I decided to take myself out of a date and this was the perfect place to dine. It was me and another customer the place was quiet but I can tell they get busy on weekends! I ordered a lamb hotpot and the robot delivered it. The employee checked on me a few times to add what I thought was soup to my hot pot but it was water. They have a large variety of veggies and sauces did you to try read more

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The hotpot was tasty and the dim sum was too. Super friendly staff is a bonus. Highly recommended!

Great vibes and staff. We stayed for an hour and had an amazing time. It's super easy to control the cook time with adjustable cook tops built into the table. There are plenty of options for vegetables and sauces. Highly recommend. read more

Mala Hotpot - Create Your Own - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Went as a treat with my sister based on the previous great reviews. The restaurant was only partially open at lunchtime (half the restaurant was being seated, not sure if the other half opened up later). There are instructions we found in a previous review but essentially, walk in, be seated, and then use your phone the rest of the way. We went with the miso and the chicken mushroom broth. We did combos up front to get a variety of meats and carbs, in our case, udon noodles and rice cakes. The combo comes with an unlimited vegetable bar. From a variety of fresh greens, mushrooms, tofu options, and the classics like bok choy and fish cakes. On the other side of the vegetable bar was also a flavor bar (?) where you could find plenty of sauces and garnishes. Including but not limited to, soy sauce, green onions, minced garlic, hoisin, peanut sauce, sesame oil, red chili flakes, and everything to make the works. And at the end of the day, you'll need it more than you know. We got our broths delivered to the table and were bummed to find they lacked any flavor. To tell you that both broths tasted the same, like incredibly hot water. It was made clearer when the server came to refill your broth and didn't verify the flavor but added to all of them with a kettle of water. We were used to Japanese hot pot and this one (I believe) was Korean, but we were accustomed to broth so good you want to drink it. Seems like this place is going for "broth" to cook your food and a flavor bar to dip it in. The vegetables were super fresh, the noodles and rice cakes were 10/10 and the fried tofu was some of the best I've had. The place is clean, the service is good, and the thought of unlimited vegetables is enticing. I'd return knowing what to expect this time but for anyone who's been to great hot pot, this is not to match. read more

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The last time I went they had AMAZING hot pot, now they have changed over to a Dim sum restaurant. I left to be honest, I drove there for the hot pot, I was super disappointed with the Dim Sum. Also their website has not been updated about this change. So major sadness, I will come back if they return the hot pot, sorry not sorry. read more

This place is absolutely one of my favorite places to go eat. The food is always amazing. I love being able to make my own dipping sauce. So many veggies to pick from and everything is always so fresh. The robot that delivers everything is really cool too. Service is quick and they are very helpful if you have never had hot pot before. It's always clean also. Run! Don't walk to try this place out read more

We came here on a whim when we decided to drive around randomly and eat somewhere we drove past for lunch. We ended up in Springdale and settled on Mala. I love hot pot and my husband had never had it before. We each got different options and split everything so we could try more stuff. He got lamb with udon in the beef tomato broth and I had mala flank steak with rice noodles in the chicken mushroom broth. Broths were both tasty but we both preferred the chicken mushroom. They were heightened by adding raw garlic to the broth. The mala flank steak was also both of our favorites. It was definitely not as spicy as I was led to believe. Next time ill get the mala spicy broth. You can also get unlimited veggies but they will charge you if you have "too many leftovers" so get a small amount and go back for more as needed. They also have free ice cream which I thought made it worthwhile for the price. You get a lot of stuff! We would definitely come back. Also, don't sleep on the spicy bamboo shoots. They are so good!!! read more

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Went for dinner and our server was very kind and quick! We got the tomato beef broth and mala spicy broth. I liked the tomato broth! We got them with the lamb and beef flank combos. The beef flanks were really good!! There was a self serve veggie buffet which was really nice. I wasn't sure if there was enough meat but we were very full by the end. The veggie station included fish balls, lobster fish balls, and tofu. It's a very filling meal, especially since the combos also include noodles. For dessert we got the jelly with some of the brown sugar syrup and crushed peanuts (at the sauce bar). I haven't had this dessert in so long, and even though we were so full, it was a very nice and light dessert to finish on - recommend! The restaurant itself is also really nice and the booths feel pretty private. read more

