Is Haidilao Halal in Australia? 2026 Guide

Haidilao is a Chinese hot pot chain originally founded in Sichuan, China in 1994. It has grown into one of the world's largest hot pot restaurant chains with over 1,400 locations globally. The brand is known for its premium service experience, including complimentary snacks, nail services, and table-side entertainment while you wait. In Australia, Haidilao operates approximately 5 locations across Melbourne and Sydney, and has become a popular dining destination for hot pot enthusiasts.

The hot pot dining format involves selecting a soup base (broth), then ordering raw meats, seafood, vegetables, and other ingredients to cook at your table in the shared pot. This communal cooking style is central to the Haidilao experience, but it also creates significant challenges for halal compliance, as all ingredients are cooked in the same broth.

There are three primary reasons Haidilao cannot be considered halal in Australia. First, pork is a prominent menu item. Sliced pork belly, pork meatballs, and other pork-based ingredients are available and regularly ordered by diners. In the hot pot format, these items are cooked in the same shared broth at many tables, and the kitchen handles pork throughout service.

Second, certain soup bases contain alcohol. The popular Spicy (Mala) soup base and the Sukiyaki soup base both list alcohol as an ingredient. Even if you choose an alcohol-free broth at your own table, the kitchen environment involves handling and preparing these broths alongside all others.

Third, there is no halal certification of any kind. The meats served (beef, lamb, chicken) are not sourced from halal-certified suppliers, and the restaurant has no halal accreditation from any Australian halal authority. The combination of pork on the menu, alcohol in some broths, non-certified meat sourcing, and a shared kitchen makes Haidilao unsuitable for halal dining by most standards.

Not all Haidilao broths are the same when it comes to pork and alcohol content. Some are ingredient-safe on paper, while others clearly contain haram ingredients. However, even the "safe" broths are prepared in a shared kitchen, so this table is only about the ingredients themselves.

Given the extensive presence of pork and alcohol throughout the menu and kitchen, the safest approach for Muslim diners is to avoid Haidilao entirely. For those who find themselves dining with a group at Haidilao, the following items are the most critical to avoid.

Haidilao is known for its exceptional customer service, and staff are generally willing to help with dietary preferences. They can advise you on which soup bases do not contain alcohol or pork ingredients, and they can help you select non-pork proteins like beef, lamb, chicken, and seafood. Some diners report that staff will use separate utensils upon request.

However, staff accommodation does not change the fundamental issue: the kitchen is not halal-certified, pork is handled throughout, and there is no segregation of halal and non-halal preparation areas. Helpful service is appreciated, but it cannot substitute for proper halal certification and kitchen protocols.

If you love hot pot and want a fully halal experience, there are dedicated halal hot pot restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney. These restaurants use halal-certified meats, do not serve pork or alcohol, and maintain halal-compliant kitchens. The hot pot experience at these venues is just as enjoyable, with a wide range of broths, meats, seafood, and vegetables to choose from.

You can search for halal hot pot and Chinese restaurants in your area on HalalHQ. Filter by cuisine type to find community-reviewed options with confirmed halal status from real Muslim diners.

Haidilao is not a suitable option for halal dining in Australia. Unlike some mainstream chains that offer halal-certified proteins in a shared kitchen (where the discussion centres on cross-contamination tolerance), Haidilao presents multiple compounding issues: pork on the menu, alcohol in broths, non-certified meat sourcing, and a communal cooking format that makes ingredient separation virtually impossible.

For Muslim diners who enjoy hot pot, the best approach is to seek out dedicated halal hot pot restaurants. These venues offer the same communal dining experience without any of the halal compliance concerns. Check HalalHQ for halal-certified Chinese and hot pot restaurants near you.