MáLà Project Bryant Park — Restaurant in New York

If you value basic respect, avoid this place -- the staff was shockingly rude, confrontational, and borderline aggressive, creating one of the most hostile dining experiences I’ve ever had.

July 25, 2025 8:10-9pm ET I had a deeply unsettling and uncomfortable experience here, and I feel it's important to share.

When I first walked in, I was assigned a table I didn't like, so I politely asked if I could sit somewhere else. A staff member (very tall and skinny man with a long face and hair pulled back, working both the bar and floor on Friday evening) immediately snapped: "We only have this table or the bar available. Those other empty tables are reservations only. You either sit here or you're gonna have to wait", and walked away. His tone was unnecessarily abrasive and cutting; the hostility was so unexpected, my heart rate spiked. It was an involuntary reaction to how abruptly and aggressively I was spoken to. The way he addressed me was genuinely jarring. He came across as incredibly difficult to deal with -- short-tempered, rigid, and unapproachable from the very first interaction. Ironically, another table cleared up just 3 minutes later.

• Later, while waiting for the restroom, I briefly sat at an empty table nearby. The same staff member came over and very rudely (again using that scary cutting tone) ordered me to leave the table so he could set it up, even though I was clearly not in the way and wasn't staying long. I would have happily moved if he had simply asked nicely. However, he did the opposite and when I refused (as anyone reasonably would after being spoken to that way), he responded with visible irritation, glared at me like he wanted a confrontation, and then slammed the pile of plates in his hands down onto the hard tabletop in front of me. It felt aggressive and meant to intimidate.

• On top of that, the overall dining experience also felt off that day. I had to ask multiple times to get water and an extra napkin, and was eventually handed paper towels from the bathroom. I was also given a partially used water bottle that had been left behind by another table that had just finished, which was off-putting. My server never checked in on me once. Throughout the meal, I felt largely unattended and overlooked.

• When I paid my bill, I told the manager on shift how unsettling the experience had been and how it had completely ruined my dinner. I asked how it could possibly be acceptable for a staff member to speak to and treat a customer that way. She gave a surface-level, insincere apology -- and only after I pushed for some acknowledgment did she apply a 10% discount and remove a $3.50 drink. But honestly, it felt minimal and dismissive, like a formality rather than a sincere apology. The small discount wasn't offered; I had to ask for it, and it felt more like a reluctant gesture to end the conversation than a genuine effort to make things right.

This wasn't just poor service; it was unprofessional, unnecessarily rude and hostile, and showed complete disregard for customer experience.

Restaurants should make customers feel welcomed and respected. Unfortunately, that was far from what I experienced here, and this experience was one...

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TL:DR the staff failed to understand the basic promise of customer service and ruined a brilliant restaurant for me.

I’ll start by saying I really like this restaurant. Over my six years in the city, I’ve probably eaten there in person on the order of 20 times and ordered delivery at least that many times (probably a score more). This location was the last place I ate before the pandemic. It was my standing spot for lunch reviews with my advisors, it was my standard spot for out of towners: eating a dry pot in Bryant park was one of my go to activities with visiting friends. Last December, I had an experience at this location that ruined it for me. My little siblings were in town for holiday break so we placed our standard order for a giant dry pot. We’ve actually moved much closer to this location, so we didn’t have to order delivery since my little brother could go pick it up. He came back while I was in the shower and they opened up the boxes to dive in. I came out and noticed the lack of enthusiasm as they ate and asked what was wrong: they said “it tastes bland”. I’ve eaten enough mala project over the years to notice the variation in seasoning between dry pots. In truth, I came to expect this fluctuation as part the experience. So I felt irritated at them for being picky. As soon as I tasted it however, I understood that there was a mistake in the order. We ordered spicy and there wasn’t even a hint of chili-oil-red in the bowl. Considering it was a welcome back meal and it was a large bowl ($140), I called the restaurant immediately, and said “Hey! I eat your food a lot, and I think something went wrong with the order. It has no spice. Could you remake it for us, please?” The person on the other side of the phone, was not pleasant and after resisting for a couple minutes said “you’d have to bring it back”. I said I’d be right over, (I live very close) and was asking if he could start the process since I agreed to his request, I should’ve stayed away when he hung up mid-sentence. I closed up the boxes (with what my siblings had taken out) and took the boxes back to the restaurant. When I got there, the host got someone for the back who proceeded to weigh and open the bowls in front of people waiting to eat at the restaurant. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. A quick glance at my DoorDash order history (or ask of the bartender who had served me and a friend maybe 2 weeks before this at the bar) would’ve shown that I’m a frequent and loyal customer. In any case, even if I wasn’t, I feel he could’ve done his search in the back of the restaurant if he felt he needed to: instead of implicitly calling me a liar both to my face and in front of other guests. I haven’t been able to order from, or go to any location since then. And I’ve started and ended this note many times. You guys have to do better. If you want to grow, you need to maintain the standard of the food and the service through the growth. Thank you for so many good meals over the years. I will not be...

A Disappointing Decline at Mala Project Bryant Park – Let Down by Service, Not Just the Food.

As longtime fans of Mala Project, it pains me to write this review as my friends and I were excited to be back after a year away. Unfortunately, what followed was a litany of disappointments, the most egregious of which was the treatment we received from the host, who said his name was Aaron. (skinny, tall, man, at the front, working Saturday night, August 2, 2025- 5:30pm - until we left)

Aaron displayed a level of rudeness and aggression that felt not just unprofessional but personally hostile towards our group. Simple requests—such as asking for more water or checking on a to-go order—were met with visible attitude and eye-rolling. Rather than attending to guests or ensuring the front of house ran smoothly, Aaron seemed more preoccupied with taking selfies and posturing than actually performing his role. It was clear that customer experience was an afterthought—if even that.

Unfortunately, the service issues didn’t end there. Despite the restaurant being far from full, the wait staff was inattentive and inconsistent, struggling to get our order right. Our receipt was miscalculated not once, not twice, but three separate times, each requiring correction.

The food, once the main draw of Mala Project, has also taken a downturn. With two of our dishes, the sauce—now inexplicably an upcharge—was aggressively salty. Another where the chicken was dry. Noodles were overcooked and some items were noticeably underseasoned. Combine that with noticeable price increases, and one begins to question whether the value still justifies the experience.

We were willing to overlook many of these issues, chalking them up to an off day. But the way Aaron treated us—again and again—made it impossible. As we were leaving, he even grabbed his face in frustration, saying we were all "so annoying" while signing in other guests- insinuating we were the problem which was comical.

Hospitality is not about being flawless, but about being present, respectful, and receptive. On this, Mala Project Bryant Park failed unequivocally. I had hoped this was an isolated incident, but after reading other reviews, it has become clear that it is part of a troubling pattern.

As someone who has loved this restaurant dearly for years, we won’t be returning—and we hope management takes this as a sign to reevaluate not just their pricing, but most importantly...