Shockingly good. Like, I am so glad I happened to wander in! It's a Chipotle- or Mongolian BBQ-type setup where you select your ingredients and they are prepared for you into japchae stir fry or stew. But it is executed really well with amazing flavors and truly interesting items to select from. I got lotus root in my stir fry, there are a couple different mushrooms to select from there are proteins like shrimp and lamb and others, several types of greens and even the cabbage is available in full leaf or shredded format. You can really make this dish your own. I will say that even the number one is a fair amount of heat. But I'm telling you, the even with my nose running I was looking forward to every fork full.I really don't care about atmosphere so I just default gave it four stars. But the food and the service really deserve five stars.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tyler Nau
It was my first time coming to this kind of restaurant and it was an absolutely amazing experience! This place has a very good atmosphere for semi introverted people as the tables aren’t too close together, but there are also larger tables for medium to large sized get together. The chairs are incredibly comfortable and the food came out very quickly.Every ingredient looks and tastes fresh, and the entire place is kept very clean! I got the second from most spicy option of broth(which was also delicious by the way) and it was perfectly spicy without overwhelming any of the other flavors. 10/10 will be coming here again!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Jiwan Zhang
This place is awesome! I missed authentic Asian food so much. I drove past this place and I just knew it was going to be amazing and I was right. The broth was so flavorful, the price was reasonable and it was such a good experience. This was also our first meal as a married couple and we couldn’t have chosen a better spot. Highly, highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Wesley Phillips
The malatang is soooo good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ed Li
Staff was nice, food was okay…Branding is kinda weird since mala tang is Chinese and the owners and flavors are Korean…not real mala tang.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Mia H.
I have come here so many time since opening and it is a favorite. There's no place in Portland that does it quite like them, and they do malatang VERY well. After walking in and being directed to your table, you're free to get up and make your way to the selection bar to decide what items you want in either a soup base or a stir-fry. I always like the switch it up, but I love how their bar area is always kept so clean and the items are always very fresh (veggies are washed well!). I honestly prefer the spicy stir fry but even their no spice (and you can get it with spice if you want) soup broth, it is so comforting and delicious. I cannot spread how good this place is nor how kind and accommodating the staff is; you have to go check it out yourself! Plus! There's al carte items that, while I have not yet tried, look so delicious, as well as a sauce bar!
Lisa Nguyen
I come here a lot and every time I had went, the service was good. But this time around it was a disappointment. We came in and ordered our food and sat at the table right next to the cash wrap. The lady working there had sat three tables down already and brought over their water and utensils especially the table right next to ours. We were the only ones that did not have water or utensils for about 15 mins. We were only given utensils and water when our food came out. I also have to add that I could’ve went up and grabbed the utensils myself but seeing the look the lady that was working there gave to another lady who came up and grab some napkins made me not want to. Overall food was good as always but service was lacking this time around.
Alaya Wyndham
Fantastic! Healthy, delicious, many fun ingredients to choose from and reasonable price by the ounce. Clean and bright atmosphere and friendly owner/staff. Great if you like spice! Will make this a regular lunch spot for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Vincent Liang
Meh too expensive
Aashna T.
Incredible food, music, ambiance, and service! The staff member that helped my friends and I was so sweet and welcoming and patiently explained how the restaurant works. The food is sooo good and flavorful! Half of us did the stir fry while the other half did soup. I'm salivating as I write this that's how good it was! I want to come back. Thank you to the sweet staff member who played excellent music and for being so welcoming and kind!
I was excited to try this place because mala tang is one of my favorite things! After finding out this is a Korean/Chinese fusion, I was even more excited since those are my two most common go to types of cuisines. Personally, the price in my opinion was a bit steep. My boyfriend's bowl (added beef) came to $26 and mine (added beef was $18). But that was okay because I would pay more for a good bowl of mala tang. But sadly, I felt the soup was mid... it's lacking the numbing spice which is what mala translates too. So I was a bit disappointed. The sauce bar options was okay, it was pretty good with the beef. I just wish they had soy sauce and dark vinegar!:)
Nyla M.
