Pixiu Mala Hongtang

This place recently opened.My friend and I came here for dinner on a Monday evening and we were mind blown by this place! They have a station where you can pick up your own ingredients and wow all of the ingredients were so well-stocked and fresh even though it was evening/dinner time (generally I have seen other restaurants who have an ingredient station? gets messy or has empty containers). I was really impressed how clean the station was. All the staff was extremely kind and helpful! Another surprising thing is their service; I did not expect any service since you get your own ingredients and bring it to the cashiers, but they were extremely attentive and kind when they brought the cooked food and brought aprons.The food was absolutely amazing! I highly recommend the stir fried and sweet/sour pork. I, personally, was not too big of a fan for the lemon flavor from the sweet/sour pork but that's just my personal familiarity with the traditional Korean Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork). But it was still very good.I am so glad I don't have to go all the way to Rowland heights for good mala food that allows you to pick your own ingredients.Everyone should give it a try to this place!

Great addition to Source OC! This was my first time having Korean Malatang and I was pretty pleased. The facility is very clean and the vegetables and toppings are all fresh. They even have a weight scale at the filling station so you can weigh as you go. We got the Malatang and the stir fry at level 1 spicy, which they claim to be the same level as Shin ramen, but I disagree with this because the level 1 is really not spicy at all - it's just a kick. Sliced beef has a lot of fat but luckily doesn't make up the majority of the slices. I really liked the ingredients they used in the stir fry. It's not too spicy, really nutty and a little sweet. Texture wise, everything was cooked to perfection.The stir fry is a couple dollars more than the malatang, but they give a complimentary small bowl of rice, so you can factor that in when loading up your bowl.I think it's unfair to ask which is better: Pixiu Mala Hongtang or build your own Chinese Malatang places like Zhangliang Malatang, because they are just very different in what ingredients they use and how they prepare it. What I liked about Pixiu is that the broth in the Malatang felt pretty clean, kind of like gomtang, and not overloaded with sodium like how Chinese beef broth could be. Chinese Malatang also has a lot of peppercorns that make that spicy mala flavor, but I would say Pixiu didn't have the same effect. Pixiu is more expensive at 16.99 per pound for the Malatang, whereas it's 13.99 at Zhangliang, but I do think the ingredients at Pixiu are a lot fresher. The nice thing about Zhangliang is the many soup base options like beef broth or tomato, whereas I think Pixiu doesn't offer as many options.

Went on a Sunday right around opening time. The layout of the restaurant is great, and it's very clean and roomy. Extremely comfortable to sit, eat, and chat. All the available selections for the mala were fresh. We got the mala stir-fry, the sweet and sour pork, and the masago roe rice balls. The food was great! As someone who can't really eat spicy food, I was afraid of trying the mala stir-fry, but I could handle it. The complimentary rice and rice balls helped a lot.I really want to highlight the service as the employees were both to the point and very helpful. I explained that I was worried about the spice level of the stir-fry since there's no mild version available, and the person who took my order said he would try to decrease the spice. It really helped! He also recommended a smaller order of the sweet and sour pork which wasn't on the menu, and that was perfect for our small family trying to sample multiple dishes. Even with his recommendation, we still had extra food to take home.Overall, it was a great first time mala experience. My family was talking about how we'll definitely come back and bring others.

I'm like a huge Malatang / Spicy Hotpot person so my expectations were pretty high. First off, this place charges a lot more for the food. It's like 17 a pound vs 14 a pound at other places. If you want a stir fry it's like 19 a pound. The interior of the place is really nice and modern looking. The fridge area where the raw food is kept is nicely lit and designed. They have a good variety of items but I feel some items are too small like the potato slices are too thin and the beef is just way too fatty. It's literally just fat and not much meat or if any meat at all. So the food itself... the soup malatang starts at mild but apparently it's just a white broth is what I was told and the next level up is medium. The stir fry starts at medium and you cannot go lower. Their spicy levels are not what they are supposed to be. Medium is REALLY spicy. Like a painful spicy. The stir fry looked good but it's really greasy and really spicy for a medium. The soup malatang looks like normal malatang from afar but the taste is off. All I can taste is spicy and it's like a hit you in the face immediate spicy. There isn't much flavor except for "spicy". The broth itself is really bland and doesn't taste like much. It's a bit hard to decide between mild and medium because there is no in between. Service here is nonexistent. No water refill my whole time here and no one checks up on you. It's not like everything is on the table ready for you to grab either. They do have a small sauce bar but it's really small. They do not have satay sauce in the sauce bar but they do have peanut sauce. The fresh garlic is nice. Overall -- food needs work. For the price they are charging I expected more. Especially since they are charging more than other places like YGF or Yin Tang. Those two I would say are better. All I could really taste here is spicy and not in a good way. If you're not a spicy eater, I would be really weary of this place.

