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    Mala Panda

    4.7 (109 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Seafood, Hot Pot
    Closed 11:30 am - 8:30 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

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    Beef Dry Pot

    Food is good fair priced and the service is fast. There's tons of seating and usually isn't crowded at peak times

    Hot pot and dry pot
    Tiffany L.

    I was craving malatang when visiting NYC and this place came up on my search. Honestly, it's a great malatang establishment when it comes to fresh ingredients, but I'm giving it 4 stars because I asked how spicy was the medium and he said "if you can handle spicy it's not that spicy". I got the dry pot and I came with two others who got the hot pot. We all asked for medium spicy and it turns out, we all thought it was too spicy. Normally when I visit a new restaurant I err on the side of caution and get the mild, but I think something about being in the city made me feel like being a risk taker. I wanted to enjoy the dry pot but the heavy spices took away from the individual flavors of the ingredients I got.

    Dry Pot
    Jacquelyn C.

    Portion sizes here can get massive especially if your eyes are bigger than your stomach. I got the drypot and the seasoning here is flavorful and yummy, but was a little watery the day I came--not sure if this was just a fluke. There's lots of options to choose from which I love and there's a tax-cut if you pay with cash!

    Kailyn L.

    Nice quick casual place to grab malatang near midtown. They have a good selection of vegetables and meat, and there's a sauce station where you can mix your own dipping sauce. Solid place!

    Veggie bar
    Kimberly N.

    Very cool concept! They allow you to pick your own vegetables and stuff. There's also a freezer of more meat options behind it on the other side which I didn't realize. I thought it was ice cream lol. The service was nice and she explained it after I paid

    dry pot
    Fiona O.

    Did a custom dry pot. Ended to be around $50 with tip which is a bit pricey for two people. However, food was great! It took 15 minutes before they got the food to us, and everything worked together well. There's also unlimited white rice which is a plus. -1 star for the price, but service and food was good!

    Nhi B.

    Omg, I wish this existed in Orlando!! I love Dry Pot and this is pretty much my heaven. Like most reviews have stated -- you can either order off a menu or create your own dry pot or malatang. We got one of each where I got the medium and my husband got the spicy. Trust me when I say it's HOT. The medium was perfect for me, but it packed a big punch. Both dishes were amazing, but I preferred the Dry Pot. It's $15/lb, but make sure that your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach! I finished my pound of food and was soooo stuffed. It's definitely good for take-home, but we were only visiting and didn't have a convenient way to reheat leftovers. Variety of meats, seafood, tofu, veggies, and more was really good! So many good options to choose from. We also ordered rice on the side to eat with the dishes. Service was good and attentive. The staff here are really friendly. The interior is bright, eclectic, and fun. Maybe it's good they're not near me because I would be here every week. Highly recommend!

    Interior
    Matthew H.

    I'm surprised that I haven't heard of this place before recently, considering how yummy it was! I was very impressed with the selection of ingredients available -- so many different types of fresh veggies, noodles, fish balls and the like, and a variety of cuts of meat. I did feel that the meats were just a tad lacking in terms of quality (just didn't taste the most tender), but also I didn't notice the frozen meats until I was nearly done assembling my ingredients (and I think they were better haha). You can choose if you want the type with broth (mala tang) or without (mala dry pot) and the price is based on the weight of your ingredients (I think $16/lb now). My order ended up being around 1.3lbs, which was super filling (and only around $20!) Other than the mala tang/dry pot, there's also a menu that you can order off of (hot pot, etc.). Prices are especially good, since there's also no tip (mostly self service) and no tax if you pay with cash. It also comes with unlimited rice for free (you just get it yourself as much as you want). Definitely super impressed at how tasty and affordable my meal here was -- will definitely be back :)

    1.55 lb
    Christina L.

    Such a delicious but dangerous experience..... Kind of lost control my first time here and ate my entire 1.55lbs of food and was so full I had to stand 45 degrees while waiting for the train. They have a large variety of options for you to choose for your pot at $15.99 per pound which you can do dry or soup. I like the dry pot here: their sauce is full of flavor and I love the mala spice which actually leans more towards spicy than numbing. I find the mild still has a bit of a kick, and the medium was a bit overwhelming for me as someone who can do about 2.5-3/5 on the spicy scale.

    Foodie E.

