Food are ok, but you need to ask for water, napkin and spoon. Almost no customer service, but pricy.
Kevin Nguyen
Affordable price, the food looks appetizing and a little spicy. There are also many options for you if you don't like spicy foods
Saminda Wijegunawardena
Their dry pot is good but expensive, over $25 for one meat and 4 vegetables. I had it with the pork tenderloin, taro, shoots, AA choy, and black mushrooms. And I'm still bothered by the after taste of MSG, just spoils dishes like this for me. Service is fine, but decor is lacking as they have several cardboard boxes crowding one side of the restaurant.
Robert C.
I'd highly suggest getting their lunch specials (bento box) that're available on Monday-Saturday. Orders outside lunch specials are way too expensive. I once spent $40 for 2 of us and came out hungry still. It's just not worth it. Beef Brisket Bento Box ($12) - Beef Brisket, Taro, Corn, Imitation Crab Meat, Veggies, Dried Tofu, Rice. This is my go-to lunch special here. It got plenty of meat, veggies and carbs to fill you up. For the spicy level, I wouldn't order anything below "Medium" as it'd result in no flavor. "Spicy" would result in best experience in my opinion.
SG G.
So good. Love the spice and portion is huge! I think many will underestimate quantity. It does look deceiving. Highly recommended!
Jason F.
I tried this because it's in the same place as T-Swirl Crêpe and we had nice experiences with T-Swirl. The food at Chili Talk was very sub-par and had no flavor. We spent almost $35 and didn't barely eat anything. The "mouth watering" chicken was terrible. I tried to call and speak with the manager 3 times, and everytime they took my number and said they weren't in today. It's been weeks and nobody has contacted me. I feel like I wasted $35 on very poor meal. I recall wanted to like you Chili Talk, how disappointing. If the manager ever reaches out, I'll update my review.
John T.
Pretty good dry hot pot, but a pretty unappealing environment to eat in. Summer heat, doors closed, zero AC, humid steam from kitchen. Must of been 80 degrees inside. Nice staff though.
Cathy M.
You know what the Chinese millennials say..."eat hot pot in summer and ice cream in winter." Lately, I've been disappointed by the spice level of Sichuan restaurants in Rockville. While their mala pots are delicious, the spice is "normal" and almost mild at best. How I measure spiciness: If I can get through my entire meal without taking a sip of water, then the dish is not spicy enough :D So lo and behold, I finally decided to check out Chili Talk. I ordered a "very spicy" pot with beef tendon, pork intestine, wood-ear, winter melon...all the usual suspects. I really liked being able to choose my ingredients because many pre-made mala pots have ingredients I don't care for (ex. broccoli, cabbage or carrot) yet I force myself to eat them anyway because I don't want to waste food. Anyway, while my order was being prepared, I thought about getting a bubble tea to balance the spice. So I walked over to KFT for an iced taro milk tea. By the time I got my milk tea, my Chili Talk order was ready and packaged up nicely. I REALLY like the fact they used the aluminum bottom container instead of a plastic bottom container. Bonus points there. The verdict? The spice level is awesome! I found it so spicy that I had to breathe through my mouth. Very nice. I also felt the heat through my body. But I can still taste the ingredients' flavor. Thank goodness for the bubble tea! Do yourself a favor and order a bubble tea on the side to alleviate the numbing spice. Hot and spicy, cold and sweet. Yum! The rice on the other hand was just OK. I don't particularly care for it and would cook my own jasmine rice on the side. I will go back though! For the price level, it is a little more expensive than getting a standard mala pot somewhere else, but I don't think it's way overpriced for the quality and amount of food you get. I mean, these days, you pay $10 for a combo meal at McDonalds! So it's really not unreasonable to pay around $25 for mala pot that can serve 2-3 people.
Kha N.
We made our own mala pot and got the mouthwatering chicken appetizer, and it was very good. The service was excellent and they were very accommodating of the fact that one person in our party could not eat spicy, so they split the mala pot into a spicy portion and a nonspicy portion. It's also very convenient how there is bubble tea and crepe in the same place so you can get dessert or a drink with your meal.
