Sterling Hotpot

I came here on a Saturday night, with two of my friends. We wanted to try something new & people were saying how it’s better than Ichiriki, which right now is my #1 hot pot place to go. So we had to give this place a try. We were excited to try this place.
So once we got in, our excitement died down. Well the atmosphere is very home feel. Which I do like, but what killed my excitement was it was TOO quite & it was very small. Maybe the size of an average living room or dining/​kitchen room. It needed some music or they could have had their T. V on. There were about 3 couples in there & you can hear them whispering, as if you’re in a library. Lol. My friends and I were about to leave, but we decided, nah, it’s okay, we’ll just give it a try. Plus, we were there for the food in the first place.Lol.
Okay, so for the service, there was only 1 person working. One Sweet Lady, who was working hard to make sure everyone was doing good & getting the orders in & just being a good service. I wish someone helped her out though, but she did great on her own. Very polite & helpful.
As for the food, you choose your soup ($ 8) then if you want your meats, it’s around ($ 3-​$ 5). The cool part was, it reminded me of a Genki sushi. The prices goes by the colored plate you want. There is a fridge were you can pick which vegetables you want & they even have other choices such as, fish balls, shrimp balls, quail eggs, etc. I thought that was cool, until we kept picking more & more things to add to our soup. The cost, was way more than what I expected BUT, I have to say, it was so worth it! It made us 3 hungry people FULL.
The soup was different from Ichiriki, we got the house soup & the spicy soup. The only thing I prolly didn’t enjoy was it was a little too oily but, it was alright because I just added water to my soup. Both were very delicious, I love how they have a dipping sauce bar, they had variety of dipping sauce and it made a difference in our meal. The food were very «homemade» kind of style. I felt like I was eating at home, which was nice. I can’t say that this place is better than Ichiriki, BUT sterling hot pot is Delicious and I don’t mind coming back. I enjoyed my meal & got us full. It’s a place for people who enjoys hot pot. Give it a try! (=

After you get past the curb appeal, it’s a great little joint. The server was very friendly and everything tastes great.
House base was good but I really enjoyed Tom yum base. Everything looked and tasted fresh. Definitely recommend and will go back :)

If you’re a fan of hot pot, Sterling won’t disappoint! The house broth is a favorite of mine. The sauce bar is pretty great! A nice selection & variety!
In my opinion, far better than the over hyped Sweet home.
Almost never crowded (which can be both good & bad), parking’s a breeze, also open late.
So give Sterling a try if you’re looking to avoid long waits for great food.

I’ve decided to give this place a try because of all of the good reviews on here. I’m not sure how accurate all of these reviews are but my review is accurate as of Friday August 14, 2015.
Came here after work with my coworker, not hard to find on Beretania street. We got there about 10 min before they actually opened, which is at 5pm. We waited in the car until it was time to go inside. As 5 o’clock came around the doors did not unlock and the open sign did not turn on. We waited another 5 minutes and a tenant from upstairs had yelled down to tell us that owner didn’t arrive yet. We waited another 10 min or so until the owner showed up.
When I walked in, I kind of got the feeling like I was I someone’s house, living room to be more specific. There were about 5 tables inside and one refrigerator of food. You could see the kitchen area was clocked off but that’s where everything was being prepared. No music was playing and the TV did not turn on the entire time we were there. Not to mention me and my coworker were the only ones in there the entire time, except for the owner that showed up. I find that a little strange especially since this place is rated so high on Unilocal.I got a little confused that we were at the wrong place but I was certain we were at the right restaurant.
On to the food. I had the Thai curry broth. It was tasty but more on the sweet side. The vegetables were the same as any other hot pot place. Props to the reviewer who mentioned the ginger sauce, that was probably my favorite. I didn’t see anything on the menu about BYOB or any drinks for that matter. Dessert was ok, it was the snow ice and I wasn’t a big fan.
As we were leaving we were STILL the only ones in there (strange). I would come back to this restaurant if they changed to a more decent location, but definitely would not be my first choice of hot pot.

