3.8 stars! I've been wanting to try malatown for a while now since I've heard great reviews about it. My friend and I arrived at 8:20pm and the store was pretty empty! There was only one group eating inside. The process was simply, you just pick the toppings/sides you want and pick a soup base. My friend got the beef broth while I got the dry mix. I usually prefer dry but this time I liked my friend's beef broth better. My dry mix was tasty at first but after a few bites, it got really salty and I didn't finish. I would definitely come back for the soup mix instead of dry mix! read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Upgrading my rating based on a June 2025 visit. Would probably rate this spot more like a 4.5 but that's not how Yelp rolls. They now have real bowls and spoons. They also upgraded the sauce bar with more options. Still limited meat options, beef short plate, chuck and lamb. Marinated chicken and beef. Got the signature broth this time and it was good. Very mild spice, more like pepper. Also right now they were running a promo for some % off if more than one person. Solid option in downtown San Mateo for build your own hot pot. Seating is stools so not as classy as malazhang or tang bar but a decent amount of seating. Staff was friendly and pot comes out in a couple minutes after you pay. read more

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The ingredients are not fresh. Some of the tofu was moldy. I'm really upset because this was one of my go to spots. read more

Mala Town Express - Great soup and fresh ingredients. - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

This place is so good the associate Kevin is so friendly!! He helped us get the best soup!

Cosy Malatang restaurant with lots of seating. You can choose between a dry pot or soup based after choosing your ingredients. They charge per pound. When ordering takeout, you can ask them to separate out the broth from the food so that it doesn't get soggy. I got the sichuan style soup base and it has some heat. I definitely want to try their dry pot on my next visit. read more

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Food was great and there were so many food selections to choose from. The price is super reasonable too! Would recommend to go back.

Fast and friendly service Great variety of options Casual vibe and very clean Total for 2.8 lbs- $40 read more

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A self-service mala spot in downtown San Mateo. Has a pretty good selection of vegetables, meat, and assorted hot pot flavors priced at $12.99/pound. We got the spicy dry mix pot and the beef bone broth base. There's a decent amount of seating but hard to do a big group (see pics). We enjoyed our meal and thought the ingredients were fresh (good quality meat) and flavorful. The spicy dry mix is a different from the usual Mala Spicy dry mixes, theirs had a more peanut sauce based flavor with a little kick, a little sweeter than the usual. read more

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I've been here so many times, it's kind of crazy. I've also actually visited the Mala Towns in other cities and appreciate they opened an "express" version of it here. Zhangliang used to be our go-to, but the tom yum broth here is lowkey a lot better than Zhangliang's. (Either way, we go here half the time and Zhangliang the other half haha) Generally, the service is good considering it's just meant to be an express malatang place, and we always get a good bang for our buck. I really like the mini sauce bar, and what makes Mala Town Express stand out from the rest, to me, is THE PICKLES. :') Overall, I go here when I know I want a hot bowl of soup with plenty of veggies and protein, and I don't have to feel guilty about how much I'm spending too! read more

This place is nice! The service is better and the prices are cheaper than the Livermore location. I was so excited to see a build your own hot pot when I was around. The ingredients are plentiful and fresh. Very fun to make the soups and my soup was delicious. What makes a good hot pot to me is the soup base. This restaurant has a plethora of yummy soups to choose from. I look forward to coming back again. read more

Mala Town Express - My soup! - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

This place is so good! The process is super easy - you just go in, start adding food (meat, veggies, seafood, noodles) to your bowl, then give them your soup order at the front and pay. The space is clean and spacious which makes for a nice dining experience. I got the Tom Yum soup and thought it was really tasty - not too sour! Everything here is self-serve: there's a soup bar, a water station for drinks, and you grab your own napkins, spoons, and bowls. There's also an area where you return your used dishes, which makes it all very efficient. I'd definitely come back! read more

I'm so happy that all these places exist in downtown San Mateo to cure my Mala addiction. A plus for this spot is that it's one of the few restaurants that stays open during the middle hours of the day where most of the downtown restaurants seem to be closed for before dinner opening at 5pm. Bonus points for the build your own sauce bar that they have here as well. Both the beef bone broth and tom yum broth were so flavorful and rich! They have a wide variety of veggies, noodles, and meat so you can build your own bowl however you like. read more

Mala Town Express - Beef Bone Broth Base - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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So many fresh options, there is more selection than Tang Bar! Less ambience, but more value. read more

Mala Town Express - Fresh selection, more options than Tang Bar! - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Broth options are very clear and direct. The options are placed in front for easy self serve. Will be back

Hello, good evening, today I was working with my daughter doing doordash, and I entered the store at 6:25 at night today 9/12/26 and the person who was at the cashier attended me in a bad way ignored me, he even used words of racism against me saying that I was undocumented, that I was a person who did not speak English, I also used sexual inappropriate language, saying that he was going to fuck me and that I was good to fuck me, I consider that this type of employee was a very very disrespectful person and makes a bad prospect as a person as much as for the restaurant. read more

Love the soup. Lot of choices.. lots if meat, veg and tofu, noodles, seafood. And different soup.

