Laoma Malatang

We’ve been here twice now and had a pretty good experience both times. The spiciness options definitely run on the intense side, so even mild is a little spicy. I do like that if you spend over $25, you get two free portions of rice. It’s a nice thing to split with another person, and you can add more variety. I really love the fish fillets (they seem to deep fry it first), but I was pretty pleased with the way every ingredient was cooked. This time we got extra spicy, and unfortunately I felt like it came out way too salty. When we got mild last time it was very well flavoured, but the extra spicy was just drowning in sauce and salt. We wanted the spice without all that extra sodium. The spiciness level, however, was great. It is unfortunate that so many have had terrible experiences at this place. We personally did not notice decreases in the amount of ingredients picked nor a dirty kitchen environment, nor were the staff rude to us in our two times here. This place is popular in the food court (you see tables everywhere with the restaurant’s signature big bowl), and the store is often very busy (probably why service is curt).

Untill today, it used to be my fav spot to eat.I commute hour just to get this food. I was waiting in the line and saw chef spitting in the kitchen Ground plus got nails when i took a bite of broccoli andddddd i threw everything. Yuck now i was disgusted 🤮 n top of that the girls who r serving dont even know how to talk to people. Very very rude as if they r giving us free food. So disappointed 😔

All the reviews here are true. For $55 I got not even half of the food I picked out, they definitely take out the food in the back and have no shame in what they do. Food tasted bad too, asked for mild because my fiancée can’t eat spice but it was so spicy and flavorless. I should’ve looked this place up before ordering from them. What a horrible experience. Update: Please do not go here!!! the next morning, I have the worst vomit experience in my life. This was supposed to be a pleasant New York vacation turned into a nightmare. At some point I wanted to go to the hospital but after taking backup medicines and a whole day of vomiting out all the food I ate I still don’t feel good. Please stay away from this place 🙏

We used to order many times from the place. Initially the quality was great, everything prepared as requested. Lately, it’s been a couple times that we requested super spicy and it’s not spicy at all, and the paste was so little that all you could see is watery little paste. When you dispute, it was said properly prepared, by how? It happened not only one time. This is so disappointing.

Service here is absolutely horrific — the women will threaten you to add more food into the bowls. The staff told my group that if we did not add more items, she would toss random items into the meat bowl (which has a higher price per pound). Seriously messed up. But the food is too good, and I find the location convenient since New World Mall is right by the flushing train station. Note that this is in a rowdy food court, so this is not the ideal place for dates and comfortable dining experiences, in my opinion.

First time dining at this style of hot pot/stir fry establishment and was pleasantly surprised by the concept and most importantly the flavours. This stall had the most foot traffic in the food court and for good reason. Locals know this is the spot for a nice hearty meal full of spices and delicious meats. Although my interaction with the cashier went terribly (she attempted to process my CC payment about 10 times before her coworker told her to tap) the person who selected our meats was extremely patient and helpful. We didn’t realize this was a place where you select your quantity and types of meats/veggies for them to cook, and you’re priced out based on weight. The server was kind enough to portion us the price we were willing to pay. We asked for mild spice and were sweating buckets till our last bites but it was still worth it. An amazing and very authentic Chinese dining experience to say the least.

horrible. The person serving us was upset me and my daughter only wanted a little bit of beef and when I asked my daughter what she wanted, she tried to order in Chinese because she’s a learning child. Keep in mind she’s NINE. Then, she slammed our bowl down in annoyance and rolled her eyes after we finished ordering and I heard her talking bad about my daughter in Chinese to two other workers and they were laughing at her. So I asked them what was up with their attitude and why she was so rude. All she did was roll her eyes and walk away. This is genuinely the worst service I have ever had. The person talking bad about my daughter had square glasses. They were black on the outside and pink on the inside she looked like she was maybe in her early 30’s. I just honestly think that this was horrible service.

