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    Mala Chili

    4.4 (193 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated a few days ago

    Order Mala Chili Takeout or Delivery

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    MALA CHILI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Scallion Pancake 葱油饼
    Mili C.

    I have tried NUMEROUS scallion pancakes and Mala Chili has the BEST scallion pancakes. They are served hot (and better eaten hot). Get them with the vinegar as they balance each other's flavor out. I would get this every other day for dinner for a few months, haha. (Now that I've weened off I share to you this place!) The workers are very attentive and can recommend you anything with your taste profile. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant is clean and if you'd like you can order on their website, pay and it will text you when it is ready.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Or you can order through the big tablet screen to-go at the restaurant.

    General tso chicken
    Christina G.

    First time here. We've been on the hunt for all of the live crawfish, Asian Cajun style in Austin. I found out about Mala Chili via a Foodie FB group I'm in. So here we are. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We arrived around 7:40p Saturday evening and this spot is bumpin busy and very lively. The outdoor patio was even packed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We were so lucky as a walk-in party of 2, a table was being cleaned so we were able to be seated quickly. Our server brought us each a tablet to order our food. I ordered the cucumber salad and general tso chicken with fried rice. My man ordered 2 lbs of live mala style crawfish $18 per pound (min 2# per order) with 5 shrimp. He also ordered the sesame chicken dish. Our food came out within 10 minutes, super fast. The crawfish took a little bit longer because I believe they make it fresh. Here's where it gets interesting. My man said his mouth was tingling and his tongue felt funny and when he took a drink of his tea it tasted super weird. Come to find out, the crawfish mala sauce has Szechuan peppercorn which has a numbing tingling effect to your tongue and mouth. We did not know this before we ordered. So He thought he was having an allergic reaction to something. We asked our server and she explained a traditional mala seasoning. I highly recommend that this is listed on the menu item as a forewarning to those that have never had the Mala live crawfish here before. Sadly, there were a lot of crawfish wasted tonight because He wasn't able to eat them all That seasoning just did not agree with his mouth or taste buds at all. :( But....The general tso and sesame chicken dishes were tasty! Another call out, We both ordered ice tea at the beginning and it came out pretty quickly, But no one returned to our table during our time here to offer refills or to check in on us after everything was delivered. I understand the restaurant was busy when we arrived but it slowed down while we were there. We may return to this location if we are in the area to try other dishes but unfortunately, he is unable to eat the live crawfish due to that one seasoning. Everyone was super friendly and I recommend trying the restaurant if you haven't before it.

    Andrew W.

    Mala Chili is hands down one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the Cedar Park and Austin area. If you love bold, spicy, and flavorful dishes, this place does not disappoint. Our go-to orders are the mapo tofu, string beans, and their eggplant dishes--each one packed with that addictive mala flavor that keeps you coming back for more. The prices are very reasonable, and the portion sizes are generous, which makes it perfect for sharing (or enjoying leftovers later ). As a vegetarian, I really appreciate how many plant-based options they offer, and every dish we've tried has been consistently delicious and well-seasoned. If you're craving authentic Chinese food with great flavor and solid value, Mala Chili is absolutely worth a visit. A must-try spot!

    Mapo Tofu
    Allie H.

    Overall this place is great! I loved the mapo tofu. It was delicious. The skewers are also a must order. They were so good!

    Sarah P.

    Great food; good portion size, nice staffs Got noting to complain about! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great for family style dinner![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Chinese Braised Eggplant
    Joseph H.

    Fast service, great food, happy customer. We came here today with some friends at around 4:30pm and it was easy to get a table and order. Today, we went with the Westlake Soup, Chinese Eggplant, Green Beans, Spicy Fried Fish, and Cumin Lamb. It took less than 10 minutes for everything to come out hot and fresh. As always, the food continues to impress us. Each dish was uniquely prepared and seasoned for a balanced meal. We were given a batch of rice which we were able to get refilled easily when we ran out. For a group of 5, five dishes were just the right amount of food with no leftovers. They do have private rooms if you'd like to host a gathering here. Ordering is the same as dining in the main dining room and a server checks in throughout your time there. Parking is easy with the shared lot and other businesses next door. Home Depot is within walking distance here and its parking lot could be an option if all the parking spaces are taken up in front of Mala Chili. Our bill came out to be just shy of $100, tip included. That's a fair price given the portion sizes and quality of food and service. We'll be back!

