Mala Hotpot Evendale - Cincinnati, Ohio

Ryan F.

Didn’t know what to expect with this restaurant. This was a new experience for me with Chinese hot pot. It was a little overwhelming at first with all the ingredients but once I got the hang of it, it was so fun. Service was kind and the robot waiter was pretty cool

Trey

First-time here. We came for dinner while we were in town. The food was great with many options. You basically have your own hot pot that is turned on and pick out different foods you would like.

The meal includes a vegetarian buffet that you can add to your dish or soup also. You can order on your phone or with the server.

Timothy M.

Mala hot pot is a fun, fun Chinese restaurant located in evendale at the corner of Redding and Glendale Milford road in the same parking lot as CAM, Chinese American market. It is a medium size restaurant that is bright and super clean. There are many tables that have built-in burners set in the white marble table tops. There are many tables that have four or eight burners. You need one burner per person. I think there's a room that has even larger tables. Also. Although you can order pre-made noodle dishes, the funnest and most common thing to do is to the order the make your own soup option. They have several different flavor broths . You order what type of sliced meat and what kind of noodles you want to add to it. While you wait for the robot to deliver your sliced meats, You take a bowl to the the salad bar that has vegetables, tofu, fish balls, lobster balls, and lots of other stuff. Then you dump it all in a bowl and cook it for a while. It's a fun thing to do with friends. One of my buddies said the spicy broth was too hot and spicy for him. I had the chicken mushroom broth which was basically like a chicken soup, very mild. I thought it was delicious. They are only open for lunch on the weekends; otherwise dinner only. I thought it was a unusual, very interesting, fun, and delicious spot to eat with friends. Families with children would have a great time.

Robert H.

Mala Hotpot is a place I have been going to for years, and I love the hotpot there. However, they have recently pivoted to not serving hotpot, perhaps just during the summer months it seems. Really sad to see, since I don't think this change is best for the customer experience and enjoyment of good soup. Soup is good year round, even if it is warm out. I will update my review in September, when it seems like hotpot will be returning to Mala Hotpot.

Russell A.

First time at a hot pot. This seemed unique in this style of restaurants. From the induction tops for each diner to the robotic waiter delivering the protien and noodles. First time, as I said, meant we made some mistakes. Like putting too much in the pot instead of a little at a time. Didn't know we could turn down the heat and made a bit of a mess. The settings are by your belly. Everything was fresh and flavorful and it gives you time to talk between cooling that next mouth full.
Don't forget to get one of their little Ice cream cups before you leave.

Krishna B. K.

A good hotpot spot with great atmosphere. The tables are clean the staff was friendly and polite. The veggie options and the sauces were nice. The broths were good and the portions were decent. The veggies and toppings are unlimited. The quality of the meats was good as well. The fish and lobster balls were good. Overall a great spot to Njoy hotpot.

Donald M.

First the good - The service was outstanding. Our server was very cheerful and helpful. In general, the food is good with a HUGE selection. The prices seemed very good for this type of restaurant and dining experience (a hotpot in which each diner selects and cooks their own food at the table). But, why did I rate it 2 Stars overall? Well, there are several logistics that need to be improved. All of the tables are booths (no chairs). That makes it VERY inconvenient for most people at the table to get up to get the buffet style vegetables and sauces. Also, the biggest of the booths are designed for a max of six diners. We had seven in our party. Our choice was to split up or to squeeze in. Since one of our seven was a 4-year-old who would not be 'cooking' on a hotpot, we chose to squeeze in. We chose wrong! There simply was not enough room on the table for all of the hotpots, plates, beverages, cups, sauces, water pitchers, etc. Also, you couldn't place your order with the server. You have to do it through their app. That turned out to be WAY more complicated and confusing than it should have been. Maybe on a second visit, the app would feel more logical. Finally, about halfway through my meal, my hotpot (the hot plate) stopped working. Three of us on my side of the table had to slide out of the booth so that the server could try to turn it back on. She couldn't. She offered to move me to another booth. But, I didn't want to hassle with that. It turned out that the 'soup' retained enough of its heat that my food did end up cooked. I think if this restaurant just had round tables and chairs instead of booths for parties of 5 or more, it could be great.

Chrissy

Mala was delicious. So yummy that I crave their tomato soup hotpot! The restaurant is super clean and has a very white aesthetic. The staff is super patient and will explain the process, especially if you are new here. The menu is pretty easy to read and fill out. It goes step by step but for the price the portion was a lot! To the point I even had a left over meal to take home. The plates provide a lot of meat and the best part was that you could cook it all yourself. They also have a sauce bar so you could add hot chili oil or dip your meats for more flavor. Overall it was a 10/10 experience. They even had a robot bring you your order/additional items that you order.

Ryan F.

Didn’t know what to expect with this restaurant. This was a new experience for me with Chinese hot pot. It was a little overwhelming at first with all the ingredients but once I got the hang of it, it was so fun. Service was kind and the robot waiter was pretty cool

Trey

First-time here. We came for dinner while we were in town. The food was great with many options. You basically have your own hot pot that is turned on and pick out different foods you would like.

The meal includes a vegetarian buffet that you can add to your dish or soup also. You can order on your phone or with the server.

Timothy M.

Mala hot pot is a fun, fun Chinese restaurant located in evendale at the corner of Redding and Glendale Milford road in the same parking lot as CAM, Chinese American market. It is a medium size restaurant that is bright and super clean. There are many tables that have built-in burners set in the white marble table tops. There are many tables that have four or eight burners. You need one burner per person. I think there's a room that has even larger tables. Also. Although you can order pre-made noodle dishes, the funnest and most common thing to do is to the order the make your own soup option. They have several different flavor broths . You order what type of sliced meat and what kind of noodles you want to add to it. While you wait for the robot to deliver your sliced meats, You take a bowl to the the salad bar that has vegetables, tofu, fish balls, lobster balls, and lots of other stuff. Then you dump it all in a bowl and cook it for a while. It's a fun thing to do with friends. One of my buddies said the spicy broth was too hot and spicy for him. I had the chicken mushroom broth which was basically like a chicken soup, very mild. I thought it was delicious. They are only open for lunch on the weekends; otherwise dinner only. I thought it was a unusual, very interesting, fun, and delicious spot to eat with friends. Families with children would have a great time.

Robert H.

Mala Hotpot is a place I have been going to for years, and I love the hotpot there. However, they have recently pivoted to not serving hotpot, perhaps just during the summer months it seems. Really sad to see, since I don't think this change is best for the customer experience and enjoyment of good soup. Soup is good year round, even if it is warm out. I will update my review in September, when it seems like hotpot will be returning to Mala Hotpot.

Russell A.

First time at a hot pot. This seemed unique in this style of restaurants. From the induction tops for each diner to the robotic waiter delivering the protien and noodles. First time, as I said, meant we made some mistakes. Like putting too much in the pot instead of a little at a time. Didn't know we could turn down the heat and made a bit of a mess. The settings are by your belly. Everything was fresh and flavorful and it gives you time to talk between cooling that next mouth full.
Don't forget to get one of their little Ice cream cups before you leave.