This place has a lot of potential! The owner just needs to install ac. Summer will be bad for business if there is no air conditioner. Like seriously dude, you need to install an AC because even though I really enjoyed my food, i could not fully enjoy it because I kept sweating my butt off. That experience is not pleasant. So please please install ac otherwise you're my go to place during the fall and winter. Anyhoo besides that, I love that you can pick your own ingredients for your spicy soup and you can also pick what level of spicy you want. So that's cool. But watch out for your portions. You pay per weight and I think it was $12.99 per pound or $13.99 I forgot. I paid about $31 for mine. That was a lot of food. Got too excited with the options I guessed. So watch out for that. Overall it was good. I just wish the restaurant had air conditioning. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Love the potato noodles!! Also the broth is good too - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

Amazing service and food! Love the service here. Must visit and please come here for the best MalaTang

TLDR - An authentic Chinese food experience that is rarely seen in the states Mala Kungfu is small store on the corner offering a style of fast casual food very common all over China. You walk in, grab a giant bowl, and toss in all the ingredients (meat, veggies, noodles, etc.) you would like for them to cook in a broth. You tell them how spicy you would like it and they whip it all together for you. Finally, you pay by weight and patiently wait for your food. The soup came out really good, and the ingredients were quite fresh by appearance and taste. I couple areas of the restaurant I think that can be improved are the speed of service and the pricing. I know I got a lot of food (though it's all just veggies and I didn't even add a meat), but I ended up spending the amount I would at a decent Italian restaurant. Close to about $22. The speed of service is tough, because they had one person working the counter and one person working the kitchen. When the line got even a tiny bit long, it was just so much for two people to handle. Ultimately, I enjoyed my meal and this restaurant has a lot of potential to be even better than it is. read more

The Worst Chinese Restaurant In MA I don't normally give restaurant one star. But this is one of my worst experience I've ever had in my life with Mala.. 1. Every veggies are uncooked 2. Added extra beef but I saw 3-4 beef pieces 3. Requested for spicy but I don't absolutely feel any spice. Not mixed well I requested a refund for this because I couldn't even finish them. The manager was offensive and they only gave 50% refund for my order after I called 7-8 times and they kept saying that owner or whoever in charge of it was not available and ended up with making a deal with me. Shame on you. You are ruining the reputation of all Chinese restaurant if you keep your business like that. The worst. period. Never ever make a delivery from here y'all unless you want to waste your money on it. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Uncooked, tasted so bad - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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I don't usually give one star but this might warrant it because I spent over 30 dollars on a mala tung that I can pay 10 dollars for. Centered in Allston, I thought I'd give this place a try. I like the concept of picking your own vegetables but when the vegetables are weighed, it came out to like 20+ dollars. I was pretty dumbfounded. Also they play Kpop music in a supposedly Chinese restaurant. The owner/manager guy seems nice and attentive and maybe overly attentive to the point that it's a little bit annoying. I don't like being disturbed every few minutes. At the end when we were ready to leave wrote what was a coupon on a small piece of paper and tells me to come back and it's only like 2 dollars off lol. Like come on man.... Like the concept but restaurant ambience is poor, way over priced, I would recommend other places instead. read more

I came here to try it. Was a bit overwhelmed by the price per pound because I didn't want to spend too much. But they have a scale conveniently near the food section so you can monitor and make sure you aren't getting to much. When my soup came back it was perfectly cooked. I loved the flavor of the broths too! Had a hint of lemon which I liked! read more

KungFu MalaTang - Mala Spicy Hot Pot - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

An interesting concept. You pay per the weight. You pick up the bowl add the veggies, noddles and the meat and as per the weight you pay for it. They take it inside and make it as a noodle soup based on your spice level and will serve to you. It's hot and spicy. Taste wise, it's really good. Huge kudos for the different kind bds of tofu they have. Vegetarian friendly place. The only drawback would be that it's expensive. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Loaded with Tofu - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

