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Final Thoughts: 3.50/5 Very very soft 4 stars for this place. The overall experience is kind of interesting and the only thing that saves this place from losing a star is the fact that the food and sauce tasted quite good. I feel like this malatang place has been here for a while now and it is ranked high. Finally had the opportunity to try it for dinner. Food: Bases: 1. Signature Beef Bone Broth 2. Savory Dry Mix 3. Yom Yum Soup 4. Chicken Broth 5. Sichuan Style MaoCai 6. Sweet and Sour Tomato 7. Classic Beef Bone Broth Savory Dry Mix: 4.2/5 My preference is always going to be the dry mixes because I'm not too much of a broth person. Their savory dry mix is a peanut based sauce. It reminds me of the dipping sauce for the spring rolls. Very umami. Nice balance of sweet, nutty, and savory, which I liked. There are these crispy bits added to the sauce and I really like it because it adds a texture component. Looking at the presentation, it wasn't bad. They seemed to have put the sauce on top and then garnish it with peanuts. I like that it's not just all mixed into the bowl and tossed in. You are able to choose your spice level too. I only chose mild today. Very light kick from the spice. Ingredients/Mix-Ins/Toppings: Nice variety They do have a fair amount of ingredients here. Loved seeing the marinated egg, but it occurred to be after the fact that when everything is mixed together like that, the flavor of the marinate for the egg gets lost. Lots of proteins, sides, and veggies to choose from. Of note, a lot of the items are cut into larger pieces. Makes it just slightly harder to just get just exactly what you want. I prefer the smaller portions and to get something of everything. Layout: Veggies first, then proteins Layout makes sense. Upon entering, the ingredients are on the left side. The vegetables come first and then meats. There is a space where you can keep your bowl. It also keeps a fair distance from the person to the ingredients, which is a good note for food safety reasons. This does, however, make it difficult for me to reach any ingredients in the back given my height and arm length. Note: When my bowl came out, it had ingredients that I did not choose. I'm aware that the ingredients may be cooked in the same water. It was just something I noted because I ended up with additional mushroom pieces, noodles, vegetables, bean sprouts, and a piece of meat. --------- Quality: Fully cooked and appropriate temperatures Their sauces are quite good and the items appear to be cooked to appropriate temperatures. All of the items in there, I was the most concerned for the kabocha pumpkin because it takes a little longer for it to completely cook and soften. All items did come out fully cooked though. Price: Topic of Conversation Today Main topic of conversation for me today. For malatang places, there's usually a scale where you weigh your bowl and ingredients. I've usually seen the scale tared to show a -0.XXX number. This means that the weight of the bowl is taken into consideration and removed from the final weight and pricing calculations. Here, the scale just showed 0. My ending weight was 1.33 lbs. This is really not normal for me because I'm always struggling to even reach 0.8 lbs, let alone trying to meet their 1 lb minimum after going back about 3 times to add something else. May attribute that to them providing larger cuts and portions of the ingredients though. My friends and I were just a little curious as to why it was 0 and one of my friends went to the cashier just to clarify how the calculation was done if the scale is not tared. Per the employee, she stated that the bowl weight is already considered and the price for the weight of the bowl is removed from the final price that is seen on the final check. This seems like such a convoluted way to do it, versus just taring the scale and removing the weight of the bowl to begin with. Of note, my friend observed a wire that went onto the scale that added some weight onto the scale. There are items around the scale that can fall onto it, so just make sure that it's at 0 when you're weighing your items. Service: Simple Interactions Besides trying to clarify things with the scale, really nothing significant at all. They helped us get bowls when we first came in because there was only one left when we entered. Upon completion of cooking, they brought us our bowl. Ambiance: Spacious Interior Interior is very large and there is optimal seating inside, as well. I like that the seats are not super close to each other. There's enough space to walk around and just be separated enough from other groups, so we can have a conversation comfortably. Location/Parking: Has its own little island They're located in Milpitas Square. It's kind of in its own island and closer to the side of the road. Very spacious parking space, as well. There is a 99 Ranch within the plaza, so it makes sense to have a large parking space here. Usually not a concern.
