The Dolar Shop
“The sauce station is a bit far from our seat, and was lacking cilantro and scallion-this would be the only bad I can nitpick at.”
“This is the BEST hotpot place arround all New York City even it located in Flushing.”
“Their soup base was pretty good (I have had better) but if you're feeling extravagant then why not go?”
The Dolar Shop
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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The soup broth is amazing, the food is fresh and the service is great! The decor of Dolar Shop also isn't your expected decor for a hot pot restaurant. However, I don't understand the $2.99 charge per person for the sub par snack/sauce bar. Most dishes are also quite pricey but we're also paying extra for the quality and presentation of each dish. I've been to Dolar Shop twice already and would definitely return.
It's a hot pot restaurant with a gorgeous decor. The white decor with marble and mirrors feels like an upscale European restaurant. On the menu, you check the items you want to order. There is a charge for the appetizers (peanuts, spicy seaweed), sauces and limited assortment of fruits (cantaloupe, oranges, honeydew). Then you can select a soup base, regular plates as well as combination plates. I liked the Macao Cuttlefish Balls served with glass noodle. The fish balls are tender and slightly chewy. The Fish Roe Balls were fish ball stuffed with sweet roe. The veggie combo platter includes: arden lettuce, napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, spinach, tong ho. It ends up being very pricey. It's a beautiful place to eat but beware of the bill at the end of the meal, things adds up quickly.
This place was my absolute favorite restaurant to hotpot in. I'm pretty upset that I will not be dining here anymore. With each dining experience, the food quality turns to garbage. The meat doesn't cook unless I put it in right from the beginning and leave it till the end. Or sometimes, one part of it is cooked but the other is still raw. I dont know what's wrong with the meat but this has happened twice now.
Also, the last time I was here, halfway through the food, I found what looked to be part of a spider in my pot. GROSS. BARF. I churned at the thoughts running through my head at that point. Then as I kept looking to check for the other half (yuck), I ended up picking out more bugs. Oh gosh.
By then all I did was stop eating and leave. I took pictures too just in case anyone wanted to fight me on this. Saying I was picturing things.
The decor was "fiyah" but so was the spicy soup. So spicy so salty, i couldn't enjoy anything. i had to ask for hot water to.. unsalt and unspice it. (i usually have great spice tolerance) My family decided to come here for New Years-bad idea. but we got there at 6.. and got seated at 8pm. Poor hostess for getting bombarded by all the other angry people waiting to be seated, but please sir, please dont say "20 min" and have it be 2 hours…. improve your guessing.
The fish roe was amazing, beef/lamb were great, noodles/dumplings, everything was freshly made and service was superb. However, don't give us extra condiments and ask us to pay for it without telling us, don't charge us for sauce without notice. I'm sorry but i think thats just wrong- not the fact that we had to pay for sauce but the fact that there wasn't a sign or anything.
I didn't really enjoy my meal here but since the food was fresh, felt clean, and the decor was fancy.
Upon walking in, i felt like i was in a french patisserie. Little did I know, it was a fancy hot pot store-supposedly super famous in China with over 20 branches.Everything is a smaller portion and is NOT ayce but is very fresh. The fresh shrimp balls is a MUST!! There are also individual pots so no need to worry about germs or having to share broth flavors. The waiters were extremely attentive and almost made us feel bad for the great service. The sauce station is a bit far from our seat, and was lacking cilantro and scallion-this would be the only bad I can nitpick at. Will be returning soon to enjoy at luxury hot pot experience
The Dolar Shop is a hotpot place that is literally hiding in plain site. It's on a corner in Flushing that I've walked by many times, but didn't know a restaurant existed there until someone else booked the place.
The interior is decorated to resemble some kind of large fancy home, with book shelves and everything. It's quite a gaudy affair, and just like something you would find in China.
On the menu is a variety of different soup bases. The "dolphin" flavor, which is actually pork bone broth was my favorite. The use of the word "dolphin" is due to a semi-frequent translation issue. Anyway, this broth comes a whole large bone….with marrow still inside. And the flavor of the soup is pretty good as well.
Food quality is pretty good here, and the menu is a la carte. Pretty standard items on here, except they offer some super premium beef, at a premium price.
Game-changer for hotpot in New York. Apparently, this is a really good hotpot chain from China and they lived up to their reputation. This is the most upscale and friendly hotpot service I've had, and the prices are decent. Personal hotpot makes it stress-free (no fighting over the food) and you can eat at your own pace.
Steps to successful hotpot:
Order your broth base (the spicy one is pretty darn spicy).
Order your raw ingredients (my usual includes thinly sliced beef, lamb, frozen tofu, and fish balls stuffed with roe. Just order a good variety including meat, seafood, tofu, veg, and noodles).
Doctor up your sauce at the saucing station. (I like sesame paste, fermented red tofu, and plenty of scallions/cilantro)
Start cooking (traditionally meat first, then veg, then noodles to soak up the flavors).
Eat. (interesting that they give you an extra bowl of sauce already on your plate and they come to give you scallions/cilantro/peppers/garlic).
As an ABC, I still felt totally comfortable ordering in English and I really appreciate that. The ambience is like having high tea with cushy seating and chandeliers. Best of all, you don't smell like your dinner (love the taste of sichuan peppercorn and meat, don't love smelling like it).
Probably it is time to dump Hometown as Dolar Hotpot has become my favorite hotpot spot in the city. Very similar to Haidilao back in my hometown.
Got their famous minced shrimp meat, beef balls with cheese (yay!), fish cake and beef's stomach. Strongly suggest the mushroom soup base, not at all greasy!
For girls, if you are afraid of gaining weight, please go ahead and order the fruit enzyme juice.