Hotpot (huoguo) is the defining eating experience of Chengdu, and an evening spent around a bubbling cauldron of mala broth with friends and beer is what locals mean when they describe the city's character. The drill: choose your broth (the split "yuanyang" pot gives you half mild and half volcano), order raw ingredients from a picture menu — thinly sliced beef and lamb, tripe, lotus root, tofu skin, mushrooms, quail eggs — and cook them yourself at the table.
For reliable quality, try Shu Jiu Xiang on Jiuyan Bridge or any branch of Xiao Long Kan or Haidilao (the latter famous for its theatrical service). The dozens of anonymous hotpot places in the backstreets of Jinjiang District are equally good and a fraction of the price. Arrive hungry; the portion sizes assume a table of four.