This malatang spot is located in a large plaza home to a massive variety of restaurants, services, and other miscellaneous good shops, so it's a great place to grab a meal while knocking out some shopping tasks. There is a lot of parking allotted for the plaza, so it isn't hard to claim a spot; there are chargers for EVs as well. The inside is well-lit but crowded, with tables squeezed in very closely together. It can get quite busy during mealtimes as well. The options offered here cover most of the options you usually expect at a malatang or hot pot spot, with plenty of vegetables, noodles, seafood options, and meats. There is only one vegetarian broth, though.I will note that some options were empty, and some other options were not properly defrosted before being set out. Like many other weigh-and-pay restaurants, the price can quickly rack up to being quite expensive, so be mindful of how much food you're adding to the bowl. For the price, it's a little bit disappointing that the ingredient options were not well-stocked/monitored. Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere, liked the food, and didn't have an issue with the service either. I don't think it's significantly better than other malatang places, but it's definitely a solid choice.
Get here when they open if you don't wanna wait in a loooooong line and struggle with a parking spot! The marbled beef is better than the premium beef and I highly recommend trying a few different sauces (I like the chili oil with scallion, cilantro, vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce!). The food comes out quickly and they have a lot of options (the thin ramen noodles are sooo good)!
Took my husband to try the Mala Town hot pot experience. It was Thursday around 12:30pm. The place was packed, not too many people in front of us. We were assigned a table, but the person was still eating. People who paid after us were getting seated while we continued to stand waiting for ours. Thankfully, one of the servers noticed this he swapped seating around so we could sit just in time to get our food. The food was good, but our experience was okay. I am giving Mala Town a 4-star because of the attentive server. Otherwise it would have been lower.
I've been here multiple times as it's a classic place to hit. The toppings are pretty fresh in my experience, and the food comes out pretty fast rven on days where they are super busy. However, I feel like the quality has been going down as this place has gotten more popular, and hasn't hit the same way it used to. Overall good place to go with friends though. Parking can be tricky depending on when you go.
Just went to Malatown, after a year, and damn, quality went downhill. The beef bone broth, I got medium. There's no more mala flavor, and the bone broth you can barely taste, like water. What are you talking about? We also got the dry noodles. The dry noodles. You see the peanuts, but you don't taste the peanut. The sauce is very watered down. It seems like, with the craze of Malatang and hey tea and the fact that they have so many positive reviews at opening, they don't care about quality anymore. Also they don't hire enough people because it took forever to get my order today at 6pm non peak hour.
I'm actually shocked that this place is popular. I've tried Mala Town in Vegas and it was good there so figured I'd give this location a shot but it was a completely different experience. All the veggies were pretty dirty here and looked anything but fresh, which made me hesitant to pick a lot of things. I think the bar needs to be upkept a lot better as I'm sure things got dirty from everyone's tongs since it's self serve, but nonetheless some of the stuff looked old as if it's been sitting out for a while. I found the sauce bar to be a bit flavorless but that could just be my taste palette, and they run out of sauce bowls pretty quickly if you go during prime time. Not sure if they overcooked the meat but it was incredibly tough to chew, and the same for my friends. The Tom Yum broth was good though, and the customer service was efficient and quick. Wouldn't be back nor would I recommend unfortunately, I'll stick with YGF.
5 stars! The tea is back! The food is consistently good. My wife and I come here about once a month. If I don't finish my huge bowl, I combine all of my family's bowls and I literally have another 1.5 meal at home. For a self serve place, it's actually decent service as you can flag anyone if you need anything. The tables were pretty packed on a Friday night. You know it's good when Asians of all ages frequent this establishment. The restaurant is very clean. You line up to load up your ingredients, pay by weight and get seated. There is an amazing sauce bar and free tea!
Consistency is key! Mala Town has been busy every time I go here, but the quality is not consistent. I have trouble deciding if I want to order the signature bone broth in mild or medium. Sometimes when I get mild, the soup is just milky with no slight kick to it, other times when I get mild the soup has a strong kick to it. The ingredients are not restocked in a timely manner. Often times I find myself having to go back towards the beginning of the line to get the veggies that were initially not there when I was in line, but got restocked once I'm towards the end of the line. Quality of ingredients have gone down. Frozen tofu used to be one of my favorites/essentials here! However, Mala Town definitely replaced their frozen tofu with something else. It's no longer spongy, instead it's hard and chewy now. They also don't put out their dried shiitake anymore :( I'm able to overlook these negatives, as I can always add more chili oil to my soup if the "mild soup" is actually mild, having to go back in line to get ingredients that were restocked while I was in line, and try different ingredients instead of sticking with my essentials. The sauce bar is still great, and if you're in luck they'll have their complimentary tea out as well. Overall, I'm quite disappointed in how Mala Town has only gone downhill ever since I've introduced my friends and family to it. I will most likely be going to other malatang spots (like Miss Gu Malatang or Cuanyue Malatang) instead as I know they're more consistent and are actually worth the wait.
