Stopped for lunch with a family full of picky eaters, and everyone got something they liked. Excellent customer service, clean establishment, decent ambiance (they don’t blare pop music like so many places this day and are).Vegetarian options: Plenty of protein options, primarily tofu or soy-based noodles.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Bone Broth, Malatang
Suzanna Li
Malatang is my new obsession! I enjoy their wide range of options from meat to veggies. It can be a fairly healthy yet tasty meal depending on what you select. Sufficient sauce bar and I appreciate the complimentary fruits, their the perfect palate cleanser. Staff are friendly and efficient. Would definitely come again!
Food: 5
Jason L.
Good clean place. Decent selection. Can have better meat. Service is quick. Cannot be on wait list until you are near. Parking is tough so don't think about putting on waitlist until you are parked
Susan C.
This is a casual joint for hotpot bowls, where you choose all your raw ingredients in a bowl, and they weigh your bowl per pound before they cook it in a broth of your choice. It's a pretty large restaurant. We came in at 2pm on a Sunday and joined the Yelp waitlist on the restaurant's tablet, and we were seated within 2 minutes. I ordered about 1.2 pounds of food - they had a such a wide variety of ingredients that it was hard to stop myself from getting too much food. I ordered the mushroom broth while my partner ordered the classic bone soup. The food came out very quickly, which was a plus. Although my mushroom broth was clear and had decent flavor, I suppose the broth wasn't quite memorable or distinct as I would've expected - in one of the posters displayed on the wall the mushroom broth appeared almost creamy, so I had expected a milkier looking broth. At around 2:45 the waiter came by with our check. We were still finishing up our food, and so we didn't put our card down immediately, but the waiter came by twice in the span of 2 minutes to check if we had put our card down yet, before he directly asked us to pay for the meal and then we could continue eating. While I understand the restaurant closed at 3pm, there were still lots of parties still in the restaurant, along with a party that came in probably around 2:40pm. I personally like to savor and enjoy my food, so I didn't appreciate feeling rushed to finish my meal. Overall an okay bowl of hotpot soup, but nothing particularly memorable.
Conneric Liu
Clean informal restaurant. Great price as you weigh your own. You can get anything you want from a great variety. And free sauces and fruit too. The tomyum is great but spicy. Mushroom broth is great too .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stefanie W.
The variety in selections is amazing. The food is fresh. The service was impeccable. It was my first time going and I didn't understand how to navigate the experience and they were very helpful and attentive making sure I understood how the process worked. The place was well lit and clean. The food and sauce bars were clean and everything was labeled so well. Great dining experience. I will be back
Hae Rang P.
I frequent zhangliang malatang at least once every two weeks! I really like that you can pick and choose from a wide selection of very fresh, high quality ingredients - almost like chipotle/subway! it's also great because there is truly something for everyone - they have a wide range of ingredients and bases (e.g. classic broth, spicy dry wok, tom yum broth, etc.). I've tried many of their bases and they are all so so good - my personal favorites are the classic broth (medium spicy level) and the spicy dry wok (medium spicy level). obviously zhangliang malatang isn't entirely the same as hotpot, but it's comparable enough to me that I no longer go to hot pot restaurants. In my mind, zhangliang malatang is a pretty good hot pot substitute but better as it's usually cheaper, faster, and you can leave with leftovers! I'm usually not one to emphasize the freshness of the ingredients but the ingredients here seem really fresh (nothing is wilted or smelly). in terms of location specifics - zhangliang malatang in San Mateo is my favorite (so far I've been to the san mateo and mountain view locations)! the san mateo location offers complimentary oranges and honeydew at the sauce bar. note: occasionally there can be a wait at dinner time, so I like to add myself to the yelp waitlist while driving to the restaurant!
David Wong
Amazing dry pots and malatang!
K H
If you’re a fan of YGF, you’ll love it here even more. They have more options at the bar and a better sauce bar than YGF. Their tripe is to die for, cooked same exact way as Wuji’s. If you’re into these mala pots, highly recommend it. I wish there was one in San Jose so I don’t have to drive to Mtn View or San Mateo to get this.
