I love malatang and didn't expect to find such a good place in Koreatown. Both hot pot and dry pot are priced by weight and they cost the same. It came to around $20-25 a bowl putting in everything I wanted (and one bowl last me 2 meals). I really like the flavor of the finished bowl. I went for the lowest possible spicy level and it's doable. The good thing was that it didn't reduce other flavor, just the spice. The dry pot was much more spicy than the soup one and I had to wash it in soup before eating. But overall, this was a very delicious malatang. They also have skewers. The squid tentacle was very good. I didn't really like squid texture but I finished the tentacle because it's really good. The korean dumplings were very good too. They also have wangzai milk (chinese sweet milk). The menu is mostly Chinese food in the mids of KTown. Free parking at lunch time (not sure about dinner but probably charged). It's a cozy place for lunch and a hidden gem to me! read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Simple build-your-own soup spot in Koreatown. Went on a weekend evening - wasn't crowded. There is valet parking - but there's typically street parking around as well. FYI the parking is gated, so don't leave your car there to go somewhere else as your car might get locked in. Had your typical choices of noodles, veg, and meats. Also includes rice and some banchan. Did the soup and spice level 2. Soup and spice level were good - flavor without sweating. More of a regular spicy Asian broth vs specifically having the mala numbness. There's a couple condiments for dipping or adjusting your soup (vinegar, chili oil, and some mala pepper type oil). Price was reasonable as well. Overall, compared to YGF - less variety of ingredients, but also less crowded and cheaper. Wouldn't mind coming back. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

One of my favorite spots for malaxiangguo! I like that this place is not as spicy and mala and has a sweeter taste compared to most malatang places. The owner is also so nice and gave us a plate of free freshly-fried fried buns when we visited for the first time read more

Ive been here several times and tried spicy hot pot soup and also spicy dry hot pot. It is a casual spot to grab hot pot I like how you can choose your own ingredients. I love both their hot pot soup and dry hot pot. It is priced per weight and you can choose your spicy and numbness level. The service is decent. read more

Wok Bar - Spicy Hot Pot Soup - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Really delicious Dongbei-style malatang - huge portions that fill you up. Spicy level 3 was already pretty spicy for me, and they have my favorite Sichuan peppercorn oil which made it absolutely incredible. So satisfying and happy eating it, plus it's really clean - not like other malatang places where I often get an upset stomach afterwards. Their spicy duck neck is also seriously amazing, and the mala dry pot is great too. My #1 in LA. read more

If you love spice, you gotta check this spot out! Wok Bar specializes in build your own malatang hot pot or dry pot. You start by picking your proteins, veggies, etc into a bowl then you pick your spice level. The staff weighs out your bowl and cooks your pot for you! They also have other non-spicy items that help cool off the heat like their dumplings, sweet & sour pork, and their fried bread. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Food was so good and customer service was great. You need to get minimum of 1 pound worth of stuff in ur malatang bowl but was soooo good and filling. I got spice 2 and normally im not too good with spices but was just the right spice for me. Comes with free rice and food came out really quick. Food came out ti around 24 dollars for one bowl. read more

Wok Bar - Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Delicious spot in Ktown for malatang or dry pot - i like how you can adjust spice levels. According to server, Level 2 is hot cheetos & Level 3 shin ramen :"). Level 1.5 was a good spice for me and not too numbing, but too much oil. Love the choice of ingredients - including tripe, fish balls, briskets, variety of mushrooms, and don't skip the wide noodles (it's the best)! read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Wok Bar is a unique spot in K-town where you build you your own dry pot or hot pot bowl. I love this concept and you basically start off at the ingredient bar and pick whatever proteins and toppings you want and then take it to get paid for where they weigh it and ask if you want soup or no soup. Your food comes out quick and it comes with rice, coleslaw, & radish as sides. I got level 3 for my spice level and it had a good amount of heat. They can make it even spicier if you ask them nicely. It was fairly busy when I went and service was good with staff checking tables often. Parking is $3 and there's plenty of spaces even on a busy night! Overall, a good spot to check out on a cold day and the the vibe just feels cozy inside and laid back. read more

Wok Bar - Spicy Hot Pot Soup Level 3 - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The food and service was great. The male owner or manager working there is always nice. Similar taste to ones in Korea so if you're looking for that this is the place. The parking is a bit tricky if the lot is full. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

ughhhhhh I am obsessseddd with this place. I am here every week. I cant find this kind of mala anywhere else in KTOWN. Honestly the tong touching the same ingredients is a bit.. gross but I havent had any food poisoning or issue so it's okay (: Their mala is 10/10. Go read more

