Came back here and the food was okay. I got the beef eye slice, lamb, pork belly, seaweed, mushrooms, and fish balls with pork in the super spicy dry pot. I'll start by saying the amount of food has increased since the last time I ate here a few years ago! And the quality of the sauce seems to be better now too. I'm happy this place changed and improved both the quantity and quality of food here. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Build Your Own Mala Dry Pot - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

LOVE LOVE LOVE Mala Project! My boyfriend and I had Mala Project THREE days in a row via UberEats. They surely use high quality ingredients and taste is always consistent. I tend to order for lunch because prices are lower and it comes with rice. My dry pot always includes: chinese cabbage, bok choy, glass noodle, beef tenderloin which comes to be around $15. Their mild flavor has a nice kick to it. Overall, good portions, very tasty, and always nicely packaged. I'll be ordering from here again! TIP: Order the manto!! It balances well with the mala flavor. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

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really like the ambience and aesthetics of this place, and the food is also good! it gets a little pricey if you're ordering a la carte but the lunch specials are still a decent deal for midtown even post-inflation imo. the first combo with the thinly sliced eye of round (beef), potatoes, cauliflower, bok choy and tofu is very good and satiating and was my lunchtime go to. will be checking out the midtown east location now that i work on this side of midtown. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - interior - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

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Mala project always hits If you can tolerate it, get the spicy dry pot (it's more flavorful than the mild but 10x more painful) Building your own dry pot is always a win So many options and good to share read more

I ordered a dry chickpot and it was a tasty spicy dish!I The service was good too. I would gouache there! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Chicken Drypot - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

The dan dan noodles were SOOOO good. It was the perfect level of spiciness and the noodles were so chewy! Super addicting, I couldn't stop reaching for more. We also ordered the popular Dry Pot, but I personally did not like because of the ginger. (not a fan of ginger but otherwise would have been super tasty!!) We also loved their alcoholic beverages! It was very unique and interesting PLUS strong alcohol level LOVED IT!!! The service was also amazing ~ Waitress and Hostess were both very friendly and welcoming! Would definitely come back! read more

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I love malatang. This was my first meal in NYC as a first timer at NYC and I thought it was good but overpriced but I quickly learned that the whole city is overpriced and I'm visiting from the Bay Area hmm. The seafood (scallop and stuff) are very tasty as a fake pescatarian. The glass noodles? are a must!!!!!!!! team noodz 4ever read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Absolutely loved the concept and the food here. Create your dry pot offers customer flexibility to choose their own favorites. Awesome flavor and good quantity. Convenient location and good pricing. read more

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My favorite take out spot in midtown NYC. The online ordering system is convenient. Food is always tasty, fresh and never disappoints. A very solid Sichuan option in NYC! read more

I've been ordering this for delivery for months and have gone to the actual restaurant once. I think this is a really good spot if you like spicy food. Their main focus is on dry pot (hot pot ingredients without the soup), and I usually will order the Liangfen (vinegar, spice, mung bean noodles) as well. BEWARE - "Spicy" dry pot is pretty spicy (spicier than xxtra hot cheetos but not as spicy as nuclear ramen) so you might want to start with "Mild Spicy." I've heard two of my friends tell me they've started crying at work after ordering the "Mild Spicy" dry pot, so even then only if you like spicy normally Pros (+) Delivery and efficiency: This is one of the fastest places for delivery and they are across multiple platforms including Uber Eats and Seamless (+) Quite a lot of food: They offer quite a lot of food for the money which is especially good if your group has similar preferences when ordering dry pot. They offer quite a large variety of different ingredients so there is something for everyone (+) Good for groups: We came as a group of ~10 before and we were comfortably seated. We arrived at a late-ish hour and were seated immediately so I can't speak to how crowded the restaurant is normally Cons (-) I would like to see more spice levels since the "Non-Spicy" is quite bland and the "Mild Spicy" is significantly spicier. I would also like to see something between the "Mild Spicy" which is a bit too mild for me and the "Spicy" which is too hot read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dry Pot (tofu skin, corn, wood ear, enoki mushroom) and Liangfen of Happy Tears - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Solid dry pot spot in Manhattan. The extra spicy is pretty spicy so beware. Been for lunch pre COVID and it's always very busy for the yuppies. Came for lunch once a weekend recently and enjoyed their outdoor dining where you order online via QR code and can pay online too. Food tasted not as great as I remembered but my friends still enjoyed it read more

