MáLà Project
Chinese restaurant · East Village
122 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009
Highlights
Build-your-own Chinese dry pot with dozens of ingredients.
Build-your-own Chinese dry pot with dozens of ingredients.
"There’s plenty of great Szechuan food in the East Village. But Málà Project’s spicy dry pot specialties make it the most remarkable Szechuan dining experience in the neighborhood. One night, you could have a great dinner consisting of bacon fried rice and a dry pot with broth-filled beef balls, bok choy, and lotus root. And you could go back the following week for a dry pot full of tofu skin, frog, and four different kinds of mushrooms. No matter how many times you eat here, it always feels exciting." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja
"The casual restaurant specializes in spicy dry pot, which you can customize with your choice of vegetables, meats, noodles, and spice level. You could eat here three times in the same week, with three very different people, without ever feeling like you’ve done it all before. Málà Project opened their first location in the East Village in 2015, and have since opened three more restaurants. At the original, long, brick-walled space, you’ll see a lot of dates splitting bottles of wine and chatting over Chinese music from the ’80s." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, diana kuan, molly fitzpatrick
"Even if you already have plans, you can still pick up a four-pack of to-go cocktails from the new Cocktail Bodega at this fantastic Chinese dry-pot restaurant in the East Village. The program is only running from Friday, May 28th to Monday, 31st." - hannah albertine
"MáLà Project is one of our favorite restaurants, regardless of whether there’s an official holiday or simply a celebration in your mind. If you’re near their East Village or Bryant Park locations, know that they’re serving Lunar New Year specials for takeout, delivery, or heated outdoor dining on February 11th and 12th. Expect everything from a fried ham hock, shrimp dumplings, and crispy fish to bring you an auspicious start to the year." - hannah albertine
"Mala Project is one of our favorite spots in the East Village for a casual meal with a couple of friends. Unfortunately, if you try to walk in without a reservation, you’ll probably have to wait - but there’s a hidden back patio where you can hang out and drink. It’s pretty much a really nice alley with flowers and chairs, and you could eat here every day without even realizing this outdoor space exists. In theory, you could even just come to Mala Project for some drinks on this patio. But do the right thing and get some dry pot here." - bryan kim