    Crab Rangoon (6Pcs)(15Min) 6(15)
    Brooke D.

    Recently ordered the yuxiang chicken for take out and it was a great sized lunch special! I have never had a bad experience here and always love the food.

    Charmaine S.

    My son visited from San Antonio and was craving for crispy duck and there's no other place I would come for it to brag on than Mala chili. It comes with the yummy soup! The hot sauce and duck sauce combined was a topper and the crispy duck was a great amount of yummy serving. Service was great as usual and the iPad ordering system was very efficient. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Clean and hope we get to try the outdoor skewer food truck they showcase![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Also the best fried rice it brought me home

    Spicy Boiled Fish In Chilli Sauce
    Sarah M.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]This place was pretty decent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It is pretty oily and the portion size is small. Nothing really stood out to me with any of these dishes, but they were able to accommodate our large party of 14 ( I think?). [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's two private rooms so that was nice[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] and you can order everything off an iPad.

    General Tsos Chicken 左宗鸡
    Kamilia L.

    Is it authentic; Yes! Is it good; No!. The coolest thing about this spot is the tablet ordering system that sends orders directly to the kitchen. We ordered 2 egg drop soups, scallion pancake, and chicken dumplings, General Taos chicken. The soup had a crap load of gluten in it as it was gummy. It was not just broth. The scallion pancake was greasy and the steamed dumplings came out dry. The chicken was definitely large chunks, moist, covered in sauce but it was thick and unflavored. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I came for a day date. I was impressed but it was palpable however my date hated it. He simply refused after the egg drop soup.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I tried chilling oil too but it didn't work.

    Crawfish with Mala sauce
    Sou G.

    Y'all crawfish here is on point! If you are looking for a different spin on flavor for your crawfish, Mala flavored crawfish will not disappoint. They do not skimp on the sauce and you can taste it with every bite. The crawfish size is also great. A good mix of large and medium. They have a special on the crawfish as well. Buy 2 lbs and get the 3rd pound for free if you share on social media.

    Lamb skewers and lamb kidney skewers
    Sheila L.

    Ok now they have a truck outside from 4pm till midnight that serves up skewers and other flame (bbq) dishes!! I had their lamb skewers and lamb kidney skewers! They were so tasty! You can get no spicy, mild spicy, and spicy heat. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Nice seating outside for after restaurant hours.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service is awesome as well they are so friendly and attentive. The prices are great also!! I'm going back there for sure!!! (Note: ya gotta go there as they are not on any delivery service for the skewers!!!)

    Sichuan Style Bacon. Mala Dry Pot Fish. Spicy Chicken
    Samantha J.

    If you're craving authentic Sichuan with a fun unique robot experience, Mala Chili is the spot! We had heard a lot about this hidden little gem inside the H-Mart parking lot, but didn't expect the flavors to we ate to be so satisfying and soul warming! They even have an adorable and hilarious robot server that had us giggling and grinning from the start. FYI- The menu is HUGE--like, "you'll need a second to process this" kind of huge--but thankfully, the manager was incredibly informative and helped us narrow it down based on our flavor and meat preferences plus gave us some insights on the spice tolerance. While everything we ate was SUPER tasty, let's talk about the stars of the show: The Mala Dry Pot Fish -- hands down a must-order! We're always hesitant to order fish at a Chinese restaurant, because we get nervous that it will smell or taste fish, but we can hands down say that this was one of our FAV's!!! It was perfectly crispy, not fishy at all, and PACKED with flavor! The Spicy Chicken and the Fried Shrimp with Crispy Rice felt similar in flavoring as the dry pot fish and super easy to pop in your mouth and eat! So crispy such a MUST! The Male Lamb Shank is a MUST for lamb lovers! Massive in size and the accompanied veggies were also to die for! The Scallion pancakes were a classic and so crispy! The 1/2 order of Peking Duck to make duck tacos and enjoy some glass noodle soup was also super fun and we LOVED the sauce and broth it came with! Don't skip the bubbly drinks! We got the Golden Bubbly with no added sugar--and it was perfectly refreshing and just sweet enough to cool the spice. Passion Fruit Panna Yotta was the perfect dessert finish!! Creamy, sweet and tangy!! Bonus: you can BYOB, and we did just that with some cerveza! Portions are generous (come hungry or bring a friend with big chopstick energy), service is speedy, and the whole experience was way more fun than your average dinner out! Whether you're a Sichuan pro or curious newbie like us, Mala Chili is absolutely worth checking out!