Watch out… the cashier claimed she had erroneously returned money to my card instead of charge me for the meal… and the proceeded to charge me double the amount. There was no service down there so I couldn’t check my account. Once I was out I see they never “returned” they simply scammed me and charged me double the price!! Lucky I took all the receipts and will be submitting a claim through my bank! Watch out!!

I have a soft spot for this 3.5-star rule because I genuinely enjoy places that get that overall rating. However, during my recent visit, I didn't realize that it was pay by weight, and there were also pre-made options available. Despite the initial confusion, we ended up trying a variety of items, and the bill came to around $45. One standout dish was the glass noodles--they were delightfully thick and chewy, and the combination of spice, toppings, and perfectly cooked beef impressed me. Throughout the meal, I found myself saying that I wasn't completely sold, but I couldn't resist going back for more. It was a mix of feelings, but knowing that I'll likely return, I can confidently say that I enjoyed the experience overall. It was my first dry hot pot place, and I appreciated the unique dining experience it offered.

$30 for this bowl for two people to share. It was still a lot and filled us up. One of my favorite foods. their spicy is really spicy so keep that in mind! You get to choose from an assortment of food and can really customize your own dish. The flavors are there and I would def come back. Seating: its inside a food mall court but its pretty easy to get a seat.

The best spot for dry hotpot. Whenever I'm craving dry hotpot, I have to get it from here. It's located inside the food court of New World Mall, which is already such a busy spot since it has some of the most affordable food and portion sizes. There's a ton of tables but it's also always packed so you'll have to be quick to snag a table. I've been coming to LaoMa MaLaTang for years now and they've never disappointed. You pick what you want from the meat & seafood selection, which is then weighed and charged by the weight. And then you can also add a basket of vegetables (as many of your choosing) for a set price. Of course prices have gone up over the years, given inflation and all, but the price to portion ratio is so worth it and definitely much more worth it than the other restaurants in NYC that offer this. The variety is also much greater. After picking everything, you choose a spice level and they cook it up in the back. The amount your order is also determines the bowls of rice you get. Trust me, the plain rice is the perfect compliment to the flavors and spices from your bowl. One of my favorite ingredients to get is fish cause they fry it perfectly and then add it in so it has a lovely crispy outer with a flakey interior while coated in the delicious mala spice. Other than the dry hotpot, the malatang is also really popular here. They have different topping options of the malatang to choose from and it's a soup rather than dry hotpot with a ton of ingredients in it as well. Those bowls go for ~$10 so definitely affordable and filling too!

Really good flavor and the spice level is pretty authentic (the spicy is pretty spicy). Love that you can pick and choose what you want for pretty reasonable price.

Located in the basement inside the New World Food Court is a great dry pot stir fry restaurant. You pick the ingredients you want cooked, different cuts of meat, seafood, vegetables; any combination you want. It gets weighed and then you chose the level of heat. The food is cooked perfectly, you can really take the wok hay in the ingredients.

BEST DRY HOT POT!!! I'd never tried dry hot pot before but this changed my whole out look in life (extreme exaggeration, but that's how good it was)!!! The beef was fatty, vegetables were soft but crunchy, pig ear was crunchy, and best of all the sauce / seasoning was what I didn't know I needed. You pay for the meat by the pound and can get the vegetables basket added in. Because we ordered a lot, it took about 15-20 mins to get out order. They had it in 2 party trays for us because that's how big it was. This is located in the New World Mall food court.

We decided to come to the basement of New World Mall to try different foods from different stalls here at the Food Court and LaoMa MalaTang was one of them. I'd say I'm a pretty harsh critic for dry hot pot considering that when I am in Boston, I only go to 1 spot and 1 spot only since this is one of my favorite foods. I was praying that I could finally find some great dry hot pot at this food court but sadly this spot disappointed us! For the price, it is a pretty decent value for the amount of food however it was the flavor that was lacking badly. Our order was pretty watery and was just missing something--probably cumin? Oh, the spice-mouth-numbing seasonings were severely missing. There was not much flavor other than just a watery dry hot pot that tasted slightly spicy.