This is the best malatang and sweet & sour pork I've had recently. The malatang broth is rich and flavorful, and I really appreciated how fresh all the ingredients were. I especially loved the variety of noodle options, and the beef was tender and well-cooked. One thing I really liked was that I could ask the staff to remove the numbness from my bowl--so I still got the signature mala flavor without the lingering tingle, which I personally prefer. The space itself is cozy and casual, the kind of place that feels low-key but welcoming. The parking lot is small, but honestly, I'm just grateful there's free parking--especially in LA. And if you go on a weekday, finding a spot is usually no problem. read more

My favorite dry pot place so far! Flavorful, spicy, and perfect mix of textures of noodles, greens, protein over rice. Other mala places make it spicy but lacks the perfect balance with salt. Wok bar, however, knows the exact balance of spicy and salt level, enhancing the experience. Service was great! Comes with free Korean pickled white radishes and mayo salad on the side. Solid 4.9/5 read more

Wok Bar - Dry pot, medium spicy, 1.85 lbs - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

$40+ with tips and tax for this freakin too-soft-of-a-noodle-but-formed-a-hard-mass type of dry pot. Just go to 626 area for a more authenticate and 25% cheaper malatang or chinese dry pot. This type of restaurants are clean no matter where you go. You'll not be having this rip off experience I promise you that. Please also be aware that they might remove some expensive items from your dish. I put 2-3 squid in the pot, but they were missing when the dish was served! read more

Wok Bar - $40.00+ for this noodle mass - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Best Mala Xian guo and Mala tan. Parking valet is more convenient. Service good . Small dining area. Pricey. But worth it. Definitely we will go there again. read more

Best malatang in town ! With a fresh ingredient to their house style cooking & sauce got me interested. Highly recommended & best service in town read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Pleasantly surprised by this small Korean owned Chinese hot pot and skewer restaurant. The worker was helpful as it was our first time there. You grab a bowl and fill er up and the price is according to weight. The star of the restaurant is definitely the skewers!!! We got beef skewers, but found the mala version way too spicy. Spicy but good, but only if you can handle it. The skewers taste authentically chinese despite everyone in the restaurant being Korean. That said, we are in Koreatown. So what did I expect? We also got the mala spicy hot pot 1.7lbs shared for two people that came out to be $31 which I think is a good deal considering most hot pot places charge that per person. Level 2 spicy is pretty damn spicy but don't go to level 3 unless you want to cry a little bit. Very yummy! Thank you. Will come back. read more

Wok Bar - Mala Beef skewers - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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i have never had malatang before and Wok Bar just made me realized i LOVEEEE this dish. i have always been a big hot pot fan, but havent explored too far outside of boiling point / tasty pot. The flavors in malatang is rich, spicy, and so so good. Wok Bar specifically packs the broth with so much spices. I've only ever gotten takeout from here - you walk in, grab a bowl, grab what you want in your soup from the side, they weigh your bowl, and then you say if you want soup/dry and how spicy. I tried level 2 the first time, then level 3 after. I think level 2 is a better spot to still enjoy the dish but still get a lot of spice/burn. Service is super warm and welcoming, and there are a few tables to dine in at. There's a small parking lot up front, you can park on your own instead of doing the valet for the kbbq spot. read more

Wok Bar - Spicy Hot Pot Soup (broth packed separately) - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

My friend brought me to this place because I love Malatang. While I'm loyal to Pixiu (my current favorite Malatang place), I decided to give this place a try. However, when I saw the noodles, I could tell they were overcooked. They were so soggy and heavy, almost like rice cakes, and the spam was also overcooked and falling apart in the broth. This wasn't that much of a problem - the broth itself was good, and I might have enjoyed it if the noodles weren't overcooked. I won't be returning because when I asked the waiter about the soggy noodles and showed him the overcooked spam, he said he didn't see anything wrong with it. When I asked if it's always like this, he simply said yes, without further explanation. I guess I was hoping he'd say "sorry for the overcooked noodles, its usually not like this", I honestly would've came back and recommended the place. Despite finishing my meal and paying $31 for my bowl, I'm disappointed that they intentionally overcook their noodles like this. That means it's like this all the time. Pixiu always cooks their noodles perfectly, so I won't risk paying over $30 for soggy noodles and spam intentionally prepared that way. read more

