11301 Lakeline Blvd

One of the best Sichuan food spots in town! The servers are very kind and patient. I like the ordering system via the iPad as it makes it fast and easy to see the entire menu (with photos) and order it as you want it. The chilli oil they make in house is a perfect pairing with the dishes, and it's free if you dine in. The inside is small and clean, but can get crowded at times, but so worth the wait

Mala Chili is decent if you're looking for a quick bite. The food is just okay--nothing that really blew me away, but it hits the spot if you're in the mood for something fast and flavorful. Customer service is friendly and helpful, and they get your order out pretty quickly, which I appreciate. It's not a spot I'd go out of my way for, but it works when you want something casual and convenient.

If you're craving authentic Sichuan with a fun unique robot experience, Mala Chili is the spot! We had heard a lot about this hidden little gem inside the H-Mart parking lot, but didn't expect the flavors to we ate to be so satisfying and soul warming! They even have an adorable and hilarious robot server that had us giggling and grinning from the start. FYI- The menu is HUGE--like, "you'll need a second to process this" kind of huge--but thankfully, the manager was incredibly informative and helped us narrow it down based on our flavor and meat preferences plus gave us some insights on the spice tolerance. While everything we ate was SUPER tasty, let's talk about the stars of the show: The Mala Dry Pot Fish -- hands down a must-order! We're always hesitant to order fish at a Chinese restaurant, because we get nervous that it will smell or taste fish, but we can hands down say that this was one of our FAV's!!! It was perfectly crispy, not fishy at all, and PACKED with flavor! The Spicy Chicken and the Fried Shrimp with Crispy Rice felt similar in flavoring as the dry pot fish and super easy to pop in your mouth and eat! So crispy such a MUST! The Male Lamb Shank is a MUST for lamb lovers! Massive in size and the accompanied veggies were also to die for! The Scallion pancakes were a classic and so crispy! The 1/2 order of Peking Duck to make duck tacos and enjoy some glass noodle soup was also super fun and we LOVED the sauce and broth it came with! Don't skip the bubbly drinks! We got the Golden Bubbly with no added sugar--and it was perfectly refreshing and just sweet enough to cool the spice. Passion Fruit Panna Yotta was the perfect dessert finish!! Creamy, sweet and tangy!! Bonus: you can BYOB, and we did just that with some cerveza! Portions are generous (come hungry or bring a friend with big chopstick energy), service is speedy, and the whole experience was way more fun than your average dinner out! Whether you're a Sichuan pro or curious newbie like us, Mala Chili is absolutely worth checking out!

Best whole duck so far! The soup that came with it was a big bowl perfect for the family I was with! My friend brought her two kids and we had a feast. The server didn't speak much English but the service was professional and she was very attentive. This experience was even better than the first visit we had a year ago. They give military discount!! Ordering was savvy on the tablet, pictures always help! We beat the crowd at 4:30pm on a Monday! There was not an item we ordered that didn't taste authentic!!! Clean and the robot staff was cute lol. Nice touch :)

Oh my goodness! My boyfriend and I were craving some mala spice so we came here to check the place out. We ordered the peking duck, dry mala beef pot, stir fried green beans, mapo tofu and the Yomie yogurt drinks. The yogurt drinks were a great pair to the spicy dishes so good thinking on selling these too! When food came out, there was a robot that delivered it to us but the waitress came and set it on the table for us. She was extremely hospitable and we were grateful for all the considerate things she did for us, like checking in, pouring soup into our bowls, and etcetc. She also did this for other tables so service is top notch here. Food wise, everything came out super delicious and well-seasoned. Our favorite dishes were the beef pot and mapo tofu because they tasted like heaven! (Surprisingly not too spicy either). Peking duck is always delicious too of course but I guess we're probably more biased towards the spicier dishes because of our cravings that time. Green beans were yum too. Not bland nor salty so it was perfect and crunchy! Honestly though, I love everything so far and can't wait to try out other dishes. I have a strong feeling that you can't go wrong with anything here and my fingers are crossed! (And thank you to the woman for showing us amazing service! You're a rock star!)

I can't comment on the service or ambiance as we ordered takeout. The Peking duck was amazing and comes with duck soup as well. The flavors were on point and it came with everything we needed - Peking duck, wraps, cucumbers, green onions and the sauce. Our family enjoyed this at home.

