Mala has been bookmarked on my Yelp account for over a year now since I first moved to Boston, so I'm really glad I tried it out. I had my first mala dry pot when I was studying in Beijing about 3 years ago and I'm glad more and more DIY dry pot places are opening up in the US. I only ordered the mala dry pot so I cannot speak for the other dishes. What I love about this dish here is that everything is customizable. How it works is you get a little menu with all items listed and you mark what you want. Everything is stir fried together with some Chinese spicy numbing seasonings and oils, and you can choose your level of spice. Meat and seafood is charged per item, with a small portion at $3.95 and a large portion at $7.99 (honestly the small feels like just half the size of the large so if you multiply by 2 it's $7.90 which is nine cents cheaper... lol) while veggies are priced by the "bundle" where you can choose up to 3 types for a small at $5.50 and 6 types of veggies for $8.50. I was too excited and got a little crazy ordering: I got a large veggie bundle, a small serving of pork and fish cake, plus one large serving of chicken wings. I ordered take out because I was alone and felt weird getting a dish that feeds 2 people minimum. Even before I cracked open the to go bag I knew that this was going to be a lot of food but OH MY GOSH it was A TON. It probably served four people generously, if you ate this with rice. Everything was super delicious, only the chicken "wings" totally bummed me out because they weren't wings at all! They were just chopped up chicken pieces on the bone. These pieces were huge and awkwardly cut so I really couldn't easily eat with all the little bone pieces attached. I got a large portion of this thinking it'd be wings so I felt like 8 bucks were wasted. I really didn't enjoy the chicken at all and ended up throwing the pieces away before chomping down on the rest of my food. My total came out to be roughly $26 (this was without rice since I had rice at home - it's too salty and spicy and not really satisfying to eat without rice) which is kind of steep for one person but I did get four meals out of it so it really wasn't too bad. I'll definitely return but next time I know to just do two small proteins and a large veggie max! read more

Mala Restaurant - Mala dry pot menu with updated prices as of 1/28/17 (not to be confused with mala pot that has soup in it and prechosen ingredients) - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place is fantastic... the food is delicious in every way and the service was fast and friendly. We had such a good meal that when we finished we ordered more food to go so we could enjoy it again tomorrow. We will be back ASAP. Best Dan Dan noodles I've had in 10+ years. We ordered our standard Sichuan choices but will definitely dig deeper into the menu next time and can't wait to try the hot pot. All of the staff were great and the online waitlist and menu system worked so well. Love this place read more

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Came here twice during our 5 days in Boston! My friend and I love dry pot and decided to try this place out. The place is legit - a good variety of Sichuan and Mala items on the menu. The only downside side was that they ran out of lotus both times we went and the wait times can be long. Both visits we got lamb and tripe in our dry pot with several veggies. It was seasoned perfectly with good size portions and fair prices. Sichuan beef noodles were tasty too - the beef pieces were tendon-y (which I love) but just be aware if you don't like such chewy parts. If I lived in this neighborhood, I would probably get takeout very very often. read more

Mala Restaurant - Sichuan Beef noodles - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Wow. This place is as real as it gets. The Mala tastes just like I remember it in Shanghai - that distinct, numbing yet fragrant flavor that tastes loaded with spices and msg. Yep, that heavenly mouthfeel that slightly burns but brings endless delight to your palette. The selection is crazy, with basically everything. You can select a large or small portion of every item. For those of your thinking how much comes in a large vs. small, small is more than enough if it's just yourself or two people. I can by myself, ordered 3 veggies and 5 small meats, which came out to mid $20ish. I had enough for three more meals! For anyone that wants to try Mala Restaurant, just come. If you wait too long you'll regret everyday you waited... read more

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I'm surprised this place isn't five stars! I come here at least once a month (but would more frequently if I could) because the food is so delicious. I really want to try other things on their menu since everything looks and smells intoxicating, but always end up getting their special (dried) hot pot because it's that good. Some of the spices and other flavors they use might be overwhelming for some people (it certainly was for me the first few times I tried it--make sure you have a bowl of rice to relieve your palate!), but they are now ADDICTING. I love how the spices numb your tongue. I love the symphony of flavors from the various different spices and herbs they use blend together. I love the random panda design holding guns on the wall. Here is what I get in my dried hot pot: -Beef (large) -Pork belly (small) -Quail eggs (small) -Beef tripe (small) -Enoki mushrooms -Black fungus -Bamboo shoot slice -Rice noodle (THREE ORDERS! Trust) That's the perfect amount of food for my boyfriend and I--you should definitely add more if you have more people in your party. And we always order Mild for the spice level because even though I love spice, it's a lot! (If you don't like spicy food, stay away from this dish!) I'd also recommend their skewers if you think you'll have some extra room (I like to get lamb)! read more

Mala Restaurant - Special (dried) hot pot - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great, non greasy Chinese food. It's nice and spicy too. My favorite dish is the Dandan noodles which are amazing.