1 the owner is super annoying. Keep saying how good is his food from Japan , China through daily air line. Blablablabla 2 his brother own 2% of KFC. Yes. You hear me. KFC. His sister is The CEO of 1000 plus restaurant . 3 he want to charge $30 for duck neck ...... which is normally cost $8-10 dollars....... 4 he own 周黑鸭 another major brand. Lol 5 after my wife give the honest review. "Someone" immediately have a 5 stars review. 6 I was diarrhea whole day yesterday after I ate it. read more

1. The owner was incredibly annoying. He constantly bothered us when we were eating, and he didn't know his boundaries. When paying for the food, he asked us to tip him a minimum of 10% (once again, completely crossing the line). This immediately put me in a bad mood, but I decided to give the food a chance. 2. The food is mediocre. Nothing special. And for the price, it is definitely not worth it. Also, the owner claimed that everything was organic, but clearly, it was not (he gets the food from Super 88). I would never pay as much money as I did for what I ordered. You would be better off buying a $2 pack of instant noodles and eating it at home. Seriously. 3. The terrible and confusing music. The restaurant is supposed to be "fast-casual", but there's a live violinist playing the same sad song over and over. That's weird. I noticed people kept looking over, confused. When the violinist is not playing, he blasts K-pop music and videos on the TV. It was definitely not the right choice of music/entertainment for a restaurant of this type. This is a minor complaint (and I do not fault the violinist at all), but it's something that the owner should consider if he wants to improve the overall quality of his restaurant. Do yourself a favor and please don't step foot into this restaurant. Go to Super 88, buy ramen, and cook it at home. read more

The food was great and the portion was sufficient. The service was really nice and the staff was very friendly. Definitely will come back! read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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Hands down the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. The owner has the personality of a used car salesman. He talked to us nonstop about how amazing his tea is. He went as far as pulling up a chair to our table. When we asked why the selection of vegetables was so sparse, he said it was because everything tastes amazing and it's all organic so everyone ate it earlier in the day. Very basic things were out- no enoki, no mushrooms, etc. Ok so we are being charged $13.99 for BARE minimum veggies. We go to weigh them and are told that there is a minimum $ that you have to reach but there's literally nothing else I want. Not thrilled. We go to choose our meat and beef is out of stock. Shocking. I ask why/how and I'm told that the designated meat slicer guy has gone home for the day wtf. Also no meat skewers of any kind. Because you guessed it. So organic and so amazing that it sold out. I haven't even gotten to the bad part. We told them from the beginning that our party had a peanut allergy. When our soup came, we ate one bite and lo and behold there are whole peanuts in there. The owner's response was that oops the chef forgot. But he has a peanut allergy himself and it's not that big of a deal. He offered a refund then told us the register was closed for the night so I'd have to come back. He offered free tea but then added only until the end of the month. He offered $3 off but for a future purchase. He had his friend play a song on the piano "he's off the clock but I told him to play a song for you." Thank you? All the while nonstop talking. This place is so bad. Terrible customer service for bad food. I am Chinese and I could have thrown this together in a college dorm room with a pack of ramen and some veggies. No thank you stay far away. I have not received a refund to this day. read more

Super expensive and not worth for the price. We added 4 dollars for beef and It was so little.

Broth was good, glass noodles were slightly undercooked. I liked the idea of picking what you want in your stew. Ambiance was not bad.