    From picking my favorite ingredients to crafting the ultimate custom sauce at the sauce bar, my dry mala bowl at hits every flavor note -- spicy, numbing, and totally addictive. You can build your own mala bowl exactly how you like for just $15.99/lb. Don't miss the crispy fried pork and fried tilapia, and finish it off with the brown sugar jelly that makes this spot even more irresistible. Follow me @foodie.elite on IG and TikTok for more!

    Ray E.

    One of the best dry hot pot places I have been to in the city. Staff is very chill and restaurant is roomy and comfy. Selection of veggies and meats are great. Can't wait to come back

    Nicole N.

    I was craving mala dry pot and mushrooms so I decided to stop by this newly opened restaurant! Similar to places in China, they offer a fridge wide of ingredients for you to select and you pay by weight. I picked a whole 2.5 pounds which came out to about 45 dollars, which is on the pricey side for this type of food - but I'll take it because their sauce was flavorful and savory enough! Although I initially opted for medium spicy, the server advised to try mild first and I wish I didn't follow her recommendation. I appreciated how the ingredients were cooked thoroughly, even those with different cooking time (veggies vs potato glass noodles). Loved the variety of ingredients like fish balls, noodles, veggies. Their meat was also solid! The beef pieces were very tender. I would be interested to try their malatang next time! I would like to point out that the counter space and tables weren't the most clean (just some grease on surfaces or unwashed herb). Staff were nice and diligent. Good amount of seating. Food came out quick!

    Carmen P.

    When you walk in, grab a bowl, and fill your bowl with ingredients. There's a huge wall with different meats, veggies, seafood, and noodles. Then bring your bowl to the register and pay by the weight and choose the flavors/spice level. They take your bowl to the back to cook and you can head to the back seating area. The dry pot here really hit the spot! I enjoyed my meal dine in but did notice a few flies flying around.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Good food and there was good service. Place was clean and the workers are nice and hardworking. Would recommend it to my Chinese grandma

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great service and generous portions! Broth was very flavorful. Meat was also very fresh!

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    1 year ago

    Our server was very knowledgeable about our options when we gave him our food restrictions.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The food here was excellent. The food was cooked very quickly and it was very tasty! The rice is also free.

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    1 year ago

    Delicious food with good seating for a place to hang out . I tried mild spicy dried hotpot

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    amazing food in the restaurant. Really good spice and amazing choices. there were two options of broth and both are great

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Dry hot pot is perfect for cold weather, large selection and preselected set menu if you don't want to pay per lb

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    2 years ago

    The service is as bad as the food! Plus the place is so grimy. Do not recommend!!! YUUCCKKKK

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    2 years ago

    Wait staff was incredibly rude and I saw a cockroach scurry by on the floor! Never going back.

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    1 year ago

    option wise, i'd say it's better than ygf. food was delicious, service is quick and easy, great cozy interior. would highly recommend!

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    2 years ago

    great service and the food looks very good i'm very excited to try it and let you know if it is good many selections and a nice environment

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    Like most reviews have stated -- you can either order off a menu or create your own dry pot or malatang.

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    Crab House NYC

    Crab House NYC

    4.4
    (1.4k reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$$$

    last night 5/15/26 was my first time at the Crab House in Manhattan. My daughter planned this…read moreouting. I have talked about this place since 2021. The food and the atmosphere was amazing. Servers were professional and friendly. I am definitely going to return with more family and friends, it's worth it to come back. If your ever in New York try and pay this place a visit.

    I think this is the only seafood restaurant I've ever been to that has a bidet, which definitely…read moregets bonus points. That said, I didn't come here for the bathroom. I came here to throw down on some seafood and that's exactly what we did. I found out about this place because one of my favorite TikTok foodies posted that she came here when she was visiting from Chicago. It was also my friend's birthday so we figured we'd check it out. If you come with a group of 4 or more, including the birthday person, they eat for free, which is a pretty nice perk. This place lived up to every bit of the hype. We did the $125 option which includes lobster. If you have people in your group who are on the fence about spending the extra money, just remind them it's only about $35 more and that's basically the cost of one lobster anywhere else. Here you're getting unlimited lobster. The food literally just kept coming. At one point we were running out of room on the table. One thing I really appreciated was that the staff noticed and started putting multiple items on the same plates instead of bringing everything out separately. It sounds small but it actually helped a lot and showed they were paying attention. The drinks weren't super strong but they definitely weren't weak either. If you love seafood, come hungry and bring a group. The vibes were great, the service was on point, and we left absolutely stuffed.

