There are mainly two kinds of hotpot restaurant in Beijing: Mongolian and Sichuan style, the staple of both being mutton.

Mongolian hot pot was originated from northern nomadic tribes. The Chinese hot pot boasts a history of more than 1000 years and became popular during the Tang Dynasty (628-907). In the following dynasties, the cooking style was used by imperial chefs in the middle of 17th century. Mutton hot pot became a favorite for royal family. You"re prepared with slices of raw mutton. You can put them into the boiling water in the hot pot placed in the middle of the table of the table, coat them with a do-it-yourself sauce, and start eating. The pot itself is made of brass, with a wide outer rim where charcoal burns to heat liquid.

Spicy Sichuan hotpot divides into half-spicy, half-not. In the past Sichuan Hot Pot was very spicy. Now people can taste hot pot with spicy, clear or milky soup. A hot pot may be divided into several parts, and a customer may instant boil food of three or four tastes in a same pot, in addition to various herbal medicinal hot pots. A hot pot is an electric or gas pot filled with flavorful and nutritious soup base. Be careful since the spicy soup base is burning hot.

The most famous Mongolian hot-pot restaurant is Donglaishun Hotpot Restaurant. Besides, there are lots of smaller restaurants serving Mongolian hot-pot. Nowadays, Sichuan hot-pot is very popular in Beijing. You can find many restaurants providing Sichuan hot-pot. The most popular are Koufuju Restaurant, Flying Fish Land Restaurant and etc.