Wanted to check out this place since it's fairly new to downtown San mateo. First off, I think it's a great idea that there is an option to pick out your own ingredients and have someone make it to your own personal hot pot bowl vs having to go to a hot pot place and cook everything. Especially if you want a quick lunch. But....the downside to it.. is that it's hard to set your bowl to a pounds' worth of food.. you'll definitely avg out at least 1.5-2lbs if you add heavier items like beef and fish balls, firm tofu, noodles, and spam.. expect to pay anywhere from $25-$35 for a bowl. The upside is.. there really are a lot of varieties. I picked out the classic bone broth and picked fresh noodles with meat, whatever balls, vegetables, and some seafood options. The bowl ended up being around $33, with a lot of leftovers to spare for lunch the next day. The workers were friendly and very informative in explaining how everything works. The stir fried style option also looked yummy as I saw other people order it and ate it with white rice. The place is relatively clean with staff always refilling certain items when it is low. The place is large enough where it wouldn't be a long wait even if there's foot traffic during lunch. The process reminds me of Marugame except you fill up your own bowl before weighing and paying at the cashier station.
Julia Ladutko
Huge amount of options both meat and veggie. Rich, lovely broth for the soup and just the right level of spice. Want to try the stir fry next!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mellie M.
One of my favorite places to eat. There is so much food to choose from to make it the way you like. All the broth is so flavorful. I can come back here anytime. The variety of ingredients is impressive, allowing you to customize your dish to perfection. The staff is always friendly and attentive, making the dining experience even more enjoyable. The ambiance is cute. I love how this place never fails to satisfy my cravings and leave me feeling completely satisfied.
Yvonne Y.
Date night - looking for simple comfort food. Hubby suggested Tang Bar at SF as it's been a few years and he craves for malatang. He didn't know we have something similar that is close to home! Easiest yes from him. We got there around 7-ish on Sunday night. It's fairly busy, but we score two seats at the counter right away. Staff are friendly and courteous. We find the space clean and spacious. We feel much better than Tang Bar as we remembered it's extremely hectic and crowded. We took our time to pick out what we want for our bowl. There were two to three individuals picking out their stuff at the same time. We don't feel rushed at all. We went back and forth a few times before we finalized our selection. There are a lot of varieties and they all look so good!! We opt for malatang with spicy level 2. I think it's perfectly spicy for me. Maybe I will try level 3 next time. I like everything in my bowl. I did add more stuff than I could finish. So, I just pass it to my hubby who is happy to take all donations as always. One thing I would not get next time is taro slices. It's not cooked to the "softness" texture I like. Overall, we both really enjoy our bowl of pipping hot malatang. The sauce bar is clean and have all the fixings you could imagine for a hotpot place. In a way, this is a mini-hot pot in one seating. Very satisfying meal and we will be a repeat customers for sure!!
Alicia F.
Safe to say my eyes are MUCH bigger than my belly. I love all things soup, hot pot, spicy, and noodles, so this place was like a dream! We stopped by during lunch on an early Saturday afternoon and surprisingly, it wasn't too busy. We opted to sit at the bar but there are plenty of tables for parties of all sizes. This process is 100% self-serve and customizable. Needless to say, it can be completely overwhelming! You grab a bowl and tongs and head over to the food case where you see an array of fresh ingredients. There is a variety of proteins, seafood, vegetables, noodles, or you can even opt for a side of rice. Once you decide on all your toppings, you'll pick your broth flavor and level of spice at the counter, then they get cooking. The sauce bar has a ton of different flavors and spices you can mix together, along with some fruit. The fruit didn't look so great that day, but I will say, they do a great job keeping everything organized and clean. Food came out steaming about 10 minutes later. I went with the spicy bone broth at the spiciest level they do. I really enjoy spicy foods and I wouldn't say it was very spicy. I added some chopped chilis straight to the broth to elevate the spice. The flavor profile was good, but it was slightly too salty for me. I got really carried away :( my bowl ended up around $30. LOL I ate so much and it didn't even look like I made a dent. So, I packed it up and it was a great lunch the next day, it reheated really well.
