“ Came here with my brother and his family and clearly got carried away packing my bowl of ingredients! I love the method of ordering by weight and as this was my first time here I decided to go a little wild on the amount of food. But I enjoyed every bite I could there and took the rest home for another meal. I went with the level 1 spice and feel that was a perfect choice as any more wouldn't been problematic for me. The snow pear juice is delicious! I wish I knew where to get more of that. Highly recommend dining here and considering my nephews love this place I'm sure I'll be back soon. ”

“ I love this place!! We have been several times already and have tried their mala dry pot and their soup. I'm personally not a huge fan of the soup (my friends liked it though) but their mala dry pot is one of the best I've had. You pick your ingredients (meat, fishballs, veggies, etc.), pay for it by pound, pick your spicy level and they cook it up for you in the back. It seems like you can't call ahead and order because it's priced per pound - but you can take it to go after picking your ingredients! The restaurant is clean and spacious. The workers are very friendly and accommodating especially since I have a young child. High chairs are available! Parking is a bit hard in this area unless you luck out with one of the two spots in front of the restaurant. If you pay with cash, you get a free tang hulu - there's a cherry tomato, which I find a little odd but it's free so ... LOL ”

“ We got both malatang and dry pot! They tasted so good and it was nice that we can adjust the spiciness level even by .5. It was very crowded and busy but workers are always very nice. ”

“ I came here twice and absolutely loved the concept of this restaurant. You can pick out the ingredients you want in your hot pot and they will cook it in the kitchen for you. Depending on which hot pot choice you select, the price will vary and is based on the weight of your ingredients. They also have different spice levels for those who love spicy or cannot handle spice. I would highly recommend this place for anyone craving hot pot and love mala spice! If you pay with cash, you get a free tanghulu as well! ”

“ My brother introduced my family to malatang-style restaurants a few months ago. Mala Mini has become our go-to since parking is a little easier than at some other spots. It can get pretty busy but the place is big enough that you usually don't have to wait for a table. So how it works is you pick up a basket and pick out whatever ingredients you want for your dish. Honestly, I think picking out your ingredients is half the fun of eating here. At $15.99/lb the price of your meal can add up pretty quick though. Whatever--eating out is a luxury, right? Sometimes you gotta treat yourself. There's a wide assortment of meat, vegetables, noodles, fishcakes, and seafood. There's something for everyone. I'd say this place is pretty vegetarian-friendly, potentially even vegan-friendly (just not sure if the broths are vegan). So once you're done picking out your ingredients you take it to the counter to be drained. If you're like me, you'll end up getting really excited which leads to a filled basket and ~2 lbs of ingredients. You let them know if you want dry pot (basically stir fry) or hot pot (w/ soup). I always go for dry pot, but I bet hot pot hits the spot on a cold and rainy day. They also ask what level spice you want from 1-3. Unless you're a certified Spice Lord DO NOT go above Level 1. From my experience, they will actively deter you from ordering Level 2 or higher. I can handle Level 2 but it's right at my limit of spice tolerance. I need to down a gallon of water to finish my meal if I order Level 2. Level 1 is the perfect amount of heat for me; gets me a little sweaty but I still enjoy all the flavors. I recently found out they can also do increments of 0.5; 0.5, 1.5, etc. Maybe next time I go I'll order 1.5. Once you put in your order the food comes out fairly quickly. They also serve it with a side dish of radishes and it also comes with rice. At the end of your meal they give each person in your party a probiotic drink. I've always enjoyed the meals I've had at Mala Mini. My only gripe is that it's a little pricey, but I know it just won't be the same if I do it at home. Thus, I know I will be back here. ”

“ Cozy malatang spot near the ShopRite in Pal Park. You start with a bowl and choose all the ingredients you want. The staff will then drain any water and weight your bowl. You pay according to the weigh, which can add up quickly if you opt for heavy items like conch with the shell. It can be prepared dry or with soup. The soup is nutty and a little sweet. I prefer dry but soup also slaps on a chilly day. Spicy level one is already pretty strong, they let you start at 0.5 or have it on the side to add in yourself if you are really not good with spicy. Level one was very enjoyable for me. They bring you your food when it's ready and you settle the bill after you are done. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. They offered us a free dessert, which was tanghulu if you pay in cash. Parking is very limited and I would recommend walking if you live in the neighborhood. ”

“ Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 I came here with a couple of friends, and we all loved our House Malatang bowls! There was a fair enough selection of items I personally like available (e.g., veggie and mushroom variety). I only would ask for Soft tofu as the cherry on top! My bowl cost about $24 and left me incredibly full. The malatang price was $15/lb and came with a peanut/sesame flavored dipping sauce on the side. Also, they added tanghulu since I first visited, and it was a tasty snack after! We got ours for free by paying in cash. The cherry tomato could be switched out for a strawberry though lol. Clean establishment. Fast and friendly service. My only note is the challenging parking situation in front of the restaurant, but there are nearby parking spots that are a few minutes walk away. ”

“ Visited Mala Mini for lunch on a Saturday. It's a DIY dry pot/hot pot place where you grab a bowl, choose your ingredients from the buffet, and bring it to get weighed. Price is $15.99 per pound for dry pot, and slightly cheaper at $14.99 per pound for hot pot. They are also currently running a special deal, where you get a bag of beef or lamb with each order. Once you've gathered the ingredients, simply tell them how you want it prepared, and take a seat. After a short wait, they brought our food to the table. I got the dry pot, at level 2 spice and my wife got the hot pot at level 1 spice. Both were pretty spicy, but they were tasty. At the time of my visit, they did not have any fish on the ingredient buffet, which is my favorite for dry pot. Parking is a little easier here than other local dry pot places so i'll be here sometimes. ”

“ 3.5 stars (for the dry hot pot). Haven't tried the other items yet This is a korean owned mala dry hot pot place. They don't have dry ramen noodles or fish (my favorites) but they do have jumbo shrimp and calamari. The vinegar they have was either straight up white vinegar or this .. black vinegar? that had an odd cinnamon type flavor to it. The sauces are also not at each table - you'd have to get up and get it. The spice had a ton of korean pepper flakes (gochugaru), which was a little off putting to me... since I don't think the traditional Chinese version uses it. It also felt like it was getting all over my mouth/in my teeth. The flavor was fine. I think they did a good job matching the spice level. They also drain the water out before weighing, which is nice. ”