COVID: this place is still open for hot pot and it's completely empty--felt like our own private party!! Best parts: The service here is amazing (we even got a free buns with condensed milk dessert for my wife's bday, which was delicious btw). And the beef in wine sauce is not to be missed (best thing I've ever cooked at a hot pot place and I used to live in Chengdu, China, which is famous for its hot pot). And I like that they do individual pots of broth. Also, the drinks list is GREAT (plenty of imported Asian beers, plum wine, and sake)!!! To be Improved: I wish they gave you a ladle or spoon to help retrieve your lost food (this happens often, even with small individual pots haha). And while the broth itself was good, it wasn't the best I've ever had and the spicy broth isn't actually that spicy (the spicy sauce helped, but I prefer the actual broth to be brimming with peppercorns). But I'd skip the scallops and flounder (both underwhelming and very plain). Also, the sauce is strange (1 sesame and 1 spicy) Accessibility: literally situated above a parking garage and they validate! Because of Covid, this place was deserted and was quiet, had plenty of space, and is not bright but well lit. Not great for vegetarians (not enough options), but fantastic for pescatarians! read more

The food was good. I had the Kung Pao chicken, the chicken with veggies, and the fried rice. The restaurant features a self serve sauce bar with adornments that include soy sauce, green onions, cilantro, peanut sauce, etc. They serve ONLY Chinese beer and a small selection of wines. The ambience is nice. Could be a good place for a date. THEY DO NOT ACCEPT AMERICAN EXPRESS read more

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Mediocre food at ridiculously high prices. It took forever for us to get our waiter's attention. Then he surprised when he saw that the amount we tipped reflected the service we got. He also ran over to our table with my diet coke order, seemingly unbeknownst to the fact that carbonated drinks fizz when you shake them. read more

Had a wonderful first hot pot experience! We were pretty clueless of the process, but figured it out. The Spicy Sichuan Pork Dumplings were absolutely delicious! The hot pot itself was tasty, but without the side spicy dipping sauce, it didn't have much flavor by itself. The pork was delicious. My friend wasn't a fan of the chicken. read more

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Made my first visit to Mala Tang today for lunch. Too bad the did not offer weekday lunch menu/price due to MLK Jr's Birthday holiday. But I had the Yelp deal $10 for $20, thank goodness. I tried Mapo Tofu, Spicy Wonton and the Hot Pot with Mala broth, Chinese Vegetables and flounder. Our waiter was a good man but slow in service, and he did not explain anything about the little condiments station near the entrance. I finally asked what that was when I was half way done with my Hot Pot. (Am I slow too or what?) The little self service condiments station WAS for the hot pot. How sad! After I added garlic, chili powder, sesame paste, cilantro, oyster sauce, the soup tasted much better, but again at half way done. :( Mapo Tofu was not authentic Szechuan at all. It tasted very much like the one served at Sichuan Pavilion on K St. in DC. What it is lacking is the Szechuan peppercorn, the numbing spiciness. Spicy Wonton was good. It still is no comparison to GWSH's Spicy Wonton though. Even with Groupon, Living Social, or Yelp deal, I would not come back to this one. read more

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Serving sizes are fairly generous. Style of cooking is authentic but the place seemed understaffed the time I went so service was a bit slow. Overall, solid value if you're looking for spicy and numbing Sichuan food. read more

I hosted a birthday party for 40 adults and 10 little kids here and it was PERFECT. It was really ideal for a fun, casual, family-friendly setting, but also exceptionally high quality food. The service was especially good, particularly in light of having so many tiny children running around, random requests for things, and so forth. The staff was so warm, welcoming, and accommodating. My server even bought me a birthday beer! The food was marvelous! Lots of my friends got to try my favorite Szechuan dishes they've never tried before and it was really a treat for me to enjoy them together with them. There was twice as much food as we needed and everyone go to take some home. I would definitely come back to eat here again and would host personal or corporate events again too. read more

