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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ

    4.4 (105 reviews)

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    Stephanie H.

    Master Gua is the master of malatang!!! We came here on a Saturday and it wasn't too busy. They carry a variety of selection of ingredients for your malatang, but was smaller compare to other chains, but nonetheless still had everything we needed! :-) I ordered the Tom yum soup and it was tangy, sour, delicious. It reminded me of my childhood. The soup tasted similar to mama noodles. It brought me a lot of memories! The minimum requirement is 0.8 per lb and the cost was only $14.99 per lb. Great pricing and also, as mentioned, great variety/selection. Also they provided rice with your meal! Overall, great experience and will definitely be back if I'm in the area again!!!

    Irena S.

    Came here a few weeks ago on a weeknight, because we love Mala Town in Union City but it felt too far to drive. Basic concept is very similar to Mala Town - you get a large bowl and you get to self-serve raw ingredients from the wall, for $14.99 per pound. You get to choose your broth and spiciness level and they cook it for you, and they bring it out to you at your table. Pros: - Pretty easy process to follow through, and they're kind in explaining if you haven't done it before - There's also things you can order from the table via QR code. - The hot tea they serve is nice as well - Pretty decent spread of ingredients, including noodles, veggies, meat - Sauces available on the right side of the ingredients - Pretty empty on a weeknight, didn't have to wait very long for anything - Pretty quiet, good for casual date or dinner spot - broth choices including tomato and beef bone broth. - Just make sure you be careful not to put TOO many raw ingredients - it's always going to weigh more than you think Cons: - Parking can be tricky in this area, but overall not bad 10/10 will come again

    Spicy Beef and Lamb Skewers. Lots of flavor!
    Cynthia W.

    It says it opens at 11am. We arrived at 11:10am, but she was still setting up and told us to stand and wait. Nobody else was there. Pretty quiet. Decent size restaurant. It took about another 10mins of us waiting before we were able to start getting food. The variety of food was abundant! So many different noodles, fishballs, mushrooms, etc. I liked that. Everything is the same price, you put it in your bowl and weigh it. It costs 14.99/lb. I got way too much in my bowl. I barely ate half of it and was full. So be cautious of how much you put. I think I just got carried away. haha. I chose the spicy Szechuan soup base. Love the numbing flavor. They also have a sauce bar that you can add more spices too, which was nice. We also got a spicy beef and lamb skewer. The spices/flavoring on these were amazing. One of my friends did the dry noodle dish with peanut sauce instead of soup. He really liked that a lot.

    Inside
    Tony G.

    This is actually my first time trying a malatang spot. Malatangs been getting a lot popular lately, so I figured I'd give it a shot. This restaurant is located int the plaza, so parking can be difficult for sure. The staff was nice, they greeted us the door and asked if this was our first time. Then they walked us through the process. Basically, you grab a bowl then you go to the ingredient bar and pick whatever ingredients you want, meat, noodles, seafood, veggies, etc. They then weight it, and you pay for the for the pound (0.8 lb minimum). Then you pick which soup broth to pair with it. Relatively fast process. I got the beef bone broth with mild spice. I'm a lightweight, so the mild already got my sweating good. Luckily, didn't have that numbing tongue sensation. I'd probably just do non-spicy next time. Pretty cool experience, think of it as a cross between a regular soup item menu and an all-you-can-eat hotpot place. Grab what you want and pay for the weight of it.

    Melinda Y.

    I've heard of Malatang for a while but ended up dining there one evening with my niece. It was a quiet spot on a weeknight. Parking situation wasn't bad when we arrived at 5:30. We grabbed a ginormous bowl and started loading up with ingredients to be cooked in the broth of our choice. It cooked up quickly in the kitchen while we made our dipping sauce. It was SPICY! Be sure to get some soy milk to soothe your taste buds. Note, you are charged by weight of the contents of the bowl - ended up being pretty pricey but had a decent portion of leftovers so ended up being moderately-priced. Will return

    Beef tendon, lamb, beef skewers
    Soo K.

    My new favorite restaurant! At first, I was quite skeptical since I had previously visited a couple of mala restaurants that were overpriced and mediocre. However, I like this one! I ordered the beef, lamb, and beef tendon skewers with extreme spice, and they were delicious. The skewers were flavorful and had a nice crunch. Surprisingly, they weren't unbearably spicy; I would say they tasted more like medium spice to me. For my main dish, I chose the Tom Yum soup, also with extreme spice, and I enjoyed it very much. I did add some Thai chilies when I got home, but the soup was already hearty and had a nice kick to it. I can't wait to try the other broth options. As for the atmosphere, I found it a bit awkward because it was very quiet inside, with no music playing and diners barely talking. We went around 7 PM, and there was still a good selection of toppings available. The service was great! The cashier was very helpful and accommodating.

    Ashley W.

