First Asian hot pot restaurant opens in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Boiling Pot, Cedar Rapids’ first hot pot restaurant, has opened near Lindale Mall a couple months after it was announced.

The Asian restaurant commenced with its soft opening March 1 at 5070 Lindale Dr. NE, according to a social media announcement. The new replacement fills the vacancy left by former restaurant Mezcal Tequila Cocina.

Menus posted online feature an “all you can eat” style that include appetizers like crispy dumplings and crab rangoons, over two dozen meat and seafood options, over 10 vegetables, noodle and rice additions, and soy-based options like tofu and dried bean curd.

Hot pot, a cuisine with Chinese roots, offers a uniquely social experience in group dining. Using a pair of tongs, diners cook their own meat and vegetables at the table by dropping them into a boiling broth. After a few minutes, diners ladle their soup and cooked toppings into a bowl.

The menu also features boba tea, yogurt-infused beverages, and Asian alcohols like sake and soju.

Boiling Pot is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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