De Tasty Hot Pot

Reviews

• Jack W.

  star star star star star_border 5 June 2026

  I came here a while ago, but this place has the most authentic Chinese food in Collegetown. The location is definitely hidden from a lot of places and even I will forget about it from time to time. However, if you want good Chinese food, come here. I'm not familiar with their hotpot at all, so I cannot comment on that.
  
  Food: They have a good selection of vegetable, meat, and seafood dishes. They were all tasty.
  
  Service: It was great! They were attentive and was always happy to help when we needed something.
  
  Price: Not too bad and is reasonable for dishes at Chinese restaurants, and even more reasonable for something in Collegetown.
  
  Ambiance: Nothing too special and pretty standard for Chinese restaurants. Lighting is somewhat dim.

• Frenda Y.

  star star star star star 3 June 2026

  This was probably my favorite place to eat in Collegetown, or even Ithaca for that matter.
  I always order these two dishes and the portions are huge. I'd usually go with one other friend, but I think two dishes could easily feed three people to satisfaction.
  The dry sautéed string beans - pretty self explanatory. It's a vegetarian dish with I think fermented cabbages which adds something extra special to the dish. Not spicy at all.
  And then the three peppered chicken. They're boneless and crispy and a whole lot of peppers. The dish can sometimes be inconsistent; sometimes with or without crispy garlic and peanuts but most of the times, the chicken doesn't fail. I've eaten here probably 10+ times and I was only disappointed with this dish once because the chicken wasn't as good. As someone whose spice tolerance is average, I'd say this wasn't THAT spicy. Yes, I had to sip water a few times, but totally doable and still delicious. If you like spicy, then eat the peppers too.
  
  The dishes are a bit pricey, but not much of a surprise there, since it is collegetown. There's lunch specials though. Monday to Friday.
  
  The restaurant is in the basement and once you walk down those steps and enter the restaurant, it feels completely different than the rest of collegetown, in a good way. You just have to go and experience it yourself to understand what I mean.
  
  Overall, would def go back and eat this again.

• Shu T.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  I have been here a couple of times and all the dishes I have had here are pretty good. Don't order the mapo tofu though. Their cilantro lamb is pretty tender and all the vegetable dishes were tasty. Pretty authentic Sichuan food.

• Sara S.

  star star star star star 24 May 2026

  Where: totally unassuming, slightly run down Collegetown basement location next to Level B.
  
  What: the best Chinese food in Ithaca.
  
  How: Get all your friends. Get the spicy hot pot. Get all the things. Eat until you cannot. It's simple, and it's good.
  
  Staff are attentive and accommodating, adding broth and checking burner temperatures throughout the meal.

• Jian S.

  star star star star_border star_border 16 May 2026

  Tasty good. But the dish is small. Wish they had bigger ones. Rice is $1.5, very small