Kevin is the best, Great experience and amazing customer service., Food is amazing and will be coming back.

7/11/26 Price went up $14/lb. Taste is as good as usual. Saturday night is getting crowded now. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Mala Town has several locations around the Bay! It might take more than one visit to perfect your order, but I've gone enough times that I've finally perfected mine. The broth is definitely on the oily side, but honestly not the oiliest malatang I've had. Once you figure out your favorite ingredients, spice level, and sauce combo, it's amazing read more

The food was good! Very solid broth and great variety of options. My only complaint is the service. I don't know, maybe it was an off day for them, but service was awful! I walked in with my friends and there were no bowls at the front to get the items, so I asked the server if there were bowls and he rudely said something, but I could not hear him over the loud music. When asked to repeat, he just walked away and got his own bowl to start a to go order lol. My friend and I just looked at each other like wtf. On top of that, after I paid for my food, I accidentally walked away without my receipt so I quickly went back to ask if I needed one, and he said no. But tell me why he was so confused later when bringing out the food. He gave me the wrong order! When I told him of the mistake, he said "well you said that was yours" as though Sichuan soup doesn't all look the same-- red? If you tell me I don't need a receipt then I expect that you have some kind of system to remember other than "you said so". TLDR good food, off day for service? read more

I've had Tang Bar and Zhangliang In the area before and wanted to try Mala Town this time, and was quite disappointed. Service was great and friendly, but my savory dry pot was wet and not very savory/flavorful at all. I frequently get dry pots when I go to similar places and it's never been this way before. The sauce bar saved my meal because I was able to make my own sauce to eat the food with. The usual savory, numbing spicy just wasn't there even with mild unlike other places. Perhaps I needed to make it mild for more flavor, but it doesn't explain how watery the dry pot was overall. May come again if friends decide to come, and I'll get the soup broths next time. read more

Mala Town Express - Savory Dry Mix - Mild - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

5 stars because of the customer service! Staff are always friendly and willing to help especially when there is a problem they take care of it professionally. The food is quite good too, I like the soup base options here. There aren't as many meat options compared to some other mala spots but that's fine with me. Definitely my go to malatang spot in san mateo read more

Missing ingredients entirely, specifically potato, black fungus mushrooms, and some more The ingredients that were there such as pork belly were empty, and only refilled after asking the employees. Spicy broth does not have much flavor. Pork broth is much better and will get that next time read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Lively little eatery on 3rd closer to El Camino. Hip hop was blasting and a younger crowd mostly inside enjoying hot pot with their friends. We did have to wait a bit for the back of house to bring out new bowls to put our ingredients in. DIY where u chose from a big selection of vegetables, seafood and meats. You get "weighed" in at the end and tell the counter which soup broth you'd like. Then they bring it out once done. read more

Mala Town Express - Malatang - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I wanted udon from next door, but my daughter wanted this. As usual, I lost. I love and try to spoil my daughter when I can. Quality/Quantity - Newest coolest trend; I see this type of restaurant popping up everywhere. Self service restaurant. You walk the cafeteria style tables and pick what you want for your meal/soup. Sold by weight $14.99lb. So off we go. I did not even complain when my daughter was picking all that inexpensive food, lol. I went almost straight to the seafood and meats!! After filling your bowl, you go to the register to weigh and pay. Pick your soup and spice level. Get a table and they bring you your food after cooking it. I got the lowest weight as I am the lightest eater (but heaviest drinker, lol). We went to Chingu, a Korean Tapas Bar (restaurant) prior to coming here. See other Yelp reviews. No surprise, but my daughter got the heaviest bowl, lol. Sorry, I did not think of taking pictures before... We took our left overs home and added more ingredients to have a second serving. :) Ambiance - Small location. Plenty of employees. Always cleaning and refilling the foods, keeping everything fresh. Open 7 days a week from 11:30am to 9:30pm. Very limited metered street parking that is free on weekends. Service - Good. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. I got a broth refill, thank you!! I was told that they do not usually do that. Price - I felt expensive. $85 for 3 bowls of soup?!?! Plus tip. $14.99/lb. Owner Comment - Please update your "From the Business" information as it still has $9.99/lb. Congrats on your success since 2025. As long as my daughter wants to come, so will I. read more