Get ready to be full and happy! My favorite part is that they use high quality metal bowls Food: They have a wide selection of fresh veggies. They have pork, lamb, and beef slices. Some of their meat is even marinated. Service: A lot of the process is atomized for a quick process, so it was nice and fast! Parking: This plaza has a lot of food and milk tea options so it can get busy but i've never really had a hard time finding parking. They are right next to a tesla charging station as well if you want to charge up during dinner.
My new go to malatang place. I was super surprised at how many options of veggies and protein they offer plus they offer tom yum soup. I found that majority of malatang places only offer bone broth or spicy bone broth. The tom yum soup was super flavorful and paired well with all the toppings. Another huge plus is they offer free tea by the sauce bar. It can get pretty busy but the line goes by pretty fast and they assign you a table to sit down at. The tables are pretty close to each other but it makes sense for how busy it gets in there
First timer having Malatang. Come in grab bowl & tongs. Pick all your toppings and place In bowl. They'll weigh & ask what broth you want. I went with the beef bone broth spicy. They give you tags and tell you where to sit. While waiting I went to back and made my own dipping sauce. Water and some sort of complimentary drink was also over there. We got our food in about 5mins or so. It was good! I liked the broth & all the ingredients that I chose. I tried my friends tom yum broth, and it was good in a creamy way. It could be more spicy though. I'd come back to try their other broths & id eat here again.
Went at a busyish time with no wait. Just went ahead and grabbed a bowl and tongs and started adding items into the bowl. It's a little pricier than ygf but just as good. It definitely has more selections for meat options and the beef broth is a solid choice. They have chicken broth too if that is preferred. It tends to be busy and seats are close to another. Prepare to get cozy. :) read more
Food was great! Very typical of a malatang place! I got the medium beef broth and it was good. One thing to note was that my actual content was mixed with my friends'--I got a few chunks of fish that I didn't get but my friend got. My friend got the bok choy that I got but he didn't. If I were allergic to any of the choices that were mixed into my bowl (I'm allergic to certain fish), that would be a big issue! I'm not too sure what happened here, but please don't mix the contents of the bowls. That's a huge safety hazard, and unless this changes, I wouldn't come back again. read more
I love Mala Town! The experience of picking out your food is fun and the process is quick and easy. The plaza is busy at peak lunch and dinner time, so parking can be a hassle at times. The price is $15.99/lb but I never go over 1.5lbs of food, so it isn't bad for me. My favorite broth is the house bone broth. The tables are tightly packed in the restaurant, so walking around is a little difficult. Water and the sauce bar is self serve in the back of the restaurant. This is my favorite place to get malatang, so definitely visit! read more
6 months ago
We came here on a really busy day and the parking situation was frustrating. Even though the lot is big, it was very hard to find parking. Our spot got swooped, and we spent about 15 to 20 minutes circling before finally finding one. Not ideal, especially when you are already rushing between appointments. Because it was so busy, the line to pick up food was long. I did appreciate that they assign you a table, so you are guaranteed a place to sit, which helps during peak times. That said, the space itself is small, and it felt cramped. The servers seemed compressed with very little room to walk around, which added to the crowded feeling. I ordered the signature beef broth with medium spice. Despite the crowds, the food came out fairly quickly, which was a plus. The food itself is good and overall quality is solid. However, I would not recommend the Savory Mix. The name is misleading because it is not savory at all. It is very sweet and extremely peanut buttery, to the point where it was a bit overwhelming. I have been to another location before and found it much more spacious and less busy. This time we just happened to pick this location. That said, this spot is very lively and conveniently located right by 99 Ranch and HeyTea, which makes it a popular area. Good food and fast service, but be prepared for parking stress, long lines, and tight spacing if you come at peak times. read more
Food: Signature Beef Bone Broth (Medium Spice) Price: $15.99 per lb (my total came out to be ~$10) Overall: DIY Shabu spot in Milpitas!I have always seen tiktoks where people were guessing how much and every single bowl that comes out is over what they estimated but it still looks good! I took my friends here (who were visiting from SoCal) and we had to wait in line for a bit. Upon getting our tongs and bowl, there is a variety of vegetables, fish balls, noodles, and meat! The worker recommended everyone to get Signature Beef Bone Broth since it was our first time there and it was super tasty. There is also a sauce bar for dipping your meat and veggies in when you're eating. I'll definitely be back and it's perfect for the cold weather! read more