I was on my way to a dumpling house in the neighborhood but after 7 minutes of searching for parking in the pouring rain, I gave up. Fate put me in front of this Korean specialty place and it had a parking lot! so I stopped. This used to be a sushi joint, one more in a long line of okay sushi spots in Portland but it is now a sleek, clean, Korean soup kitchen. Sort of like a Mongolian grill but so much better. You choose the things you want from a long line of familiar, and some less (unless you are an aficionado of Korean cuisine, perhaps) and place them in a stainless steel bowl using clean stainless tongs I chose bok choy, bean sprouts, black mushroom, bitter melon, long bean, spinach, parsley, bamboo shoot and a couple of veggies I don't know the name of. I added extremely fresh raw large shrimp for my protein from an array of things I can only guess at, though I recognized squid, bacon rolls, pork balls, and tofu. You can then ask the chef to add pork belly, lamb, or beef if you want. i did not. They weigh it and take it away. I chose stir fry instead of soup because i'd been eating homemade soup for two days. It was returned to my table piping hot by a smiling, friendly young Korean woman, seasoned beautifully with sesame oul, chilis, garlic, perhaps a splash of cooking wine, and seasoned peanuts. Delicious. A man across the way from me went with the soup version and slurped happily away at his bowl. Korean pop music played at a reasonable volume, upbeat. It was not inexpensive. My stir fry lunch set me back $22. But it was definitely fresh, tasty, and its unlike any place else in Portland I know of.
Eli Kloft
Hit the spot perfectly! How can you beat throwing whatever you like into a bowl?! Level 3 spicy was on point, super
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Cuong Pham
Great service, very clean, highchairs/boosters and small bowls available for the little ones. #3 spicy broth is perfect if you like spicy. Ice cold Tsingtao and soup broth was piping hot. You grab a bowl, load it up with veg, meat, and noodles and they either stir fry or add soup, perfect for hangover.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
E Hamm
Great food. Unique ingredients. Helpful staff. Great place to have a meal!!
Shockingly good. Like, I am so glad I happened to wander in! It's a Chipotle- or Mongolian BBQ-type setup where you select your ingredients and they are prepared for you into japchae stir fry or stew. But it is executed really well with amazing flavors and truly interesting items to select from. I got lotus root in my stir fry, there are a couple different mushrooms to select from there are proteins like shrimp and lamb and others, several types of greens and even the cabbage is available in full leaf or shredded format. You can really make this dish your own. I will say that even the number one is a fair amount of heat. But I'm telling you, the even with my nose running I was looking forward to every fork full.I really don't care about atmosphere so I just default gave it four stars. But the food and the service really deserve five stars.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was my first time coming to this kind of restaurant and it was an absolutely amazing experience! This place has a very good atmosphere for semi introverted people as the tables aren’t too close together, but there are also larger tables for medium to large sized get together. The chairs are incredibly comfortable and the food came out very quickly.Every ingredient looks and tastes fresh, and the entire place is kept very clean! I got the second from most spicy option of broth(which was also delicious by the way) and it was perfectly spicy without overwhelming any of the other flavors. 10/10 will be coming here again!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
This place is awesome! I missed authentic Asian food so much. I drove past this place and I just knew it was going to be amazing and I was right. The broth was so flavorful, the price was reasonable and it was such a good experience. This was also our first meal as a married couple and we couldn’t have chosen a better spot. Highly, highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
The malatang is soooo good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Staff was nice, food was okay…Branding is kinda weird since mala tang is Chinese and the owners and flavors are Korean…not real mala tang.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
I have come here so many time since opening and it is a favorite. There's no place in Portland that does it quite like them, and they do malatang VERY well. After walking in and being directed to your table, you're free to get up and make your way to the selection bar to decide what items you want in either a soup base or a stir-fry. I always like the switch it up, but I love how their bar area is always kept so clean and the items are always very fresh (veggies are washed well!). I honestly prefer the spicy stir fry but even their no spice (and you can get it with spice if you want) soup broth, it is so comforting and delicious. I cannot spread how good this place is nor how kind and accommodating the staff is; you have to go check it out yourself! Plus! There's al carte items that, while I have not yet tried, look so delicious, as well as a sauce bar!