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One bite and I was completely sold on this place! I've had a decent amount of dry pot before and didn't think this would be anything special, especially because the design of this place comes off a bit gentrified, but boy was I wrong. I got the dry pot with enoki mushrooms, pork belly, and fish fillet, which came out to about $22. It didn't look like much food at first, but that bowl was deceptive. I really struggled to finish it on my own and could've easily split this with another person with a starter or side. The spices that all the ingredients were cooked with really impressed me! They were savory, spicy, slightly sweet (from star anise or cinnamon?), and totally addictive. I couldn't stop eating, and all the ingredients totally soaked up the spice. The fish fillet was my favorite since it was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, but the pork belly was nice and tender as well. Enoki mushrooms are always good, and I never feel like there are enough for me. Service was great, and this was a nice restaurant to have a casual dinner alone without feeling weird about it. I'd love to come back and try other dishes. read more

Checked out this place with a group of friends for lunch. Never tried Mala, a type of Chinese spice and was afraid as I was told it has a kick of spice to it. Good thing is you can make it non spicy here. They have lunch specials, so i got #1 lunch special, which comes with a mix of beef and potato, todu, bok choy. They were very good. To some, portion may be slightly small though. Anyways, loved the food and recommend checking this place out when you are nearby read more

I've only ever tried the dry hot pot because it's so great- why wouldn't I get it again but with slightly different ingredients (or maybe exactly the same) ?! Spice levels are pretty mild here even for the type that builds up over time. I've gotten medium each time but barely felt a hint of spice by the end of my meal. Portions are pretty generous but largely depends on what you pick. I have a smaller appetite and if I get 4-5 toppings (usually lamb, fish balls and then some veggies) that's usually about 2 meals for me. read more

Came with a party of 6 around 8pm on a Thursday night and had to wait around 30 minutes before we got the text that our table was ready. We were seated in the back with a bit of wait even after we arrived.. as they were busy and not completely ready to seat us even though our party had gotten the text. It's fine as we're not in a rush but if we were, sending a text for us to have to wait anyway isn't the most efficient approach. Our waiter came over a little after we sat down to take down our order which consists of "Pig Ear in Chili Oil" and 3 dry pot (shared by 2 per pot) each with varying levels of spiciness level. Food arrived in ample time with the pig's ear served first followed by our dry pots after. I'm not usually one to try the more "exotic" dishes but the pig's ear was delicious and has the jelly-like. Definitely a must try. Dry pots on the other hand were quite small in quantity but nonetheless delicious. For the spicy pot that I got, I felt like it was more towards mild and the "very spicy" pot was more towards being actually spicy. I loved every ingredient that I added from the short ribs to pork belly to quail eggs, tofu noodles and mushrooms. You're allowed to add whatever you want but each item is a la carte and can add up fast. For 3 dry pots, 1 pig ear, 1 fried rice, and 1 bowl of purple rice, our total came to around $30 per person with tip and tax. I personally think it's a tad bit overpriced as you can definitely find way bigger portions with comparable flavours in the other boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens but if you have that intense craving that you just can't wait to satisfy, this is a must try in the area! read more

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Went there for business day lunch with friend. We both ordered the lunch special dry pot - a great deal and it tasted pretty good! Portion was huge for a reasonable price. I got the combo #1 which came with fatty beef, bok choy, etc. which I really enjoyed and they went perfect with a bowl of white rice. We were able to be seated within 5 min without reservation which was great and the food came out fast. Will come back again for the dry pot. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

I am so excited about Mala Project that I am super tempted to eat here again, and I was just here on Tuesday. Mala Project serves face numbing hot pot stir fry's with ample veggies and many opportunities to mix and match your favorite things. I ordered for take out and ate in the park across the street, but you can eat in and sit at the bar if you're dining solo. From the front, the restaurant does not seem huge, maybe seating for 30? Decor is modern Asian, a little dim and cozy. Tripe please (fka beef please) was really really delicious, and a side of rice is a must. The lotus roots were crunchy, the mild spice was perfect for enjoying the food and flavors but allowed me to finish the dish without heartburn, and the broccoli and tofu skin complemented the thin slices of chewy tripe well. (Its the skinny white tripe with the many layers, not the honey comb tripe btw). The dish is chock full of little peppers, dried and fresh, pungent garlic, and umami galore. For a lunch portion, $15 seemed fair for the quality and is a little bit of a splurge without being exorbitant. My order took about ten minutes. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Outside - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

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Their food here is very delicious but slightly overpriced for my budget but if you're swimming in money and can afford to burn some, then I say definitely check this place out. I do like that it's located near Time Square, which is a nice alternative vs. all the other restaurants in the theater districk. We ordered spicy and the flavor was very much on point. I love their lamb as it was nice and tender and their veggies just added a wonderful flavor and taste to the dry hot pot. Overall, I would go back here if someone suggested it but not sure if I would make this place a habit consider the amount of choices I can get from other spots through Flushing and Brooklyn. As for service, it was outstanding! Our waiter was very attentive and just well spirited all around. read more

