Derek W.

Why spend money on 24 Gold when you can spend it on 19 Gold instead? lol 19 Gold in Bothell is located on the east side of Bothell-Everett Highway just north of 213th St SE. Same plaza as Panera Bread, and the Hot Pot spot is located adjacent to Panera Bread's drive thru entrance. I came at 11:30 AM right when they opened, and they already had a few customers inside. One of the employees was pretty welcoming and asked if it was my first time there. For me, it was, so she took the time to explain the ordering process here, though she did speak quite fast, understandably so though. After hearing her explanation of the ordering process, I discerned that the hot pot is a BYO where you select the toppings that would go into your hot pot, and then the chef cooks your selection of toppings with your selection of the broth. First, you grab a tray and tongs, kind of like what you'd do at a Paris Baguette. And then, you select all your toppings to go into your bowl, kind of like what you'd do at a MOD Pizza. Usually at a BYO pizza shop like MOD Pizza, I would pile on all the toppings I can to make a bigger pizza at no extra cost. Except one problem: It's not unlimited toppings for one price here. You get charged $14.99 per lb of your choice of toppings, and you pay after weighing the tray on the scale at the register. I tried to get a little of most toppings out there, but it was a pretty bad idea. The end result was that I chose over 2 lbs worth of toppings, so my hot pot would cost well over $30! Oof! So much for mentioning MOD Pizza lol. Perhaps a better comparison would be Yogurtland since the latter charges by weight, but the former does not. Also, you won't know how much you'd pay until you get to the register. I was given a numbered stand so that when my hot pot was ready to be consumed, a server would then bring it to me. I ordered the Non-Spicy Unami Seafood Broth not knowing how spicy the Original MalaTang Broth can get, even at Mild, or how rich the Super Rich MalaTang Broth is. Unfortunately, the seafood broth didn't really taste like much of anything. It felt pretty diluted that I thought I was slurping straight up water from my hot pot creation. As a result, I tried to dump my custom dip into the bowl, but it may have caused problems for my enjoyment. At the dip station, they had a multitude of sauces and accoutrements to complement the sauces. Similarly to how I built my hot pot, I built my sauces in a similar manner. Not a good idea because one of the accoutrements I chose was sesame seeds, and I believe those pesky sesame seeds caused me to cough a handful of times during the latter stages of my lunch. Luckily, they had plenty enough water on each table, but it got hard to enjoy the rest of my hot pot knowing I could be coughing uncontrollably at any time. One thing I did appreciate was how they put the meats at the end of the bar. Even though I'm not a vegetarian, I like this strategy as it prevents cross-contamination from meats into the vegetables since customers would reach the veggies before the meats. However, I did find the placement of the classic dips at the start of the toppings bar rather odd; I would have suggested placing the classic dips right after the register so that I wouldn't have to make a second trip to the toppings bar just to get some dip for my hot pot. The tray was pretty heavy on its own that when I was done selecting my toppings, I actually had to set the tray down on an empty table just to rest my hand! I really didn't want to drop the tray knowing I might have to pay for the toppings that dropped on the floor lol. Before you help yourself to the Malatang Self-Service Bar, you'll need to be seated by an employee first. I sat at a table in the near corner, A8 I believe, and the side of the table was starting to peel off*. Of all the numerous tables inside, they chose to seat me there? Overall, a decent visit that I can understand the overall rating of 4.7. The one employee I interacted with was fantastic, but probably couldn't have done more for 19 Gold to earn that 5th star from me. But lesson learned: next time, don't go too crazy on the toppings at a place that charges by the pound. The weight adds up really quickly, and you might experience sticker shock at the register! Lastly, they probably won't listen to my suggestion, but I do remember a Yelp friend mentioning a similar spot in SoCal where you guess the price of your bowl, and if you're on the money, it's free! But if you're close enough, like within a few cents, you get a decent discount. I'd love to see 19 Gold implement something like this as that would make things a lot more exciting at the register! lol * My visit was back in November 2025, so the table may have already gone through the necessary repair. A rather late post for this review I understand, but at the time, I had gone on a hiatus from posting reviews.

Allie N.

My new favorite soup spot! Oh my gosh! It's so good. Broths are flavorful and spicy if wanted. I love the tripes and bamboo shoots the most! Def come back...oh and the server is fantastic!

Alex N.

Great place to get Malatang and other Taiwanese items! Prices are great and they have a wide selection of items at the food and sauce bar. Service was great, lots of parking, restaurant was nice and clean. I highly recommend and would come back!

Amy Z.

We stopped here for a light dinner, because we wanted to pick our own ingredients for personal hotpots. I really wished there was another broth flavor like bone broth or chicken, as I'm not huge on spicy. We both ended up with Non-Spicy Umami Seafood Broth which was ok... Maybe the mala broths are better? There were lots of ingredient options and a sauce bar. Staff was friendly, and the interior is nice! Plenty of parking in the plaza.

Mercy H.

They offer a delightful variety of seafood balls, showcasing fresh and flavorful options that seafood lovers will truly appreciate. However, the selection of meat is somewhat limited, with fewer choices available. When it comes to their beef, it tends to be on the richer, fattier side, which may appeal to those who enjoy a more indulgent cut. Service here is efficient and straightforward--professional without unnecessary frills, making for a smooth and pleasant dining experience. I chose the seafood broth (Dashi), which was comforting and well-balanced, though it didn't particularly stand out or surprise.

Branden N.

