Boiling Point

I honeslty always regret not having pictures of the food for these reviews. Haha. So, I came here on a really cold day with my mom and sister after we had stopped by 85 across the street. I’ve heard of Boiling Point before and the hype about it is huge. Don’t get me wrong, it was actually good, but it wasn’t everything I thought it was. There’s a place in Alhambra where Jazz Cat is called One on One. It’s a hotpot joint that is about the same thing.
We went to one on one at night for dinner while we went to boiling point for lunch. So obviously, portion size was different. However, the types of stuff in the hotpots weren’t even able to compare. The hot pot at boiling point has a few things in there that you can eat and have fun with. But, with my experience at other hot pot places, the hype for this place isn’t all that.
Don’t get me wrong, the food was good and the service was super nice, this just isn’t the place for me at the price they’re asking for. And it sucked when all they had for sauce was the chili oil, bean paste, and garlic sauce. :(My personal favorite is the sesame that’s usually found in all hotpot places.
It is convenient though, the parking lot that’s shared for all local businesses and apartment residents only charges you $ 2 if you exceed the 90 minute limit for free exit. So yeah, I’m not complaining about the taste or anything, it’s great. But the hype got me hyped, turns out, I myself just find it mediocre. I wouldn’t mind coming back, don’t know if I will as often.

This is a great spot to get hot pot in Pasadena! It is on the pricey side like most people have said, but the soups are so tasty, not too oily, and the ingredients (especially the veggies) are high quality. I also love their brown rice here.
My favorite is the tomato veggie, but people who like heavier soups, will also like the angus beef.
I always like to end with either their tofu dessert or the grass jelly one. The tofu in their dessert is soooo soft and almost pudding like. It tastes great and isn’t too sweet!
Definitely check this place out. Great ambience, service, and good food.

We have been to this Boiling Point twice already and think it’s great! I think we always beat peak hours because neither time did we have to wait to be seated. I love their milk tea and usually get it with the regular amount of sweetener whereas my boyfriend gets it half as sweet (they have different % levels in case you don’t like sweet drinks). I really love their hot pot with lamb. The first time we went my boyfriend and I got the meat lover upgrade — but it ended up being too much food. The regular amount is great!
This is a newer Boiling Point than the others we have been to and I gotta say the interior is way better than the other Boiling Points. Staff is friendly too!
Love this place!
Also I think they have a collaboration using the Tea business next door for their drinks?

I am not an expert on Taiwanese hot pots but they were pretty good, flavorful and filling. I can never finish my soup there; food coma status. The only reason I give this place three stars is the service. The first time I went there, the staff made me wait 20 minutes to take my order. That’s not a good idea when your customer is hungry.
The next time, I arrived one hour before closing at 10pm. The restaurant was half-​empty with four waiters walking around. They made me wait 7 minutes to take me to my table. There were at least ten empty tables so I don’t understand what took them so long to figure out where to put me. The likelihood that a huge party would come in after 10pm on a Tuesday night and take all available tables was pretty small. I contemplated to walk out and go to Sushi Stop instead but I remained patient. And then they placed me at the tiny table next to a man who was blowing off his nose and wiping off his sweat the whole time. I get it. He had a spicy soup that makes you sneeze and sweat but it’s not very appealing and appetizing to watch, especially when you’re about to eat.
I’m not sure if I want to come back again. I might stick to AYCE hot pot at Little Sheep nearby.

This was an interesting experience and allows you to get creative. I don’t think theres a wrong way to eat this but we asked regardless and how to eat from your pot is part of the fun. On the table there are 3 spicy sauces and they tell u how to mix them, you dip your ingredients in the sauce and then eat it with your rice or broth (the soup broth mild was delicious). They have 12 pots to choose from with generous and perfectly filling portions with a variety of ingredients. Don’t even bother asking for substitutions cause it won’t happen.
It is a small space with boiling hot pots on a tight table = steam! lots of steam and scalding hot ingredients. We ventured through the whole boiling point experience and within minutes we happily asked to have our pots turned off. Five minutes of a boiling hot pot is more than enough, the food inside comes already cooked. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and I would definitely recommend an upgrade. I ordered the $ 15 Seafood tofu (a good amount of seafood, tofu, veggies and noodles) with a $ 3.50 deluxe upgrade. We came hungry and so we each ordered our own, but we saw several people around us sharing 1 pot and adding on ingredients to it throughout their course.