They moved into the smaller spot next door to the left. Keep an eye out for the banner and open sign. Only open at dinner. There’s no bar and no fried bar foods. On the upside, it’s BYOB! The space has way more light. The AC is cool. The broth is still the most flavorful. The veggies are fresh. The price is a deal compared to other restaurants. There’s parking in the front. There’s no wait! And if you’re lucky, you can get the ginger sauce and slather it all over your rice (granted I or another regular didn’t eat it all the day before). They also have great smoothies and fancy sodas (white peach, kumquat + lemon) here too! Very refreshing after hotpot!

Sterling’s is back open!!! But not for long unfortunately :(Hoping the owner will reopen in another location. Honestly this place is my fav hot pot place and I’m obsessed with the broth! Soooo good! Crab, tom yum and the coconut curry our my favs. The mushroom is also really good. Go here before it closes! It’s a whole in the wall type of place but food is good!

Smaller but just as delicious!
They’ve reopened, and supposedly it’s back for a while! But goooooo asap!
They have their soups, which are yummy, smoothies, and panini now! Wooohooo
The service is awesome, and they have yummy sauces! You should go! No joke gooooo now!

Passed by this place several times a week but they never looked open. I realized they are closed between 2−5pm when I cruise by.
It’s been raining and Mog P. fell under the weather craving for some kind of soup. Decided to give this a shot.
From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall dive. That got me excited. There were some people waiting outside, probably waiting for a friend. We went right in and were greeted immediately and shown to our table. Inside the décor, nicely together, was a hodge podge of furniture going back to the 70s. At least it was clean. The burner was very clean. Could be good, could be bad.
The menu is not very large and easy to figure out if you’ve eaten hot pots before. We decided to get the House and Tom Yum for our broths. I also ordered rib eye, chicken and clams. As we are waiting we are watching something going on the big screen TV on the wall perpendicular to the wonderful, well supplied, bar. This could be a place I can come to for some major tube events. I’ll have to check into that.
They are knocking the west wall, expanding the place. That’s a good sign. The people waiting outside had sat down talking to the host about a future reservation they have for a large gathering and were concerned about the parking. They got the okay to double park and could ask the Laundromat across the street for parking. Nicely accommodated. Very good host and customer service.
Mog P. picks about 10 vege plates to my one. We put all our ingredients into our hot pot and wait. I can’t wait and start eating some of the stuff that looks ready like enoki mushrooms, straw mushrooms, cabbage, tofu, etc. The broth was spicier than what I am use to and have to slow it down drinking some water to tolerate it. After awhile it was not a problem and I could slurp it down. The Tom Yum and the Thai Coconut have always been my favorite. The Tom Yum here is good but definitely not the best. It has the traditional ingredients galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass but not enough. And, it’s missing some of the other traditional ingredients that could make this broth really stand out from everyone else, and more of what I am use to eating. Hey, that’s me being picky.
One thing that does stand out is the complimentary snow shave ice. A nice refreshing treat to a spicy hot meal. Since Mog P. wasn’t herself, I finished this by myself. I didn’t want to eat it all but I didn’t want a free dish to go to waste. Eat responsibly, especially dessert.
The place has potential to leading the hot pot pack by making a few adjustments. The cheap price and excellent customer service can keep customers returning giving them the time needed to enhance their offerings and ambiance.