Mala Hotpot - Tomato beef broth, lamb, steak flank - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Was super excited to find another hot pot spot that looked promising from all the great reviews and pictures posted on here. I finally got to try it this past weekend and all I can say is it's subpar. It had all the hotpot basics, but nothing else more. Nothing special. I found the food here to be overpriced for what it was especially for the quantity that was served. The broth wasn't that flavorful and the sauce bar was very limited. The menu was lacking -- it didn't have some items that would typically be available at a hotpot joint like some enoki mushrooms or fishball with roe! The veggie combos were odd -- first time seeing potatoes on a hotpot menu. The marinated beef was a bit bland. I did enjoy the sides of bamboo and pulled meat. Service was fine, but we did have to remind them about some missing items we had ordered. A bit disappointed. If you're looking to experience hotpot, I say why not -- give them a try. If you're used to eating hotpot I would say don't expect much from here. I'm still on the lookout for some great hotpot around cincy! read more

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I absolutely love the atmosphere here! It's clean, bright, and quiet, with comfortable booths that can accommodate up to 4 people at each table. The staff was polite, and answered every question we had. I had researched about this restaurant from the national site (this is a chain, with only 1 restaurant here in Cincinnati), but this restaurant is a little different. For example, the waitress was surprised that I ordered with my cellphone (maybe here they personally take your orders), and there was no "a la carte" option. Your only choice is to pick a "combo" by ordering 1 protein, the soup broth, and 1 "carb," (noodle option) and then help yourself to the vegetable bar. I was disappointed that there weren't more selections at the vegetable bar, and that the only dessert available there was ice cream. There seemed to be more options at the sauces section where we put together our dips (I combined the peanut sauce, a splash of the miso sauce, a splash of soy sauce, the minced garlic and a drop or two of the chili oil. It was perfect!!) In short, there were a lot of moving parts to this, with a lot of dishes to arrange and coordinate. The robot brought our choices out quickly, and it was fun to then push a button and watch it quietly follow the waitress back to the kitchen. With all this efficiency, it did take a while for our broth to boil. But once it did so, we dumped our selections into the broth and chowed down. It was tasty and extremely filling And the waitress was quick to drop by periodically to add liquid to our broth and ask how we were doing. So in general it was an entertaining and interactive experience in a pleasant setting with a limited amount of food options -- but what was there was fresh, filling, and tasty. read more

Mala Hotpot has been a wonderful place to bring my friends when I want to introduce them to hotpot. They have updated their menu recently to provide a vegetable bar with deserts. There is also a sauce bar. For hot pot I think this is decently priced. Make sure not to get more than you can eat or they can charge you for the uneaten food. Besides that, however, I always leave very happy and full. Once you order a robot brings your food to you, and are only bothered for more soup broth and whatever drink refills you need. This place is good as a date or with a large group of friends. read more

Hotpot dining format and ingredients is authentic! We have a really hearty meal at $100 for two person. The store has free snacks (edamame and spicy sour bamboo is the best) and super milky free ice cream (love it). It will be great to have some fruits like melons to balance the hot and spicy taste. Recommends: spicy beef, chicken, fresh shrimp with head Not recommends: Basa fillet (frozen), beef roll (too fat), frozen tofu (not juicy) Overall it's a great store with great service. Waitress replace the fat beef roll with a leaner one after we showed her how fat it is. Tables and share food zone is super clean. read more

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This place is so good. 9/10 The bases are tasty in and of themselves, with flavors so good they're basically soups. No sauces needed. The restaurant is super clean, and the hot pot dishes all were hygienic. There was enough variety to pick exactly what you want, but don't go overboard! These aren't small plates. The one thing I wish I had more of was more variety at the sauce station. No, the bases don't need sauces, but it's always nice to have the option. I did like the pickled veggies, I don't see that often at hot pot sauce stations. The best part? The robot servers!! These are trendy in China but it's awesome to see a restaurant in the states serve with them. Very techy and cool. read more

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Mala was delicious. So yummy that I crave their tomato soup hotpot! The restaurant is super clean and has a very white aesthetic. The staff is super patient and will explain the process, especially if you are new here. The menu is pretty easy to read and fill out. It goes step by step but for the price the portion was a lot! To the point I even had a left over meal to take home. The plates provide a lot of meat and the best part was that you could cook it all yourself. They also have a sauce bar so you could add hot chili oil or dip your meats for more flavor. Overall it was a 10/10 experience. They even had a robot bring you your order/additional items that you order. read more