The food court is in the basement of the mall. When I placed my order, I asked for a little spice for my soup. It can be very spicy! This soup comes with tofu, cabbage seaweed, and cellophane noodle. Cost me $12. The service is OK. they serve you in a plastic container.

Came here for lunch on my visit to Flushing. We got a mix of pork, beef, fish, and a mix of veggies, tofu, and noodles. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. We did medium spicy and found that it was just the right amount of kick for us. One of the great things about this was the amazing selection of meats and veggies they have ready for you to add. We do wish that there were labels so we could make the choices a little quicker. Some of us aren't that versed in how certain meats look uncooked, but you can always ask the staff who were very helpful. Overall, this is a great spot worth checking out if you find yourself at New World Mall. There's plenty of tables and seats around in the food court to enjoy your meal. Also, be sure to bring cash, as there's a $20 minimum for credit cards.

This is the go to food spot in the Flushing food court for sure. You can pick your choice of proteins and veggies to be made into the spicy dry pot. I always get it mild because I am a little sissy pants and mild is still too spicy sometimes. I recommend getting it mild. It comes with free rice too proportionate to the amount you're getting. My friends and I all enjoy this place, as for many of us, it was our first introduction to the yumminess that is spicy dry hot pot. The food is always well seasoned and service is quick albeit rude at times. The only problem with Laoma is that we always get stomach pains after eating due to the oil and spice. It's fine, I guess... Long live Laoma Malatang.

I've been obsessed with dry hotpot, so I found this place and decided to give it a try. It was ok. You pick 6 ingredients. It was too salty for me. The spice level was good, had mild spicy. There was a bit too much ginger flavoring in the sauce for me. It worth a try but def better places out there.

This is our favorite place to get dry hotpot from. If you can't handle spice, I'd rather going down a spice level. Sometimes, it can be fairly spicy, even for little spicy. This place is located in the basement of New World Mall in the food court. There's quite a few selections of meat, seafood, and vegetables to choose from. Current price is $12.99/lb for meat and seafood and $10.99/lb for vegetables.

For the price and taste, it's so good. My favorites are probably the chunks (not the thin slice) of beef/pork, mushroom, and bok choy. Fish balls tasted standard. I just didn't love the broccoli though I'm a big fan of broccoli in general. They also give each person a bowl of rice. Just be aware, it's quite easy to get more than you can eat and though medium spicy is not crazy spicy, I would get mild spicy next time.

Best mala drypot in flushing prices and portions are key! Comes with two white rice yum

This place use to be soo good. From the service to the food to the prices. Seems like ever since they got their A rating it's gone downhill so bad. Back then only veggie was 7-8$ now it's double. I think that's fine because you know -inflation- however they don't keep up. It's okay to raise the prices but not okay to give you less food. I just get so disappointed when I'm in line and see how the portions are so disgustingly small and just cheap and greedy. Like I want to eat there but that just makes me so angry and I end up getting something else. Which I'm grateful for because there are better options. It just doesn't make sense 15$ veggies and then like 4 pieces of fish for like $30 it's just ridiculous. I think it's to hyped up not worth it. Back then they would put whole or half garlics and spices along with big chunks of ginger and they have changed it so much. I miss the garlic chunks. Also when the food spills instead of throwing it out or washing it they put it back in the metal thing. They wipe that down with some chemicals and then put it back now I understand their C rating they had before. If you are paying with card it has to be over 20$. It's just not worth it anymore. I have given them so many chances. From the service to the food to the prices just bad. 1/5 stars for me But shoutout to one of the chefs that is usually their on Saturdays. He's so nice and friendly.

Still my favorite spot to go for dry pot! I do recommend this spot. It's just the experience and the taste!! Price is reasonable, and they have a decent amount of selection! But I do notice that it has became a bit less spicy now than before for medium spicy. Make sure you get some vinegar, it's a game changer!