Although I believe this place is primarily a hot pot place, I came here for dinner and ordered chicken with garlic sauce. Super good, delicious chicken and sauce. All the entrees come with rice, but if you want a refill it costs extra. Probably one of the better Chinese places in the area! Parking wise, they only validate garage parking for lunch. For dinner hours, parking can be quite expensive - $7 per hour I think? At least that's how much we paid and we weren't there very long. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Love the food here! My fiancé (a notoriously critical foodie) even loved it! The Dan Dan noodles were superb and very well priced. Don't miss out on the intestines! Can't be more authentic than that read more

Mala Tang is the Yobogoya of hot pot. (I would never recommend this place to my folks, but to compare it to Panda Express would be too insulting.) You've got the core idea, Americanized enough with a few appetizer choices to make it trendy, for a result that echoes the traditional experience but totally isn't. Let me whitewash my analogy further: it's like saying a McDonald's burger is comparable to a patty you shaped and put on the grill at home. Hot pot is like KBBQ insofar as it's meant to be a communal dining experience. Ladles keep it pretty sanitary, but you'd all better be okay with the same ingredients swimming in your soup. Here, you get your personal hotpot device. For the inexperienced, your two base options are named pretty bluntly in pinyin: the American trio of veg versus the Chinese trio of veg. Then go crazy with your protein desires, a la carte. A lot of traditional ingredient options are missing from the menu, but I suppose I should be grateful for wood ear fungus and lotus root. Service was friendly, and eager to recommend sauce combinations. We were not forewarned that one of the base vegetables had run out that night and would be substituted with something else. There's a fine line between profit and gouging and this is a line I'm reluctant to cross here again. It's a shame because I was excited by the xiao chi menu. A few of the best iconic tastes across the culture, mixed in with the more familiar. Zhong dumplings and sesame balls were both okay, with the former overcooked on the first batch. Spicy cucumber salad was refreshing but simple, ditto the pao cai. Spicy cold noodles were dressed just enough to coat all the noodles, and the green onion pancakes were fried well but a little bland. Finally tried the pork water buns/baozi, which were an agreeable riff on XLB: moist and still a bit soupy, not too doughy. I'll probably try the spicy dried beef next time I'm dragged here. read more

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Just ate here for the first time for my cousins birthday dinner. They seated 10 of us right away. Service was great. Food came out quickly. Flavors were amazing. It was most of our first time experiencing hot pot and everyone enjoyed themselves. I ordered a plate that was already cooked for me and the food was great. There was spice, but not too much. The potatoes were probably my favorite part of my meal. The bathrooms were clean. The staff was friendly. I will definitely be going back. read more

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I used to order delivery from Mala Tang all the time. My standards were some combination of Chengdu fried dumplings (Peking dumplings), Zhong's dumplings (dumplings in spicy sauce), dan dan mein, and my all-time favorite, fish with smooth tofu in spicy sauce. All of it was great. I don't know if they have changed owners, changed chefs, or changed both, but it has definitely gone down hill. Not only have they stopped delivering to my neighborhood, except via the pricey DoorDash, but their recipes have changed. The Chengdu fried dumplings were tasty beef in a thick, doughy dumpling wrapper. Now it's small, steamed dumplings with a thin wrapper, but with the same name. The fish is disgusting. Instead of thick, spicy sauce, it now comes in an oily, orange-ish water that has no flavor. The one bright spot is that they finally made Zhong's dumplings spicy, but it doesn't matter. They are overpriced for hot pot, and now their other food is bad, so I will no longer be a patron. read more

Can you believe they only have one server for entire restaurant The hot pot is not boiling read more

