Zhangliang Malatang — Restaurant in San Diego

Update review - I brought my baby back to Zhangliang Malatang, it’s his 2nd time in this location, and it’s pretty baby friendly, with high chair provided. My girl friend never tried the dry style Malatang, so she wants to try and I went together with her. That style is always my favorite. And she’s really happy about it and I like mine as well. The service is good even though my baby made a little mess in his high chair with his snacks. There are a lot of items that you can choose from, my fav are beef tongue, fatty beef and quail eggs. You should totally try this if you like hotpot. Previous review - I’m so happy to see the super popular Chinese malatang brand Zhangliang opened a chain in San Diego! I haven’t got a chance to have that in China yet. My good friend and I went to try on a Wednesday night and it was very packed, people need to wait for seats after 6:30pm. The store is very clean and organized, they have more food items than I expected. And the taste is really awesome! I chose a dry Malatang and my friend ordered the spicy pork bone original. Both are great, we are very happy with it. My dry style is sweet and sour, it was very yummy, the price is very reasonable. The dipping sauce table has a lot of flavor which...

Food was fresh and made to order, and the service was on point. The vibe? Chill and clean — you can tell they take pride in their space. If you're into hot pot soups, this is a solid choice.

Now here’s the breakdown: The broth was good — just not great. Something was missing flavor-wise. It didn’t quite soak into the ingredients, so some bites came off a bit bland. I even brought home a good amount of broth — it just didn’t have that punch. Also, I chose the mild heat level, but it barely registered as spicy. The broth stayed yellow, and I was expecting that signature red hue you see at other places. If you know the other well-known spot that does this, you'll get what I mean.

On the flip side: The stir fry? Fire. Bold flavor, well-balanced, and definitely the standout. If you're not sure what to get, I’d say lean toward the stir fry on your first visit.

Will I be back? Absolutely. This isn’t a one-and-done. It’s worth revisiting, especially to see if they level up that broth. I'd give it a 4.5/5 — just shy of perfect because of...

My daughter told me The Chinese malatang brand Zhangliang opened a chain in San Diego . I haven’t got a chance to have that in OC yet , I don’t see any in my area and we’re going to check it out this place.

There are a lot of selections for you to choice from seafood, meat , vegetables, tofu, noodles… After you are done choosing, bring it to the Cashier and they will weight it for you, and at the time it was $13.99 per lb. There are 2 options for your food to cook to tell them to make it into a Soup or for them to Stir fry it. Both of us chose in a Soup , Classic Spicy Bone Broth .

The food was absolutely delicious, everything fresh and tasty. I like the Bone Broth. Not super spicy just right flavorful. The dipping sauce table has a lot of flavor which is also great, they have more food items than I expected . Price is reasonable. The store was clean and organized, vibe chill and comfy. Friendly and attentive service . Parking a little bit...