Don't go there for good service. You will probably get the mediocre service unless you speak fluent Mandarin or Fuzhou-nese, then the ladies will treat you pretty good. Besides that the food is pretty good. The portion is decent for the price. I had the Mala special dry pot with small beef tripe, tripe and squid and I also got the small size of vegetables which you get to pick three choices. I picked potato noodles, bok choy and king oyster mushroom. Also you get to pick what level of spicy you want which I got mild spicy. Overall my bill was $20.10 which included the Chinese herbal tea and a bowl of rice. You do pay for the bowl of rice. I think the price is pretty decent and umm yeah you get 10% off if you pay cash. read more

Mala Restaurant - Mala special dry pot with squid, beef tripe, tripe, king oyster mushroom, boy choy and potato noodle. - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

How in the world did I not know about Mala until recently??? I put 4 but it's more 4.5. I was definitely missing out so I hope you don't make the same mistake, if you like Sichuan/spicy flavor food. We got a table for 8 on a Friday night and the place was packed when we came in. We sat in a corner. The place looks clean and modern/hip. We got the addicting cucumber and wonton in chilli sauce to start. Both were really delicious!!! The chilli sauce for the wontons is to die for! It tastes good with anything so I ended up using that sauce to eat with the other food we got later too. We also got the beef and lamb skewers. Those tasted okay, nothing to impressive in my opinion. For the entrees to share, we got the dry hot pot, the whole fried fish soup (my friend ordered so I don't know what it's called), fried crab, and fried pork belly. The portion of everything is huge! I'm kinda shocked that we were able to finish everything. The food is that good! I never had the dry hot pot anywhere else before so I was really excited to try. They have 3 sizes and we ordered 2nd size so I guess that's medium. The bowl was huge!!! Probably 3-4 times a regular bowl. It has fried fish, beef, veggies, enoki, and clear thick noodles at the bottom. I'm not a big fan of the clear thick noodles since they were really hard to pick up with our chopsticks, and tasted a bit too chewy for me, but everything else in the bowl tasted great. The pork belly dish was good! The fried crab was too much work for most of my group but tasted fine. The whole fried fish soup in sichuan soup was the other star of the night!! The fish was still crunchy even though it lays in the whole tray of soup. Everything in there tasted delicious - taro, enoki, mushroom. Overall I really enjoyed the whole meal. It came out under $25 per person including taxes and tips, which I think is definitely worth the amount of food that we got. I shall return :) read more

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Worst freaking experience ever from a customer service standpoint. It's not even about the food but strictly about the attitude of the manager/front desk person. If there is negative stars I'd give that. We waited 30 minutes for a table for two people. We saw party of 3 or 4 seated before us even though they came way later. We didn't mind it at first. But when a party of three gets seated right away when we waited for more than 30 minutes, it's just not right. I am not going back to this place ever again. Just be mindful if your party size small they are not gonna seat you in order because they are just greedy people seeing more $$ with more people with no regard of customers or their experiences. read more

Overall, their food is really good. Definitely get their wontons with spicy chili sauce and the mala dry pot. The chili sauce is spicy and sweet, and the mala dry pot is customizable. It's a little confusing initially but basically you either order one or multiple portions of meat (can be either a small or large portion) and one or multiple portions of vegetables (small = 3 veggies, large = 6 veggies). The only thing is that their seems to be a huge language barrier. Sometimes, the person who answers the phone doesn't really seem to understand English or will mishear over the phone. As a result, I've ordered the dry stir fried string beans on two occasions and gotten some fried chicken dish instead. The first time, I didn't realize the mix-up until I got home so I just let it be. The second time, my boyfriend went to pick up the order and realized the mistake, but the lady convinced him that the fried chicken was better and refused to make the string beans, which was pretty annoying because that's what we ordered. Make sure they have your order correct over the phone before ending the call. read more

