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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ

    4.4 (105 reviews)

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    Stephanie H.

    Master Gua is the master of malatang!!! We came here on a Saturday and it wasn't too busy. They carry a variety of selection of ingredients for your malatang, but was smaller compare to other chains, but nonetheless still had everything we needed! :-) I ordered the Tom yum soup and it was tangy, sour, delicious. It reminded me of my childhood. The soup tasted similar to mama noodles. It brought me a lot of memories! The minimum requirement is 0.8 per lb and the cost was only $14.99 per lb. Great pricing and also, as mentioned, great variety/selection. Also they provided rice with your meal! Overall, great experience and will definitely be back if I'm in the area again!!!

    Irena S.

    Came here a few weeks ago on a weeknight, because we love Mala Town in Union City but it felt too far to drive. Basic concept is very similar to Mala Town - you get a large bowl and you get to self-serve raw ingredients from the wall, for $14.99 per pound. You get to choose your broth and spiciness level and they cook it for you, and they bring it out to you at your table. Pros: - Pretty easy process to follow through, and they're kind in explaining if you haven't done it before - There's also things you can order from the table via QR code. - The hot tea they serve is nice as well - Pretty decent spread of ingredients, including noodles, veggies, meat - Sauces available on the right side of the ingredients - Pretty empty on a weeknight, didn't have to wait very long for anything - Pretty quiet, good for casual date or dinner spot - broth choices including tomato and beef bone broth. - Just make sure you be careful not to put TOO many raw ingredients - it's always going to weigh more than you think Cons: - Parking can be tricky in this area, but overall not bad 10/10 will come again

    Spicy Beef and Lamb Skewers. Lots of flavor!
    Cynthia W.

    It says it opens at 11am. We arrived at 11:10am, but she was still setting up and told us to stand and wait. Nobody else was there. Pretty quiet. Decent size restaurant. It took about another 10mins of us waiting before we were able to start getting food. The variety of food was abundant! So many different noodles, fishballs, mushrooms, etc. I liked that. Everything is the same price, you put it in your bowl and weigh it. It costs 14.99/lb. I got way too much in my bowl. I barely ate half of it and was full. So be cautious of how much you put. I think I just got carried away. haha. I chose the spicy Szechuan soup base. Love the numbing flavor. They also have a sauce bar that you can add more spices too, which was nice. We also got a spicy beef and lamb skewer. The spices/flavoring on these were amazing. One of my friends did the dry noodle dish with peanut sauce instead of soup. He really liked that a lot.

    Inside
    Tony G.

    This is actually my first time trying a malatang spot. Malatangs been getting a lot popular lately, so I figured I'd give it a shot. This restaurant is located int the plaza, so parking can be difficult for sure. The staff was nice, they greeted us the door and asked if this was our first time. Then they walked us through the process. Basically, you grab a bowl then you go to the ingredient bar and pick whatever ingredients you want, meat, noodles, seafood, veggies, etc. They then weight it, and you pay for the for the pound (0.8 lb minimum). Then you pick which soup broth to pair with it. Relatively fast process. I got the beef bone broth with mild spice. I'm a lightweight, so the mild already got my sweating good. Luckily, didn't have that numbing tongue sensation. I'd probably just do non-spicy next time. Pretty cool experience, think of it as a cross between a regular soup item menu and an all-you-can-eat hotpot place. Grab what you want and pay for the weight of it.

    Melinda Y.

    I've heard of Malatang for a while but ended up dining there one evening with my niece. It was a quiet spot on a weeknight. Parking situation wasn't bad when we arrived at 5:30. We grabbed a ginormous bowl and started loading up with ingredients to be cooked in the broth of our choice. It cooked up quickly in the kitchen while we made our dipping sauce. It was SPICY! Be sure to get some soy milk to soothe your taste buds. Note, you are charged by weight of the contents of the bowl - ended up being pretty pricey but had a decent portion of leftovers so ended up being moderately-priced. Will return

    Beef tendon, lamb, beef skewers
    Soo K.