We had pecking duck, red oil dumpling and westlake beef soup. The pecking duck comes with a duck bone broth soup which was soooo good. Pecking duck could be a little crispier on the skin in my opinion, but it was still pretty decent. Westlake beef soup broth was also very savory and soothing, but the red oil dumpling was a bit underwhelming as the filling inside was a little dry and tasted blend. Overall, it was good and I'd come back for pecking duck for sure.

The food is decent. The chongqing fish is very good. 4/5 stars for the food 5/5 for the service. It's fast and friendly. 1/5 for hygiene. There was a big fat cockroach crawling around on the floor

Decent place. Not too many options for vegetarians, but I made do. I ordered the vegetable fried rice, and a tofu entrée dish as well. Plus veggie egg rolls. Very delicious, but very oil heavy. I was not expecting the robot waiter, that's the first time I've ever seen that in my life. Very interesting! At the end, when it was time to pay, a friendly female employee came over, and helped us split the bill. She also offered the ladies of the table a cute little gift of Korean soap. It was very unexpected, but very sweet. My husband really enjoyed himself and wants to come back. I think perhaps next time I will try to get something with a little less oil, although like I said, my options are a bit more limited since I am vegetarian. All in all, we enjoyed our visit :)

This place has a wide variety on their menu. I got the spicy beef noodles but wasn't impressed. It was good, but the mala pepper flavor was way too strong. It made it almost pungent. I'll be back to try other dishes. Great service and a comfortable atmosphere.

The food was great. It was so flavorful. The fried chicken dumplings, to the duck was amazing. Service was quick. The staff was attentive. The aroma when you walks in makes you even hungrier I swear. This place was cozy. This place if it's not in your radar should be. 10 out of 10. Will be going back. This is my new favorite place for Asian food.

Second time ordering takeout from here and it was just as good, if not better than the last time. Me and my friend both enjoyed everything we ordered. My friend really liked the crab rangoons but these are my favorite and I think they accidentally gave us the wrong sauce to dip them in. We got a thin soy sauce ish sort of sauce but that's ok! Accidents happen! Food was ready very quickly and everything was boxed up super well!!

Back again, this time for early Mother's Day. Went on a Friday and walked in around 6:40. There were a few empty tables but it filled up right after we were seated. The Peking Duck takes 30 minutes. Tip: order it and send to kitchen right away, then order rest of your food. My son got the sesame chicken again and inhaled it all except one piece he left for me. It was sweet and crispy and the broccoli was fresh and cooked perfectly. 9/10. We had the cucumber salad, which was honestly better than Din Tai Fung's iconic one. Nice bite of garlic and heat. 10/10. I also ordered the Spicy Chicken based on the rave reviews here. Tip: it's not under the Chicken section, but in the Szechuan Specialties area. So crispy with a nice bit of heat. It looks scarier than it is. I thought the heat was perfect and really enjoyed it. 9/10. (This stayed crispy and was delicious cold the next day!) Lastly the Peking Duck arrived. We got the half and it was a generous portion. Came with scallions and cucumbers and perfectly thin crepes. I asked for the skin to be crispy after reading the reviews, but it still came out with the fat unrendered. It was moist and delicious and perfect with the crepes. I did pick the fatty skin off, which if crispy, would have taken this over the top. I'll throw it in air fryer at home to crisp it up and enjoy tomorrow! 8.5/10 because of that. It was supposed to come with duck bone soup but they forgot it, so I asked for it to go. Haven't tried it yet. We also got an egg waffle because it looked kind of funny...and it was amazing! Super light and crispy and a perfect way to end the meal. Would have been even better w ice cream but we wanted to try it alone. 10/10. The service was less attentive this time around but was still good and they were slammed by the time our food came out. Delicious meal. Glad we went. I would order everything again, but I'm also enjoying trying new things on the menu each time!

BEST Chinese spot in Austin?!Mala Chili LIVED up to our expectations. Oh my god. The Westlake Beef Soup was SO good. It's a comfort soup of egg white, tofu, beef and cilantro. Idk, I had something like this as a kid and it brought me back for sure Definitely in our list of places we would come back to! Mala Chili11301 Lakeline Blvd Unit 300Austin, Texas 78717

Service is not bad, Ambiance is not bad, food is good so far what i recommend is the green beans, salt pepper fish, spicy wanton. I'll be back next time to try other things. So far I like it.

