This is a solid place, I really liked the concept of the food being weighed by the pound, plus there's a variety of things to add to the soup; my favorite is a fish ball with roe. I always recommend just getting the ramen noodles compared to other noodles because it is better for the amount of money + it can get you full. Anyways the inside is spacious but be prepared to be crowded during weekends or normal dinner times. There isn't much service besides them cleaning up the table, and food can come out really fast or slow (it varies)
Belldandy O.
The idea of YGF is great! You are able to create your own meal and they offer a variety of items you can add to your bowl. However, for someone who may be unfamiliar with the items and unsure of what would taste good together, it may be overwhelming. It would be nice to see in the future a few combinations people can assemble together based off the suggestions by the restaurant staff! I was a little surprised by how much the bowls came out to be after we got them weighed. It is $14.99/lb. Our party of three each were in the range of 1.5-1.9lbs and didn't realize it until we paid for them. Regardless of the price, it was good! They give you a LOT of broth after they take over to cook and make your bowl. The bowl was a lot bigger than I expected. I would consider stopping by again if I was in the area.
Alice Z.
overall (4/5): an absolute staple on the Ave. delicious malatang with tomato soup or spicy soup options. food (4/5): you get to choose your noodle, veggies, broth, and protein, and then they charge by weight. it leaves my clothes a bit stinky after, and it can be a bit pricy before you figure out what to get, but once you figure it out, my bowls are now around $15. service (5/5): the food comes out quick! ambiance (4/5): usually pretty full so sometimes have to wait a few minutes for a table.
Lily Yee
$14.99 per a lb. This is a you pick your ingredients for a soup or you can choose soupless. The base choices are tomatoe broth or beef broth. You can choose spice level for the beef broth.There were a lot of flies by the sauce uncovered garnishment area. There was one fly around my table. This location isn't as tidy and clean as the Bellevue location.They have the peanut sauce behind the counter so you have to ask them for it.They bus your tables. You pick up your food at the pick up counter. Your reciept will have a number. The numbers are out of order. ( call 13 then 35 then 82 then 83)
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Castra
malatang. you have my whole heart. this is my favorite place ever to get soup, and I think you can tell by how crowded it always is during meal time. only good things to say.. it is delicious, not too expensive if you know how to portion out a meal for yourself, and sometimes you can't get a seat without hovering over someone's table for an awkward amount of time. but you give and take I suppose. In this case, I find it to be worth it. sometimes the restaurant is also humid, so you get sweaty while eating. I also recommend not wearing white or anything you love that might accidentally get splashes with oil. but, love this place with my whole heart, always hot and tasty. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maxine L.
I love the concept of YGF. Being able to get just one or a couple of a large variety of things is amazing. I always get the tomato soup which consistently hits the spot. The ingredients are also super well stocked and are fresh as well. This location is not amazing though (compared to the one in Bellevue). The seats are super close together, and the tables are small, so it's not conducive for big groups and it gets super hot and stuffy real fast. One of the people in our group also got food poisoning after eating here too.. Overall I like the food, but with the possibility of getting food poisoning, and feeling super squished while eating, I would rather just go to the location in Bellevue.
Tram L.
This is not a place for a quiet romantic meal. This is the kind of place where you get delicious and affordable food (depends on what you pick) with quick service. The beef broth is seriously so good. I also appreciate they have a wide variety of toppings. I don't think this place is vegetarian friendly even if you pick the tomato broth, unfortunately.
KS
Very very authentic and legitimate Malatang place. Though, I am not a Chinese, I have been to several Malatang places when I visited Beijing last summer, and this restaurant is very comparable!Selection of ingredients are plenty! All ingredients are fresh! Staff are friendly yet very knowledgeable in describing the each broth options.The number calling machine is just loud enough for customers to listen to, yet doesn’t disturb those who are chatting while eating in the restaurant.When going to pick up, staff also asks whether if I want some garlic, chili oil and onions added! Makes the Malatang pop even more with its spice!Definitely recommend to those who are already Malatang lover, but also those who want to try for the first time! I am definitely coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
Breana L.