    Photos
    First dining room when you walk in, more space down the stairs farther in
    First dining room when you walk in, more space down the stairs farther in
    Cajun butter shrimp
    Cajun butter shrimp
    Salt & Pepper Fried Lobsters

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    Salt & Pepper Fried Lobsters
    Fish Cheeks

    Fish Cheeks

    4.4
    (2k reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    It's shameful it's taken me so long to eat at Fish Cheeks…read more Thai is one of my favorite cuisines, and Fish Cheeks is one of those restaurants that reminds you why. I'd be pressed to find a better Thai food in Thailand. As the name implies, this menu is seafood centric with a few pork options. We ordered the pork jowls, larb, mussels, crab fried rice, crab glass noodles, crab curry (sorry, we love crab). Larb, so good. Loved the crispy pork and sausage with cabbage wrap. The bbqed mussels had incredible flavor with a tasty curry dipping sauce. Jowl was tender, fatty, with a fresh fish sauce. Crab fried rice, excellent. Crab curry, very tasty. Crab glass noodles, sooooo good - must order! Overall Fish Cheeks is everything and more. I can see why this restaurants has remained so popular since opening years ago. Five stars!

    I wanted to be spontaneous and try a restaurant in Williamsburg. We were greeted by Amanda and…read moreChe who were the friendliest host I have met in a long time. We didn't have reservations but a table opened up quickly. I love the esthetics of the restaurant and all the murals on the walls. Their spicy mango cocktail seems to be their top seller because almost every table had a glass, just be warned it comes with a whole chili pepper inside. I also tried non alcoholic Coco bah which was simple and refreshing. Food was all unique Thai food and flavorful. I told them I have a shrimp allergy on our lovely server Emma wrote on the menu what had shrimp or shrimp ingredients on the menu. For appetizers my friend tried the squid ink calamari and Grilled Pork Cheeks both incredible starters. My friend had the crab fried rice which is also popular in the restaurant and 30 day dry aged beef Kaprow. The dish looks like ground beef but the flavors were amazing with garlic, basil and hot chili. I will definitely want to go back and try other items on their menu.

    Photos
    Coconut crab curry
    Coconut crab curry
    Grilled branzino with garlic peanut sauce
    Grilled branzino with garlic peanut sauce
    Goi nuaa- beef tartare

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    Goi nuaa- beef tartare
    Valerie

    Valerie

    4.3
    (1.4k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Came for Brunch on a Sunday . Great food (try the shrimp &…read moreGrits- different but really good). Live music is fabulous (Danny Lipsitz) and the drinks are perfect. Of all the places to go In New York, Glad we stopped here . The attentive service (Bar and Restaurant) made the experience even better. Great job Valerie's !!

    Came here for a slightly early dinner after a Broadway show with a party of 4 on a Sunday evening…read more We had a reservation, but it didn't seem like we would have needed one, but I suppose better safe than sorry. The ambiance feels straight of the golden age, which is an aesthetic I'm certainly a sucker for. Even their robust cocktail menu fits the bill and is one of the prettiest menus I've ever had the joy of perusing. Staff was able to sit us a little bit ahead of our reservation which was also much appreciated. Wait staff was also very helpful and attentive, I don't think I've ever had my water glass so topped off! Starting off with cocktails, this place is a gin bar through and through and you'd be making a mistake if you didn't try one of their many options. I went with the 10,000 words, which you simply just give a spirit of your choice (I picked gin of course) and whether you antes) wanted your drink shaken or stirred and the bartender does the rest, so a bit of a surprise! I wound up with their version of The Last Word which was delightfully citrusy but I was hoping I'd wind up with something a little more adventurous app things considered. My girlfriend got the blackberry G&T, which was not only very pleasing to look at but delicious to boot. For food, we started with splitting some zucchini blossoms and beef cheek bao buns (both come in portions of 3). Both were tasty, but I love a good bao bun and these were so light and pillowy, I could have just went for an order of those for my main course. For the entree I went for the roasted half chicken, perhaps the most unassuming choice on the menu but this was maybe the best roast chicken I've ever had. Prepared perfectly, cooked to perfection, excellent portion size, and the kicker of it all was the stunning gravy that I was tempted to lick my plate for. Chicken is very easy to screw up, and they nailed it on all fronts here. My girlfriend went for the Valerie Signature burger with white cheddar and this thing did not mess around! A very rich patty, cooked to her temperature of choice served alongside some garlic truffle fries that made an American classic feel just a little more elevated. Our experience was delightful and I'd love to comeback here again, especially to check out more of the cocktail menu and soak in more of that golden age aura the place gives.