Fun and different concept on hot pot. You don’t cook yourself, it comes already done. This is their test kitchen, so the menu is constantly evolving and the choices vary from their line stores. It is a small place, so expect a wait and there is very little waiting space.
I do like they give a little appetizer that changes regularly. The boba tea is fancy and comes from their next door concept tea shop. It is a good $ 5 a boba, so pricey!

Shorter wait compared to Monterey park and San Gabriel location. There’s quite a difference.
1. They give free seaweed appetizer, tastes okay. Not bad.
2. They have cheese as an option and free upgrade your size pot for a few dollars more.
3. They have regular tofu and no stinky tofu, it was spicy and sweet which is good.
4. I ordered tea, they do not have classic and Hokkaido milk tea. The tea is very different from the Asian locations. They get it from the tea place next door. It’s still good and tastes healthy. I had the beauty oolong milk tea and roasted oolong tea. The oolong milk was better but they are both good.
5. Angus beef as a choice is new and brown rice or white rice instead of vermicelli or udon noodles.
6. Lettuce instead of cabbage, which I have no complaints.
I had the angus beef and it was good, but the Taiwanese one I was able to try and tastes much better.
This Pasadena boiling point is a decent 3.5 overall. $ 15.00 a hot pot per person. Its just a one time thing for me. I would not drive here just for that. I like the slight variety though in the menu option.

I guess now, due to the cooler weather in Los Angeles, we could say that hot pot spots are the bomb. I mean, it’s a break from your usual ramen cravings and a great way to warm your body up in a jiffy.
The location’s a good size and there’s not too much of a wait compared to their Monterey Park location. However, unlike their MP location, there’s no Stinky Tofu pot. Service is great but during the dinner rush, they get a tad slow and kind of forget to do the small things like refill your water cup or coming back to give you an extra set of chopsticks etc.
But let’s talk about food: their Taiwanese Spicy is all sorts of amazing! It’s only available in their «flaming» spicy level so it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. I took a risk and still went for it but do I regret it? Nope! I love the pork blood cake and the heat that came from the soup, ah, perfection. Take note: I did need at least four refills of water but it was totally worth it. The only thing that I wasn’t enthusiastic about was the pork intestine. From all that boiling, it ended up becoming rubbery and just, eh, ugh, ick!
My friends got the Angus Beef and Japanese Miso pot both of which looked super delish and lived up to how good it looked! I’ve got to say though, I do wonder exactly how to eat the crab that’s in the Japanese Miso pot. My friend picked on it for a bit but then gave up on it. I mean, seriously, please. I mean duh, I know I have to crack the crab and stuff but there’s got to be an easier way to eat it without burning your hands from the heat of the crab shell as well as getting your hands dirty since it’s covered with a ton of broth!
Overall though, service is good and they’re really friendly plus the food really hits the spot. Worth a try when you’re in the area and even more worth it for cold nights.

New Boiling Point spot opened up in the heart of Pasadena! It’s located right across from 85 Degrees Bakery and right next door to Color Me Mine!
It’s a pretty small restaurant so big parties and getting seated during rush hour might pose a bit of a wait. We went at 9PM on a Tuesday night so no wait. We were seated right away and the staff was super friendly and checked up on us constantly through our meal.
I’m sad to report that this place doesn’t have the stinky tofu pot, which is my favorite from Boiling Point! I ordered the Taiwanese Spicy pot instead along with the Organic spicy tofu (my sad attempt at satisfying my stinky tofu fix). They also include seaweed as an appetizer! The organic tofu was pretty delicious-​not stinky at all, at least not to my stinky tofu standards ($ 4.50). The pots are about $ 13-​$ 15 give or take and you have your options to add on. Another point I didn’t like about this spot is that they only give you either brown or white rice as the side and you can’t substitute it with noodles unless you fork the extra $ 3 bucks or something.
The Taiwanese Spicy pot is ONLY available in the spicy. And it is SPICY. My mouth was on fire the whole time but luckily they offer more soup so I can at least dilute some of that spiciness. I felt that the ingredients were plenty and fresh.

