Zhangliang Malatang Irvine（张亮麻辣烫 尔湾店）

It was my first time trying malatang, so I didn't know and put too much stuff in my pot/bowl (whatever you called it), which costs ~$36, and I can barely finish like 70% of it! The flavor is not bad, and of course, it was super cheap, considering the amount of food that was in my bowl. They have lots of unique fish cakes that you can try if you are a fish cake fan plus tons of different things so be careful and don't put too much stuff in your bowl like me because as you first time trying it you won't know how much you can eat and the fact that you can only do it once (you can't go back and add more food into your bowl after you check out) will make you unsure whether it's enough. Anyway, I would recommend this place if you haven't tried malatang before

Zhang Liang Mala Tang offers a wide variety of food items. My wife prefers their Tomato Soup over YinTang’s Spicy Hot Pot, while I enjoy the Bone Soup at YinTang. However, the minimum order of 0.8 pounds isn't ideal for families with kids, as it increases dining costs. When kids are feeling under the weather, they can’t eat more than 0.8 pounds, and Yin Tang has no such limitation. We've visited Zhang Liang twice. Some frozen items didn't cook well inside, unlike at YinTang. At Zhang Liang, you pay upfront with a mandatory 15% tip, while YinTang lets you pay with an optional tip after dining. For families, it’s better to avoid buying a large bowl to share, especially when family members are feeling under the weather, as kids like having their own bowls. Overall, Zhang Liang offers great variety, but be cautious of the undercooked frozen items and the mandatory tip. Additionally, no sign indicates the 0.8-pound minimum and it’s not kid-friendly.

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

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 have been coming here a couple of times and I like it because you can choose your toppings and adjust your portions since you’re paying by weight of the ingredients. I always order the bone broth soup (Mild) and it’s my favorite. It’s a hit or miss sometimes with the soup, but most of the time it’s perfect. I’ve only got a very salty soup once out of five visits. The ingredients are fresh and the price is reasonable. Follow @hangrytrails.us on IG for more foods 🍽️