So many reasons why i give one star. This is a brand new place to eat so me and my friend just stop by to see if it was worth trying. Nobody was inside so I just spoke to the cashier. The manager or owner came up to us and started talking up the restaurant and told us how they serve the food. He gave us coupons but then would take them back and said they were for next time. I think he said that bc we actually decided to eat there that night. It all started with my peanut allergy. I told them from the beginning that I was allergic to peanuts. When i received my bowl, one sip and I knew that were peanuts in this. I told the manager and i felt like he took it too lightly. He continued to say that he had a similar allergy and that I would be fine, "just a little sore throat". He offered another bowl but I knew that I couldn't eat it because I was having a reaction. He said that he would give me my money back but then took it back and said that his register was "closed." He told me to come back for the refund. I don't live close so I asked him to mail it to me. Which is already a hassle. I gave him my mailing address and I haven't heard from him again. I was with my friend so I let her finish her bowl. As she was finishing, he kept bothering us. He tried to make it up with some music in the background, went on and on how everything is organic (its not. everything is from the 88 down the street), he ran out of meat and said that the man who cuts is on vacation (what?), offered his own chocolates (from his pocket), asking if everything is ok (which it wasn't), gave us a student discount (which never made it on the receipt) So bottom line: Food: don't bother. if you want to pay 18 plus dollars for a bowl of ramen that you can definitely make at home. the broth isn't special. just buy the packaged ramen and add your own veggies at home. hospitality: a peanut allergy is a serious thing and one should treat it as such. read more

I was walking around looking for food when I came across this place. I saw hotpot and was hooked. Upon entering I realized that this place was not the hotpot I was used to, so I was taken aback. Being hungry, I decided to give it a try anyways. Well let me tell you, the gentleman who helped me out was so passionate and nice, he alone made the place great. BUT, then came the food, and let me tell you: it was some of the best Asian food I've ever had.My experience is of course a bit limited but I certainly know when food is great or not; and this was certainly the former. If you have a chance, give this place a chance too, I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

Food was fine. Over-priced for what you get for sure. Broth was fine, not super special but was spicy and it met expectations. Selection of food could be a bit wider. I've had mala in the pick-at-the-counter style in China before, so the concept wasn't new to me. However, the service was poor all-around. I went up to the counter to ask for water, they said they'll bring it to our table. 10 min pass, they apparently forgot. The second time I waited at the counter. Apparently there's a minimum weight, which they didn't tell us about until my friend tried to pay. My friend was vegetarian so he had to go get another half pound of veggies, which he ended up not eating. He would've been fine just paying the minimum price and not wasting the extra food, but the guy at the counter insisted on him getting more food. While my friend was trying to pay for his order, the man instead chose to greet people who just came in. I get it why, but he was literally standing at the counter for over 5 minutes, food on the scale, credit card in hand, waiting for this guy to finish explaining the process to the people who just came in. I love mala, but wouldn't return here. read more

Here we have another place that is not viable. Executive summary: Filthy, incompetent, expensive. The soup taste is pretty good. But 1. The guy behind the register was trying hard and failed truly. He realized that his offering is subpar and he gave us a small bottle of Pellegrino on the house. Great, especially considering an $8 value for which we were charged over $50. 2. We got to pick our own ingredients for our soup in a "clean" fresh bowl. Interestingly, along the way the "counter intelligence" stacked the bowls on the kitchen window. Nice to see a bowl that was on the dirty counter now siting on the food in the bowl below. Yuk. Why even cleaning the bowls? 3. They were out of meats except luncheon meat for the soup and some BBQ lamb. The lamb we ordered was delivered to the wrong table who returned it to the counter and the brilliant staff then delivered it to our table. Not sure who was sneezing on it along the way. Now I am looking forward to a new record score in health code violations. 4. Next is the luncheon meat: It wasn't Spam (which would have been acceptable). It was just disgusting; once we got it. When our soup was delivered, the meat actually was missing. It took a while to get anyone's attention. Eventually, we were brought a couple of slices of low grade luncheon meat. I did not look how much they charged for this. 5. The low: One bowl of soup, a slice of lamb, terrible management, oblivious to health codes at a charge over $50 -- Epic fail! How come 2-stars you might ask? The broth taste was good if you manage to ignore the disasters. read more

I usually go to Mala Restaurant down the street, but they weren't open. Was still pretty excited to try this place. Dry pot tasted ok. Crawfish tasted better. But leaving 2 stars here bc serving size for the dry pot was less than 1/2 ( for the same price ) of what I've gotten at Mala Restaurant just down the street. Paid $30 for craw fish but it's barely 1.5 servings. Legit so sad. Sadness overload. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Dry Spicy Hot Pot (Dry Pot) & craw fish - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