Mala. Literally translates to numbingly spicy, which, if you've had real Szechuan food, is exactly how it feels. And yupp, as a spicyphile, this place is right up my alley. Now to give some more background, Szechuan spice is a bit different from your other typical spicy foods. Unlike what we would traditionally think of (burning, hell sensation - think of the recent Korean ramen trend), Mala offers your standard NUMBING spicy dishes. Even people with a low spice tolerance, could potentially handle the heat provided by Szechaun dishes. Now, I personally prefer the burning spice than numbing (I don't particularly enjoy the weird numbing sensation I get in my mouth) but Szechuan dishes are TASTY AF. Mala is no exception to this rule. So, what should you get here? Well, I was pretty sure they had Mongolian spicy hotpot, but they may have removed that - although, the category of "Soup" on Yelp doesn't help this confusion. Anyways, as a first timer, I highly recommend the mala special pot. It's basically a dry hot pot - you pick and choose from a list of items, and they stir-fry it all up in a wok, and serve it in this gigantic stone bowl. Best part, it's tasty, no matter the combination! Do note however, the pricing structure can be a bit confusing, especially with the small vs large sizing scale they have for protein. You have the choice of adding a small ($4) vs a large ($8) portion in your bowl, but it doesn't really tell you how much if what. I honestly think they just do it randomly, which annoys me as a patron. For example, we order larges for beef and quail eggs - got a generous amount of beef, and a decent amount of quail eggs (15 to 20). We also ordered a small portion of the fried fish fillet, and we got a good amount, probably 6-8 slices. But, we also ordered a small shrimp, and only got two. Yes, two. I counted, based on the number of deshelled remains I had. That's $2 for one normal sized shrimp folks. This is honestly the ONLY reason this place isn't a five stars - felt a bit cheated with how this pricing structure works. The veggie on the other hand, works differently. You pick three for $6, and it's an adequate amount. You can also pick six for $12. Just be careful for your first time going in - we ordered 2 large and 3 small portions of meat, and three veggies - the bowl ended up being huge and our total bill came out to be a bit above $50, so don't go checking everything off. Note, everything we ordered was DELICIOUS, so go for what you enjoy best. I do recommend at least the beef, and picking one of the noodles as one of the veggies. All in all, service was pretty good (constantly filling our water) but unless you speak Chinese, be prepared for minimal bedside manner service. Or, maybe you like that minimal interaction, so this place will be your jam. You also may need to wait, this place is always busy, so maybe not ideal for large parties. read more

Mala Restaurant - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Got a craving for authentic Chinese food? Looking for a delicious spicy meal? If not you can probably still come here as the name Mala literally means "numbing spicy". For starters, you can find some authentic meat skewers grilled to smoky perfection with blend of cumin based spices. The lamb skewers are always delicious and if you are adventurous there are also various organ skewers such as chicken heart or gizzard. Classic appetizers at these restaurants also includes chilled garlic cucumbers which are super refreshing especially when you are eating spicy food. For main food items we went with the spicy hot pot which consists of different meat and veggies of your choosing stir fried in a ton of spices resulting in a fragrant and spicy bowl of heaven. We went with the mild and was satisfied with the level of spice, but feel free to up the spice level if you really want to feel the heat. We also ordered a fish in broth which is a whole tilapia broken down and simmered in a spicy broth. The flavor of the fish is good but I feel that the dish is too spicy as it includes loads of Chinese peppercorns and Thai chili. Turn down the heat and it would be much better! Not pictured was also a stir fried cabbage in vinegar sauce, not too spicy and the slightly acidic dish pairs well with the rest of the spicy dishes. In conclusion, this place really offers some delicious food and the vibe is quite trendy as well with popular electronic tracks playing in the background. One downside or plus depending on how you look at is is that for these types of places, the smell lingers on your clothes afterwards. Not always a bad thing, as it reminds you of how delicious the meal was! read more

