Dezhuang Hotpot (Sanxia Square, Shapingba)

Dezhuang Hotpot is one of Chongqing's longer-running hotpot chains, founded in 1999, with this branch located at Sanxia Square in Shapingba District, an area popular with students from nearby Chongqing University and other institutions in the district. The kitchen's beef-tallow mala hotpot leans on a recipe the chain has kept largely consistent since opening, and beyond the standard beef and offal cuts, it is also known for spicy duck and lotus root slices, the latter valued for the crunch it retains even after cooking in the hot broth. The dining room is straightforward and unpretentious, with a mix of students, families and neighborhood regulars rather than a tourist-facing crowd, reflecting Sanxia Square's identity as a local commercial and university hub rather than a downtown attraction. Prices run toward the lower end of Chongqing hotpot chains, consistent with a location built around a student population. The restaurant accepts walk-ins as standard practice, though arriving early is advised on weekends when the square and surrounding restaurants get busy with shoppers and diners. It offers a useful contrast to the flashier riverside and skyscraper hotpot spots elsewhere in the city: a long-established, workaday version of the dish serving a mostly local, budget-conscious clientele.