I was invited to a friend's food event featuring Mala chili, so we got to sample a wide variety of dishes. We went on a Friday night, and it wasn't too crowded, making for a comfortable experience. The waiter was very helpful, taking the time to explain each dish, and there was an impressive selection to choose from. Overall, the food was good, though not exceptional. However, there were two standout dishes that I'd return for: the spicy chicken and the pepper vine sauerkraut fish--they were both fantastic! With such a large menu, I'd definitely come back to enjoy my favorites again and try a few new dishes.

Our new favorite Chinese spot in Austin! After this visit, Mala Chili has officially become our go-to for Chinese food in Austin! My boyfriend and I have been on what seems like a Chinese food tour of Austin, trying all the spots, and mala chili is top tier. Every dish we tried was absolutely fantastic; flavorful, perfectly spiced, and super fresh. We ordered the dandan noodles, red oil dumplings, spicy steamed pork bao, and the spicy boiled beef in chili sauce. Every single one was a hit. The dandan noodles were rich and nutty with just the right amount of heat, personally my favorite; highly recommend. The red oil dumplings were delicate and packed with juicy filling, swimming in a sauce that we couldn't get enough of. The spicy steamed pork bao was pillowy and bursting with flavor, and the spicy boiled beef in chili sauce was perfectly tender, with layers of deep, numbing spice that kept us coming back for more. This was my boyfriend's favorite and a close second to mine. The service was quick and friendly, and the atmosphere was warm and lively without being overwhelming. If you're looking for authentic Szechuan flavors in Austin, you have to check out Mala Chili. We can't wait to come back and try even more dishes!

The noodles had no salt or seasoning The portions were great ! And the dumplings were good

I'm not sure why there are not more reviews on this place. The food is good, the staff is friendly and I adore their ordering system. They have a little tablet that has pictures and description of each dish so you have a better idea of what you are ordering. There is a lot to pick from and it is worth taking sometime to get acquainted with the menu. If you want to get some items togo they have an ordering kiosk with photos at the front of the restaurant. Each table has a QR code that allows you to place your order and pay. If you order a bunch of dishes they have the cutest little waiter robot to carry the food to you. This evening the robot was wearing western gear. I am not sure if the outfit is seasonal. I will need to check it out next time I visit. Another thing about this place is that it is consistant ..... this is not my 1st time visiting and I can tell you I always enjoy my food. I tend to order the salt and pepper ribs. I really like it and find it to be seasoned well and never dry. I assume this is because they use the best cuts of pork to ensure it's tender. They also have great desserts and fruit flavored tea. Don't skip, you want to try the fruit flavored tea, I like it just a little sweet. I think it showcases the natural fruit flavors of the drink. I noticed that they have soup dumplings and next time I plan to try them.

Hey there North ATX peeps. here's my quick synopsis on my experience at Mala Chili. The service was good, but it could be better! The seating/waiting method is a bit weird as you'll walk in and sit where there is a table. You will technically have a waiter/waitress but order directly from a QR scan. I wish there was a sign in system and then be seated in order rather than just walking in and looking around confused until someone seats you. The food- WOW! The food was amazing! I highly recommend the Duck fried rice. The duck was so tender and juicy and the rice had tons of flavor in it! Spicy pork boa's were the bomb as well. The beef soup was decent, the potatoes in it weren't all that great so the at would be where my food criticism lies. Try their yogurt drinks as well, you will not regret it. I'll be back to try more dishes as well because the menu was loaded with options galore. The atmosphere is nice. A bit small and intimate but not overly quiet at all. Overall a solid 4.5/5 for me and my girlfriend. We will definitely be back.

Everything we ordered was delicious. We ordered way too much and had leftovers. The stir fried green beans were amazing!

I submitted an online order on their website at 6:09 PM for four items. They called me. The item will be ready at 6:39 PM. I arrived at 6:39 PM and they told me it would be five more minutes. They kept saying five more minutes over and over again Until I finally put my foot down and said I had to leave so either give me what you have and refund the rest or refund the entire order. They kept saying that there was a problem with the ordering system so they weren't getting the orders in a timely manner. I saw one employee completely overwhelmed trying to package up about 12 orders to go at the same time. I was one of approximately five people waiting for their order, and this entire restaurant seems completely overwhelmed during Friday night dinner rush. Have not tried the Food yet, but I hope it was worth the inconvenience. I was offered absolutely nothing in exchange for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, one star is what they deserve based on their lack of organization and lack of communication. What sucks is online you have to tip in advance and so they got a five dollar tip they probably shouldn't deserve even that.

