Ding Wang Loses to This Brand! The Hottest Hot Pot Chain in Taiwan is «This Brand»: Tofu is Tender Like Clouds, Chinese Cabbage is Sweet and Fresh

Whether it's the arrival of cold currents, gatherings with friends, or even the scorching summer days when you want to retreat into an air-conditioned room and eat meat to your heart's content, hot pot has always been a popular choice for Taiwanese people when dining out. From small individual hot pots and mala yin-yang pots to all-you-can-eat meat dishes, vegetables, and desserts, each brand competes for different customer groups through pricing, soup bases, service, and social media activities. According to the online reputation volume ranking of «Hot Pot Chains» by _Network Thermometer DailyView_, during the analysis period from June 28 to July 27, 2026, the champion accumulated 23,805 discussions, surpassing the second place by four times, indicating a remarkably high concentration of topics.

No.10 Zhi Jian Happiness Pot Zhi Jian Happiness Pot accumulated 3,101 pieces of volume, with 29% positive emotions, 46% neutral, and 25% negative. The popular keyword is «grass shop». The predecessor of the brand was «Bamboo Interval Fine Pot» opened by the founder Lin Kai Jie in Keelung in 2010, featuring individual stone pots, self-service vegetarian bars, and various soup bases. The brand's official website once recorded that the number of stores had exceeded 100 by 2023, but there is no consistent and real-time data as of July 2026. In early 2026, Zhi Jian also conducted a relatively large menu adjustment in its 16-year history, introducing individual yin-yang pots and double main courses to try to raise consumers' freshness again.

The keyword «grass shop» comes from the online rumors that the owner of Zhi Jian supports a specific political stance, causing some netizens to boycott or call for support. In response, the chairman of Zhi Jian once publicly stated that the statement involves a namesake and incorrect association, denying that the brand supports a specific party. Political labels once again show that discussions can easily deviate from the product itself once a brand is labeled.

No.9 Ding Wang Mala Pot Ding Wang Mala Pot accumulated 3,362 pieces of volume, with 38% positive emotions, 40% neutral, and 22% negative. The popular keyword is «ice water». The brand was founded by Chen Shi Ming, who has many years of chef experience, in 1991, with the first store located at Zhongxiao Night Market in Taichung. It has established recognition through mala soup bases, refillable tofu and duck blood, and the bowing etiquette of the service staff. Ding Wang currently has stores in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

The reason for the popularity of «ice water» is quite clear. In June 2026, the livestreamer Tong Shen's «Ding Wang's extreme eating method with a minimum consumption of 650 yuan» shared several years ago was circulated again on Threads and Instagram. The content is that four people only order one oil stick, and then eat to their heart's content with free refills of tofu, duck blood, rice, and ice water, attracting a large number of netizens to imitate and take videos. Related comments have also been fully meme-ified: «One pot of ice water, tofu and duck blood», «Ice water ice water ice water ice water and you're full!». What was originally seen as a consumption threshold, the minimum consumption rule, has instead, under the meme's momentum, attracted a large number of young consumers to the old brand.

No.8 Chiba Hot Pot Chiba Hot Pot ranked eighth with 3,681 pieces of volume, with 20% positive emotions, 78% neutral, and 2% negative. The popular keyword is «delivery». The brand was founded by Li Kunlin and Lu Xiuchun, who started from a fresh supermarket in Minxiong, Chiayi, and entered the hot pot market around 2005, featuring large-area all-you-can-eat, integrating hot pot, cooked food, seafood, desserts, and ice cream. In recent years, the group has also developed different positioning brands such as Enjoy Chiba, New Chiba, and Extreme Chiba, but as of July 2026, there is no unified and real-time official number of stores for each brand.

Recently, online discussions about Chiba Hot Pot have focused on the hundred items and prices, with netizens saying: «No need to pay extra for the soup base, the ingredients are fresh, and there are various cooked foods», «Super delicious, maybe because others are paying». For families and groups who want to solve their needs for meat, cooked food, and desserts in one meal, the choice is still Chiba's most distinctive selling point.

No.7 Qing Hua Jiao Mala Pot Qing Hua Jiao Mala Pot gained 4,030 pieces of volume, with both positive and neutral emotions at 35%, and 30% negative. The popular keyword is «Wang Pin». Qing Hua Jiao was incubated within the Wang Pin Group and is not a single founder's startup brand. It was established in 2018 and had 15 stores as of June 30, 2026. The brand focuses on Chongqing Jiangjin Nine-Leaf Qing Hua Jiao, differentiating itself from traditional heavy oil and heavy spicy mala pots through green pepper, pepper fragrance, and mala soup bases.

The keyword «Wang Pin» comes not only from the mother group's identity but also from the group's recent cross-brand marketing, including hot pot vouchers and student group discounts. Qing Hua Jiao is also included in the applicable brands. There are also many discussions online centered on Wang Pin's shareholder coupons, set meal prices, and collaborations with the National Palace Museum: «Does anyone recommend Qing Hua Jiao? Be serious», «Qing Hua Jiao collaborated with the National Palace Museum, and the mini national treasures are super cute». The mother group's membership, gift certificates, and marketing resources have become an important driving force for Qing Hua Jiao to continuously create volume.

