We've had other malatang experiences in the many food halls down by Main St, but Rahongbu is a brick & mortar restaurant further east, in a more quiet neighborhood away from the bustle of downtown Flushing. On a Thursday night, there was only one other couple there enjoying their dry pot bowls. When we were ready, we grabbed a large mixing bowl and the server hit a hidden switch that raised the thermal curtain to all the food choices. It's like being in a candy store and you had free rein. You make your own choices and pick from the bins in the refrigerated case with the provided tongs. We decided to have a single bowl and made it a family meal for 3. Once you make your selections from all the different fish balls, seafood, multi-variations of tofu, mushrooms, vegetables & noodles, hand the bowl to the server to be weighed ($ per pound) and let them know how you would like it to be cooked. You have a choice of noodle soup, fried or dry pot. We elected dry pot, which is basically wok stir fried. You can also add beef or lamb for $3 per serving and we asked for double beef. They also serve BBQ skewers of beef, lamb & chicken, so we tried 2 lamb sticks. Be careful when you order the spice level because it can be misleading. White is totally no spice, while Mild is 2 pepper signs, Medium is 3 peppers and Spicy is 4. We went with mild and it was plenty spicy for me because I fished out 6 pieces of dried red chili peppers from our pot. I don't even want to be in the same room with Level 4 for fear of it scorching my tongue. Make sure to have enough white rice ($2/bowl) to cut the spiciness and to make good use of the self-serve water dispenser. If you can sit right next to it, more power to you. read more

See all

Limited selection of vegetables and seafood. You can choose Mala hotpot ( soup base) $how much is a pound $tak 13.99 per lb or Mala dry hotpot $15.99 per lb Choice of beef, lamb, or chicken for an additional $3.99. I order 4 Lamb Skillet for $2. Each o. The food tastes pretty good . The service is fast. The place is clean. read more

See all

Wasn't so familiar with malatang specifically, but we've had plenty cultural variations of it. You put what you want in a bowl and they add the broth. Good amount of potential ingredients and was a sizable dish-was able to share one bowl between two people. The broth was nice. We also grabbed some meat skewers which we probably didn't need-didn't add much to the meal. The meat in the broth was nice. I'm a little confused about the offerings for the dipping sauce as it seemed a bit random, but it did the job. We were the only ones there when we went so everything came quick. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

This place specializes in two items. One is Malatang, which transliterates to spicy soup and xiang guo or sometimes known as dry hot pot. The place seems operated by Chinese people and sells Chinese food, but they do understand they have a large Korean constituency. The menu needs work in terms of clarity but the food tastes great, and I love that you can really go spicy here. Pricing is done by pound so you can control how much you eat and pay which is rather novel for this type of food. Meat is a flat $3 and you get a solid portion. Give them a try. read more

4.5 stars! I was craving something SPICY, and decided to check out Rahongbu based on my friend's recommendation! The restaurant appears to be largely self serve. We were a bit unsure at first (Do we pick any table? Do we just go for it or do we have to talk to the staff first?!), and there's a bit of a language barrier. But there are large bowls on the side to pick & choose your desired items, and then you pay up front and select either dry hotpot or malatang. The dry hotpot is a bit more expensive than the malatang. Meats are added separately at the counter ($3 each for beef or lamb). Table numbers are assigned when you bring your bowl up. I opted for the medium malatang, and my fiance got the mild dry hotpot. I was surprised to see that my completed order looked like a lot more food than expected. They cut up the larger items inside (napa cabbage, fish tofu, etc.). Medium spice was the perfect amount of heat for the malatang, but I might try the spicy next time. The broth is really tasty and slightly nutty, but not overwhelmingly so. Dry hotpot seems to have more flavor & the spice is more concentrated, so mild for that was almost the equivalent of the soup medium. Rice comes with dry hotpot, not with the soup. I had so much broth leftover towards the end, and packed this to go for round 2 with some additional noodles at home. Prices are reasonable. For the both of us after tax and tip, this came out to around $50. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Medium malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