    My new favorite restaurant! At first, I was quite skeptical since I had previously visited a couple of mala restaurants that were overpriced and mediocre. However, I like this one! I ordered the beef, lamb, and beef tendon skewers with extreme spice, and they were delicious. The skewers were flavorful and had a nice crunch. Surprisingly, they weren't unbearably spicy; I would say they tasted more like medium spice to me. For my main dish, I chose the Tom Yum soup, also with extreme spice, and I enjoyed it very much. I did add some Thai chilies when I got home, but the soup was already hearty and had a nice kick to it. I can't wait to try the other broth options. As for the atmosphere, I found it a bit awkward because it was very quiet inside, with no music playing and diners barely talking. We went around 7 PM, and there was still a good selection of toppings available. The service was great! The cashier was very helpful and accommodating.

    Ashley W.

    This is a decent malatang spot in downtown San Leandro. Parking might be difficult depending on the time of day you go because it is located in the heart of the Pelton Plaza, but there are plenty of spots in the surrounding streets. The food is good and the service is straightforward -- you grab a bowl, pick your own ingredients, and then pay at the counter for them to cook it. I love that they have skewers and side dishes available here too! This is a smaller restaurant compared to some of the more popular malatang spots in the Bay Area, but it still offers all the essentials for a satisfying bowl!

    Jimmy U.

    Ive been trying a lot of malatang lately. Usually not by choice. But I've gone to a couple of places on the Bay Area and this one is my favorite. The dry pot has the best peanut sauce in my humble opinion. The selection of ingredients isn't too massive but they have everything that I would want. I've been here a couple of times and it was never busy which is kinda sad because I like it a lot and hope they do well.

    Tornado Potato
    Berna G.

    Malatang and bbq skewers are now in downtown San Leandro! Located in the Pelton Center, you can build your own bowl by filling it up with different meats, seafood, veggies, noodles, and other toppings, along with your choice of soup base. Pay by weight and they cook it in the kitchen then call your number when it's ready. The spice level of soup can also be adjusted so I stuck with mild. Szechuan peppers are slowly growing on me, but anything spicier than mild and the food starts tasting like tv static. The bbq skewers are super affordable too. The meats are generously seasoned with a cumin-heavy spice mix.

    Everett L.

    We came to try the malatang and it was so good. The selection of food and the taste of the broth so spicy. Lots of sitting room also.

    Vivian L.

    Came here for dinner and when you walk in, pick up a clear bowl, choose your noodles, veggies, meat, etc. then you go up to the cashier and they will weigh your bowl, and you get to pick your soup from there. Then you'll pay and they'll bring out your bowl of soup. I got the beef bone broth soup in medium spice and it was spicy and a bit oily for me. My friend got the same broth but in light spice and he loved his bowl. They also have a counter for you to get your sauces, green onions, garlic, peppers, etc. and all of their sauces were pretty good. Service was good too and refilled our waters multiple times throughout the dinner. The only thing I get worried about is how sanitary it is, since everyone goes there and picks up their own food. But it seemed "decent" when we went since it was an early dinner. Besides that, there are a few parking spots outside the plaza.

    Minhchau N.

    Came in on a Tuesday night after class around 8pm. The girl at the register was very friendly and asked if it was our first time there. She explained the process and let us do our thing. I got the Szechuan numbing broth which I guess was new. And we got some bbq skewers. We enjoyed our meal and so glad there's a spot close to home. Will definitely be coming back.

    I added lots of meat
    Odalys M.

    This place looks so cool and you get to pick your own choice of meat, noodles, veggies and much more. I got lots of meat and noodles for mines but also you get to pick up your choice of spicy and broth. Definitely coming back here again! Came here with a cold and it cured me

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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Master Gua Malatang & BBQ

    Do the soups contain peanuts?

    There are different type of soup bases. The one I ordered has a peanut based flavorings. So know that it is being prepared in a kitchen that is exposed to peanut butter and such.