I'd say this place is comparable to the YGF Malatang in the same plaza, both 5/5. MalaTown has a wider selection of food and more unique choices for their broths, a great ambiance with aesthetic and bright interior design, and looks like a great place for social gathering (I think it is very skewed to younger audiences). Only cons is there is always a long wait line out the door if you dont come at the right time (i.e. at open to make the 1st round of seating) and overall cohesive flavor lacks YGF slightly. It really comes down to personal preference for the flavor and eating environment. Overall good food, large seating capacity, but can be a long wait. read more
DO NOT GET THE "DRY RUB!!!" I repeat, NO DRY RUB. It's honestly the worst "sauce" I have ever tasted and completely curbed my appetite. In the menu photos, it looks to be like a dry seasoning (kind of like ramen seasoning), but when you order it, it's essentially just peanut sauce thrown on top. I had to keep stealing my boyfriend's soup base just to eat my meal (and tried to wash off the peanut sauce). The staff seem friendly, but because there are so many people, there's essentially no service (which is fine and typical at hotpot places). They have a nice sauce bar with all of the essential oils, sauces, and garnishes. Expect a wait during the dinner rush, as there is limited seating. read more
Super busy on a weekend night around 6-7pm (lol). We waited for a good 20 minutes for a group of 7. There were actually multiple big groups ahead of us that were just as large. A table of 18 was actually dining too while we waited! The male server was informative and nice, while controlling the line and answering our questions. Once you get to put items in your bowl, be weary of how much you put because it quickly adds up! What I got: veggies (they're light), only 2 strands of potato noodles, stacked up the meat, lotus root, roe fish ball, and got the tom yum broth. I guessed that my pot would be $15-20, and I was right. It came out to be 1.3 lbs and paid $15.XX. Half of my friends guessed correctly and half didn't. While the employees are putting soup in your bowl, there's a tiny sauce bar. I wish they had more options as it's pretty limited. One of my friend's pot was dropped in the kitchen, so a server pulled him aside to apologize and offer him to get as much items as he wants and it will be comped! That's super nice of them and it also happened to one other customer dining in there as well. The floors in their kitchen must be slippery! Tom yum broth was amazing and I almost finished it, but my stomach did not take it well. I had to use the bathroom an hour later. Not sure if it's because of the lotus root not cooked long enough from my soup, cross contamination of some sort? I would definitely avoid adding anything big and frozen from the bar. Besides this issue, ID COME BACK!! read more
This place is so delicious!! When i went, the line was so long and curled around the door so it probably took us a total of 30ish minutes before we were able to start choosing our items and get seated. There is a bunch of seating and a lot of great options for the sauce station! I got the bone broth in mild and it was so delicious!! It was so flavorful and a very affordable option when eating out because you are able to choose how much you want to eat. read more
3 months ago
I had a chance to try Mala Town this past weekend and it was a great experience. If you are looking for Malatang this is a good spot as they have lots of options of different veggies and proteins. Once we got to the store, thankfully we got into line and started filling up our bowls with all the goodies. The meat here is yum and loved the different variety of options of veggies and different fish/shrimp balls. I ended up going with the mild bone broth which was delicious while the hubby went with the spicy schezuan version. Both of us were happy and full by the end of the meal! This spot is more casual for food, but a good spot. You will be full and it's fun to pick what you want, but do note it does get a little pricey, we paid $50 for two bowls. Overall though good experience and nice service so you pay for what you get. read more
Went here for lunch, these style of places are now trending so I've tried a few of them. Like Malatown more because of the flavor options available. The tomyum i got was creamy and just right, one thing you need to watch out for is the amount of food you place because the weight can add up real quick, so be careful unless you're comfortable paying buffet prices. The service was quick and fast, our food came out fast and this place has plenty of seating and the sauce bar is custom. read more
This place was packed! I came in on a Friday evening and the line was out the door. I probably had to wait about 20 minutes before I could build my own bowl. With the amount of people that were eating mala, all of the ingredients were all still stocked up. I ordered the Tom Yum mala and my partner ordered the signature soup. The staff are really efficient since it was so busy. Some people didn't even fully walk out the door when they were done eating and they're already cleaning the table lol. After my partner and I sat down we shortly received our mala. It was all nice and hot and super delicious. I will say that the Tom yum was a little bit on the sweeter side, but the soup was still good. The seating is really cramped I feel like I was sitting with the table next to us since we were so close. Other than that, the environment's very lively since there's so many people eating there. I would come again when it's not as busy. read more