    Half Duck Soup

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    Mala Chili Reviews in Other Languages

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    Qi Austin

    Qi Austin

    4.4
    (900 reviews)
    14.6 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Outdoor seating

    Went to Qi for dim sum brunch and overall had a really enjoyable experience. Qi is know for…read morecombining western and traditional Chinese cuisine by using local organic farming. Did not have a reservation on this occasion, but they always make me feel welcome and manage to fit us in. Sat on the outdoor covered patio that was cool and shaded. The atmosphere is modern and lively, making it a great spot for a weekend brunch. Started the meal with cocktails including Lycheetini with Deep Eddy Vodka, Giffard Lichi-li. lemon, cranberry, I cut the cranberry. Also had a Fresa Paloma with Socorro Reposado Tequila, Contratto, strawberry, lime, grapefruit, five-spice that was very sweet and garnished with a flower. You are given a card where you can mark your dim sum selections. I ordered the Shrimp Pancake, Snow Crab Ball and Chinese Sausage Sticky Rice. The standout was the shrimp pancake that had a really great texture and flavor. The snow crab ball had a strange texture with shrimp surrounding the snow crab claw. The Chinese Sticky Rice is always a favorite. Also ordered the Truffle Egg Fried rice and Birds Nest with Seasonal Vegetable. The Truffle rice is so flavorful like a flavor explosion in your mouth. The Birds Nest is made with fried potato shreds which contain the a variety of vegetables including cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms and asparagus. The nest is also edible and has a crunchy texture. The presentation of the food is amazing and everything came out hot and fresh. The flavors were on point, and you can tell there's attention to detail in the preparation. Service was attentive outdoors and the pacing of dishes felt just right for a relaxed brunch. This restaurant is truly a gem whether you come for brunch or dinner service. Will definitely be back.

    I met a couple of friends here last week for an early (before 5pm) get together that I thought was…read morea happy hour, but turns out they don't have happy hour so we paid regular prices. The place reminded me of Ling Wu in the Grove area because the decor looked similar. Maybe they are owned by the same people? Firstly, I was impressed with the fact they had a FREE parking garage nearby since this is in the downtown area and next to Whole Foods. It took me a bit to find it as I'm directionally challenged, but I did and was just running a bit late. We really enjoyed the food and cocktails. I got the Singaporean noodles, a mezcal drink, and a sake. The serving size was big so I had plenty to take home. We shared many of the other dumplings and dim sum items. Everything was very good! The place wasn't too crowded so after we paid our bill we sat around for a while longer to chat and catch up. Usually someone would come by to see if we needed or wanted anything further, but no one did so we kept chatting and left. I'm happy to know of a central location with easy parking as a future place to meet people. I wish they had a happy hour because the bill for 3 of us was unexpectedly higher than usual.

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    Qi Austin
    View from the Patio
    View from the Patio
    Qi Austin

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    888 Pan Asian Restaurant

    888 Pan Asian Restaurant

    4.1
    (2.3k reviews)
    17.7 mi
    $$

    I don't usually write reviews, but this experience was honestly so confusing that I felt like I had…read moreto. I'm only giving 2 stars because the food was actually good. My boyfriend and I came here because of the great reviews, but unfortunately our visit was nothing like we expected. From the moment we walked in, the experience was disappointing. The host literally pointed to our table instead of walking us to it, which immediately felt unwelcoming. No one introduced themselves or even told us who our server was, so we never knew anyone's name throughout the entire meal. Throughout our meal, no one checked on us even once, and we had to flag our waiter down multiple times whenever we needed something. Plates and drinks were also repeatedly slammed down on the table, which came across as rude and unprofessional. Every interaction felt rushed, and the staff acted like they were annoyed we were there. The customer service was awful, and it made for a really unpleasant first experience. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back.

