New, more sturdy, more spacious and nicer takeout containers (see my photos). For example the salt and pepper prawn is less squeezed thanks to the spacious round container now (with enough height). Crispy and hearty portion of scallion pancakes. Nicely done. Delicious pork wonton in spicy sauce (appetizer) which seems to be a new item on the menu. Mongolion beef is tender as usual read more

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DoorDash delivered it fast and it was fresh... I mention this first because everything seemed just prepared EXCEPT the spicy shrimp. The shrimp was supposed to be jumbo... not so much. The shrimp was shriveled up, chewy overcooked shrimp. Not happy about that. The rice was dry and felt day old. The positive, the juicy pork dumplings (mini size) were very tasty. read more

Cook your own Sichuan hot pot in a lively spot at mala tang I loved the wine marinated beef with my build your own hot pot option! The Dong Po Braised Pork was so delicious, a must have whenever I see it on the menu read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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This place was pretty underwhelming. I should've known that it wouldn't be good when it was empty at dinner time. The biggest issue I had with this place was the service. Our waiter disappeared multiple times and I even remember waiting 25 minutes until I finally walked up to get my check. The hot pot was also really oily and didn't have much flavor. You could also tell that the meat has been sitting for a while. I won't be back here. I highly recommend checking out Hot Spot instead. read more

Mala Tang - Hotpot - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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We stumbled across Mala Tang while in Arlington looking for a new place to try. After reading mixed reviews, we decided to try it for ourselves. The restaurant is hidden so you might have to do a lap or two before actually finding it. There isn't any convenient parking too so we ended up parking 2 blocks away and walking over. The restaurant decor is pretty nice and everything is clean and organized. Not sure if there was a shortage in staff that day but the wait time to order and attentiveness could have been better. On to the food, I'm not sure I get the concept. Hot pot seems to be the way to go but everyone at the table had to order it so we decided to go with the Mala Bites which was skewers or desired protein and seafood. It was served in a huge bowl of broth which was a felt uncessary as we only ordered a few skewered. Honestly, if we ordered every skewer on the menu, it would still be too much and end up being pretty wasteful. So I'd pass on the Mala bites in the future and probably just get the hot pot. We also got the wontons in chili oil, dandan noodles, and flat rice noodles to try. The wontons were pretty average. Based on the texture, it felt like they were made a while ago instead of the day of or made to order. The Dandan noodles were a little salty but packed great flavor and was delicious when mixed. The flat rice noodles were probably the best thing we had. It was freshly prepared and came in a big portion. I'd be interested in trying this place again and updating my review. Hoping it was a one off experience. read more

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I never understand why this place is never super crowded when their food is so nice. Dry hot pot is good. But that mala bites combo wasn't super good. Meat was too chewy. read more

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I really love the Szechuan style food here. It's such a great change of pace from the typical Chinese or hotpot restaurant. They offer dry pot which is a really cool way to have a Szechuan style stir fry with all your favorite hot pot ingredients. They have a huge menu to select from and you have to pick at least three items if you order dry pot. Most of the time I come here, it's not too packed despite the really large location. Parking is a bit difficult to find because it's tucked away behind the restaurant but they do validate parking as well. If you come during the holidays, it's always very nicely decorated. A great place for a big gathering with their large tables. One down side is that it is pretty pricy for the dry pot if you're ordering at least one protein it can come out to about $40+. There's definitely other places that are cheaper or all you can eat hot pot but this is the only place so far that I've found dry pot. read more

I'm pretty upset that they removed the tofu option and haven't brought it back. It tells me they don't care about their customers. I know myself and several other friends refuse to come back here because it feels disrespectful to people who don't eat meat, especially since it was historically offered and they still have it as an ingredient at the restaurant. It would take zero effort on their part to include it in the hotpot deal. The service was always terrible but I'd put up with it because I thought it was a good deal. But no longer the case. read more

Last time I was in town they were closed. So happy they were open this time! The make your own dipping sauce has been changed, but otherwise, the same as I remember. A bit pricy doing Hot pot a la carte, but I don't like the combo options. Ate too much, but don't care. It was delicious. read more

Mala Tang - Build your own Hot Pot - Traditional broth with Mala, pork dumplings, boc choy, fatty brisket, and noodles. - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Came here with a friend and was excited to see the opportunity to try a "dry pot". Many know and have had hot pots (broth, protein, veggies, etc) however I'd never had a dry pot and I absolutely loved it !! The spicy fish entree was also very tasty. Too many peppers in some bites but overall tasty. - they only offer wine, no additional spirits or cocktails. I would say try the various sauces they have on their sauce bar to determine the flavor profile of your hot or dry pot. Also they have an outdoor/patio section but you cannot get hotpot outside according to server. Which is a shame because the hotpot is technically not plugged in and just a burner so didn't understand that but life goes on. read more