I'm a fan of Mala Tang. More importantly, my Asian parents, who have crazy standards for everything including Chinese food, are also fans. Convinced yet? For both the hot pot and dry pot, you order the proteins, veggies, and starches a la carte, and you can choose between the mala or mild broth. If you can handle spicy, definitely get the mala. There's also a nice and clean sauce bar to make your own concoctions. While more known for its hot pot, I actually enjoyed the dry pot more because the flavor of each ingredient comes through a lot more. I've also tried the dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, spicy wontons, cold mung bean noodles, and a huge pot of skewers (shrimp, lotus, quail egg, pork, radish) bathed in peppercorn broth/oil. They were all good but would particularly recommend the spicy wontons and skewers. If you're looking for good Szechuan food that will simultaneously numb your face and overstimulate your taste buds, totally check this place out. I wouldn't necessarily come here just for the hot pot though since the a la carte prices can add up pretty quickly. With so many all you can eat hot pot places nearby, you're not really getting the best deal here. read more

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This place is perfect for a fun lunch or dinner spot with friends. It came with a TON of add ins to cook into the delicious broth. Although the meal came with no written or vocal instructions, we were able to cook our proteins and veggies up by ourselves with no trouble. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful. Even the leftovers tasted great! read more

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Had my birthday party here ! They took care of us so well. Tailored broths, so much food, and even three different types of desserts. Thank for your the birthday service and then many years of delicious dishes and hot pot. read more

I completely forgotten about Mala Tang as we always end up at Peter Changs. I finally tried their dry pot and it was delicious. I'm not a huge fan of their hot pot since it's just any regular hotpot, but really enjoyed the dry pot. You must get four items, and it comes with rice. The sauce is delicious and the service is quick. Parking is across the street on this lot, don't park in the parking garage because they don't validate anymore. read more

I've ate at Uncle Liu's and Bob's 88 (when it was around) and of course homemade versions of hot pot. What I liked about this place was the meat and the broth. The milk and wine marinade beef was really good. We also liked the Dan Dan noodle and Chendu chicken from the street menu. What I didn't like was there was no temperature control of the hot pot. It was always boiling. You couldn't make your own dipping sauce and the menu selection for sides was small. How can you not offer fish balls, egg dumplings and napa cabbage as a side? And this place is expensive. It averaged out around $40 a person. I'll go back for the beef though, but will probably stick with Uncle Liu's. read more

Mala Tang - Dan Dan noodle, spicy wontons, spicy dried beef and Chendu chicken - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Check this place out!! Food Quality: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Staff Service: 3/5 Good Price: 4/5 Location: 3/5 Recommendations *Each combination meal can serve 2 people. I went here with a group of 12. I noticed the staff took some time (20 minute wait after being seated) to serve and wait on us. Maybe they were under staffed at the time of the week we went. The food quality is superb for authentic Chinese hot pot. You should ask a lot of questions if this is your first time. The staff did as good a job as they could. I recommend the red wine braised beef with sweet potato noodles. The dumplings were really good. There is an area of the restaurant dedicated to hot sauces. You can build your own and they give you the recipe on how to build them (sesame oil, peanut sauce, garlic, red powder, chili sauce, soy sauce, plum sauce, etc.) I really enjoyed the red dragon drink. The meats cooked in 1 minute and veggies cooked in 15 seconds. Don't forget to try the broth after you're done chowing down. The ambiance is beautifully decorated with Chinese decorations. Good for date night or with a large group. The location is behind George Mason University. The parking isn't the greatest but can be accomplished if you look for street parking or park in one of the lots nearby. This restaurant may be overlooked if you don't know what you're looking for. read more

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Mala Tang has become be go-to Chinese takeout spot in Ballston. I always get their dumplings, which are packed with flavor and come smothered in sauce. Their Crispy Beef was great, and I've gotten the Kung Pao chicken before, too, which was equally satisfying. Looking forward to trying their hot pot next time! read more

Mala Tang - 7. Zhong's Pork Dumplings, Crispy Shredded Beef Sichuan Style a la Carte - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Beware of the mapo tofu! We have experienced sour/ expired tofu being used in this dish on two different occasions. This happened once in restaurant last year and once during takeout this year. They did make us a new portion the first time and refunded us the second the time, but we are weary of going back since the quality of ingredients is not prioritized. This is not an isolated event as there is another yelp review stating the same issue in the past. read more