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Craving spice and heat? This is the right place for you. For those unfamiliar with Mala, the must-get dish is definitely the mala special pot 麻辣香锅 that you order using the dry erase marker and the laminated menu. Pick the meats, the veggies and the spice level and you're good to go. You can specify big/small portions for the some of the ingredients according to the menu. (Unfortunately, they did not input our order like we marked it, and served and charged us for big portions for all ingredients. So we ended up with too much food and a larger than expected bill.) FYI, I am a huge fan of spicy foods, and the medium spice level was barely spicy for me. The other dish I was pleasantly surprised with was the jin sha crab 金沙蟹! We were all impressed with the deep fried crab pieces coated in salted egg yolk, it was also a nice change in flavor since a lot of the other dishes tasted similar due to the mala seasoning. If you are prepared to get your hands dirty (they provide gloves, but the oil still seeps through), definitely order this! The deep-stir-fry chicken with spicy capsican was inauthentic but highly addictive. The English name/description is hard to understand, it's actually deep fried chicken pieces stir fried with loads of dried chillis and peppers that supposedly make your tongue numb. Not much spicy/numbing action went on with this dish, but it was still pretty good tasting. It tasted more like Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken 盐酥鸡 or popcorn chicken from KFC. Would not recommend the sliced roast beef and tendon with chili sauce 夫妻肺片as it was far too salty ! Note：Be prepared to wait for at least 20-30 mins if you go during peak meal times. It's nice that they give you a call to return back to the restaurant, and you don't have to physically wait at the door. read more

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Was so excited to discover a place that has Mala Pot! I have yet to try the Mala Special Pots, which from photos seem more dry, but the Beef/Lamb Mala pot (I ordered lamb) is largely soup/stock based. Delicious, spicy stock nonetheless. I do agree though that the pot was a little light on lamb meat itself, but there are plenty of vegetables that I was still happy with. The Boy and I also tried the skewers and much to my disappointment, they were very dry. Definitely try the Taiwanese/blood sausage though. It was the one skewer I enjoyed. Despite the lack of lamb, the amount of broth and vegetables you take home is enough to last you another 2-3 meals. Head to Super 88, pick up a pack of sliced hot pot meat of your choice and cook it up in that tasty broth! You essentially can make your own spicy pot! I 100% intend to come back and try the beef noodle soup and the Mala Special Pot! read more

Mala Restaurant - Fish ball, sausage, pork belly - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Spice is life! Come to Mala Restaurant! *** Locals You know it's authentic when a bunch of Chinese people come here. Very spicy but also a lot of delicious options! *** Travelers If you love spicy food, you should come here. The portions are on the larger end (perfect for sharing!), and there's a big punch for every dish. It's always packed during peak hours because it's very popular, so the coming for lunch and off hours are great. *** My Recommendation Best Dan Dan noodles I've had, and they have only a few non-spicy foods, so this is a paradise lovers! Some of the dishes have more oil than I would like, but still delicious. IG: @foodisseur read more

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This is a great spot for dry pot that is simple but so good! It's as authentic as it gets and if affordable but the portions are huge and tasty! I also recommend the Mapo Tofu as well and the service is great. Definitely stop by! read more

Mala is one of my favorite restaurants in the Boston area. The food is authentic and delicious, and the price is so cheap! It's the best restaurant in town if you love spicy and if you have a good group of people. Our go to dishes are the dandan noodles, which are noodles in a delectable spicy peanut and pork sauce. I also highly recommend the dry stir-fried chicken, which is popcorn chicken style fried with lots of dried red chili pieces! So so good. Another staple for us is the bacon-wrapped green onions. And the star of the show: the mala dry pot! You get to build your own pot with anything you like off the menu and they'll make it for you with your preferred level of spice. I always go for medium spicy, but that's pretty good for the seasoned spice lover - if you're more sensitive to spice, I'd recommend mild. My personal favorite add-ons are the beef, quail eggs, and wide bean noodles. I've come here so many times and it's going to be one of the places I'll miss the most in Boston! Tip: the bigger your group, the cheaper it is to eat. On average I've paid from $13-$17 for a meal here. If you go with 5 people, it comes out to like $13, and make sure to PAY IN CASH! It's 15% off if you do. read more

i will say that the food is delicious and that is the one good thing i have to say. the staff is incredibly rude, do not expect good customer service here. my friend and I waited outside the restaurant due to the door being stuck, the staff watched us struggle to open it with no assistance. there were no pleasantries or hospitality. while i understand the importance of tipping, you do not get a tip for rude service. after not providing a tip to the waitress she turned around without a word and ran to her coworkers and started talking about my friend and I. Again, the food is great but don't expect hospitality. read more

