Mulan Malatang in California

"Fresh ingredients & friendly staff!! You’re given a large bowl to pick and choose what you want included in your meal — this will be weighed and charged per lb. Plenty of vegetarian protein sources as well as meat options. I’m always finding an excuse to come back."

"The staff was exceptionally friendly and attentive, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious, featuring well-balanced flavors and fresh ingredients. I highly recommend this place for its quality and service. I ordered the vegetarian broth, which was rich, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned, making it an outstanding choice for vegetarians"

"1st time here. Very friendly owners (brother/sister duo). Limited variety for ingredients, but it has the basic regulars like veg (crown daisy, napa cabbage, Xiao bai cai), meat slices, beancurd ring/sheet, tofu, mushrooms etc. The key draw here is indeed the robust broth! I had the bone broth with garlic (as recommended by most reviews) at extra spicy level. It was not spicy at all (it's like mild to me at other mala places) but full of umami and very fragrant. I wish it was spicier and more numbing, but that's just me. The lady owner explained that they adjusted the spice level down to cater to the locals, which I can fully understand. She said I could request additional spice on the side next time - such a thoughtful note! complimentary self-serve hot/cold water with free tea bags is a plus! I will be back for sure!"

"This is seriously a hidden gem! The people working there provide great customer service and are very kind. I’m learning mandarin, and the worker was so kind to help me practice speaking! And the soups themself were incredibly good. I recommend getting a higher spice level, the feeling is super tingly."

"Holy Moly I'm In Love I didn't know this was a thing but it instantly became my new favorite spot. You get to fill up a bowl a la carte with all your fave veggies and meats and a noodle type, then you give it to them and pick a broth and spice level, and it returns to you later as it's fully formed evolutionized mega evolved brothy yummy self. It was delicious. Because I picked everything myself duh."

"There was a good selection of ingredients and the staff were very welcoming! The food was cooked well and very reasonably priced. The mala xiang guo was a bit on the thinner side for my preference but I enjoyed the flavour. I would have liked if they had a bigger selection at their sauce bar (no sesame paste or chilli oil). I plan to come back!"

"Amazing and delish! I’d never experienced a restaurant like this and was a little timid on how to approach it all. Super friendly staff, helped a dumb guy like me make a wonderful bowl! Highly recommended!"

"Friendly owner, clean and no line for malatang, looking for low sodium and msg? You are in the right place. I ordered pork bone broth with black garlic. This is my second time, they maintain the flavor well, black garlic aroma hits when you sip the soup. I made extra spicy but not that much spicy but great. They offer free tea, $1 beer for dine in, what a great deal. Must try black garlic broth. The aroma ahhhhh!!! Will definitely come back again."