot is legendary—it’s known for having celebrities as regulars, and also for having one of the longest waits for a table of any Beijing restaurant. This place is also more convenient than ever to visit now that The Big Smoke has opened just next door, giving diners a nice place to grab a drink while waiting for a table.

The menu is all in Chinese, with no photos. Service is pretty bad, too, so you’ll have to be forceful about your ordering. This place is not about ambiance or service though—it is about serious hot pot.

The least spicy of the spicy broths, wei la (微辣, RMB40/pot) will make serious lovers of spicy food sweat. It burns your throat on the way down. The spiciest is not advised unless you are actually from Sichuan. Good news is that you can get a half-half broth, and the clear soup option (RMB30/pot) is excellent.

For dipping sauces, there’s the classic Beijing-style majiang (RMB6/person), but it is recommended doing it right and getting the Sichuan-style fragrant oil (RMB6/person), which you mix with cilantro and garlic yourself.

The fuzhu tofu (RMB10) and the mashed shrimp (RMB40) are very nice, which you throw into the cauldron in little balls—it’s significantly better here than other hot pot places. For meat, the house recommendation is the shui shang piao beef (RMB29), which is tender and tastes great cooked in the spicy broth. Customers can also try bamboo (RMB21), enoki mushrooms (RMB15) and a few various other veggies.

Address: Xingfu Erli, Chunxiu Road, Chaoyang District

Tel: 010 – 64158899

Opening hours: 10:00 – 1:00

Average cost per person: 98 RMB