Tang Bar
3251 20th Ave Second Floor, San Francisco
(628) 270-9876
Recent Reviews
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Fantastic flavor and flexibility, love the numbing spice
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Szechuan Pepper Sauce Dry Pot
Sichuan Malatang and Dry Sichuan are the top two of my favorites! So good, must try for spicy food lovers.❤️🌶️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry Sichuan and Spicy, Build Your Own Bowl, Sichuan Hot Pot
FOR THOSE WITH SEAFOOD ALLERGIES: WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. They have a "system" for keeping seafood separate but it is not well managed. I loved the idea of the restaurant so much that I went three times, but all three were a dud. First time they took extremely long, second my soup was lukewarm, and third I had a mild allergic reaction, so I'm calling it quits. I'm not gonna go below 3 stars as I don't think would be fair considering my allergies. But if you have seafood allergies I definitely would not recommend.
Dietary restrictions: If you are allergic to seafood don't go here
Good place to eat fast Asian food, tasty and fresh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
i love the pickled vegetable soup
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Pickled Veggies Flavor, Pickled
It's a great spot for some Malatang, but the competition for those individual tables can get competitive.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
If you're a fan of bold flavors and customizable dishes, Tang Bar is the spot you need to try. My visit here was a feast for the senses, from the moment I walked in to the last bite of spicy, savory goodness.
The Customization Experience
What sets Malatang apart is the ability to craft your own perfect bowl. The selection of ingredients at Tang Bar was impressive, with an array of fresh vegetables, thinly sliced meats, seafood, and noodles. You can choose your own adventure—whether you’re craving something light and fresh or hearty and filling. It was fun to grab a basket and fill it with all my favorites: crunchy lotus root, tender beef slices, enoki mushrooms, and glass noodles, just to name a few.
The Flavor Explosion
Once you’ve made your choices, it’s all about the broth. Tang Bar offers different spice levels, from mild to fiery, and a variety of flavors like numbing Sichuan peppercorns or rich, savory pork bone broth. I went for the medium spice level, which brought the perfect balance of heat without overpowering the ingredients. Every bite was packed with flavor—each vegetable and meat absorbed the broth beautifully, giving every mouthful a different texture and taste.
Atmosphere and Service
The cozy atmosphere at Tang Bar made the experience even more enjoyable. With friendly staff guiding you through the process if it’s your first time, and quick service to get your custom creation boiling, it felt both personal and efficient. The decor had a modern vibe with subtle nods to traditional Chinese aesthetics—definitely a place where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a meal with friends or solo.
Verdict
Overall, my experience at Tang Bar was everything I love about Malatang: flavor-packed, customizable, and fun. Whether you’re a Malatang enthusiast or a newcomer looking for something exciting, this spot should be at the top of your list!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot and Sour Soup, Sauce
It's a great spot for some Malatang, but the competition for those individual tables can get competitive.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Overpriced. Visually, it looks like a big portion - only because they use big bowls. In fact, for the price paying, you are getting approximately 1/3 of the food in quantity, compared to elsewhere. There was no service, but they charge you a minimum of 18% tips on top of other fees unless you pay careful attention at checkout to customize that. No matter how much you tip them, you still have to bring your own food to a table that first wipe clean. Yes, you'll also need to move a highchair from outside to the table and clean it all by yourself if you have a kid. You'll also have to clear your table before you leave. They claimed that the >18% tips they imposed to your bill was reasonable for that they cooked the food for you! Very nice. The good thing about this place is that their soup is delicious, and they provided seemly unlimited utensils and napkins and water - self service indeed. They have a hand-washing basin right next to these items, so you don't have to go search for the restroom if you only need to wash your hands before the meal. I appreciate what they have. They can cook your food in a separate pot if you have dietary restrictions, although it will take a long time.
Parking: Easy to find parking in the mall.
Kid-friendliness: Not very kid friendly given the crowdness of the space where hot boiling soup is everywhere around. Highchair is self serviced. No proper food for kids given the soup contains high dosage of salt and all sorts of sauces in it.
Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible through elevator and to the seatings outside of this restaurant.
Recommended dishes: Hot and Sour Soup
Tang Bar is a restuarant that specializes in paying how much your bowl weighs.
You grab all the items that you want in your dish, weight it, choose a flavor, and then they’ll make the dish for you. They have broth flavors and non-broth flavors along with a few vegetarian options, as well.
It can get really busy even on weekdays, which can cause the meals to take around 30 to 45 minutes to be ready. I recommend going shopping, grabbing boba, or even getting groceries while you wait LOL. There were times where I would visit a few stores, grab boba, and my dish still would not be done yet. Seating can also be limited. There are communal seats, but it can be limited when they are busy.
There are a lot of options to choose from, and I have only tried the soup-based ones. I have tried the chicken broth, pickled veggies, just a kick, laksa, and hot and sour.
My favorite soup bases are the pickled veggies and the laksa. The laksa is coconuty and not as spicy as the just a kick flavor. The pickled veggies is not spicy at all and like its name, has a pickle taste kind of like Asian pickled sour mustard vegetable taste. The chicken broth was milder and not as flavorful as the others but was good for days I felt a bit sick. I think the hot and sour was spicer than the just a kick and was like a spicy version of hot and sour soup with a thicker broth than the others.
Usually, my bowls are around $20 or so, and it fulls me up pretty well. They also have a scale in the middle where you can preweigh your bowl to gauge your weight before reaching the checkout line.
Overall, the broths are very flavorful, and I really enjoy the different options they have or the broths and non-broth flavors. I also like that there is a lot of variety and options of toppings for your bowl. However, it can take quite some time for the food to be done, but it means they’re making it fresh!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
This place was packed! And I can see why, because it was delicious! Great selection of various items for your hot pot, and a ton of different variations of broths and sauces.
If you’re new, you get a bowl and go down the line and grab whatever you want. At the end the cashier weighs it and you choose a broth/sauce and they prepare the hot pot and call out your order when finished. Try not to go too overboard on the items or the next thing you know you’ll be paying $40+ for food you can barely finish
The hot and sour broth was great but pretty spicy for 2 chilies sign. Can’t wait to try the other broths!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Build-your-own bowl with soup or dry sauce options. Quality is decent, and pretty good variety of both meat and vegetables. Line gets insane at peak times, and the wait even after you've paid is 15-20 mins minimum. Seating seems to turn over fast enough to not be a huge issue. Overall, the value is pretty good if you go meat-heavy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
This place is located on the 2nd floor of the mall. There are limited seats and usually lines during dinner hours on weekends and difficult to find a seat.
The place has its hand wash sink, filtered cold and hard water which is a plus.
Personally I think the food price is OK which is little above average and paid by weight of food before cooking.
All foods are fresh and varieties of soup base to choose from. All food serves in a big bowl. Usually enough for two.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
At first, I thought this was like an individual hot pot situation, but it's oh so much better than that. You are making your own custom soups by selecting protein, veggies, noodles and broth and then you pay by the pound. The broth was exceedingly good and that on its own will bring me back. Don't overdo your selections though or you will end up with a huge bowl and pay accordingly. Seating is first come first serve, so that can be challenging if you have a group.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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