My friend and I came in at 11:30, right when they open, on a Tuesday. We quickly picked our veggies, proteins--they had many options including seafood. I got their tom yum broth and my friend got the signature bone broth, mild. Tom yum had a perfect balance between sour and spicy, would definitely recommend. I was expecting it to be salty but it was not the case at all. I tried the bone broth as well for mild, I couldn't taste the spice so I would go for medium spice or above. Bone broth is really hearty, but not bland at all. It's definitely on the pricier side with $16.99/lb, but I'd say for the quality, it's worth it once in a while. Service was quick; the food came out pretty quick as well. Seatings can be a bit close to other tables. I would definitely return to try other broths. read more
4 months ago
Good food and good service! I love the way they serve us with different choices of veggies and meat. The signature broth is decent, a must try one! read more
1 month ago
Tried other malatang spots but this one is the tried and true. Flavors are on point every time. Could get really packed but lines move fast and service has been great. Portions are based on weight which i like cuz you can get a variety of veggies other stuff and protein all mixed in. The broth and meat are really good too. Hits the spot! read more
We are OBSESSED with this place! Pro tip: Avoid going after 6 pm bc it gets super crowded. Also avoid any marinated meat/veggies soaked in water as it can hike up your price significantly:) The sauce bar is so great here and their ingredients are consistently fresh and tasty. To top it all off: the staff is super friendly even when it gets crowded and hectic in there. Lots of two top tables inside but they can make larger groups (went as a party of 8) as well! read more
The wait is quite long, especially on weekends during peak meal times. (We went while the restaurant was still relatively new, hopefully it has died down a little since then). I think my husband and I waited around 20 minutes before we even got to the ingredients line, and then an addition 20-30 ish minutes for them to cook our food after we paid. The food ingredients are cleverly arranged so that the more expensive ingredients (meat) is at the very end of the line, giving you plenty of time to load up on veggies and noodles when you are paying by the lb for the whole thing. There's a huge variety of ingredients for every palate. I ordered the dry sauce which was super disappointing. I was expecting mala spices flavor, but it turns out the "dry sauce" is actually a giant serving of peanut sauce on top of your food. I don't like strong peanut flavor, so I was very unhappy with my mala bowl. The sauce is creamy and sticky, peanut butter mixed with other ingredients. You don't really get too much Szechuan flavor profile out of it--which might be nice for some people, but not for me. It was unappetizing to me because the sauce was very thick and coated everything. I would probably be happier with something else next time if I gave this place another shot. While you're not rushed out the door per se, bus boys will passive aggressively start cleaning your table to hint that it's time for you to leave if you're done eating, so it's not even a good place to enjoy your meal with friends. Also, I do have a problem with the fact that they are trying to entice customers to leave 5 star Google reviews by offering them free beverages. read more
I've gone several times with friends and this place has always been solid! Since it's malatang, you get to choose the toppings you want into a big bowl that will be weighted at the end when you choose the soup you'd like. There's also a sauce bar and free water and tea (during lunch time I think). The workers are nice and food comes out fast. The place itself is big and roomy which is nice as well. Would definitely recommend! read more
8 months ago
Frankly, was super to see how incredibly packed the restaurant was at 9:00 PM on a Wednesday night. Lots of couples, groups of friends, and families dining throughout the restaurant. There was a short wait at the door (within the restaurant) for the folks in front filling their bowls. The staff were all super friendly and professional and provided great service throughout the entire experience. Many choices at the food bar, and quality of the ingredients - I wouldn't say was superb - was fairly decent. The wait to actually get our bowls weighed out and to pay took longer than the process leading up to it. Selected the signature beef broth medium spice for the bowl, which came out within 10 minutes - piping hot! I LOVE spice, and was surprised by how hot the medium was already - something to be mindful of. Great value and experience overall, will be coming back in the future! Really wish they had a reward program. read more
4 months ago
10/10 my go to spots, I go almost every week. I really like the Tom yum broth. The service is fast, and the space itself is kind of small, but they do have outdoor seating when needed. read more