I really like this place because of their customizable dry pot! Definitely the selling point of this place. If you like Sichuan food or just spicy food in general, Mala is definitely a place you should visit in Boston. - Dry Pot: Got a large serving of white fish and beef for meat, 2 servings of enoki and a serving of tofu puffs for the veggies in medium spicy. This will probably be my to-go dry pot order from now on. The white fish is the best part because how crispy it gets from being stir fried! A small vegetable serving with a couple meat orders will be plenty for 2 people. - Wontons in Chili Oil: Really love this appetizer here! Manage to make it unique from other places. The chili oil sauce is surprisingly sweet with a kick to it which I really like. - BBQ Squid tentacle and quail egg skewers: A cheap and delicious appetizer. All the skewers are only a couple dollars each. Seasoning is really tasty. All of this would definitely make 2 people very full and the total was about $40. Not bad for the amount of food. When you come here, especially for weekend dinner, expect a wait. They do take down your number to call so you can grab some boba next door while waiting. I wouldn't recommend coming here with a large group because of crowded and cramped it gets. All of this is worth it for the customizable dry pot so come and get ready to get your sinuses cleared up! read more

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My mom is from Sichuan which is why I always gravitate toward spicy food. Everyone who really knows me knows that I like to add some hot chili oil or Sriracha to my meals. When I stepped into Mala, I knew it was going to be amazing. We ordered the spicy dry pot with beef, pork belly, bok choy, lotus, fish tofu, napa, enoki, and noodles with a side of rice and cucumbers. Upon first bite, my mouth was flooded with the taste of spicy, numbing Sichuan peppercorn and delicious flavor. I was very pleased, to say the least. My boyfriend and I shared the pot and it was more than enough for a midday lunch. We had to stuff ourselves to really eat it all. If you're not into numbing spiciness, then this isn't the place for you honestly. If you are, make sure to stop by. I will say though that a couple hours after consuming this amazing meal, I had a slight stomachache. Could have been due to the fact I had coffee shortly after or because I hadn't eaten anything prior to this meal. Could have been my stomach was extra sensitive that day. Who knows. But that won't stop me from coming back! read more

Mala Restaurant - Dry pot - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ordered this for the first time the other day and was very impressed! The spicy cold noodles are amazing but everything we got had great flavor! It was absolutely packed when we picked up our food and i understand why! read more

If I could give this place zero star I would. Like I mentioned in my previous review, I occasionally come here for takeout because I usually go to Five Spice in Chinatown if I want to dine in. I had a hair appointment on Saturday that finished really late so I decided to stop by here to order takeout. I ordered 4 beef skewers, 2 chicken heart skewers, and mala. On the drive home I got so hungry that I reached over the takeout bag for some beef skewers (I know, driving and eating is frowned upon), but what I got was CHICKEN WING skewers!!! I was already on the highway on my way home so I couldn't turn back around. I got home to check the rest of my order and just as I thought, they gave me someone else's order! The mala had items I didn't order AND it was freaking spicy as hell. I live an hour from Boston so it's not like I could call them and ask them remake the order, and I paid $57 for someone else's order. I will NEVER return to this place again, no matter how much I crave for PORK KIDNEY! read more

We absolutely love this place. As Chinese people living in Boston, we frequent Mala and are always willing to wait in line for a spot at the restaurant. Today we had a seafood soup, spicy fish, and their classic Mala bowl with squid and fish. None disappointed, but we wish we weren't quite as squished at our table. But the fact that this place is always packed is a great sign! read more

Mala Restaurant - Seafood tofu soup - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We read good things about this restaurant, but our experience was extremely disappointing. The menu is large and we had some questions about items, but our waitperson could not accurately describe them. We compromised and got the hand pulled noodles with beef, though we would have preferred chicken had that been available.The dish arrived lukewarm. The whole grilled fish came steaming in a liquid and we had to flag down a waitperson to turn it down because it was bubbling and steaming too vigorously. Every aspect of the service was atrocious, from the way were greeted and seated to the attention we received (we had to ask twice for bowls and spoons so we could eat the liquid that the fish was cooked in). One waitperson literally threw our food on the table. Later he threw the bill at us. The food is not exceptional enough to endure the bad service. There's nothing about this restaurant that would make us return. read more

