MáLà Project Bryant Park

"tBoth the East Village and Bryant Park locations of Málà Project are back open for takeout and delivery from noon to 9pm every day. You can check out their menu and place your order for things like customized dry pot and garlicky eggplant online." - hannah albertine

"This pioneering establishment was one of the first to introduce the dry hot pot to the city. The marquee menu item is a sort of stir fry that lets you customize the ingredients and level of heat. MaLa Project is also famous for offering a broad range of Chinese ingredients, including offal, and not just a rudimentary list of vegetables, meat, and seafood. Both the East Village and Midtown branches are now open, and ready to cook up a dry hot pot of your curation. Order online." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"MáLà Project is known for its customizable dry pots, which have become popular enough for them to keep opening new locations. The spacious one in Midtown West doesn’t get quite as busy as the others, and it’s ideal for a last-minute group lunch or dinner. You can choose from roughly 70 ingredients—ranging from konjac noodle to tripe and quail eggs—to be mixed in a spicy mala sauce. This location also has appetizers you won’t find at the others, like a tingly spicy popcorn chicken and hot and sour rice noodle soup." - Neha Talreja

"Málà Project Midtown is noted for its standout dishes and has made a significant impact as a newcomer." - Carla Vianna

"The Midtown lunch crowd can now dig into tingly, spicy fare from MáLà Project, the East Village Chinese dry pot restaurant that’s constantly packed. Restaurateur Amelie Ning Kang and chef Zilong Zhao opened the new outpost at 41 West 46th St., between Sixth and Fifth avenues, on Wednesday, offering the same popular create-your-own stir-fry and warm exposed brick decor of the downtown version. The 74-seat Midtown location, though, is geared more toward office folk with a special lunch menu that has 10 set bowls for one person that cost between $11 and $13. Options include The Classic (potato, sliced beef, cauliflower, five-spice tofu), Porky (pork belly, Chinese cabbage, king oyster mushroom, five-spice tofu), and Veggie Heaven (lotus root, Chinese cabbage, sweet potato, oyster mushroom). Take-out and delivery will be available. Dinner becomes more communal again, with guests choosing from an expansive list of ingredients ranging from thin-sliced beef tenderloin and fish filet to lamb stomach and roe-filled fish balls. Custom ingredients are then tossed based on spice level and served together in a big stir-fried bowl for the table to share. A liquor license and full bar will join the restaurant next month. The original outpost opened in the East Village in 2015, serving a form of Chinese cuisine that’s found elsewhere in the city primarily in fast food-style stores or in food courts. Ning Kang’s attracted crowds by serving the food in a full-service setting, with rustic and downtown-friendly decor. In 2016, the restaurant earned the critic’s pick checkmark in the Times’ Hungry City column. The new MáLà Project is now open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for lunch and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner on Mondays through Fridays. It’s open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends." - Serena Dai