Zhangliang Malatang

Me and my boyfriend came here for lunch a few weeks ago on a weekday. It wasn't very busy as it was an early lunch time! For those who haven't had the experience before, you wait for a host to assign you a number and then you grab tongs and your bowl. You're required to have the minimum limit of 1.5 lbs in your bowl, and you can add whatever you'd like to your bowl. If you want rice, you just ask for it at the counter when they weigh your bowl. I personally recommend the medium spice bone broth--super great! The ingredients are very fresh, and there always seemed to be a worker making sure everything was neat and organized. For lunch, you get a free drink. Make sure to go to the sauce bar and make a sauce, too! All in all, food was so delicious and I enjoyed it more than the prepared hotpots as I can get to choose the things I like, and not waste the things I don't like to eat. We went for dinner again a few weeks ago, and it was super packed and busy. You'll be sitting super close to others and it's definitely hard to hold a convo with it being so loud. I'd recommend trying to go for lunch, unless you don't mind the closeness and how loud it gets!

The food here is always good, and I always order with my eyes more than with my stomach. It's easy to get carried away here, but this was my first time ordering a bowl weighing 2.1 lbs. I have food for days! The service is definitely a no frills vibe, as expected. Don't expect the friendliest servers here, but you come for the food. I ordered the Tom Yum Broth for my malatang. I would rate this overall a 8/10. I always ask for extra seasoning and flavor and they always deliver.

Quality of ingredients and freshness is excellent. The broths are amazing. A must visit for any Asian food fan.

I really want to like this place as I love the concept but it fell short of expectation. The added star was just for the efficiency of the wait list. That the only plus. The soup all have msg in it and we woke up with headache the next day. I also found it overly salt. Also I didn't like that they only put certain starch up front. I felt compelled to take one and they are big chunks only to find fresh noodles later in the line up. Lastly if you are allergic to anything this is not the place for you, each person use their own tangs but can pick up seafood meat whatever with the same tang so the food itself has residuals of that from other dishes. Not going back

Coming on a Monday late lunch, I thought maybe it'd be easier to get a table. Didn't seem like it, still had to wait about 10 minutes to get seated, and it being MLK, maybe that's why. There were plenty of ingredients to choose from. I must have gotten almost 2 pounds of food since my total came to around $29. Though, admittedly, this did serve me for about 3 meals (2 nights of leftovers). The ingredients quality was pretty good, and overall, the place felt clean, though the fact that you had to use the same tongs for every section (including the meat and veggie sections) felt maybe slightly unsanitary, though I'm sure it get boiled out when they prepare the meal. I got the classic bone broth, mild, and it still got me a little sweaty. But generally speaking, it was all really tasty and I liked the variety of ingredients. Service was also fairly quick and courteous.

This place always has a line out the door whenever we walk by. Today we got there at 5:30pm and were able to walk in without waiting at all. You get in line, grab a big plastic clear bowl and a tong, and you start grabbing whatever ingredients you want from the buffet line. However, beware of what and how much you grab because you pay by the weight so you need to be somewhat skillful in the amount of ingredients you choose for your soup. My bowl came out to be about 1.3 lbs just the way I like it, but my friends miscalculated and their bowls came out to be over 2 to 3 lbs each, making it into a pricey meal. Doh! I chose the Tom Yum soup base. My friends chose the tomato soup base and mushroom soup base. Then you go to the sauce bar next to custom make your dipping sauce. They give you a # tag bracelet for your order and you get seated to wait for your food. The final product in the bowl were huge, savory and delicious. I really love the Tom Yum soup with all the ingredients handpicked by me. Overall, this place is quite an experience.

This is a whole new way to do a hotpot. Usually I have tried doing shabu shabby where you cook it on your table. This one , you choose your proteins, seafood and veggies. You also choose your own broth: classic bone broth , Tom yum, tomato or mushroom. It came out pretty good. I got the Tom yum and it came out hot , tasty and spicy. Just the perfect combo on a cold freezing night . My daughter got the bone broth and it was good too but with no spice. You also get to choose your own sauce or any condiments you want .Altogether very good place to eat and priced just right. It can get a little crowded but wait was under 20 mins. Sign up ahead and try it. Service was very efficient. Quick and friendly!

I really like malatang in general but I would have to say this is my favorite malatang in the bay so far. And we've tried quite a bit. This place is $14.99/lb and they have a really wide selection of items including pricer things like pea sprout and innards which are my favorite. They also have a wide selection of meats, seafood, and an assortment of balls. But their selection options is probably one of largest that I've been to. And their sauce option is decent. My favorite base is the bone broth. The soup base is smooth unlike some other places and the mala has just enough of a kick. They're super efficient with getting people a seat but are not pushy about kicking people out. Their staff is super nice and are attentive enough when you need more water or napkins. It's a comfortable place to eat and clean as well.

Whew! I'm honestly not sure how to review this place. I love the concept of malatang and Zhangliang makes it very easy to customize your bowl with whatever your heart can imagine.I love the tom yum soup base and loading my bowl up with mushrooms, shrimps, and noodles. I feel like I have perfected the amount of toppings to be a filling meal without going overboard. The quality of ingredients is fresh, the sauce bar is stocked. All good things aside, there was one unforgivable. My friend found a fly in his meal -- twice. The restaurant allowed him to re-make his meal both times, and ended up comping the dinner, which was appreciated. The service was indeed friendly and accommodating, but once you find a fly in your food, it draws you away from the restaurant pretty immediately.Such a shame, and I assume this is a common healthy safety concern when veggies and meats are left out for people to grab. I don't know if I would go back, but the saving grace is definitely the accommodation by the staff.

My husband liked the authentic yet personalized meal! Everyone in the family could customize their ingredients and spice level.