Always been a patron of this place since 2012. Would make a trip to this place every time I'm in NYC. Had a 7hrs layover in JFK so of course, we hopped on a Yellow Cab to Flushing just to come eat here. Things are different now tho. In the name of COVID: 1. They stopped giving out their iconic chili oil (we even offered to buy a packet.) 2. They stopped modifying the food. We asked them nicely if they'd put some more Sichuan spices in it but they gave the COVID excuse. 3. Not customer friendly anymore. 4. Took them longer to prep food. (Before there could be 15ppl in front but they'd still make it ready within 10min. Now we even finished our bubble-teas but no food yet. If it weren't for the fact that mala stir fry is so hard to find elsewhere we wouldn't be back.

They used a wooden salad bowl for piping hot foods. Just do a quick search for wooden woven salad bowls. "Great for salads and side dishes or snack mix and bar snacks. Bowls are dishwasher safe up to 140F" I don't like the extra glue and chemicals in my food.

I've only tried Dry Hot Pot at one other restaurant, but LaoMa MaLaTang definitely takes the top position due to their overwhelmingly amazing flavor. I saw photos of how they used to serve your food in large bowls/pots, but due to the shift from COVID, they gave our food in plastic containers, which is obviously less appetizing to the eye. However, don't judge a book by its cover - especially not here. My first bite took me by surprise, from the delicious mix of ingredients to the kick from the Mala flavor. Each of the added ingredients are so well stir-fried together, and since our group had a mix of spice-level tolerances, we opted for a mild. However I'd definitely love to try a spicier option next time. An ingredient that I never tried in Dry Hot Pot was Seaweed, but I was delightfully surprised! Definitely would recommend anyone to try at least once. Don't sleep on the New World Market stalls here, there are some hidden gems!!!

Ok, while my 5 star review may not include their customer service, this place gets a straight up 5 stars review for their food! First of all, you know any food coming out of a basement is going to be good! Second, they have a HUGE selection of veggies and proteins to choose from, and their reasonably priced! Third, they cook everything exactly to your spice request! I've been coming here for my dry pot fix for a few years now and have yet to have a bad outcome. They are so consistent with their food and the quality of their ingredients! If you say mild, they make sure it's mild! If you say medium, they make sure it's exactly the way you want it, and the same can't be said for many other places in that food court. I'll continue to support and give my business to these folks because they are IMHO the best!!!!

Tip: order the $14 vegetable basket for a tight grocery budget. It comes packed with so much food that it usually gives me 4-5 meals and is a great way to have a healthy, veggie filled meal with options for protein- the tofu skin has a chewy meaty texture and the fried tofu will absorb the sauces they cook it in, leading to a delicious, juicy and flavorful bite. A great option for anyone looking for a healthy and spicy meal!

This is the best dry pot!! You pick your own ingredients from the huge selection they have (meat, seafood, veggies, soybean products), tell them how spicy (mild, medium, hot), and they weight the food and give you some rice for free. Note that there is a minimum weight (i think is like a pound of ingredients, which is like 18-20$), and this was about 20$ of ingredients and more than enough food for two. Note that this place is VERY SPICY and I got the medium and it gave me the spicy lips but it was also sooooo good. The flavor was spot on. If you're not used to chinese mala spicy I would highly recommend that you get the mild. Not gonna lie, the service was not very good, and the people were kind of rude, but that doesn't change the fact that the food here is incredible, and no matter your selection you will be guaranteed an authentic, delicious spicy meal at a great price. Grab some food and sit down at the food court that this place resides and chow down

This place survived the pandemic! Haven't been back in years and now I get to share this with my wife You choose from many different proteins and veggies, and the amount and each and how spicy you want it Comes out stir fried and mixed and enjoy Same good quality