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I'm a little jealous that Cincinnati has a solid, and very inexpensive, hotpot place like this. My wife and I are visiting from southeast Michigan, where our hotpot options are really pricey (i.e. $80 - $100 for the two of us). Mala Hotpot has a couple interesting features: First, they put up large Plexiglas dividers between each of the booths (presumably as part of a COVID measure?). The dividers actually provide a level of sound insulation as well, so it feels pleasantly quiet and almost intimate. Second, they have robots doing food and drink delivery, which I f-cking love. I couldn't stop watching them. Anyway, going back to the price / value, we ordered: * 牛肉 (beef) * 鱼丸 (fish balls) * 虾 (shrimp) * 豆腐 (tofu sheets) * 白菜 (cabbage) * 拉面 (ramen noodles) .. and I drank two large (~24 oz) Tsingdao beers, and we had 豆浆 (soy milk) and tea. And our final bill was $54. Basically around half of what we're accustomed to paying in our overpriced world. No fair, Cincinnati. read more

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We went in a Sunday afternoon around and for a brief while we're the only ones there. Don't know why, this place is great! Of course you cook on an individual stove right in front of you. All the veggies are buffet and they bring the meat and protein by ROBOT....too cool if you have never seen this (which I never had). I had the Malia spicy broth / soup which was awesome. Protein was the lamb. We will be back, especially in colder weather as this stuff made me sweat! read more

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Very nice clean hot pot restaurant. The service very nice friendly, and they have a robot for service food. You can pick the kind of meat you like and other things like vegetables you can eat unlimited. And I like the pot, is very pretty. read more

Mala Hotpot - inside - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Finally had the chance to try this place and not too shabby. Price is reasonable with pretty cool food delivery technology brought to your table. Service needs a bit of improvement but other than that I will definitely be back. read more

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We love a good hot pot. I'm torn on this review. There was lots of good about this place. The portions were huge (I had two extra meals with my leftovers). Prices reasonable. There is lots of fun ingredients to choose from - my favorites being the premium beef and the lamb. The beef based soup broth was decent (though there was a small seed-like thing in our broths - looked like a caper- that threw off the flavor for me every time I accidentally ate one). The service was slooooowwww. They just don't seem to have their rhythm down. Our table had to get up to help ourselves to water, utensils, napkins... I would NOT pay the $2 extra for the sauce/dessert/appetizer bar. There is not enough on it (and there were no desserts or fruits as advertised). They do not have an alcohol license yet. Again, I'm torn. I can get ingredients at CAM and make a better hot pot at home. read more

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We had a great time eating good food. I appreciate being able to build my hot pot the way I like it. There is a little bit of learning curve figuring out how to do everything. But I encourage everyone to try this experience! read more

Mala Hotpot - A photo of my hot pot. - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The only hotpot place I could found around Cincy area. You pick up meat, soup base, and carb. Veggies are buffet style. Also some appetizers on sauce bar. You make your own dipping sauce and cook food in the boiled pot. The soup base is too mild for me. The hotpot should be packed with flavorful spices and very tasty. However, I understand we are in Cincinnati not east or west coasts, so it's ok. Overall, good experience. read more

Well I am sad ... I haven't been able to eat for a few days due to a long term chronic intestinal issue. And all I could think of eating was this. Mala Pot is so amazingly delicious and comforting and I know nothing like them. As I plan to move on from Ohio soon I just wanted to savor some Mala at least once before I left. But the very kind woman who answered when I called said they were temporarily closed and would open next week, maybe. Whomever will be here for it - please SUPPORT them BIGLY for me. read more

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My son is very into ASIAN cuisine, so we've been trying hot pot place. This by far is the best. I highly recommend! The owners/ my server were so sweet and friendly. He walked us through the menu and how to order. The food was great. The prices were VERY fair! Very fun interactive meal. I would come again! read more

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I finally was able to make it to Mala Hotpot, as they are only open Thursday-Sunday. The base soups were very flavorful and the meat, starch and veggie selection were sufficient. My only complaint came from the sauce bar. I visited family in Vegas who took me to a hotpot which had an extensive selections of items to include in your dipping sauce concoction. Mala didn't even have the most basic items, one in particular that broke me was no garlic. Honestly I considered leaving once I realized garlic wasn't available, but I made it through. Next time, I will call in advance to make sure that they have garlic. Seems like a big complaint, but it really did change my entire flavor profile. Oh well. I will be back. read more

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The food was amazing the service was great. The whole experience was great. I will definitely be returning I wish I would have tried it sooner. read more

