As the temperature continues to drop, the urge to find warm and cozy places to eat increases. After some Googling, Tiktok-scrolling and walking around, I came across two places that I highly recommend trying out this freezing winter.

The first restaurant on this list is Master Pot, a Hong Kong-style clay pot rice restaurant located inside Dragon City Mall in Chinatown. (Address: 280 Spadina Ave. Unit C, 2/F, Toronto, ON M5T 3A5). This restaurant specializes in Hong Kong-style clay pot rice, made fresh to order and actually cooked and served inside a clay pot. After ordering takes about 25 minutes to prepare, so do anticipate a bit of a wait. The clay pot rice is served hot and can be customized with different toppings like spare ribs, mushrooms, eggs and so forth. The prices range from $14.99–$16.99 per clay pot rice and I would say the portions are filling and extremely worth it for its price. Speaking from my experience, one order is more than enough for two people as it does include rice and a lot of other toppings. The customer service and decorations there were also immaculate, with iconic Hong Kong-style crates used as hanging lights and a very cozy atmosphere! Also, because the clay pot rice was cooked inside the pot itself, it had the iconic, crunchy rice cracker-like bottom. It was cooked to perfection and tasted so good when dipped with their sweet soy sauce and homemade chilli oil (I’m still reminiscing about the chilli oil, it was just that good). This dish was a huge part of my childhood and was constantly eaten in my household, but being as unbiased as possible, this place is definitely worth the visit. 100% recommend. From the quality of the food to the taste and the customer service, it was a nostalgic and delicious experience. I would definitely come back here again with my family to try out their snacks as well as other claypot rice selections! 

The second restaurant on the list is Kokumi Mini Hotpot, just like its name suggests, a mini hotpot restaurant that is also located in Chinatown. (Address: 407 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5T 2G6). The restaurant is pretty small on the inside with a somewhat limited sitting area, but they have these very cute two-person cubicles, so perfect for couples or just two friends. When you are seated, you will be given a menu where you can pick the soup base, type of meat, and other toppings you may want to add to the hotpot. The hotpots are served as individual pots that are designed for one person. As soon as you order, it takes about 10–15 minutes to be served and comes out piping hot. The pot is also served on a stand/rack with a candle beneath it to keep it warm while you eat, as well as a side of sesame sauce and soy sauce for dipping. Dinner here was definitely more than enough and I felt extremely warm and full after the meal. Prices range from $15.99–$23.99 (depending on what toppings, meat, and soup base you order), which I definitely would say is worth its price. The ingredients were fresh, the meat did not taste gamey, and the soup base was super good (I tried the Sukiyaki: Japanese sweet broth, and the Tom Yum: Thai sour and salty broth, both were absolutely delicious and drinking it warmed me right up) and the noodles that came along with hotpot were so filling. I highly recommend this spot if you are looking for something to satisfy your hotpot cravings, but cannot actually go to a full-on hotpot place.

Overall, these two spots are pretty high on my list and I absolutely recommend trying them out. They are delicious and cheap eats that are perfect for the wintertime, whether it is eating alone or with a couple of friends. Since they are located on Spadina, where there are a bunch of dessert shops and bubble tea, you can treat yourself to something sweet after the savoury meals you had from these places. ~ Quite a deal ~