The usual stereotype is that if the restaurant serves huge portions they cannot be of a great quality. Mala in Allston is an exception. You're going to leave this place happy, well fed and (most probably) with a packed lunch for the next day! MaLa is an authentic Sichuan place that offers amazing customized dry hot pots and other Chinese delicacies. And if you didn't know, ma in Chinese actually stands for fiery chili peppers, while la - for tingly Sichuan peppercorns, that is the base of Sichuan cuisine. For an appetizer I tried lamb skewers from the BBQ menu - tender and juicy meet marinated in some garlic-y sauce came perfectly cooked and accompanied with a side of chives. At 1.75$ it's a bargain. I think I could come back just for those BBQ skewers sometime. Then, came Szechuan Dan Dan noodles - a famous Chinese street-food staple. They were full of flavour, with a definitive sour note and a good amount of ground meat. Noodles were cooked perfectly, not too soft or soggy, not too hard. Obviously, I could not go without ordering a Szechuan special boneless chicken with peppers (thanks to Bourdain's recommendation). It's basically half small pieces of fried chicken and half red chilli peppers - it's hot, spicy, tingly, and yummy! I especially enjoyed the leftovers on the next day when chicken absorbed all spicy oils and became less dry. Finally, the main dish was dry hot pot (in contrast to classic hot pot, this resembles a stir-fry), that could feed 4 people on its own. I went with Mala Special, which means you can select any meats and veggies for your dish as well as the level of spiciness. I went with medium spicy and chose small portions of beef and shrimp, shiitake (small mushroom), napa cabbage, bok choy, tofu puff, lotus (that is one of my favourites - crispy and delicious - don't miss it!), and seaweed. I also selected clam that never appeared but I was still happy with the result. The spices in this dish are very interesting - they don't make you sweat, but somehow just make the flavours more intense and bring everything together. The service was fast, polite and attentive, so overall, great experience! Will definitely be back with a large group of friends to try more of their dishes! read more

Mala Restaurant - Dry hot pot Mala Special (customized) - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Can't believe it's taken me this long to try Mala; I wanted to try it when they first opened but due to so many negative reviews from my friends, I decided to hold off. I've been craving spicy food since the start of winter and every place I go to is either not spicy enough or just not satisfying. Although the spice levels at Mala aren't as high as I expected, the flavors are so good that this is now my new go-to whenever I crave spice (I'll just have to order everything extra spicy!) They have a very large menu and we tried to sample as much as we could for 4 people; everything was good, with very little complaints: Dan dan noodles 4/5 - better than most I've had and worth ordering again Wontons in chili sauce 3.5/5 - liked the wonton filling, but not so much the weird sweetness in the sauce; also the chili sauce wasn't just straight chili oil like most places Skewers (beef, fish ball, chicken gizzard, whole eggplant) 4/5 - seasoned well, definitely will try more next visit Ma po tofu 4.5/5 - love the sauce, very flavorful yet not overly oily, definitely getting this extra spicy next time Frog with assorted peppers 2/5 - I was not a fan of how the frog was served in gravy, also this was way too salty Mala spicy pot (med spicy) 4/5 - you choose what you want in the pot (we choose beef, fish tofu, and 3 types of mushrooms) and it was very flavorful, average spice; also going to try more/different things in the pot next time **Pay cash for 10% discount read more

If you like spicy food this is the place for you! Most of the food here is spicy. I came here with a friend and we ordered the dry pot (spicy)and the string beans(no spicy). We came on Sunday around 11:30, plenty of seats. Good service and convenient location. read more

Mala is definitely one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in the Boston area. If you are looking for authentic, numbingly spicy Sichuan food, this is the place to go. The spicy dry pot is probably their signature dish. What you choose to put in the pot is all based on personal preference. They have a long list of meats and vegetables to choose from. We like to add beef and sometimes white fish fillet, plus 3 types of vegetables. I would highly recommend the dry stir fried chicken. The chicken pieces are super crispy and full of flavor and spice. Kind of like popcorn chicken but waaayyy better. My personal favorite is the stir fried string beans. It may look like a simple dish, but it is always well prepared and very tasty. The wonton in spicy chili sauce dish is also highly recommended and makes a great appetizer. Apart from the dishes I mentioned above, Mala also has a number of other authentic Chinese dishes. This restaurant is definitely worth a try for those who miss food from China and those who are feeling adventurous. read more