We came here on a cold night, hoping hot pots would warm us up! We were the first customers of the evening, and a young woman seated us and provided us wIth menus. She also explained how to order after finding out that it was our first time there. Hubby chose the ribeye combo plus the condiment bar. I went with the seafood. We both went with the chicken broth. He chose the broccoli and I went with the seasonal veg. He loves oyster mushrooms and I like enoki, so it was great these were on the menu! I ordered the ramen and he got the udon noodles. Both of us also got the silken tofu. Phew! A lot of choices, but that's what's great!! Each of us gets what we enjoy! I liked cooking and eating at my own pace. Everything was very fresh. Talking with the male server, we found ouut that the owner is the same person who owns CAM. Would definitely come back! read more

Mala Hotpot - Paper menu to fill out your choices - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I like this place! Choose your soup base, vegetable combo, protein, noodle, and tofu (if you want it). They bring everything to you & have at it! You add your choices to the soup base & cook it to your liking. I got the beef base with ribeye, broccoli, mushrooms (forgot which type), carrots, and rice noodles. Delicious!! This might be my new go-to for lunch. read more

Mala Hotpot - Beef broth base. - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Eat here. Classic hot pot place. You order your protein and broth and then get veggies and sauces off a bar. They even have little cups of ice cream to have after dinner. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Great place to go for a lingering meal with friends. Clean and well decorated. In the same shopping center as the big Asian market. read more

I'm a big fan. We ate there for the second time last night and it was great again. My husband is not a big fan of hotpot or bbq type restaurants where you cook your own food but they're my personal favorite. We went in last night for my birthday. I love that you get to do your own individual bowls. We typically will get a split pot since I like spicy but this was We can both pick the broth we want. I always get the mala. Tonight I got bok choy, lotus root, potato, daikon, mushrooms, fried tofu, lamb leg, flank steak and rice cakes. My husband got the chicken base with flank, marinated chicken, potato, broccoli, bread sticks and a few other veggies. He did also try to order ramen and there were out. Totally fine - I only wish they would have told us. We stopped her to ask why he didn't receive it and that's when she let us know so he ended up ordering udon. We had 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine. I really liked the spicy sesame sauce. I wish they gave a bit more guidance / had a sheet or something that explained some of suggested sauce mixes. Overall food was very fresh and flavorful. I loved my broth. My husband preferred the beef/tomato broth he got last time. He liked the chicken but didn't feel like it added a ton to his ingredients. They also refill your pot with water so it's awesome because there's instantly more soup. Overall cost was $100 for the two of us so very fair considering how many ingredients we got and we each took home a big container of soup for lunch the next day. Would recommend and we look forward to visiting again! read more

We went here with a group of four. This was really our first time trying hot pot and we were very happy with our meal. Since we had never been there before, our waitress was very kind to explain how everything works to us. I got the flank steak, which I thought was very tender and a great choice, i would highly recommend. I also got the chicken mushroom broth and the udon noodles, both of which were very good. They have a buffet style area for all the vegetables and personally i think they have a great selection. They also have a sauce station to create your own sauce. I loved the authentic feel from this restaurant and will definitely be back. read more

Mala Hotpot - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Wow! First time here for lunch, and first time at a hotpot place! Ordering is simple - pick your broth, protein, vegetable, and noodle. They then assemble a platter that they bring to the table and you cook it right there in the broth. I went with the shrimp, udon, with bok choy/enoki mushroom/carrot in a mild hot & spicy base. The server prepared a special sauce from the sauce bar (complementary, to accompany the meal) that was amazing! Peanut base with scallions & spicy chili. The broth was very tasty...and spicy for a mild. A good spicy, though. Everything was amazing! My only knock was there should be a bowl to place all the cooked food in and not a platter - it was a little too small, which only means you had to cook a little at a time, eat, and repeat. It won't stop me from going back, though! I'd hit it...again. read more

I LOVE this place. The beef tomato broth is the best one. Try the tong ho (looks like giant parsley, but the flavor is amazing) and the quail eggs are little flavor bombs. The whole meal is a fun experience, and the amount of food is insane. read more

We went here out of a suggestion from a co-worker. We didnt know what to do but the waiter was very nice and explained the process. We were given a menu and asked to circle what we wanted. I did an Angus beef combo and the wife did a seafood one. You also pick what kind of soup,noodles, vegetables, mushrooms and tofu you want with it. They bring out the soup and it sits on a hot plate on the table and begins to boil. Once it does you slowly add the things you want to cook in it, pull it out and eat it. It is a process but a fun one. The food was good, the presentation of the food was wonderful. It comes out like a work of art. We each had a chinese beer which was good. Over all it was a fun and delicious experiment. The place appears clean and the staff really seems to care. My only reason for the lack of the fifth star was I still left a little hungry. Portion sizes are a bit small. read more