Came with my sister to introduce her to hot pot. I've been to Mala Tang a handful of times before but unfortunately this time left something to be desired with service. We arrived before 6 PM on a Thursday evening. The restaurant had only two tables full. The hostess was friendly and immediately sat us. After leaving, a buser delivered water (which was prepoured sitting on the counter so almost no ice). Then the buser sat down at a nearby table. We sat for 10 minutes and were not greeted by anyone. I got up to wash my hands and draw attention to us, but nothing happened. The wait staff including the hostess were seated at a table in bar talking amongst themselves. A waiter checked on the table down from us finally and we had to stand up and ask for service. The waitress was nice and apologized but seemed unconcerned about how it happened. We ordered hot pot, both with not spicy broth. I didn't get the usual introduction on hot pot and cooking tomes but that could be because we already knew what we wanted after the long wait and she was being quick to get food order in. I had the mala beef, which as a spice wuss I think is a little spicy, and my sister had the sirloin. Because we ordered the combination we each choose American vegetables and were served white rice. We ordered pork dumplings as well. The food was all excellent!! And because you cook yourself, no waiting really for the kitchen. The sauce bar is a must and I usually slightly customize one recommended on the sign on the bar. Service through the meal was also pretty limited. Thankfully we were given our own water pitcher to refill ourselves. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and will probably go again. I hope that service is improved because I find the food good and novel in the area. read more

I like that Mala Tang is the closest in proximity to my apartment in Courthouse/Rosslyn, but sadly, the appeal ends there. In my opinion, I think it's more worth to drive out to Falls Church or Fairfax for better hot pot options (Little Dipper Hot Pot, Hot Spot etc). We ordered 2 combos + 3-4 A La Carte options to split between 4 girls and there was plenty of food to go around. But I didn't really care for either of the vegetable combinations that were offered and for a restaurant that was as empty as it was, it was annoying that substitutions were not allowed. Sauce bar was pretty average - it's a small, standard selection of standard sauces. My friends who ordered the milk-marinated beef did comment that their beef was especially tasty though ours (sirloin) was basic. When I think of "mala", the broth or flavor should be both spicy and numbing but in a balanced sense. There should be a depth of flavor from the peppercorns that causes you to break out in sweat but sadly, I just felt that Mala Tang (with the word mala in their name!) didn't live up to the name or expectation. At most, I felt a slight tingle. Maybe you would have better luck ordering off their regular menu but in terms of hot pot, this place misses the mark. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Update: Just tasted the mala pot. This time it tastes like salt. That's it. Salt. So salty. Completely inedible. I'm throwing it in the trash. 2/3 fails. Will not order again. Do yourself a favor and just order from a good Chinese restaurant in Maryland. ------------ The size has definitely gotten smaller. I'm really disappointed in the "juicy pork buns." I expected 包子 or Bao, as listed on the menu. What I got was 小笼包 or XLB. For $7.95. What a rip off. The mala pot also seems to have gotten smaller. I paid for several more ingredients and actually got something about 70% the size. read more

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We came here for mala tang, which is like a form of hot pot. Each individual is supposed to get their own personal pot with broth for $3.5, but we just shared one. Each pot comes with a bowl of rice. We got a bunch of veggies and meat. Their veggie dishes price range from $5-$10, and the meat dishes go from $10 and more. It is kind of pricey, but the food we got was pretty fresh. The mala broth is the spicy broth, they also have the non spicy mild broth. Overall we had a great experience. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Amazing dry food and hotpot! I live here very much! Great price. Great food. I love here! read more

Disclaimer: I'm from Queens, NY where flushing is the Mecca of hot pot- so this is what I'm comparing it to Decor: very old school Chinese, like the look and feel of furniture you'd find in the Dynasty days of china, or at least what I think would be found based off movies lol Service: on point, quick, efficient, courteous Food: Fresh mango juice: order it! Spicy beef tendon appetizer: could use a little more "mala" Like throw in some Sichuan peppercorn and you got yourself a perfect dish Mung bean noodle thread: no complaints here, it was good and delightfully spicy Hotpot- The broth: I'll give it to them.. the spicy broth was pretty good But the fatty beef did not taste fresh, I stopped after 2 slices, usually I'd devour a plate on my own. The selection of items to order was minimal at best. Price: a la carte, so if you're used to hot pot buffets then yes this place gets pricey. Let's be real we about that Icook in flushing life... $22 bucks AYCE read more

