Ma Lu Bian Bian

Absolutely love Ma Lu Bian Bian! Located in the West Colonial Chinatown Plaza. Tons of parking. Upon walking up to the restaurant, I knew I was in for something big. The restaurant was bright, open, clean, fun, and had an overall really nice vibe. I knew my meal was going to be amazing!Service was phenomenal! They are very engaging and helpful. They appear to be happy to be there which makes all the difference in the world. The menu options were plentiful. Definitely something for everyone to love. I opted for a half butter and half spicy base. This was awesome to be able to try two different bases. They offer a large variety of skewers to choose from and the cool part they are all just $0.35 each. Take as much or as little as you want. I loved the variety and quality of all the meats, soup base, sauces, and noodles.Ask your server to guide you with making their signature house dipping sauce. Its so good and goes with everything. Everything was absolutely fresh and delicious!Definitely my new go to for probably all of 2025

Ma Lu Bian Bian offers a fantastic skewer hotpot experience. The hotpot base is flavorful and rich, setting the perfect foundation for the meal. Skewers are very affordable at just 35 cents each, and you can also order additional sides and meats to round out your meal. They have a free bar that's a nice touch, offering desserts, fresh fruits, and some pre-prepared foods to complement the main course.One downside is the water--it's tap water, and you can definitely taste the difference. A small issue, but worth mentioning. Another drawback is the cleaning process during service. The staff sprays cleaner around you as you eat, and the strong chemical smell can linger in the air. Unfortunately, I could taste it in my food, which was pretty unpleasant and even made me gag at one point.That said, the service here is excellent. The staff is attentive, and they work hard to ensure you have a good experience. For those who don't eat as much and prefer higher-quality ingredients, this is a great choice over an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) option. However, if you've got someone in your group who can really pack it away, you might feel like you're spending more for less.One cool feature is the red markers on certain skewers and dishes, which indicate popular customer picks--a nice guide if you're not sure where to start. Overall, Ma Lu Bian Bian is a solid spot for hotpot, with just a couple of quirks that keep it from being perfect.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of their skewer fridge nor the food as it was that good!This place is a Chinese hotpot that is semi-self serve. You pay for the broth options (which were all I believe 14.99-16-99) and the meat and veggie skewers (which is .35 per skewer and 2.99 for each plate of noodles, veggies, or dumplings -these are all store in the fridge and can choose at your own pace). They also have special meat options on their menu as well as hot items like glass noodles, chicken feet, etc (those menu items were around 9.99 each)They also have a self-serve sauce station at 3.99 per person but I honestly think the broth flavors the meats enough!It is a little bit of a learning curve having to choose meats in the fridge and cooking them on your own and making sure everyone's sticks don't tangle. However, once you get the hang of it, it was super fun and tasty!The servers mainly spoke limited English but can understand so it wasn't an issue personally for us. They walked by and kept an eye on our broth levels and making sure we didn't need a water refill. The restaurant itself has plenty of space! I never felt like I was right by a person or having to squeeze through.Overall, would definitely come back here! Their pickled pork and mushroom beef skewers were AMAZING! I would also recommend their House Special Beef that you mix with an egg yolk before cooking, so super tender and takes the flavor of the broth well! YUM!

Cool looking place with awesome decor, but missed the mark on service and overall. We tried a few items including the butter broth which was tasty and had a very good kick, but it was very greasy and we ended up switching it for the chicken broth. Not much was explained to us, and although my dining partner and I have both had hot pot many times, before, the whole process here seemed confusing and awkward. We were not told how to adjust the heat (it's below the table) and the setting was so high it was boiling over. We had to ask for spoons and were given plastic spoons. Also, we were not given proper bowls, just the same tiny rectangular ones from the sauce bar that held maybe 1/2 cup, which made eating the noodles difficult. The ladles had a cage and were awkward and cumbersome to use. I did enjoy the variety of skewers and different add ons available in the self serve fridges. The idea is cool, and the options are really great, but this missed the mark for us.

Great flavor soup bases! Skewer options that are different than your typical hot pot place in Orlando. The shaved short rib meat is very good and has nice marbling. Authentic taste.

The idea of this place was fun and I was so excited when I saw it on Instagram, but we went for dinner on a weekday, there was nobody there at normal dinner time (which was a little strange), and to be honest the meat tasted really "off" like it was old. My hubby and I both agreed. Also I can get all-you-can-eat bbq and hot pot at Volcano for the same price we paid here for the per-skewer method, so if you want to eat more than just a little bit, it's not so cost-effective. The servers were excellent and kind but food not great unfortunately. I hope they were just having an "off" day.

I'm so happy that Orlando finally has a really good authentic hot pot place! We ordered the traditional ox spicy butter soup and tomato soup, both were delicious. There were so many different types of skewers you could choose and the food was really tasty and fresh. Will come back frequently for sure!

Finally, they are open! I have been waiting for this place to open forever, and it's definitely worth the hype. At last, there's a legit good hot pot place in Orlando. Everything tastes just like it should. I've already been there almost 10 times. For all those hungry 10 p.m. cravings, I just drive up here and indulge in some delicious Malubianbian.