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This restaurant definitely satisfies all those who are willing to explore! From duck tongue to kidney items, all are on the menu! Came here with a friend, and we split the kidney in the hot chili sauce (mouthwatering!), the chili cumin lamb, and the dan dan noodles! The kidney items were my favorite as they were the perfect amount of spicy! The portions here are huge! High risk of over-ordering! Service: a bit slow Transportation: B line Parking: hard read more

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This place is delicious!! We got a few appetizers (I really like the spicy wontons and spicy pepper chicken), salted egg yolk crab (very tasty and enough for 4 people), and the dry pot to share (lamb, beef, fish cake, fish fillet, enoki mushrooms, noodles, green beans). If you're in Allston, definitely check this place out! Wait for dinner can get long though so check in early on the Yelp waitlist! read more

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This food was pretty darn tasty! I would have given it 5 stars but the rice was hard. No Asian restaurant should EVER have undercooked rice!!!! I love the huge bowls and even the plain/not spicy mala was delicious! read more

I'm so glad I discovered this place when I visited Boston. It is honestly so good. I got the three pepper chicken. The chicken is crispy and has NO bones!! The sautéed string beans are also so good. We also ordered the ma la tang which is basically various meats (preference) and vegetables cooked together with spices. We couldn't finish everything so we got it packed and ate it the next day. The food was just as good the next day. Downside(s): The ma la tang was oily. And the waiters look low key annoyed (we didn't even do anything to provoke this). Regardless, I would definitely come back here when I visit Boston. read more

Terrible service ruined this restaurant for me. They tried to gaslight us and they said they didn't have beef. So we wanted to cancel one of our orders. Guess what came out on our table. Beef. And then they didn't let us cancel our order because they brought both of the dishes. They don't understand English at all and they scam you for your money. Would not recommend coming back at all. I've been to many chinese restaurants with poor service but this place is just pathetic. The restaurant is so loud too everytime there's an order it just makes a ding noise. They need to fire the staff and fix that system. Then they expected a tip for doing nothing. They were lucky they got a 5% tip. read more

Absolutely love coming to Mala, especially with a group. Food is so flavorful and the options are endless Pros: variety and flavor Cons: service I think overall this place is great for the food. However, the service could use a little improvement. A good chunk of our order would be forgotten and required additional reminders to the waiter read more

Good mala - tons of chilis and chili oil - nice variety of wet and dry mala pots and other traditional Szechuan dishes. Wonton in chili oil app - ~7-8, the wonton skins were very thin and delicate. Each wonton had a very small amount of filling, so you're mostly eating this dish for the wrapper and chili oil sauce which had a nice blend of spice and a hint of sweetness. Save the remaining sauce to use for other dishes! Lamb or beef pre-selected mala pot - wide variety of veggies and tofu - cabbage, lotus root, wood ear, fresh seaweed & some thin rice noodles - but majorly lacking in meat. For the whole pot, there was less than 8 pieces of very thinly cut pieces. You really had to go digging to find the few pieces. Nice balance of spiciness but there was no numbness. Not a big deal but an observation. Dry fried spicy chicken - not worth the hype in the boston globe article. The small pieces of chicken are all heavily battered disguising the actual size of the meat itself. Many pieces don't even have any meat but are pieces of battered fat or skin. Pass on this dish unless you like that kind of thang. read more

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I'd give this place 5 stars if it wasn't for the lackluster service. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston because Szechuan is my FAVORITE kind of food and they do it right. I love the dry bowl, it's so nice to pick out whatever you want to go in the delicious peppercorn concoction. They also make bomb spicy wonton and dan dan mein! The wonton are in a hot, slightly sweet oil, not the same sauce in the entrees and dry pot. And the dan dan, $8 for a big portion of fresh noodles topped with minced pork in a flavorful sauce of the perfect spiciness. No peanuts in the dish, to my delight. Just good noodles, minced pork, and sauce.. the essentials to a bowl of dan dan approved by Cindy. As simple as this dish is, a lot of restaurants can't get this right in Boston. They have a huge menu, so I try to come back as much as possible. It takes the right mood.. and stomach situation for my friends to want to join me. This is not a spot for those who have sensitive taste buds. This all being said, now onto why I deducted a star... my friend and I got the completely wrong dry pot bowl before. It didn't have the right meat or veggies, a pretty huge f-up, but we don't have any allergies and aren't that picky so blew it off and ate the thing. And another time, mid-meal, we were asked to move to a larger table. In general, the staff always look annoyed and/or flabbergasted when you ask them something. They also rush you out of there since the place gets absolutely packed during the lunch and dinner hours. And lastly, DO NOT order their hot tea. It's like laundry detergent (Tide, not the more expensive stuff) in a fancy schmancy tea pot. read more