Wow! Great food, amazing service! Came here for a late lunch on Xmas eve, place was fairly busy but we got a table right away. They give you tablets to order on and then recap the order before it gets submitted, which I liked a lot. Food came out pretty fast, the pork bao was excellent, the green onion pancakes were great, the sesame chicken with fried rice was very good, the pork dumplings were good, the only thing that wasn't great were the soup dumplings as they were falling apart. Definitely will come back, service was great and very attentive with drinks. Nice job!

This place is good for both drinks and food! It's a Mala Chili restaurant with a Yomie's Rice x Yogurt inside--the best of both worlds!

The yogurt drink with mango and sago was really delicious! However, the spicy cold noodle I got was really salty. I was dining in so I didn't want to just take two bites and walk out so I finished half and then had to take the rest to-go. After diluting the noodles with water at home, it tasted much better. The staff speak Chinese. It's really close to H-Mart, so you can do some grocery shopping too.

Possibly the best dry chili chicken I've had. Been dreaming about it and it's consistent! Every time, the chicken comes out temperature hot with the perfect amount of spice. We also love the stir fried green beans. They taste so fresh, have the perfect crunch each bite, and just amazing. We did order the braised beef brisket and it was good, but not for the price/amount. I love that rice comes out in a big pot with refills for free!! Service always has been friendly. They do have a large tv on one wall and had SpongeBob playing with no sound last time we went lol. They sometimes use the robot to bring out the food with music. Overall, a great spot for some Chinese food and close to hmart to do grocery shopping after!

If you're craving for Chinese food, this is the place. My top 3 favorite here: Spicy Sichuan Chicken (headsup on the tingling spicyness of Sichuan pepper), Spicy Fish Soup, and any stir fry! But yeah, if not all, most of their dishes tasted great.

What a perfect way to enjoy a rainy day! Went here for lunch when cold and wet outside. Glad I mapped this place, as hard to find in this parking lot. It is near the street side next to Sport Clips. Confusing when you first walk in on how to order. Has a walk up touch screen thing, but employee told us we could sit at table. We sat, and had a QR sticker at end of table, so thought that was going to be how we found the menu. Glad it wasn't (*hate QR code menus). The waitress then presented each of us with our own tablet to view (*nicely organized by category and each item with picture and description), and then order. You click "send to kitchen " and waitress popped back by to review order and take tablet. Now, for really cool part, a small robot with shelves comes to your table with your food items. Now, waiter still comes by and takes off robot and present on table. Now, the best part, the food! Pay attention to little sign (*attached to wooden boot) on table if getting "Soup dumplings", which we did. Found out, in past, I was eating them wrong. Sign instructed us on how to do it right. We enjoyed them along with other dumplings. The ones in spicey sauce was our favorite. My husband got Mongolian beef (*not as spicy as thought it would be..I tasted some of his..but so good,I took some and put in my noodles..lol) and he had combo fried rice (*did not know white rice came with, so he took that home). I saw they had "Dan Dan noodles", which I have loved in the past. When brought to table the waiter poured in sauce and brought own chopsticks and mixed noodles and sauce with pork for me. I enjoyed, and finished whole thing! Only thing missing, as had different versions, was something "crunchy" like bean sprouts or chopped cucumbers. All in all, great service, and great food! Will come back and try other items!

My only regret in picking this place is that my stomach wasn't big enough. We went at lunchtime on a Saturday, and were able to be seated right away. We could order via tablet or QR code, and our food came out relatively quickly. In fact, our table ran out of places to put all the food we ordered! The restaurant also has this neat little robot that helps deliver food to the tables-in our case it was accompanied by a server who handed us the items from the robot - our kids loved the robot so much they asked if we could order more food so it could come over again! In terms of food, we ordered soup dumplings, cold spicy jerky, BBQ bao, tangerine chicken, duck fried rice, Mala dry pot ribs, scallion pancakes, and....one more item I'm blanking on at the moment. In other words, way too much food for 2 kids and 2 small children. But if we had to do it all over again, I would change nothing.

