So good and warm and comforting especially in the winter. The mi xian is always a great texture -…read morebouncy and chewy as it should be and doesn't break down the middle. The soups are always piping hot and very umami. It's also very consistent so you know what to expect. I haven't had a version I didn't like here

This is my third or fourth time-- always a good meal, especially during these winter months…read more First off: restaurant is fairly small, and pretty popular during peak dining times (ex. weekend dinners), so be prepared to wait, especially with a larger group. Luckily on a Monday evening, things were pretty sparse and our large group was able to be fully seated on a rolling basis as people arrived. Food was delicious! I've only ever gotten the classics, but this time I got the Szechuan Pepper Fish. Really good, and I'd recommend, especially if you're into the numbing spice! The servers are friendly and offer help to any newcomers (or people that seem like they are newcomers) on how to properly combine the ingredients provided. I ordered some appetizers, but honestly next time I'd just get the soup on its own. It's good enough as is, and you'll be filled up.

comedically large bowls of food at this build-your-own hot pot/dry pot restaurant!…read more my boyfriend and i stopped by for lunch and were quickly seated. the restaurant had a few groups, but had plenty of seating. we both unknowingly ordered our own items: he had a dry pot and i had a ma la soup. i personally love ma la soup so this definitely hit the spot, it's one of my favorite foods, especially in the winter. the portions at this place are massive, and the prices do match the portion size, so be sure to share or be prepared to have leftovers. it's hard to keep track of the prices because it's charged per item, so our total was deceptively high. i will say though, it's worth the $$$ because we had enough leftovers for multiple meals. overall, i do like this place and will be back!

Not one to go for spicy food anymore, let alone Szechuan food, but I came with a large group of…read morefriends today for a weekday dinner. We had a lot of orders, but the food came out in a rolling fashion after a slightly longer than expected wait. Spice rating was more than I was expecting, but that's coming from a bit of a lightweight. Portion size was very good for the price, and flavors were delicious and on point! There are also options for soup and non-spicy that some of my friends got that looked good! Good options for any people in your party that are not super spice tolerant... then again why are you bringing them to a restaurant that has "Spicy" in the name? There's good seating for mid sized to large groups like ours (12+), and we were able to be accommodated very well. They split up all of checks at the end too, which was nice though we would've been fine paying altogether. Good option for Szechuan dry pot in Chinatown! Don't think I personally will be back as I'm not that down for spicy, but a good option for any folks who are looking for it!

Great spot for a quick meal that tastes delicious and doesn't break the bank! Two people can share…read moreone bowl for less than $30 and you get a free drink for spending over $25! You pick whatever you want to put in the bowl and it costs around $16/lb. The tomyum base is reminiscent of the Mama noodles, but very addicting. It's a bit cramped inside due to it being crowded. You can also make your own dipping sauce and there's free rice for dry pots. Some tips: - The marinated beef is a sleeper hit (tastes even better than the fatty beef) - Potato will end up a bit melted and hard to pick up - Fried tofu pockets are very popular for a reason - they soak up the broth - Get some type of noodle for the malatang so that you can fill up easier

Philadelphia's Chinatown is keeping up with the times, and this place is proof. In a culinary…read morelandscape where Szechuan cuisine and hot pot are having a serious moment, this fast-casual malatang spot manages to hit every note -- and then some. The concept is brilliantly simple: browse a refrigerated selection stocked with an impressive array of Asian vegetables, exotic proteins like frog legs and lamb, and all the hot pot staples you'd expect, then fill your bowl and pay by weight. It instantly transported me to hot pot buffets I've experienced in Taiwan -- that same sense of abundance and choice, but streamlined for the modern diner. From there, you can have your selections cooked in your broth of choice or go the dry hot pot route, stir-fried with a Szechuan spice blend that brings the heat in all the right ways. For the young professional crowd, this place checks every box: quick, customizable, affordable, and genuinely authentic. Whether you have 20 minutes for a quick graze or an hour to properly gorge, the kitchen keeps pace. Service is fast without feeling rushed. Don't overlook the beverage fridge -- it carries drinks you'd be hard-pressed to find even at your local Asian grocery store, which is a small but telling detail about the care put into this place. Chinatown dining done right for 2026. Highly recommend.

Best of the best for Cantonese food! Every dish here I've tried is good! I keep going back because…read morethis is the best Cantonese food spot in Chinatown! Cooked oysters here are definitely delicious and a show stopper! All their dishes here are good and their service here is great as well please just go and eat here!

I went to Tai Lake Restaurant and ordered the half Peking duck. Right away, it came out with bao…read morebuns instead of the traditional thin pancakes. That completely changes the dish. Bao buns are thick, filling, and you hit a wall after a couple bites. If I had known that, I would not have ordered it. That should absolutely be communicated upfront. The duck itself was mediocre at best. Greasy, fatty, nothing special. I'd honestly give it a 6 out of 10 and that might even be generous. Servers were fine, attentive enough, no complaints there. My bill came to $34.55 and I still tipped 20% because I'm not petty about service when people do their job. Where this place really lost me was the manager. It wasn't even 5:30 PM. No dinner rush. The restaurant had multiple empty tables. I was sitting at a two person table by myself, literally just waiting for my Uber that was 7 minutes away. The manager comes over and tells me to go wait outside. I said no. It was cold, I had bags with me, and I had just paid and finished eating. There was zero reason to rush me out like that. He doubled down and insisted he needed the table. And I'm going to be real, that was just bad hospitality. I work in hospitality. You do not treat a paying customer like they are in the way, especially when the restaurant is clearly not even busy. It wasn't about table turnover, it was just rude, unnecessary, and honestly condescending. Acting like I was inconveniencing him for sitting there quietly after paying my bill was wild. That interaction completely soured the experience. Food was mid. Service from the staff was fine. But the management attitude is exactly why I would not come back and would not recommend it to anyone expecting basic respect with their meal.

