Hot pot is undoubtedly one of the hottest food trends in Metro Vancouver lately, with new spots popping up left and right.
But like any trend, there comes a saturation point—and not every restaurant survives, especially in this challenging economic climate.
One new casualty is Hot Pot Master, which quietly shut down its sole Vancouver location along Kingsway.
This is unfortunate considering its high 4.7 star rating.
Also known as Gang Wu Qu, Hot Pot Master is a hot pot chain from Chengdu, China, boasting over 800 locations worldwide.
Established in 1987, this brand brought its first taste of Chengdu to Vancouver in 2019 with the Kingsway outpost.
They offered a unique twist on hot pot with fridges filled with skewers of meats, seafood, tofu, and more for diners to pick and cook at their tables.
To keep up with the fierce competition in the local hot pot scene, Hot Pot Master eventually switched to all-you-can-eat offering a couple months ago.
The restaurant’s fun school-themed ambiance, with bright colorful benches, brick walls, and blackboards, brought a unique experience compared to other hot pot restaurants in the city.
However, based on recent Google reviews, it appears that Hot Pot Master closed down sometime between September and October, with no announcement made on its social media accounts.
Green Leaf Sushi has already announced that it will be taking over this unit, signaling another change in Vancouver’s ever-evolving food landscape.
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Address: 5737 Battison St, Vancouver, BC