Pretty decent place to get some Sichuan food especially if you don't want too long of a wait! We got there at 6:30pm on a Wednesday and we were able to be seated immediately. They also have the robots that deliver your stuff to you. We only ordered two dishes: the dry fried spicy sliced fish and the mapo tofu but it was kind of funny that our waiter and the robot came out at the same time, each holding one dish. The fish is probably one of my favorites! The breading is really crispy, while the inside is still so soft. And it came with a lot of good sides like potatoes, lotus roots, bamboo, and celery. And the mapo tofu was pretty classic, although a little more on the oilier side. Still delicious though! That being said, neither dish was very spicy. And I don't have the best spice tolerance. But for a place called Mala chili I expected more. Also each dish would be good to share decently amongst probably like three people. But for the price, I kind of expected the servings to be a bit bigger.

First time at Mala Chili. Food was delicious and service was great! Will be coming back.

Food was awful, service was terrible, ambience was terrible, we ordered the popcorn chicken, it was just pieces of hard breading with no chicken, the beef noodle soup had a strange flavor and it was watered, the beef was just pieces of small hard tissue, horrible, service was inattentive, they didn't bothered to ask if everything was okay, we had to call them to the table in order to get their attention, not good

Restaurant looked cluttered when walking in, especially towards the back and didn't seem the cleanest. The husband gave the restroom a 4/10. The service was okay. It was confusing on how to order and on the tablet you can't change anything, so we needed the server anyway. Food came out extremely fast!! It was amazing. We ordered the chicken fried rice, crab rangoons, orange chicken, and soup dumplings. Soup dumplings are the best we have ever had. Rice was perfect. I personally do not like dark meat chicken, but the husband enjoyed the orange chicken. I think it would be so much better with white meat! Service was weird....asked for water twice and finally got it. No refills. Had to waive down servers to get everything we needed. All in all, we would come back for the rice and dumplings!

Mala Chili is a real find for lovers of Sichuan cuisine. Most of the dishes were delicious and pleasantly surprised with bright tastes. The interior is comfortable and the atmosphere is cozy, which makes the establishment a good place for lunch or dinner. The ordered dishes basically met expectations: the noodles were saturated, and the dumplings were tender inside. Some menu items seemed a little heavy because of the amount of oil, but this did not spoil the overall impression. The service was friendly, although sometimes it was necessary to wait for repeated visits of the waiter. Nothing critical, but there is room for little improvement. In general, I recommend this restaurant to those who are looking for good Sichuan dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. I am happy to try other items from the menu.

We went there after reading good reviews. I ordered tofu dish and Peking duck and mango panna yotta. Every thing was very yum. The portions are large and Peking duck came with soup as well. I totally recommend this place.

Super yummy low key Chinese spot! Food tastes authentic. It wasn't crowded at all when we went on a weekday night and there is an assortment of booths and tables. The digital menu on the screen was a bit confusing because you don't order on it, just view the menu on it. You wave down a server to order, and again to get the check at the end. What we ordered: - Pork Pan Fry Bao: good but could have been fried more - Cold Noodles: super tasty - Spicy Boiled Fish in Chili Sauce: came with rice and is a huge portion, could feed 3-4 They also have Yomie's Rice x Yogurt which are yogurt drinks. I got the mango and sago yogurt which came in at a whooping $8 but it was SO GOOD. I would absolutely still get it again.

Lived here for 8 years and haven't been able to find a decent Chinese restaurant- this place by far has the best Asian food! Highly recommended!

This place deserves 5 stars for their spicy chicken. The flavoring was so perfect, savory with just a small hint of sweetness. You can taste the Szechuan pepper but it's very light and not overwhelming! The chicken was so crispy, it's addicting. I could eat this as a snack all day. Peking duck was decent for the price. I prefer my duck crispier usually but this one did taste similar to Bamboo House where the duck wasn't too crispy. I liked that their crepes were thin and not too filling so you have room to eat more duck! The Peking duck also came with duck vegetable soup, which was delicious. Good service. This place is very low-key and chill. Also recommend their mango sago.

Cute place. Love the robot waiters. The negatives; The American-Chinese options are "fine". I like to mix authentic and non dishes but I don't recommend that here. They aren't horrible but you are better served sticking to the real Szechwan stuff. The Positive: I had the best plate of Kung Pao chicken ever here. I love this dish with the real tongue numbing Szechwan peppercorns and theirs hit the spot. I will say there is a little inconsistency. The first time I had it it came out piping hot and was an 11/10, the second time it was just warm. Not sure why. I'd still happily return though.

