Mala Sichuan Bistro

When I first stopped in, after reading some very positive reviews, I was surprised to find the place totally empty. This worried me at first, but I think because they're accessed at the back of the complex, it's a little out of the way for most people. Not to mention that I showed up at 11:30 for an early lunch, but it seems like dinner is much more lively I ordered the Spicy and Crispy chicken, since I saw that come up in recommendations a lot. And I was expecting something very intense, like Buffalo chicken, but true to the idea behind the name, the spiciness of this chicken is very bright and tingly, and combined with the lemon flavor going on, there's no sense of heaviness to this dish at all. I paired mine with the Stubborn Ox cocktail, which was super floral and refreshing, and only accented the brightness of the chicken all the more. In short, I don't think dining here will necessarily replace the experience of ordering a big bag of sweet, saucy takeout, but it is an ENTIRELY different experience, and one I will be recommending to anyone in the area going forward.

Super impressed with the AUTHENTIC Chinese cuisine here and it’s in the HEIGHTS! Usually we can only get authentic Sichuan food in Chinatown but this place is legit. What most impressed us was that we DIDN’T taste MSG, and the food was NOT overly sweet or salty like American Chinese food usually is🥳 It was super balanced and DELICIOUS. We will be back!

We have been going to Malas in Bellaire for years. We wanted to try this location just for kicks. The food was superb. It has a more upmarket vibe compared to Bellaire and is better for smaller groups. We had our staples: Chicken fried rice, water boiled fish filet, spicy and crispy chicken, and chillin cucumber sticks. All were excellent. Definitely combining back here.

First time here! We went with the recommendationof the spicy crispy chicken and it was amazing! The red oil dumplings were also delicious. Another great recommendation was the twice cooked pork.

Our server was very nice but unfortunately our food was just aweful. I wanted to like this place but really couldn’t give it more than 1 star. Beef was very fatty and gross tasting. Chicken was extremely salty to the point where my tongue was burning. Drink was good though.