    Photos
    Valerie
    Valerie
    Valerie

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    Oceana

    Oceana

    3.8
    (755 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$$

    Deal dujour. World Cup lunch special Two courses $29 with wine or beer $5…read more Now this was my first time here, surprisingly as I'm mostly pescatarian. I passed and saw the sign & this is a DEAL!! Ate: Complimentary focaccia Strawberry gazpacho Skate with veggie couscous Bordeaux blend The gazpacho was perfection with cukes & avocado. Superb skate, just a lovely lunch and AMAZING VALUE. On till 7/19ish.

    Summary: the food is alright, the portions are large, but the hostess I interacted with was not…read moregreat. I felt unwelcome, which was tough since I came here for dinner before a Broadway show, & was left without many other available options. I arrived 25 minutes late for my reservation, but was told that my only option was to sit at the bar due to their 30 minute grace period being up (which wasn't true). I looked around the restaurant & saw it was only 20% full, but the hostess then said all the open tables are reserved for guests who are arriving soon. Based on what I saw, it was hard to believe her. I checked open table to see if any reservations were available, and sure enough there was one at 6:15pm -- mind you, I arrived at the restaurant at 5:55pm. So I book the 6:15pm table & inform the hostess. I then sat down to wait for 6:15 to come. As I waited, I noticed the hostess asked each incoming guest whether they were attending a Broadway show & what time each show was at so that they could ensure the guests made it out on time. At 6:06, she comes & says she can seat me because another guest cancelled, which again, I found hard to believe. As she leads me to my table, I noticed she didn't ask if there was a show I was attending, nor the show's start time. I stopped & asked if she wanted to know my show time before seating me, & she looked so surprised. The honest truth is that the hostess did not treat me like a customer. Instead, I felt unwelcome & couldn't help but wonder if it was related to me being Black the only Black person in the restaurant. The food was ultimately alright, but the service here really ruins the experience.

    Photos
    Oceana
    Squid Ink Spaccatelli
    Squid Ink Spaccatelli
    Turkey dish mixed with white and dark meat

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    Turkey dish mixed with white and dark meat
    Lobster Place

    Lobster Place

    4.2
    (1.6k reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    You really can't beat the raw bar at Lobster Place which is located right in the middle of Chelsea…read moreMarket. There's plenty of seating, both tables and bar seating. To order, you fill out a paper sheet for the raw bar items and place a separate order in the back for kitchen fare. Every time I've been here, the seafood has been incredibly fresh and delicious. It's definitely not cheap though and our most recent meal came out to almost $500 after tip. We ordered: - 2 bread bowl NE clam chowders ($15 ea)--delicious and hearty. The peasant loaf bread was fine and everyone enjoyed it - 6oz lobster roll ($38)--a delicious cold lobster roll with a mayo-based sauce, great flavor, and a soft buttery bun - 20 oysters ($3.75 ea)--all fresh and delicious, primarily East Coast oysters although they occasionally have some West Coast ones. Fisher's Island was akin to drinking straight sea water - 5 Peruvian scallops--small and sweet with a strawberry sauce - 2 California uni ($19 ea)--one was incredibly sweet, clean tasting, and much better than the other, which was slightly more bitter and minerally - 2 diver scallops ($15 ea)--drizzled with olive oil, yuzu, and sea salt - 8 shrimp cocktail ($3.25 ea)--one of the most unworth things I've tried in recent times because the shrimp was so cold it tasted barely thawed and was watery with almost no flavor You order at the counter or via paper ticket and they bring everything to your table. Staff have always been friendly and service was great. They sell fresh fish and some frozen specialty items like escargot. I don't know if anything would ever deter me from coming back here :)

    High quality fish dishes and great staff inside Chelsea Market. Rating 8/10…read more Pros: Quality, seating, staff, good smell. Cons: Mediocre Sangria, smallish size, price.

    Photos
    A fun and relaxed raw bar atmosphere.
    A fun and relaxed raw bar atmosphere.
    The raw bar spread.
    The raw bar spread.
    Great craft beer selection.

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    Great craft beer selection.

    Mala Panda - chinese - Updated July 2026

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