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delicious invention on earth!!! my brother and his fiancée LOVE dry pot so took them here, and they also loved it. food comes out super quick, although service was lacking with only one staff member waitin all the tables. felt so bad. we ate in 30 min and got out so quick - no wait at 2:30 pm on a saturday! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

I love it! I can add what I want to the existing dish, and it is not overly spicy, the food is good for sharing. The service is nice. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - COMBO No. 7 Fish Fillet, Fish Cake, Broccoli, Wood Ear Mushroom, Bean Curd Sheet and Purple Rice - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Pretty good spot for a create your own mala dry pot and other Chinese dishes. The dry pot was flavorful but not really mala (numbing spice). The best part is that you can choose your favorite ingredients giving you a lot of flexibility. Service was standard and ambiance was casual. Overall, if you're looking for authentic Szechuan food, try out other places like Mountain House instead. But for some good Chinese food, this is a great spot. read more

Looking for a decent sit down restaurant on a Friday afternoon. This place has a lot of good options as well as available seating without a reservation. Opted against starters and ordered the Fish/Pork Belly Bowl ($24) to go along with a Neon City Pale Ale ($10). Prices are higher than similar lunch spots, but hoping the food quality makes up for it. The bowl consists of lightly fried fish and pork mixed in with seasonal veggies and spices. Definitely has a consuming kick that depends through the course of the meal (side of rice helps). Fish and pork are cooked well while also being plentiful enough to not seem stingy. Service is thorough as they explain the menu for first.time visitors. Still an expensive option for lunch but worth going for something different. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Fish and pork bowl - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

My first experience with Mala project also happened to be the first time I ate Schezwuan dry pot. The food has a burst of flavor, strong and spicy ( if that's your thing ). The portions can be tricky, depends on your appetite for the day :) The menu comes with precustom pots or you can build your own pot with protein options and veggies. I went for spice level - mild and spicy at two different times. Both were great ! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Came here with a college buddy of mine and had a pretty fun experience overall trying out Sichuan Cuisine (first time for me in a long long while) and dry pots. Sometimes Sichuan cuisine can have a reputation of not having enough vegetarian friendly options, but didn't have that issue here. As is customary, we ended up sharing an appetizer - dandan noodles - and a dry pot (spicy), while adding the following: Glass Noodles Five Spice Firm Tofu Broccoli Lotus Root Oyster Mushroom Enoki Mushroom Bok Choy Mustard Greens White Rice We found 8 ingredients were plenty between both of us with regards to the dry pot. The dandan noodles were pretty tasty to me and had the right amount of spice for both of us (since we can handle spicy food). The dry pot itself was also pretty appetizing and filling for us too. All the ingredients go well with each other and the spice level was more than plenty. The portion size was enough for us to have leftovers to take back home. From a price perspective, it can be a bit pricey (almost $50 including tip), but getting enough portions of leftovers alleviates the cost a bit. I'd definitely recommend coming back here. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dandan Noodles - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

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Likes - delicious food - good service - midtown area - customize your own dry pot and spicy level Dislike - none read more

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The food was amazing, and Emily was such a great waitress! Highly recommend! Really quick service, and guarantee you will leave full! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Eggplant with Roasted Garlic - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

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I checked in here at Sunday night around 6 with my boyfriend. We walked pass the front because it looked quite low-key w/o light on. Once we stepped in, we found a place buzzing with patrons and signature Szechuan chili aroma. We waited ~10 minutes to be seated. The decor was neat and clean. They offer wooden benches - quite appropriate because most of the time you would sit on edge with the HEAT. 1) Month-watering chicken was very authentic, flavorful and original. It was mild with spicy I can take on. My boyfriend said it was exactly what he got growing up in Chengdu - I viewed that as a big "thumb-up". 2) The rice stuffed with lotus was moderately sweet. Smaller than what I hoped for but it was above average in terms of texture, color and taste, and you can order as appetizer, dessert and a transit among HEAT. 3) Then the dry pot - We mixed lamb, beef round eye, tofu skin, cauliflower and lotus root into the dry pot to share. My boyfriend suggested picking add-on with high surface/volume ratio so everything would be generously coated - It made a lot of sense and I took that. It turned out to be great. Meat were thinly sliced, tender and soaked with chili oil and nicely coated with spice. Vegetables were firm but well cooked through. Everything is perfect with rice. 3*) The night was supposed to end that way until my boyfriend decided to bring it home chewing one of the two chili pods in the pot. First of all, he didn't recognize this chili yet didn't take it a red flag; Second, I suggested him try a bite before deciding whether to down the whole thing. BUT NO, he claimed with pride that he would never split a chili. So I spent the next 10 minutes, perhaps more, watching this boy slowly melt down with dripping sweat and watery eyes. After decent amount of napkin, water and attention from the next table, we found out from the staff the culprit was bird's eye chili - a species original grown in Malaysia. The HEAT could be intense and wouldn't exhaustively released to the pot. So just be a bit careful. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Mouthwatering Chicken - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Cozy, hip, Chinese spot with a small menu. They are known for their "dry pot" which is essentially a mix of whatever ingredients you want in their special sauce (which comes in a choice of spice levels).  I lived in Southern China for a brief time, and the flavor of food here tasted exactly like the food I had there. The meat was a little fatty however, and the lack of options on the menu had me a little underwhelmed. Bib Gourmand 2018 6 read more