This's how I would sum up Mala Chili - Friendly customer service, fast, delicious, freshly cooked to order food, and a very reasonable price for the portion size! SERVICE: We stopped by for lunch here the first time on a Tuesday after reading good reviews on Yelp. We were greeted warmly by the lady at the counter (we are not sure, but think she might be the owner since she was there the second time we went too). There are plenty of seats indoors and a kiosk at the front to place an order (legendary if you're not a people person; or just in a hurry). We told her that we wanted to sit outside so she told us to look at the menu online and asked if it's okay for the food to be served in to-go containers (we were fine with that). We sat at their patio seating out front on the left side of the restaurant. After a few minutes, she came out to take our order. FOOD: We got their SPICY CHICKEN and GENERAL TSO CHICKEN (...I know but it's my husband's favorite, what can I say ). - SPICY CHICKEN (I personally love this dish with pork at another restaurant on Research Blvd), and it turned out I really love Mala Chili's spicy chicken too as the chicken was so crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked inside. The spiciness and numbness level (from Sichuan peppers) was mild so you do not lose your sense of taste which I appreciate very much. - GENERAL TSO CHICKEN - it was perfectly cooked too but there was too much sauce so the chicken got soggy quick (that was on us, we forgot we always customize this dish--need to order with less sauce, and extra spicy next time). - We also tried their SHUMAI (STEAMED DUMPLINGS)and their PEKING DUCK which came with pancakes (I prefer these over buns), julienned cucumber & scallion, and sauce and duck bone soup with Napa cabbage & glass noodles and both were good. We loved their food so much, we came back the following week to get their spicy chicken (again) and cumin lamb! - CUMIN LAMB was so good, less spicy and less cumin leaves than what I got from another restaurant on Research Blvd but the flavor was good and the gaminess of the lamb was less pronounced where my husband could enjoy this dish (normally he doesn't like it). All in all, we will be regulars here. The food is top notch; it is close to our regular haunt H-Mart, and we love the staff. Major 5-stars, "two enthusiastic thumbs up, fine holiday fun" ( 10 points for whoever guesses what movie this quote is from )!

I moved to Austin a few years ago and have been searching high and low for a truly authentic Sichuan restaurant that does not compromise on spice or the original flavor. Mala Chili fits the bill. We ordered the spicy chicken and the boiled fish in spicy sauce. I'd give both dishes a 10/10. They were cooked to perfection - the chicken was just the right amount of crunch and the fish just melted in my mouth. Kudos to the chef for using the perfect amount of "mala" (peppercorn based numbing spice) - it was not overwhelming but gave the dishes the perfect kick. Definitely consider these dishes if you love spicy food! This restaurant is kid friendly as well. My 4 year old daughter loved + devoured her egg soup and shumai. The service was wonderful - food came out fast, and the staff was friendly. Ambiance is also quite decent - nothing fancy but clean and pleasant. Absolutely loved my dining experience here and will be back!

We had a reservation during the crazy winter holiday break. They put us in a room near the door. People kept popping their heads in thinking it was the waiting room. Ordering was a little confusing since it was on an app on ipads that we shared. We ordered the Peking duck and the waiter said he would put the order in for us. Suddenly everything in our app increased automatically to 3 portions each. We had to renumber all the things we put in already. My son ordered one of the yogurt drinks which is around 8 dollars. He thought it was good but wasn't expecting rice in it. My daughter liked the scallion pancakes. The steamed sea bass was good but it came at the end and we were pretty full. Food was good.

We went for dinner on Thanksgiving Day as most stores and restaurants were closed. When we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see ample space for our party of 3. We were seated quickly and given menus to peruse through. They also have QR codes at each table if you'd prefer to look at their digital menu. We ordered several items as we were hungry, which took about 20 min before they were served. All items were served hot from the kitchen and all were super tasty. We ordered green beans, stir-fried fish, Chinese eggplant, and kungpao chicken. Though this restaurant serves Sichuanese food, same as China Family, we noticed that their kungpao chicken contains less peppers and was less spicy in general. The chicken was also slightly sweeter. All this to say, we enjoyed Mala Chili's version of kungpao chicken as we tasted more of the flavors of the dish than having our mouth on fire from accidentally eating hot peppers in China Family's version. The prices are more expensive compared to other Chinese restaurants nearby but they're on par with other top-rated, high quality Chinese spots, so I can't complain much. We'd be willing to go back to try some of their other dishes sometime.

