Yang Guo Fu Mala Tang has a location in Irvine! YGF Malatang is serving up malatang for just 15.99 per pound. With currently 5 broth to choose from including dry or regular hotpot. They have a wide selection of fresh ingredients including seafood, meat, and noodles. They also have Vegetarian options! The broth options are The Beef Bone Broth, Fish Maw Chicken, Tomato Flavor and Mellow Spicy Mix. They have mild spicy option available for those who prefer less heat. Convenient packaging: For takeout orders, the ingredients and soup are separated for easy reheating. read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Super casual malatang spot in Irvine! Unlike other spots, YGF is not a stand alone restaurant and is part of a cafeteria/food court area so you do have to get yourself a table and clear your dishes once you're done. It works similar to other malatang spots where you grab your food, put it in a bowl, choose a soup, and pay by weight. YGF has a lot of options to choose from including veggies, noodles, and meats. I was surprised to see marinated meats given that the soup it's cooked in usually flavors the whole meal, so I tried a few places. Like I expected, it ended up tasting like the soup, so while the marinated meats were unique, I can't say they made my malatang experience more special. Maybe the effect would be different with a dry pot? While you're supposed to clear your own table and clean it, one man working there insisted on clearing the table for us, which was nice of him. Expert tip: Parking may seem bad here but they have below ground parking. read more

YGF Malatang - Bone broth - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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This was the best Chinese food! Everything was fresh! We get to pick out our own ingredients! The service was great! Staff is super friendly. The ambiance is clean! Its somewhat of a food court! But they have all the ingredients there ready for you to pick out! The flavor was amazing! If u like spicy definitely get the hotpot! read more

YGF Malatang - Hot pot and mellow spicy - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I always love malatang because I can pick my favorite toppings and taste their yummy soups with small portion. My go to soup base is tomato, it's so yummy! Fresh ingredients, their fish roe section amazes me all the time. read more

beeeeeeeeeeeeeeerest small hotpot in irvine........will definitely come again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

YGF Malatang - invoice - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Pretty decent malatang spot to check out! You grab a bowl and add ingredients such as veggies, noodles, protein, and toppings. After adding the ingredients I wanted to my bowl, I went up to the register to weigh it and tell them which broth I wanted. I got a mild spicy level bone broth soup. That spice level is perfect if you want a little kick! The food was delicious, and it hit the spot on a gloomy day! Parking was okay. I went during dinner time on a Friday, so it was busier. There's more parking underground. The restaurant itself is in a mini food court, so space is limited. People usually just eat and go, so the wait for an empty table isn't long. read more

Big letdown especially since our friend recommended this place. Biggest red flag was that I found a bug in the soup......yikes... read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Been craving this since I had it in the summer. Overall, service was good! Inside is a tad cramped but service was solid. For some reason, this exact location did not hit for me. It was really good but at times while eating it, there was this certain bitter, weird taste. It would go away but whenever I took a break and ate it again, I could slightly taste it. Regardless I still ate it up, love a good meal. I got the beef bone broth. There's a decent amount of options to choose from here. I learned my lesson to not overdo it from last time so I felt the price I paid this time was good! Cravings have been satisfied read more

We are regulars at the YGF in Artesia but decided to try this location because we were heading to South Coast. It turned out to be a disappointing experience. There are more food selection here compared to the one in Artesia but the broths pale in comparison. We got the tomato and beef bone broths. Both of them were not as flavorful as the Artesia location. The service here was also really bad. The guy at the counter had an attitude and was slamming stuff when helping us with payment. Everything was also really messy and seemed a bit dirty. Overall, I wouldn't come back to this location. read more

The food came out fast, especially if you're getting a dry pot. Plenty of seats and drink selections. They also have a skewer portion of the menu that you should definitely check out read more

YGF Malatang - It's very good - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

The place is a casual make your own malatang restaurant. Basically grab a bowl, add your toppings, then weigh it. You then choose your broth and that's it. As of going pricing was around $14.99/lb so take that as you will. I found it to be not a terrible price so I was able to get what I wanted. The restaurant is a bit packed though as it's almost a mini food court. There is ample parking so that helps as well. Service is quick and limited as much of everything is self serviced. Perk is they open pretty late so it makes for a great late night snack! read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Great place for a quick bite to eat. It's a self serve set up where you pick the soup base you want and select the items you want. The pricing is determined by weight. Food came out fast once you gave it to the be cooked, so service was good. Decent amount of seating. Plenty of parking in the underground structure. read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Decent. This place is set up like a food court which is different than other restaurants. You pick the ingredients that you want, place them into your bowl, and the price of your meal is based on the weight of the food. You, then, choose the broth you like and the kitchen fills up your bowl. I like that we were able to pick more of the ingredients we liked, but wished they also gave us the option to choose how much broth we wanted. That way, it doesn't go to waste because I doubt people are drinking it all considering how much they give you. - Beef Bone Broth Base: 8/10 - good flavor, but be careful with the spice level you choose While we were eating, we kept getting bombarded by these fruit flies which was really annoying. I'm not sure where they came from because their doors were closed most of the time. The place is located in a plaza with a large range of different restaurants. The workers, on the other hand, were very friendly and nice. Parking was pretty easy because there was always someone going in and out. Glad that we got to try it, but don't think we'll be coming back any time soon. read more