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Malatown Express is one of those easy go-to spots when you just want something quick and comforting. The malatang is the main thing here--build-your-own style, pick your stuff, pick your spice level, and you're good. Broth actually has flavor, not watered down. Place is pretty chill. Solid if you're in the area and craving something hot and customizable. Our experience was going well until my son saw a tiny bug in his soup. Hence, the 4-star. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Wide selection of items to choose from. They have taste testers of each of the soup bases! I got tom yum soup and it was great! The sauce bar is frequently filled and has a variety of options. read more

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Food is tasted the same as the ones in China, the food pickup bar is clean. I like the spicy broth read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

We are official regulars at Mala Town and have been here many times now. Our family loves this place. It's a healthy soup meal. Also very clean and with high ceilings. We feel so welcomed when we return. Kevin with his photographic memory always says "Welcome back". Such a nice and relaxing atmosphere where you can grab a nice meal that hits the spot. read more

Mala Town Express - Soup buffet - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Got the signature bone broth and sweet/sour tomato soup! Loved the signature broth, right flavor and temperate of the soup. We like the soup hot. Sweet and sour tomato soup was good but definitely wish it was more on the sour side. Love the unlimited sauce bar. Place was pretty clean and organized. Service was kind, staff was always looking on what to restock. Also fast to clean up after others. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Malatown Express is one of the 3 malatang restaurants in downtown San Mateo. Normally I would go to Tang Bar but today I want to check out something new. What I like about malatang is that they always offer a huge variety of fresh ingredients and broths for you to pick (similar to hotpot), but cheaper. Here is $14.99/lb, and you build your own bowl with tons of veggie, meat, meatball, seafood, and noodle options, then weigh it and choose your soup base or dry mix flavor. From what we read, the most popular soup bases seem to be signature beef bone and Tom Yum. We tried both, but I personally preferred the Tom Yum since the beef bone broth was a little too rich for me. You can also order the dry mix version, where they toss everything together with seasoning instead of serving it in broth. After ordering, you make your own dipping sauce then pick a table and wait for your bowl to be cooked. My bowls were ready after 15 minutes even though the place was busy, so appreciated the staff. If you're ever in San Mateo, definitely give this place a try! read more

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The restaurant didn't open until 11:45am even though it said it's opened at 11:30am. The workers are slacking inside. Please train your employees better!!! Many customers already lined up to go inside but the employees inside don't even care to open the door. If your employees kept Doing that, your restaurant will be out of business soon. The cashier ( Asian guy) looked like he didn't wanna be there and when I asked if there's any coke, he said sold out! What!! The restaurant just opened and how can coke be sold out? He's too lazy to bring more cokes out. The restroom smells funky. It smells like wet dogs Never come here again. Will be my first and last time dining here. read more

Update: Felt unwell and nauseous after eating here. Initially thought it was something else, but our party felt unwell after eating here the night of. We felt a bit better the next day and had some left overs for lunch the next day, and after eating lunch, we felt unwell again. This pretty much confirmed this food made us sick. Either the soup is TOO oily, or the fact that they make us use one tong for every single food creates too much cross contamination. Either way, we will probably not be coming back. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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if you know me, I WILL ALWAYS HAVE MALATANG. i've been to the big chains like ygf, zhangliang, etc. all tried and true. i was so incredibly pleased by the mala town experience for lunch. i opted for the original bone broth with mild spicy. plenty of toppings to choose from. even toppings i've never seen offered, like okra?? i love okra so why not! the broth is really the carrier for me when i go to malatang places. it's what makes the dish because all your ingredients soak it up right? the place was spacious and even though we were the first ones to be served, it filled up quickly by the time we were done. their bone broth is milky and had the perfect balance of spice with the lowest level. it was hard for me to not keep drinking the soup. #sodium im definitely going to be back and i wish it was closer to where im from!!! read more

Date of Visit: 1/10/2025 We visited the Mala Town Express in downtown San Mateo on a Saturday evening. We arrived before 5:30pm and there were not too packed at the restaurant, but after 6pm people started to arrive. The price is $14.99 per pound and you get to pick your favorite vegetables, noodle, hot pot ingredients, seafood and meat. And there were also 7 different soup and dry mixed bases to choose from, including the signature beef bone broth, spicy dry mixed, Tom Yum Soup, chicken broth, Sichuan style MaoCai, Sweet and Sour tomato, and classic beef bone broth. I got the spicy dry mixed and husband got the class beef bone broth. The one husband got was a little plain and there was a sauce stand for customer to mix their own dipping sauce, which was nice! read more