Sterling Hotpot
Been here once on a Sunday. It was EMPTY. I read good reviews and wanted hotpot but not the usual places (only because my boyfriend isn’t a fan of hotpot — no idea what’s wrong with him!)…we drove up and the parking was empty. Great, we had our grand choice of spaces to park. We parked right by the door and walked in with some trepidation. We were greeted quickly but the place was… empty. No one was there. Wow. We arrived right at opening time (a few minutes after) but… I was still surprised, seeing as how it’s a weekend.
Sterling Hotpot, located across a gas station, is relatively new. Unfortunately, it has a lot of competition in the surrounding community but I hope people give this place a chance.
We settled on ordering the phở broth. It was phenomenal! I would get this again, definitely. The meats have standard varieties available elsewhere so nothing that stands out. One of the dishes we ordered came out frozen… understandable but a bit depressing knowing our plate just came right out of the freezer. There is a big shelf of different condiments to create your sauces and such. Wow. I was overwhelemed by sheer choice. I recommend taking your time and looking through the options. Get a couple of different ones. The refrigerator selection was all right. Nothing that grabs my attention.
I would come back again but it would not be my first choice of hotpot places.

Love the huge selection of different sauces & condiments that allow you to make the broths perfect to personal tastes.
PREFACE: We go when they first open for dinner so we have no problem finding parking, there is a always a great selection and the service is always great for us.
FOOD: Nice selection of meats, vegetables, and seafood dishes to add to the broth and as I said before the wide selection of condiments allow you to make the broth just right for personal tastes. Love the dessert that is included with the meal. They usually have 2 different ones which is nice because personally i’m not a fan of green tea so it is always nice to have a different option.
NOTE: The restroom for women is inside the establishment. The outside one is for men.

Another hot pot place popping up! Came here with some friends who have tried it before. It’s not crowded at all compared to the other hot pot places. They had a lot of seating open and we got seated quickly. They have different broths to choose from, move Vietnamese style broths. We tried to house broth, which was very tasty. You choose the meats you want, from lamb, beef, tongue, chicken, pork belly. The rest of the stuff is ala carte, pay by plate for veggies, etc. The flavor was pretty yummy, and is comparable to the other hot pot places I’ve been too. Prices weren’t too bad either. They also have a mix your own sauce station too.
The décor here needs some upgrading, they should renovate as it looks very run down inside. They also still have the old name on their credit card statement when they charge you, kinda weird. Parking is right in front, lots of parking as the place isn’t crowded. The staff was pretty helpful with the portions and we ended up sharing 1 pot to 4 people. You also get 10% off if you check in!

Ive been going to Sterling regularly since they opened in mid-​2014 and theyve become my «go to» hotpot place. Why you ask?
Ive found them to have the best prices among all the other hotpot places. You can order good quality meat and a wide assortment of veggies and its very easy on the wallet. My favs include rib eye, pork belly, and cow tongue.
They have some amazing and unique broths like Phở, Vietnamese Curry, Tom Yum (sour and spicy), Thai Coconut, and their House Broth, a tasty pork and spice broth. All the broths are made from scratch and MSG free! There is a pretty extensive sauce bar as well, but for some of the broths, you dont even need dipping sauce. But if you do try the sauces, try the House Garlic and the House Sauce. Darn… My mouth is watering already as I write this review.
They have lots of seating and usually have good parking. I hate waiting at some of the other places in town and Ive never had to wait for a table here.
Also, I highly recommend two drinks on the menu: freshly-​made Watermelon Juice and Thai Ice Tea.
For dessert you get free Taiwanese Snow Ice with Popping Pearls. Its a very refreshing way to end the meal and they are quite generous with their portions.
The restaurant may be a bit hard to spot, but they are located right across the street from the Shell Service Station near the corner of McCully and Beretania Streets. Chances are you may find me there!

