Boiling Point

i love hotpot and i love the taiwanese special with no pork blood and extra green onion. I love the sauces that they provide. The line might be long but you can go to the one in cerritos, westminster or irvine. Plenty of options.

Love the second location in Irvine, you can make reservations so never have to wait. Service is good and food is great.

I have a love and hate relationship with Boiling Point and thought that this location would be better given that you’re able to make reservations at least 2 hours in advance. The Mrs. really likes boiling point for the simplicity of your own hot pot and it seems fairly healthy. However, the most recent time we went, we made reservations 2 days before and upon arriving… they did not have our name in the system. When we made reservations before, they’d give us a confirmation and also took down our phone number… and the most recent time, neither of it showed up. Please retrain your staff to properly write down a reservation .
It was highly frustrating since each of the employees were looking at each other as if we made the mistake. We even showed them the call from our cell phone when we made the reservation as proof. Finally after about 10 minutes of them discussing, they said in the future please double check before coming in… I was pretty annoyed. They did seat us and it seemed like there were 4 – 5 empty tables.
Again, this is not our fault if your employee is incompetent to properly take our name and number when we make a reservation.
Also your policy for stamp cards that expire in 6 months is a joke. By the time a patron returns to eat at a Boiling Point… the stamp card is useless.

Every time I visit Irvine, this place is always a consideration to eat! My first time trying it, I made the huge mistake of asking for medium spiciness (I can barely take hot cheetos), with the fire on. I think I damn near killed myself from spiciness. But after that visit, I learned that I am a none/​mild guy, with no fire.
My last visit, I had #10, the Thai soup, and it was amazingggg. They give you a decent amount of thin lean meat at the bottom of the bowl, with tons of veggies and seafood on top. The broth, which was mild, was perfect on a day where we spent most of the day in Big Bear in the snow. You can either choose from rice or noodles to accompany your order free of charge, with other accessories ranging from $ 1.00 to around $ 3.00.
They offer three sauces on the table when you sit down, so dont be afraid to mix and match to see what you like! I personally like pouring on the oyster sauce based sauced, with a fair amount of the garlic/​soy sauce, and then a dribble of the chili sauce.
The only issue was that service was a little slow, and they required us waving them down several times. Three out of the ten broths contained peanuts, and so being allergic to peanuts, instantly lowered my options to seven of them. But nonetheless, a terrific place to eat.
Parking is fairly easy since there is a decent parking lot for the plaza that it is in, and there is also parking in the back that isn’t usually full.

We love the Japanese miso and the hot beef soups. Try the Hokkaido milk tea, pretty delicious and unique.
That being said some of the staff can be kind of rude. We usually do take out instead of dining in.

So glad I made a reservation the night before so we didn’t have to wait in queue.
We ordered the beef hotpot, seafood hotpot, and Japanese miso and came during lunch time, so a free black or green tea was included.
The hotpot sizes here are pretty nice, enough for 1 – 2 people. However I believe sharing isn’t so common here since I shared the seafood hotpot with a friend and they assumed he wasn’t eating?
The food was good tho. Really liked the broth! I’m also a sucker for spicy food and the medium level of spice really hit the spot. Variety of seafood was enjoyable. However, my only complaint with the food is that the rice was kinda dry. Maybe it’s a personal preference since I like my rice more moist than dry, but I think it’d be better if they cooked the rice with more water.
The service was okay. The guy on the phone who I made my reservation with was nice. However, at the actual restaurant, it was quite hard trying to get any server’s attention (especially when we were in need of chopsticks since our table wasn’t prepped with any). Nobody was rude tho.
I hope to come back soon!