Food was delicious. The broth was rich and savory. I got mild and then added the chili oil to my sauce and that was the perfect spiciness level for me. They have spam and sweet potato tteokbokki at the bar and they were my favorite toppings. The first girl that got us seated was nice. She explained how everything worked since it was our first time. We came on a week day afternoon so it wasn't too busy. But they did seem a little short staffed, since the second girl that worked the register seemed rushed, overwhelmed, and was kinda blunt.

Malatang has been getting pretty popular lately, and I was lucky to find that there was a place close to me so I wouldn't have to drive down to Irvine!PARKING:This is located in the Source, which has a parking structure. Can be chaotic but there's always parking.FOOD + DRINKSThe first time I went, I had the level three broth, and the second time I went, I had the level five broth. The latter wasn't too bad, but definitely made it a bit less enjoyable, even as someone with a high spice tolerance. I'd recommend getting the level three if you're into spicy but want to finish the broth after eating your fillings.The topping variety was pretty nice in my opinion. In terms of meat, you really only have beef brisket and lamb, but there's a variety of seafood and veggie options to pick from. My favorite though was the rice cake - don't skip out on the purple sweet potato rice cake, which balanced out the spice of the soup pretty well. There's a scale next to the toppings bar which definitely reduced some of my anxiety in terms of getting too much. There's a small sauce bar too. A small bowl of rice comes free with each order - make sure you ask for it.SERVICE:I went once during lunch time on a week day and once during dinner time on a weekend, and things definitely differed due to how different the crowds were. During the day, staff were definitely more attentive and guided us through the options before setting us free to pick up our toppings. At night, things seemed to be a bit more chaotic; we weren't really given any guidance on what to do after we were seated. That being said, this wasn't their fault - I think they were understaffed given the huge crowd.The way this place works is you pick up a bowl and a pair of tongs, then select your toppings and bring it to the front to choose between broth or a stir fry, add on any additional menu items, and check out (you can check out afterward too). You get a receipt and they bring the soup out for you. When I went during the evening, line management was a bit difficult. The wait was 10+ minutes, and the line stretched into the toppings bar which made navigating hard. It also looked like people were using the same line for both check out and for submitting their toppings - I think two separate lines would have made things more efficient.VIBES:Great for family/friend catchups as well as one-on-one dates. The wait for a table of 10 on a weekend evening was about half an hour.BOTTOM LINE:A few bumps they need to iron out, but I think this place is pretty solid and fairly priced. I would come back.

Located on the 2nd floor of The Source. PROS: + Lots of options for spice level in your broth. + Their broth is not your typical authentic malatang. It's similar to a spicy beef bone broth, which was delicious!! + You pick your own meat & veggies and pay depending on the weight of your bowl. You can get your dish with broth or stir fried. + Sauce station is available for you to make your own sauce.

I've been to a few restaurants similar to this before but some friends and I decided on this spot because they also had tteokbokki and rice balls!We went on a Tuesday night for dinner and since it's located at The Source, parking was plentiful and easy to find. It's located on the second floor and you'll see it if you walk straight into the mall from the parking structure.You wait to be seated (there was no wait for us) and then you go grab what ingredients you want by yourself using a large bowl and tongs. There are instructions on what to do plastered all over the restaurant so it's easy to follow. After you fill your bowl, you go to the register where you let them know if you want your ingredients made into a soup or stir fry. There are spice levels to choose from and if you don't want non-spicy but you still want a little spice, you can ask them for 0.5 spice level! They weigh your bowl and that's how you're charged. You can also order any drinks or appetizers here as well. They give you a receipt with your number and you go sit back down and wait for them to bring you your food. There's also a self serve sauce bar to make your own dipping sauces.Everything we got tasted delicious! The broth for the soup was flavorful and the tteokbokki and tuna rice balls were also yummy.The only issue we had was that it took awhile for them to bring our food out even though the restaurant wasn't too busy and there seemed to be a decent amount of staff. It also felt counterproductive to have to go to the register again after you eat to pay.