This place is probably the best malatang in the area. I would take the hike to come back here. Yummy broth, pretty hole in the wall spot with limited seating but never too crowded so you could really just walk in. A lot of the things here are self service but it's still good! Make sure to get the gwobarou as a side dish!! Portion size is pretty decent so you can share with the table (: read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Came here for dinner with my friends on a weeknight craving malatang. It is self service for the vegetables, noodles, and some proteins like fish balls, etc. You grab a bowl and tongs and fill your bowl and they weigh it. Meat like beef and lamb are a flat price add on for $3 at a set amount. The selection of ingredients isn't as extensive as other places I've been to, but they had the staples and basics. I got beef add on with broth at medium spice. The broth is delicious and flavorful. Got medium but probably could've handled spicier since I've had the same broth at other places. The medium here is probably more of a mild in my opinion. Dry pot is a little more expensive than broth and 3/4 of us got that. The beef add on had plenty in it, I didn't think they'd give that much meat so I liked that a lot and overall enjoyed my meal. Everyone else enjoyed their dry pot as well, no complaints. We also got some bbq skewers but I didn't try those so I can't give my opinion. Service was friendly. We had a slight language barrier but we all worked through it fine as time went on. They packed our leftovers up for us and you pay at the counter. read more

This is a self service spot where you pick your ingredients, go to the cashier to get it weighed + pay, then choose your style of dish and then they cook it for you. Overall, I wasn't really impressed with their selection of ingredients. I didn't really like the fish tofu options that they had, they all tasted spongy and cheap. I think they could have a better variety of options. What got me stunned the most was the price. I don't really eat a lot, so I was pretty conservative with the amount of ingredients I was putting in my bowl and even then it came out to $22. I can't imagine the price if I stuffed my bowl with ingredients. Don't think I'll be returning. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

So happy I found this spot!! The closest mala spot to me used to be New World Mall, but I'm so glad this restaurant opened. It's not hard to find parking and service is great. When you walk in, you pick up a bowl and choose what seafood, veggies, and starches you would like to add. You can put as much or as little food in there as you want. I always get the cheesy rice cake, lobster balls, fish tofu, fish balls, noodles, enoki mushrooms, and veggies. After you put everything in a bowl, they weigh it and tell you the price. At that time, you can decide to add meat. which is an extra cost. I always add fatty beef but there other options too. The order comes with one white rice. You can choose a seat and they'll mix it up for you with the sauces and serve. SO YUM!! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

The dry hot pot here is amazing!! I was tired of getting dry hot pot from the one place I knew at new world mall and my friend introduced me to this place. They have a wide variety of ingredients that include a variety of fish balls, veggies, roots and mushrooms, noodle options and some more! The best part of is, unlike the place at new world mall, you are able to choose how much of each item you want. I feel like this is pretty important since it is priced by weight. After selecting your ingredients they ask if you want meat (lamb or beef) added and then it is priced. It comes with rice and my order came to be around $26 and it was honestly 2 meals for me! Service was very quick and the restaurant was empty when we came on a weekend afternoon. It was definitely nice and spicy but if you love dry hot pot this is the place! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

It is such a pleasure to finally have dry malatang somewhere outside of downtown flushing. For dry malatang: They have a refrigerator section where you can choose your veggies and type of carbs. After you choose what you want to eat, you'll go right to the register and they will weigh it for you. You can also request to add your choice of protein. For all other items: They have a few variety items on their menu, including malatang and cold noodle. This place seems to be own by chinese-korean. Overall it was a great experience for a Sunday quick lunch. Will definitely come back. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Dry hot pot - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Randomly walked in & ate here. I got the Malatang & picked out my veggies & fried tofu. Will definitely be back ! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Decent spot nothing crazy, you pick your own stuff. I would say that the soup base taste like ramen packed msg with some spicy stuff added on top. Priced well for what you get tho read more

Can't believe I never knew about this place! Randomly saw it on Yelp and decided to get some food to-go with my friend. Love that this is outside of downtown Flushing, so much easier for me to visit! Street parking can be a little tough but we got lucky and parked on the next block. Walking in the restaurant, it looks pretty newly renovated! I like that you can choose your own ingredients for your malatang or mala xiang gou. The price is by weight and you pay an extra I think $3 if you want beef or lamb. We picked out a variety of things and handed it off to be cooked. Medium spicy was a little tooo spicy for me, next time I'd get mild instead. We also got the cold noodles, which was pretty hefty and delicious. The broth was so refreshing!! I wanted to try the guobaoru but will try it next time when I dine in instead! Will be back! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