I was craving hot pot. My daughter took us to Mala Town. We arrived a little before 5pm. It wasn't busy at all so we were able to take our time picking our veggies, meats, noodle and other toppings. My daughter decided on the signature beef broth and I picked Tom Yum. I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the broths were. There's a sauce station. The restaurant itself was clean. Service was friendly. My first time going to Mala Town and it definitely won't be my last :) read more
I love this place! It's got a lot of different options for veggies, noodles, meats and everything is cooked decently well when it's brought out. There's a sauce setup and you get your own sauces and water, you're assigned a table, and they bring it to you relatively quickly. I also love that it's open all day, I sometimes eat lunch around 2-3 pm, and by then YGF is closed but Mala Town is still open. One of my favorite things is also that they use metal for their bowls and sauce dishes. The space is pretty big with plenty of seating and parking in this square can get tough, but the times I've been here it hasn't been an issue even when other areas of the square are pretty crowded. Ambiance is nice and relaxed too, they play old pop songs at a decent enough volume to fill the space but without being too loud. read more
I LOVE the place! The food quality is great and it comes out in a timely manner. However, it gets EXTREMELY busy, and they often over estimate how many people they can seat. The place is fairly small, and the tables are pretty snug. However, a lady offered us three free cokes due to the wait! It is not a cheap meal, but definitely worth the price! The area also has many boba spots near for an extra sweet treat after read more
Pretty bomb. This is a diy hotpot place. They got like a buffet bar with quite a few ingredients. The price is determined by how much your bowl weighs. They subtract the weight of the bowl. If it's your first time beware... It might not look like a lot of food but it is. I got about 2.18 pounds worth of food after subtracting the weight of the bowl and it was good for two meals. Also at 16$ per pound, it can def add up. The tomato broth was so good. Surprisingly better than any other place I can think of. I've had it many times at other places. The ingredients were pretty good. Some of the beef like the spicy and garlic beef are a lil tough. It was cool to try it one time but I'll stick with the thin cut shabu beef next time. Overall, dope spot. I'll be back to try their beef bone broth read more
This place definitely lives up to the hype! We came on a Sunday at around 6pm and it was crowded. We waited about 20 mins for a table do 3. They don't let you get food unless there is a table available. Lots of options for seafood, meat, vegetables, and noodles. My go to picks are usually fish balls, potato noodles (I like the chewiness), lamb, tripe, and emoji mushrooms. I got the beef bone broth mild and it was still spicy for me! My spice tolerance is also low though. My friend got the tom yum and his broth had some spice as well. The flavor of the broths were sooo good though. They have a sauce bar and even a suggestion for sauce combos. The servers are really quick about turning over tables so once they see you're done eating, they will try to clear your table asap because there's lots of people waiting. I definitely would come back again! read more
Really solid malatang place. Lots of parking. In a plaza full of asian food and desserts. I feel like they had a huge variety of things to put in your soup. More options than other places. Came around 6pm on a Wednesday and the restaurant quickly filled up. There was a line at one point. I can tell this place is pretty popular. I will say I got the medium spice and I felt like I could have gone spicier. It wasn't that spicy. Other than that the flavor is good and the quality of the toppings is good. Regardless it hit the spot. I really enjoyed my meal and I would come back! read more
I got beef bone broth medium spice and my boyfriend got spicy. It was very good broth! They have a lot of different variety of toppings, from fresh veggies to meat. I especially liked their tofu toppings and beef toppings. The noodle selection is also very good. There were plenty of seats inside and a condiment station where we can make our own sauce. Service was quick and great! We got plenty of food for its price. read more
We stopped in for a bite to eat. Sad that they don't offer complimentary sweetened green tea, date juice, or numbing pepper oil. :( Also, they got rid of the sukiyaki soup and replaced it with a new flavor, hot & sour golden soup. Maybe next time, I'll try it. We got our usual; I got the beef bone broth and my wife got her chicken (maw) broth. read more