A must try if you're in the area! I've been in the mood for spicy food recently and this just did it for me. I loved how you can pick what you want, so you know exactly what you're getting. There's a wide section of meats and veggies. The meats are $8.99/pound and the veggies are slightly cheaper, around $8.75 if I'm not mistaken. They usually eye ball how much food they plop into the tin bowl based on how many ppl are sharing before they hand it over to the cooks. For a party of 3, our total came out to around $19. We got so much food, we were beyond stuffed. The rice was free! Lots of flavor, amazing chili oil, and fresh ingredients. We loved the lotus root, pig ear, and sliced beef, everything else was ok (tofu skin and cabbage were meh). Not the best service, but they get the job done quick! Only took ~10 mins for us to get our food.

This is my usual stall of choice when near the famed New World Mall Food Court. I love getting to pick all of the ingredients that go into the stir-fry, and usually just do an all-vegetable combination, which is only $10! Basically, just queue up, point and state your preferences, pick a spice level, and wait about 10 minutes. Out comes a delicious and affordable heaping bowl of ingredients, just waiting to be paired with rice. The last time I went, the stir-fry was still delicious, albeit a bit oilier than previous years. Sometimes the workers here are a little testy, but hey, you come here for the flavors, not the service. Tip: the spiciness is hotter than what a typical restaurant might do. I like spicy foods, but I opt for little spice so I can get a decent amount of heat that doesn't distract from the flavor.

I used to come here often because I really enjoyed their dry hotpot, but I stopped because the customer service is absolutely appalling. The workers look miserable and are very rude. There were times when I ordered over $75 worth of food, which is enough food for 4-6 people, but they would argue with you if you asked for a third or fourth cup of rice. I once asked for a plate to eat with because of all the food I ordered, but they wouldn't give me one unless I paid for it. TL:DR This food spot has good food, but the business is absurdly cheap and so out of touch with its customers.

Pros: Great food, great price, no wait time! Cons: Not so great location and lots of people! LaoMa is located in the basement of New World Mall, a BUSY place in an even busier neighborhood. You pay by pound, and you can pick and choose what you want in your bowl. They are quick and efficient and the food is delicious!! You really get the same quality of food for a good price. I would rate this better than Mala Project (and not just for the price)!! There's a similar location near NYU Astor Place that recently just opened up that I love love going to in the city as well! If it weren't for all the people in Flushing and New World, I'd be here again and again!! Ambience: 1/5 Food: 5/5 Price: 5/5

This was the first stall I tried in the New World Food Mall. I was surprised how busy this place is because there's always a line for the food! It was also my first time trying Dry Hot Pot so I had no idea what I was expecting. When I was waiting on line, I noticed how they got a C rating. Which is pretty surprising meaning there must be something that has gone wrong in the back. I noticed that most of the ingredients looked pretty fresh to me and the different amount of spice levels was a great option! We got some meat and some veggies along with the medium spice level. I really enjoyed the dish overall and how spicy everything was! It tasted really delicious to me and I really liked it. However I heard the cleanliness and the quality of the food is what got the C rating. It's hard to tell how fresh an ingredient really is when it's coated and drowned in spiciness. I would probably return to other Dry Hot Pot places that have an A rating.

The food here has been less consistent as of late, not salty enough or a terrible mix of spice today and a prior visit the last month. I was hoping for better. Still good when I took it home and fixed the dish, but this is no good when we want to eat there!

I was craving something spicy and soupy on a rainy day so I came here. The ordering was a little confusing and I had many people cut in line. Both patrons and staff were quite rude, but it is worth it for the food. I had the Shrimp Ball Malatang. When I asked for extra spicy, the lady gave a look that said "you're gonna regret this." However, it was just the right amount of spice! Mind you, my spice tolerance is quite high. The portion was huge and it took me a while to get to the bottom of the huge bowl. It tasted kind of like hot pot. There was a bunch of interesting vegetables and tofus. The atmosphere of the food court was also pretty cool, it feels like you are in Asia!