No.6 Xiao Mengniu Top-Level Mala Health Pot Xiao Mengniu Top-Level Mala Health Pot accumulated 4,153 pieces of volume, with a high positive emotion of 88%, 9% neutral, and 4% negative. The popular keyword is «explosive check-in». The brand is based on all-you-can-eat mala health pots, featuring meat dishes, hot pot ingredients, beverages, and desserts all at once. The group also has Jin Da Chu Shouka Roast, Yakime Aniki, Xiao Mengniu Fine Pot, and He Meng Pot.

«Explosive check-in» corresponds to the «Crazy Taiwan MON-GO» activity launched by the brand from July 6 to August 31, 2026. During the activity period, qualified all-you-can-eat meals are supplemented with Taiwanese mangoes, allowing consumers to enjoy mala hot pot while enjoying mangoes. Official promotions also heavily use social media language such as «eat explosively» and «check-in». The strong contrast of mala hot pot and cold mango not only fits the summer topic but also makes the table scene easier to spread on social media platforms.

No.5 Shuan Na Ye Shuan Na Ye ranked fifth with 4,436 pieces of volume, with 59% positive emotions, 20% neutral, and 21% negative. The popular keyword is «celebrate». The brand belongs to the Japanese Umegawa Group and is operated by Umegawa International in Taiwan, featuring all-you-can-eat Japanese shabu-shabu with kombu soup base, freshly cut meat, a self-service bar of fresh vegetables, and various sauces that are familiar to consumers.

«Celebrate» mainly corresponds to the brand's Father's Day promotion. Shuan Na Ye, with the limited-time «Sugar Fragrant Yuzu Salt Soup» paired with the «Celebrate Father's Day» copy, and combined with Umegawa's 30th anniversary in Taiwan points activity, drove discussions about family gatherings during the summer vacation. Additionally, some stores extended lunch hours on weekdays, also attracting the attention of all-you-can-eat lovers. Netizens shared: «This combination of Shuan Na Ye is the best», «Shuan Na Ye's weekday lunch is a comfortable five hours». The abundance of vegetable, meat, and cooked food choices, along with the ability to dine slowly, is the key to the brand maintaining high discussion rates.

No.4 Shi Er Pot Shi Er Pot accumulated 4,591 pieces of volume, with 31% positive emotions, 40% neutral, and 28% negative. The popular keyword is «laying eggs». The brand was launched by the Wang Pin Group in 2009 and had 97 stores as of June 30, 2026, making it one of the largest individual pot brands in terms of store scale. It is positioned to provide affordable, fast, and standardized daily hot pots, establishing a fixed customer base with stone pots, shabu-shabu pots, winter melon lemon smoothies, and a simple ordering process.

This «laying eggs» keyword comes from a food safety issue at the end of June 2026. A consumer found a live cockroach in a dish at the Meishan South Store in Taichung, with the tail end having what appeared to be an egg case. After the image was exposed, Wang Pin immediately apologized, replaced the meal for free, arranged for cleaning, and the store was closed for three days to review the process and strengthen education and training. Netizens exclaimed: «I don't know what insect it is, but it looks like a cockroach», «You treated your dish as a delivery room». The incident caused the brand's negative volume to rise rapidly, once again highlighting the importance of ingredient cleanliness and store management for chain restaurants, where any single point of failure can quickly spread into a brand-wide crisis.

No.3 Kuang Yi Pot Kuang Yi Pot ranked third with 5,212 pieces of volume, with an extremely high positive emotion of 97%, 2% neutral, and 1% negative. The popular keyword is «new Taiwanese style». The brand was launched by Lin Shaojun's Le Duoduo Group in September 2021, starting from Xinzhuang in New Taipei City, transforming classic Taiwanese dishes such as pork ribs crisp, stir-fried squid, stinky tofu, and soy sauce chicken into hot pot soup bases. The official website has not disclosed the real-time total number of stores as of July 2026, so the exact number of stores is uncertain.

«New Taiwanese style» is not a single activity but the long-term core brand positioning of Kuang Yi Pot. Unlike common kombu, mala, or milk pots, Kuang Yi Pot incorporates familiar banquet dishes, snacks, and stir-fried aromas into individual pots. Some dishes are first stir-fried at the table side and then added to the high soup, enhancing the visual and aromatic experience.

No.2 Rou Duoduo Hot Pot Rou Duoduo Hot Pot accumulated 5,307 pieces of volume, with 89% positive emotions, 10% neutral, and only 1% negative. The popular keyword is «meihua pig». The founder Lin Shaojun has a background in seafood trade and food material supply. In 2016, he opened the Songshan Health Store. The brand is known for large meat trays, high cost-performance, and a self-service vegetarian bar.

The discussion of «meihua pig» mainly comes from recent budget set meals. In July 2026, social media shared 268 yuan for chicken legs or meihua pig with a vegetable self-service bar, and a 299 yuan light set meal, allowing the brand to still attract small salary earners with an entry price during the price increase. This pricing strategy also led to netizens saying: «The most vulgar Rou Duoduo, 268 yuan for chicken legs/meihua pig with vegetables to eat to your heart's content

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