If I could eat one thing every day it's the malatang here. I grew up eating Malatang in the basements of Flushing Malls, so this steaming spicy bowl of soup-filled vegetables, tofu, and meat is a major comfort food. The malatang from Rahongbu is definitely different from the ones I'm used to, but has slowly become my favorite way to have malatang. When you enter you'll notice there is a refrigerator section of ingredients and bowls. The cool thing about this place is that you get to handpick your ingredients, so if you like tofu, add more tofu. The options are limitless or until your bowl is too full :). I love that they have multiple tofu options, mushrooms, noodles, and quail eggs(!!). After you've piled up your bowl, you bring it over to the checkout counter to add lamb or beef as well as choose how you want your ingredients to be cooked. Out of the options, Malatang is what I find I always come back to [10/10]. The flavor of the soup is very nutty and super easy to drink. I used to not be able to drink the soups of Malatangs because there was too much spicy oil which caused me to go into a coughing fit. The ingredients are very fresh and you can tell by how the vegetables are still green and their seafood products aren't fishy. The Mala Xiang Guo [7/10] is good as well but it's not quite as flavorful as the soup version. It is mostly oily and slightly salty, whereas the soup is nutty and savory. I think the xiang guo is a hit or miss and usually, the chili peppers and spices coat the vegetables unevenly making certain pieces saltier, etc. Appetizers-wise, their guabaorou is [10/10] phenomenal. The batter reminds me a bit of mochi where it's on the gummier side but is still fried perfectly on the outside. I've had this same dish elsewhere, and usually, the batter is extremely thick and hard to distinguish where the meat is because the meat is meant to be thin. The sauce they use as well is not as sweet and has a very good balance of sweet and tangy. Their skewers [4/10] were very very dry and not much meat for 2 dollars a skewer. Would not get it again. Overall, this place is worth the trip out. I pass by here twice a week on my way to Pilates and have to fight the urge to come here every time. I 10/10 recommended trying this little shop out. read more

I love this place... I would come by much more often if I lived closer. Their spice levels accurately accommodates everyone and their spice tolerance (they even serve a "white" option for kids or anyone who doesn't care for all that chili oil mala goodness) Their mala soup is peanut based, creamy, and spicy - it's like a rich and fatty mala ramen broth, if you will. Their dry mala pot is also very well flavored, and isn't too salty as other mala dry pot spots make theirs. Grab as many ingredients as you want into a bowl, hand it over to be weighed ($13.95/lb), and have them cook your selections on the spot: choose soupy or dry and choose your spice level. Be careful not to grab too much of the heavier items though, it racks up!!! But you can always take it to-go if your eyes are bigger than your tummy like me lol read more

Rahongbu Malatang - My new addiction - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

4.5 stars. So excited that Rahongbu opened in the neighborhood so that I don't have to tread all the way to Main street whenever I'm craving dry hot pot. Unlike other dry hot pot establishments that I've been to, this place is self-serve - you grab a bowl with a pair of clean tongs and add whatever inside and then pay by weight at the register. The food is usually covered by a big screen which the staff will remove for you when you come in. There is a large variety of veggies, fish balls, mushrooms, noodles, and tofu. I love enoki and wood ear mushrooms so was glad those were both present. Beef is charged separately. I usually wait in the restaurant as they cook up my order in the back. Wait times can range from 10 up to 20 minutes or more depending on the size of your order, so keep that in mind. I've gotten the mild spicy, and that is already plenty of spice for me. The flavors are good and strong, but I think slightly inferior to the classic food court dry hot pots that I've tried. Like it's missing the extra oomph, but can't exactly tell what it's missing. The cold noodles are super yummy - sweet and sour refreshingly cold broth and they give plenty of noodles. Perfect for washing down all that spice! This was easily shared between 2-3 people. I highly recommend. Can't wait to be back soon! read more

See all

We got the medium spicy and it is enjoyable and we can finish it without being too spicy. The food is great. There isn't a lot of service and the place is clean. The fried pork is a must get. I see a lot of the other people eating the soup version too. read more

See all

I was craving Malatang and stopped by today. There was no flavor and tasted terrible. No mala flavor and overpriced. I trashed it.

amazzzing place for mala!! it's so affordable too compared to places like mala project in the city, plus this is the only place i know that does mala tang! the food: it's self service in terms of ingredients, and then you can choose to have it dry or with soup and the spicy level. i will say the spiciest level even for the soup is not spicy at all. i also got the gwobarou, a fried pork dish covered in a sweet tangy sauce, it's so good!!!! just like tangsooyook but the meat is much softer. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

