Mala Panda

Mala Panda specializes in flaming spicy Ma La Tang (soupy spicy numbing vats of food) or dry hot pot, with a buffet style wall of options to customize your dish. Great for solo diners or parties with very different spice tolerances.First, grab a tray and load up on all your favorites.Second, weigh your tray and pay (discounts for cash). Select a beverageThird, get a seat. Make your sauces. Wait for 10 minutes.Eat!

Cool experience - the space itself is casual and has plenty of seating for groups of 2-6, with fun art all over the wall. Upon walking in, you grab a tray and a pair of tongs and pick out all the ingredients you want in your dish. There are a lot of choices, particularly for proteins. I was surprised by the variety! One thing to note is that they have a 1lb purchase minimum, which I didn't hit at first but was allowed to grab more ingredients before checking out. At the time I went, they only allowed us to do the hot pot option, which was a bit of a bummer because I was really hoping to try the dry pot.It took about 20 minutes to receive my dish after making it, my friend an extra 5 minutes or so. The spice level is accurate - the medium definitely had a kick to it!They had a customizable sauce bar with the basics, along with complimentary rice for dine in.All in all, a fun experience, but not necessarily rushing back.

yummy mala spot in manhattan! it doesn't compare to the malatang in flushing but it's a good option for the city the food: lots of ingredients that seem semi fresh - the best part about the mala was that the portion is hugeeeee and the spicy level is actually quite spicy! my favorite ingredient is the fish roe ball the space: pretty big! the service: nice!

I was craving dry mala and saw this place on TikTok, it's $14.99/lb and self serve. Their variety is great and their flavor is super super mala, so if you're a fan of that you'll love this place, there were sooo many peppercorns They also have free rice and their water has lemon soda in it to help offset the mala LOL Instagram - @joangela.eats

Mala Panda is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, opening up earlier this month right across the street from my building.I came in on a cloudy Tuesday evening, craving something spicy and tingly to knock some sense back into my allergies. For the uninitiated, the setup here can be a bit intimidating: luckily, staff was very friendly and eager to help. You're charged by the pound, with a 1lb (as of today, $14.99) minimum. Grab your tray and start piling up fresh ingredients from the huge refrigerated shelves and, if you want, thin slices of frozen meat (lamb, beef, fish, et al) from the freezer chest. The shelves have a few dozen vegetable, dim sum, noodle, and meat options to pick from. Take your tray to the cashier, choose your style (malatang: hot pot soup, dry pot: stir fry, or spicy mix) and heat level (no spice to extra spice). Pay for your meal and staff will take your tray to the cook.It was a struggle finding enough to build a sensible sized tray and my order for malatang got put through as dry pot, but this was some of the best Szechuan cuisine I've had (besting Chengdu in Jersey City). My dry pot had sweet potato noodles, 3 types of mushrooms, two types of bok choi, tofu, calamari, shrimp dumplings, and sliced lamb. The cashier cautioned me that my order of "medium" was very hot and...it certainly packs a punch, though not steamy enough to keep me from devouring the plate. While there was definitely some bite from chilis, it didn't overpower the coriander and Szechuan pepper. Sauces can be added to your cooked bowl and rice is free if you're eating in.I'll be back to get malatang and see just how potent the "extra spicy" is

Really great options and friendly staff. Yummy too! Place is clean and very organized!

new malatang place that just opened. super nice and friendly service, and very clean and fresh ingredients. there's so many choices.

Finally, an a la carte mala spot in this neck of the Manhattan woods. Just don't be dumb like me and fill up your tray with heavy ingredients that all weigh more than they're worth, considering you're paying $14.99/lb. I'm looking at you, potato noodles!

Came here for malatang and it was pretty good! IMO, it is better than YGF's soup malatang, as the broth tastes better. Same concept as ygf: there's a fridge with a bunch of food and you pay by weight. This place has a lot more seafood than ygf tho, there's octopus, different kinds of clams, etc. The rice here is also free. They give you so much soup and it tastes great! I couldn't stop drinking it and was super full at the end. The staff here are also really nice and helpful. Will definitely be coming back!

option wise, i'd say it's better than ygf. food was delicious, service is quick and easy, great cozy interior. would highly recommend!