I come here at least once a month, and I love it! You pay by weight, and there's a great selection…read moreof veggies, meats, and tofus. I have my order dialed: broccoli (soaks up soup well and is the perfect texture when cooked), Napa cabbage, baby bok choy, 1-2 pieces cilantro, bean sprouts, 1 slice sausage, lots of whatever mushrooms they have, a few rice cakes, a little bit of several types of tofu, 4-5 rolls of fatty meat, 1 slice tomato (I heard it gives it umami, but I really just like having variety), and a few types of noodles. Sometimes I add fish cakes. The self serve setup makes it really easy to experiment with ingredients, and I've sampled almost everything on the menu by adding a bite or two of something new to my bowls. I get the soup medium spicy, then add more chilli flakes to adjust the spice to my liking. The broth is delicious and creamy. I like to get their soy milk on the side. The restaurant experience is the reason I don't order this as takeout (that and I like getting to pick exactly which piece of cabbage etc goes in my soup). When you walk in, an employee immediately sets a place for you with a cup of water and a straw. The owner (I presume) is also the cashier, and is delightful. Since I've been going there, he's recommended me ingredients, remade an order when I asked, given me drinks on the house, and remembered me between visits. Make sure you take advantage of the free drink (I've seen tea, juice, lemonade, and soda), which helps to mentally offset the $22 you've just spent on soup. I recommend KungFu MalaTang to any and everyone!

A filling malatang experience! Plenty of fresh veggie/meat options to choose from. They charge…read more$15/lb. The broth had a great balance of mala, salty, and savory without being too skewed to any. All of us got Medium spice, which surprisingly wasn't spicy at all. We had to manually add chili flakes to increase spiciness. Recommend stopping by

My favorite hot pot spot that has ruined me to everywhere else!…read more If you love that mala numbing spice you HAVE to try La Mei! They do AYCE From 11-4pm every day which is SO worth it for like $32! You can choose your broth (and you can do split broths)-- we always do the vegetable oil and the mushroom broth which are both sooo yummy (if they ask you how spicy say mild!! I can handle lots of spice and trust me you don't need more). Then you can order meats, veg, tofu, seafood, mushrooms, and noodles. Definitely get the hand pulled noodles! They "pull" the noodles right in front of you which is so fun. They also have a really nice sauce bar with tons of dipping options and also a few fruits and snacks. Overall, you must try this place! So delicious and affordable, make it your regular like I have

This might be my new go to spot for AYCE hotpot during lunch hours…read more My two reasons are, their mala broth is amazing and is actually spicy. Second reason is, the quality of their meat selection is excellent. Literally tastes so fresh and clean. I love that it's thinly sliced, too. Maybe I have a third reason too lol their dumplings, their dumplings (chives or cabbage), are so tasty. It comes out steaming hot in a whole order. Please try! We came here Monday for lunch. The waitress that was there and served us, she is amazing. Super friendly and helpful. We opted for the VIP selection because why not. For $40 a person, it's still not bad for the quality of food you get. I highly recommend it. Just check out my shortrib picture, you'll drool! The only reason I gave this review 4 out of 5 is because, there were not much seafood selection.

Casual, lively, and always a good time. Shabu-Zen in Allston is popular with the college crowd and…read morefamilies. The space is clean, and they have a parking lot right behind, though it fills up fast. Street parking can be tricky. They have a great selection of broths, from veggie-based and savory to Sichuan spicy. You can load up on meats, seafood, and veggies, and there's a lot to choose from. I also like that shabu-shabu is interactive. You get things uncooked and cook it yourself in the bubbling broth, so we're constantly dipping in different meats, seafood, and veggies. We usually get sake here because it pairs so well with the meal. They have cocktails too, but this is definitely more of a sake-and-shabu kind of place for me. Overall Service: The staff here have always been great. I've been several times now, both with bigger groups and just a couple of friends, and the service has consistently been friendly, patient, and attentive. Even when it gets busy, they're always pleasant and on top of things.

