Can I talk about this spectacular little place that we found through some friends that were also hot pot enthusiasts? They have a location in Irvine and Alhambra that were relatively the closest locations to us and so boyfriend and I decided to try the one in Alhambra. It’s located in the swankier side of Alhambra where all the younger crowd is (college kids with the boba shops, trendy restaurants and bars). Parking was relatively easy to find since they have their own parking garage that had plenty of space. Just keep notice, their parking is the first entrance of the parking garage and not the second one! We mistakenly entered the second (gate happened to be opened so we didn’t know until after we came back and saw the gate closed) that belonged to the apartment complex upstairs. Be careful with parking.

Earth Kitchen is a very solid place albeit on the pricier side of hot pot for the amount of meat served. With that being said, they do give you loads of vegetables/tofu when you select that section for your hot pot. We were greeted by the friendly staff and fortunately was not crowded at all. The space was open and very clean, which I appreciated. I also enjoyed that they had regular tables and bar seating as well. There’s a food bar area where you build your own hot pot with a staff member by picking out your own ingredients like Chipotle does with burritos.

Boyfriend and I ordered two individual hot pots  ($12.99) that included 4 choices of vegetables and 3 meat selections. I got their bok choy (白菜), tofu skin (豆腐皮), frozen tofu (凍豆腐) and enoki mushrooms (金針菇) with beef (牛肉), lamb (羊肉) and meatballs (貢丸x2). Each roll of meat I ordered had approximately 2 slices each, which I thought was quite small and I was a bit disappointed. But upon receiving my pot after it was cooked the portion of vegetables definitely made up for it– although still found it pricey for mostly vegetables. We were also given free appetizers tea marinated chicken leg (茶香雞腿) and fried chicken wings (炸雞) during their grand opening week. 🙂 Their tea marinated chicken leg definitely was tasty with tender meat, but nothing mind-blowing to rave about.

The soup was by far my favorite part of the meal! It was delicious and loved how fragrant and savory it was without being overly salty that left us feeling refreshed and great. They boast using top ingredients and cooking methods for their soups, as I quote “The soup is made up of seasonal fresh vegetables and high-quality meats, in a bone broth of 32+ herbs and spices.  These harmonious flavors come together to provide a hotpot experience unlike any other.” and I can definitely tell in their soup quality and would go back just for the soup! I also loved the quality of the ingredients of their vegetables and meats! The complements of the broth and great ingredients turned out to be a very tasty hot pot experience!

For more photos of Earth Kitchen!

Rating: ★★★★☆
Address: 235 W Main St Unit B, Alhambra, CA 91801
Hours:
Mon – Thurs : 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM; 5:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Friday : 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM; 5:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sat : 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM
​​Sun : 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM