Love the malatang here, I prefer this place over Yintang or Zhangliang Malatang! I came here a few weeks ago and enjoyed the entire experience. The restaurant is clean and moderate in volume. For starters, I came here on a Monday evening, and there wasn't a wait. The service is self-serve for fetching the toppings and noodles that you want. After that, you'll choose a broth option at the register, and they weigh your bowl. The sauce station is also self-serve, and they offer plenty of sauce options typical of a malatang place (garlic, sesame paste, etc.). You're able to order drinks as well, which I believe comes from Bei Yuan Tea & Boba next door. Their beverage menu is honestly pretty affordable compared to other boba places in Convoy! For me, I chose to get the Tom Yum broth, which was flavorful, albeit a bit salty. For my toppings, I got their beef, fishcakes, and vegetables. Everything was fresh and yummy, and I loved their variety in noodle options. Definitely coming back! read more

Tried YGF recently and thought it was decent overall. The tom yum soup was pretty good, and the ingredient quality was solid. However, I felt like they had fewer choices for both the soup bases and ingredients compared to Yin Tang, so I would probably go to Yin Tang if I were craving malatang. My husband got the spicy dry mix, and unfortunately, I really did not like it. The sauce was way too salty and strong, completely overpowering everything else in the dish. After just a few bites, the flavor became overwhelming and hard to enjoy. One thing I did like was that they have a boba shop attached, which is convenient if you want to grab a drink with your meal. However, the food also took a really long time to come out, which was a bit frustrating. Overall, the ingredient quality was good, but between the limited selection, the overly salty dry mix, and the long wait, I would probably choose Yin Tang next time. read more

Yangguofu - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

I was craving malatang but most of the other malatang places in Convoy have crazy long lines. I came here and we were able to get seated right away! I really liked how they have Ponzu as one of their sauce options, I feel like I don't see that super often at malatang places but it gives the sauce a really nice citrusy kick! I got the classic bone broth and my boyfriend got the tomyum broth. The tomyum broth was delicious and the classic bone broth has a numbing spice that slowly builds the more you eat. I personally preferred the tomyum broth but both were really good. It also shares a space with the Bei Yuan tea shop next door so you can have boba as you eat your malatang. I really enjoyed coming here and I'll definitely be back! read more

Yangguofu - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Wanted to try out some malatang and discovered this place! There was a variety of different toppings you could pick from such as different meats, veggies, noodles, seafood and tofu. You can pick as much toppings as you want but keep note that it's basically $14 a pound. There was also 3 soup base and 1 dry base that you could pick. I ended up getting the tom yum soup base and my dish was super delicious and came out steaming hot. The staff were super nice and came by to refill the water a few times. read more

Yangguofu - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Love this place. Hits the spot, the tom yum broth is good too. I also like how it's next to a boba shop.

The bone broth is really good! It's really flavorful and I like it more than YinTang or ZhangLiang broths. I got mild and it was really numbing and pretty spicy for mild, so just FYI if you can't handle spice! I was kinda shocked by the spice level. The beef brisket however is not as fatty or as tender as in the other malatang spots. However I'll still be back if I'm craving a solid bone broth malatang. For some reason the bone broth is 2.99 more expensive than all the other broth/flavoring options. I asked why but the employee couldn't give me an answer. She also wouldn't let our 2 person party sit at a 4 person table even though there were plenty of those available. Minus points here. The restaurant took over the left half of BeiYuan which is interesting as both restaurants share the same bathroom. read more

Yangguofu - bone broth mild - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

YGF was SO GOOD! I have never had malatang before, and the cashier helped me through the process of ordering. One bowl is plenty for two people- we could barely finish it even though it was so delicious. There was plenty of seating right when they open at 5pm. There is a parking lot right outside that is shared with the other stores in the area. The decor was very up to date and the restaurant was very clean. read more

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Came here on a weekday for lunch andwas immediately greeted by two very kind servers. They showed me how everything works and I got to fill in a bowl with these really great looking ingredients, fresh meats, and fresh mushrooms and vegetables. The ingredients are charged by pound, and they make the food in the back and take your bowl of ingredients to the back to cook for you. So I sat at the table and waited and the delicious hot pot came out just in time. I was so hungry! And let me tell you these bowls of soup are hot. I was sweating even in the conditioned room! The restaurants were really clean and all the tables and serving utensils and food stations. Look really spotless, and wish they played some music in the background because I could hear the conversations happening at the tables next to me... Will definitely come back and try different broth! read more

