Yuan's Hot Pot

My roommate Lieke is obsessed with Yuan's Hot Pot. She went once with a Chinese colleague and came home that night saying "we are going back next week with everyone." We have been going as a group every month since. Here is the deal: it is authentic Sichuan hot pot. Not a watered-down version. You pick your broth — multiple options from mild to face-meltingly spicy. I recommend the half-and-half pot so you can do one spicy and one mild side. The way it works is you get this bubbling pot of broth at your table, and then you order plates of raw ingredients to cook in it. Thinly sliced meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles, tofu, dumplings — the selection is huge. The sauces are self-serve and making your perfect dipping sauce is half the fun. This place is an experience. The steam, the noise, the communal cooking — it is genuinely one of the most fun dinners you can have in Amsterdam. Go with a group. Minimum three people, ideally four to six. They have multiple locations. The one on Ferdinand Bolstraat in De Pijp is the one we usually go to. Booking ahead is smart, especially on weekends. Expect around 30-40 euros per person. One heads up: the spicy broth is genuinely spicy. Start with the half-and-half your first time. Also, your clothes will smell like hot pot afterwards. Wear something you do not mind.