On a frigid Saturday night, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot may be the hottest restaurant in town, in every sense. At this chain’s modern Chinatown outpost, you’ll dine around a communal bowl of steaming broth that’ll chase the chill from your bones in seconds flat—and you’ll likely wait at least an hour for the privilege.

For the uninitiated, hot pot is like a cross between soup and fondue. You cook assorted raw meats, seafood, and veggies in flavored broth and skim out your morsels as they float to the surface. At Little Sheep, each table gets two kinds of broth: a sedate one with scallions and goji berries and a spicy one flecked with chilies. Thinly shaved lamb and beef, bouncy fish balls, udon noodles, and baby bok choy are among the almost 50 options for dipping. The menu says the $25 unlimited deal comes with a surcharge for unfinished plates of food, but if your eyes end up being bigger than your stomach, fret not—management swears they’ve never actually enforced the fine.

2342 S. Wentworth Ave.