MaLa Canteen 食之堂也 — Restaurant in Rockville

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! We tried the mala dry pot in which you pick the proteins and veggies you want. I used to be skeptical of places where there's a price on each ingredient they put in because my practical and cheap side says you can buy the ingredients at the grocery store for cheaper and make it at home, but when you are tired from a long day, you just want to eat. The food is so flavorful and perfect. I got some of my favorite ingredients in there - winter melon, bamboo shoots, quail eggs!!!! The only thing I wasn't super impressed by is the fact that you could build a mala dry pot with enough ingredients for 2 people but it will only come with one rice - you have to pay extra for the additional rice. Also, the restaurant is very busy with almost no empty tables at 8pm (a testament to the quality of the food) so the servers may rush you a bit, but they'll help you put in your order on a tablet and the food doesn't take long to come out. It does get expensive but not terrible (we spent about $50 for 2 people) so if you come with someone who wants the same/similar things as you, share a pot - if we did individual orders that would have been a lot more expensive and we would be more limited in number of things we can add to our individual pots (due to budget). Also, when it was time to pay they came with the tablet and showed me the final price with an automatically selected 20% tip and asked for my card. If I wasnt so satisfied with the food, I might have been more stingy about it - I did not think the rushed service warranted 20%, and I would have appreciated if they left me with the tablet to decide on the tip without pressure. Despite that, this is still a great "treat yourself" place and I already...

This was my first time in Montgomery County for new employment . I had taste for Chinese food and this restaurant was recommended by Court security. When I arrived with my coworker, the atmosphere was not welcoming. I am a person of color and most of the individuals that were dinning in were Asians. After ordering our food, we sat down at a table to wait and minutes later two Rockville Police Officers enter the restaurant and came straight in our direction. The officers stated that they were there to do a check of the restaurant. When observing the officers they quickly looked around and started asking my co worker and I questions. They asked, do we live in the area? and what type of work did we do? I didn’t realize that they were there for us until no one was asked these questions in the restaurant. The officers kept trying to make “small talk” and kept saying that the restaurant smelt good and that they have never ate and been in the restaurant which was hard to believe if they do routine checks of the businesses. I will not be eating here and I will recommend my coworkers go to another Chinese restaurant...

If spicy foods and exotic East Asian medical spices sound like they’re up your alley, then give MaLa Canteen a shot, especially on Valentine’s Day.

The teas are worth getting too, by the way. I ordered a rose one the first time I went there thanks to my friend, Anna.

Going back to the food, though, if you’re new to Chinese spices, then please order the “baby spice” level. When my friend and I ordered the mild spice, my eyes began to water and my nose became snotty the moment I took some bites out of the shared bowl. It was still worth ordering, but dang, I never thought that Chinese food could be so spicy, ha ha! My mother and her family are from Hangzhou, by the way, so we’re not used to eating super spicy food.

So yeah, all in all, if you’re looking for a Chinese restaurant in the DMV area that offers a bold take on Chinese cuisine and let’s you share food with others, then please give MaLa Canteen a shot. Trust me, it’s not your typical 四川式 (Sichuan style) joint. It’s more like a spicer, more intimate version of a Korean hotpot restaurant that offers both rice and...