I came to Sterling on a Friday night with a friend for a catch-​up, and it was a great experience.
There was ample parking when I got there. I always love not having to look for parking. When we got inside, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant. But I don’t think this has anything to do with the quality of their food and service. I think it’s just still relatively unknown. I didn’t know the place existed until my friend suggested it.
We ordered the Tom Yum broth (very unique) and some beef, and then perused the fridges for our sides to toss in. They have a really good variety, including some ingredients that I don’t remember seeing at other hot pot places. I think they even had yuba. I haven’t eaten yuba since last time I was in Japan. So good! I like that some of their plates are variety plates so that you don’t have to get one of each to try everything. The waitress was very attentive. Our waters stayed filled, and she replaced the can for our gas burner before I even realized that it wasn’t working anymore. Very attentive to our needs.
The only cons that I can say about this place are that if you use the ladles, there isn’t really anywhere for you to put them on the table when they aren’t in use. And if you leave them to hang out in your broth, they will likely fall in. Luckily we always caught the ladle before it fell in, but it would have been nice to not have to worry about it. Also, the bathroom is strange. The room is long and narrow. There is a chair inside. The only reason I can think of for there being a chair inside is because of a parent with their child/​children, or for someone to put their bags down. But since this is a restaurant, I don’t know. It was weird. But then again I’m just being picky.
At the end of the dinner, we got free dessert! :) Who doesn’t love free dessert? I love that it’s light, and not too heavy. When I go to eat hot pot, I’m always in a healthier mood. I like to pack on the veggies. A heavy dessert to follow would just make me feel guilty. But no guilt here, and it was delicious to boot.
Finally, it came time to pay. And we had a coupon through Unilocal for checking in! Delicious food, free dessert, and we saved more money on top of that. How awesome is that?
But wait there’s more! (Haha) The last thing I have to say that I love about Sterling is that getting onto the freeway from the restaurant is a cinch. When you’re an anxious driver like I am, simple is best!
If you haven’t tried this place yet, you definitely should give it a whirl.

I love Sterling!
The broths are completely amazing and delicious. There are so many unique types that it can be hard to choose but I really like the Tom Yum soup best. Then the Thai coconut, third is house, then phở/​curry in 4^th place. These broths are so flavorful that you don’t really need a sauce for your food but there is a sauce bar if you want it.
They slice your meat order fresh so it can take a few minutes but in the meantime you can visit the fridge and get all your veggies & extra goodies. What I like is that sometimes Sterling has some unique Vietnamese items that you don’t find at other places.
The service is always nice and friendly and they’re willing to change the channels on the tvs if you ask nicely and no one else is watching them.
Oh don’t forget to order the watermelon juice (spiked with chambord) and the fried chicken! Both are seriously winner winner!

Parking is pretty abundant here and the service is great. You can also order alcoholic drinks and other kinds of juice/​coffee like drinks which is an even added bonus for those who care about that kind of thing.
They also have a wide variety of hot pot broth options for you to choose from which all have been pretty tasty. I also like the fact that you can order some non-​hot pot items which gives you some added choice.
Would recommend this place to anyone since the indoor area is pretty spacious and you don’t feel like a canned clam as you do with some other hot pot places. Since it’s a bit colder now you should try checking this place out now!

How is this place averaging 4 stars? I have to re-​mention all the reviews below where they talked about Sterling Hotpot’s worn-​down décor, poor/​broken AC, and need of some serious renovations.
That said, their bathroom is located outside and made me feel like I’m starring in my own horror movie. Definitely the most darkest, smelliest, and creepiest bathroom I’ve ever used for a restaurant… reminds me of Sweet Home Café’s, but at least they had a lock and working lights!
I remember there wasn’t anyone in there besides us and another party. It was pretty empty. But, the waitress who served us was very friendly and helpful to us newbies. She even gave us a discount when we told her about the nasty roach we saw in the green onions at the sauce bar. Um, yeah. It was so gross that I didn’t want to touch or eat anything after that… but hey, I put it in my mind that if I kept picking and stabbing at my food, any bugs wouldn’t stand a chance! Especially if I burned them in the hot soup base…
Compared to the selection and price, you’re better off going somewhere else. The best part of this meal was the free dessert for me, but like I said, you can probably go eat snow ice anywhere.

