The Dolar Shop in Downtown Bellevue.
Macau-style hot pot with a burner at every seat has held the old Wild Ginger space at The Bravern since 2018 — two floors, private rooms, and six hours of validated parking.
The Dolar Shop is the polished end of downtown Bellevue’s hot pot scene: a two-story room on the NE 6th Street side of The Bravern, across from Meydenbauer Center, where every seat gets its own induction burner and its own broth. Upstairs is the open kitchen and the sauce bar; downstairs, a bar and four private rooms that make it the hot pot restaurant downtown books for birthdays and client dinners rather than a Tuesday.
DBN reported the lease in December 2017 — the Macau-rooted brand taking the 14,000-square-foot space Wild Ginger left when it moved to Lincoln Square — and covered the October 2018 opening, when the waits ran one to three hours. Eight years on the individual-pot format, the Prime and Wagyu beef, and the six-hour parking validation are still the draws, and it remains a Restaurant Week regular each spring and fall.
Hai Di Lao on 106th is the louder, more theatrical option and Lao Ma Tou the more traditional; this is the quiet, individual-pot version with the private rooms. Where the three fit is in our guide to the best restaurants in downtown Bellevue.
What to Order at The Dolar Shop
One pot per person, then the table shares the raw bar; these five are how to build a first visit.
Chef’s Creamy Pork Broth
The white, peppery ‘silver’ broth built on pork bone, tripe, and chicken — the Macau-style base the house is known for, and the one to order if you only order one.
Spicy Broth
Sichuan mala in your own pot — every seat gets an individual burner, so nobody has to negotiate the heat with the table.
Premier Cru Beef, Thick Cut
USDA Prime marbled beef rolled thick for the pot. The upgrade regulars order first; the A5 Wagyu ribeye is the splurge above it.
The Dolar Shop Shrimp Pate
House-made shrimp paste served in a tin, spooned into the broth to poach — the dish that makes the creamy pot worth ordering.
Salt & Pepper Corn Kernel
The Macau signature appetizer: crisp fried corn kernels dusted in salt and pepper. Order it the moment you sit down, before the pots even heat.
The Dolar Shop Through the Years on DBN
DBN has reported on downtown Bellevue since 2005. This is The Dolar Shop’s story as we covered it, as it happened.
Hotpot Restaurant The Dolar Shop to Open at The Bravern
The Macau-rooted chain announced it would take the old Wild Ginger space at The Bravern, its first Washington location.
The Dolar Shop Opens at The Shops at The Bravern
Two floors, an open kitchen and sauce bar upstairs, private rooms and a bar below — and waits of one to three hours from the first week.
Bellevue’s Top Dining Deals for Seattle Restaurant Week
Eight years in, still on the Restaurant Week roster — the hot pot room downtown books for the occasion rather than the quick fix.
Browse all The Dolar Shop coverage in the DBN archive.
Getting There & When to Go
The Bravern is the easiest place in the core to park for a long dinner, and hot pot is a long dinner.
Getting There & Parking
- Drive: The Bravern garage; the easiest entrance is on NE 8th Street near the Hermès store. Validate at the host stand for six hours free. Valet is available at The Bravern’s arrival courts on 110th Ave NE and NE 8th.
- Light rail: 2 Line to Bellevue Downtown Station, then a five-minute walk east across 110th to The Bravern — see our light rail guide
- On foot: The restaurant faces NE 6th Street at the south end of The Bravern, across from Meydenbauer Center. From the Bellevue Collection it is a 10-minute walk east along NE 6th or NE 8th.
Best Times to Go
Weekend dinners are the peak and the reservation platforms fill; book, or aim for the happy hour windows before and after the dinner rush, which apply to the a la carte menu. Weekday lunch is the calm table. Cold, wet evenings are hot pot season and the busiest of the year; summer is the easiest walk-in.
Make It a Night
The Bravern makes an evening easy: pair the pots with a walk through The Bravern’s shops before you sit down, Whiskey by John Howie a few doors down for a nightcap, or the best happy hours downtown if you are building a night around it.
Good to Know
As of August 2026: happy hour on the a la carte menu before and after the dinner rush, daily except public holidays and excluding set menus, live seafood, and alcohol. Four private rooms; groups of 15 to 36 book through the group-dining page. Six hours of validated parking. Sister locations in Manhattan, Vancouver, and Sydney.
The Dolar Shop FAQ
How does The Dolar Shop work?
Every seat gets its own pot and burner: pick a broth per person, order raw ingredients for the table, and build a dipping sauce at the sauce bar upstairs. Set menus bundle a broth with meats and vegetables; a la carte lets you build it yourself. Plan on a slow, social dinner.
Does The Dolar Shop Bellevue take reservations?
Yes. As of August 2026 the official site’s Reserve button books through Yelp Reservations, and the restaurant also lists on Resy for small parties. Groups of 15 or more, up to 36, book the private rooms through the group-dining page on the official site.
Where do you park for The Dolar Shop at The Bravern?
The Bravern garage; the easiest entrance is on NE 8th Street near the Hermes store. Validate your ticket at the host stand for six hours of free parking. Valet is also available at The Bravern’s arrival courts.
What should you order at The Dolar Shop?
The Chef’s Creamy Pork Broth is the house pot and the Spicy Broth is the mala option; with individual pots you can each pick. Add the Premier Cru thick-cut beef, the house shrimp pate, and the salt-and-pepper corn kernels to start. Happy hour runs before and after the dinner rush on the a la carte menu.
Is The Dolar Shop the same as Haidilao?
No. The Dolar Shop is a separate hot pot brand with Macau roots and locations in Manhattan, Vancouver, and Sydney; its Bellevue restaurant opened at The Bravern in October 2018 in the former Wild Ginger space. Hai Di Lao is a Sichuan chain a few blocks away on 106th. Both are worth a visit; The Dolar Shop is the quieter, individual-pot version.