Love the options of malatang opening up in San Diego. The inside has plenty of tables, but it shares a floor with another cafe. You go in and pay by the weight of your ingredients. Then they cook it all and bring it out for you to enjoy. Highly recommend their base flavor. It does get spicy! Service was fast and friendly. read more

Yangguofu - Malatang mild spicy - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

I was looking forward to coming here, but from the start, it was a rough experience. I called ahead and asked for a table of 9, and the guy who answered said that when we get there at 7 PM that they would seat us immediately. At 7 PM, I checked in and the lady at the front said that they wouldn't be able to seat us until another table cleared. There were three empty tables, but she didn't want to combine two of the tables together until a customer sitting at the fourth table finished eating. That didn't make sense to us, and she said with attitude that she wouldn't inconvenience a customer. I don't understand why it would inconvenience the customer for two other tables to be combined. We decided to wait, and then they finally combined two of the tables for us. For food, we waited about 30 minutes for the 9th person in our party to receive his food. The waiter also spilled some of his broth on the way over, and didn't offer to top off the broth. I got the classic herbal beef bone broth in mild, and it definitely didn't taste mild. The numbing spice was really strong, and I only was able to get through half of my bowl. This experience was disappointing all around, and I will not be back. read more

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Delicious Serve Yourself Chinese Hot Pot. Start off by picking your table and knowing the number. getting a bowl and filling it with all the meats, veggies you want. Then head to the counter to put in your order with what kind of broth you want and give them your table number. After, head over to the sauce bar where they have recipes for certain types of tastes you would want. Then await your hot pot goodness! The portions can be as generous as you like, as you pay per pound. This shop is located in a shop that also connects to a boba shop, so this place is really casual. Definitely worth trying this experience. read more

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YGF Malatang is a decent spot, though it didn't completely wow me. I tried their classic herbal beef bone broth, which costs an extra $2.99 per bowl. The broth was alright, but I found it a bit lighter in flavor than I personally prefer; especially compared to Zhangliang, which I think sets a really high bar for me when it comes to broth. The overall experience wasn't bad, but I think I would've enjoyed YGF a lot more if I had never tried Zhangliang before. The concept is still solid, and it's a good option if you're in the area. YGF shares a space with Bei Yuan, which I assume means they have the same owners. It's super convenient to grab your meal and then stay for tea, or just relax and hang out with a drink afterward. read more

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not on the same level as other locations in terms of variety and freshness. the soup is also more watery :( they are more newly opened i believe so that could be why read more

Big chain malatang comes to convoy, same place with boba place. Clean, orange color deco as Malatang, came at 5 pm so no line no crowd so good ambiance to enjoy the food. Classic herbal is the best but $3 more. free strawberry oolong tea is a sweet thang to water down the hot soup. And no minimum weight is also a plus to have room to enjoy the dessert later. Ordered classic herbal beef bone soup and another grind pleasant spicy dry mix. Soup is tasty but very salty and overwhelming tongue numbing Szechuan peppers. The dry mix is nice but underwhelming. Probably will need to order more veggies and carb to balance out the sodium. read more

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03/23/2026 Found a great DIY hot pot spot! It's similar to Zhangliang Malatang, but better in my opinion. The standouts were the tender frog legs, shrimp paste, and complimentary strawberry oolong tea. Both the Classic Beef Bone and Tom Yum broth were delicious, the bass was perfectly cooked, and the intestines were savory and flavorful. The only downside was the sauce bar, which had a smaller selection than expected. Conveniently connected to Bei Yuan Tea & Boba. read more

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YGF is adjacent to Bei Yuan, and they share the same space within the plaza. It's quite a small space, but they still have a variety of meats and veggies to build your own malatang bowl. One thing to note during my experience was that we came right as they opened (5pm) but some of the veggies were brown and lacked freshness, so I chose to not put any in my bowl. I chose the classic beef bone broth with medium spice, which was an extra $3. The medium spice was numbing due to the Szechuan chili oil. It was great that we received complimentary iced tea, which was refreshing and helped with the heat! Overall, it was a pretty good experience but I prefer Yin Tang over YGF due to fresher ingredients and richer flavors from their bone broth (without the extra charge). read more