Mala Hotpot - Angus beef - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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We've been meaning to stop in here since it opened recently and finally stopped in for lunch today. It's located in Evendale in the shopping strip that is at the intersection of Reading and Glendale Milford. I've only been to a hot pot restaurant once before and it was my husband's first time. Being novices, the server had to guide us through the ordering. First you pick the soup base, then the meat/seafood option, the vegetables, tofu, and the noodles. After we ordered the server turned on our table and showed us where the controls were so that we could adjust the temps once our soup base started to boil. She showed us the condiment bar that we could use for topping our dishes. We both ordered the Hot & Spicy soup base. I ordered the medium spice while my husband went for the extra spicy. We both ordered the Angus Rib Eye beef option. We also both ordered the combo A vegetable option of Bok Choy, Mushrooms, and Carrots. I ordered the regular Tofu but my husband skipped it. I ordered Rice Noodles and the husband wanted the Vermicelli noodles. Since we asked some questions on how everything worked, and the server knew we were first time customers to their restaurant, she mixed up some condiments in the serving bowls and brought them to our table. She said that they were traditional Chinese mixes and had made my husband's hotter than mine. That was very nice of her to do, since we hadn't asked her to do it! The soup bases were brought out very quickly and put on the little burners on the table. Then the trays containing the rest of the ingredients came right out. The soup boiled quickly and we started to add our meat/veggies/noodles to the base. There's a handy guide on the table that tells you approximately how long to cook each item. That way you know which item to add first and then it will all be done at the same time. We both thought the soup was delicious and really enjoyed it! It was quite filling also. The only thing we didn't like was the black peppercorns (or cloves) that were really, really hard and a little overpowering if bitten into. But we decided an easy fix for next time is to use the tongs or the chopsticks to remove the ingredients first and then use the little soup spoon to take out some broth separately. That way we don't end up with too many hard peppercorns to bite into next time. We're happy to have a yummy place to eat near home and will stop in again sometime soon. read more

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Their portion size is great. You will rolled out of the restaurant happily. The menu that you order from is a little confusing . Me and my frIends all got the combo and each picked different broth. My favorite is the beef and tomato. They charge extra for the dipping sauce which I think is in unreasonable because the broth will be a little bland without it. Plus some carbohydrates get charged extra too. read more

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Stopped by for a late Saturday lunch. They have good COVID protocols and I felt comfortable. First experience going to a place like this so had a learning curve but they help and it's not intimidating. They have a QRCode you can scan at your table and then place your orders online. They have to robot on wheels that delivers you food to the table. Great experience and delicious meal. This would be a fun group dinner as well. Highly recommended read more

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Very good service and the taste authentic that meets expectations. Somewhat quiet that supports a private conversation. I recommend the restaurant. read more

Having had hot pot in China many times, this place is really legit! My family of 5 visited this evening and had a wonderful experience. We ordered 2 spicy broths, the beef/tomato, chicken mushroom and miso. All of the broths weee delicious and we liked how you could increase the spice level from the additional peppercorns. We loved all the dishes and will definitely be back! All of the meats and veggies were super fresh and flavorful. read more

Definitely impressed with this place. I'd been eying it for a while since it's in the same plaza as CAM International and finally had the opportunity to come with friends. They are incredibly clean and attentive with their service. The hot pots are similar to Taiwanese individualized hot pots and you can order a "combo" set that includes a generous serving of a protein of your choice, soup base, veggie assortment, and carb. One of my friends is vegetarian and they had the miso soup base and the tofu assortment and veggies and was really satisfied. There is a sauce mixing area that had most of the essentials (sesame sauce, peanut sauce, chili oil, special mala sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, etc) as well as some appetizers that you can just get for yourself (mala beef, peanuts, and bamboo). The soup base I got was the chicken and mushroom and my other friend got the mala and we were also very pleased and satisfied with our choices. They even refill the soup broth for you so if you're a soup fan like me this is definitely your place. We will definitely be here again. read more

Mala Hotpot - Tofu assortment/miso soup, chicken/mala soup, and beef/chicken mushroom soup - Hot Pot Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Fantastic spot. Authentic hot pot with great service. We go once a month and have never had a bad experience yet.