I don't often go to a restaurant before checking the Yelp reviews, but I did for Mala Kungfu. I must say I am a bit surprised by the low ratings! I went the other day with my fiancee and a friend. My friend is Chinese, my fiancee and I are Korean. The owner was very friendly and able to talk to us all in our native tongues. Small detail, but that was a plus! The prices were indeed pretty high, but my fiancee and I shared a malatang for about $50, tip included. We also took leftovers home for a full meal the next day. So I don't think the price is unreasonable. The food, we all thought, was excellent. Admittedly, I've only had malatang once before in New York, but the broth was spicy, savory, and smooth. The lamb skewers were also excellent and came with spices. My Chinese friend, though, is a bit of a Chinese food snob and claims that it's the best place he knows in Boston to get malatang. I trust his judgment. The service was very good as well. We got a few sodas on the house as well as an extra lamb skewer to bring the total up to six skewers, since there were three of us sharing. Thanks for a delightful lunch, Mala Kungfu! read more

[3.86/5] When Refuge Cafe went down I was immediately pulled in, curious of what to come next. Like the nosey bathrobed neighbor I was, I would peer through the window hoping I'd get a glimpse of a clue. This is a prime location afterall, Allston's version of Time Square. OK I'm exaggerating a little, but either way this is a major commercial intersection. Whatever came next had to be exciting. [Oh god, I'm beginning to sound like a townie.] Here we go! Review #046 Restaurant Type: Fast Casual Dining. My 1st Impression: First there was a KungFu Panda, then KungFu Tea, and now Mala KungFu! *cue the music* Everybody was kung fu fighting! Food (65%) Taste to price 3/5 Quality to price 3.5/5 Portion to price 4/5 Average = 3.5 Service (20%) Friendliness 4.5/5 Promptness 4.5/5 Average = 4.5 Cleanliness (15%) Bathroom n/a Dining area 4.5/5 Kitchen area 4.5/5 Average = 4.5 Overall Score = [F(.65)]+[S(.20)]+C(.15)] = [2.28]+[0.9]+[0.68] = 3.86 The Pluses... + Very passionate and welcoming owner. As soon as I walked in I was immediately greeted. He walked us through and curated all the offerings of the restaurant. I appreciated that. + You make your own bowl here so if you like or despise anything in particular you can make it anyway you like. The choice is yours. + For the soft opening promo, he gave us complimentary seltzer water and beef toppings. That was a kind gesture :) + BBQ LAMB was how I liked it: Hot, tender, juicy, and heavy on the chili powder. + BROTH was delicious. Rich in flavor, and not overly salty. It was similar to the MALA TANG in China. + Spacious dining area, huge 4K TV! Lots of room to maneuver all you want. If you have Invisible Lat Syndrome like me, this is a dream come true. + Lots of natural air flow as they keep their windows open (weather permitting). One of the few Asian soup themed restaurants to do so. Best view for people watching. + Very clean all around, new everything. The Negs... - With all that open space, I would like to see more for toppings much like the many MALA XIANG GUO places have it set up. I also think given the similarities, they could easily offer MALA XIANG GUO as an option. - I'm all for the single item restaurant movement, but in this instance, I want more menu items. Nowadays, with so many soup options what is their Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? - At checkout we were told, "Other restaurants require 15%, we only charge 10% for tips. It's for the kitchen and this will help them." I think that's very kind of the owner to watch for his staff, but there must be some kind of cultural misunderstanding because in America, that's not going to be well received, as many reviewers have pointed out. The Neutrals... o The owner is fluent in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. I thought that was pretty cool. In Conclusion... Mala Kung Fu is one of the few restaurants in the area to serve MALA TANG or MALA SOUP. They are a solid choice if you're craving for this particular item. With a highly visible location and high foot traffic, they should do well especially in the winter. I look forward to coming back. #ChowYouLater **If you enjoyed my review and need help with the Boston area, follow or add me as a friend. I have tons of reviews like this. read more

