Dong Lai Shun 东来顺

With a number of branches in Beijing, some of this laozihao (time-honored brand) chain’s newer locations reflect an effort to retool, in terms of style and revisions to the menu, to meet the demands of modern diners, but Dong Lai Shun’s essence remains its famous mutton hot pot. Boiled, as ever, in distinctive copper pots over white-hot charcoal, Dong Lai Shun’s broth gets so deliciously thick towards the end that you don’t even need a dip to add extra flavor to the thin-sliced strips of meat. There’s plenty competition in the field these days, and no shortage of new-fangled approaches to cooking up meat and veg in a bubbling soup, but Dong Lai Shun is still the hot pot of choice for many Beijingers.