Located outside the main flushing area, its a small cozy Malatang spot where you pick your own ingredients then pick the broth/type you want from the menu. They weigh the ingredients you picked and charge by the pound. Beef was 3$ more and the portion was a bit small. It can get pricey if you pick heavier ingredients or a lot. Mild is not spicy here compared to mild at the core Flushing spots. I'd recommend medium if you want some spice. The dry here is better than the soup based malatang. For the price and lack of parking in this area I'll probably stick to the cheaper flushing spots. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - #1 malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

Discovered this place randomly when I was in the area picking up some Korean food to go. Being a Malatang fanatic, I had to try this place since it's new in the area. We got the mala dry pot. Unfortunately the flavor was boring and monotone. There was none of the spice or numb that malatang should have. The price was also a bit high. They also didn't have fish fillet as a option for their dry pot which I find surprising. The woman working there also was not very friendly. So this place is a no for me. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

If you know me, my comfort food is malaxiangguo. THIS is my go-to spot for it now!!! What I love about this place: 1. Fresh ingredients (yes, the veggies too) 2. You get to choose exactly how much of the ingredients you want (do-it-yourself station) 3. Flavoring is not too salty like the ones in Main St When you go inside this restaurant, there is a station on the far back left with all the ingredients you would want in your (dry) hot pot. You pick up a bowl and grab the stuff you want and then bring it to the cashier to charge you based on the weight. You can also add your choice of protein (beef/lamb) for an extra $3. It's definitely a tad more pricey than the mala in Main St, but I think the choice, quality, and taste is worth it! I also recommend you try the Guobaorou (sweet and sour pork)-- it is AMAZINGGGG I can't rave enough about this place but I've been going here at least every other week since I found out about this place... :D read more

See all

Great price for the amount and quality of food. You get to choose your own ingredients like the noodles, veggies in a bowl and get charged by its weight. You then have the option to choose beef (briskets/chadol) or lamb for an extra $3. As this was my first time trying mala, I thought the self service station was perfect. The worker there was also super helpful and kind when we told him this was our first time here. I got the Malaxingguo (stir fried hot pot) in mild which was still pretty spicy for me! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - mala xiang guo - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Great service, nice selection of ingredients, they had all my favs! Really good amount of spice and flavor in the dry mala. Very good guabarou too. Highly recommend! read more

I came upon this place when I was craving Mala and I was not disappointed when I went it. I was prepared for that typical oily/greasy feel when I went inside but it was so clean and well-kept. The process of placing an order was also very no-nonsense, which I prefer. I got the soup and my partner got the dry, and I liked his better read more

See all

I used to go to my favorite malatang dry stir fry in downtown flushing (tian fu), but it was always a drag to go there since parking is hard and so crowded. I was so happy when I found this place and it was almost as good. You get your veggies, noodles, and fish tofu first, then you ask them for the meat (I usually get beef). They charge the meat separately. The place is clean and quiet. The flavor and the spice level were good. My friend got the soupy hot pot and the flavor was nutty but good. Somethings I wished could be better for this to be my favorite spot even better than the one in Flushing is: I wish they put way more garlic in it, I wish the beef was cooked more, and I wished they have more seafood option like fish, crab, etc, and I wished they sell beef skewers as well. Other than that I'd rather come here than go to downtown flushing since it still tastes really good. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Dry hot pot with beef - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Let me tell y'all about this place. It's a bit far from flushing Main Street and even from the restaurant near the Murray hill lirr stop. But this place is worth the extra distance. If you want malatang or mala xiang guo, then this is the place! You come in and pick the ingredients you want put in. Then it's weighed. Then you choose soup or dry and spice level. Beef or lamb can be added for $3. Very tasty and does not taste too greasy. The soup is beef broth which makes it a bit creamy with the spice. Very well done. And then I recommend the guo bao ruo. A lot of places make it waaay too sweet but theirs is just right with a hint of vinegar. This place is definitely worth a visit. The food here taste great and is worth the distance!! read more

See all

It was okay ended up spending $70 for two people. One bowl. It was okay. Went with mild spice. It just wasn't worth $70. Please was not frills. Pick what you want. Weight it. Pay. They cook it pretty quick. Went with the dry no soup. It was fine. Nothing to race home about. read more

The best dry hotpot I ever had. I thought about it so much the next few days after having it. Think I can have it the entire week if I could. Service was great, she kept asking me if the price was ok and if I wanted to take some toppings out, I could. Will def be back! read more