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food is great, music is too damn loud and it's always some stupid ass K-pop playing in the back, tiping is mandatory but the waitresses can't serve a damn glass of water, you have to stand up every time to get a refill of water, but you have to pay 10% of the total of your meal for "service" read more

Came on a whim on today and was a little overwhelmed by the build your own concept, but the owner was super helpful in explaining the process and helping me us pick things. Everyone was extremely friendly and the food comes back perfectly cooked and arranged in a delicious broth. Someone mentioned the owner expects 10% tip on the payment, which is true, but I usually tip in these kinds of places so it was kind of nice to be instructed on the 10% instead of trying to decide what's appropriate. Honestly, I usually tip more and probably should have, considering how good the service was. It's technically counter service, but they bring your food and clear it away. That's the kind of thing you tip for. Also, the owner brought us two Japanese sweet teas on the house for it being our first visit and they were delicious! The only thing I would mention is the toppings aren't labeled and you use the same tongs for everything, so this wouldn't be a good restaurant for vegetarians or people with certain allergies. Overall, just a very good experience. read more

Friendly staff and the food were ok, maybe cuz I don't know how to mix the ingredients??? read more

KungFu MalaTang - Mala Noodle ? - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

1. Too salty compare to other mala tang I had before. 2. Too overpriced. 3. Lettuces were too bitter, so I could not even swallow. I spitted it out right after tried lettuces. 4. No good not bad taste but overall I would not try again. I checked the charged price later, but it was charged $28. I ordered one regular size mala tang with one beef, and I remember the price on the receipt was $13-5. Maybe the server overcharged the tips or Idk what happened, but I would not try again. read more

KungFu MalaTang - $28 for one mala tang soup with regular size and one beef. In-credi-ble price - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

The owner (I believe) was so kind and helped us through the process of picking out our own hotpot. Customer service was truly 10/10. Not to mention the food was really good and fresh. This place is a hidden gem for sure and will come back as a regular read more

Soooo Goood! We had dry hotpot and lamb skewer there, and the owner gave us free Milk tea, Oolong tea and an extra lamb skewer! He is so nice and polite too! I would definetely come back whenever I want to have dry hotpot and Skewers for sure. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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They just opened a few days ago. I am glad I went in and tried today. I ordered with mild spicy, it tastes very good. I could choose whatever I wanted, in a big transparent bowl, and then they measured on the scale. So I got the chance to choose how much I want. The owner is there today, he is a very nice guy. This is the very first one in Boston, I am sure they'll go bigger in the future. Next time I am going to try spicier one, and take some photos. (Forgot today, until I realized it's too late for photo. The bowl is empty!) read more

Nice soup. Fits the cold weather. fish balls and meat balls recommended. Also kind keeper for this restaurant read more

Don't spend money in this place!I had malaxiangguo extra spicy .it was not spicy at all and super salty . I can't even taste the veggies and meat . And it's too expensive . read more

Very Yummy！although I ordered tiny spicy ,it still was little bit hot for me.The soup was very tasty.The staff are very friendly. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

It's a surprise that this mala restaurant is doing different trend than others. They take care about costumers' health and would give you extra vegetable when your choice is not healthy enough. Btw, the milky soup and the spices balance pretty well. Each portion of meat is huge and worthy. The vegetables are fresh. Moreover, they are trying to build a solid membership system and it provides lots of benefits which are easily accessible. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

It is really amazing to have such delicious má là tàng in Boston! Really sweet service and great broth. I do wanna come here everyday! They are tidy and clean and the food is pretty fresh. I will comeback soon! read more

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Very legit Chinese Malatang! The soup is pretty good! And spicy! But I hope they can come up with more meat and vegetable options for the malatang. I really want to have some pork balls and beef balls. I hope that they can also offer delivery on the popular delivery apps. read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