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    King Kong BBQ is a great place to grab a quick meal at an affordable price. This Chinese "fast…read morefood" place features ready to serve hot foods and various cooked meats. I was there at 7pm on a Saturday. I've seen this place cross my Yelp feed a few times, so I wanted to come try it. I also got a tip from a Yelp Elite that the roast pig was very good here. So I ordered the $8.99 Combo meal- Chow Mein and/or Fried Rice + 2 Items from the steam table. -at extra cost, you can sub meats from the BBQ/Cooked Meat section. So I got fried rice, and string beans w/ Chicken/Mushrooms. 2nd item was Chicken in gravy w/ mixed veggies. I asked them to put some gravy over the rice to make it soft and moist. Good portions! You get alot of food for $8.99. Chicken was very tender and easy to eat. All the foods were good. I also got 1/2 a roast duck and a small box of roast pig to try. They said they cook the roast ducks there. The duck had a mild flavor, but it was tender and moist. The roast pig was good. Moist juicy meat. Crispy crunchy pork skin. There's tables and booths in the dining room. The decor doesn't match an asian restaurant. Honestly, I can't remember what used to be here. The layout and outside design looks like an old style Taco Bell. They have a large parking lot. There's a 7-11 sign, but no 7-11 store. The staff was very nice. You just tell them what you want, and point at which tray of food. BTW...."BBQ" means Chinese BBQ.... - Roast Pork Belly - Roast Duck - Imperial Chicken - Soy Sauce Chicken - Honey BBQ Pork Overall a very good experience, and I would return. ------------------------------------- Located at East 14th St & 136th Ave, Near San Leandro Blvd. Across the street from Palma Plaza and San Leandro Hospital. Free parking

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    Fikscue Craft BBQ - 2 Dino Ribs, 2 beef back ribs, one sausage

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    Brother's BBQ - Appetizers

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    Very friendly staff and a decently sized restaurant appropriate for small and big family gatherings…read moreor just to hang out with friends! The wait time for being served was quite long here but it may have been due to the restaurant being short-staffed. 5/5 - Spicy Pork Bulgogi - The best dish we had at this place! The marinade was perfect, and we appreciated the large serving of pork bulgogi. 5/5 - LA Short Rib - Also another star of the show here! Very generous serving and was both tender and juicy! The short rib was also well-seasoned, and we couldn't get enough of it! 4/5 - Soft Tofu Soup - The soup was very tasty and not too spicy or salty! Unfortunately we thought the serving was a bit small relative to other locations we've had this same dish and relative to the other dishes for its price, so keep that in mind! 3.5/5 - Stir-Fried Shrimp - The shrimp was just as good as the vegetables served in the stir-fry sauce. The shrimp seemed a bit dry, but overall the dish was delicious! 4.5/5 - Kimchi Pancake - Large portioned kimchi pancake that is complemented well with their pancake sauce. Highly recommend getting this to share with a medium-large party as an appetizer!

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    Jin Gege - Sweet and sour fish

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    3.8(1.3k reviews)
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    After work Easter dinner. We finally dined in here…read more Really good BBQ spot. Glad we came here. Everything looked so yummy when it came. Good flavors from everything. My favorite was the mac & cheese and brussels sprouts. The meats were so tender! Although, I tried a piece of pork link, for some reason, I didn't like it. It seemed too grainy. The ambience was chill, and they have full bar. Nice and spacious. My only complaint is that I was trying to order & the phone rings & the host took the call. What I learned in customer service in my 20 years +, you attend to the customer in front of you first. Phone calls can wait. When she got off the phone, other workers came over and they started talking about what's next in their schedule. Still, I'm over here, waiting to order the rest of the stuff. That what the unprofessional part of things.. Glad we still came here to try. It still earned a star to come back!

    BBQ is not cheap But you would expect a certain quality…read moreOrdered the two combo plate which is about $30 with tip The rib tips were mostly bone or dried out pieces. The beef brisket was tender but lacked the Smokey flavor The Brussels sprouts were crisp but a tad too salty Baked beans were good as was the dinner roll Order was ready early but lacked any utensils or napkins in our to go order

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    Master Gua Malatang & BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

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