Mala Restaurant - Dry pot - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Hands down, the best dry hot pot place in Boston. Within the span of two weeks I ordered dry hot pot from Mala restaurant four times. They have been consistently meeting my expectations in every delivery. This probably will continue to be my go-to place for dry hot pot. read more

If you're looking for authentic Sichuan food, this is pretty close! I love the mala pot where you can customize the whole dish to your flavor. Great place to eat with friends and share a mala pot or two! Get there early because this place does fill up. read more

[3.95/5] Mala Restaurant holds a special place in my heart. No really it does. This restaurant along with some other ones made up some memorable, euphoric times I had when my GF and I first met. This was one of our go-to restaurants and after a long stint, we recently went back. What are my thoughts? Should you visit? Here we go. Review #054 Restaurant Type: Casual Dining. Food (65%) Taste to price 4/5 Quality to price 4/5 Portion to price 4/5 Average = 4 Service (20%) Friendliness 3.5/5 Promptness 4/5 Average = 3.75 Cleanliness (15%) Bathroom 4/5 Dining area 4/5 Kitchen area 4/5 Average = 4 Overall Score = [F(.65)]+[S(.20)]+C(.15)] = [2.6]+[0.75]+[0.6] = 3.95 The Pluses... + HUGE MENU. I can't say I've tried everything as I usually skip all the hoo-ha and go straight to the MALA SPECIAL POT and BARBECUE aka the lone menu page that comes with a black marker. + The black marker is for making your own MALA XIANG GUO. Use it wisely my friend. See my picture for a cheat sheet of what I usually get. I would also add some meats such as LAMB, GIZZARD, SAUSAGE, and/or QUAIL EGGS. + Flip over the SPECIAL POT Menu and you'll find the BARBECUE side which I also highly recommend. Their skewer beats most places specializing in Chinese BBQ. You can't go wrong with any of the meats. + Great for groups. Dishes are generally served FAMILY STYLE here. This is the type of place you want to try as much food as possible and the only way to do that is to (1) have a Kobayashi stomach, or (2) bring a group of 4 or more. + Because I had the luxury of being in a group, we ordered the FRESH FISH WITH CHILI SAUCE. I have high tolerance for spice and if you do too, then I'd suggest the EXTRA SPICY option. If you're a fan of TILAPIA and SPICY OILS then this is a good one to get. + I love the CHINAWARE. They make great photos and it adds onto the ambiance (see pics). The Negs... - Flavoring of foods can be inconsistent at times. In the past I've had my dishes overly salty and bland on other trips. Either way, it still tastes good, just be aware. - No alcohol here. This is kind of a bummer but it's pretty common in most modern Chinese restaurants. I would love to see some Peppercorn Bloody Mary's in the future :) The Neutrals... o You can count on this place being packed. Plan accordingly during lunch/dinner times especially on the weekends. o You can always tell what kind of restaurant a place is based on the customers and for this one, it's as authentic as a small city like Boston can offer. You will find the majority of customers, international students from China. They're friendly and nice :) In Conclusion... After coming here for years, I look at Mala like the start of a phase, much like what Iron Man is to the MCU. The success of this restaurant opened doors for the Chinese hot pot and spicy bowl type of restaurants. Nowadays you see a plethora of them on Harvard Ave and they are difficult to miss. If you don't know where to start, Mala Restaurant is not a bad place to begin. After years of coming here, they still got it. And if you're on a date much like I was, grab some rolled ice cream or bubble tea afterwards and explore the bars. There's a lot to do and make the night a memorable one. #ChowYouLater **If you enjoyed my review and need help with the Boston area, follow or add me as a friend. I have tons of reviews like this. read more

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I come here relatively often for the dry pots. I think for the price being definitely worth it. But the service might not be the best all the time. But still good! I think for a first timer it might be a little confusing with the whole menu things, but once you get used to it, it might be one of your favorite restaurants too. read more