Soup Zen Hot Pot offers the ultimate self-customized hot pot experience that includes over 100 fresh and premium ingredients—all at a fixed price of $3.99/100g, Our menu is Pork free & halal friendly,allowing you to create your hot pot in your own way! You have the freedom to choose your favorite items, ensuring that your dietary preferences are met. You can then sit back and enjoy the deliciously cooked food prepared by our top-notch chefs, who bring their unparalleled culinary expertise to every dish, ensuring a high-quality dining experience.
Soup Zen Hot Pot draws praise for its innovative pay-by-weight, build-your-own format with a wide range of ingredients, broths, and a sauce bar, plus halal and gluten-free options and complimentary ice cream at the end, which many reviewers love for the extra touch. The experience is described as cozy and fun, with generous portions, fresh ingredients, and friendly staff who explain the process and help when needed. Improvements in kitchen workflow have been noted by some, yet waits and lines persist during peak hours and the space can feel crowded and noisy, with a cold draft near the door and limited privacy due to tight seating. Value is variable, as prices can rise quickly with the weight of items, and a few guests report miscommunications or occasional delays with service or broth choices. Overall quality and variety are highly regarded, and the sauce bar and end dessert are consistently praised, though a minority point to occasional inconsistencies such as missing ingredients, overcooked vegetables, or flavor gaps in certain broths. Still, many say the concept, atmosphere, and overall experience make it worth returning, especially for a comforting meal with friends or family on a cold day.
The food was incredible. I am gluten free & there were many options to choose from including some very exciting noodles, not just your classic vermicelli rice noodle. My bowl came out fairly pricey but unlike other restaurants the portions are very generous, in addition to being high quality ingredients. The sauce bar was such a trip, so delicious & fun!
Terrible place, don't waste your time & money. They've raised their prices so much that it's not worth it anymore, & they added so many tables you can barely walk in there. Greedy business. The service is also terrible. We had to wait so long to get seated even though we were on the waitlist, & again waited so long for the food. The staff are also horrible. It says unlimited ice cream but when we asked for seconds the server the tall black guy gave me an attitude saying'really? again?' & never brought it for us waiting so long until we left.
Mar 28, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
J'y étais pour la première fois avec une amie aujourd'hui. Dès notre arrivée on a eu quelqu'un pour nous expliquer le concept. Ils ont de nombreux choix pour les condiments & une petite barre à sauce. Ils sont rapides, on a pas attendus trop longtemps pour avoir nos plats. On a eu aussi des thés glacé & des cornets de crèmes glacés gratuits. Le personnel est très accueillant & professionnel.
We had a food poisoning
We were a group of 8 for our friend's birthday. First we called in advance & even tho they knew we where a party, they told us we couldn't reserve ( some business don't accept reservations & it's all right that ain't the issue. )
We arrived about an 40 minutes before the hour we fixed (5:40 pm so we were there at 5 ). The waitress ( extremely kind btw ) told us we needed to be on a waiting list. The waiting list told us we could only eat at 6:36pm. The waitress ( really kind ) told us we could have a table at 6pm because she knew we were a huge group & she'll talk to the other waitress to not assign anyone at the table next to the first table of 4 when the clients will be over. Well someone actually put clients at the table that was supposed to be ours ( We understand that it aint the fault if the restaurant is full ) & they still asked us to make our bowls even tho our table wasn't ready.
We paid for our food, & well usually you are supposed to wait at your table but we couldn't sit down because there were 2 clients over with their foods, the foods was packed, coats on & they were on their cellphone for a good 15 minutes. During this time we had to wait near the sauce bar, kitchen & bathroom blocking all those entries because we were a group of 8 so we were blocking staff & other clients because of that. After the waitress ( the one that made the mistake) talked to the 2 clients that they needed to leave because even tho we putted all our things at the table right next to them they didn't know there were clients waiting for them to leave. ( here again the clients behaviour is not the restaurant problem. )
We sat down & we waited an other 15 minutes for 3 bowls to arrive. We still waited 30 minutes for other bowls to come & still not every one had their bowl. I was one of the last & one of us received their bowl when everyone was almost over that's not normal. We understand the restaurant was full but usually when you have a group you try to bring all the food in a short laps of time because especially if we already wait 30 minutes before getting the first 3 bowls. My friend took the miso broth one she said it was awful, I took the #1 with medium spice broth ( if you usually get the medium spice in a restaurant take the soft one has a spice lover I can tell you this was not medium but I like it any way ).
For the food it was awful. Everything that has see food was horrible, the fried stuff was all squishy I wanted to puke instantly. The only thing that was good was the meat, the bokchoy & the broth. At least it was served hot.
Two of us had a food poisoning we didn't ask the others.
Je ne pense pas revenir, principalement à cause d'une très mauvaise gestion de la clientèle.
Le temps d'attente était excessif : environ 1h30. Il est impossible de réserver plus de 30 minutes à l'avance, donc même en essayant de réserver lorsque nous étions presque arrivées (environ 30 minutes avant), ce n'était pas possible. Nous avons seulement pu réserver une fois sur place, ce qui est illogique compte tenu de l'attente.