The broth was good and the meat was also nice! But i found it lacking on spice for some reason,…read moredidnt had the hit i usually get. The service was quick and nice. The ambience was quite nice too, we didnt had to scream.

Small space, delicious food, solid prices, and of course, the wontons were indeed huge!…read more You order/pay at the counter and they bring the food to you. Super casual and I'd say it's pretty efficient. Their noodle soup is soul warming and it doesn't break the bank. I liked the soup base of the signature over the Hong Kong noodle soup, however, I preferred the Hong Kong dumplings/wontons over the signature (bc the addition of woodear/mushroom added more depth and earthiness to the filling). Also, they sell frozen wontons and noodles so you can take the delicious food home!

Appears they are more a bbq restaurant . I was in mood for…read moresome bbq ribs. Stopped in and asked for 3 ribs . Pay per lb... beware 3 ribs nineteen dollars ; maybe he put his hand on the scale? Ok, well if good still steep . Well these were hanging in window. The ribs awful... cold , no meat ... paid for basically dog bones... I was taken advantage of... One and done and never darken their door mat again. See the pictures and be the judge.

Although the place is titled "Lanzhou Beef Noodles蘭州牛肉麵," it actually serves noodles and rice…read morenoodles from several other regions in China. I came specifically for the biang biang noodles! Three-in-One Spicy Biang Biang Noodles: Super delicious!!! The noodles were perfectly wide and thick, with a wonderfully al dente texture. The pork was cut into large cubes, about one centimeter square, with a typical savory flavor from northern China. It was stewed until very flavorful, without any gamey taste, and the perfectly layered pork belly looked appealing. The tomato & egg stir-fry had plenty of eggs, not too shredded, making it very satisfying. It was only slightly thickened, resulting in a very smooth, scrambled egg texture, perfect for mixing with noodles. I ordered the chili powder mild, which was just right for me. It only had the aroma of oil, without being greasy at all. Although it was slightly different from the original Shaanxi version, I think it tastes even better, and the portion size was very generous, so I didn't mind the details. After all, I'm not from Shaanxi. Of course, it would be even better with some cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, or potato cubes, which was also the authentic recipe. After this successful experience, I'd love to try Wuhan hot dry noodles and Xinjiang stir-fried rice noodles next time!

For a late Saturday lunch, I decided to satisfy my noodle craving at iFresh noodle. I managed to…read morefind street parking a few blocks West of Harvard Ave near Silhouette Lounge w/o meters. I ordered the cumin lamb skewers ($6.95) and the cumin lamb biang biang noodle ($14.95). Both arrived w/in 5 minutes of ordering. The skewers were liberally seasoned and still juicy. The noodles had wide, bouncy noodles, The lamb possessed a fluffy texture similar to the fluffy tapioca powder treated beef at hot pot. The chili oil proved especially fragrant. The portion size for the noodles seemed on the lighter side. As an aside, when my friend first told me about "iFresh Noodle", I dismissed the establishment as the sort of multi-region do-every-style noodle place aimed at people that would consider orange chicken slightly exotic and did not plan on visiting. Only after he showed me the location and I realized it was the "Lanzhou Beef Noodles / 蘭州牛肉麵" place did I decide to try it.

Visited plenty of times still great tasting clay pot varieties I only took a picture of the one we…read moredidn't start yet but the other two we ordered was demolished quickly Pictured is the Unagi/Beef clay pot as always off the chart delicious Other two that did not make the pictures are the Minced Beef,Peas,Eggs and the third was Fish filet seasoned perfect in the clay pot. We also had the salt and pepper chicken wings ,pan fried dumplings,sautéed pea pod stems with garlic,and salt and pepper calamari. Also for drinks iced lemon tea all delicious and if haven't tried it's your loss. Missing out on a great neighborhood spot. Very great service as always too.

