I often take the Metro E line toward downtown, and so I always noticed the sign for this place while passing by the lattc ortho institute station. It was a chilly day, so some hot soup sounded nice at the time, so I finally decided to find it a go and stop in. The ambiance felt very modern Chinese, sleek with white and accents of orange all around the inside. Like other malatang places, you grab a bowl and tongs and toss whatever ingredients you want in it, and then bring it to the counter where they weigh it, and you pay by the pound. Then they take it into the kitchen to cook it up in whatever soup you choose, and once your buzzer goes off it's ready to grab and eat. They have a couple different sections, including a little fridge section with meats and veggies, a section with instant noodles and cured/preserved meats like sausages and such, and a section with things like bean curd strips and tofu. You can also make a little bowl of dipping sauce from their sauce bar that has things like soy sauce, chili oil, minced garlic, vinegar, and green onions. For my bowl, I grabbed some noodles marked as ramen noodles, some cabbage, some slices of beef and lamb, lotus root, a soy sauce egg, some mushrooms, and some fried tofu. It came out to be a little more than a pound, costing me about $18. I opted for the spicy beef bone broth, medium spicy. The heat level was noticeable but comfortable, and the broth was packed with flavor. The meat was tasty, and the veggies were reasonably fresh. The noodles had nice body to them, and soaked up the broth nicely. I would probably skip the soy sauce egg next time though, it was okay but didn't really work that well with the soup. Overall nice value for money, both in quality and quantity. Great place to stop in for a quick comforting lunch on a chilly day. read more

YGF Malatang - malatang with medium spicy broth - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The good: Malatang is great and simple to execute. YGF does that well. The flavors were all pretty authentic and I definitely felt the spice. The mid: Went when it was busy so my order took a while. Probably waited 20 minutes. The bad: The restaurant is pretty small and the parking lot is a bit jank. Typical for the area. read more

This restaurant's service can only be described as miserable. I ordered takeout，waited over 40 minutes, while the kitchen clearly prioritized dine-in and Uber Eats orders. I saw at least 8 dine-in orders placed after mine get served first. When I asked about my order, the front desk staff didn't even bother checking with the kitchen or giving me an estimated time，she simply said it wasn't ready, just as they did to other waiting to go order customers. Meanwhile, employees were chatting and gossiping in front of customers instead of packing orders or calling them out. These was no apology for the delay. This has happened multiple times, showing a clear lack of customer care. The staff seemed indifferent and unhelpful, offering nothing but blank stares. Very disappointing experience. read more

This is insane because a literal metal wire came out as i was eating my mala tang and it was lodged inside of this tofu skin. It would have been horrible if I had swallowed it. I'm not sure how exactly a metal wire could be inside of a tofu skin or how they are cleaning here but this is dangerous. read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The Spicy Dry Pot at YGF Malatang has bold Sichuan flavors. Ability to customize your pot with a wide variety of meats, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and noodles. Stir-fried with a blend of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and spices, creating a balance of heat and numbing spice. Always packed. read more

YGF Malatang - Spicy Dry Pot - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I got YGF Malatang and it was so good. You get to customize your own bowl, which is the best part: they have hella options, so you can really load it up exactly how you want. Everything came out flavorful and satisfying, and the whole experience was quick and smooth. If you like being able to mix and match ingredients, this spot is definitely it. Only downside is parking is limited, so that part can be a little annoying, but honestly the food makes up for it. Service was fast and efficient, and the ambiance was modern, clean, and lively, making it a great spot to eat in. Would 100% come back. read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Came here hungover on New Years Day. Props to being open. Soup hit the spot. Managed to only spend $10 also came out rather quick. Minus one star for the loud music selection. There's this opera song that played multiple times. Good amount of parking. Apple directions sent us to the back of it originally read more