Mala Tang - Menu - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

So I have no serious complaints about here it's just personal preference. Yes they are authentic and quite delicious, I just found the peppercorns a little bit overpowering throughout my entire meal although that's what they're known for. The space is Huge and clean but surprisingly not that busy. Next time I go I will order something other than the dry hot pot for a better review but the portions are pleasantly Huge. Service however was either slow or very distracted since there weren't that many people. it's worth a try read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Came here for an afterwork dinner craving some Chinese Sichuan cuisine, even though I can't handle too much mala "numbing spice", I did enjoy my dining experience here at Mala Tang! Here's all the food items we got: Spring Rolls Dandan Noodles Salt & Pepper Fish Drypot w/ Lamb, Bamboo Shoots, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Enoki Mushrooms Spring rolls were thick and came out freshly fried, piping hot. Dandan Noodles for a small plate app came with a good portion, and nice flavors in the meat and sauce. Mixing it with the noodles, which had a really good texture, was a great combination! The Salt & Pepper fish was nicely cooked, still tender and moist with a crispy exterior, I wish there was a bit more seasoning and garnish with the chili, onions, garlic, etc, but still a tasty dish, definitely my fav. Drypot with the Sichuan mala was delicious and had a large portion, the lamb protein we got with it was also super tender, and the veggies were cooked and absorbed a lot of the drypot sauce! The service was friendly and helpful when deciding what to order, which is great! The ambiance is alright, there was no music playing or anything at the time I was dining so it was rather quiet, but I do appreciate how spacious the restaurant is. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Parking is sometimes hard to find . Definitely something to try at least once . All the food smells great and mouthwatering , I love hotpot but its just not my vibe . The staff was nice . read more

My first visit to this lovely restaurant. Famous for the hot pots. You get an individual pot to cook your meat & vegetable choices. You can spice your broth to your taste and create the dipping sauces of your choice at the sauce bar. We had a large group, so every item we selected was put on the lazy Susan. Our waiter explained the process and helped with selecting our choices and cooking times. Put the noodles in last, so you don't lose other ingredients in the broth. A fun time enjoying Asian cuisine in a new way. They do have a standard menu with spring rolls, kung pao chicken etc. Full bar. They warn you at the door, they are understaffed. So be mindful if you are in a hurry. Thanks Yelp for the 10% discount for check in. read more

Mala Tang - Sauce bar mixing menu - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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A delicious spot for spicy Sichuan food! The mala spice here is unmatched. The service is super quick and the food was so good. Chili Oil Wonton - great way to start the meal! I wish I could bottle up the chili oil and take it home Beef Noodle Soup - It's a massive bowl! You can share it if you want. I recommend asking for it spicy to add a little kick. Dry Pot - I've never had dry pot, but I loved the spices on it. You get to build your own but I highly recommend adding noodles and dumplings. The lamb and beef were fantastic! I couldn't get enough of it. read more

Mala Tang - Braised Beef Noodle Soup (@kevinsfoodtour) - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Great ambience with up to date decor and light music in the background. Bathroom however needs a bit of work. Service was very slow. They serve the usual hot pot fare with a small sauce station. Also have something called the Dry Pot - You pick out the meat and veggies from the menu and they will stir fry in a pan flavor with Szechuan oil and spices, it's very good. They have an extensive beer and cocktails menu. Service was very slow however. It seems like a small family business with only a couple staff on the floor. It was a slow night with 3 tables on a Saturday. We waited for over 20 mins for someone to just come and take our drinks order, after that, it was another 20 mins for the drinks to arrive, then another 20 mins for the food to arrive. Food was great but with the slow service and price point comparable to other hot pot restaurants, we will not likely come back. read more

This place has quickly become one of my favorites in Arlington. The food is all so delicious, especially the dry pot, and they have great customer service (the lotus root and glass noodles are a must). Their portions are much more generous if you dine-in--we ordered a few times for delivery and felt the portions were a lot smaller than going in person. It's a very chill dining experience, clean and quiet. Parking can be a bit of a struggle, but you can find parking in a residential area and walk over :) you can also check-in via Yelp to receive a 10% discount. 10/10 read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I'm always seeking authentic Szechuan food and when I was recently told to come here, I jumped at the chance. They have a huge dining room, but at lunch they still filled about half of it with patrons. They also have a pretty good size list of amazing food on their menu. I started with their beef Chendu Dumplings - these were really tasty and huge! The meatball inside them was very filling and seasoned nicely. The dipping sauce was good, but the hot oil wasn't very hot, so we asked for something hotter and it turns out they have a "Chef's Hotter Oil" for dipping, which was more like what we sought; in fact, we put it on everything! Next up was their Dan Dan Noodles- Easily the best I've ever had! The noodle's texture was excellent and very fresh, they said they make them in-house. The meat sauce on top was very flavorful as well! My favorite, but just barely was their cumin beef! The texture of the beef was excellent and the cut of meat was equally as excellent, as it was pure beef, no fat, gristle, tendon, etc which I can't stand. Flavors of the dry seasonings on the beef and veggies that came with this entrée were incredible! This was far from the best I've ever had, mostly because it wasn't spicy (not as spicy as I prefer this dish to be), but the flavors were on-point! I'd get this again and everyday!!! A very close second to the cumin beef was their Minced Chicken Bao... the flavors were intense and excellent! It was also loaded with fresh veggies, peppers, and chicken and nothing fatty or gristly in it. The heat on this dish was what I preferred the others to be - Decently hot! The bao buns were incredible! Awesome texture, soft, fluffy and definitely not sticky! Overall, we enjoyed our visit and would highly recommend stopping in!! read more