What do they put in these hot pots? They’re so addicting!
Food: my favorite hot pots are: beef, seafood, and curry (but they discontinued the curry for some reason). The spice levels available are awesome! Very spicy is pretty spicy but there is yet one more level! Eeek!
Service: servers are all available to help! Everyone is pretty nice and helpful even when they’re super busy! A plus! Can’t say the same for the host/​hostess, please smile a little!
Wait: expect at least 15 minutes or at times 1 hour!
Overall: 3.5 stars for food and service

Great hot pot, So-​so service. I like that you can make reservations at this location. The spots fill up pretty quick, so make sure to call in early, or you’ll be having dinner at 9PM.
I come here when it’s cold and I need something warm in my tummy. It’s especially great when it’s raining outside. Nothing satisfys my body like a hot Taiwanese soup.
My usual is the beef hotpot with a side of lamb. Always with the rice.
Make sure to wear your old clothes when you come here. It’s just like a kbbq, you will leave smelling like the food. So if you see a dude with a super beat up sweatshirt eating here, it’s probably me.
They take forever to fill up your water, so I usually just jack a pitcher and keep it at the table.

I had actually already gotten a number at the first Irvine Boiling Point location and was waiting outside when I noticed ANOTHER Boiling Point across the plaza. My mom said, «oh yeah, they opened another one for reservation only I believe.»
We walked over to check it out since we had time to kill, and lo and behold the other location is indeed primarily for reservations, but they had enough empty table space that they were willing to take our party of four for lunch. This was shortly after opening, around 11:20AM. Instead of waiting 20+ minutes for a seat at Irvine location #1, we were seated immediately at Irvine location #2!
It also gave me a chance to check out this new location. The interior is not that large, but has a decent number of tables. It’s dark but clean and modern, similar to Irvine #1. The menu is obviously identical to all other Boiling Point restaurants, although a little different from what I remember from my last visit in mid-​2015.
Service is good and I found it amusing that even the non-​Chinese speaking employees are trained to say «歡迎光臨» (a greeting when someone walks into a store) when someone enters the restaurant, just like in Taiwan! =)
Lunch still comes with a complimentary cup of tea (black or green), though not stated on the menu. There are several different hotpots to choose from, and you can also add items a-​la-​carte. You also get a choice of rice or vermicelli noodles with your hotpot.
Food is tasty and portions are adequate, and you can also get the large size if desired. There are also five spice levels to choose from. About $ 12 for a standard sized hotpot before tax.
I like Boiling Point but the lines/​wait can get long, so definitely consider making reservations for this second location!

I’ve been here countless of times and usually come before the dinner crowd arrives so that there is no wait. I always get their #1 Tzo Tzo hotpot, which comes with a generous portion of fermented tofu. I’ve tried their other hotpots, but none taste as authentically-​Taiwanese as the Tzo Tzo hotpot. It comes with a variety of ingredients (fishcakes, intestines, pig blood cake, cabbage, mushroom, meatball, quail egg, clam, pork, etc…) and the portion size is perfect for each individual.

Honestly, I didn’t like Boiling Point the first time I came here. Maybe I was in a bad mood or funk but I just wasn’t feeling it. Fast forward to a year later and I decided to give it a shot again. It’s a good thing the fiancée and I came back because we actually go here at least every other week! Probably because it’s been a really cold winter but it’s on our current palate playlist. We almost always have to have the beef hot pot.
Of course, there are some major down sides. The parking sucks. 7pm on a weeknight? Good luck with that. Customer service is another story. Sometimes they’re great and sometimes… well…you have to try REAL hard to get someone’s attention and when you do, make sure they follow through with whatever you ask or request. Location is another issue but that’s more of a personal issue for my fiancée and I since we live in Anaheim and this place is obviously a bit of a drive for us.
Other than that, still enjoy coming here. Beef hot pot for the win! =)

They have a separate reservation only spot in the same plaza… makes me happy. Must reserve 2 hours in advance though but perfect for lunch. :D

Came here for the lunch special! I had only been to Boiling Point once prior for dinner, so I was not aware that the lunch special included either a black or green tea. I’m glad I had unknowingly ordered a honey green tea, because 1) it was delicious and 2) it helped quench the burn of the mild hot pot soup that I got.
Note: if you have a low tolerance for spicy foods like me, the mild can be more than enough. Wish I had opted out, and just got no spice!
The beef hot soup was super yummy though! Lots of flavor and lots of variety in the soup. I didn’t even need to eat a lot of my rice, since the meat and veggies in the soup were pretty filling.
This location seems new and is very hidden, but it is literally right across from the other pronounced Boiling Point in the same plaza! I would have walked right into the other one (which was jam packed), if it weren’t for my friend that redirected me.
Another thing, parking is a pain in the butt. The plaza and parking lot look deceivingly big, but it is not. There are too many markets and shops, all popular, bringing in crowds of people and cars. I circled around over 5 times trying to find a spot. Also, if you’re driving anything bigger than a sedan, good luck! It was hard trying to find a spot that could actually fit my car and wasn’t in a loading zone.