Wok Bar - Soggy noodles and soggy spam - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've found my new comfort food spot! Whether I go for the mala soup or dry option, both are delicious. I usually opt for the #2 spice level, and it's just right. Also, their sweet and sour pork is a standout, better than any other Chinese restaurant I've tried. One thing to watch out for here is the way they charge by weight. You have to gauge how much you pick up the ingredients because too much means leftovers and a higher bill, while too little might leave you hungry lol. The perfect weight for me was 1.2 lbs read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My favorite mala tang place ever!! I've been scouring the LA/OC/626 area for the best mala tang place and Wok Bar is definitely my favorite! You get to pick your own ingredients and there's a good variety of them. I love that they have the wide Chinese noodles and corn noodles since I've seen those in lots of mukbangs from Korea. My friends and I got a bowl each and loaded up with ingredients, but try not to go too overboard because it does add up! I think we all got a pretty standard amount (I did get a lot of noodles because I love noodles) and our bowls all came out to about $12-15. I picked level 3 spice because my friend who recommended this place was getting 3.5 but it was actually way too spicy for me! Even spicier that Yupdduk original so the next time I go, I'll probably order a 2 or 2.5 to be safe. The soup was super flavorful with a good amount of numbing sensation from the mala, but not overwhelming. We also ordered the sweet and sour pork (or chicken?) and the portion was huge! I would love to try the dry hot pot next time and they have other menu items as well, but definitely coming back again for the mala tang! read more

Wok Bar - Sweet and sour pork - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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By far the best mala spot I've had. The ingredients are top tier quality, and the broth is just amazing. Can't go to any other mala place after trying this one. Recommend 1000%. read more

Wok Bar - Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Im sorry but this place isnt for me! It wasnt good nor was it bad. I just wouldnt make a second trip here. I think theres too many malatang restaurants around L.A. to try this place again. I did appreciate alot of things such as the fact that they had a bigger assortment of meats compared to most places and you are able to choose less numbing or more. I also think that the owner did a great job branding all their dishes! They provide pickled radish and rice which is also a huge plus. The store is small and parking in the lot is limited so keep that in mind when visiting! read more

Wok Bar - Dry Spicy Dry Hot Pot - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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One my go to for mala soup. I think I tried most of mala place in Ktown, and I think this place has best ingredients with good flavor. However I feel like their price increase recently is downfall With this much price, Id rather go other place. Also didnt know they had minimum weight. Plus I feel like they cook longer than before or cook changed or something. Noodles were all over cooked. Small things made me put less stars Their service is very nice though. Kind and fast. Clean too. The ingredient bar is kept clean also which is a must. Im still coming back, I always thought this place was 5 star. Hopefully next time I come back I can bring this back up read more

Wok Bar - Spicy Hot Pot Soup - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The owner is extremely strict about parking. I tried to park here when the lot was completely empty, and the owner immediately came out and threatened to have my car towed. Very unwelcoming experience. We had planned to dine at a nearby restaurant, but after that interaction, I would never consider eating here. read more

I can't believe I never left a review for this place. I've been here more than a handful of times because I live walking distance. This place hits the spot every single time. Their broth and spice is just so good compared to other places, not sure what it is. They only have beef for their meat though if that's an issue for some people. There's a lot of topping options to choose from, I highly recommend this place for everyone who likes mala! I usually get spice 2.5. Anything 3 and above gets quite spicy. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've heard great things about Wok Bar, but never had a chance to visit until yesterday. It was my first time trying maratang (spicy hot pot soup) so I definitely wanted to go to a place that was good. I'm really glad I chose Wok Bar because I enjoyed everything we ordered and the service was excellent!! I came with a group of friends and they were able to accommodate us inside without a reservation. There were plenty of open tables to choose from. Since it was my first time, I opted for the spicy soup with the lowest level of spiciness. I love how you can choose the amount of meat/veggies you want for $13.99/lb. Some of my friends got the dry hot pot, which also looked good. I'll definitely give it a try when I'm back again. We also got some of the lamb skewers and the fried pork to share. The portion sizes were good for the price and everything came out really fresh! Their fried bread with condensed milk is sooo good too, it's a must for dessert. I also appreciated the fact that they didn't rush us out even when we were done with our meals. Delicious food, great service! Will be back soon!! Parking: free parking in the lot! read more