    Came here on a late night food eat after a drive from San Antonio. We ordered spring rolls with…read morechicken, grilled Korean barbecue short rib, and general Tso chicken. overall the flavor profile of everything was really good. The spring roll was really refreshing, the grilled kbbq was very flavorful, although my only downside to it is that it's really chewy. It's a pretty big establishment with plenty of seating. There's parking out front since it's in a bit of a plaza area. Service is quick, and they bring you everything you need to the table, including the sauces.

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    888
    888
    888 Pan Asian Restaurant
    888 Pan Asian Restaurant

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    Dumpling World

    Dumpling World

    4.3
    (258 reviews)
    11.9 mi
    $$

    Having grown up in a household where dumpling making and preparation were treated as a meditation…read moreon perfection, I've been incredibly pleased to see Austin seriously upping its dumpling game. While I've yet to find a Korean joint with a proper Korean mandoo on offer, Chinese varieties are thriving with the likes of Julie's Noodles, Steamies, Lin's and, the subject of my review, Dumpling World. Definitely don't expect ambiance here. After suffering the Triangle's persistent lack of parking, you'll walk into this place and find a really spare, almost utilitarian set up that screams "we mean business." They definitely mean business. I've probably been here a good 5-6 times, and have tried almost everything on the menu. Soup dumplings shine -- my daughter refuses to eat them anywhere else -- and their recently introduced thumb buns, which I think are fried mini soup dumplings, just ooze flavor. More traditional half-moon dumplings, no matter your filling of choice, steamed or fried, never disappoint. Don't ignore the non-dumpling items too. I don't know what the seasoning is in their green beans, but it's ridiculously delicious. You'll never look at green beans or haricot vert the same way ever again. Good, but unremarkable, are the soups and stews. Better to get those at other Chinese eateries. I don't mean to dissuade anyone from those, but did you really come to a place called Dumpling World to eat anything but dumplings? It gets crowded here at times so I recommend trying on a weekday evening. Uniformly, whether it's packed or slow, service is quick and courteous. With dumplings this good, it's clear that humility is one of the key ingredients to their consistency and quality.

    Hell, yeah! I like this place. Good for groups. Everyone order something and pass it around the…read moretable! The spicy and sour dumplings are the bomb. Way better than the soup dumplings (which are really good!). You can't go wrong with the curry chicken and potato pot stickers. Tan-Tan noodles were really good. The only side you need is the garlic box choy - it's pretty f'n awesome! Service is attentive and friendly. Ask questions and the staff will steer you in the right direction. And...did I mention this place is REALLY affordable! Can't go wrong!

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    Preparing orders
    Preparing orders
    Pork and mushrooms soup dumplings
    Pork and mushrooms soup dumplings
    Dumpling World

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    Dumpling World
    Twin Panda

    Twin Panda

    4.5
    (431 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    Soooo good! I asked on next-door what was good for Chinese food near me, several people recommended…read moretwin panda although it was a little further than I wanted to drive I'm glad I did! Shrimp and walnut prawn very delicious good size portion nice big shrimp and not gooey . Combination fried rice has plenty of meat. Great flavor and shockingly also has large shrimp. Mongolian beef because I thought I had to give it a try most Asian places I am very particular and don't like chewy meat. Very good not chewy! Bakmi Ayam noodles with chicken and mushroom very good. I like this more than I thought I would. I also appreciate that it had fresh greens on top. it's also served with some chicken broth. I did not use it yet, smells amazing though. When I walked in, I was greeted by two friendly young ladies. I placed my order and waited. I do not have a large waiting area. They also do not have a large dining room. I would love to come back and bring friends as it's a very cute place and the staff is very friendly. Small and casual decor would be a great place to come with friends. They do have some Asian beer in the back cooler. I can see from where I am standing. I apologize, not taking a photo of each dish however I didn't think about it until after I made my plate.

    Soulful flavors and a welcoming vibe defines this restaurant. The hostess was so polite and…read morefriendly. The restaurant is small yet cozy, decorated with Asian themed art. We ordered the tofu hot pot with chicken and vegetables. It comes with a side of white rice. The dish is prepared in a spicy sauce, served in a clay pot. The Indonesian rice noodles with tofu, vegetables and egg were very tasty. We were also offered complimentary wontons with sweet and sour sauce as a starter.

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    Seating
    Seating
    Comfort food
    Comfort food
    Twin Panda

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    Mala Chili - chinese - Updated August 2026

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