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Food: 4/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 3/5 This is a casual cafeteria style hotpot restaurant where you pick what items you want in your soup and the broth base you want and they'll boil it for you. It is very casual, fast paced and busy (especially during the dinner rush). If you can't find parking at the ground level. Go down to the basement and they have plenty of parking! There does some to be some cross contamination between meat/veggies and I can't say that this restaurant is the cleanest. But the food is tasty and they have a good selection of food and sauces. We did however wait 25 minutes for our food ://// The female employee (I think one of the owners) is pretty rude and didn't ask me for to-go or dine-in and assumed I wanted a to-go order. The to-go order has less broth which I thought was a shame. She had no patience whatsoever. But the male owner/manager was nice and moved around some tables to make room for us. Overall I would recommend but keep in mind the service is not so good... read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I've been to the Arcadia location of YGF Malatang but saw that they had this here in Irvine as well. First off, the vibe is a bit different being in some sort of like foot court. You grab a bowl/tongs and pick out everything that you want in the bowl. Selection was pretty good and looked pretty fresh. It was like $15 per lb so I like to constantly weigh how much my bowl is. Personally I believe 1.25-1.5 lbs is perfect for me to be content/full. This location you pay for your bowl upfront and get a pager that rings when it's ready. We waited about 5-10 minutes for our pager to ring and had to pickup our food placed on a tray (it definitely gives you food court vibes). Sauce had a section near the register that you could load up on whatever sauces you'd like. Food wise, everything was delicious. A huge thing for me was that the pork blood actually tasted pretty fresh (I can tell when blood is bad). They also had frog legs which was surprisingly pretty good. Soup Broths - I would recommend just getting the regular bone broth but I tried the tomato broth and its also pretty good. Bone broth was still better IMO. After the meal you clean up after yourself and place the tray and food on a tray rack. Overall, food is good but the experience is a tad different than that of other YGF's. If you're okay with the food court vibe this place is reasonably priced and has a good selection of hotpot items. read more

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Stopped by this spot for lunch with a friend, and wow, what a find! The food was super fresh, and the variety was amazing--you can literally get whatever you're craving . Service was so friendly and the place felt spotless, which I always appreciate. Great vibes, quick and easy to grab a bite. Definitely coming back soon! read more

This spot is a good place to eat during lunch or dinner alone, I noticed that there were many individuals doing that. This location is smaller and I felt that it wasn't as clean compared to other locations. There's multiple restaurants in this building and it seemed like it was hot pots as well. Each restaurant has its own section of seating, but I'm sure you can sit in other spots. There's less options to choose from here. The food came out pretty quick and was yummy. ig: @cravingswithcat read more

YGF Malatang - ig: @cravingswithcat - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

Very good Malatang! Love that they have so many choices for items. It's in a food court style place and everything looks clean and nice. read more

Stopped by this spot with some friends after hearing rave reviews, and wow--it really delivered! The bone broth spicy hot pot was EVERYTHING. So flavorful and unique, I couldn't stop sipping the soup! Also, the skewers were absolutely killer--perfectly seasoned, juicy, and cooked just right. Bonus points for how clean and hygienic everything felt here. Really good vibes all around. Can't wait to come back! read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

GASS I got the beef bone broth base. I love a good soup. the mild spicy is still spicy to me. it's 14.99 per lb. the food came out fast. self service on a lot of things. lots of seating! read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I love this place--have been multiple times since I first tried it in Dec. Food is always fresh, and so much variety! It's not fancy, but it's good and always hits the spot for me. There are so many different things to choose from. The soup is flavorful (I've only gotten the chicken / seafood one), they give you a lot, and I'm very happy that it's not too salty--it's just right! So many places add way too much salt; this isn't one of them. Apart from the food, one thing I hope they improve upon--they use a lot of plastic when you get takeaway--the bowls are big and plastic and I don't think that their their bright orange bags are recyclable. Is there anyway that there can be takeaway containers and bags which are more environmentally friendly? read more