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Mala Tang in Arlington. Tasty and gives a good amount of food. Tofu hot pot combo. Kung pao chicken (Szechuan peppercorns makes your tongue tingly). Salted duck egg yolk with tofu and chicken (instead of prawn). Only complaint is that they didn't wash or towel off dirt from the button mushrooms, but they gave me enoki instead, which I love. Looks renovated. Garage parking (validate up to 2 hours). read more

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We just had the most incredible meal at Mala Tang. We love going but don't get there often as we'd like because we live 30 min away. The food is always consistently delicious, fresh and unique. The service was impeccable! Tonight we ordered the Dan Dan noodles, MaPo tofu, dumplings, cucumber salad, hot pot and dry pot and let's not forget the sesame balls for dessert! A must try if you haven't been! read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Very good with beautiful decor. I like the authenticity and wood seats and tables. I haven't had mala hot pot in a while and was very pleased to find this place so close to where I was staying. Their hot pot for two was such a good deal and I was very happy with it. Service is prompt and we were in and out in less than an hour. I highly recommend it! read more

Mala Tang - Mala hot pot - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Szechuan Braised Beef Noodle Soup. I want to properly convey how good this was. Imagine your college roommate from Chengdu invites you over for a 20 year reunion. And you arrive to find his Grandmother cooking. Now, we know most grandmothers are in the kitchen, but you've never had this so you're . But you haven't had any grandma's cooking in like a year. And the whole family digs in , going to town like it's homemade Mac & Cheese. And you take one bite and Soup broth is rich and beefy, yet spicy . I also ordered Prosecco, which cuts the richness nicely. The beef is braised until it's silky. I don't know how they do it, it's super tender but doesn't dissolve on the chopsticks. A lil spinach, some scallions... so good! read more

Mala Tang - Braised Beef Noodle Soup - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

In Chicago I had my favorite place for dry hot pot (MCCB) and since then it's been a challenge to find anything that tops it in my opinion. While this place was great flavor wise, it didn't give you a spice level option on the ordering app. So even when I put that I wanted my dry hot pot of ribs, beef, broccoli, enoki mushroom and potatoes ultra mega spicy in the comments, I was sad I didn't get anything like it. It had the numbing flavor down (the "ma" part of the "mala"), but the heat didn't deliver. I will say that this place gets 4 stars because the flavor was still great. I also ordered a side of the cold spicy noodles and the beef tendon and enjoyed those too. While I can't eat like this everyday, I enjoy the occasional salt bomb. read more

Mala Tang - Dry hot pot, cold spicy noodles and beef tendon app - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Great banquet with my son and his buddies we had individually prepared hot pot containers and had everyone loving life. Started out with Mapo doufu and it was outstanding Sichuan style meal. Best ever. read more

I think this is my third time overall. They seemed to have better service and food. I love love love their beef tendon. Its very good!! Recommend doing individual set, if you're not a beef lover (cheaper price than combination set). Parking spot: there is a garage next to the place, park inside and bring the ticket to them to scan for 2 hrs free parking. read more

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What is MALA? It comes from Sichuan peppercorns. I don't think they're really pepper corns but some kind of dried flower bulb shell. It intensify flavor and I think the Chinese call it fragrant. Mala is my jam. It's a mouth feel that is a notch above flavor. You know savory, sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and maybe spicy. Mala is a spicy enhancer. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. These folks do a great job. I had the obligatory dan dan noodles and diced chicken. Are there better in town, maybe one other that I won't mention BUT still very good here. If you have a complex palate, give it a try. Don't come here if you like hospital cafeteria pizza. You won't like it. read more