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Came here on a Tuesday afternoon, and it wasn't too busy. They offered a wide variety of ingredients to choose from. I got the tom yum soup base, which was slightly spicy and very delicious. There was also a sauce bar with plenty of options to create your own sauce. The restaurant was very clean, and the staff was friendly. I'd definitely recommend coming here! read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came by Friday night for a quick dinner and it was packed! I love going to the Milpitas location so I knew I had to try out this new location. This location in San Mateo had less seating so it can be hard to get a table at prime dinner time. I came around 7pm and had to wait about 15minutes for a table. The tom yum soup base is my favorite! A little sweet, spicy, and tangy. Parking can be a little challenging because the area is very busy, packed with restaurants but I will def be back!! read more

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Friendly vibes and building your bowl is really fun to do. High quality beef, would recommend. The server is really friendly. Had a great time! read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came on a busy Saturday night and we had to wait 20 minutes but the service from the staff was good. You wait for them to tell you when you can pick your ingredients and then pay. After paying, you wait for them to seat you. I think the overall experience can be improved a little because everyone was crowded around the sauce bar to get seated after paying. The selection bar was very clean and had good variety. The food came within 5 minutes after sitting down. We got the chicken broth, sichuan style malatang, and savory dry mix. The chicken broth was rich and hearty while the sichuan style malatang was just spice but not enough mala spice. The dry savory mix was a peanut based sauce with a little bit of kick. I would recommend the chicken broth and dry savory mix. read more

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Service. Great place they do everything they say next Food. It's fantastic delicious you have selections of different foods that you want meat non-meat just fantastic. Ambience. Very comfortable and very spacious. They're seating everywhere. I enjoyed it. read more

This is one of my favorite Malatang spots! They offer a selection of classic broths that are flavorful without being too heavy. The ingredient variety is excellent, and the meat cuts always look incredibly fresh. I also highly recommend their homemade yogurt drink--it's light, sweet, and perfectly milky. On top of the food, the service is great; I visit quite often and have found the staff to be consistently friendly and attentive. read more

Mala Town Express - Beef bone broth malatang and homemade yogurt drink - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Clean restaurant. Beef broth is better at other locations. Tom Yum is tasty, I got to sample my partners! -1 star SOLELY for the type of fish ball with roe they supplied on their food line. If you are a fish ball fan like me and look forward to getting this as an option for hotpot and malatang, you will be disappointed. The texture and filling was off and very liquidy. It tasted a little freezer burnt and unlike other fish balls i've had tbh. I took it out from my bowl and left it on the table to dispose. A worker was able to hear from me that it was no good lol. I hope they choose a different brand! read more

Mala Town Express - this fish ball with roe tasted unusual, hope it could be replaced. - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Pretty solid self-serve malatang place. At $12.99/lb, their prices can't be beat. While this is considered an Express location, there's still a pretty good selection of high quality meat, veggies, noodles, and other proteins. Sauce bar is pretty standard but they're missing sesame oil. Water dispenser next to the sauce bar is also very convenient. I always opt for a beef broth whenever I get malatang. The signature beef bone broth here is good, but I've had better from other places. I appreciate the generous amount of broth they give you, even if you don't have a bowl that's loaded up with ingredients. The broth alone can leave you full and satisfied! There are a couple things that have changed since the first couple of times I came by that make it more of a traditional dine-in experience. If you dine in, they assign your party a table after weighing and paying for your bowls, and they bring your malatang to you instead of grabbing it yourself. Also, they have an area in the back to put away your own bowls/utensils and to throw away your trash, but I noticed that some parties left their table to be cleaned up after by the staff. read more

Mala Town Express - Beef Bone Broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Smaller location compared to other Mala towns hence the name express. Compared to the other Malatang spots in the neighborhood it has a lot fewer options BUT it is priced cheaper. It's $13 per pound whereas locations like tang bar are $16 a pound. There's a little sauce bar with sufficient options. The meat is also priced by weight so if you want a lot of protein it's actually cheaper to get some meat slices than heavier water filled items like tofu. I liked that I wasn't overwhelmed with options which helped me portion control my meal. In the end, I got the dry savory mix which was tasty blending savory flavors with a bit of spice. There were flies around the sauce bar though so that left a bit to be desired Overall a decent spot if you're looking for an alternative to the other malatang spots in the area! read more