    This is a decent malatang spot in downtown San Leandro. Parking might be difficult depending on the time of day you go because it is located in the heart of the Pelton Plaza, but there are plenty of spots in the surrounding streets. The food is good and the service is straightforward -- you grab a bowl, pick your own ingredients, and then pay at the counter for them to cook it. I love that they have skewers and side dishes available here too! This is a smaller restaurant compared to some of the more popular malatang spots in the Bay Area, but it still offers all the essentials for a satisfying bowl!

    Jimmy U.

    Ive been trying a lot of malatang lately. Usually not by choice. But I've gone to a couple of places on the Bay Area and this one is my favorite. The dry pot has the best peanut sauce in my humble opinion. The selection of ingredients isn't too massive but they have everything that I would want. I've been here a couple of times and it was never busy which is kinda sad because I like it a lot and hope they do well.

    Tornado Potato
    Berna G.

    Malatang and bbq skewers are now in downtown San Leandro! Located in the Pelton Center, you can build your own bowl by filling it up with different meats, seafood, veggies, noodles, and other toppings, along with your choice of soup base. Pay by weight and they cook it in the kitchen then call your number when it's ready. The spice level of soup can also be adjusted so I stuck with mild. Szechuan peppers are slowly growing on me, but anything spicier than mild and the food starts tasting like tv static. The bbq skewers are super affordable too. The meats are generously seasoned with a cumin-heavy spice mix.

    Everett L.

    We came to try the malatang and it was so good. The selection of food and the taste of the broth so spicy. Lots of sitting room also.

    Vivian L.

    Came here for dinner and when you walk in, pick up a clear bowl, choose your noodles, veggies, meat, etc. then you go up to the cashier and they will weigh your bowl, and you get to pick your soup from there. Then you'll pay and they'll bring out your bowl of soup. I got the beef bone broth soup in medium spice and it was spicy and a bit oily for me. My friend got the same broth but in light spice and he loved his bowl. They also have a counter for you to get your sauces, green onions, garlic, peppers, etc. and all of their sauces were pretty good. Service was good too and refilled our waters multiple times throughout the dinner. The only thing I get worried about is how sanitary it is, since everyone goes there and picks up their own food. But it seemed "decent" when we went since it was an early dinner. Besides that, there are a few parking spots outside the plaza.

    Minhchau N.

    Came in on a Tuesday night after class around 8pm. The girl at the register was very friendly and asked if it was our first time there. She explained the process and let us do our thing. I got the Szechuan numbing broth which I guess was new. And we got some bbq skewers. We enjoyed our meal and so glad there's a spot close to home. Will definitely be coming back.

    Our beef bone broth soup
    Angela C.

    Located in pelton plaza. New restaurant. I didn't see any barbecue and I forgot to ask... But it's build your own soup. Pay by the pound about, 15$ each lb. My eyes are always hungrier than my stomach, so I kept loading up our bowl. Lots of different stuff to choose from in every category of veggie, meats, seafood, balls and tofus, noods, etc. they were all decently fresh so go wild! I did and we somehow only ended up with 2.3 pounds and our bill only came to $45ish with tax and tip. This was nice because eating out is always super expensive these days. My boyfriend and I split the one beef bone soup bowl and we were both super stuffed and satisfied. I've been trying to stay away from spicy food lately and this beef bone broth certainly hit the spot. It felt very healthy and comforting! We finished the entire bowl. Also extra points because they had some old school anime decor and they played Mandarin music. I could hear the staff speaking Mandarin so they're authentic!

    I added lots of meat

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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Master Gua Malatang & BBQ

    Do the soups contain peanuts?

    There are different type of soup bases. The one I ordered has a peanut based flavorings. So know that it is being prepared in a kitchen that is exposed to peanut butter and such.

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    Very friendly staff and a decently sized restaurant appropriate for small and big family gatherings…read moreor just to hang out with friends! The wait time for being served was quite long here but it may have been due to the restaurant being short-staffed. 5/5 - Spicy Pork Bulgogi - The best dish we had at this place! The marinade was perfect, and we appreciated the large serving of pork bulgogi. 5/5 - LA Short Rib - Also another star of the show here! Very generous serving and was both tender and juicy! The short rib was also well-seasoned, and we couldn't get enough of it! 4/5 - Soft Tofu Soup - The soup was very tasty and not too spicy or salty! Unfortunately we thought the serving was a bit small relative to other locations we've had this same dish and relative to the other dishes for its price, so keep that in mind! 3.5/5 - Stir-Fried Shrimp - The shrimp was just as good as the vegetables served in the stir-fry sauce. The shrimp seemed a bit dry, but overall the dish was delicious! 4.5/5 - Kimchi Pancake - Large portioned kimchi pancake that is complemented well with their pancake sauce. Highly recommend getting this to share with a medium-large party as an appetizer!

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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ - bbq - Updated June 2026

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