Hugely popular self-serve hot pot restaurant opening first location in downtown Toronto
A hot pot restaurant that’s made a splash in both Canada and the United States is opening its first downtown Toronto location.
Self-described as “Canada’s most famous” hot pot restaurant, B.C.-based Big Way Hot Pot might just have a legitimate claim for that title.
Despite only opening its first-ever location in 2021, the self-serve hot pot restaurant has already spawned 12 locations across B.C. as well as its first-ever Toronto restaurant, which opened in Scarborough in early 2025, and, most recently, its first U.S. location, which opened in Rowland Heights, California, on July 20.
They even ran a Labubu giveaway for early visitors to the California location, because it’s 2025, so of course they did.
We’re digressing, though. The fact of the matter is that Big Way Hot Pot — not unlike the Labubus they’re giving away south of the border — is about as viral as a restaurant chain can be, ballooning both in terms of footprint and popularity in a relatively short period, and that’s all thanks to their unique approach.
Big Way Hot Pot offers a unique self-serve approach to hot pot, which allows visitors to peruse over 100 different ingredients, including vegetables, premium meats, seafood, and noodles, with 10 different broth bases.
Diverging from the traditional hot pot approach, where one single pot is shared for a table of multiple diners, at Big Way, each bowl is individual, so you can design it exactly how you like. The price is then calculated based on the weight of your bowl — kind of like the soup version of a frozen yogurt shop.
Phoebe Knight
Toronto got its very first Big Way Hot Pot location back in February, opening to much fanfare, but the city’s residents have had no other choice but to journey out east to see what all the hype was about. Until now, that is.
Big Way Hot Pot is gearing up to open a new location near the intersection of Bloor and Bathurst in the space that formerly housed Kinka Izakaya’s Annex location, making this the chain’s first downtown Toronto restaurant.
- You might also like:
- 'No notes': Kehlani gives Toronto restaurant a major shout-out
- Toronto steakhouse unveils what could be the city’s most lavish meal — here’s what $1,000 gets you
- Family-run Toronto pub with one of the best patios in the city getting a second chance after 'disastrous' four years
While the official opening date for Big Way Hot Pot’s new Bloor West location has yet to be announced, the sign is up, and the chain has suggested in earlier Instagram posts that it should be coming in either August or September. Better yet, it’s just one of three new locations planned to open in the next two months, with additional restaurants landing in Monterey Park, California, and Burnaby, B.C.
In the meantime, prepare your chopsticks and spoons, Toronto: it’s going to be a hot pot fall.
Big Way Hot Pot
Address:Â 559 Bloor St. W.
Phone:Â 416-646-5708
Opening:Â TBD
Still hungry? Discover Dished Toronto on TikTok