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My first time trying Malatown and it was incredible! - I will definitely be back. You get to build your own hot pot with your own veggies, meats, seafood, fish balls, and choose your own broth. I got the mild signature beed bone broth, and it was delicious and flavorful, not too spicy. They had a great selection of all items - I got beef chuck rolls and pork belly, spinach, enoki mushrooms, lotus root, cabbage, and fish balls! They also have make your own sauce - I loved the peanut seasame. Their selections also included black vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, seasame and chili oil, and garlic. My mouth is watering just thinking about malatown, and I can't wait to be back. Bowls were out in about 10 min during lunch time. If you can, come before 12pm to beat the lunch rush!
There are so many hot pot restaurants in the South Bay. I don't think Mala Town compares to the other options available. It's way too pricey and your bowl is required to weigh a minimum amount. It's true that there is a wide selection of ingredients, and the staff keeps the ingredient and sauce bars well stocked. Nice for customizing to your tastes. However, the broth is just okay in my opinion. Nothing special. I really do think there is better hot pot elsewhere that will give you a better bang for your buck!
I was really excited to try this place out. When you walk in, it can be a little confusing as there is no one to check you in to be seated. You simply walk in, and then stand in the line to your left. You grab a bowl and a pair of tongs and you work your way down the veggie, noodle, and meat selections. Your bowl is then weighed at the checkout counter where you pay. After you pay, someone will assist you in finding a table. There's a station in the back, where you can choose from different sauce options, or make your own combination. We weren't sure which broth to choose. But because we're huge fans of mala spice, we went with the mala broth. Although it was tasty, it was SO oily we could barely eat it! For that, we were disappointed. But we'll probably come back just to try the other broth options. Unless we find another spot similar to this to try out.
How could you take the drinks away again? It's getting expensive to eat out these days. The problem with taking the fresh tea is that some of us had expectations. We wanted something refreshing without the extra cost. You had it there initially when you first opened, took it away, brought it back and then it's gone again. What's with the back and forth? I still love your food. My previous reviews still stand minus my comments on the drinks. You have a decent sauce bar and it's always a good crowd here. I'm sure you guys are making money. It's ok to give a little back even in the form of fresh brewed tea.
I have been a malatown regular for the past year. I would say I easily go once a month because I love the food. They have so many toppings to choose from and their broth options are also really good. My favorite topping would be their fishcake with mochi, I would highly recommend trying it!
I like Mala Town. It's good and the concept is fairly straight forward. There are only a few adjustments that I think would make Mala Town pretty excellent. We have visited this location twice now. Ordered different items both times, but the consistency feels a bit off in terms of the spiciness. We also had a nice drink the first time that we didn't get the second time. And I do wish there was a bit more at the sauce bar-it felt limited and bare. The broth are fairly good, but your options are pretty much just non-spicy, little spicy, and burn your mouth off. The space inside the restaurant can be quite crowded. As in elbow to elbow seating. The service are friendly and nice. I'd come back, but would also be very open to trying other options.
Still love this place. Always busy around dinner time. Theres no yelp line so make sure youre ready to stand in line if its busy. I am sad they dont have their prickly ash oil anymore tho
MALA TOWN SUPREMACY!!! My fave malatang place! Been here three times, cost each time: $20, $30, & $27. On average, you'll spend $25~ after selecting your ingredients. I loveeeee getting the tom yum here, & I don't think other malatang places offer tom yum. In general, the tom yum flavor is fire. i would say the amount of chili oil they add is inconsistent. there's times i've gotten alot of oil and times with less. my partner also found the beef bone broth was too oily for his liking and thought tom yum was way better. The tom yum has a nice tang from the lemon and theres slight creaminess to the broth. my friend thinks they add peanut sauce to the broth. it is also not too spicy, which is nice. I dont live near this place but it is worth the drive! I like the wide variety of ingredients and the chewy potato noodles. This place gets busy for a reason and it can be tough to find parking on the weekends.
Best malatang in town! I love this place. You should try a tomyum soup base, it's tasty and delicious
This place is great! You get to build your perfect bowl by choosing your favorite veggies and proteins as you move down the line. Everything tastes fresh, high quality, and there's a great variety of options to choose from. At checkout, your selections are weighed by the pound, and then you choose your soup base. Every broth I've tried so far has been flavorful and delicious. There's also a small self-serve sauce bar in the back, but honestly the broths are so flavorful it's not needed. The atmosphere is lively and energetic. I'll definitely be back soon!