I just ate here and it's been 2 hrs. i want to find a way to puke out the stuff i ate. We order $34 mixture of veg., tofu, and meat and nothing there was fresh. Even the spam they used was disgusting We ate probably 2/10 of everything and tossed the rest. Not to mention the people work there were rude but it was expected. How can a place like this survive? How can anyone eat rubbish like this? It's like a mixture of shit/unwanted meat.

This is my go-to place in the New World Mall food court. Overall, the flavors are fantastic and the meat quality is great--especially the beef. My main concern, though, is the fact that they have a grade C inspection rating. If that doesn't put you off, then definitely try it out. Also, be careful to not over-order: it can get a bit expensive.

Haven't been there while , I got very bad service,bad experience and yelled from cashier today !!! Never come back again, but I guess they don't even care customer reviews here !

Been coming to this place for the longest time but never really bothered to write a review, since at this point the dry hot pot and essentially lao ma have become somewhat of a staple in the nyc chinese food scene. How this place works is you come to the counter order all the meat, seafood, veggies, and fungus your heart desires, adjust spiciness levels and they stirfry it up right there on the spot. Came here and it came out to about 18 dollars for 2 people. As the taste can vary for people depending on the items they select the only thing that would be universal to every that comes here is the sauce they use to stirfry the items in which is a nice combo of peppercorn, hot peppers, garlic, hot oil, and that ever so nice mala spice and pungentness. Overall a solid option in the food courts if you want something that is not a soup noodle

They have been in flushing for more than 15 years, at least 15. I still remember when I was in high school, I always crave for their mala tang(spicy soup with lots of ingredients that you can pick for your own) Their spicy soup can be made non-spicy as well, the soup base is great, the portion of the order is a lot!

This place is super popular. Whenever you see a group of people eating out of a giant metal mixing bowl, chances are it came from here. I love dry hot pot (mala xiang guo), but have never actually had it from here. The pricing is on par with the other similar places. For veggies, you pay one price to fill up a separate basket instead of having everything weighed together. We went with medium spicy and, honestly, it could have been a lot more spicy. Maybe I just prefer things spicy, but I found the taste lacking a bit. They also didn't do the best job cooking our bowl as the fish fillets seemed overcooked. The shrimp was also overcooked. Overall, the flavor was okay. It was not "mala" in any way. If anything, it tasted mainly of fennel. Supposedly the dry hot pot place in the corner to the right of LaoMa MaLaTang is supposed be be better. So I'll have to try that place next.

CATFISH LEVEL: 1/5: Looks good, tastes amazing I love hot pot and never realized DRY hot pot was a thing!! I had to try it when I saw this! I had the spice level at 3/5 and it was pretty hot, I was sweating. Their spicy is SPICY. I had fatty beef, beef tripe, fish balls, mushrooms, fish, beef, bok choy and some other items that went so well together! We paid $34 for 2 pounds of food, which was a pretty decent price! Would recommend this place for sure

SO wanted to try the dry hot pot, I was indifferent. We tried and ngl did struggle figuring out where to order. After observing for a while, we realized we line up on the right and tell the server what ingredients we wanted in our dry hot pot. Meat is weighed by the pound, and veggies are the same price stuffed in a single basket. We got beef, fish, fish balls, and some other meats. The veggies we got a bunch of different ones, and afterwards they weighed our meats and had us pay (under $20 you need a credit card). Got the food not too long after. As we were eating, a dude started yelling at the server demanding for more rice. It got pretty violent, but I think the server did give him more rice at the end. Tbh, they did only give a little bit of rice, so I do understand the dude's frustration. I liked the fish a lot - it was pan fried and probably the best component in the dry hot pot. Everything else was meh - not bad, not really good. Medium spicy was also a bit much for me (w/o water), so do keep that in mind if you have issues with spicy foods. There are better places in New World Mall, but I think this is worth a try.

Worst customer service ever!!!! If you don't speak Chinese, do not go to this place.

