What is MALA? It comes from Sichuan peppercorns. I don't think they're really pepper corns but some kind of dried flower bulb shell. It intensify flavor and I think the Chinese call it fragrant. Mala is my jam. It's a mouth feel that is a notch above flavor. You know savory, sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and maybe spicy. Mala is a spicy enhancer. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. These folks do a great job. I had the obligatory dan dan noodles and diced chicken. Are there better in town, maybe one other that I won't mention BUT still very good here. If you have a complex palate, give it a try. Don't come here if you like hospital cafeteria pizza. You won't like it.
Radhika G.
i love hot pot and i really enjoys everything I had. My table got individual pots and shared the veggies and meat. The staff was patient with our questions. We all got the traditional mala broth and fatty brisket, broccoli, bokchoy, mushrooms, fried tofu, chicken, mala beef, veggie dumplings, potato, and it was all great.
Jesse Yang
Food that was cooked with absolutely no care, one of the worst Sichuan dishes I have ever
Food: 2
Jing Tao
Over rated. Good food but too expensive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Kevin N.
A delicious spot for spicy Sichuan food! The mala spice here is unmatched. The service is super quick and the food was so good. Chili Oil Wonton - great way to start the meal! I wish I could bottle up the chili oil and take it home Beef Noodle Soup - It's a massive bowl! You can share it if you want. I recommend asking for it spicy to add a little kick. Dry Pot - I've never had dry pot, but I loved the spices on it. You get to build your own but I highly recommend adding noodles and dumplings. The lamb and beef were fantastic! I couldn't get enough of it.
R. Joseph Fortenbaugh
Very good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jin Y.
Bad service, wait 3 hrs and then was canceled by you.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nikki
The Beef Egg Drop soup is my favorite. There are not a lot of gluten free options. There are some, not marked, but the staff is knowledgeable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Stacy H.
My first visit to this lovely restaurant. Famous for the hot pots. You get an individual pot to cook your meat & vegetable choices. You can spice your broth to your taste and create the dipping sauces of your choice at the sauce bar. We had a large group, so every item we selected was put on the lazy Susan. Our waiter explained the process and helped with selecting our choices and cooking times. Put the noodles in last, so you don't lose other ingredients in the broth. A fun time enjoying Asian cuisine in a new way. They do have a standard menu with spring rolls, kung pao chicken etc. Full bar. They warn you at the door, they are understaffed. So be mindful if you are in a hurry. Thanks Yelp for the 10% discount for check in.
Shaker Nelanuthala
A very affordable, quality restaurant in Arlington, VA. We ordered Kung pao, cumin chicken dishes, and string beans along with dumplings. Trust me, there is nothing else in and around Bolston neighborhood. Give it a try!Vegetarian options: A few good ones.Parking: Street parking only.
I was hesitant to even try out this place because of the low reviews. BUUUUT the food did not disappoint. Mala dry pot - a bit pricy, but really good for the area. You get the nice mix of umami, spicy, numbing flavors (North virginia only has like 2-3 spots where u can get dry pot) Mapo tofu - meatier sauce than other mapodofus, very tasty spooned over some hot rice. 5/5 malaspice Generals tso chicken - this is not your take out Chinese general tso - this one is crunchy aromatic with a stronger soy flair. Was wonderful Overall great experience, service was quick and attentive, decor was cool, nice ambience. My only gripe was the pricing of the food. Kind of expensive, but I've come to realize it's because of Arlington area having crazy high rent prices which in turn drives up food prices in the area ,
Brendan Pan
I'd give a 4.5 if I could but the food was delicious!! I highly recommend getting the roasted mala fish, great quality. The mala bites were fine, we got the peppercorn but I wish we'd gotten the mala for that too. I also recommend getting separate bites since the preset one is only slightly better value, but separately you can get more of what you want. Ordering was a tiny bit slow but the fish came out in 25 minutes rather than 40 probably due to not being too busy. The atmosphere was meh, I woulda expected something more for the day of the lunar new year.Parking: The server told me this after, so I didn't do this but they will validate parking for you!! Go down the street to the right and the parking garage entrance is on the left! Park on the 3rd? Floor or find the reserved parking spots for the restaurant!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mala Broth, Mala Bites
TimothyR
We hadn't been here since the redecoration and I would characterize it as early 20th century bus station. The food was okay. Service was slow but the staff are very friendly. If you park in the deck, be warned that the process for paying and attempting to depart are unnaturally complicated (i.e., stupid).
Erika S.
The best dong po braised pork I have had so far. It was very decadent, such a great pleasure having that rich flavor melting in my mouth. I just loved it so much. Fresh ingredients, freshly cooked. Great mala taste in braised beef noodle soup, too. Good portions, prompt service.