Broths are good and there are plenty of good ingredients to pick from. I went with the beef bone broth - note that they don't have a non-spicy for this (mild is your only option). Broth is salty enough to not need any dipping sauce in my opinion but a sauce station is available if you need it! Sadly, service is truly atrocious. The person behind the cashier (you can see her in my photos) did not really want to answer any of our questions and had a frown on the entire time. She gave major attitude in every single way. Anyway, after you order, there's really no service anyway since you're basically eating in a food court. A lot of other ppl have mentioned this already but their raw items are mixed in the same cabinet as their vegetables. Not sure why they would do that as they have multiple storage cabinets. Would've made more sense to put all vegetables together and raw meats together to avoid contamination. They also have fly swatters everywhere too which isn't a good sign... They are located in a small food court. Parking is pretty hard here so come before the lunch rush. read more

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Came here with a friend after hearing a ton of good things and wow... This place is so delicious and well organized!! Definitely come here. Friendly service as well! Staff helped us pick and didn't rush at all, super chill vibes :) The bone broth spicy hot pot is the star -- rich, numbing, but still super flavorful, I kept sipping the soup lol. Also tried some skewers and they were smoky, juicy, and just hit different Portions are solid, ingredients feel fresh, and everything comes out fast but not sloppy. Totally adding this spot to my regular rotation. read more

Went here with a friend after they wouldn't stop hyping it up, and wow, worth it Super clean and hygienic inside, you can actually see the fresh, self-selected ingredients and broth setup, which I love. Built my own bone broth mala combo and the flavor was insane--spicy but not just "burn your tongue" spicy, really rich and comforting. Friend got the tomato soup base, a bit tangy and sweet, and we kept stealing from each other's bowls lol. Staff were genuinely friendly, helped us pick spice levels and didn't rush us at all. Also appreciate there's no mandatory tipping, so you tip what you actually feel it's worth. Solid spot for a casual, tasty meal read more

Ygf is so good it's always yummy when I come here. Came with a friend after a late study session and wow, totally hit the spot Bone broth malatang is the move - rich, a little spicy, super comforting, like instant reset for your brain. We also grabbed some skewers and they were legit, smoky and flavorful, no dry cardboard vibes at all It's open so late so it's always convenient to come here and I love the location. It's consistent and amazing! Already planning the next late-night run :) read more

Seen this place forever but it's my first time here. I went for mild spice beef broth and it's so good. Pretty quick service for the amount of people I waited 6ish minutes. It's a quick spot for quick meals with 3 other restaurant options around. Good ambiance. read more

My Taiwanese wife calls it "spicy pot", but I'll call it semi spicy with my rendition. I like the empty bowl in tow and walking around to the various stations gathering marinated meats (cilantro beef), fried egg, seafood, veggies, quail eggs, the list is endless. I opted for MILD SPICY BEEF BROTH which was quite delicious. My bowl was the cheapest at $21.00 but I still took soup and more home as I am not the biggest eater anymore. Part of the fun of getting younger. It was very tasty, and they cooked it pretty quickly. I forget how many good places are in this area near my work. STAFF are polite and efficient. read more

So good bruh I had a great time eating this with my friends and sitting down and eating and ordering and eating. And eating.

I come here all the time, and it was such a treat to bring my friend for his first Malatang experience. We both loved it! I ordered the beef bone broth at medium spice, and it was so tasty and full of flavor. The meat I added paired perfectly with the rich broth, especially with the customizable sauce bar where I made a sesame dip that went so well with the lamb. Best part? My whole bowl was only $15, which totally hit the hotpot craving without breaking the bank. It's the kind of meal that truly warms the cockles of your soul. On top of that service is splendid, the workers are very polite. Honestly, I could eat here every week. read more

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Perfect broth for a rainy day. I had the Tomatoe broth and it was delicious! The broth had the right amount of "thickness" broth and not watery. The veggies and meat/seafood area was clean and a great sauce selection. I YGF Malatang in Irvine was packed and all tables were occupied! read more

Good place for a quick lunch from work. Pricey, but not too pricey. Malatang broth is good. Food seems fresh. Sauce options are good. It's in a small food court-ish area. read more