I love this place. The broth is so good, I like the tomato one. And you can pick anything you want to put in so you really can't go wrong!
Amy Qiu
There are no other seats available in the store. One person can only sit on a table for four people. The clerk came over and said in a very unfriendly tone that I can't sit on a seat for four people??? Do you want me to eat standing up?
Literally found a bug inside lamb meat when I was preparing my bowl.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Jiahao H.
A delight to the senses. Malatang never disappoints, mainly due to the customization of your personal hot pot bowl. You enter a queue and choose ingredients to add to your hot pot, with the final price being $15 a pound of uncooked food. Pro tip: Add your lamb and beef first, as those are the most expensive items with the most protein. Then you can gauge how many vegetables, tofu, fish cake, and maybe even noodles to add to reach your desired weight. My friend got way too much food (3 lbs) and he had to eat leftovers for the next week. Wait is not too long and you get to add garlic and your own oils. Love this place!
Christine Z.
i really liked the style of this restaurant! u got to pick all ur toppings/main foods/broth beforehand into a bowl and they charge you based off of the weight!! (note to self: don't get the block of egg tofu bc it cost me $5)
Kim T.
The way this place has had a chokehold on me for the past month..... with cold Seattle weather sometimes a bowl of hot soup is all you need. I love the concept of YGF as you pay per lb and that's plenty of fooood. Ingredients that you can pick from appear to be super fresh from vegetables, meats, and vegetarian options. I always get the 2 star beef broth. It's so creamy and has the perfect amount of spice. Guy at the cash register was pretty friendly and they have a loudspeaker to call your order out when it's ready. Make sure to keep your receipt for when they call your number! Super casual eatery for a quick meal. Place gets busy quickly so best to go during off hours. Yum yum yummmm!
Jiayi S.
very filling, easy to operate self serve, wide variety of meats, fish, and vegetables
This is a solid place, I really liked the concept of the food being weighed by the pound, plus there's a variety of things to add to the soup; my favorite is a fish ball with roe. I always recommend just getting the ramen noodles compared to other noodles because it is better for the amount of money + it can get you full. Anyways the inside is spacious but be prepared to be crowded during weekends or normal dinner times. There isn't much service besides them cleaning up the table, and food can come out really fast or slow (it varies)
The idea of YGF is great! You are able to create your own meal and they offer a variety of items you can add to your bowl. However, for someone who may be unfamiliar with the items and unsure of what would taste good together, it may be overwhelming. It would be nice to see in the future a few combinations people can assemble together based off the suggestions by the restaurant staff! I was a little surprised by how much the bowls came out to be after we got them weighed. It is $14.99/lb. Our party of three each were in the range of 1.5-1.9lbs and didn't realize it until we paid for them. Regardless of the price, it was good! They give you a LOT of broth after they take over to cook and make your bowl. The bowl was a lot bigger than I expected. I would consider stopping by again if I was in the area.
overall (4/5): an absolute staple on the Ave. delicious malatang with tomato soup or spicy soup options. food (4/5): you get to choose your noodle, veggies, broth, and protein, and then they charge by weight. it leaves my clothes a bit stinky after, and it can be a bit pricy before you figure out what to get, but once you figure it out, my bowls are now around $15. service (5/5): the food comes out quick! ambiance (4/5): usually pretty full so sometimes have to wait a few minutes for a table.