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One of my favorite comfort food spots esp for malatang!! They charge by the pound and i recommend to be cautious when having to reach the full pound (one extra side can increase it by a lot). The mala taste is perfect here and leaves my tongue numb but not uncomfortable. There's a HUGE difference between spice level 2 and 3. Level 3 can be too spicy after a few bites imo. Side dishes are a bit pricey but portion sizes are huge & enough for 2-3 ppl. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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good good good ~!~! Originally I love Maratang It was very similar with Korean Maratang . I used to visit this restaurant when I go LA. read more

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My favorite malatang shop in LA. Has more ingredients than other places and the spice levels are spicer than other places. However, their prices increased used to be 15$/lbs now it's 19$/lbs. Other malatang shops are 17$/lbs. Spent over $50 for this plate. Will be coming here less often.. Also keep hearing they remove ingredients when they cook it and I've noticed this too. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Covid 19 delivery review: I was craving for spicy dry hot pot yesterday and found this spot on DoorDash. This is my first time having dry hot pot in LA so I'm not sure if this was considered expensive or not. I had regular numb which was extremely spicy...like teary eyed numb lip spicy. Depending on your selections, the options ranges from $1.99-$4.99 and you can add as many things as you'd like. I didn't like how there was only two pieces of imitation crab, two pieces of quail egg, and they totally forgot my enoki mushroom but of course they put a lot of glass noodle. I also ordered the squid kebab and it was okay. Nothing special about it but it's spicy. read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I usually don't like malatang (that Chinese numbing spice) but this place actually pretty good. You can choose to do dry or wet (soup based) - and you pay by weight. They have a little section where you load up your bowl with whatever you want and you just hand it over to the counter and they'll weigh it, charge you, and bring it out. Load this thing up with meat and fishballs! Seating won't accommodate more than four people and space is a little bit tight. Parking is a little rough - they have a tiny lot and valet at certain hours. read more

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One of my absolute favorite places in ktown! The service and food are both 10/10. I always get the soup based option with level 2 spice and it's perfect for me. I don't have the best spice tolerance but level 2 isn't too painful. The broth is so deep and hits every time I get it. You can choose the toppings that you want and they weigh out how much you put on your bowl and charge you by lb. I also got their fried bread with condensed milk and it's so crispy and fluffy. It's such a nice compliment to the savory soup. There's plenty of seating as well and the food is ready quick. I like to get a crap ton of food here and take it home to eat as well! read more

Wok Bar - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Used to order from Ubereats and Mala jokbal is really tasty and perfect! I visited here and food was great Small parking lot and small tables for groups Service was okay I will be back when I want to get Mala flavors !!! read more

Don't come here the food taste nasty and the owner was trying to fight me for parking after I told him ima eat at there restaurant read more

Wok Bar - Horrible - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This establishment greeted us very poorly trying to park in the parking lot he said for us to get out before he called the police. Very unsure of what the issue was as he just instantly came out of his restaurant as soon we parked. Seems like he is very insecure of his establishment and does not support his competitors in the same parking lot because we were trying to shop at the corner spot and he did not allow us to. read more

A friend from Korea wanted to eat malatang, apparently it's really popular in Korea. I believe she ordered level 3 in spiciness and wholly moley it was like fire in my mouth!!! I love spicy food so I was very surprised. The food was good, just be cautious on which level you choose. read more

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The owner is very kind and the food is good! I got the mala xiang guo? (stir fry) level 2 and it was quite spicy!! I am having mala poops today which is 2 days after consumption. I would still go again despite the aftermath and try the mala tang next time. There is $3 valet parking only if you drive! read more

Wok Bar - a plate of food on a wooden table - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Very authentic Sichuan style comfort food. You get to customize your own mala pot by choosing from a wide variety of fresh ingredients, including meats, seafood, and vegetables. After loading up your bowl, you hand it over to the counter where they weigh it, charge you by weight, and then cook it to perfection. The spice level is exactly what you'd expect from a true Sichuan cuisine (intense, flavorful, and with that signature numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns). read more

Our favorite place to get takeout from consistently when we're craving the fried pork along with the (non dry) mala hot pot. Great for sharing and the spice levels are gentle for members of my family who aren't great with spicy. read more