You can choose your own toppings for hotpot and they weighed it by pounds. The wide potato noodles is very tasty, and usually the wait is around 20-30 minutes. Located in a food court, sometimes parking is difficult but they also have garage parking. There are a few tables to eat and sometimes it's crowded during lunch hours. Be here a few times and usually it's good but one time it gave my friend stomach ache and allergy and the other time when I order intestine as topping it tastes sour and spoiled. But all other toppings is good so maybe it's just a bad day. read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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YGF Maltang is a great place for a spicy and hearty meal! This location shares space with two other restaurants, so seating can be hard to find during dinner time. I got the beef bone broth with medium spice and the spice level was exactly what I expected. You can put whatever meats and vegetables you want in your bowl and truly customize everything! The sauce bar is a little small, but it still gets the job done. read more

Went with friends, parking was horrible. This is in a "food court" where there's only another restaurant that was open on a Friday night. Walking in, I was a little surprised with the set up. There is no flow. It would have been nice if there was something that said to " Start Here!". You basically get a bowl and tongs from in front of the counter and just get whatever items you want to add to your bowl. They then weigh the bowl and you tell them what kind of broth you'd like. The end product is delicious. You can take it home if you can't finish it, they provide you with containers. The patrons are 99% Chinese so you know it's good and legit. However, don't believe all the markings on the food because some are mismatched. The dining area could be much cleaner and inviting. read more

YGF Malatang - Beef broth, medium spice - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

I went there for to go. There was someone's hair in my food. Have been to better malatang places in the area. read more

I prefer the Artesia location a lot more. This location is in a food court with very limited seating. There were fly swatters in the food selection aisles. They did not have Tom Yum broth either. I got the sweet and sour Tomato soup base and it was good but I prefer the Tom Yum. I don't think I will come back unless I'm in the area. read more

YGF Malatang - Chinese Near Me - Irvine, California

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非常快速。这里的餐厅环境优雅，服务贴心周到，菜品新鲜美味、份量充足，每一道都有亮点。出餐速度快，价格也合理，整体体验非常满意，是值得再次光顾的好店。这家餐厅整体体验非常出色：环境干净舒适，氛围轻松不吵杂；服务员态度友好、响应迅速，让人感到被重视。菜品无论外观还是味道都十分用心，新鲜度高、调味恰到好处，份量也很实在。性价比优秀，是一家让人愿意推荐、也愿意再来的好餐厅。 read more

As always I feel conflicted with this review due to a review less than 4. Entering the restaurant,, I was shocked that it was placed inside a communal building next to two other businesses. Think kind of like mall food court. Already looking everywhere I see dirty tables and tables filled with past guests bowls and it's 9:30pm at night (they are open till 2am). The set up of the bowls and tongs were kinda unorganized. You enter and see all the tables then you see the water dispenser (which was empty) along with the chopsticks, napkins, and spoons. This is all next to one of the refrigerated items. The refrigerated items was next to a sauce bar, adjacent to that was the register and two other cold buffet style bars. All the items were mixed between raw meats, seafood, noodles, and vegetables. Which is kind of horrific. I've been to other concepts similar to this but there was some control of having vegetables and noodles separate in one complete section then raw meat and seafood in another. I appreciated how they had very traditional options. Loved the option of the marinated meat and organs. There was a lot of options when it came to organ meat and innards (beef aorta, tripe, pork blood, marinated gizzards, marinated chicken hearts, etc.). Lots of different varieties of glass noodles and noodles. Overall LOTS of options but poorly placed together causing huge room for contamination. Overall everything just looked very messy and slightly dirty. Currently it is $14.99/lb. I got the pork broth with mild spice. They had three other options you could do, in total being two dry and two broth based. Broth was excellent. Honestly very flavorful and really enjoyed this aspect. Food took normal amount of time. Here you pay first and they give you a buzzer and then you go grab your food once it's ready. Overall, I feel like I would only come here if everywhere else is closed and I was craving hot pot since it's open till 2am. Plus I didn't get sick which was what I was slightly worried about because the food did not look the freshest. Also hate how they have all their vegetables whole and not cut up. The Napa cabbage was basically the whole leaves and not even cut in half. Same with the crown daisy (also this look wilted and had some black pieces, I had to pick around). Hope they take the criticism to clean up the place and reorganize a bit because it honestly has potential to be absolutely great. Like if they just left all the veggies and noodles in one section. And the meat and seafood options in another area jt would be great! read more

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Some of the slowest service I've ever seen. I know there's a trend of Asian restaurants having horrible service and that means they are good. Not this one. Instead of serving customers I watched the manager berate a teenage employee instead of making food. 45 minute wait time for a skewer. Eat at your own risk read more

We love it more than yintang now!Used to be a big fan of yintang.But YGF's soup has more favor! But yintang will provide you some free food and in a better location that you can find parking a little easier on ground. read more