Shilu Zhong
Best mala dry pot in DMV area! A must-have when you are craving for spicy specialty.
Mala pot all the way - dry hot pot that keeps you coming back because its so good. Removed a star due to latest price hikes which are understandable with rising prices but out-of-line to inflation at +15% increase even when ordering direct. Will still order again but less frequently.
Zhongyu M.
As a guy from Sichuan who has lived in the DMV area for almost a decade, I can confirm that they have the best dry pot in the DC area. Super authentic and cooked right. Will go back again.
David F
Decent dry pot place, but don't expect to find any good level of mala here.This is in the same space as the crepe place, which is the same building as Bob's Shanghai.Overall, the flavor was okay and the portion of non-meat items were as one would expect for a $25 dish. I had asked for mala, and it shows mala on my receipt, but it would be closer to mild or medium.I ended up getting the following:Chicken ($4.25)Lotus Root ($2.75 for the rest of these non-meat items...)TaroBamboo ShootCauliflowerBroccoliFried TofuSweet Potato NoodlesAnd these free toppings:ScallionCilantroSesame seedsIf you seek out dry pot and can ever make it up to NYC, visit mala project or han dynasty...two places who have perfected this dish IMHO.
Dave F.
Decent dry pot place, but don't expect to find any good level of mala here. This is inside with the crepe place that is in the same building as bobs shanghai. Overall, the flavor was okay and the portion of non-meat items were as one would expect for a $25 dish. I had asked for mala, and it shows mala on my receipt, but it would be closer to mild or medium. I ended up getting the following: Chicken ($4.25) Lotus Root ($2.75 for the rest of these non-meat items...) Taro Bamboo Shoot Cauliflower Broccoli Fried Tofu Sweet Potato Noodles And these free toppings: Scallion Cilantro Sesame seeds If you seek out dry pot and can ever make it up to NYC, visit mala project or han dynasty...two places who have perfected this dish IMHO.
Food are ok, but you need to ask for water, napkin and spoon. Almost no customer service, but pricy.
Affordable price, the food looks appetizing and a little spicy. There are also many options for you if you don't like spicy foods
Their dry pot is good but expensive, over $25 for one meat and 4 vegetables. I had it with the pork tenderloin, taro, shoots, AA choy, and black mushrooms. And I'm still bothered by the after taste of MSG, just spoils dishes like this for me. Service is fine, but decor is lacking as they have several cardboard boxes crowding one side of the restaurant.
I'd highly suggest getting their lunch specials (bento box) that're available on Monday-Saturday. Orders outside lunch specials are way too expensive. I once spent $40 for 2 of us and came out hungry still. It's just not worth it. Beef Brisket Bento Box ($12) - Beef Brisket, Taro, Corn, Imitation Crab Meat, Veggies, Dried Tofu, Rice. This is my go-to lunch special here. It got plenty of meat, veggies and carbs to fill you up. For the spicy level, I wouldn't order anything below "Medium" as it'd result in no flavor. "Spicy" would result in best experience in my opinion.
So good. Love the spice and portion is huge! I think many will underestimate quantity. It does look deceiving. Highly recommended!
I tried this because it's in the same place as T-Swirl Crêpe and we had nice experiences with T-Swirl. The food at Chili Talk was very sub-par and had no flavor. We spent almost $35 and didn't barely eat anything. The "mouth watering" chicken was terrible. I tried to call and speak with the manager 3 times, and everytime they took my number and said they weren't in today. It's been weeks and nobody has contacted me. I feel like I wasted $35 on very poor meal. I recall wanted to like you Chili Talk, how disappointing. If the manager ever reaches out, I'll update my review.
Pretty good dry hot pot, but a pretty unappealing environment to eat in. Summer heat, doors closed, zero AC, humid steam from kitchen. Must of been 80 degrees inside. Nice staff though.