Most unique and best stall at the New World Food Court. Pick out your meats, seafood and veggies and they are stir fried in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce. It's about a 10 min wait for your food to be cooked, but it is worth the wait. This bowl was about $20 and fed 3 of us, sharing one bowl of rice and an order of dumplings from another stall very easily.

*THEY TRICK YOU HERE*. I'm just trying to get a single meal by myself and wanted clams (which weigh very little), because most of the selection was meat... and I don't eat meat. They would not let me get clams alone and literally dumped it back and told me I couldn't get them. So they forced me to get shrimp/something else that would make it weigh AT LEAST half a pound. I ended up having like 10 pieces of shrimp (in which I didn't enjoy because I don't like eating with my hands nor do I like peeling and the shell was literally stuck onto its skin, and it's not deveined). Almost about every single thing I hate about eating shrimp, and I had to go through that. I got medium spicy and it was a good kick and decent flavor. But the sauce I'm pretty sure are from packets you can buy at the supermarket for hotpot because I've had something very similar to it. I would only suggest this place if you're a meat lover, because there really wasn't much options for seafood. Plus they don't label anything so you don't even know what is what. Service? I tried speaking in Chinese and English and they all looked confused. Anyways, you start with picking your selection of meat/seafood which cost (~$8.50/lb) and then the veggies are ($~8.75 flat) and you get a few choices up to 4ish? I could of probably spent $4 less if I wasn't force to get shrimp but it ended up costing $14.14 which isn't super bad, but I would recommend sharing with a friend or so.

BEWARE IF YOU'RE ALLERGIC TO CASHEWS. They claimed that I'm human and didn't voice out my cashew allergy. The person who took my order said that the nut inside their chili oil sauce was walnut, but when she showed me - those were definitely cashews. I requested if it would be possible if they could remake it and they offered to to "rinse the pot" and refry it. Since I'm not from New York, all I wanted to do was satisfy my dry pot craving. I was hesitant and ate a small bowl just to prevent any possible delayed reaction. The food was good but they should definitely put people's allergies first by posting a sign.

Lao Ma MLT is the only reason why I even bother to trek out to Flushing's New World Mall food court a majority of the time. Yes, it is worth the trip from wherever you're traveling from. I believe Lao Ma and the tiny little stall in the Golden Shopping Mall (downstairs to the far left corner) both serve THE best MLT outside of China. All these sudden influxes of new MLT businesses opening in Manhattan's East Village cannot compare to Lao Ma and not to mention, are extremely overpriced. I usually order the Meat Lover's set (I think thats what its called). For a mere 12 or so dollars, you're served a bowl of glass noodles, thinly sliced beef, Chinese vegetables, Spam slices, fried tofu balls and wood ear fungus. You can also alter the spiciness of the broth. I like it extremely spicy. Malatang has grown in extreme popularity amongst Chinese millennials and I can see why. I am a big fan of the thinly sliced beef slices. I make sure I submerge all the tender slices so it soaks up all the spicy broth. There is also a dry hotpot option where you can pick out your meats, seafood and vegetables that are all laid out in front of you in the display case. They'll later stir fry everything for you. You're charged by the weight of everything you picked and it comes with a free serving of jasmine rice. But if you opt for the Meat Lover's option to stay, you're required to put down a $5 refundable deposit so they can ensure that you do not steal their bowls lol. Overall, I'd highly recommend LaoMa MLT. No trip to Flushing is ever complete without a visit here. Pair everything you ordered with a refreshing cup of bubble tea or a can of Wong Lo Kat and you have perfection. The staff here speak little to no English (it is best to point to what you want) and are extremely rude and aggressive (you better stand your ground and fight off everyone else trying to order at once), so thats how you know this place is legit!