Cali is finally getting cold, and this Mala Tang was perfect for the weather! It was date night, and we were excited bc this was our first time trying Korean style hot pot.Parking: The Source has a free parking garage. Plenty of parking and easy to find.Ambiance/Environment: This spot is located on the second floor. We visited right before their dinner rush. It started getting busy between 6-8pm. They have a large space inside with plenty of seating. Perfect for all group sizes. Very clean and modern inside.Service: Everyone was helpful and welcoming, but special shout out to Andrew! He was very knowledgeable about the menu and even gave us good recommendations. There was also a worker constantly walking around ensuring everyone was doing well. Overall, service was above & beyond excellent.What to do: After a server seats you, take a look at the menu. Then get a bowl & tongs from the toppings bar and fill it up. Remember they charge per lb, and they do have a scale so it gives you an idea of how much you're spending. Take your bowl to the register and choose whether you want Mala tang, Mala stir fry, or Mala pan. Choose your spice level. They'll take your bowl and prepare your dish. Then they serve it to you.Food & Drinks:1) Mala Tang, med hot - I ordered this. I absolutely looove the broth! It had the perfect amount of spiciness. All the toppings I chose were delicious, and the beef brisket & lamb were cooked well.2) Mala Stir Fry, hot - My bf ordered this, and I only took one bite bc this was veryyy spicy for me lol. The stir fry had so much flavor, and everything was cooked perfectly!3) Sweet & Sour Pork - This was recommended to us. The pork wasn't too chewy, and the outside texture was gooey. We never had anything like it, so it was a good different taste for us.4) Rose Tteokbokki - Another dish that was recommended to us. This was definitely rich in flavor. The rice cake was cooked well and drenched in the Mala sauce. The dumplings & sausages were also delicious!5) Milkis & Walovi - Some of my fav Korean drinks! Can't go wrong with these classics. So refreshing!Pricing: Definitely worth it $$$. These portions were HUGE, so they're shareable.

**Overview**Visited on a Saturday lunch at 11:15 AM with a friend. The restaurant had just opened at 11 AM, so there was no wait. This malatang spot stands out for its cleanliness, flavorful food, and attentive service.**The Food**- Mala Stir Fry: I opted for the stir fry and was impressed by the Korean-inspired mala flavor. It was my first time trying this variation, and I loved it! I chose the lowest spice level (medium hot) for the mala stir fry, which was pretty spicy but still enjoyable.- Complimentary Rice: I was pleasantly surprised to find out that rice is complimentary! It helped balance the bold, spicy flavors and was a great addition to the meal.- Ingredient Station: The cleanest and most organized I've ever seen. Fresh ingredients were beautifully displayed, and the separation of meat and vegetables was a thoughtful touch.- Pricing: For stir fry, it's $18.99 per pound. My bowl (11 oz) came out to $13.03, and it was filling enough that I couldn't finish it all.**The Experience**- Service: The staff were incredibly attentive, frequently refilling our water and providing extra napkins. The complimentary rice was a wonderful gesture.- Cleanliness: The restaurant was pretty clean, from the ingredient station to the dining area.- Parking: Located inside The Source, which offers convenient mall-style parking connected to the building.Pixiu Mala Hongtang is my favorite malatang place so far. The food is delicious, pricing is very reasonable for the quality and quantity, and the service is top-notch. I highly recommend trying it out! Next time, I'm excited to explore their malatang soup option ($16.99 per pound).Pro Tip: Arrive early to avoid the lunchtime rush--by 12:30 PM, there was already a line forming.