Food — not amazing, but pretty good
Prices — not terribly expensive, like $ 15 /​person
Drinks — don’t bother (except hot tea or water)
Reservations — yes. the girl on the phone spoke broken English but was helpful. The other one nearby doesn’t take them (it’s first come first served only)
Service — nonexistent. would give 0 stars if I could. At one point it was like, does anyone work in this section?
Bathrooms — true (see to believe!)
Bowls — waaay too small =(wth
Spoons — make sure they give you one!
I’ll spare all the gory details of my first visit to this Taiwanese hot pot spot, but the above should give you a pretty good idea. Still worth it for some hot fresh soup on a cold December night. And good company is always worth the trouble. Go next door to Tebo if you want some delicious drinks or desserts. Moving on…
2.87 654 321 Stars

Upon stepping into a dark, somewhat isolated corner restaurant, I was taken aback by the exposed brick walls and sleek furniture. This is, hands down, one of the better locations of the Boiling Point Group in the states. Not only the décor but the location is vastly larger than its counterparts.
One big advantage this location has is they accept reservations. You really don’t need it on a weekday but it’s always nice to know that you don’t have to wait for a table. Yes, there are 2 locations in the same plaza (on opposite sides of the parking lot) but it doesn’t seem like many people know about this one.
Lamb — My go-​to is the lamb, medium spicy with rice. There really isn’t much to say about the quality of their food as they are generally consistent across the board. My pot had lots of lamb, lots of vegetables and lots of flavorful soup.
Their service is excellent. Considering there were only a handful of other people there at the time, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Our waters were filled without having to flag anyone down and we were checked on quite occasionally.
This location may be easy to miss but just look for that large «Boiling Point» sign in the corner of the restaurant, above Tebo Tebo Lounge.

What I love about Boiling Point is their convenience and their variety of hot pot dishes. As an avid fan of hot pot and the new-​age individual hot pot restaurants, I find myself at Boiling Point a lot more frequently than I thought, especially in the colder seasons. This location is right across from the other one, and if you’ve ever been to the walk in location, you can understand why the restaurant opened a branch so close to each other – business is booming!
The ambience of this reservation only Boiling Point is better, and cozier than the other location. If you have a reservation, you’re seated immediately, which is a nice change. Sometimes if this location is emptier, people from the walk-​in restaurant will get transferred here.
The hot pots are all pre-​made mixes, so there isn’t much customization allowed besides the choice between having a side of rice or glass noodles, which can be tough for people who don’t absolutely love every ingredient included in their hot pot, and some of the hot pots cannot change their spiceyness level. The Thai hot pot and the Japanese miso hot pot cannot be adjusted to a smaller size, nor can the other hot pots be adjusted to a bigger size. Nevertheless, if there’s a recipe here that you love love love, then it’s not hard to understand why people keep coming back. Unfortunately, if you’re one who enjoys hot pot as a collective endeavor, where you and your friends cook all the meat yourselves in a big pot, boiling point might not be for you.
What I do enjoy is that they refill your soup, even when you’re taking it to-​go, so you can cook up something in the broth the next day, and that staff is generally friendly (although they are obviously quite busy).
One thing that nags me about the Irvine locations is that they are constantly out of Hokkaido milk tea. I’ve been to other locations and that’s never been a problem. Maybe it’s just too busy here!
Tip: come here for lunch rather than dinner. It’s cheaper for the same amount of food, and you get a free drink!

