YinTang Spicy Hot Pot- Monterey Park 隱燙麻辣燙 — Restaurant in Monterey Park

A very different kind of hot pot where there is no flame or stove to boil your pot. Simply choose your veggies, meat, and noodles from the counter and bring it to the cashier for weighing. The cost is $13.99 per pound. If the bowl weighs 1.5 lbs or higher and if you pay in cash, you get a free drink (can soda or tea). The server will take your bowl to the kitchen and cook your meal, and bring it back within 5-10 minutes. I like this instead of the traditional hot pot where the whole pot is a preset menu, no customization. This new create-your own hot pot gives you more option of what you want in your bowl, similar to those ayce hot pot restaurants. What I like about this restaurant is that it's similar to an ayce restaurant at $13.99 per lbs instead of a fixed cost. If you want to eat light, just pick what you want, and your bowl will be prorated. I like this business model. By the way, the beef broth is so flavorful and delicious. They also offer a tomato both. You have the option to customize your spice level for your broth. Loyalty/ rewards card is available. If you're not offered one, just ask for it. Buy 10 bowls, get the 11th free. I forgot to get 4 stamps for our last visit. Be sure to yours stamped. This is our new hot pot place to go now. We'll be back soon. There's a parking in the back. Street parking is also available on Garvey or the adjacent street. Enjoy your hot...

This is my first time being here, and will be my last. They make you pick ingredients in a self-serving manner and while doing it, I found a tiny bug dead floating in one of the ingredient trays. I notify the waiter about the issue and an old kitchen lady came by and simply took it out of the ingredient tray and pretended that nothing has happened (there were people still picking ingredients out of that tray afterward). This is a disgusting behavior and I can't fathom what kinda nasty stuff they could be doing in their kitchen where people couldn't see.

I also had some bad stomach ache and I knew the food was definitely not fresh.

Price was quite high as well. They make you pay by lbs and the baseline is 13.99/lb.

Update on 06/19/2023: I just had a terrible stomachache, headache, lack of energy throughout my body, and muscle ache that resembles stomach flu. Had to rest the whole day and not sure when I would get better. They definitely didn't wash their ingredients thoroughly, and due to the headache part, I suspect this might be viral stomach...

This spot has become one of my go-to malatang places in the area. The setup is simple: grab a bowl and tongs, then head to the buffet-style bar where you’ll find just about every hot pot ingredient imaginable. You pick whatever you want, and they charge by weight ($13.99/lb), so you can go light or heavy depending on how hungry you are.

Once you’re done picking your items, bring it up to the counter where they’ll weigh it and let you choose your soup base. I always go for the spicy bone broth—it’s rich, a little creamy, and packed with flavor. I tend to overdo it and grab too much, but no worries—I always ask for extra broth and save the rest for later.

Some of my favorite must-haves include the thicc sweet potato noodles and all the veggies. Don’t forget to hit up the sauce bar too—I always load up on garlic, then end up smelling like it all night (worth it).

Pro tip: if your bowl is over 1.5 lbs and you pay in cash, they’ll hook you up with a free drink. I usually take mine to go so no pics yet—but next time I’ll try to snap one...