This was my first time dining at this restaurant, although I've had malatang at several other places before, so I was already familiar with the concept and ordering process. I was excited to bring a friend here for his very first malatang experience, and overall it was an enjoyable visit. One thing I noticed right away was that the ingredient selection felt more limited compared to other malatang restaurants I've been to. I was hoping to find items such as bean curd, duck blood, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms, but unfortunately none of those were available. The seafood selection was also fairly limited. Additionally, there seemed to be a larger variety of frozen ingredients than fresh ones, which wasn't my preference. I also noticed that the spinach and oyster mushrooms didn't look as fresh as I would have liked. That said, there were definitely some positives. I appreciated that they provided takeout containers and bags for customers who couldn't finish their meals and wanted to bring leftovers home. The sauce bar was solid and had all the standard options you'd expect. For my soup base, I chose the signature bone broth with a medium spice level, and it was quite flavorful and enjoyable. Overall, the broth and dining experience were good, but the limited ingredient variety and freshness of some produce are areas where I think the restaurant could improve. I'd still consider coming back, but I hope to see a broader selection of ingredients in the future. One funny highlight of the visit was watching my friend experience malatang for the first time. He got a little carried away while selecting ingredients and somehow ended up with a bowl piled to the brim, resulting in a bill of over $90! His eyes were definitely bigger than his stomach, and he ended up receiving two full portions because of how much food he had packed into his bowl. It gave us both a good laugh and served as a memorable introduction to the world of malatang.
Came here on a weekday and it was quite busy. I got the tomato broth, which was okay but didn't really wow me. I'll definitely try a different broth next time to see if I like it better. The toppings were fresh with varieties of selection to choose from. My pot came out to about $50, which felt reasonable for the meal overall.
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.
1 day ago
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
1 day ago
9 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
12 days ago
always a solid malatang place. beef broth is tasty. service was quick today. it's pretty loud inside but it's not too bad. good quick eat. parking can get bad depending on the time/day. read more
12 days ago
Food is so scrumptious, love coming here and filling up my bowl with a tonnn of meat. Various options, soup bases are very yummy aswell. read more
8 days ago
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
15 days ago
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
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5 months ago
Whenever I'm craving hot pot, this is one of the few places I automatically go to. Mala Town is a weigh-by-the-pound hot pot place with loads of toppings, including several tofu options, marinated meat, and scallops (which I love). This is one of the few hot pot places I've been to that don't close in the middle of the day, which is a nice touch. Most of the time, it's crowded and it takes a few minutes for your bowl to be ready, but I'd say it's always been worth the wait. I'm a fan of their medium-spicy bone broth, as well as their decently-sized sauce bar. read more
1 day ago
Busy store, busier than YGF malatang in the same plaza! It's $1/lb more expensive than YGF but more variety for ingredients and soups. Beef bone broth mild vs. medium spicy comparison is jarring haha, I'm not good with spice so mild was good for me. Grab ingredients then get seated at a table while your food cooks. The tables were cleaned up quickly so no need to worry about seating. 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
3 days ago
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
12 days ago
13 days ago
2 months ago
My favorite spot to get malatang. Always have the ingredients I want especially the pork intestine and squid tentacles. The beef broth in medium is always a staple whenever I go. Sadly the price has increased to 16.99/lb but I'd say it's worth the price. Always a long line out the door during dinner time so be aware! read more
1 month ago
My second time at Malatown and it has the same ordering process as the San Mateo location. I liked how the options are viewable. When it came to checkout, there's a reward loyalty program. I was able to a few dollars by using points that I earned from my last visit. The service person guided me to my designated seat, and the environment overall was easy to manage, including the sauce bar station. The music was not too loud and I liked staying a little after my meal to read my book and even journal. read more
10 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
5 months ago
Love the selection at mala town. Although the broth is sometimes really spicy or not spicy at all if you get mild the place is really organized and clean. The sauces are always full and service is really fast. read more
5 months ago
Updating my review after ordering from DoorDash! I've ordered from the store many times in the past and it has never been like this. I ordered a full set with THREE additional items on top of that. The container is not even half full with food, this cannot constitute as even 1 regular order. There's maybe one or two pieces per item which is absolutely unacceptable. I ordered at least three protein items and there's ONE PIECE EACH and it's COMPLETELY MISSING the tendons. There's barely anything in here, this is 1/3 amount of what I would usually receive. This is absolutely not what I paid for. I feel ripped off after spending ~40 on this meal. read more
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Yang G.
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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 - chinese - Updated September 2026
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