Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot 老码头火锅 - Bellevue, Washington

Y T

I have visited this place several times and enjoyed it every time. The soup bases are excellent, with strong flavors and plenty of ingredients. The food quality is consistently stable and reliable, and there are many ingredients of hotpot to choose from. The service is always good, with some staff being exceptionally helpful; they even remind you to renew your parking. Once, they even picked up our dessert from downstairs for us.

林昱呈

今天來吃火鍋，信用卡優惠蠻划算的。我覺得是近期在美國吃過最好吃的，在海底撈正對面。服務很好好像回到亞洲。

Mr. T-Bone

Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot offers an exceptional Szechuan hot pot experience, especially at their Seattle location. The spicy broth was rich and authentic, the portions were generous, and the service was excellent. While there is another location in Rowland Heights, California, the Seattle branch stands out as the superior choice for authenticity and freshness.

Ambiance: 5/5
The Seattle location captures the lively and vibrant atmosphere of a traditional hot pot restaurant. The bustling crowd, especially during peak hours, adds to the authentic dining experience.

Authenticity: 5/5
The Szechuan-style hot pot in Seattle is unmatched. The broth was perfectly spiced, delivering bold and authentic flavors. Compared to the Rowland Heights location, the Seattle branch feels much more true to its roots in both flavor and presentation.

Flavor: 5/5
The spicy Szechuan broth was phenomenal—rich, fragrant, and bursting with authentic flavors. The ingredients felt fresher and portions were more generous than the California location. The quality of the broth and overall taste are what make this spot a standout.

Cost: 4.5/5
While prices are on the higher side, the quality and portion sizes at the Seattle location make it worth it. You truly get what you pay for, and the experience is worth every penny.

Service: 5/5
The service in Seattle was excellent—attentive, polite, and efficient. The staff shared helpful tips about making reservations, which is highly recommended to avoid waiting during peak hours.

Comparison with Rowland Heights CA Location:
The Rowland Heights branch, while decent, doesn’t quite match up to the Seattle location. The broth at the California spot lacked the same depth of flavor, and the ingredients didn’t feel as fresh or as generously portioned. If you’re deciding between the two, the Seattle branch is hands-down the better choice for an authentic Szechuan hot pot experience.

Final Thoughts:
Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot in Seattle is a gem for anyone craving an authentic Szechuan hot pot experience. With its standout broth, fresh ingredients, and excellent service, it’s miles ahead of its California counterpart. Make a reservation and savor the best this restaurant has to offer—I’ll definitely be back!

Cheng Wei

Tldr - This becomes our new favorite hotpot restaurant of choice now. Will definitely be back!

Details:

Just when we thought that we had enough (too many?) hotpot restaurants in the greater Seattle area, this hotpot showed up right at the prime location of Bellevue downtown. And they opened their doors right across the street from Haidilao (海底捞), a famous hotpot chain from China. One would have to have something special to have the gut to compete like this. And surely they do.

Food: 4.5-star (fresh, well-prepared, and with a super rich selection). The only 0.5 deduction is from the presentation of one dish (taste great, but could've done a better job in presenting the dish). The thing that I want to highlight is their selection of a decent range of (buffet-style) appetizers. Very good selection and high quality (better than Dolar if you've been there before).
Price / Cost: 5-star. Note: This isn't a cheap restaurant. You're talking about easily $50+/person without including drinks. But the price point is lower than Dolar and the portion is decent.
Service: 5-star. The waiters were super attentive and nice. They were watching tables and quickly taking away dirty and empty dishes, and were pretty responsive to requests (tea, broth, water refills).
Location: 5-star. It's right at a prime downtown location in Bellevue, surrounded by several Asian / Chinese cuisine restaurants and desert shops. There is ample retail parking space in the underground garage. Bring your license plate info with you. You can get one hour validated parking by registering your plate at the restaurant.

Mayumi Ozaki Todd (尾崎真由美)

Very good spicy hot soup with a lot of high quality meats and vegetables. Good for cold night, you go with your friends and families. Warm you up

Hung Tran

Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot in Bellevue downtown is nestled right in the heart of the city, perched on the second floor of Soma Tower. While street parking is available, it can be a bit of a hunt depending on the day, so be prepared to walk a few blocks to reach the restaurant. We opted for a weekend lunch right after they opened, scoring a table with ease thanks to their online reservation option.

The restaurant's style is reminiscent of Haidilao and other hot pot joints, with orders placed through an iPad starting with the choice of soup base. We went for the half pork bone and half mushroom base to steer clear of spiciness. The soups were generously portioned, requiring only one refill throughout our meal. While the taste was satisfying, it didn't bring any surprises.

Now, my favorite part of any hot pot experience is the sauce bar, and Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot didn't disappoint with a variety of sauce bases and toppings to mix and match. The appetizer options were plentiful, though many leaned towards the spicier side. We couldn't resist ordering the stinky tofu, a dish I've been craving since my Beijing trip. While the flavor was adjusted to be less spicy and stinky, it was still a delight to introduce my girlfriend to this unique dish.

As for the meats, we tried two different types of beef and a beef tripe combo. While they were tasty, there wasn't much to write home about as the real stars of the show are the soup base and dipping sauce, which complemented each other perfectly.

I must give a shoutout to their dessert options, included in the sauce bar, as well as the free ice cream offered at the end--a sweet endnote to our meal.

Overall, Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot offers a wide variety of dishes, including some unique specialties like the stinky tofu. Because the prices are on par with other premium Bellevue downtown restaurants like Haidilao, I see it as more of a special occasion spot rather than a regular haunt. If you're looking to switch things up from your usual hot pot joint, this place is definitely worth a try.

Lydia Rahmann

Broth was amazing. I was thoroughly surprised how tasty the broth was esp the chicken coconut. The sauce bar was also pretty well stocked with a variety. The menu variety was great as well. The meat quality was not bad. The one thing I'd say is I wish their meat was slightly more fatty. PS: I love the ice cream after the hot pot. That's a great touch to the end of the meal

Molly Amber

Everything was so delicious! All of the meat was so flavorful and high quality, and we loved the Barbie meat combo. The best hot pot experience we’ve had!! Also, the black truffle fried rice and spicy wontons are delicious!