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The restaurant is between Bei Yuan and the AYCE sushi place. It's clean, and there's Chinese pop music playing. The ingredient buffet is well-stocked, but not a lot of bean curd options, and not everything is labeled. I got the mild Beef Herbal soup, but it was SUPER spicy. Maybe the other soup options are actually not spicy? But it was NOT mild. It wasn't crowded on a Friday evening. read more

Yangguofu - Mild Beef Herbal Soup Hotpot - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Very clean, very friendly service and epic size to this YGF Malatang! The ingredients were super fresh and constantly being restocked. What struck me as well? Was the impeccable cleanliness of the restaurant. Got two soups and one dry noodles. Dope. read more

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With malatang starting to pop up everywhere in San Diego, it was honestly exciting to see YGF Malatang open. I really like this style of restaurant because everything is fully customizable. You grab a bowl, choose exactly what you want, and build something that fits your mood. Located inside the Independence Square shopping center on Clairemont Blvd, YGF Malatang shares a space with Bei Yuan Tea. We were greeted right away and seated. The ingredient station is on the right side, where you grab a metal bowl and tongs and build your selection. The topping variety felt on par with other malatang spots, but I did notice items I don't usually see, like egg dumplings, fish dumplings, and soup-filled beef meatballs. Everything looked clean, organized, and fresh. There is no minimum weight requirement, which I really appreciated since most places require at least 1 lb. Pricing is $13.99 per pound. After filling your bowl, you bring it to the register, they weigh it, and ask what soup base you want. I paid the $2.99 upcharge for the beef bone broth because I wanted something rich. Before sitting down, I stopped at the sauce bar, which had a lot of options like garlic, green onions, cilantro, sesame sauce, satay, chili oil, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds. I made a chili oil and sesame sauce combo, and adding the crushed peanuts made it even better. The station was very clean and easy to use. When I got back to my table, I noticed they had placed complimentary sparkling drinks there for us. It tasted fruity, maybe passionfruit, and was really refreshing, especially with the spicy broth. That small detail made the experience feel more thoughtful. Beef bone broth (medium spicy): This was the highlight. The broth was rich, deep, and flavorful, and tasted like it was made in house. Medium spicy was actually pretty spicy, so I would probably go mild next time and adjust from there. The broth coated everything well and made each bite satisfying. I added honeycomb tripe, potato noodles, tofu, and beef, and everything was so good in the soup. The potato noodles were especially good and had that chewy texture I like. Dry pot: The dry pot is more like a stir fry version of your toppings, coated in a nutty, sesame-forward sauce. It was very flavorful and well cooked. The noodles were cooked perfectly. I personally still prefer the soup version, but this was a fun option and worth trying. I think this would be a great way to try different noodles. Service and ambiance: Service was beyond great. The employee at the register was friendly and helpful. The space felt clean and comfortable and being connected to Bei Yuan Tea makes it easy to grab boba before or after your meal. The complimentary drink was also a really nice touch and made the place stand out more to me. This is easily my favorite malatang spot so far. The broth quality, topping variety, and overall experience were all amazing. I already know I'll be coming back. read more