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I've love takeout from here in the winter since moving to the area a couple years ago. Their numbing spices and spicy braised beef noodle soup just warm you up in cold weather. I'm disappointed this time however, to find a piece of metal in my spicy combination lao mein. Also, their prices have gone up by $2 on everything, but I suppose that's a COVID related inflation pricing. Disappointed. And grossed out. read more

Mala Tang - Spicy combination lao mein with a piece of metal found in it - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food was good but I was under the impression that the food was authentic Sichuan but I later found out that the owner himself is Taiwanese so the food lacked that true heat/spice that Sichuan is known for. Now aside from the authenticity, the food was great. I ordered several dishes to try an array of what they had. Beef tripe, ground pork with sweet potato noodles, Zhongs dumplings, crispy shredded beef, pork with wooden ear mushroom and eggplant in spicy sauce. All of these dishes were amazing but my most favorite was by far the crispy shredded beef. I would definitely order from here again and this time I would love to try the hot pot. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

We haven't been in a while, but had large group dinner on short notice, and Mala Tang had seating. The plusses as others have mentioned is that the restaurant is flexible and can manage large groups for starters. Many places can't (or won't) manage this. The food is good, and the hot pot concept is a novelty for many, so if you have never had it. You should give it a try. I can't say I crave it very often, and this isn't my favorite Chinese restaurant, but it is tasty. Complimentary underground parking on cold/bad days is also a nice plus. For the price point, the service is fine. It's not the most attentive, but I've never had anyone be rude to us (we've been maybe ten times over the past 2-3 years). Plus, you should keep things in perspective. it's not the most expensive place in town either, so I don't expect over the top service :-) read more

This was the second time that I have been to Mala Tang and it was pretty good. It was strange to go into a restaurant and be served in plastic plates with plastic cutlery, but given the circumstances I understand. The hot pot with beef was really good and so was the Kung Pao chicken. We ordered the Sichuan beef and I thought it was going to be spicy, but unfortunately it was a little sweet and not what we were expecting. They wouldn't let us substitute anything as well which was quite inconvenient, but overall was quite good. read more

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I want to preface that if I'd paid half as much, I'd be giving this place another star. I spent $45 for one meal, which I'm not really ok with. I've been to a Michelin star restaurant and spent less for much better food and service. I ordered a regular mala hotpot with mala beef, fish balls, bok choy and mushrooms. The beef was not sliced thinly, which was a bit disappointing. The mala broth was good but not really spicy/numbing, so it could've been more authentic. Also, the service was bad - we could barely get the waiter's attention to turn off our hotpot fire (the pots are individual and not workable by us). It got to the point the the pot was boiling so hard that a bubble popped and exploded all over us, getting sauce on us. And it wasn't even a busy night! The bottom line is that I've been to much better hotpot places in the US with much better deals. read more

Mala Tang is one of the limited chinese food options in the area and it dissapoints. Most people come here for the hot pot but I wasn't in the mood for it and ended up going with the regular menu options. I ordered 1. Wontons in Chili Oil Sauce - Super dissapointing. Dumpling Skin was too thick & the meat on the inside wasn't seasoned at all. 2. Dan Dan Noodles - Noodles tasted like store bought noodles. I would expect a shop like this to at least make fresh noodles. The sauce was more spicy than anything & did not have the hint of peanut butter like taste. The meat was pretty good on top though. Service was decent & place is spacious. Parking can be tough in Arlington as people already know. You can skip this spot & just head on to Maryland for better CHinese food. read more

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Mala bites were great . It was not that toooooo spicy but delicious. I will recommend quill eggs and noodles for the topping. read more