I have been dining at Mala Project consistently for several months now as Mala/Szechuan is one of my favorite cuisines and this restaurant is conveniently located in midtown near my office. Now, to be fair, despite their high prices I kept coming back as my initial experience was very good and I satisfied my mala craving. However, I am sad to say that the quality (specifically the lunch special meals) has significantly dropped / has become wildly inconsistent. My main gripe is that when two people order the same dish with varying spice levels, they will make the two (or more) dishes together at the lower spice level. Today I ordered the classic in Spicy and my colleague ordered the classic in mild. I was sad to see that my dish looked super dry in comparison to my previous experiences and that my dish was in fact VERY mild (I eat this so I can burn my mouth every time!). Also, the portion sizes have definitely decreased. Where I once was filled & satisfied, I am now left seeing if I should get Chik Fil A down the street. tl;dr: If you work in the area, I think it's still a decent lunch option but maybe go to Xi'An famous foods instead. If you're going out of your way to come here, go to Chinatown or flushing instead (it's half the price) read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Mala Project is one of my favorite restaurants I have gone to in the city. The service is pretty friendly, and their outdoor seating is very convenient. The food comes out pretty quickly, and its pricing is pretty worth unless you want to go every day. For two people, we ordered the sliced eye of round, pork belly, king oyster mushroom, bok choy, tofu pocket, shitake mushroom, potato noodle, and the enoki mushrooms. It was pretty filling for both of us. I highly recommend this with spicy/mild. If you want to try out Mala, this is the place to go!! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Awesome spot. Love the dry pot. So much food for a reasonable price. Awesome flavor too. I got a build your own bowl with Medium level spice and it was perfect (Spicy level spice is way too hot for me but my boyfriend loved it). Pork belly, chicken, beef - all great. Also loved all the veggie options. So many options to put into the bowl! Easy to walk into as well. Great spot. Apps aren't really worth it I just go for the bowls. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

Came here on a weekday evening right before a Broadway show, had quite a few people there around 6PM, QR code menu, water jugs on every table. I got a beef pancake roll and a build your own dry pot with fish, tripe, king oyster mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, tofu skin, and rice cake, "spicy" heat level. The food was a tad slow to come out, but it was tasty and makes sense I guess since it's made to order. The beef roll was just okay, the sauce that came on the side was way too salty (and there's some of that sauce already inside the roll). The mala pot was quite tasty as it had a good kick. The fish was fried unfortunately so it was very flour-y and not tasty, but everything else in the pot was good. Very salty though (I don't like rice so I didn't get it). Good amount of food, pretty pricey, but enough to split into two meals! read more