You know what the Chinese millennials say..."eat hot pot in summer and ice cream in winter." Lately, I've been disappointed by the spice level of Sichuan restaurants in Rockville. While their mala pots are delicious, the spice is "normal" and almost mild at best. How I measure spiciness: If I can get through my entire meal without taking a sip of water, then the dish is not spicy enough :D So lo and behold, I finally decided to check out Chili Talk. I ordered a "very spicy" pot with beef tendon, pork intestine, wood-ear, winter melon...all the usual suspects. I really liked being able to choose my ingredients because many pre-made mala pots have ingredients I don't care for (ex. broccoli, cabbage or carrot) yet I force myself to eat them anyway because I don't want to waste food. Anyway, while my order was being prepared, I thought about getting a bubble tea to balance the spice. So I walked over to KFT for an iced taro milk tea. By the time I got my milk tea, my Chili Talk order was ready and packaged up nicely. I REALLY like the fact they used the aluminum bottom container instead of a plastic bottom container. Bonus points there. The verdict? The spice level is awesome! I found it so spicy that I had to breathe through my mouth. Very nice. I also felt the heat through my body. But I can still taste the ingredients' flavor. Thank goodness for the bubble tea! Do yourself a favor and order a bubble tea on the side to alleviate the numbing spice. Hot and spicy, cold and sweet. Yum! The rice on the other hand was just OK. I don't particularly care for it and would cook my own jasmine rice on the side. I will go back though! For the price level, it is a little more expensive than getting a standard mala pot somewhere else, but I don't think it's way overpriced for the quality and amount of food you get. I mean, these days, you pay $10 for a combo meal at McDonalds! So it's really not unreasonable to pay around $25 for mala pot that can serve 2-3 people.
We made our own mala pot and got the mouthwatering chicken appetizer, and it was very good. The service was excellent and they were very accommodating of the fact that one person in our party could not eat spicy, so they split the mala pot into a spicy portion and a nonspicy portion. It's also very convenient how there is bubble tea and crepe in the same place so you can get dessert or a drink with your meal.
Best mala dry pot in DMV area! A must-have when you are craving for spicy specialty.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great!
Mala pot all the way - dry hot pot that keeps you coming back because its so good. Removed a star due to latest price hikes which are understandable with rising prices but out-of-line to inflation at +15% increase even when ordering direct. Will still order again but less frequently.
As a guy from Sichuan who has lived in the DMV area for almost a decade, I can confirm that they have the best dry pot in the DC area. Super authentic and cooked right. Will go back again.
Decent dry pot place, but don't expect to find any good level of mala here.This is in the same space as the crepe place, which is the same building as Bob's Shanghai.Overall, the flavor was okay and the portion of non-meat items were as one would expect for a $25 dish. I had asked for mala, and it shows mala on my receipt, but it would be closer to mild or medium.I ended up getting the following:Chicken ($4.25)Lotus Root ($2.75 for the rest of these non-meat items...)TaroBamboo ShootCauliflowerBroccoliFried TofuSweet Potato NoodlesAnd these free toppings:ScallionCilantroSesame seedsIf you seek out dry pot and can ever make it up to NYC, visit mala project or han dynasty...two places who have perfected this dish IMHO.
Decent dry pot place, but don't expect to find any good level of mala here. This is inside with the crepe place that is in the same building as bobs shanghai. Overall, the flavor was okay and the portion of non-meat items were as one would expect for a $25 dish. I had asked for mala, and it shows mala on my receipt, but it would be closer to mild or medium. I ended up getting the following: Chicken ($4.25) Lotus Root ($2.75 for the rest of these non-meat items...) Taro Bamboo Shoot Cauliflower Broccoli Fried Tofu Sweet Potato Noodles And these free toppings: Scallion Cilantro Sesame seeds If you seek out dry pot and can ever make it up to NYC, visit mala project or han dynasty...two places who have perfected this dish IMHO.