Deng
Especially the spicy hotpot with one dish costs more than 10 dollars. The spicy hotpot with 9 dishes costs more than 100 with tip and tax. Why don’t you go grab the money?And it tastes terrible
What is MALA? It comes from Sichuan peppercorns. I don't think they're really pepper corns but some kind of dried flower bulb shell. It intensify flavor and I think the Chinese call it fragrant. Mala is my jam. It's a mouth feel that is a notch above flavor. You know savory, sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and maybe spicy. Mala is a spicy enhancer. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. These folks do a great job. I had the obligatory dan dan noodles and diced chicken. Are there better in town, maybe one other that I won't mention BUT still very good here. If you have a complex palate, give it a try. Don't come here if you like hospital cafeteria pizza. You won't like it.
i love hot pot and i really enjoys everything I had. My table got individual pots and shared the veggies and meat. The staff was patient with our questions. We all got the traditional mala broth and fatty brisket, broccoli, bokchoy, mushrooms, fried tofu, chicken, mala beef, veggie dumplings, potato, and it was all great.
Food that was cooked with absolutely no care, one of the worst Sichuan dishes I have ever
Food: 2
Over rated. Good food but too expensive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
A delicious spot for spicy Sichuan food! The mala spice here is unmatched. The service is super quick and the food was so good. Chili Oil Wonton - great way to start the meal! I wish I could bottle up the chili oil and take it home Beef Noodle Soup - It's a massive bowl! You can share it if you want. I recommend asking for it spicy to add a little kick. Dry Pot - I've never had dry pot, but I loved the spices on it. You get to build your own but I highly recommend adding noodles and dumplings. The lamb and beef were fantastic! I couldn't get enough of it.
Very good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bad service, wait 3 hrs and then was canceled by you.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The Beef Egg Drop soup is my favorite. There are not a lot of gluten free options. There are some, not marked, but the staff is knowledgeable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
My first visit to this lovely restaurant. Famous for the hot pots. You get an individual pot to cook your meat & vegetable choices. You can spice your broth to your taste and create the dipping sauces of your choice at the sauce bar. We had a large group, so every item we selected was put on the lazy Susan. Our waiter explained the process and helped with selecting our choices and cooking times. Put the noodles in last, so you don't lose other ingredients in the broth. A fun time enjoying Asian cuisine in a new way. They do have a standard menu with spring rolls, kung pao chicken etc. Full bar. They warn you at the door, they are understaffed. So be mindful if you are in a hurry. Thanks Yelp for the 10% discount for check in.
A very affordable, quality restaurant in Arlington, VA. We ordered Kung pao, cumin chicken dishes, and string beans along with dumplings. Trust me, there is nothing else in and around Bolston neighborhood. Give it a try!Vegetarian options: A few good ones.Parking: Street parking only.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hotpot, Cumin Lamb
Restaurantji Recommends
I was hesitant to even try out this place because of the low reviews. BUUUUT the food did not disappoint. Mala dry pot - a bit pricy, but really good for the area. You get the nice mix of umami, spicy, numbing flavors (North virginia only has like 2-3 spots where u can get dry pot) Mapo tofu - meatier sauce than other mapodofus, very tasty spooned over some hot rice. 5/5 malaspice Generals tso chicken - this is not your take out Chinese general tso - this one is crunchy aromatic with a stronger soy flair. Was wonderful Overall great experience, service was quick and attentive, decor was cool, nice ambience. My only gripe was the pricing of the food. Kind of expensive, but I've come to realize it's because of Arlington area having crazy high rent prices which in turn drives up food prices in the area ,
I'd give a 4.5 if I could but the food was delicious!! I highly recommend getting the roasted mala fish, great quality. The mala bites were fine, we got the peppercorn but I wish we'd gotten the mala for that too. I also recommend getting separate bites since the preset one is only slightly better value, but separately you can get more of what you want. Ordering was a tiny bit slow but the fish came out in 25 minutes rather than 40 probably due to not being too busy. The atmosphere was meh, I woulda expected something more for the day of the lunar new year.Parking: The server told me this after, so I didn't do this but they will validate parking for you!! Go down the street to the right and the parking garage entrance is on the left! Park on the 3rd? Floor or find the reserved parking spots for the restaurant!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mala Broth, Mala Bites
We hadn't been here since the redecoration and I would characterize it as early 20th century bus station. The food was okay. Service was slow but the staff are very friendly. If you park in the deck, be warned that the process for paying and attempting to depart are unnaturally complicated (i.e., stupid).
The best dong po braised pork I have had so far. It was very decadent, such a great pleasure having that rich flavor melting in my mouth. I just loved it so much. Fresh ingredients, freshly cooked. Great mala taste in braised beef noodle soup, too. Good portions, prompt service.
Especially the spicy hotpot with one dish costs more than 10 dollars. The spicy hotpot with 9 dishes costs more than 100 with tip and tax. Why don’t you go grab the money?And it tastes terrible
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1