Mala Land

A nice quiet and clean place to eat. I love that you can customize your own mala bowl. You pay by the weight of the bowl you build. There are plenty for good options. The cashiers are nice and will help inform you of what the different options for cooking your food. It's kind of like hotpot, but no cooking it yourself and you do everything all at once before you sit down. They usually just call your number and you go back up to pick up your bowl of food. If you go during the weekday before 2:30 pm, you can select a side of udon, ramen, or rice to go into your bowl for free!

This is a newer restaurant in Novi and it was worth the drive. I really enjoy the make your own bowl and it is not too spicy. I got the level 2 and it was perfect.The service was good and there is good seating . Great for friends and family. I would recommend this place. Super worth!

Talk about a meant to be situation. I'm over at the car dealership, dealing with a tire situation. It's taking forever. I'm starving. I say eh, let's see what this place is all about. I go in to pick up my order and the nice lady from the back comes out all excited. She thought I was going to be her brother in law! Same name. She explains that she did my dish up extra special, as she thought I was family. Free dessert, allll the fixsins. I figure I gotta eat this inside now, so I can really take it all in. Whattt a flavorrr. Ohh man. Every bite. Woooweee! Best dish I've eaten in a minute. Left nothin but the remaining sauce. Even used chopsticks! I was all in. 10/10 100% experience! The employees were all super sweet too. If you're in the area, get in there and try the Malaban. Try the desserts. Try it all. So frigin good!!!

Love the concept where you get to choose what and how much of certain ingredients you want to put in your personal bowl. My bowl was under $12 and I even had enough to bring home leftovers. The options for what to put in is not as vast as other places but they do have a good amount and variety. Cook time was quick and the broth was nothing like I've had before but it was tasty. Workers are nice and checked up on us. Will definitely go again and will have to try the Korean fried chicken & rice cakes.

A great addition to the Novi food scene!TLDR; Great food. Ambiance was fine. Waited longer than we wanted to for our food. Service is meh.This was our first experience with Malatang cuisine. You're provided a large bowl and a buffet of ingredients you'd like for your food. There are some selections that were good enough to make yourself a filling bowl of food, though the layout of the buffet makes it a bit awkward, and no more than two people can realistically pick out food at a time.First-Timer Tip: You'll be given the option to add rice on the side or udon noodles to your bowl for an additional $1.99. I made the mistake of preemptively adding rice noodles to my bowl and then adding udon. Given the chance to redo it, I'd have cut out the rice noodles and just gone with the udon.After placing your order, they give you a number and you're free to seat yourself. The space is pretty minimal, and you're expected to bus your own table. This feels like something they could redo in coming year with some financial success under their belt.But from the time we paid for our order to the time it was ready, the wait took 35 minutes. It's something to be aware of that this is not a quick place to grab a bite.My husband ordered the Level 2 spice Mala Tang Soup... he made a mistake. He likes things with a decent amount of heat, but he deeply regretted not starting off at 1. I ordered a Level 0/No Spice for my Mala Tang Soup but stole a ladle full of his broth and added it to my own. That brought my soup to the exact threshold of my wimpy spice tolerance. But it was oh so very tasty.I teetered on 3 stars simply because the service was slow, the layout of the buffet was a bit awkward, and there were plenty of people waiting for clean tongs that the kitchen couldn't get out fast enough. But the food! The food was very tasty and rewarding. So brace yourself when you come here. It takes a little bit of patience, but I had a great time!

Not much ambiance to speak of but the service was fast & friendly and my food was amazing. I went for the soup option on a very cold day and it hit the spot just right. My Hmong companion wasn't too impressed because it was just like food she makes for herself but it was different and delicious for me. I was really excited to try the cute little fish cakes but they were the only thing I didn't like. I will be a regular here - the food is amazing.

Food is good. The service was great and the ambiance was very intimate. Place isn't too big which I liked.

This place just opened less than 3 weeks ago so we wanted to give it a try. You basically choose every ingredient for your bowl, 3 kinds of noodles, vegetables and other ingredients, then you choose either deep fried or stew. Everything tastes fresh, limited space for sitting, food ok and only 3 kinds of drinks. You get charge by weight so price is proportional. Most say I will wait a few months before coming so they can settle down and maybe offer more options.

Finally got to try this place! I was so excited when I found out there was a mala restaurant nearby that does dry pot, but the reviews for the soup version were so glowing I had to try it first. The self-serve ingredients were all fresh, and they had a decent selection. Our wait time for a to go order was around 10 minutes. The soup is so flavorful, and the spice level of 2 was perfect for me (kind of a strong mild or light medium). Service was quick and friendly, and the place looked very clean! Will definitely be coming back to this place soon to try the dry pot!

DELICIOUS & COMFORTING FOOD ON A COLD WINTER DAY!I came here for the first time intentionally on a cold, 18 degree snowy day at an off time.I had looked at some previous reviews and wanted to try the Mala Tang broth - it did not disappoint and is addictive! Walking in, the restaurant is minimalist and unassuming, but don't be fooled - the friendly service, Christmas music (for this time of year), and food made this place cozy and relaxing. They have a buffet of fresh ingredients to select for your meal in three different styles, soup, stir fry, etc. The ingredients range from shrimp, beef, krab, fish balls, quail eggs, and many other fresh veggies, noodles and other selections. These ingredients really come to life once cooked. You can also put in some specialty noodles at the buffet and/or have them add udon or ramen when cooking. They then weigh your bowl for price and prepare your meal. Once my food arrived I was stunned by the aroma and beauty of the mini cauldron. You can choose four spice levels, 0-3, and I chose 2 as I like spice. I found this to be a perfect spice level to balance with flavor. If you're not accustomed to spice, try 0-1. I highly recommend Mala Land and will definitely come back to this new Novi gem!