Boiling Point certainly deserve 4 stars.
Though, I have to be honest, the food is only ³⁄₅ stars rating. Because when you really think about it, it’s just meat, vegies and seafood in a boiling flavored soup. Like you can easily make this hot pot at home.
However their service, restaurant ambiance and plate presentation make it all a 4 star experience!
I truly enjoyed their Japanese Miso dish because it had a lot of seafood (real crab, fish fillet and fish balls), mushroom and vegies, and not to mention their very generous serving on the pork slices. Their broth was good too!
Here are some pointers:
Lunch $ 13.99, Dinner $ 14.99
* Japanese Miso (MUST TRY)
* Korean Bean Paste
* Taiwanese Spicy * caution: mega spicy. Like flaming spicy
So you can choose the level of hotness for your broth, their spicy is actually spicy to most people. So I recommend getting mild/​medium and if you want it spicier you can easily add the chilly paste available on the table.
MIND YOU, their water cups are tinies itty bitties! Which is very strange to me. Because when people are sweating for their life because they make bad life choices and order the spiciest broth, they’ll have to keep asking the waiter to refill their water. Which can be a hassle. Soo TIP: BRING YOUR OWN BEVERAGE/​WATER.
Cheers!

The first time that I came here with a friend, we ordered different things but both ended up getting the runs in an extreme way. We’re not sure what caused it, but I still wanted to try it one more time to see if it happened again before I reviewed this place. The second time, I came with the same friend and my parents and the 4 of us all got the lamb bowl. It was AMAZING. Delicious. And no assplosions afterwards! Yayyy! Wins on multiple fronts!
The only complaints I have is that the food is very salty, so prepare to be thirsty afterwards. Also, the music is super annoying top 40 crap. If they just changed it to some good music, this place would be completely awesome.

I’ve never been to any other Boiling Points so when my coworker said the portions are small, I was expecting to leave BP still hungry. I don’t know what she was talking about because the portion size is enough to overfill the stomach (and I didn’t eat my rice). I got the tender lamb pot (mild spicy level) & it was good — love lamb meat in my hot pot. The blood cakes were surprisingly good too so don’t be scared off by those. I got the Jin beauty milk tea (no ice, 75% sugar) because it was a dollar off. At $ 5.75, it’s still not worth it. It wasn’t busy at 11:30 AM on a Sunday but very quickly filled up (there’s only capacity for 47).

[ TIPS ]:
1. Pasadena location is a little bit more expensive than their SGV locations. Why? Probably because it’s in Pasadena as each city has a different value. Their lunch is basically dinner cost at other BP stores ($ 14.99).
2. Parking structures has plenty of parking that way you don’t have to fight for them on the street. Motorcycle parking is FREE, by the way.
[ FOOD ]:
3. Got my usual lamb hot pot (酸菜羊肉鍋) with no spicy. I liked their set up of the lamb pot better better because it comes with less of the sour cabbages as compared to the other locations. I can spend less time picking them out when I’m eating it. LOL. Flavor of the soup is still very delicious, what we loved most was the meat. It was SOOO tender, like WTF TENDER and gloriously juicy. The quality just tasted much better here.
4. They partnered up with Jin Tea Shop next door for their drinks so their drink selections are very different. They don’t offer regular green tea or black tea rather they serve oolongs only.
5. Ended up grabbing their cold herbal grass jelly for dessert, it’s super yummy, refreshing and palate cleanser. It’s not too sweet and you can always ask for the milk on the side (I prefer not to use it).
[ SERVICE ]:
6. Definitely much better, they checked up on us on and made sure all our food order came out and made sure we were happy with the quality. They also actually smiled quite often and were very informative when we were asking about their food items. I hope they keep up the good work. :)