À l'arrivée, le personnel à l'accueil semblait confus & débordé. Il n'y a pas assez d'espace pour les clients qui attendent : certaines personnes devaient patienter à l'extérieur dans le froid, tandis que d'autres attendaient entre les tables où les gens mangent, ce qui est très inconfortable.
Il y a clairement un manque de personnel. De plus, plusieurs employés ne parlent pas ou très peu français, ce qui rend la communication difficile, surtout dans un environnement très bruyant. L'intérieur était aussi très froid, ce qui n'aide pas l'expérience en hiver.
Les prix sont un peu élevés, & il faut faire attention à ne pas trop remplir le grand bol lors du choix des ingrédients, car cela devient vite coûteux. Le goût est bon, mais je conseille de prendre des aliments que vous connaissez déjà, sinon vous risquez de ne pas aimer.
On nous avait mentionné qu'un rabais était offert après plus d'une heure d'attente, mais celui-ci a été oublié par le personnel à l'accueil.
À la fin, lorsque mon amie & moi sommes allées aux toilettes, un employé a jeté nos boissons à moitié pleines, alors que nos effets personnels étaient encore à la table, ce qui était très frustrant.
Il y a aussi eu plusieurs problèmes d'organisation :
On ne nous a pas expliqué clairement comment le service fonctionnait.
La caissière nous a donné une pancarte avec un numéro, sans nous dire qu'il fallait attendre à la table pour être servies. Un autre employé nous a ensuite dit d'attendre au bar à sauce, avant qu'on comprenne plus tard qu'il fallait rester à la table.
En plus de ce qui précède:
- Temps d'attente très long pour recevoir le plat, même après avoir attendu longtemps dans la file & à la caisse.
- Présence de mouches à fruits.
- Le tableau d'attente affichait des personnes en haut de la liste qui ne sont jamais arrivées ou qui sont arrivées plus d'une heure après nous, ce qui donne l'impression que la liste n'est pas mise à jour ou que des clients absents sont quand même attendus. De plus, certaines personnes placées après nous dans la liste ont été appelées avant nous, ce qui rend le système d'attente très incohérent.
Point positif : crème glacée gratuite à la fin.
En résumé, malgré un goût correct, l'expérience globale est décevante à cause de l'attente, du manque d'organisation & de personnel.
Vraiment un concept original: on choisit tous les ingrédients que nous voulons & le prix est ensuite déterminé par le poids. Beaucoup de variété & de choix! Il y a également un bar à sauce pour rehausser les saveurs de la soupe. De plus, durant les jours de semaine avant 17h, un thé glacé est offert. Pour finir, un petit cornet de crème glacée est aussi offert comme dessert. Par contre, il y a beaucoup d'attente (peu importe l'heure (nous sommes arrivés à 15:30 & il y avait environ 45 minutes d'attente), donc je recommande de réserver en ligne avant d'arriver. Vraiment une belle place à essayer entre amis!
I rarely, & I mean RARELY give 5 stars to a restaurant, for its food, service & atmosphere. A friend recommended me that place & I did not regret going there.
You can pour your personality & preferences into your bowl, that's how many options they have. I saw at least six different types of mushrooms, premium cuts of meat, fresh veggies, & seafood.
Their broth is rich in taste & texture. I recommend you the special Szechuan broth. Sauce bar is the cherry on top.
& did I mention complimentary ice cream? Ube flavoured on an Oreo cone?
The only problem with this restaurant is a good problem: the line-up if you don't reserve. That's how popular this place is, & it shows the quality.
The place is clean & has a chill personality, & they have halal & gluten-free options.
& the staff is welcoming, & their hospitality is noteworthy. Huge shoutout to our server Miles! Dude, if you are reading this, keep up the great work & hopefully you get a promotion & a raise!
Dec 20, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Soup zen was fantastic! Great taste & options! Wish they would add teokbokki. It would taste amazing. Didn't expect it to cost as much as it did, but I chose heavy noodles so I'm sure it didn't help haha my total was $32. The servers didn't check up on us & I had to call them over multiple times. The sauce bar was dirty as well. I wish they had kept it a bit cleaner. The Ube Ice cream with the chocolate cone was delicious as well (the best part). All in all, great experience! Will be back again. I went around 1pm on a friday & the line was out of the door. Wait time wasn't too bad either!
Came to try it out for the first time with some friends that had been here before. Luckily one of them had joined the waitlist on yelp prior to coming here but even then we still had to wait.. not to mention how the entrance was crowded with people waiting as well & having had to wait outside in the freezing cold wasn't ideal…The staff that seated us was super duper nice, but not much can be said about the one handling the cash register. Space was very cramped. We ended up getting seated near the sauce bar, & while we were eating, we had to keep swatting away little fruit flies which was quite unpleasant & made us lose our appetite. One of my friends even ended up getting a stomachache halfway through her meal. Took us about ten minutes to flag someone down to get the free ice cream.. even then, the ice cream tasted very off. It had this chemically, nail polish taste to it. Not to mention how it slightly stained our lips & teeth… As we left, the entrance was so slippery with everyone's boots bringing in slushy snow.