Another great meal at my favorite malatang restaurant! There is never any wait and the staff is so attentive :) I would like to visit regularly. read more

Mala Town Express - Signature beef bone broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Pretty solid malatang! Can't beat $9.99 a pound. Good selection of meat, and other protein options but lacking a robust selection of veggies. I got the Sichuan broth and it was tasty but unfortunately did not want to drink it because it had so much oil. Ultimately looking forward to coming back and trying their other broths and the dry pot option. Price is too good compared to other local spots! read more

Mala Town Express - Sichuan broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Chill vibes for this new noodle joint permeate the air. People and plates are gliding along the orderly self-assembly line. The people there were awesome and bilingual. It was straightforward to order and get the food. The food was good, the malatang was good, and the noodles were good. The beef and chicken were good and tender too, but as I was eating, I was looking for the pieces I'm pretty sure I got because I went back in line to add more of those... then I also took pictures. As I was eating and fishing around the soup, I found myself thinking I got more than just 3 of those pieces of beef....and more than 3 of those pieces of chicken...so there could be some things to work out, but overall, for the price, this was still pretty good! The bags and drinks were also a very nice touch! read more

Mala Town Express - Malatang yummmm - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

There are a few malatang style restaurants in the area. We decided to try Mala Town Express first. We were quite impressed with the setup and options. Their classic bone broth was very yummy. The staff was friendly too. We will definitely return to this place. read more

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Food 4/5 As some people mentioned, the variety at this place is less than other mala towns and malatang places but it has all the basics. All the ingredients looked fresh and the only thing I wish they had done better was the meat. Some of the meat slices were still too frozen and torn into little pieces. All the food comes out in to-go containers and in a durable to-go bag. Love the idea as this is an express place! Food is priced at $9.99/lb and $1.99/soup base. Service 5/5 As its name suggests, it is an express malatang experience so don't expect restaurant service. All the servers were very friendly if you have questions. When we got our food, some of the spam slices were missing and the server was very polite and immediately opted to make up for it by cooking up a few extra pieces for us! Ambiance 5/5 I like the setup of this place, it has bar top and tables for all party sizes and everything is self service. Would rather eat at places like this over places that charge you 18% tip with bad service. read more

Mala Town Express - Classic beef bone broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Popped by for a quick lunch. Mala Town's prices are cheaper than Zhangliang ($9.99/lb) but otherwise, I strongly prefer Zhangliang. Selection is limited, especially when it comes to veggies and noodles. For sauce, they only have soy sauce, chili oil, and vinegar, which pales in comparison to Zhangliang's sauce bar which also has green onion, cilantro, etc. We also didn't like that everything at Mala Town is single use -- every order (regardless of dine in or to go) comes in a plastic takeout container, you eat with disposable chopsticks, plastic spoons/utensils, and plastic sauce containers, and even the water cups are paper. There's also essentially no service. Once you order, you receive a buzzer. You seat yourself and grab your own water/sauces like at a food court. When your buzzer rings, you collect your food from the window near the register. We ordered one chicken soup and one dry pot. The dry pot was literally sesame paste on top of boiled ingredients, and we had to mix the bowl ourselves. Lastly, employees working at Mala weren't particularly friendly. We tried to switch our soup base at the register while ordering (literally changed our mind immediately) and were told it "couldn't be changed anymore." Other staff members cleaning the tables acted like customers were in their way. read more

Mala Town Express - Dry pot - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Glad this place closes later (after Tang Bar). We are a busy family so we appreciate late night eats when we're too busy to get an early dinner and easier on our pockets. The one who helped us was so sweet. I tried all the soups outside so I knew which soup base to choose. The server showed me where to get the sauces, toppings, and utensils. They offered water and plum juice (interesting!) Honestly, I'm not fond of that "mala" numbing spice, but I do like the broth and I do like some spice. My husband got the Classic Beef Broth to share with the kids. I was able to mix some of it with my Signature Beef broth so it wasn't as spicy - it was perfect. Wish they can offer a way to choose level of mala. My 2yr old enjoyed sipping the broth since she had a bit of a cold. She couldn't stop sipping. After our meal, I got some to-go for my parents and they also loved it. Thank you, Mala Town! Our family will be back! read more

tasty very good. I love it~ i love the dry mix. My friend like beef bone base. The environment is very good. Super clean. Good food. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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A decent malatang option in town. We tried the Sichuan mala spicy broth, and it was very spicy--definitely spicier than other malatang chains I've tried before. There's a good selection of toppings, especially the veggies and fish balls. The meat options could use some improvement, though. The marbled beef and lamb were great, but the malatang beef and pork intestine were a bit rubbery and tough. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

