Best Hot Pot on Convoy
7 picksThe short answer
The best hot pot on Convoy depends on what you're after: Liuyishou Hot Pot for AYCE wagyu hot pot with a group, YinTang Spicy Hot Pot for solo or on a budget, YGF Malatang for malatang with easy parking.
- Best for AYCE wagyu hot pot with a group: Liuyishou Hot Pot
- Best for solo or on a budget: YinTang Spicy Hot Pot
- Best for malatang with easy parking: YGF Malatang
- Best for mixed spice tolerances: Yonny Mini Hot Pot
- Best for clean Japanese shabu: Shabu Shabu House
- Best for an AYCE wagyu blowout: Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House
- Best for AYCE shabu plus BBQ: Kanpai BBQ & Shabu
How to choose
Convoy hot pot comes in five styles, and they're not interchangeable: Chongqing mala you share at the table, build-your-own malatang paid by weight, individual Sichuan pots, classic Japanese shabu shabu, and all-you-can-eat wagyu shabu. It's the best stretch for hotpot in San Diego because all five sit within a mile of each other.
Want the full numbing-heat experience with friends? Liuyishou. Eating solo or on a budget? YinTang's malatang is priced by the pound and open straight through the afternoon; YGF Malatang is the same idea with free fruit tea and an easy lot. Mixed spice tolerances? Yonny gives everyone their own pot. For clean Japanese broths and quality meat — a la carte or AYCE from $34 — Shabu Shabu House. For an AYCE wagyu blowout, Mikiya. Can't pick between hot pot and BBQ? Kanpai does both at one table.
Mala broths run hot — most places let you go half-and-half or pick a mild level, and it's worth doing the first time.
Before you go: tips for hot pot on Convoy
- Liuyishou's AYCE is $28.95 with sauce bar and most soup bases included (spicy and golden chicken broths add $1-2) — $2 more on Fridays, weekends and holidays, so weekdays are the deal
- Malatang is priced by weight — noodles and tofu stretch your money, meat adds up fast
- Split the pot (mala plus a mild broth) if your group has mixed spice tolerance
- AYCE hot pot runs on a clock — Mikiya seatings are 90 minutes
- Weekend dinners get waits — book Mikiya on Yelp and go early elsewhere
Compare the picks side by side
| Spot | Best for | Style | How you pay | The pot | Heads-up | Open until | Parking | Reservations | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liuyishou Hot Pot | AYCE wagyu hot pot with a group | Chongqing mala | AYCE $28.95 (+$2 weekends); premium +$6 | Shared; split mala with a mild broth | 90-min seating; brisket 2 orders each | 9:30pm (10pm Fri–Sat) | Medium | No | - |
| YinTang Spicy Hot Pot | Solo or on a budget | Build-your-own malatang | $13.99/lb + $1 broth; 1-lb minimum | Your own bowl | Broths are beef-based; most carry heat | 9:30pm | Brutal | No | Often |
| YGF Malatang | Malatang with easy parking | Build-your-own malatang | $13.99/lb; beef bone broth +$2.99 | Your own bowl | Weekdays closed 3-5pm | 9pm | Easy | No | - |
| Yonny Mini Hot Pot | Mixed spice tolerances | Sichuan fish soups + malatang bar | Fish soups by size; malatang by weight | Individual bowls | QR ordering; most broths numbing more than hot | 10pm | Medium | No | - |
| Shabu Shabu House | Clean Japanese shabu | Japanese shabu shabu | A la carte by weight, or AYCE $34 / $40 / $65 | Individual pots | Weekdays dinner only, from 5pm | 10pm | Brutal | No | - |
| Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House | An AYCE wagyu blowout | AYCE wagyu shabu | AYCE $55-$98 dinner; $34.98 lunch | Two broths for the table | 90-minute seatings; reserve for weekends | 10pm (11pm Fri–Sat) | Medium | Yes | - |
| Kanpai BBQ & Shabu | AYCE shabu plus BBQ | AYCE shabu (+ Japanese BBQ) | $39.95 dinner, $34.95 weekend lunch; both $47.95 | Your own pot, 2 broths | Weekend waits; groups of 6+ can reserve | 11pm | Medium | No | Often |
Prices are approximate, per person, as reported by the restaurants and recent diners. A dash means we haven't confirmed it.