This place's food is yummy.
Stopped for lunch with a family full of picky eaters, and everyone got something they liked. Excellent customer service, clean establishment, decent ambiance (they don’t blare pop music like so many places this day and are).Vegetarian options: Plenty of protein options, primarily tofu or soy-based noodles.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Bone Broth, Malatang
Malatang is my new obsession! I enjoy their wide range of options from meat to veggies. It can be a fairly healthy yet tasty meal depending on what you select. Sufficient sauce bar and I appreciate the complimentary fruits, their the perfect palate cleanser. Staff are friendly and efficient. Would definitely come again!
Food: 5
Good clean place. Decent selection. Can have better meat. Service is quick. Cannot be on wait list until you are near. Parking is tough so don't think about putting on waitlist until you are parked
This is a casual joint for hotpot bowls, where you choose all your raw ingredients in a bowl, and they weigh your bowl per pound before they cook it in a broth of your choice. It's a pretty large restaurant. We came in at 2pm on a Sunday and joined the Yelp waitlist on the restaurant's tablet, and we were seated within 2 minutes. I ordered about 1.2 pounds of food - they had a such a wide variety of ingredients that it was hard to stop myself from getting too much food. I ordered the mushroom broth while my partner ordered the classic bone soup. The food came out very quickly, which was a plus. Although my mushroom broth was clear and had decent flavor, I suppose the broth wasn't quite memorable or distinct as I would've expected - in one of the posters displayed on the wall the mushroom broth appeared almost creamy, so I had expected a milkier looking broth. At around 2:45 the waiter came by with our check. We were still finishing up our food, and so we didn't put our card down immediately, but the waiter came by twice in the span of 2 minutes to check if we had put our card down yet, before he directly asked us to pay for the meal and then we could continue eating. While I understand the restaurant closed at 3pm, there were still lots of parties still in the restaurant, along with a party that came in probably around 2:40pm. I personally like to savor and enjoy my food, so I didn't appreciate feeling rushed to finish my meal. Overall an okay bowl of hotpot soup, but nothing particularly memorable.
Clean informal restaurant. Great price as you weigh your own. You can get anything you want from a great variety. And free sauces and fruit too. The tomyum is great but spicy. Mushroom broth is great too .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The variety in selections is amazing. The food is fresh. The service was impeccable. It was my first time going and I didn't understand how to navigate the experience and they were very helpful and attentive making sure I understood how the process worked. The place was well lit and clean. The food and sauce bars were clean and everything was labeled so well. Great dining experience. I will be back
I frequent zhangliang malatang at least once every two weeks! I really like that you can pick and choose from a wide selection of very fresh, high quality ingredients - almost like chipotle/subway! it's also great because there is truly something for everyone - they have a wide range of ingredients and bases (e.g. classic broth, spicy dry wok, tom yum broth, etc.). I've tried many of their bases and they are all so so good - my personal favorites are the classic broth (medium spicy level) and the spicy dry wok (medium spicy level). obviously zhangliang malatang isn't entirely the same as hotpot, but it's comparable enough to me that I no longer go to hot pot restaurants. In my mind, zhangliang malatang is a pretty good hot pot substitute but better as it's usually cheaper, faster, and you can leave with leftovers! I'm usually not one to emphasize the freshness of the ingredients but the ingredients here seem really fresh (nothing is wilted or smelly). in terms of location specifics - zhangliang malatang in San Mateo is my favorite (so far I've been to the san mateo and mountain view locations)! the san mateo location offers complimentary oranges and honeydew at the sauce bar. note: occasionally there can be a wait at dinner time, so I like to add myself to the yelp waitlist while driving to the restaurant!
Amazing dry pots and malatang!