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The owners of Bei Yuan Tea & Boba have converted the next door suite to its left into the San Diego branch of YGF (Yang Guo Fu) Malatang which is a chain franchise that has locations across several states. This spot debuted at the beginning of the month and will continue its soft opening phase until some time in February. The expectation is that it will operate seven days a week, but currently the business is only running from Wednesday to Sunday. Similar to its larger competitors, orange was the predominant color used like the chairs, lining on the bowls, menu screens, etc. There were about a dozen tables for seating with the condiments bar along the left wall and the raw ingredient stations in the back right. The concept was a self-serve, build your own bowl at a price of $13.99 per lb. After the dry selections were weighed at the service counter, you then chose from one of four different broths for the soup base. The kitchen then took your components and cooked them before delivering a hot and steaming product to your table. In the meantime, you could pick up various oils. sauces, spices, and toppings from the condiments bar to enhance the flavors in your bowl. After picking up various proteins, seafood, noodles, and veggies, the dry weight of my bowl contents was about 1.5 pounds. I did notice that the variety of raw items wasn't as extensive as the more established places around town. There was also no labeling which was a simple fix that needed to be done. If you are going to expose new customers to this style of eating, then identifying the raw ingredients and condiments is a must. For my soup base, I picked the Sweet & Sour Tomato Broth which I found to be neither sweet nor sour. The Classic Herbal Beef Bone Broth cost an extra $2.99 per bowl. That was disappointing because only the Sweet & Sour Tomato Broth and the Tom Yum Broth came at no additional cost. The fourth "broth" was a spicy dry mix that turned your ingredients into a stir fry versus a hot pot. I gave a 3.5 star rating for my dining experience at YGF Malatang as there were some aspects that could be improved before I consider it on par with similar local eateries. read more

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I was looking for galbi tang and found this place instead, what a dream. Broth is so delicious and they helped me figure out how the place works. They give you a big bowl and tongs and you choose amount the veggies, meat, mushrooms, noodles, etc and then choose your broth and condiments. Very cool experience and so delicious! The classic herbal bone broth comes in a variety of spice levels, I got the mild and then added chopped bird chilies so it ended up being quite spicy:) highly recommend a visit! read more

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I didn't like that the beef bone broth base was an extra $2.99, I don't know any other malatang restaurant that charges extra for a particular soup base. The ingredient selection was very standard, a few extra types of beef compared to other places. The mild beef bone broth was very numbing and had too much peppercorn. read more

Yangguofu - Malatang - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Well my friend recommended it, and I will say this is immediately a place to go, and come back for the years to come, the food is delicious, all ingredients are freshly cut, the service is prompt and even when food takes a bit of logistics the process is fast and the turn around is surprisingly quick. The ambiance is cozy and you can have conversation with friends, seats are comfy and it was full but not so caked which makes it for a good time! Incredible food! read more

Yangguofu - Delicious - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Another new malatang place to try in San Diego! I really loved their shrimp balls, definitely my most favorite and their tomyum Broth is so delicious! Only downside is that they charge $3 extra for their beef broth even though that's typically the standard broth at other malatang places and it seemed like there was only 1 person working as the cashier and also food runner so it made us get our food late. It was very clean space and I liked that they had plastic covers for their sauce bar to make side nothing gets inside. read more

Yangguofu - Tomyum soup base - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

We came around 5 pm on a Saturday and were the only ones but it got busier later on. Clean and spacious interior with a good amount of tables and a bar full of fresh ingredients. We all got the herbal beef bone broth but my gosh, it was so spicy despite being the lowest level of spice at mild. It was rich and flavorful but numbing and unbearable that I couldn't even eat half. Disclaimer that my spice tolerance is pretty low lol though my dad who can eat spicy said it was spicy for him too. Service was nice and they offered us complimentary tea. I wouldn't come back again. read more

Yangguofu - Herbal beef bone broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

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Excited they opened a location in SD! We were the first ones in when we came for a Saturday dinner around 5PM but it got busier as we ate. I liked the shrimp paste, beef, and scallops and the veggies were fresh. The broth was rich but we all thought the mild broth was SUPER spicy though, to the point it was almost unbearable. I couldn't finish my bowl, but I am on the weaker side for spice tolerance haha. Service was good and I like that they offer complimentary tea read more

Yangguofu - Herbal beef bone broth ($13.99/lb + $3 for beef broth) and complimentary lychee tea - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Was pleased to find my search for new restaurants off the 52 area was on point ! This place was an excellent experience all around. It's kind of like a hot -pot experience without having to cook the meal yourself. They bring you juice as you come in,...You grab a bowl some tongs, and some fixins, and sit and wait. All the ingredients are super fresh, and there are many to choose from. Everything that you want is in front of you. Very Asian in its flow, everything is modern and new. The final outcome was delicious especially the tom Yum broth. (they give you four options of broth.) We will definitely come back. read more

