Chongqing Lao Jiu Men Hotpot

What is Chongqing Lao Jiu Men Hotpot? Located in a commercial plaza on Steeles Avenue East in Scarborough, this former dining hall brought uncompromising Chongqing-style heat to the east end's late-night crowds. The spacious interior catered to communal feasting, packing groups into large booths fitted with tabletop induction burners. It drew substantial local buzz for its heavy, tallow-based broths, famously poured over sculpted beef-fat cartoon characters that slowly melted into the fiery base.

Chongqing Lao Jiu Men Hotpot Menu & What to Order The order strategy revolved around the fiery house spicy soup, fragrant with toasted aromatics, star anise, and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Tables filled rapidly with platters of thinly shaved lamb and beef, tender pork neck meat, frog legs, and a house-made raw shrimp paste that diners scooped straight into the simmering pot. To counter the searing chili oil, the kitchen mixed chilled Yakult specialty drinks spiked with sweet fruit juices.

Know Before You Go Chongqing Lao Jiu Men Hotpot permanently closed its Scarborough doors on March 2, 2021, and is no longer open for service. The surrounding complex near Steeles and Brimley still offers ample surface parking and access via the TTC's 53 Steeles East bus route for neighboring establishments.