If you’re a fan of YGF, you’ll love it here even more. They have more options at the bar and a better sauce bar than YGF. Their tripe is to die for, cooked same exact way as Wuji’s. If you’re into these mala pots, highly recommend it. I wish there was one in San Jose so I don’t have to drive to Mtn View or San Mateo to get this.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Wanted to check out this place since it's fairly new to downtown San mateo. First off, I think it's a great idea that there is an option to pick out your own ingredients and have someone make it to your own personal hot pot bowl vs having to go to a hot pot place and cook everything. Especially if you want a quick lunch. But....the downside to it.. is that it's hard to set your bowl to a pounds' worth of food.. you'll definitely avg out at least 1.5-2lbs if you add heavier items like beef and fish balls, firm tofu, noodles, and spam.. expect to pay anywhere from $25-$35 for a bowl. The upside is.. there really are a lot of varieties. I picked out the classic bone broth and picked fresh noodles with meat, whatever balls, vegetables, and some seafood options. The bowl ended up being around $33, with a lot of leftovers to spare for lunch the next day. The workers were friendly and very informative in explaining how everything works. The stir fried style option also looked yummy as I saw other people order it and ate it with white rice. The place is relatively clean with staff always refilling certain items when it is low. The place is large enough where it wouldn't be a long wait even if there's foot traffic during lunch. The process reminds me of Marugame except you fill up your own bowl before weighing and paying at the cashier station.
Huge amount of options both meat and veggie. Rich, lovely broth for the soup and just the right level of spice. Want to try the stir fry next!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of my favorite places to eat. There is so much food to choose from to make it the way you like. All the broth is so flavorful. I can come back here anytime. The variety of ingredients is impressive, allowing you to customize your dish to perfection. The staff is always friendly and attentive, making the dining experience even more enjoyable. The ambiance is cute. I love how this place never fails to satisfy my cravings and leave me feeling completely satisfied.
Date night - looking for simple comfort food. Hubby suggested Tang Bar at SF as it's been a few years and he craves for malatang. He didn't know we have something similar that is close to home! Easiest yes from him. We got there around 7-ish on Sunday night. It's fairly busy, but we score two seats at the counter right away. Staff are friendly and courteous. We find the space clean and spacious. We feel much better than Tang Bar as we remembered it's extremely hectic and crowded. We took our time to pick out what we want for our bowl. There were two to three individuals picking out their stuff at the same time. We don't feel rushed at all. We went back and forth a few times before we finalized our selection. There are a lot of varieties and they all look so good!! We opt for malatang with spicy level 2. I think it's perfectly spicy for me. Maybe I will try level 3 next time. I like everything in my bowl. I did add more stuff than I could finish. So, I just pass it to my hubby who is happy to take all donations as always. One thing I would not get next time is taro slices. It's not cooked to the "softness" texture I like. Overall, we both really enjoy our bowl of pipping hot malatang. The sauce bar is clean and have all the fixings you could imagine for a hotpot place. In a way, this is a mini-hot pot in one seating. Very satisfying meal and we will be a repeat customers for sure!!
Safe to say my eyes are MUCH bigger than my belly. I love all things soup, hot pot, spicy, and noodles, so this place was like a dream! We stopped by during lunch on an early Saturday afternoon and surprisingly, it wasn't too busy. We opted to sit at the bar but there are plenty of tables for parties of all sizes. This process is 100% self-serve and customizable. Needless to say, it can be completely overwhelming! You grab a bowl and tongs and head over to the food case where you see an array of fresh ingredients. There is a variety of proteins, seafood, vegetables, noodles, or you can even opt for a side of rice. Once you decide on all your toppings, you'll pick your broth flavor and level of spice at the counter, then they get cooking. The sauce bar has a ton of different flavors and spices you can mix together, along with some fruit. The fruit didn't look so great that day, but I will say, they do a great job keeping everything organized and clean. Food came out steaming about 10 minutes later. I went with the spicy bone broth at the spiciest level they do. I really enjoy spicy foods and I wouldn't say it was very spicy. I added some chopped chilis straight to the broth to elevate the spice. The flavor profile was good, but it was slightly too salty for me. I got really carried away :( my bowl ended up around $30. LOL I ate so much and it didn't even look like I made a dent. So, I packed it up and it was a great lunch the next day, it reheated really well.