This place is clean and bright with good service on the day we went. The soup dumplings were…read moreterrific. The shrimp dumpling was pretty good (but the ground shrimp was mixed with krab-stick). We got chrysanthemum tea with are meal and it was fragrant and nice. The dumplings were served with a ginger black vinegar sauce and a sweet dark soy sauce. Note, the Chinese dumplings seem to be made in a modern Shanghai tradition, not a Hong Kong Cantonese tradition.

Went with a large group--15+ and they accommodated without an issue (we called first, though). They…read morehave a back area so it was nice our group could have the whole area. The Soup Dumplings: In order of my ranking: 1. Steamed Crabmeat & Pork Soup Dumpling, 2. OG Steamed Pork Soup Dumpling 3. Skip the Black Truffle and Pork (you can't taste the difference and for some reason that disappointment makes me rank it lower than the OG pork soup dumpling. So save your $2. I would skip and maximize another item. Soft shell crab was a winner! Got multiple thanks from people who said, "wow I would have never thought of ordering this and it's so good, thank you."

Came here on my own and overestimated my appetite! The serving size is bigger than what I a used to…read morebut justifies the price. I like that they had everything you would need at the table, a variety of seasoning, napkins, and gloves! Pretty big selection on the menu with many of my favorite items that I would normally get in China. I strongly recommend eggplant and chicken gizzard. They lean on the spicy side even when I asked for mild. The service is solid, casual and quick. They did forget one of my items but after I reminded them, it came out within a few minutes. The restaurant is small and comfortable. I would come back again for Chinese bbq.

Came by for skewers with some friends visiting from out of town. Was able to be easily seated on a…read moreweekday evening for dinner. Service was reasonably fast, though nothing blazing fast here. All of our order was well-spiced, and well-portioned. Things are a bit pricier here, but I think the quality matches. We ordered a good mix of veggies (I recommend the cauliflower and the chives) and meats (pork belly and lamb). Nothing was a miss on our menu, but we weren't getting too wild with our ordering. "Weirdest" order was probably limited to the chicken hearts. On the whole this place is a bit dim, but a good place for smaller groups mainly. There's only a few large tables, so large parties will have a harder time during busier or weekend hours. But on the whole, a great experience for skewers in the city!

Very good service in a well themed and spacious location. The selection of meats was vast and…read moredelicious. Great for solos and groups

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! From the moment we walked in, everything was…read moreoutstanding. The staff was incredibly friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome the entire time. The music created the perfect atmosphere, making it a fun and relaxing place to enjoy a meal. The food was absolutely phenomenal--fresh, flavorful, and worth every bite. Every dish exceeded expectations, and you can tell they take pride in what they serve. If you haven't been here yet, you're seriously missing out. This is easily one of the best dining experiences I've had, and I'll definitely be coming back. Highly recommend to anyone looking for amazing food, great service, and an awesome vibe!

Wow. What a little gem!…read more Seafood hotpot!!! Yummy! The dining room is not flashy, but it is efficient. Plenty of tables and not crowded next to each other. There was only one server who acted as host, cashier and buss! It was 9pm so I get it. But Friday night peeps. As the server was by themselves, and young. We couldn't get any adult beverages! This was a little bummer. But the food definitely made up for it. Bait come on. It was Friday night!!! Ok so let's talk about the food. 40 bucks all you can eat! Broths were amazing and our host kept our pots full and hot! The food was all very fresh and abundant! Snow crab legs, beef, pork, shrimp, scallops, etc all were again portioned well and fresh. I really did enjoy my meal here and would love to go again. But I would hope to get some hot team and Soju next time! lol Two thumbs up here!!!

This place is a hidden gem for seafood and hotpot lovers. For just $40, you get an all-you-can-eat…read morehotpot plus a seafood boil -- easily one of the best deals around. It wasn't busy when we went (probably because it's summer), which meant we had plenty of space and some nice privacy -- we were seated far from other tables, which was great. The main dining area was super clean, and even though there was only one staff member running the front, he was attentive and checked in often to make sure we got refills and anything we needed. They really stay on top of the AYCE part, which I appreciated. You can choose between an individual pot or a communal one, and there's a solid self-serve section in the back with drinks, sauces, veggies, noodles, and other hotpot basics. The seafood selection was surprisingly good -- abalone, conch, crab legs, shrimp, mussels -- all fresh and flavorful. The seafood boil took a little while to come out, but it was seasoned well and worth the wait. For meat, they had American wagyu, ribeye, pork belly, and lamb -- all sliced fresh and great for hotpot. The only downside was the bathroom. The sink was clogged and almost overflowing, and there was no hand soap, which definitely raised some hygiene concerns. Still, the overall value, service, and food quality made this a great experience. I'll definitely be back -- especially in the winter when hotpot hits even harder.