This was my first time trying malatang, and Mala Town was a perfect way for me to jump in! Three of us were able to walk in at around 6 PM on a weekday, and while we were able to grab a table right away, it got VERY crowded soon after we sat down... This spot clearly has a lot of fans, so be prepared to wait for a table! We walked over to the self service bar, and I was almost overwhelmed with the variety of options! They had every kind of veggie, meat, garnish, and ingredient you can think of. The ingredients all looked and tasted quite fresh, which was impressive given the variety of quantity of options on display! I opted for the beef bone broth with medium spice at checkout, and it was delicious with just the right amount of kick! When our meals came out ready about 10 minutes later, everything tasted excellent. There are also a variety of sauce options (soy, peanut, chili, etc.) and garnishes you can use for dipping as well, which just added to the whirlwind of delicious flavor! The service was quick and friendly, and the restaurant had a fun, casual vibe that makes it an excellent meeting place for groups of friends. Overall, I had a fantastic experience here and definitely plan to come back! read more
4 months ago
Great malatang spot in Milpitas! Malatown serves delicious pay-by-weight malatang with a large variety of fresh ingredients to choose from. You wait for your turn to pick up your tongs + bowl and go down a buffet style assembly picking which ingredients you want to add to your bowl. After you pick your ingredients, you choose your broth and pay at the register before sitting down at your table. I like their Signature Beef Bone Broth ($15.99/lb) due it being flavorful, yet not too heavy in comparison to other malatang spots in the Bay. I also like their sauce bar options which always elevates each bowl of malatang even more! The overall ambiance is lively while the service is friendly. The restaurant itself is very clean, especially given the amount of customers they get each day. I really like the pots they use to serve their malatang in, as well as the sauce bowls that follow the same design as their malatang bowls, just in a minature size. I recommend avoiding going at peak hours (for example: instead of 7pm, going a bit earlier at around 5pm for an early dinner) if you want to skip the lines because it does get busy. Overall, great malatang spot I would suggest anyone to try out in the area! read more
Went here for the third time last night and I loved it more than my first few times! I got the tom yum soup base and it was delicious!! I think they might've changed the recipe from how it was before and it's definitely a lot better! We went on a Saturday night so it was pretty packed but we still didn't wait so long and our soup came out fairly quick. This honestly might be my new favorite malatang spot in the bay! read more
5 months ago
My go-to broth is tom yum. They charge by weight, and I always end up overdoing it and taking leftovers home. There's a sauce station on the side where you can make your own sauce. Seating is pretty tight and close to other tables. They used to have a drink station with two fruit tea options, but it wasn't there when I went last week. The employees are nice and very fast and efficient. read more
Business owner information
Fico C.
Hi, Nu. I did the same when I came as a customer since we have…
Always wanted to try a build your own hotpot place! Review is more like 3.75... My friend and I came for dinner after Pilates. They have a wide ranges of veggies, 3 types of meat to choose from, and lots of toppings. I chose bok choy, 2 types of tofu squares, enoki mushroom(and another type of mushroom I don't remember what it was called), bamboo shoots, fish rolls, shrimp balls, fish balls with roe, udon noodles, rice cakes, 2 different types of beef with tom yum soup. Dry toss version is also available! My total came out to 2.36 lbs ($41.28) My friend's bowl came out to ~1.5 lbs and ~$25 What's with the price range when there's only about a 1 lb difference?? It's a little pricey.. My friend's bowl came out way faster than mine, but I understand because I got a lot more with throngs that need to be cooked for a little longer. However, this caused my meat to be overcooked. Water is self serve. There's a sauce bar, but it was pretty basic. Recommended instructions for sauces are on the wall above the bar. I mixed green onion, cilantro, garlic, chili oil, black vinegar, a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil. Service was barely there (greeter at the door, checkout counter and when they deliver your bowl, that's it.) Their music playlist had some great choices. Lots of throwback pop songs. I love soup and good music. read more
1 month ago
Love love love mala town so much, always a go to when I'm hungry and don't know what else to get and it never disappoints! read more
Situated in the middle of Milpitas Square like an island, Mala Town was nicely decorated inside and a good place to sit and chat and eat, they don't rush you away. On Sunday even 1pm, lunch line was unavoidable. We started on the veggie session with spinach, napa, enoki and oyster slice mushrooms, taro and lotus slices, then move onto seafood and carbs and then fish balls and meat balls and finally fresh meat. This is my second time to malatang, so I know the process flow. You pick what you'd like to eat and they cook for you in the selected broth. You pay by the weight and everything is weighted at the same price. It's always easy to over pick. I don't think they have extra good variety of choices, but enough to let me pick. I got some spinach, enoki and oyster mushroom, a couple bunches of the shirataki noodles, some garlic soy marinated beef and cold sliced lamb. Their drink section also has some interesting imported bottled beverages, but I didn't get to them this time. For soup broth, since my spicy tolerance level is low, I was debating between the house signature beef broth which is mild or the chicken soup. In the end I chose the chicken soup and it was a very nice surprise. The broth was rich, flavorful and warm to the tummy. At first glance it looked a bit oily, but as I worked on my bowl, it's not that bad and the goji berry also cuts down some of the grease. I thoroughly enjoyed the broth flavor. They also have a sauce station and again, it has the popular items but nothing extra fancy. Overall I would come back for the chicken broth. Maybe for 2 pounds or less I paid $30, which is slightly higher than my budget for lunch though. read more