$14.99 per a lb. This is a you pick your ingredients for a soup or you can choose soupless. The base choices are tomatoe broth or beef broth. You can choose spice level for the beef broth.There were a lot of flies by the sauce uncovered garnishment area. There was one fly around my table. This location isn't as tidy and clean as the Bellevue location.They have the peanut sauce behind the counter so you have to ask them for it.They bus your tables. You pick up your food at the pick up counter. Your reciept will have a number. The numbers are out of order. ( call 13 then 35 then 82 then 83)
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
malatang. you have my whole heart. this is my favorite place ever to get soup, and I think you can tell by how crowded it always is during meal time. only good things to say.. it is delicious, not too expensive if you know how to portion out a meal for yourself, and sometimes you can't get a seat without hovering over someone's table for an awkward amount of time. but you give and take I suppose. In this case, I find it to be worth it. sometimes the restaurant is also humid, so you get sweaty while eating. I also recommend not wearing white or anything you love that might accidentally get splashes with oil. but, love this place with my whole heart, always hot and tasty. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love the concept of YGF. Being able to get just one or a couple of a large variety of things is amazing. I always get the tomato soup which consistently hits the spot. The ingredients are also super well stocked and are fresh as well. This location is not amazing though (compared to the one in Bellevue). The seats are super close together, and the tables are small, so it's not conducive for big groups and it gets super hot and stuffy real fast. One of the people in our group also got food poisoning after eating here too.. Overall I like the food, but with the possibility of getting food poisoning, and feeling super squished while eating, I would rather just go to the location in Bellevue.
This is not a place for a quiet romantic meal. This is the kind of place where you get delicious and affordable food (depends on what you pick) with quick service. The beef broth is seriously so good. I also appreciate they have a wide variety of toppings. I don't think this place is vegetarian friendly even if you pick the tomato broth, unfortunately.
Very very authentic and legitimate Malatang place. Though, I am not a Chinese, I have been to several Malatang places when I visited Beijing last summer, and this restaurant is very comparable!Selection of ingredients are plenty! All ingredients are fresh! Staff are friendly yet very knowledgeable in describing the each broth options.The number calling machine is just loud enough for customers to listen to, yet doesn’t disturb those who are chatting while eating in the restaurant.When going to pick up, staff also asks whether if I want some garlic, chili oil and onions added! Makes the Malatang pop even more with its spice!Definitely recommend to those who are already Malatang lover, but also those who want to try for the first time! I am definitely coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Malatang
I love this place. The broth is so good, I like the tomato one. And you can pick anything you want to put in so you really can't go wrong!
There are no other seats available in the store. One person can only sit on a table for four people. The clerk came over and said in a very unfriendly tone that I can't sit on a seat for four people??? Do you want me to eat standing up?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Literally found a bug inside lamb meat when I was preparing my bowl.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
A delight to the senses. Malatang never disappoints, mainly due to the customization of your personal hot pot bowl. You enter a queue and choose ingredients to add to your hot pot, with the final price being $15 a pound of uncooked food. Pro tip: Add your lamb and beef first, as those are the most expensive items with the most protein. Then you can gauge how many vegetables, tofu, fish cake, and maybe even noodles to add to reach your desired weight. My friend got way too much food (3 lbs) and he had to eat leftovers for the next week. Wait is not too long and you get to add garlic and your own oils. Love this place!
i really liked the style of this restaurant! u got to pick all ur toppings/main foods/broth beforehand into a bowl and they charge you based off of the weight!! (note to self: don't get the block of egg tofu bc it cost me $5)
The way this place has had a chokehold on me for the past month..... with cold Seattle weather sometimes a bowl of hot soup is all you need. I love the concept of YGF as you pay per lb and that's plenty of fooood. Ingredients that you can pick from appear to be super fresh from vegetables, meats, and vegetarian options. I always get the 2 star beef broth. It's so creamy and has the perfect amount of spice. Guy at the cash register was pretty friendly and they have a loudspeaker to call your order out when it's ready. Make sure to keep your receipt for when they call your number! Super casual eatery for a quick meal. Place gets busy quickly so best to go during off hours. Yum yum yummmm!
very filling, easy to operate self serve, wide variety of meats, fish, and vegetables