Zhangliang Malatang - Irvine: A Flavorful Hot Pot Experience

Best malatang in OC and decently priced for Irvine especially. Adequate selection of veggies, seafood and either beef/lamb as well as a sauce bar. Got the classic bone broth extra spicy and it definitely didn’t disappoint in terms of the spice level.

I've dined at ZhangLiang Malatang several times now, so this review is long overdue. The experience starts with selecting your own ingredients from a wide variety of fresh options. I especially appreciate the different types of mushrooms, vegetables, and pork blood (a personal favorite!). Once you're done, everything is weighed and sent back to the kitchen to be cooked. I love this concept because it gives you complete control over your meal—whether you're loading up on proteins, piling on veggies, etc. Be warned, though—it’s very easy to go overboard and end up with a more expensive bowl than you anticipated. The bone broth is incredibly comforting and flavorful, and they don’t skimp on portions. There’s also a self-serve sauce bar stocked with classic Chinese hot pot condiments, perfect for personalizing your bowl even further. Overall, it’s a customizable, satisfying dining experience that keeps me coming back!

Very quick to bring out soup and so many options to choose from! I like the original broth hot level spice

food was good but not super money worth for vegetarians since you pay by weight before cooked, so relatively cheap vegetable weight is the same value as its weight in meat. Like a mountain of spinach that cooks down to nothing becomes pretty expensive as a result. Nonetheless, you’re able to get a ton of food at once for a decent value if you’re not vegetarian or if you choose wisely. i’ve also heard that yintang is better in flavor and selection the brown sugar sticky rice thing is yummy unlike some other reviewers, i found it to be very clean inside

The vegetable storage was clean and organized. Easy to find vegetables and other ingredients easily. Grab a bowl and tongs when you walk in from the sanitizing machine. There is also a nice sauce bar with a good variety. Once you fill up your bowl the staff at the register weighs your bowl. I did notice that the scale was tared to the weight of the bowl. And then they give you a beeper and you go back up and pick up when it’s ready. Everything inside was nice and clean. It was pretty good malatang! Got the classic bone soup, thinking I’ll try the Tom Yum next time.

I love Zhangliang! I think it's the best malatang spot out of all the options in town. I love their selection. I usually go to the one in San Diego but was excited to try this location - I'd say each location has a few different options, but the number of options are the same. I personally think SD has more meat options, but this has way more vegetarian (i.e. veggies, tofu, mushrooms). The Irvine spot is open all day and until late, and tends to be less crowded.

I haven't had mala since I lived in Asia. Food here was fresh and delicious and a great value. Thank you!

Great flavors! The bowl is giant, so be careful not to get too heavy a bowl as everything is sold by weight. The dry spicy dish is also great.