YGF Malatang - Selection - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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One of the best places in dtla for hot pot. The place is cozy and warm with lots of students and younger people enjoying food and having conversations. The food comes out piping hot just as you want on a cold winter night. You put as much veggies and meats and toppings as you want. They will weight by the pound. However at $14.99 per pound it is a steal. They also have noodles and different types of meats to choose from. Once they eight the bowl, you can choose your broth. We went with the beef broth medium spicy and it was just perfect! Staff was friendly and fats with service. Parking is pretty good as went came on Sunday at 5pm. It can get busy I'm sure. The broth was creamy and flavorful. read more

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I was craving soup and needed a hot pot fix, so we swung by this spot. Called ahead and they said they're open until 3am (even though it says 2am online), perfect for a late-night broth emergency. You grab an empty bowl and some tongs, load it up with whatever you want, then they weigh ($14.99/lb) your ingredients and cook it in the broth you pick (or turn it into a dry pot). You can pick no spicy if you're a spice wuss or pick level of spicy you want. Veggies were clean and so many options The food hit the spot, exactly what I wanted. The vibe is very casual, and the place was packed around 9pm, mostly with Asian diners, which is usually a good sign the flavors are legit. There's a small parking lot right in front with free parking, which makes life a lot easier. I'll definitely be back. read more

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We love YGF Malatang, but do have to say this location is the least favorite. We love the Tom Yum soup base which this place doesn't have. Everything is self seating and self serve, which we didn't mind. However, it meant that the front wasn't looked over. We had to wait a bit for tables to be cleaned, for water to be refilled, and for the sauce station to be cleaned. Overall, I'd skip this spot and head to location wit more variety of soup bases. read more

Very interesting concept, easy to understand the process. great service and great food. Will be back again!

Great late night spot close to USC with a huge variety of ingredients for dry pot. They deliver but it's pricier so dine-in or take-out if you can. read more

ygf malatang 2526 S. Figueroa Str . : This worker guy blue hat outfit is rude to me . Ignore me when I ask for help . When some of condiments were missing . He would not refill them and whisper to his colleague why he would not refill while I asked more than 7x times . Disrespectful & he took things personal . They don't speak English and there's no manager to talk to . I had already bought $200 membership . I wish I can get refund cause I don't want to support mean people . read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

amazing food love it, for sure come food is great. Many selections and i've been here many times

Amazing. I think the food was really good and I really like the options. I really recommend it and you guys should all eat here.

Great service. Jose did a good job of explaining how the serving process goes since this was our first time here. Ambience is also very calm and relaxed. Great place overall. read more

Ramen spot by USC. has a ton of options to make your own ramen bowl . Great service for first time comers . The place gets very packed due to the food being great . read more

YGF Malatang - Ramen noodles - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Y G F Malatang near USC is known for its fresh ingredients, customizable build your own hot pot and dry pot. I like their popular Beef Bone Broth; it is rich and flavorful. I also order the Spicy Dry Mix bowl. Other broths include the Tomato and Mushroom. You have the option to customizable the spice levels. They have a D I Y sauce bar for personalized dipping sauces including ponzu, sesame and so on. I love their noodles, meats like beef, pork, lamb, veggies, seafood options. Cost is by weight. It is a popular spot for a hearty, personalized meal. They open late. And is a perfect late night study spot. read more

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My favorite thing about this place is that there wasn't a minimum amount of weight I had to hit so I was able to actually get the amount of food I wanted to eat! There were a lot of marinated meat selection which was really cool and it's a fairly clean place! The only downside I saw was the bathroom, we weren't allowed to flush anything so the tissue papers (that were used) was just thrown in the trash can, which is very very unsanitary. It's mostly self service, you even pick up your own bowl. read more