My first time at a Malatown! Compared to other Malatang places, I liked this better. The bar where you pick your items felt really clean with a lot of options and there was a solid sauce bar. Kind staff, too. My only issue is that some of the ingredients were mislabeled, which is especially confusing with the fishballs. I'll definitely be back. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Someone told me I should try Mala Town so I decided to grab dinner here with my friend on a Wednesday night. Since it is located in downtown, there are parking lots or street parking. The inside was a little small with some tables and bar style seating. The selection isn't as extensive as Tang Bar that is a block away. Vegetable and ball selection wasn't that great. The noodle options were fine. I chose the sichuan style malatang broth which honestly wasn't flavorful. It was a bit spicy but nothing numbing. It was just a lot of chilis. The meat selection looked sparse at 6:30 pm so I'm not sure if they restocked eventually. Overall, an okay try. Nothing amazing. I probably wouldn't come back as there are better options in the area. The service was good. They bring your order to you and there is a bussing station but they helped us with our bowls after. read more

Mala Town Express - Set with Sichuan Style Soup Base 川式冒菜汤底套餐 - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I've annoyed every single person I know because of Mala Town. This is my current happy place! They have a wide selection of veggies, noodles, meats, etc. - something for everyone! We've only tried the tom yum soup base, but my family (they tend to be very hard to please) said it was one of the best tom yum soup bases they've tried. And depending on how much you put in your bowl, I would say the cost is very reasonable. After paying, head over to the sauce bar. They have everything you need and I like that it's clean and not overwhelming. They have this orange mala sauce that I've never seen before, but you have to try it with the meat! On top of all this, the restaurant is clean and the staff is super nice. My only gripe is the overall seating is uncomfortable. They' have stools with no back support, so that makes it hard to fully enjoy the dining experience. Other than that, still a solid choice if you're looking for hot pot in the area! read more

Mala Town Express - Tom Yum Soup Base - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ingredients looked pretty clean and tables were not too dirty. I watched team members go out and actually wipe tables down. I noticed that the marbled beef was really good. The meat was super tender so that was delicious. My rating is low because I put in a good amount of noodles and I literally only had one in there. I poured all the soup into a bowl and again into another bowl but they jipped me. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Okay, hands-down. Soooo good. I went to my first Mala Town not too long ago and loved it. I had to come back again! This one is thankfully a bit closer to me. You come here and pick out your ingredients. There are definitely less ingredients and spice levels to pick from for you soup, but still very solid. I love that it's basically like Chipotle hot pot. I can't recommend the beef broth soup more. It's sooo good. The difference between this Mala Town and the others are this one seems to be more serve yourself. So for example you bus your own dishes and seat yourself. Otherwise, it's very much the same as other Mala Town locations. Highly recommend especially on a cold day. It'll leave you feeling warm and full. My one rec is to not wear a light colored top. The soup can be kinda splashy when you eat! read more

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I was in the area and I was craving something soupy so here I am. This spot has a lot of fresh ingredients and broth to choose from. They also have a cool sauce station. The price is also pretty affordable to as long as you don't get too much. The staff working here is also very friendly and service is pretty fast. Try it out if you like. :) read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This place is so good the associate Kevin is so friendly!! He helped us get the best soup!

We come here once a week. Its that good. Let's me stick to meat and veggies while my friends can grab as many noodles as they want. The service is always super. They also have free broth outside if you want to give it a try first. We like it more than the other places in town because the broth is better and the quality of everything is just a notch above. read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Really good experience overall! The food was fresh, flavorful, and everything we tried was delicious. The service was good and the atmosphere was enjoyable. My only suggestion would be to add more vegetarian soup/broth options to the menu. Other than that, everything was great and I would definitely come back! read more

Amazing service and very clean environment. Kevin was a great cashier!! I would definitely go here again

5 for facility. Clean tables, clean plastic Containers and Tongs. 4on ingredients selection. It's interesting that the lineup starts with veggies selections instead of meats. 3 for the spicy malatang broth. Since the name of the establishment is Mala Town. I have a high expectation for their Mala broth. Unfortunately, it's not as flavourful as Tang's Bar and ZhangLiang. There's something missing from the broth. It's $12.99 per lb, I like that! But, you got what you pay. read more

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We were craving malatang so decided to give this place a try based on the reviews! They actually have all the soups in front of the store to try which i thought was very nice for them to do. We quickly got in line and picked out all of our ingredients. They have a wide variety of vegetables, meats, noodles, and seafood which i appreciated. My total came out to about $25 which was better than i expected! I got the tom yum and my partner got the beef broth. Both were yummy. I would definitely recommend if you are craving malatang! read more

Mala Town Express - Hot Pot Near Me - San Mateo, California