Tang Bar

I've been to Stonestown shopping mall almost every weekend for quite some time now. It was my first time trying Tang Bar's self-serve BYO Malatang. My wife and daughter ordered meats with chicken broth. The dish turned out to be incredibly delicious. The bowl came out to $33, but it was more than enough for my wife, me, and my daughter. Tang Bar is incredibly crowded, with every seat occupied. It's quite a challenge to find an empty seat.

photo shows the food thats too salty to eat! ordered a hot and sour soup base, guess whati got an extremely salty and little spicy soup base, making every bite of food being marinates by salt for months. jesus, did you the employee or your boss every eat the food you cooked? i will never, ever, come here again.

Malatang, with the level of customization you can have, is such a great option for a group when you can't decide on what to eat. Being able to pick from what feels like an unlimited assortment of veggies and meats and seafoods is so fun!We came through about half an hour before closing, and everything still tasted really fresh.The cashier asked for my allergies and I noticed that my bowl didn't come with peanuts -- didn't feel any cross contamination!The szechuan peppercorn mix was perfectly mala, but also definitely to the point of flipping my stomach inside out. The spice pairs really well with the lemon tea beverage!Didn't take too long for food to come out. Seats also clear up fairly quickly. I saw parties sitting at other mall tables nearby.

I'm getting the hang of self-serving places like Tang Bar. When it comes to these type of places, I usually go overboard. My tip is to be conservative (especially since it's 15.99/lb). For a consistently busy, self-serving cafe it could appear be a turn off. However, the response time is quite fast. On my most recent visit, I ordered the savory mix (not soup) for the first time. Szechuan Peppercorn was my choice. This flavor was second to the most spicy (szechuan spicy), but it packed a punch! I love how spicy, juicy and fresh everything was. The fish-stuffed with roe shrimp and the Basa fish were expertly balanced in this hot 'n' saucy dish. My only regret was not ordering myself a side of white rice (and adding calamari to my bowl). It's that good!!!!

Been to Tang Bar several times now and I have finally concluded that my favorite broth is Laksa. This place can get pretty busy during peak hours so your food will take a bit longer to come out and you'll have to wait for a table. There's a lot of options to choose from. Some of the meat does feel hard though I wish it was more tender.

Yes I am many years late to the Tang Bar hype in this Stonestown location, but it is still thriving every time I walk by. It is packed! I got to try this Tang Bar location and it was great. It's an easy process getting your food too. You pick out your ingredients in a line, cafeteria style, then go to the cashier to pick our your soup base. Then they make your food with your ingredients you choose then pick it up. The customization aspect is what makes this place so appealing for so many. The weight of my bowl was a little over 1.30 lbs and that was filling enough for me. I picked the chicken broth which I got judgement for, but I swear it's good! If you're in the mood for a lighter flavor and not one with a kick or sour taste then this is a great option. The meat and veggies all taste fresh and you can't really go wrong with anything you pick. Yes, I even picked spam. It was worth it.Service is friendly overall too although you certainly don't get that much opportunity to interact with the staff with this type of style of restaurant. The ambiance in this location and even San Mateo's looks really nice, but seating is definitely a bit limited.There is also the long table with a pond in the middle with actual fish which surprised me. My first thought was, "what would happen if someone spilled some of their soup into the water...or a piece of beef?" 10/10 experience going to Tang Bar and I can see why it's always so busy. Would recommend this spot to anyone and I will go again without a doubt.

The Slight Kick soup has a really interesting flavor that's quite unlike other malatang places! I thought it wasn't that flavorful but still pretty good. The assorted offerings of vegetables, meats, and seafood are pretty diverse and well-maintained. Unfortunately it took 45+ minutes to get our order after paying. :/

What is this fun tasty goodness. Delicious! Pick your own meats, vegetables, noodles, totally customizable. So many choices self serve style. Help yourself to plastic gloves (they're large so will fit anyone don't worry), grab a large metal bowl, and fill it up to your heart's content.get more or less whatever you want. small eater, not hungry, get just a bit or try anything. be adventurous if you want to try new meats and items. or stick to your familiar items. whatever feels good. you're here to have yourself a good time a tasty meal, so make it what you want it to be.weighed by the pound. final cost = food + SF employee mandate 3.5% (as of Dec 2024) + taxthe menu is confusing and is only located right in front of the cashier. for the anxious types, it's a bit nervewrecking because you cant decide ahead of time, like if they had it displayed up high somewhere else then you'd be able to think about it first. I said it's confusing because there's a bunch of broth choices on left side and then some "sauce" choices on the right. you pick one or the other, not both. right side ones are if you don't want soup. had to ask about that. now it makes sense, just wish it was explained better.tables are soo hard to get at noontime. come after 1:30pm or later if you want less crowd. it's frustrating after you've ordered and you're circling around and everyone's like vultures hovering over other tables waiting for people to leave then get defensive and territorial. Wish they had more tables for busy hours. anyway. Was chatting with someone I ended up sharing a hi top table with, wait is always at least 20mins for them to cook your dish during peak lunch time. Not a good choice if you're on a time crunch. food is so tasty and warming. good for cold winter days. warms up your body for sure. 2 chili signs is a mild spicy and will likely make you cough. worth it.

It was cool to try out tang bar which reminds me of malatang stores in China. You build your own bowls and I appreciated the variety of options they had. As a tofu lover they had so many different options and also had unique things like cheese filled fish tofu. The just a kick broth was flavorful and not too spicy. Yum

Craving something nice and warm? Not sure what to get and not liking the different options? Want something specific without any additional things? Check out Tang Bar.Build your own hot pot noodle soup! Tang Bar brings the Malatang spicy Chinese street food concept to the Bay and elevates the experience while making it easily approachable even if you've never had anything similar. The build your own bowl adventure at Tang Bar lets you get everything you want and nothing you don't, placing the power in your hands to make the perfect bowl for you. While it may seem intimidating at first, it's actually quite simple and easy - make your way down the bar and grab what you love, letting them do the rest and prepare to perfection for you.The staff is friendly and efficient. They also keep the place very clean and orderly. The vibes are immaculate and they capture the fast casual concept perfectly. It's amazing they were able to include that inside an inconspicuous mall. They've definitely made the best of the odd setup.Overall, if you are craving a hot bowl of delicious soup filled with only the ingredients you love, Tang Bar is the place for you.