YGF Malatang - Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Such a solid, authentic build-your-own hot pot spot right in the USC area. They had so many meat and veggie options. Everything was super fresh and there was a bustling line even at an off-peak time. The workers were super friendly and explained how the filling and weighing process works to me and my friend super thoroughly. I particularly loved all the different mushroom options. I got the classic soup base and lots of cabbage, a tea egg, brisket, konjac noodles and so much more. Definitely be mindful with your strategy that everything costs the same based on weight, no matter if it's veggies or meat. The sauce bar was also stacked and I made a ponzu based sweet sauce and a spicy savory sesame vinegar sauce. Next time I would def get a big bowl and share instead of each getting our own bowl because my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach and we filled our bowls UP! read more

YGF Malatang - Spicy Hot Pot - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I love build your own malatang places like this! $15/pound and you can put as much or as little as you want. There is such a large variety of meats, veggies, noodles, anything you can think of! I also love that a bowl of rice is only $1! This place opens late, which is perfect for USC students looking for a meal. I came around midnight on a weekday and the place still had a good amount of people! Not packed but there were consistent customers. The staff were nice and I saw them explaining in much detail the process of how this works with other customers. read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Great variety and quality of food. Would recommend to anyone. The food is fresh as well

It's always so good here! Never disappointed and we always come back! Wood ear mushrooms all day

I didn't realize there is a YGF near USC campus until my Chinese friend told me about it. The location is a few stops on Dash F. The food is as good as other YGF. It's priced by lbs. The stock is full when I went. They always restock the ingredients. The restaurant is a bit small but it's packed with seatings. It's self-service. Very delicious! read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We were feeling hungry after an expo in the area and we saw this nearby so decided to give it a go since we've been to similar places and knew it would be self/fast service. They have a small lot but there was parking and it was free in downtown which is hard to come by. Self service like other establishments of this type. Just grab a bowl and tongs and pick out the ingredients you want to eat and got it weighed, picked a flavor of broth or spice blend, paid and grabbed a seat. Made our own sauces and within 10 minutes we had our soupy mix ready to eat. Flavors were good and the meat variety was plenty and tables cleaned. What more could I ask for in a hungry state. The atmosphere reminded me of a fast paced chinese dining hall in china where service isn't really a thing. It's great for a college or busy work schedule life style when you need to grab food quickly. Even leftovers which you can take with you is self service, just grab the plastic container and bag and off we went after eating. read more

Spicy beef bone broth is so good! I go here literally every week because the broths are so healing and your ingredients are customizable to your preferences. Only caveat is that the interior is a little dirty - the floors aren't mopped very well. read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Friendly staff. Food items area was clean and in stock. Would definitely come back and eat here again!

I've loved malatang ever since I lived in China and I missed this soup so much after leaving. I was incredibly happy to finally experience it again. 10 out of 10 read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The service is great Customers are rude but the foo is good The drinks are great, the prices aren't too high but it's not cheap at ... My kids love it read more

YGF Malatang - YUMMY - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Friendly and helpful. First time here and employee at the register was patient and gave us his opinion on what would be good!

i've always heard so much about this place and i'm SO GLAD i tried it because it's my new go-to for malatang. i went on saturday and again on monday because i was craving it haha you first grab your tongs and bowl to put your toppings inside. they weigh your bowl to determine the price - i had a good amount of food in my bowl with my total being $26, and i was able to split it into two to bring home with the broth to add my own add-ins! it's self serve with the cashier only ringing up your order. the bone broth with mild spicy is just the right amount of spice for me since my tolerance isn't super high. the first sip of the broth was so RICH and flavorful and had so much depth. the fish filet & beef rolls were my favorite meat add ons! this is also the first malatang place i've been to that has fish as an option so i was beyond happy. i came at 10:30pm on a saturday and the area where you return the trays/bowls was super messy, completely full, and stacked on top of each other, but when i came on monday at 8pm, that area was much neater and stacked nicely. there isn't much seating especially during peak dinner time, so we were just waiting around for someone to finish up. thankfully a table opened up while we waited for our meal, but keep this in mind for the time that you're planning to go! there's a good amount of parking so i'm glad we didn't have to worry about that. the store itself is pretty small but cozy and busy. read more