I'm a malatang enthusiast, and I've been wanting to try Mala Town Express for a while. We ordered both the Sichuan broth and the tom yum broth. The Sichuan broth was intensely oily and spicy. But, to be fair, they did warn us. A lot of people say it's very authentic, so I guess Sichuan cuisine really does go heavy on oil and spice. We enjoyed the tom yum broth much more. In fact, we ended up mixing the tom yum with the Sichuan broth, and that completely saved the meal. That said, I do think they could offer more topping options. Compared to other malatang spots, the selection felt a bit limited. But since this is a smaller chain, that's understandable. One thing I really liked was that they had broth samples outside. It's actually such smart marketing. I tried a few of the other broths and will definitely be back to have them officially. read more

I was greeted immediately upon walking.... Friendly staff . I would choose a different broth on my next visit . I got the hottest broth which is mainly oil.(I was told before getting it) I love all the hot pot options. It's not crowded wonderful ambiance and great music. This is my new favorite hot pot place. Great price ...15.99lb and they takeoff the weight of the bowl. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Great food as always, the chicken broth is amazing as well. Staff and ambiance are both wonderful. This is my go to place whenever I am in San Mateo read more

Really good experience overall! The food was fresh, flavorful, and everything we tried was delicious. The service was good and the atmosphere was enjoyable. My only suggestion would be to add more vegetarian soup/broth options to the menu. Other than that, everything was great and I would definitely come back! read more

Delicious malatang at a great price and great service! I enjoyed the variety of ingredients, catering to meat and seafood lovers alike. I chose the beef bone broth which wasn't super spicy but you can always add chill oil. The ambiance is casual! read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

The food was delicious and the service was amazing. the worker at the register gave us suggestions on all of the broth and we all enjoyed it. There was lots of choices of every item in each section and the restaurant had lovely succulents around. there isn't the most seating available but there's enough. the bathroom was clean and didn't smell bad and the self serve sauce area was clean. i saw a worker consistently stocking everything so they never run out of any item. overall would come again. read more

Mala Town Express - Mushroom Set with Beef Bone Broth Base 招牌牛骨汤套餐 Set with Beef Bone Broth Base 招牌牛骨汤套餐 set with tomyum base - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

good service good food lots of seating for bigger parties and tons of different food options. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Amazing service and very clean environment. Kevin was a great cashier!! I would definitely go here again

Been here a couple times since grand opening, and it's only gotten better! We've had their beef broth, dry mix, and tom yum. They were all really good. My favorites are definitely tom yum and the beef broth. They offer many toppings, and most recently they opened up a sauce bar with toppings. Highly recommend the mala sauce and the beefy sauce. The soups don't leave me feeling dehydrated unlike some other malatang spots, they also are not too salty. Most things were cooked well, except the octopus (overdone). The price is amazing as well. The inside can be super crowded at dinner hours. I recommend going in the late afternoon if possible. It was empty pretty much. It is a self-seating restaurant, and the workers are friendly. They bring the bowls to you for dine-in sometimes. read more

Mala Town Express - Tom Yum - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

This is my favorite place to get this type of food! This location specifically is very clean and it's very spacious. They just open recently, but it's one of my favorite spots to go to in the San Mateo area. Parking all, parking is in downtown San Mateo so it might be a little bit difficult. Food is pretty fresh here. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Really good broth and lots of broth and topping selection! One of my top malatang spots in the bay, so glad there is a San Mateo location

The food was really good and the customer service was top tier. I highly recommend others to try out this amazing hot spot! I also definitely be coming back here in the future!! read more

Good food, good service and very conveniently located at the center of San Mateo town.

Love the bright, clean space. Food is good. Great selection of items to choose from the bar. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. I did the savory dry mix. The sauce was mild/medium spice for me. I didn't love the crushed peanuts. Somehow got a jelly fish in my bowl. I did not out that there. Not sure where it came from but that was wonderful. Husband got the original beef broth. The flavor of the broth was good. Their seating is not long coat or purse friendly since they are all bar stool like (no backing). The bar near the signage and greenery however had small hooks under the counter for one to hang a purse on. Bus your own table. Parking is hit or miss because downtown San Mateo. But it's a nice night most days/nights in San Mateo and downtown is pretty walkable. read more

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Love that you can pick food items by yourself. The beef bone soup base and chicken soup base are really yum. read more

Mala Town Express - Set with Beef Bone Broth Base - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California