Big Bowl Spicy Cuisine 大碗麻辣烫 — Restaurant in Kent

My husband and I dined at Big Bowl Spicy Cuisine 大碗麻辣烫 today and had a fantastic experience! This place offers a traditional Ma La Tang setup where you choose your ingredients from a refrigerated display—everything from meats and seafood to vegetables, noodles, and tofu—and then they cook it how you like.

We opted for the dry pot stir fry at $16.99 per pound, and it was absolutely delicious. We didn’t select a huge amount of food, but it was incredibly filling and packed with bold, spicy flavor. Every bite was perfectly seasoned, and the spice level was just right—rich, numbing, and satisfying.

They also include a free drink with your meal and offer rice on the side, which was a nice bonus. The service was friendly and quick, and the overall vibe of the place was casual and clean.

We’re already looking forward to coming back again! If you’re craving authentic, flavorful Ma La Tang, this spot is definitely worth...

The food here tastes great; it is fresh and delicious, but it's definitely on the pricy side, especially for the area. The pricing is by weight, so unless you're a light eater, you’ll likely spend at least $25 on a bowl. It's a self-serve setup, but the checkout system automatically suggests a 15% tip, which feels awkward when the staff is standing right there. You can adjust the tip, but there's still that bit of pressure. We’ve been here a few times, and they used to bring the food to your table, but now you have to pick it up when your number is called. There’s really no service anymore, yet they still charge a service fee. We love the food, but the experience has become a bit frustrating. Hopefully, they’ll work on improving...

If you want to pay $27 on sweet and sour crispy pork dish (鍋包肉) with pork as thin as paper and can barely taste it, by all means, order from here. Feels like a scam to pay as high as $27 for a dish like this that barely has any meat (pork) in there. It is a crime. We ordered take out and the dish was put in a big flat bowl, concerned because food was touching the inside of the plastic bag that is obviously not food grade. For $27, I can easily get a bento/dish with lots of meat for 1/2 person elsewhere in greater Seattle area. Definitely not worth it. Not sure why other reviewers are saying their sweet and sour crispy dish is authentic, that confused...