The 7 picks
Liuyishou Hot Pot
Now an unlimited-wagyu AYCE at $28.95 a person (+$2 weekends), with soup base, a big sauce bar and a self-serve veggie and dessert bar included. Sukiyaki is the favorite broth; the mala runs hot even at mild.
YinTang Spicy Hot Pot
Build-your-own malatang: fill a bowl from the ingredient bar, pick a broth (beef bone is the favorite, tomato the mild one) and they cook it — $13.99 a pound with a 1-pound minimum, spiced skewers on the side, open straight through the afternoon.
YGF Malatang
The San Diego outpost of a big Chinese malatang chain, in Independence Square off Clairemont Mesa Blvd: fill a bowl from the fridges, pay $13.99 a pound, pick a broth (herbal beef bone, +$2.99, is the favorite; tomato has no spice), then hit the free sauce bar. Free fruit tea, and the easiest parking of the malatang spots.
Yonny Mini Hot Pot
The former Fish With You: everyone gets their own bowl of Sichuan suancai fish soup (from $14.95), from numbing mala to no-spice tomato and lemon, plus a new build-your-own malatang bar. Portions run big.
Shabu Shabu House
The Japanese shabu institution, 25+ years on Convoy — individual pots at a counter, house-made broths (spicy miso is the one), quality meat by weight or AYCE from $34, and owner Kirby coaching first-timers. Weekdays dinner only; go at 5pm.
Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House
The premium end: AYCE wagyu shabu with sashimi, wagyu nigiri and free drinks and soft serve, tiered $55 to $98 at dinner — or $34.98 at lunch, the best wagyu deal on Convoy. Reserve for weekend dinners.
Kanpai BBQ & Shabu
AYCE shabu with your own pot and two of nine broths (tom yum and sukiyaki are favorites), wagyu brisket and chuck eye, and a self-serve vegetable and seafood bar — $39.95 at dinner, $34.95 at weekend lunch, drinks and ice cream included. Want Japanese BBQ too? Combo tables are $47.95.
Called Hot Pot on Convoy, but not quite
Listed nearby, cooks differently — worth knowing before you go in expecting a shared pot.
hot pot on Convoy: common questions
What's the best hot pot on Convoy?
Liuyishou for $28.95 all-you-can-eat wagyu hot pot with a group, Mikiya for an all-you-can-eat wagyu blowout, and Shabu Shabu House for clean Japanese broths. Eating alone or on a budget? YinTang's malatang, priced by weight.
What's the cheapest hot pot on Convoy?
YinTang's build-your-own malatang at $13.99 a pound with a 1-pound minimum — most bowls come to $16 to $20. For a full all-you-can-eat hot pot, Liuyishou is $28.95 a person with unlimited wagyu chuck, sauce bar and most soup bases included ($2 more on weekends). Mikiya's $34.98 AYCE wagyu lunch is the cheapest way into premium wagyu.
Where can I get all-you-can-eat hot pot on Convoy?
Liuyishou ($28.95 with unlimited wagyu chuck, or +$6 for premium crab, oysters and ribeye; ordering closes at 90 minutes), Shabu Shabu House ($34, $40 or $65 tiers, individual Japanese pots) and Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House ($55 to $98 at dinner or $34.98 at lunch, in 90-minute seatings).
Which hot pot is good for one person?
YinTang (your own malatang bowl), Yonny Mini Hot Pot and Shabu Shabu House (individual pots) all work solo. Liuyishou and Mikiya are built for sharing.
Where can I get hot pot that isn't spicy?
Shabu Shabu House's clean Japanese broths, Yonny's sour-style broths, or YinTang's tomato broth — YinTang's other broths carry some heat even at mild. At Liuyishou, split the pot with a mild broth.
Do I need a reservation for hot pot on Convoy?
Book Mikiya online or on Yelp for Friday and Saturday dinner. Liuyishou takes reservations and a Google waitlist and is usually easy midweek; the others are walk-in, and weekend dinners bring waits everywhere.