BP Irvine 2 is #1.
This is Boiling Points second Irvine location… but keep it on the down low because wait times are on the down low.
I’m reluctant to write this review. Boiling Point is dear to me, and with the wait times at the first Irvine location, I want to keep Irvine 2 a secret forever.
I have never had to wait for a table, nor have I ever made a reservation. I just walked right in, asked for a table and was seated instantly. It’s always just me and my boyfriend, so we don’t need extra accommodations. However, they do encourage reservations here for a steady stream of customers, so to keep it safe, make a reservation if your party’s larger than 2.
I usually get either the lamb or beef hot soup, medium spice and always with vermicelli, and Sunday was made perfectly. The spiciness levels can be a bit inconsistent, since I’ve gotten a watery medium before, but so far, this location has been great! The food came out fairly quickly and it was a happy ending after that.
As is the story with all Boiling Points, service is lacking here; servers are very slow and this location tends to be understaffed. Coming in on Sunday during lunch, there was one server working the entire restaurant. She was also new, so she wasn’t as efficient. We needed extra broth a few times since it boiled to the point of California drought; we were rarely checked on, so be prepared to get their attention if you need anything. However, it’s not a big deal to me, since I’m usually busy eating and enjoying what’s in front of me — flagging down servers just comes with the territory.
The prices are exactly the same, and the food, in my opinion, is exactly the same. Not sure why others don’t come to this location but better for me and my love of their hot soups!

Came here for lunch the other day but for some special promotions that day, they were only serving their hot pots at dinner price, which was okay since the promo was buy 3 pots and get one free and also a BOGO deal for drinks (equal or lesser value).
I decided to try the new Pomelo flavor they added just to switch it up from the usual. It can only get up to a mild spicy level since it’s really just some powder/​spices they add on top of the food. The Pomelo flavor isn’t that apparent unless you drink the soup directly, which is good and bad. Good because the pomelo flavor doesn’t really fuse well with the hot pot ingredients but bad because the flavor was lacking a bit.
I did like all the ingredients in this hot pot selection though, so that was good. For the BOGO, I tried the Hokkaido Milk Tea (finally) but it was way too sweet for me. Probably will stick to my basic teas next time!
They really should turn up the AC a little bit more here, or just increasing the air flow cuz it got pretty stuffy in there. Service was pretty fast and friendly, from start to finish.
I haven’t experienced the reservations aspect because the other location was closed for renovation and only had this location open for business. Thus, I can’t really comment about that feature.

I only go to this boiling point because it takes reservation = no wait. Woohoo!
The food is the same as the other boiling point in the same plaza. I like their lunch better because it is cheaper and comes with a tea. Lunch and dinner portion are the same size. Still have to wait a while for the food to come out from the kitchen, but not anymore than the other boiling point locations. The ‘run by trainee’ part didn’t bother me. In fact I found the waiter more attentive.
This locations is taking walk in today. So I don’t understand how their reservation system works now. Based on other Unilocalers reviews, seem like the reservation system changes depending on when it is. But as long as I don’t have to wait, I am good. Good luck you all!

I like this location compared to the other BP in this plaza: it’s a much larger space with larger tables and cushioned seats for your tush. Very nice. And the reservation-​only policy means no wait, which is even more perfect.
The food itself is standard on par with all other Boiling Points. After all, the food already comes pre-​made and the only work really involved is adding an egg and heating it up, so you gotta try really hard to mess that up. There are many challenges in life, but prepping a dish at Boiling Point is not one of them.
Speaking of surprising challenges, I’m surprised at the number of reviews that claim you can only make reservations two hours in advance and complain about not being able to get a table due to the popularity. People need to read instructions more carefully. The truth is, you have to make a reservation «at least» two hours in advance, as the sign clearly states. This means you can make reservations earlier. Obviously they just don’t want people to call last minute for a reservation and expect a table to be available.
Service…I suppose it can be a hit or miss. We ordered rice with our dinners but they didn’t have it ready (they were cooking a new batch). Feel like something like that could be better planned especially knowing the demand what with this place being reservation-​only.
Oh last but not least, they have a «barf sink» in the restrooms. I’m excited because I have never seen one before. My horizons have yet expanded, thank you!