As a hot pot fan, I wasn't sure if I'd like dry hot pot but I was very pleasantly surprised. Dry hot pot at this place is in many ways better than regular hot pot - you can expect stronger flavors and more of a memorable taste. We got the Medium spicy with shrimp, fish balls, clams, a couple of types of mushrooms, lettuce, tofu, and bok choy. Each bowl comes with a quart of rice. The hot chili oil sauce and the pepper spices used to cook the ingredients are what makes this so delicious. I was very full, but I couldn't stop eating. Things to know: 1) you can only pick a certain number of meat and seafood ingredients because it goes by weight so choose wisely 2) you will have to scout out seats if it's on a weekend because this food court seems to be packed during lunch 3) you should go with someone who speaks or understands Mandarin or has eaten here before, in case you have questions - the staff is accommodating but not all well versed in English 4) if you get the shrimp you should be comfortable with breaking a crustacean shell yourself 5) the Medium spicy sauce is legit spicy - they're not overstating it like they would at a more commercialized eatery

To the owner/manager of this place: better work on your employees' attitude if you ever want this place to stay open in the future, or your customers to come back. I first visited this place back in summer 2012. While the staff tend to be hesitant when you want them to add smaller portions of add-ins, they'd still do it without pulling an attitude, and I loved the flavor of the finished pots - one of my favorite memories of flushing. Today I came for lunch, one of the women staff would roll her eyes whenever I told her to put less meat on the pot as I wanted to try a little bit of a variety meats. And she literally pulled out a grunt noise when I asked if she can put less enoki mushrooms in the basket (she pulled out enough mushrooms to fill like 1/2 of the veggie basket...). During the entire ingredient picking, she was rude, ignorant, and made claims that everything shrinks once it's in the pot (but the reality is Um not everything and not by a lot??) Well, my pot still ended up being $20 and was enough to feed 2 people. Rest assured I'll be moving on to the other spicy pot place in the food court.

This place is one of the reasons why I would endure 5-hour driving to and bad parking in NYC. This place is in the food court in the Mall. Before Covid, this food court was packed so it was very difficult to find seats. This place makes amazing stir fry, where you can pick what type of meats and veggies and the level of spiciness. Meat is charged by pound and you can get a full basket of veggies. It might look a lot when you order but once the food is served, it is not too much. Their spiciness is real. I usually order medium and ask for extra spicy sauce on the side if I want more heat. It comes with rice but you can pay extra for more rice. Since it's a stir fry, the food can be greasy so you might not like it if you are not a big fan of oily food. For me, I just love this place and wish there would be one the DC area. One of my favorite treats in NYC!

Been eating from here since they opened, the quality of the food isn't as good as it used to be but still delicious and my go to spot

One of our go-to spots whenever we're in Flushing. It stands out with its huge red storefront amidst a big food court. Even if you don't know English, you can just point at what you want and they'll throw it in a big container to be cooked shortly after. But be careful because the price is by weight and that total can rack up really quickly. Veggies are prices separately from the meats. They're still the best dry pot place that I know!

This is my go-to spot in Flushing because it's affordable and delicious each time! The bowl pictured cost us about $26 and it was filling. You get a massive cup of rice as well. It's quick, it's delicious. They've got a good variety of ingredients so you can keep it vegetarian as well if you'd like -- great selection of vegetables (especially for picky veggie eaters like me). The meat selection ranges from squid to beef slices to tripe to chicken and fish. The spicy is real spicy though so just beware. But this 110% recommended spot when you come to Flushing!

I've always wanted to try out this place because of their big wooden bowls but never got to overcome my fear of not ordering the right thing because of the language barrier. However, my friend was visiting and we decided to give this place a shot! Ordering was pretty simple. You just tell them what you want and they weigh/charge the meat + seafood by pound. Then you can choose some veggies (around $9) for them to cook the meat with. We chose the mild spicy level and it was still pretty spicy. With orders $20+, you get a free rice. I don't know too well about the cleanliness of this place but I think cross contamination might be a problem since as they pick + place the toppings things get messy. However, it was very good and I don't have much complaints thus far.