My first Mala experience and won't be my last! I tried my best to get what I could eat (though you can easily take home leftovers in their to go containers) and my dish weighed about 1.25 lbs. I was a bit bummed when they took away the premium beef just as I was about to take some. I paired my veggies, noodles, and meat with the signature beef broth and got that medium. I did ask for no mala spice but found out they don't add it in. Got my sauce mixture from the sauce bar and my order came out quickly. Only to realize it wasn't mine! They quickly took it away and brought out my correct order. Noticed the difference between mild and medium is they add a lot of chili oil. After awhile it got overwhelming, so next time I'd get mild and just add the chili oil on the side if needed from the sauce bar. Overall, really enjoyed my creation of mala tang, but the only con is the meat gets very overcooked. Next time I will opt not to put so much meat and add in veggies, fish cakes, and noodles instead. Very reasonably priced at $15.99 a lb. read more
First time trying the dry mixed pot and it was delicious! It has a strong peanut flavor and it definitely is on the more salty side. Maybe I should try adding a little bit of water into it next time. Since the sauce is super flavorful, I didn't have to use a dipping sauce to eat it. read more
Went here for lunch on a Sunday and it was fun! Thankfully, there was no wait, and I was impressed by how clean and organized everything was. They make sure there's enough seating before letting you in by assigning you a table, and if there isn't one ready, there might be a short wait. It's self-serve, which made it extra fun to explore all the options. My favorites were the beef brisket, the fish balls with roe, and the noodles in the mild beef bone broth (all of which were delicious!). There is also a sauce bar. My eyes were definitely hungrier than my stomach--I ended up grabbing more than I could finish. But thankfully they let you take leftovers home. Just keep in mind that it's charged by weight. Mine came out to about 3 pounds and cost over $50. (Pro tip: take only what you can realistically eat.) We had no trouble finding parking out front, though it can get more crowded around dinner. It's great for any party size. Overall, it was a unique and tasty experience. I really appreciated how fresh everything was--I'll definitely be back! read more
I've been here several times now since it first open a couple months ago and it has become one of my favorite malatang spots in the area! I like that the quality of the ingredients are very fresh and doesn't feel like it's been sitting out for a long time. The vegetables are very crunchy and thoroughly washed, which is great. The meats are also very tender and not super chewy like some other spots. They also have a wide variety of different noodles/rice/other carbs I'm also a huge fan of their soup bases, especially the beef one because you can adjust the spice levels. They also have a newer dry pot option, which I feel like the counterpart in the area doesn't do as well as this place. I find that a lot of the malatang places have this weird fishy or seafood taste in their broth, but this place does not have that at all, which is a huge plus for me. For anyone not familiar with the layout, you start by getting a ball and filling it with all of the ingredients that you like in your pot. Then you bring it to the cashier to away and choose your soup base so they can cook it for you in the back. Very fast and efficient! Huge parking lot. Staff is very friendly. Price is very reasonable, about $15 per pound and they no longer enforce a minimum weight limit. They used to get free teas when the place first opened, but the last time I went here it was no longer an option. read more
I LOOOVVEEEE hotpot!! And this place is one of the top places I want to go now. There were lots of options for what to put in your bowl. All the fishball variations were delicious and meat sizes were abundant! Our soup came out quite fast and the bowls were easy to eat from. The employees made it easy to navigate how to pick our toppings as well! As for ambiance, the decor inside is very aesthetic and attractive! read more
More info about Mala Town
438 Barber Ln
Milpitas, CA 95035
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(669) 315-1414
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http://malatown.us
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Mala Town - ramen - Updated June 2026
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