The Richmond food scene moves fast, but its self-serve hot pot landscape might be moving even faster. Just over a year after soft-opening on Leslie Road, Datang Hot Pot has officially packed up and vanished, leaving behind nothing but stacked chairs and an empty sign frame.
The Rise of the Self-Serve Wave
Last year, you couldn’t walk a block in Richmond without stumbling into a new “build-your-own” hot pot joint. Inspired by the massive queues over at the various Big Way Hot Pot franchises, every restaurateur in the city wanted a slice of the weigh-and-pay action.
We saw Drama Hot Pot burst onto the scene, and even the iconic team behind Deer Garden stepped into the ring with their own spin, launching Deer One Hot Pot. The formula was simple: grab a bowl, pile it high with frozen meats, fish balls, and veggies, pay by weight, and let the kitchen cook it for you.
Datang Hot Pot threw its hat into the ring in March 2025 at 8140 Leslie Road, featuring a massive wall of over 100 fresh ingredients and distinct add-ons like flaky Xi’an-style Chinese burgers. But just a year later, the hype has settled, and the reality of running a massive, ingredient-heavy buffet setup in a competitive market has caught up.
Do Diners Want More Service?
While we never actually got around to trying Datang before they folded, their quick departure raises a bigger question: Are people getting a little tired of paying premium restaurant prices to do all the work themselves?
The DIY concept is fun, fast, and highly customizable, but sometimes you just want actual restaurant service. There is a specific comfort in sitting down, ordering from a menu, and watching a pot of broth actually boil right at your table instead of receiving a pre-cooked bowl from the kitchen.
We aren’t the only ones feeling this way, either. We dropped by Pearl Hot Pot a couple of days ago, and despite it being early on a quiet weekday evening, the dining room was completely packed out. There is clearly still a massive appetite for the traditional, sit-down individual hot pot experience where you control the heat.
No Shortage of Bowls
Even with Datang Hot Pot closed for good, the city isn’t exactly running low on places to get your mouth-numbing fix. Between the surviving independent shops and the global franchises anchoring our strip malls, Richmond remains the hot pot capital of the lower mainland.
This is just the latest layout shift in a wild month for local foodies, arriving right on the heels of major updates like the massive Time Out Market opening over at Oakridge.
Are you still riding the DIY malatang wave, or are you returning to classic, boiling-at-the-table hot pot spots?