YGF Malatang - bone broth soup base malatang (mild spicy) - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've been to the other locations and this one is smaller for sure but it had so many more options. And I like the way they had the veggies laid out at this location better. It's a small location and it gets a lot of traffic from USC. It's self serve type of eatery which is great for someone wanting low maintenance service read more

YGF Malatang - Hot pot - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

YGF Malatang has quickly become one of my absolute favorite restaurants. Craving it all the time. The setup is build-your-own style with 50+ fresh ingredients, like meats, veggies, noodles, seafood, etc. You load up your bowl with ingredients, they weigh it (price is by weight), and then they cook it for you in the broth of your choice. My go-to is the Beef Bone Broth which is simmered for 12 hours and is so rich and flavorful. You pick your spice level. I usually go with medium because it is spicy but not TOO spicy, so you can still really taste and enjoy the flavor. They offer other great options like Sweet & Sour Tomato flavor, Spicy Dry Mix, and Dry Pot. I love how customizable it is here, and pricing is reasonable at $14.99/lb (especially considering the quality and how full you'll leave)! One bonus is that this location (which is right by USC) is open until 2am, so it's a cool spot for students and night owls who get those hot pot cravings late at night! read more

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The food was delicious! The ingredients are self-serve, you choose your broth and what you put into your bowl. Everything was fresh, and they have a big selection of things to choose from. The service was okay, considering you just give them your bowl and they cook it for you in the back! The food did come out pretty quickly! The place is a little small, and they do get busy so it was a little tough to get a seating spot! They do have a lot of parking spots tho, which is a plus. read more

YGF Malatang - Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Coming at noon, places were small with chill vibes. Bunch of locals eating and students. Good for solo date and hangouts with friends. Their togo order was busy as well. Unlocked a new Malatang spot! Services were nice, the front lady was very welcoming. Places are organized and self service counter was clean and neat. read more

Yummy!!! you go in and grab a bowl with tongs and get your own ingredients. I always go for lamb, bok choy, ramen noodles, fish balls, sausage, and quail eggs! Then you measure your bowl at the front and you pay per weight. After they weigh your bowl, you choose which broth base you want (I chose the mild bone broth malatang) and they give you a buzzer. The service was very quick and our bowls came out within 10 minutes. My bowl was only $12 and I was STUFFED afterwards. The mild malatang is definitely still spicy and I just saw another review saying you could actually get it extra mild which is something I'll probably do next time. I love taking the broth home afterwards as well and making another serving for lunch the next day with ingredients I have at home. There's free parking in the lot, though I've noticed it does get pretty packed so it may be a little difficult to grab a spot especially on weekends. One side note I will say though is this YGF is not as good as the YGF in Arcadia as the broth is not as rich and it doesn't have as many topping and drink options. Overall though, pretty solid malatang place with very affordable prices. Will definitely come back! read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Crowded at times, but worth it. Food is always yummy and a great place to hang out with friends

Went here a couple days ago and it was super busy which is reasonable since I know that its really popular but its just hard to get seating since its not really a full sit down place. The food was really good but I found a tiny roach in my bowl as I was halfway through. When I told them about it they began to say that it came from their pot that they cook food in but stopped halfway and just called their manager. They offered to make another bowl but I ended up just getting a refund It was my first time trying malatang and I was really excited since Ive been hearing good things about it but I was just a little disappointed. The food was still good but all I can think about is the dead bug read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Food was fresh and flavorful, especially the soup base which had a rich and spicy taste without being too oily. The ingredients were fresh, portions were generous, and the staff was friendly and efficient. The restaurant was clean and had a nice atmosphere. Great spot near USC for a satisfying meal. Would definitely come back again! read more

YGF Malatang - Noodles Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Delicious excellent quality And friendly customer service Tofu is great and vegetables are fresh Meet is also delicious read more