I come here a lot and every time I had went, the service was good. But this time around it was a disappointment. We came in and ordered our food and sat at the table right next to the cash wrap. The lady working there had sat three tables down already and brought over their water and utensils especially the table right next to ours. We were the only ones that did not have water or utensils for about 15 mins. We were only given utensils and water when our food came out. I also have to add that I could’ve went up and grabbed the utensils myself but seeing the look the lady that was working there gave to another lady who came up and grab some napkins made me not want to. Overall food was good as always but service was lacking this time around.
Fantastic! Healthy, delicious, many fun ingredients to choose from and reasonable price by the ounce. Clean and bright atmosphere and friendly owner/staff. Great if you like spice! Will make this a regular lunch spot for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Meh too expensive
Incredible food, music, ambiance, and service! The staff member that helped my friends and I was so sweet and welcoming and patiently explained how the restaurant works. The food is sooo good and flavorful! Half of us did the stir fry while the other half did soup. I'm salivating as I write this that's how good it was! I want to come back. Thank you to the sweet staff member who played excellent music and for being so welcoming and kind!
Restaurantji Recommends
I was excited to try this place because mala tang is one of my favorite things! After finding out this is a Korean/Chinese fusion, I was even more excited since those are my two most common go to types of cuisines. Personally, the price in my opinion was a bit steep. My boyfriend's bowl (added beef) came to $26 and mine (added beef was $18). But that was okay because I would pay more for a good bowl of mala tang. But sadly, I felt the soup was mid... it's lacking the numbing spice which is what mala translates too. So I was a bit disappointed. The sauce bar options was okay, it was pretty good with the beef. I just wish they had soy sauce and dark vinegar!:)
I was on my way to a dumpling house in the neighborhood but after 7 minutes of searching for parking in the pouring rain, I gave up. Fate put me in front of this Korean specialty place and it had a parking lot! so I stopped. This used to be a sushi joint, one more in a long line of okay sushi spots in Portland but it is now a sleek, clean, Korean soup kitchen. Sort of like a Mongolian grill but so much better. You choose the things you want from a long line of familiar, and some less (unless you are an aficionado of Korean cuisine, perhaps) and place them in a stainless steel bowl using clean stainless tongs I chose bok choy, bean sprouts, black mushroom, bitter melon, long bean, spinach, parsley, bamboo shoot and a couple of veggies I don't know the name of. I added extremely fresh raw large shrimp for my protein from an array of things I can only guess at, though I recognized squid, bacon rolls, pork balls, and tofu. You can then ask the chef to add pork belly, lamb, or beef if you want. i did not. They weigh it and take it away. I chose stir fry instead of soup because i'd been eating homemade soup for two days. It was returned to my table piping hot by a smiling, friendly young Korean woman, seasoned beautifully with sesame oul, chilis, garlic, perhaps a splash of cooking wine, and seasoned peanuts. Delicious. A man across the way from me went with the soup version and slurped happily away at his bowl. Korean pop music played at a reasonable volume, upbeat. It was not inexpensive. My stir fry lunch set me back $22. But it was definitely fresh, tasty, and its unlike any place else in Portland I know of.
Hit the spot perfectly! How can you beat throwing whatever you like into a bowl?! Level 3 spicy was on point, super
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service, very clean, highchairs/boosters and small bowls available for the little ones. #3 spicy broth is perfect if you like spicy. Ice cold Tsingtao and soup broth was piping hot. You grab a bowl, load it up with veg, meat, and noodles and they either stir fry or add soup, perfect for hangover.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Great food. Unique ingredients. Helpful staff. Great place to have a meal!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5