Yangguofu - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

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Great place with ample parking. Overall I had a great experience, mainly because of the friendly workers and large variety of options you can choose to put into your malatang bowl. The broth here is more flavorful than other malatang places I've tried- you can actually taste the mala in this broth! All of the ingredients to my bowl were also perfectly cooked, nothing was over or undercooked which made the meal so much better. The place was also clean and the bar was well stocked and maintained, which is a huge plus too. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Yangguofu - Malatang bowl with medium classic broth - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Really yummy and great service - this is definitely one of my new favorite spots. Will be coming back! read more

Yangguofu - Bone broth herbal , medium spicy - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

It is amazing to see my favorite Chinese Malatang brand is now in San Diego! And it is really delicious, as authentic as the one I had in China. The bone soup is super flavorful, and the spicy level is nice as well. They can make it real spicy. My baby and I enjoyed the tomato soup base. They have a lot of stuff to choose from. You can also order cold drinks here, super helpful to pair with spicy Malatang. read more

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We got the bone broth as recommended by the cashier. They make this broth from scratch in house. It is indeed very good. Nice beef flavor with the complexity from the spices. We got there around12:20pm on a Saturday before the crowds arrived, so there was no line or waiting. The restaurant started filling up while we were eating. Overall a nice experience and will definitely come back if we're in the area. read more

Yangguofu - Bone broth mild spicy - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

This is the first time I have ygf malatang and I would definitely come back. The place is clean, there are lot of ingredients for your hotpot, and another thing I love is that they're right next to boba place so it's very convenient to grab boba while you're wait. The food tastes fresh and yummy! The service is great as well, they're friendly! read more

Yangguofu - Stir fried and soup hotpot. - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Had herbal bone broth and tom yum. It was delicious. Good selections and nice ambiance. Service was nice as well. Great spot, would recommended! read more

Yangguofu - Had herbal bone broth and tom yum broth and it was delicious. Good selections and nice atmosphere. Great spot! Would recommended. - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

I always enjoyed malatang and this place hit the spot. You just grab a bowl, choose ur ingredients, choose ur broth, make ur sauce and that's it! Service was super fast and the staff were very attentive. It is also connected to BeiYuanTea so perfect to grab a drink from there and enjoy your malatang at YGF. Would definitely come back read more

Yangguofu - Original broth malatang - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

What can I say. As far as Malatang goes, this is the standard I'm looking for. The soup is decent, the ingredients are fresh. read more

Yangguofu - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Great service. Great food. My kids like BYT Boba and my wife likes spicy hot pot. The establishment allows both under one roof. read more

Yangguofu - Tom yum broth. - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

this is one of my fav places to get malatang in convoy! I love the variety of ingredients I can put in my bowl. It's super affordable too! The service is very fast here and the seats are nicely spaced out so I don't feel like I'm in people's way. One thing I wish they'd have is udon noodles. I'm just a sucker for udon :/ but regardless it's always delicious! read more

Yangguofu - Classical herbal bone broth in mild :) - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

Great variety of meats, veggies and more! The beef broth is very flavorful and my son loved the tom yum broth! Will definitely come back read more

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The food was really good we ate it all!!! Highly recommend this place! Parking is also very big. read more

Yangguofu - hotpot - Hot Pot Near Me - San Diego, California

This is a newly opened malatang spot, and the location is very easy to find--right across from the old 99 Ranch Market. There's a large parking lot, which is a big plus. It's owned by the same owner as the Beiyuan Nanjia milk tea shop, and the two stores are next to each other. The interior is clean and tidy, and overall it feels much fresher and more comfortable than many other malatang places. Ingredients are priced at $13.99 per pound, including vegetables, meats, braised items, and fish balls. The braised items are especially recommended--they're house-made and worth trying. The rest of the ingredients are also very fresh, and you can tell they restock frequently. You can choose your own soup base, including classic herbal bone broth, sweet and sour tomato broth, and spicy-sour tom yum broth. You can also order it dry (malatang ban). We chose the bone broth, which costs extra, but found it a bit too salty, so we didn't end up drinking much of the soup. The staff are friendly, ordering and food prep are fast, and there's a wide variety of condiments available. Overall, it's a good option if you're craving something warm and satisfying for a quick Chinese meal. The average cost is around $20 per person. read more

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