Really nice staff and services. Spicy pot has been my favorite Asian street food since middle school. But sanitation and choice of ingredient have always been my concern. MALA KUNGFU has been the best I had so far, we were able to see all the ingredients upfront and were informed that all of them came from local organic farms. The food was spicy but really easy on my stomach. It was one of the lunch highlights I had for the month. The manager even invited us to the event this Friday, where live music will be featured. Definitely will visit again and encourage all foodies to try it! read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

The Mala Tang is pretty good and service is awesome! However the selection is limited read more

KungFu MalaTang - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

Rude staff, avoid this place. The food is gross and overpriced. Not a place I'd ever recommend.

ZERO star. Do NOT GO!!! Everything is done by myself but a man insists that I have to pay at least 10% tips before I have my food. In fact there is a no tips option on their payment screen. Ridiculous! And so rude! He warns me if I do not tip he does not welcome me and he did kick me out. He's a raciest! Can't imagine how horrible this restaurant is! read more

Dishes were very authentic and the service was great. We love the traditional spicy hot pepper sauce very much, and it tasted like the authentic Chinese pepper sauce that you can barely find in the states, very impressive. Will definitely be back :))) thank you. read more

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Many times my partner and I had strolled past Mala Kung Fu, ogling the lush spreads of vegetables visible through the window and wondering if someday we might get a taste. And on a rainy cold night when both of us had a serious hot pot craving, we finally stepped through the door, took our bowls, and filled them with goodies... But I'm sorry to say, Mala Kung Fu is not worth the price, and I'm talking mental more than monetary. The Bad: * The man who handled our bowls at the register acted really disrespectfully towards my partner. When my partner went to get her bowl weighed, he insisted that she had taken too much and even after she took some things out, he reached into her bowl with his own tongs and tried to take some of her food away! This was totally unprofessional and unacceptable; I don't know if he didn't think that she was going to eat everything, but it's none of his business, and he's lost two potential repeat customers with the way he acted. She had given no indication that she thought that she had taken too much, or that she couldn't pay for what she was buying -- and did I mention she was hungry? Chasing a bunch of kids around all day will get you working up an appetite. * Maybe he acted that way because I realized that I had taken too much food (I paid before she did) and I actually did want to put some back once I saw how much I had taken and how much it actually weighed. (It adds up fast.) But, this had its own set of problems. When I asked if I could take some of my food out, he recommended that I put some of my food right back in the buffet containers where it had come from, and my mouth pretty much dropped open. I've been commercial kitchen safety trained, and I know that if someone's already put food on their own plate, especially if it's touched other ingredients, you don't put it back out. Cross contamination ahoy! * Seeing the multiple reviews from people with peanut allergies who SAID they were allergic, and then had reactions triggered by the broth, makes me worry that the staff might not be wholly honest about what's in certain things. My partner is vegetarian and allergic to shrimp; I'm considering it a lucky break that she didn't have to go to the hospital if this is the way they treat people with allergies. * The milk tea was like making love in a canoe...as in, it was f*cking close to water. The Good: After all of that, the food did taste pretty good, and the broth had this really wonderful creamy taste that I'm probably going to attribute to the peanuts. Both my partner and I got our soups boxed up by staff members different from the guy that had given her a hard time, and we will be happily eating our leftovers, but we won't be coming back. read more

First impression Ordered malatang for take out. Cons: The cheap takeout container is definitely not designed for soup. It's not tightly sealed at all. The soup leaked everywhere in the bag only after my ten minutes walk home. Such a mess. Didn't get a chance to take a picture of the food Ordered only veggies , no meat , 30 dollars. Most expensive malatang I've ever had , not the best taste. Pros : soup base tastes much better than the ones I had in Chinatown. ( although my stomach didn't feel well after eating it because it's super heavy. I suggest moderate consumption for people with weaker digestion) Ingredients taste relatively fresh and the environment looks decently clean. read more