Comparing my beef about going to an Americanized branch than the original, I would actually prefer going to an Americanized Boiling Point.
For starters, I’ve only been to Boiling Point twice, both times at different locations, and both times were cramped as heck; I wasn’t able to enjoy the ambiance of a delicious hot pot while having a mini steam facial to boot. The last time I went was probably a year ago, so I noticed that a few things may have changed.
While waiting for my friend to arrive, I took a quick glance at the mural displayed at the front door with the different types of broth you can choose. The one that caught my eye was the pomelo broth; something I haven’t seen before and something different enough than the usual spicier broths that other places boast about.
The menu made ordering easier, as it wasn’t the same one I recall from my previous trips, which made it a bit confusing on what items came with the broth. Because I was extra hungry, I decided to upgrade and got the house special added into my broth, along with a grapefruit oolong tea from Jin.
The broth was light and citrusy, which complemented the ingredients that came along with the broth; with the upgrade, it didn’t alter the flavoring of the whole dish, but it gave it a more balanced effect. The pomelo flavor gave a nice refreshing aftertaste, no heaving feeling greasy after feeling that some broths may leave. Would highly recommend the broth.
Overall, the experience of this Boiling Point was pleasant, and would come back to this branch, given if parking wasn’t a big issue. Come on a Sunday, where some of the parking meters are free, and if you get here early enough, the wait time isn’t as bad. In fact, I went in around noon, and was seated as soon as I stepped in.

Came here on a freezing night in LA (58°).
Boiling Point was a nice surprise. The staff and service was great. Our server was able to answer the questions I had as it was my first visit.
The restaurant looks quite clean and the food was quite good. I opted for Spicy vs Flaming in flavor and I was not disappointed with the amount of heat in the soup.
Definitely worth a try for those who want to try an Asian hot pot without having to worry about being too experimental.

I definitely agree that this place is over-​priced. A hot pot for $ 15 for dinner. Even though you are likely to be full after one hot pot, but the stuff inside is cheap and they don’t really require cooking. Plus we didn’t feel very comfortable after eating, feeling stuffed and couldn’t digest.
Not worth it.

Came for the grand opening! Boy was it bustling. Can you say HOT sPOT.
This place is very minimalistic with fresh ingredients. Left me satisfied and not bloated. First time trying a hot pot and I don’t think I would like it if the ingredients weren’t as fresh and delicious as they were here
When: Sunday, Dinner 6:00pm
What: Organic Veggie (side of rice)
Angus Beef (side of rice)

I have been to the Boiling Point in Arcadia and I kind of like the Pasadena location better. It’s not as crowded as the Arcadia location and the tables are not so close to each other.
The hot pots here are smaller than the ones at the Arcadia location. I don’t know if that’s something new.
Also, the Arcadia gives you a free drink with your soup. That’s not the case here.
I was a little disappointed that they didn’t serve the Curry Fishball soup here. I ended up ordering the Anges Beef soup instead. The soup didn’t resemble anything like the picture. It had more vegetables than beef but it was good.
The servers here were friendly and very attentive to customers.

So I’ve been boycotting all boiling point locations because they took out my favorite pot, tomato veggie. When I recently found out that the Pasadena location has it again, I was like OMGGGG! I was super excited!
This bp is located right across from 85 degrees, the place is smaller than I expected it to be, but it’s not too small. Definitely bigger than the Arcadia & Alhambra location, but way smaller than the San Gabriel location.
Service is WAY better than the ones in 626. Workers kept coming every 10 mins to see if we needed anything, they came around with water constantly and always asked if we needed more soup. I was very impressed.
Of course I got the tomato veggie pot. Although the I absolutely hate tomatoes, this pot tastes nothing like tomatoes or like ketchup. Idk how to describe the taste, but it’s just delicious. So trust me, even if you’re not a tomato fan, just try this pot out. They also give you a lot more veggies than they ever did in the 626 locations.
Only bad thing about this place is that their system isn’t up to date, so they don’t take gift cards yet. But oh wells, forsure I’ll be back at this location even tho I’m only 5 mins away from the ones in 626.

Not your typical BP! It’s a concept store so everything is organic and of higher quality. For you Stinky Tofu fanatics… I’m sorry it’s not here. I was sad too. BUT! They do have the option to put cheese (cheddar or mozzarella) in your soup which is divine. The meats are tastier, and ultimately the quality is better, but you will pay for the price along with possibly a tweak in the flavors of the hot pots your accustomed to.
I’ve been there twice already. I ordered the Taiwanese flaming spicy first, and it’s very good but ridiculously spicy. The house special is delicious but I highly recommend getting the House Special upgrade, especially since you’ll be missing the stinky.
The service here, for now, is the best of all the BPs I have been to. Perhaps cause it’s brand spankin’ new but enjoy it while it lasts!
There is also a separate boba shop. So really it is a very new and distinguished BP. You get a $ 1 off if you decide to get your tea/​milk tea at BP.
For two it was about $ 50 so be prepared to receive a higher bill!