I organized a large group of 14 to try their Dry Pot. Probably not such a great idea to go to Mala Project with such a large group but I have to say, our waiter Paolo was terrific. He managed other tables as well as our table for 14 - pretty impressive! Paolo was very patient, efficient and always had a big smile! The restaurant was a nice size and it was packed at 6:30 on a Thursday night. For those who don't know, "mala" means spicy. Mala sauce is a popular oily, spicy, and numbing Chinese sauce which consists of Sichuanese peppercorn, chili pepper and various spices simmered with oil. All I have to say is, Thank God I didn't order our food "extra spicy"!!! "Spicy" was definitely spicy enough. hahaha Loved the food but I suspect the food was prepared in one big batch and the ingredients not evenly distributed in our 4 separate orders of the dry pot. (My shared dry pot was lacking in veggies and had no quail eggs at all). Our waiter was nice enough to bring out more quail eggs for us to share. The purple rice ($2 per bowl; white rice is free) was interesting to try! At first, I thought it was kind of blah and bland, but it actually went really well with our spicy dry pot. The highlight of the night for me, were those spicy peanuts! If you order a happy hour drink, they give you a small bowl of spicy peanuts. If you don't order a drink but want the peanuts, it'll cost you $5....Just order a drink and get the free peanuts! lol Happy Hour drinks: $5 beer and $6 wine. Here is our shared menu (for 4 ppl to share): Appetizers: ~ Cold Noodle w.pickles & cucumber-some ppl loved it; some ppl thought it was just ok. ~ Scallion pancake-I thought this was just ok but the dipping sauce was fantastic. 12 Ingredients for Dry Pot (I really liked this dish but we didn't really get every item we were supposed to get): ~ Beef tenderloin ~ Pork belly ~ Pig kidney ~ Lamb ~ Quail eggs ~ Fish balls ~ Lotus root ~ Woodear mushrooms ~ Shiitake mushrooms ~ Bok Choy ~ Broccoli ~ Rice cakes I'd really like to go back to Mala Project to try their other menu items. Recommended and I'll be back! read more

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***Pre-Covid Review*** Overall (4/5): A cozy spot to share a bowl of spicy meats and veggies with a friend or loved one. Add extra ingredients if you're still hungry! Food (4/5): Great to order a whole bunch of different things and have them all cooked in one dish dry hot-pot style. I think it's a great spot to share with a friend or loved one. Everything takes on the wok-hay flavor and soaks up the chili spice and oil, so do not come if you're sensitive to either of those things. Atmosphere (4/5): Small tables, but enough to comfortably fit 2 people. Service is good. Uniqueness (4/5): Cool concept, wish there was more variety in flavor, even if the one-note is delicious! Value (4/5): Good for lunch. You can build-your-own bowl so dress up or down as you wish! read more

New location of the great dry pot spot from the East Village, this is now of the best options for a meal near the Bryant Park / Times Square area. Get a big pot of lots of stuff, but don't skip the great starters and other dishes, like the Leftover Fried Rice and the Dumpling Plate. This is a nice bright space with great service and food definitely worth returning for. read more

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It is a very cozy restaurant with good food. The service is good too. Dry pot is a must try and good to get reservations. read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - MALA DRY POT (Build Your Own/Build To Share) is a must try - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

For the first time, we found ourselves coming back to a restaurant. This time, we made the right choice of getting only the dry pot which we populated with beef tenderloin, sliced lamb, bok choy, shitake mushrooms, glass noodles, with rice on the side. Although the add ons feel expensive ($4 for bok choy, for instance), paying $30 or so for a two-person meal is very reasonable, especially for one this delicious! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dry pot - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York

I would recommend this place as the general tao and the chicken noodle were tasty. It got a little bit scary at one point as ... How would I describe it? The waitress made a special order for me, and we got general tao and Chicken noodle . She asked us 3 times if the food was good and everytime we replied : yes, it is good. She stayed very close to our table. It got even more creepier ( like the mother watching over the kids to finish their food to the last bit). But i would recommend the place :) read more

Just love Szechaun Cuisine. Loved their Dry pots. we had pan fried veggie dumplings (better than alot of restaurants in chinatown). Meatless Dan Dan Noodles (Good spice and tase). Fried Chicken was probably the best in appetisers. Vegetarian Dry pot (King Oyster Mushroom, Chinese Cabbage, Boy Choy, Babycorn, Five Spice Firm Tofu, Glass Noodles) Lamb Dry Pot (Lamb, Bok Choy, Earwood Mushrooms, Chinese Cabbage, Glass Noodles) I would say one of the best dry pots in nyc. I liked the concept adopted by the restaurant. They have the QR code which takes you to a website. There you have your group. You can add dishes to it and checkout. In the end finalise it and pay. Its so easy and fast. The service was also very fast. Will visit again! read more

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Love their new system that minimizes contact when indoor dining. With the QR code, you can see the menu, order the food like you're ordering delivery, and pay after you finish your meal. It was super convenient and the service was prompt. Maybe a bit too much work for one employee to run everything. I was there for lunch Saturday. It seemed like one person was taking care of seating people, managing pick up orders, serving tables, etc. He seemed to manage everything efficiently, but he looked really really busy and sometimes did not have time to come to my table and answer a question. It's not a huge space but maybe a bit too much work for one person to run everything. The food was as good as before. For two of us, I ordered two appetizers (and one build your own hotpot with 2 proteins and 3 vegetables in mild flavor, plus one extra rice. It was plenty of food and we were satisfied! read more

MáLà Project Bryant Park - Dim Sum Near Me - New York, New York