New Hot Pot Restaurant Set to Open in Portland, Maine

One of fastest growing styles of restaurant across the country is hot pot. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, people gather around a simmering pot of delicious broth and add different proteins or vegetables to it to make it a hearty and mouthwatering soup.

The communal dining experience is catching on in major cities across the country with more and more hot pot restaurants opening up offering different styles of Asian cuisine. Many hot pot restaurants divide themselves between Korean or Chinese style. Finding one in Maine? That can prove to be difficult.

But in won't be soon enough. According to Portland Old Port, the chef behind the popular Sichuan Kitchen is set to open a dedicated restaurant to the growing culinary trend. It will be called Tuan Yuan Hotpot and be located at 29 Forest Avenue.

Prior to the pandemic, Sichuan Kitchen offered a hot pot experience at their restaurant on Congress Street. There has been enough demand by customers to bring that experience back and expand it into its own unique restaurant. Sichuan Kitchen heard the message loud and clear and got it work.

Inspired by the Sichuan Kitchen and many of their recipes, Tuan Yuan Hotpot will be Sichuan-style. They will feature many customizable choices to add to their house-made broths, which will include as many locally-sourced items as possible.

Tuan Yuan will be located in the restaurant space formerly occupied by Katahdin restaurant, which closed in 2022. Tuan Yuan Hotpot plans to open before the end of 2025.