Peijie Hotpot (Bayi Road)

Peijie Hotpot occupies a no-frills storefront on Bayi Road in the Jiefangbei district of Yuzhong, one of the strips locals still point to when asked where to eat old-style Chongqing hotpot rather than the polished chain versions found across the city. The kitchen follows the traditional beef-tallow method: a dark, heavily peppered broth built on beef tallow, doubanjiang and dried chilies, simmered in a divided pot so diners can order a milder side for guests who cannot handle the full mala heat. The signature order is duck intestine, cooked in seconds and prized for its snap, alongside beef tripe and boiled blood curd (yaduo), a soft-set block that soaks up the broth's numbing spice. There is no dress code and no attempt at atmosphere beyond function: bare tables, steel stools, exposed ventilation ducts pulling out the chili smoke, and a dining room that fills with steam and noise once the evening crowd arrives, mostly regulars and shift workers eating late. Beer and sour plum juice are the standard accompaniments rather than any curated drinks list. Reservations are recommended for evenings and weekends, when queues form outside; walking in around 9PM or later on a weeknight is usually the easier route to a table without a wait. The restaurant sits within walking distance of the Jiefangbei pedestrian core, making it a convenient stop after sightseeing in the area, though visitors should expect a purely functional, unpretentious room built entirely around the pot in front of them rather than any broader dining experience.