Here is an excerpt from OpenTable Website. “Spice World is a hot pot restaurant in downtown Flushing specializing in Sichuan-style hot pot. It currently has over 600 locations globally, including Sydney and Singapore. The one in Flushing is the 613rd store. Spice World originated in Chengdu, Sichuan, a hometown for the most authentic hot pot. Spice World has already earned its reputation in Chengdu since its establishment. The visit from David Cameron (Former Prim Minister of the Great Britain) and Orlando Bloom (English Actor) just made the Spice World a even hotter topic in social media. The name of Mr. Cameron’s favorite dish “Pork Meatball with Cilantro” was changed to “Prime Minister’s Favorite Meatball” and became the signature dish.”

Address: 136-20 Roosevelt Ave #2m, Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: (718) 521-9999

Hours: MON-SUN 12:00 pm–2:00 am

Reservation is available at opentable.com

 

Personal Experience

I am a huge fan of Sichuan hotpot, and usually I eat hotpot at least twice a month. After coming to America, I was a little disappointed because I can’t find a hotpot place that’s as authentic as in China. I visited Xiang Hotpot shortly after it opened, and it surprised me a lot.

The restaurant itself has a very unique interior design – traditional Chinese style and one of the best dinning environments in NY so far. You can actually sense the hot pot culture even before you walk inside: the big gateway structure outside the dinning hall makes it attractive to customers. The restaurant has a big variety of food options and good selection of soup bases, I will suggest you try the special “Jiu Gong Ge” hotpot if you can eat spicy. The price is a little bit expensive but it is acceptable. Food is fresh and comes in great presentation and everything tastes as good as it looks. I will definitely recommend “House Special tripes” and “Handmade Shrimp meatball.” which distinguish the restaurant from other Sichuan hotpot places. They have “face change” called Bian Lian which is an important subgenre of Chinese Sichuan Opera, so you see something unique from another culture while you enjoy the hotpot.

It is one of my favorite places to eat in NY, but be sure to make a reservation in advance since there is always so many people waiting outside that you don’t want to be the same.