Sterling Hotpot took the space of what used to be a sports bar, so its a bit weird to see large, wall mounted TVs and booths. Not to mention their décor is very 1970’s.
Parking right in front.
The format is similar to other hotpot restaurants: pick a broth, order your meats then choose the rest of your sides (veggies, noodles etc) from their two refrigerators. Their sauce bar is fully loaded with favorites, but seemed out of place because its decorated with string lights and is actually a steel structure you’d see in a workshop.
Full bar for those who like a drink with their hot pot. They also offer Thai coffee, Tea and some other non alcoholic drinks.
Here goes my experience:
Went on a Thursday night, there were may be 2 other tables when my boyfriend and I arrived. There was one waitress and one bartender.
Server was quick to drop menus and take drink order– which she ultimately forgot to put in for us. Boo no Thai Coffee for me.
As first timers, I asked what their most popular broth was, as I personally dont like to order the split broths. (*Heads up, ALL of their pots come with the divider down the middle) Our waitress then listed all the broths on the menu in order. okay. So we went with the House Broth, not bad.
The meat (which I dont eat, so cant review on that) came in frozen curls. Id say maybe 8 – 12 pieces per plate. Veggie selection was average; other sides werent too memorable.
They offer a shave ice/​snow ice dessert as other places do too. Not spectacular in my opinion. The dessert we got tasted like cantaloupe snow ice with coffee jelly or pearls? Kind of weird, but complimentary aint bad.

Ok, so keep in mind that this review is based on the moment that you are able to look past the ambiance of this place. It’s located in the old Ocean’s Bar on Beretania (right before it intersects with Mc Cully)…and it still kind of looks like… a dingy sports bar but now with weird christmas-​looking lights hanging everywhere and with Asian paintings on the walls.
So get over that part. And have an open mind (and a growling stomach!)
They have a pretty good selection of broths to choose from, but we opted to just share a house broth. Which was delicious in the end, after soaking up all the flavors. It has meat in it (I believe there’s ground pork as the base) so avoid if you are vegetarian. Ordering is the same as most hot pot places. Pick your broth (s), go get your veggies and other add-in’s from the fridge, mix up some sauce concoctions, and order your meats. We decided on some cabbage, mizuna (I love this, it’s what grandmas usually put in New Years ozoni), enoki mushrooms, and arabiki sausage. And three meats: pork belly, the standard beef, and tongue. Everything was fresh, and although it was not busy when we were there, the service was friendly and efficient. Save room for your free Taiwanese snow ice for dessert!
Talk about value – our bill came out to a mere $ 46 for dinner… and that’s including a beer and a mixed drink. Compare this to the $ 80-​something that we once racked up at Little Sheep for lunch… and that is why this place gets its stars. Good hot pot, decent service, great value.

It’s all about the broths here! So far I’ve had tom yum, crab, house, coconut, and phở. Every broth has been so good! The broths are $ 7 each and you can make a pot half of two different broths. That would cost you$ 14. Or just stick with one broth if you prefer.
Meat is ordered through the server and rice is included if you want rice with your meal. The veggies, tofu, and noodles are obtained through a refrigerator at one side of the restaurant. If you want sauces, there’s a sauce table filled with many different sauces. It is mostly store bought sauces.
One great thing is that Sterling Hot Pot offers a full bar, coffee drinks, and juices for their beverages besides water. Another great thing is free dessert! After your meal you get shaved green tea ice milk with popping juice balls!
Service is attentive and fast. Parking is okay with several stalls in front. I really liked my two visits so far and can’t wait to go back!

I came here for hot pot and there was a variety of broths to choose from! I got the mushroom broth because it’s vegetarian and it tastes like the description, very earthy, like the asian health mushrooms. The broth had a lot of flavor; so, even though there’s a sauce bar, you don’t need it!
The juices are fresh squeezed. My friends ordered watermelon and the bartender pulled out a huge watermelon!
I would like okra and yuba but there’s a good amount of selection.