Malatang is in Bothell!! Location is great, in a shopping plaza with lots of nice cafes and chain-eateries. The interior of the restaurant is clean, nicely decorated, and spacious. This is a nice plus compared to similar Malatang restaurants in the Seattle/Eastside area. Shout out to the staff, they were all EXTREMELY friendly, attentive, and provided great service. 19 Gold seats you at the beginning of the dining experience, and you are provided menus. You are then prompted to the food selection area, then to the weighing of the food. $14.99 / lb (as of 11/10/2025) for Malatang is a better price than competing locations. You pay after you eat, different than other competing locations as well. My partner and I ordered the super rich and tomato broth, which we both found underwhelming at first, requiring pinches of salt to taste. I ordered 3 Stars (Spicy), it was not spicy at all. The sauce bar had all the essentials and when combined with the newly improved salt added broth, our experience was greatly improved. Although 19 Gold comes equipped with all the Malatang essentials (around 80 ingredients to pick and choose from), it is a smaller selection than nearby competitors. The beer prices were fair and a huge plus were the chilled glasses that accompanied them. Major points for this detail. We thought that the meat quality was below par, and many non-meat ingredients were soaked in water. Although not perfect, I would still recommend friends and families to give 19 Gold a try because they offer great value, in a convenient location, with the interior well lit and decorated. Our party left feeling full and our soup cravings satisfied.

Nathalie C.

19 Gold prides itself as the first Seattle Taiwanese Malatang. While I've had malatang before, this spot is a bit different from other hot pot places. The menu offers protein and vegetable options to choose from to build your own hot pot bowl. Although there are fewer options than other malatang spots, it still the standard to build a good bowl. I got a variety of fish balls, beef and lamb slices, vegetables, and ramen noodles. They have broths such as original malatang, super rich malatang, rich tomato, non-spicy seafood, and dry mix. You can choose your preferred spice level. I chose the rich malatang broth. It was delicious, less oily, and less salty compared to other places, which leaves you feeling better after drinking the soup. Their sauce bar has everything you need from oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, sesame sauce, and more. Every bite of the bowl was flavorful, packed with a good amount of spice and sodium. You can't go wrong with what you build in your own bowl. Their service was wonderful, the staff was friendly, and the food came out fast. Something different at this malatang spot is that you pick your booth, they bring you your bowl, and then you pay after. I would definitely go again. I feel satisfied with my time here at 19 Gold, and with $15 for my bowl, I'd say it's worth every penny.

Lydia K.

I was excited when i heard 19 gold opened in bothell. I like 19 gold in Fremont and i thought it would be a similar experience. Unfortunately, it wasn't. There is plenty of parking. Inside is open and bright. Picking up your own ingredients and paying was easy. I ordered super rich malatang broth and spicy level. Also ordered popcorn chicken. My soup was around $22 and popcorn chicken was $8. The service was fairly fast and employees were friendly. I would say popcorn chicken was fresh and good. Very crispy. However, my malatang wasn't even completely cooked. The noodles were still stuck to each other and tofu skin wasn't even fully cooked it was too stiff (as u can see in the picture). Broth wasn't too warm nor spicy, it tasted blend to me. I was extremely disappointed since I like malatang, but this place tastes like it's diluted for non-asian taste buds. I am not sure if i would go back.

Salina P.

Service here is great! Unlike other malatang spots, they will seat you first and you don't pay until after your meal. A bit unusual, but I'm not complaining :) The staff are all very attentive and they checked in enough that I felt well taken care of. The variety of meat/seafood/veggies were all pretty standard. They have a smaller variety than other malatang spots, but all the staples were there. The sauce bar had everything I needed, and the original broth was very flavorful. I also tried the malatang dry mix but I didn't taste very much flavor in that one. I hope that they add some more broth choices later on because there were only a few options. They also had some rice dishes on their menu that sounded delicious and I hope to try soon! The variety of drinks were also great but I hope that they add more to the menu, since their Fremont location has even more of a variety it would be nice to try!

Sara S.

Everything looked/tasted fresh and I love that I don't leave smelling like hot pot and the sauce bar- don't have to pay extra for this. The price is very reasonable and they have a wide selection of vegetables, noodles, protein and dumpling. I love it! Ambiance is kind of a hip upbeat vibe- fun to be in.

Jonathan W.

Not your traditional restaurant experience; you sit down and the server explains the process of ordering in which you go to the salad bar style area and fill up a tray of your hot pot ingredients. They weigh it up and you choose a broth and go sit again. And they'll bring out your prepared bowl. The food was good and fresh but for non spice broth you only get two options; tomato and seafood. The seafood broth was lacking richness and flavor. Also, this place is a microplastic nightmare; they serve your hot pot in a plastic bowl, the water glasses are plastic, and my to go container was black plastic.

Julia K.

Really sad and unsatisfying malatang. The broth is very watered down. I got super rich malatang broth with spice level of spicy but the spicy was mild at best. Also, the food is so undercooked and overcooked at the same time. The potatoes and kabocha all had a bite to it and were only halfway cooked but then the noodles were overcooked. YGF is way better in ingredients and broth flavor. Service is nice though.

Janet N.

I've had 19 gold in Fremont, so was very excited when they opened a second location with a focus on building your own malatang. It makes the experience fun in that you get to customize your soup to your liking. It's super easy to go overboard on toppings, so be a little strategic with what you get otherwise you end up accidentally ordering over two pounds of food lol. Their super rich broth is my favorite and everything ends up tasting so delicious, especially when you can make your own dipping sauce with the build your own sauce bar! I'd recommend ordering their popcorn chicken, it's super crispy and flavorful. Service is super quick, parking is easy, and the restaurant is well ventilated and clean.