Place was awesome. Good homestyle authentic Chinese food. Lots of drink options available. Loved the mapo tofu and soup dumplings. Green beans were crispy and flavorful. Staff was friendly and attentive. Restaurant was clean and bright. Give them a try he will not be disappointed !

Whooo!!! A new mala szechuan place! From talking to the server they said it's a new ownership but somehow the drinks are the same from the prior restaurant??? Hmm...anyways... The food is pretty good!! We had the spicy chicken with mild spice level. Make sure you're persistent if that's what you want, a small kick of numbness yet not overpowering. We wanted to try the mapo tofu as my daughters love mine when I make it but they wouldn't budge on the spice level so I went with the shrimp one which was also good. My kids approved. Jumping fish seemed to lack of bit of flavor maybe because we got it non spicy. We got the hot and sour soup without any adjustment and that soup was bland. Overall this place is way closer than house of three gorges but definitely a go to spot for a quick fix. If I want something more authentic house of three gorges takes the W. Decor is ok. There was dust and drywall residue which wasn't aesthetically pleasing.

What used to house SK BBQ and Yomie's Yogurt (although Yomie's is still nestled inside) is now a Sichuan restaurant comparable to places like House of Three Gorges and China Family. We entered right at opening and were directed to a QR code at the table that opened the menu. There were plenty of options to choose from, and while I did originally go there to try their peking duck, it seems they only serve it during dinner hours. Nonetheless, the photos looked delicious and I do wish the menu included descriptions of each of the dishes. I will preface that my spice tolerance is relatively low so my review may skew more favorably. My top three dishes: cumin lamb, stewed beef brisket, and stir fried green beans. The cumin lamb was by far my favorite. It was more on the sweet side with after-notes of cumin. The stewed beef brisket was so tender and flavorful. It had a small, negligible kick with each bite. The green beans had a good crunch. It included pieces of ground pork that were very salty by itself, but balanced the under-seasoned green beans. I did wish there was a spice to it, but there is an option to order a side of their chili sauce. We also ordered the soup dumplings and shumai. The shumai was on the sweeter side and the soup dumplings were nothing memorable. The dough was too thick and dry at the opening and the broth itself didn't have much flavor. Both were served with a black vinegar dipping sauce. The entrees were a hit overall and I'll be back to try their peking duck and lobster dishes.

Yeah, this might be my favorite place to get Chinese food in Austin. Here are some thoughts: 1. Service - I don't care. When the food is this good, the service doesn't really matter. But no one was rude, and things came out relatively quickly 2. The spice level - TONS of options for people at any spice level. Don't let the "Chili" in the title scare you 3. Cost - unbelievably good prices. In this economy??????? 4. Space - Clean, plentiful seating, no concerns 5. The Food - Fresh, hot, plentiful. Really recommend a lot of the veggies (the cabbage was my favorite!) and fish dishes. Can't wait to go back!

I'm updating my last review to reflect a little more on the service issues. Unfortunately, it is evident that they are very understaffed. There were only two servers during a Saturday noon lunch rush. All the tables were full and there were more parties trying to come in to get a table. We had to flag a server down every single time we needed something basic. They forgot to bring our water. It took 10 min of waiting at our seat before we could get our check. We had to grab our own to-go boxes. I feel bad for the servers because they both looked extremely overwhelmed. The robot that they were using malfunctioned and drove off while a customer was picking up hot soup which could have been dangerous. I dislike that they got rid of their paper menus. Some of my family members have significant vision impairments and ordering on a QR code menu is very difficult. Regarding the food, the green beans are solid. We really liked the dry fried spicy fish; it was tender, crispy, and well seasoned. The egg drop soup was a bit bland. The cumin lamb had a lot of onion in it; I prefer the cumin lamb from House of Three Gorges. I still plan on returning for the food but maybe during a less busy hour or to get it to-go.

The food is delicious and more authentic than your neighborhood Asian cuisines. The service is great and very attentive. Their hot tea has edible flowers and nutrients in the diffuser! Definitely worth a try!