Stopped in for Szechuan food and gave the meat hot pot combo for two a try (with traditional mala and non-non spicy broth). The soups were flavorful-- the mala one wasn't that spicy but added good flavor to the meat and veggies. The meats were fine for what they were, and there were a ton of mushrooms with the veggies. There was a sauce bar with a ton of sauces to mix together with a fun guide for different combinations. We also tried the green onion pancakes and spicy Sichuan pork dumplings. Both dishes were okay, but the sauce in the Sichuan pork dumplings was way more sweet than spicy. The restaurant was pretty spacious. It was half full when we came in on a Friday night. There were only 1 or 2 servers there, which wasn't a huge issue for us when ordering and getting our food. However, it did take some time to pay because they were helping other people. Overall, not a bad Asian spot for the area and might come back to try some other items! read more

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This was our first time trying hot pot and we sure have been MISSING OUT! We shared the hot pot for two, choosing the mala broth (both chicken and vegetarian to try the difference), and chose the wine marinated beef, the mala beef, and the prawns. The food was AMAZING and we will absolutely be back. The service was super attentive, explained the menu for us with ease, and the ambiance was fun and mild enough that we could talk easily. read more

Mala Tang - Sesame Balls - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Had a great event here in May with 20 people. Lovely service, great dishes and good times! Easy to park and they validate.

I used to love Mala Tang and used to be a loyal customer. Living only a few blocks away, my friends and I would come for hotpot over the years. However, I learned that they changed the menu and got rid of the tofu option for the single person hotpot, and won't even honor the request if you ask in person. In fact, they added several more meat options in its place, so it's not even like they are cutting down on this deal. Also, the restaurant still has tofu because they are more than happy to sell It to you a-la-carte. This tells me that this restaurant is disrespectful of people with dietary restriction and does not care about our business. I will never return unless the tofu option is back. Just an FYI to the manager/owner . . . tofu is CHEAPER than meat and customers are willing to pay around the same amount for it. Poor business decision on your part. read more

I was hesitant to even try out this place because of the low reviews. BUUUUT the food did not disappoint. Mala dry pot - a bit pricy, but really good for the area. You get the nice mix of umami, spicy, numbing flavors (North virginia only has like 2-3 spots where u can get dry pot) Mapo tofu - meatier sauce than other mapodofus, very tasty spooned over some hot rice. 5/5 malaspice Generals tso chicken - this is not your take out Chinese general tso - this one is crunchy aromatic with a stronger soy flair. Was wonderful Overall great experience, service was quick and attentive, decor was cool, nice ambience. My only gripe was the pricing of the food. Kind of expensive, but I've come to realize it's because of Arlington area having crazy high rent prices which in turn drives up food prices in the area , read more

The food was delicious, the service was great and efficient and friendly. I come to Arlington once a year and this will be my go-to spot from now on! read more

Good and service good. Reasonable price. Parking is terrible! Have to park in GMU garage behind restaurant. Machine refused to take two different credit cards. Attendant not helpful!!!! Rude. Won't go back due to parking situation. Too bad. Food was really good. read more

I got a cup of the hot and sour soup and wish I had a bucket. We ordered delivery, and the scallion pancakes arrived perfectly crispy. We do wish they'd come with a dipping sauce though. Packets of duck sauce don't quite cut it. The spring rolls were good, but nothing spectacular. The Szechuan beef is "[expletive redacted] delicious," according to my fiancé, who says he is "pretty pleased." The Kung pao tofu is delightful. Unlike so many other places, this dish here doesn't swim in sauce. It comes with a good amount of vegetables too! read more

Mala Tang - 1. Kung Bao Tofu with Peanuts - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I ordered the kung pao chicken and it was really good overall! My only complaint is that there was a large amount of Szechuan peppercorns that were pretty strong each time I bit into them. Big bursts of metallic, sour, numbing sensation. I'd recommend grinding them up more and/or using fewer. This is only my opinion, though, as someone who doesn't have Szechuan pepper very often. read more

Mala Tang - Cluster of szechuan peppercorns - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

delicious. i just love hot pot and this place didn't disappoint. individual pots, however, not all you can eat :( read more

Mala Tang - Mala Broth - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Not the most authentic hot pot spot but it's still pretty nice to have it on a rainy day. Ventured all the way from DC to here as our friend is driving and there is free two hours parking. Otherwise, I would say skip this visit. read more

Mala Tang - Mala - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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We came here for a birthday and had a really good time. The food was really good and the Mala broth was delicious. Good heat and very flavorful. Service was pretty good as well. The parking is validated so just remember your ticket. read more

Mala Tang - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Irfan provided excellent service, I have been coming here on and off for over 10 years. There mala hot pot are flavorful and spicy, just the way they should be. I had a couple unhappy encounters in the past because the hours online and the phone number both are incorrect, I wish they would update those two things. Other than that, the food is great! read more

Mala Tang - Hotpot - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

It's never great when you're the only people at the restaurant. Maybe Tuesday night is an off day for them. We got the mala bites and they are indeed just tidbits on skewers. We really should have ordered hot pot, but we were confused by the menu read more

Mala Tang - Mala Bites - Chinese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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