AI Spot Summary
The meal options are plentiful, but the flavors are a bit ordinary. The classic spicy broth is not spicy enough, and customers need to adjust it themselves. The mushroom soup has a fresh sweetness but seems a bit cheap.
The store is bright and clean, offering outdoor and indoor seating, but due to the large number of customers, there may be a wait.
Self-service meal pickup requires queuing, the service efficiency is average, waiting time is relatively long, and the replenishment of ingredients is quick.
Reviews
Zhang Liang Spicy Hot Pot comes from China and is a well-known spicy hot pot chain brand, with over 5,000 stores in China and overseas. It will open its first store in Taiwan in Taipei in June 2024.
The Zhang Liang Spicy Hot Pot Taipei Zhongxiao store is located in an alley on Zhongxiao East Road in the Da’an District of Taipei. The nearest MRT station is the exit 3 of Zhongxiao Dunhua Station, which is about a 4-minute walk. The store, which just opened, is bright and clean, with both outdoor and indoor seating options, and there are quite a number of seats available.
Upon entering the store, patrons are to find their own seats. On the right side, customers can take large bowls and tongs to queue up to select their desired ingredients. The front area mainly consists of vegetable hot pot ingredients, while the back area features mushrooms, starches, and meats. After selecting ingredients, patrons weigh them at the counter and take a number tag; the price is 49 NT dollars per 100 grams. (Noodles/Rice: $20). Payment can be made in cash or by credit card, and invoices have mailing options and there is no service charge.
Today, we came for lunch during a weekday, and there were a lot of customers, so we only managed to sit outside. There were tons of people lining up to select ingredients and to checkout; after finishing selection, it took about 20 minutes for our food to be cooked and served.
The soup bases offered include classic spicy, tomato, and mushroom broth:
🔸Classic Spicy: This seems to be adjusted to Taiwanese tastes? The spicy broth isn’t very spicy, slightly salty, and may need additional chili from the condiment area to satisfy customers who prefer stronger flavors.
🔸Mushroom Broth: It has a sweet mushroom flavor, but gives off an inexplicable cheap feeling, reminiscent of instant broth powder.
Our group of four ended up spending over $250 after weighing our ingredients (one person who selected a lot of hot pot ingredients almost reached $300). The variety of ingredients was quite rich (but the quality felt average). A positive aspect is that the ingredients get replenished quickly after selection, but I still think the prices are a bit high. After eating, we felt quite empty, and given the waiting and queuing time, it's unlikely we would return.