I vouch for Rahongbu Malatang as offering spiciness that is at my limit and probably that of many other diners. I believe the adage of watch what you wish for (or as Oscar Wilde said, there are two great tragedies in life; one is not getting what you want -- the other is getting it). The Greek myth of Tithonus is a warning: a mortal man who fell in love with a goddess, he was gifted with immortality -- but they forgot to mention eternal youth, the consequence being he wasted away, ever more elderly and frail. In culinary terms, I always want enough garlic to reek from every pore, to my wife's embarrassment and discomfort; and enough hot sauce that I will regret having requested that. I also am aware that while I can consume dishes most cannot, I cannot compare to the elite who have an ability to enjoy the tastes that register high on the Scoville scale. In this instance, I pointed to the table of options, indicating I would order my soup at the top level. I was sweating. I had to pause. I could discern the underlying flavors, just barely. The ingredients were fresh. But the overwhelming sensation was that thrill you want from an experience such as this. My body was flush with endorphins. I doubt I could do this often. It was powerful. My friend, wiser, selected the "white" option, referring to a clear broth. He was content to watch me struggle. The moral of the story: if you appreciate that searing feeling on your tongue, the ensuing rush from your body's natural mechanisms responding to a savory challenge, then this place is for you. I am sure the offerings are acceptable without the tang, but my philosophy in these matters is why bother then. Incidentally, the proprietor is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Korean. My own linguistic skills are weak (juvenile in Mandarin, non existent in Korean, despite Chinese ancestry as well as Korean I only recently learned from a genetic test). He is either ethnic Chinese from Korea, or ethnic Korean from mainland China. He explained that to me. This may be useful if you'd like to place an order in a language other than English. He also was friendly and helpful. Probably he was shaking his head, internally, at my foolhardy venture into mala. The name of the business should be a warning. If you do not know the mala concept, it is a peppercorn that is both "hot" and analgesic, i.e., numbling. If you have never had it, you might think something has gone wrong with your palate. That is just the effect. read more

Food was very bad almost tasted expired. I asked for no peanut sauce since I am allergic but they still put it in anyways and I had an allergic. Overall very bad experience would not recommend. read more

Been here at least 3x already because it's so good! I was so glad a malaxingguo spot opened up around this area of Flushing because it was only accessible through downtown flushing or manhattan. I've tried both their malaxingguo (dry pot) and malatang, but both are equally delicious! You really get your bang for your buck here because you get to choose all your fresh ingredients and the amount you want. They weigh it for you afterwards and you can opt for lamb/beef at an extra charge. I also highly recommend ordering their Guobaorou (sweet and spicy chicken) to share, it's so good! :) I hope this place is here for good! read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Pretty good, self-service then at the check out - you will have to tell the server whether you want in soup or soupless. Also fried pork - pretty pretty good! read more

The best Ma La Tang place in New York. They've got plenty of ingredients all of which were kept very fresh. Their replenishable, pickled radish was also super refreshing and tasty. We ordered beef and lamb skewers too, they were good too. Their yogurt ice cream is also a mist try! Plus the entire place was kept very clean and cozy, highly recommended!! read more

If you have a ma la tang craving come here. Most of the ingredients are self pick and charged by weight. The stash is fresh and lots of choices. One downside is that the meat choice is not variegated. The broth flavor is deep and the spice level is satisfactory. The service is quick and attentive. A+, come here folks and get your acid reflux induced~ read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Ma la tang with lamb - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

I was googling stuff around to find ma la tang. read couple of reviews on other websites to find the best ma la tang spot in Queens (cuz I live in Flushing). easy spot. they have lots of other stuff in the menu too, but I can't upload it right now since I just finished eating and am about to leave. Maybe next time read more

Rahongbu Malatang - top menu - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

I'm glad that I found this gem. Mala tang is on point. We asked for extra spicy and it was just how you expected. Also for $16 it was a good portion. We also got guobaoru, fried pork with mochi stuff so it's very chewy. Would definitely go back and try different stuff. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Mala tang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

It was so so delicious - great malatang dry pot! Wasn't too busy so we didn't have to wait. Customer service was also nice. He was very kind and quick. read more

Rahongbu Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Flushing, New York

Great place for dry hotpot. For eat in, it's a serve yourself kind of spot. Pick a table then go to the refrigerated area and pick your own ingredients, it was about $16/lb, I opted for some beef so that was $3 extra. The restaurant was clean and flavor was amazing! read more