PICNIC ΓÇö Chinese BBQ & Hotpot on Wilhelminastraat
A steamy, sizzling table for two (or ten) in downtown Paramaribo.
Why Go
Suriname's Chinese food scene runs deep ΓÇö Hakka roots, decades of migration, generations of home cooks ΓÇö and PICNIC channels all of it into one loud, delicious ritual: pick your broth, pile up your plates, and let the table do the cooking.
The Experience
Walk in off Wilhelminastraat and the first thing that hits you is the smell ΓÇö smoky charcoal drifting from BBQ tables, star anise and chili floating up from bubbling hotpot broths. The room is bright, casual and a little chaotic, in the best way. Servers hustle trays of thinly sliced beef, springy fish balls, hand-pulled noodles, tofu skins, quail eggs, leafy greens and mushrooms; you tick off what you want, dip it into the boiling broth in front of you (spicy mala on one side, mellow herbal or tomato on the other), and eat it seconds later. If you'd rather grill than simmer, the Korean/Chinese-style BBQ side lets you sear marinated pork belly and lamb skewers right at the table. It's the kind of place where you order too much, laugh too loud, and leave smelling faintly of chili oil ΓÇö exactly the point.
What to Try
Order the split-broth hotpot so you can try both spicy Sichuan mala and a gentler herbal or tomato base. Non-negotiables: thin-sliced fatty beef, handmade shrimp dumplings, enoki and shiitake mushrooms, tofu skin, and a plate of leafy bok choy or ong choy to balance the richness. On the BBQ side, don't skip the cumin-dusted lamb skewers and the marinated pork belly. Build your own dipping sauce at the bar ΓÇö sesame paste, soy, chopped garlic, cilantro, chili oil, a splash of vinegar ΓÇö this is where hotpot pros are made.
Insider Tip
Come in a group of at least four if you can ΓÇö hotpot is a communal sport, and PICNIC's per-person all-you-can-order pricing gets dramatically better value the more mouths you bring. Reserve ahead on weekends and Chinese holidays; the dining room fills up with local families and it's not unusual to wait 30+ minutes without a booking. And wear a shirt you don't love ΓÇö that mala broth splatters.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Wilhelminastraat, central Paramaribo ΓÇö walkable from most downtown hotels and a short taxi from the waterfront. Best for dinner; lunch service can be quieter. Cash (SRD) is always welcome; card acceptance in Suriname can be spotty, so bring some local currency as backup. Expect a mid-range spend by Paramaribo standards, cheap by international hotpot standards. Vegetarians are well served ΓÇö plenty of tofu, mushrooms, noodles and greens ΓÇö but flag any allergies clearly, as broths and marinades often contain shellfish or fish sauce.
Pair It With
- Palmentuin (Palm Garden) — A pre-dinner stroll under the towering royal palms just a few blocks away is the perfect appetite-builder before a hotpot marathon.
- Waterkant riverfront — After dinner, walk off the meal along the Suriname River promenade ΓÇö food stalls, breezy views and Parbo beer within easy reach.
- Fort Zeelandia — Pair a daytime visit to Paramaribo's historic Dutch fort and museum with an evening at PICNIC for a full old-town-to-modern-Chinese-Suriname day.
- Rum House / local bar hop — Suriname makes some of the Caribbean's best rums ΓÇö a nightcap nearby is the classic way to close out a hotpot night.