Update: Well they're increasing the prices to 4.59/100g. Majorly disappointed. Oh & I noticed that if your pot is lighter, they'll add less broth too, so much for the'free' label.
Servers are nice, food is halal, will be back. It's weighed at 3.99$ per 100g, the broth is technically free but the pot itself is heavy. You wait to be seated then you go to the front, grab a golden pot & tongs, select your toppings, pay for them & they give you a number sign, you go sit down & they bring your cooked pot to your table. Don't forget to add side toppings & sauces from the counter near the washrooms. Love the topping bar & the free ice cream cone at the end! It's really good ice cream in a delicious waffle cone. I'd recommend the beef bone broth for first timers, it's the easiest flavour for beginners. Oh & don't buy the mango cheese foam tea, it's not good. The only issue I see here is that there are flies buzzing around & that the containers don't have lids & the flies might be buzzing in the kitchen too. They should do smth about the flies. I paid 20$ on first visit & 29.76 on second visit. The amazing part is that they have tooth floss picks & q-tips near the washrooms for your end of meal dental needs!
Very nice Asian soup spot with a fun concept - you pick your own ingredients & they prepare the soup for you. The ingredients are fresh, the staff is very polite, & the ambiance is warm. A bit pricey, but the sauce bar was unique & interesting. The ice cream was also incredible!
Nov 22, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Make a reservation; don't come here on a whim. I came here alone at 6pm on a Sunday. My wait was estimated to be 90 minutes. I ended up doing takeout, which they offer. The soup was excellent, & the experience just the same as dine-in. The staff were extremely kind; one brought me a chair while I was waiting without me having to ask. Don't waste your time or money on the bubble tea, it wasn't very good. The sauce bar though? Love. The atmosphere is loud & the area around the door is very crowded with nowhere to sit & wait. Overall, I would come back if I planned it better. My bowl was $25 with tax; it's pictured below! It was plenty of food
Nouveau resto de hot pot à Montréal où on choisit ses ingrédients & on paie au poids avec choix de bouillon ou dry pot (nouilles & ingrédients sautés & assaisonnés). Le bouillon signature était vraiment délicieux, belle qualité & variété d'ingrédients à choisir!! Tout était cuit à la perfection, rien de trop ou pas assez cuit. Petit bar à sauces dans le fond du resto aussi. Il y avait 1:30 d'attente pour les tables mais on a pu s'asseoir au comptoir sans attente! Délicieuse crème glacée au ube servie à la fin & incluse dans le prix, une belle surprise!
Pretty standard build-your-own hotpot location. Bright & spacious, with a unique earthy palette. They have more unique offerings than most places, like smoked duck breast, fried egg, & zig-zag-cut fried tofu.
I got the tomato broth, it had strong tomato flavours, but was very one-note. I needed to add complexity to it at the sauce bar, which in contrast, had limited options.
They give everybody ube ice cream at the end, it was very pleasant, rich, creamy, with strong ube notes.
I ate at Soup Zen after running the Beneva Marathon & it was perfect. I sat at the bar, the reception offered me a free drink, but I forgot to mention it to the cashier. So if you are eating alone, sit at the bar & let the cashier know. The food was great & hit the spot after a long run.
Sep 24, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Hummm quelle belle découverte !!! J adore le concept.
Tu choisis tu pèses tu paies il font la cuisson avec le bouillon que tu choisis. Bar de sésames , coriandre & épice à volonté.Charmant petit resto. Bcp de nouveaux employés. Donc un peu nébuleux quand on pose une question . Mais on s en fou . C est tellement bon
J ai pris un morceau d ingrédient de tout ce que je voulais manger de végétarien. Soupe , breuvage & pourboire .environ 50$. En plus j ai rapporté un gros contenant de ce que je n aie pas mangé. À la fin il nous offres une crème glace à la vanille avec un cône au sesame grillées noirs. Juste merveilleux. J aie adoré. J en parle à tout le monde. Essaye ça!!!!
It was a great experience, the staff was very nice & the dining room was very comfortable. These kind of places are expensive, so do not expect to pay under 20 dollars if you pack ur bowl like crazy. I took a small bowl & pack it up with just enough for my meal & it ended up being 17$, which is very reasonable as I've been to other places that have the same concept that charge more. In the end the food & the broth was great & I loved the sauce bar to spice up my broth.
Une expérience à faire! J'ai été agréablement surprise. Les ingrédients sont frais & variés. J'ai choisi le bouillon signature medium épicé & ajouté les sauces de mom choix (ils ont un bar à sauce!) & tout. était très bon. On a même le choix d'emporter le reste de notre soupe & laissez moi vous dire que vous aurez un autre repas complet! Je recommande fortement!