One of the best meals to have in NYC during the colder weather is Chinese Hotpot- a warm, comforting, delicious, social, everything-you-could-want-in-a-meal type of meal. And at Chongqing Lao Zao, it’s more than just a culinary experience, it is also a “cultural experience filled with love and joy”.

Chonqing Lao Zao is bringing the best authentic Chongqing Hotpot to New York, and is probably one of the hardest places to get a table in Flushing right now. As you can only add yourself to the waitlist the day of and can’t reserve ahead of time, this location is known for hour long waits. The first time that we went (unsuccessfully), the wait for a table for two was over four hours long! However, despite the long wait, we found the hotpot to be really authentic and delicious and it has quickly become one of our favorite spots. We wanted to share a few tips and also our favorite dishes for those who are new to hotpot and unsure of what to order, because CQLZ can be very overwhelming for a beginner hotpot enthusiast. It’s extremely authentic and also reminiscent of hotpot places in China so be prepared to be transported to China and for your tastebuds to go on a wild, spicy journey.

Address: 37-04 Prince St Flushing, NY 11354

Price: $$ 40-50 pp

DAY & NIGHT EATS RECOMMENDATIONS:

Soup base: We recommend the Dual Flavor Pot 鸳鸯锅底 as you would be able to try both a spicy soup base and a non- spicy soup base. If you prefer spicy and think you can handle the spice, the 9 Grid Pot 九宫格 is a very popular option as well. Chongqing style hotpot is known to be pretty spicy so definitely choose either medium or low spice level if you’ve never tried it before!

Meats:

Milky Beef 拔罐牛肉 is a favorite for everyone who has tried it, the meat is marinated in milk and is super tender and soft. It literally melts into your mouth with every bite!

Taichi Beef 太极双椒牛肉 is one of their most popular and must try dishes. The beef is marinated in different peppers and is presented like a ying & yang symbol. The server will mix the marinated beef in front of you before you cook it in the pot and the end result is very spicy and flavorful.

Beef Skewers 老灶牛肉串串 are easy to cook and also a great option.

Shrimp paste 手打虾滑 is also a great option for those of you who love seafood. The name is a bit misleading but it is basically their house-made shrimp balls which are served like a paste in a bamboo. The server will help you cook it and will mold the paste into shrimp balls for you to cook and enjoy with your hotpot.

Vegetables: this is honestly all about personal preference but our favorites are tofu, tofu skin, fried bread sticks, stir- fried bean curd rolls, potato or taro, mushrooms (we like enoki mushrooms and also black fungus is a classic), rice cake, Ardan lettuce or Chinese cabbage. If you also want to add noodles to your soup base, it‘s perfect at the end to soak up all the flavors of the soup.

Other dishes:

Crispy Fried Pork 现炸酥肉：you can never go wrong with super crispy and tender fried pork. Definitely eat it as soon as it’s served because it tastes best when hot. This is a smash hit with everyone and a must order dish for us.

Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake 香酥小糍粑： one of our favorite Sichuan snacks, this dish is basically rice cake that is deep fried with brown sugar. It is super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Paired with a brown sugar dipping sauce and a nut powder on top, each bite is the perfect combination of textures and flavors. This dish is usually gone within the first minute that its served and I think most people would agree that they can probably eat the whole plate of rice cakes themselves.

Brown Sugar Crystal Jelly 四川冰粉: after hotpot, a bowl of 冰粉 bingfen or Brown Sugar Crystal Jelly is a must! This one is very on par with what you would actually get in China and comes with pieces of watermelon and nut toppings. It’s super refreshing and helps to cool off the tongue after hotpot. It’s a similar texture to the popular raindrop dessert however the flavor is different. It’s sweet, refreshing perfect pairing with spicy hotpot. Definitely a great and delicious cool down for your tongue after the meal. When we took our friends they originally didn’t order this, but after trying ours they each ordered one. A must order item for us, you won’t regret it!

Drinks: Homemade Rice Wine 老灶米酒 : One of the best rice wine’s we’ve had in NY. It’s actually pretty low in alcohol content and tastes more like a sweet beverage but its a great refreshing and cooling pairing to spicy hotpot. We wish they bottled this and sold this because we have been craving this since we last tried it!

*TIP: It’s really hard to get a table if you just walk in, but you can join the waitlist on their website before your meal. During peak hours they sometimes require you join the waitlist in person but most of the time the waitlist online works. We recommend joining it a few hours (around 2 hours before on weekends or Friday) before you plan on eating so that you’re able to get a table.