Following two years of renovations and a $3.5 million investment, Prime Hot Pot opened on Thursday, February 8 in Tustin at the District, one of Orange County’s largest outdoor shopping centers. The 11,000-square-foot space seats up to 200 diners across the main dining room and five private areas. This is the first U.S. location of the luxury hot pot chain that originated in Sichuan, China. Arthur Zhang, the restaurateur of the ambitious Chinese restaurant Array 36 in the San Gabriel Valley, is behind the new opening.

Prime Hot Pot’s opulent decor borrows design elements from Array 36, which opened in November 2023. The spacious dining room blends contemporary aesthetics with traditional Chinese elements. Dim lighting and dark wooden accents are complemented by fluttering LED butterflies near the front entry, a flying dragon is projected on a digital screen at the sauce and fruit bar, and Chinese digital paintings and sculptures are featured throughout the space.

To lead the kitchen, Zhang hired chef K Ou, who has 40 years of restaurant experience cooking in France, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and across the U.S. Before landing at Prime Hot Pot, Ou was one of the founding partners of the Chubby Cattle restaurant group, who have a similar high-end hotpot restaurant called X Pot. However, Ou tells Eater that the two restaurants are not affiliated with one another.

The menu, which is mostly centered around wagyu beef and various hot pot preparations, reflects Ou’s culinary background with some influence from the restaurant’s Chinese parent company (香天下). The appetizer featuring wagyu, black pepper, and asparagus includes a balsamic vinaigrette that is inspired by Ou’s training in Italian cuisine. The sashimi platter with otoro, yellowtail, salmon belly, and caviar draws inspiration from his time as a sushi chef. The rich and creamy golden chicken hot pot soup base is simmered for 10-plus hours and comes from Ou’s culinary experiences in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Prime Hot Pot offers both shared and individual hot pots. The menu’s selection of soup bases includes mushroom, tomato, golden chicken, lobster, rose coconut chicken, and a teddy bear-shaped spicy wagyu imported from China. A diverse range of beef (USDA Prime, Australian wagyu, and A5 Miyazaki wagyu) is on hand for dipping, along with non-red meat options (pork, lamb, chicken, and pork jowl) and seafood (lobster, king crab, and tiger shrimp). Also on the menu are special combination platters centered around different wagyu preparations including carpaccio, nigiri, grilled beef tongue, and bone marrow.

In addition to a la carte menu options, the restaurant offers a tasting menu priced at $136 per person. It includes an appetizer, an individual hot pot, a combination “wagyu box,” and dessert. A wine pairing is available for $40 per person. Zhang says that the menu is still being finalized and that additional items may be added based on the season. Zhang estimates that diners will spend $80 to $100 per person for a night out.

One of the restaurant’s more exclusive experiences is a private dining room equipped with an HD projector for an immersive “5D” experience that engages diners’ five senses. The room seats up to 14 and costs $218 per person, with an optional $40 wine pairing. The private dining room’s set menu includes an individual hot pot, wagyu appetizer, entree (wagyu bruschetta with sea urchin or wagyu rice with truffle), and dessert (A5 steak ice cream or chocolate mousse). Steak ice cream, which is a social media sensation in China right now, consists of strawberry and vanilla ice cream molded to resemble raw meat.

Every dish at Prime Hot Pot is presented in an over-the-top manner that is fit for sharing on social media. The raw meat arrives inside a treasure box accented with dry ice, while various dishes are adorned with caviar and gold flakes.

Looking toward the future, Prime Hot Pot will introduce lunch service, extend evening hours to 2 a.m., and add two robot waiters. Additionally, Zhang and Ou have plans for several new restaurants in Southern California.

Prime Hot Pot is located at 2415 Park Avenue, Tustin, CA 92782. Follow on Instagram for the latest hours.