Went in with my parents and we had a couple of noodle based dishes, beef coriander rice noodle and…read morebeef chow foon. I also ordered a medium clay pot duck dish. Our favorites were the noodle dishes; the priciest dish we ordered was the medium sized salt cured clay pot duck dish was mostly rice, and there was also bone with the duck, making it tricky to trust the crusty rice was crusty rice and not duck bone with each bite. Service was excellent, would go back again. The ability to order off the QR code to see pictures associated with what you are ordering is also a plus! Menu in Chinese and English is another plus - especially those of us with family who are more fluent in Chinese than English.

MDM Noodles is one of my weaknesses…read more Every time I pass by, I think about going in; then I remind myself that I bought groceries the day before and really ought to cook them, after which I think, "I could make noodle soup at home." And then I think about MDM Noodles again. The hand-pulled noodles are chewy, fresh, and delicious. The soups are full of flavor, deeply savory, and always satisfying. They're certainly delicious, but what I love most is that the bowls actually look beautiful. My dad always said Chinese cooking has to have three things: color, aroma, and taste (色香味), in that order. First, it has to look good. Then it has to smell good. Then, for Pete's sake, it had better taste good too. MDM gets all three right (色香味俱全). The soups are arranged with real care: vegetables layered, colors balanced, everything looking fresh and inviting. I eat a lot of noodle soup around Boston, and I have had some very pale, sad, skin-toned bowls. At that point, I might as well go home, save money, and make my own. MDM is not that. Their soups taste fresh, have tons of umami, and are pure comfort food for me. Noodle soup has always felt like home because my dad used to make it on Saturdays before driving me to music lessons. His noodle soups and MDM's are totally different, but somehow I still get that same feeling when I eat here. You do not come to MDM for ambiance. One time in the summer, I honestly couldn't tell whether they were open because the lights were so low. Were they saving energy? Were they creating mystery? Unclear. The service is good, but very direct. The prices are reasonable. Not cheap, exactly, but for the quality, flavor, and number of ingredients, absolutely worth it. I always leave full, happy, and very glad I ignored the groceries waiting at home.

I'm sure other dishes are good, but I was looking for good soup/noodle dishes. The taste of the…read morebroth was good, as were the green veggies, but for me the meat had a strange taste and texture to it. It was very tender but almost shriveled. I'm not asian but any means so I can't speak to the authenticity of natural quality of the old friend noodles, but it wasn't for me. Perhaps egg drop soup, scallion pancakes, or other items I'd go for. This place has a lot of good ratings so I might give it a second chance. The noodles tasted more like spaghetti was added in. I left so much food behind as a result. I more so would go for korean or japanese noodle spots from now on.

This was my first time going to Happy Lamb Allston since they converted to AYCE. The layout is…read moreslightly different to accommodate the buffet bars. We were lucky to get a table for 8 pretty easily as it can be quite busy. My only qualm is that booths for large parties are a pain when it comes to buffets. My go to drink is usually the rock sugar pear drink or the fresh coconut. In addition to the hot pot items, they also have some unlimited sides, build your own dessert soup, and unlimited sweet teas. Happy Lamb has one of the best broth selections. They pride themselves on having great flavor and no need for dipping sauce. The meat and seafood selection was very fresh, and everything was neatly organized. I love that they have they out in individual portions so there's less waste and cross-contamination. The spread for vegetables also had a great variety.

None of us in our party could handle spicy (yes we are wimps) so we got the 8-hour bone broth. It…read moreis milky colored and tastes delicious, comforting, and nutritious. They had nice and orderly selection of msuhroom While they had good air conditioning I wish they had better ventilation so you would not feel like you're in a sauna. A low vent hood or a fan to direct the steam away would've been nice. Be cautious of what you wear and accessories you bring because you will be smelling heavily of hot pot hours after you leave! Our server was friendly and attentive. She even gave us a bag of their broth to bring home. Come here early. We arrived at 5:30ish and there was no line but when we left there was a giant crowd waiting.