Mala Tang - Mala Bites - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I've been here twice now with the coworkers. I think it depends on the dishes and what you're craving. The first time I got cumin chicken and it was delicious. The second time I got twice cooked pork. The twice cooked pork was a bit oily and had more vegetables than meat in it. Prices are a bit steep for chinese food, but not super expensive. I've heard the reason to come here is for the hot pot, but I haven't tried that yet. read more

HOT POT REVIEW I liked this place a lot. The food was absolutely delicious. I was obsessed with their sauce bar! They make their own sauces and you can go mix and match all sorts of flavors. They offer you mixing suggestions along with naming the sauce and level of spice they are. They sauces are also labeled on the handle of the spoon of the sauces. The food was great as I mentioned above. You can either do hot pot with your friend or you can do your own individual ordering. Either way, they give you your own pot to boil your food in and you do not have to share it. If you were only coming with one friend, I'd recommend just ordering with them because it will be cheaper and also you get more portion-wise. Don't expect a ton from the service. That was our issue. They're definitely not amazing, or at least not on the night we were here. It wasn't to the expectation that we had hoped for. It's pretty straightforward. Enjoy your hot pot and pay attention to the parking signs. read more

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I ordered delivery from here and it was okay, nothing spectacular. My family and I ordered a bunch of entrees and the only one that stood out was the beef noodle soup and dumplings. Both were tasty and had a lot of the flavor! We also the scallion pancakes, sweet potato noodles with ground pork, dumplings and tofu. I've had a lot of scallion pancakes and these just tasted like fried dough. The sweet potato noodles with ground pork and tofu were very bland and a bit disappointing. There was little to no pork in the sweet potato noodles and also nothing about these noodles had really anything to do with sweet potatoes. The dumplings were really yummy, specifically the sauce! It was spicy with a bit of sweetness. If you're looking for a recommendation, I'd go with the dumplings and the beef noodle soup! read more

Mala Tang - Sweet potato noodles with ground pork - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This legitimately one of my two favorite Chinese spots in the DMV area. I'm a west coast transplant and Mala Tang is one of my go-tos for authentic spicy Chinese food loaded with numbing peppercorns. They also deliver to DC metro via DoorDash. (Side note: they pack their to-go meals very well so you don't need to worry if you choose delivery.) Some of my favorite dishes include: dry pot, Dan Dan noodles, shredded potatoes, and dried tofu with celery. Their dry pot is delicious and it's a large meal that will hold up for several meals to come. Dry pot is custom made so each ingredient increases the price. Regardless of what you choose, you'll end up with a flavorful spicy dish. read more

Not a fan of the quality of the hot pot. Came with a couple of friends late Saturday night and was seated immediately. After we ordered, they brought the individual hot pot bowls immediately, but mine boiled way quicker than the others and the food took a long time to arrive. By then the soup in my hot pot was already depleting. We had ordered lamb, fish, pork, and misc veggies for our hot pots. The lamb wasn't that fresh, pork was cut too thick for hot pot, and my friend thought the fish she ordered was okay. Their noodles were a bit bland for my taste, and some of the mushrooms we ordered were cut very thick and tough to chew. The sauce station was a bit of a mess, and the dishes they supplied for dipping were tiny, so I just dumped my rice on a plate and used the rice bowl for the dipping sauce instead. Service was also not so great. We asked for tongs for the meats, as none were present at the table yet every other table had them. They apologized and said all the tongs were currently in the dishwasher, and we had to prompt them several times that we could also just use an extra set of chopsticks instead. The waiters there were also not paying attention to my table at all, not a good experience. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I liked this restaurant mostly because it was a lot of fun to try the hot pot style. I also liked the variety of sauces available at the sauce bar. Watch out because the spicy broth is very spicy! They give you a ton of veggies too, it's good quantity for price. Also good service. My only complaint is that everything in the restaurant is kind of sticky, tables chairs menus hot pot... but given all the sticky sauces and liquids I understand how it happens. read more

Mala Tang - Hot pot - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia