Mala Sichuan Bistro
Sichuan restaurant · Memorial ·
Authentic Sichuan dishes, signature cocktails, and vibrant pagoda decor
Authentic Sichuan dishes, signature cocktails, and vibrant pagoda decor
"With five Houston area locations, including outposts in Katy, Sugar Land, and the newest in the Heights, Mala is a pioneer in flavorful Sichuan cuisine in Houston. With its co-owner Cori Xiong hailing from Chengdu, a town in the Sichuan province, the restaurant harnesses hometown flavors with top sellers like spicy dan dan noodles, the saucy mapo tofu, red oil dumplings, and green tea and bacon fried rice. Vibe check: Dining at Mala is pretty casual, but visit the Heights location to see the owner’s full vision and tribute to her homeland. The restaurant is decked out in charming lanterns, etched scenes of the Sichuan countryside on circular wooden plaques, and a full-sized, traditional pagoda roof, handmade by Sichuan artists." - Brittany Britto Garley
"A pioneer in Houston’s Sichuan dining scene, this Bib Gourmand restaurant offers a variety of regional dishes. Diners can visit any of its five locations for green tea bacon fried rice, mapo tofu, spicy crispy chicken, and glossy dan dan noodles. For a special cocktails with a Sichuan spin, visit the Heights location, which features a full bar with drinks inspired by the Chinese zodiac, and don’t miss out on the mille crepes. They make for a sweet ending." - Brittany Britto Garley
"This Chinese restaurant known for its tongue-tingling dishes has an outpost at M-K-T Heights. Just like its Montrose and Asiatown locations, the restaurant serves up crowdpleasers like chili oil dumplings, dan dan noodles, hot and sour soup, and black pepper chicken. Looking to imbibe? The Heights location boasts a full bar." - Brittany Britto Garley
"For years, Mala Sichuan Bistro has provided Houstonians with spicy Sichuan food at multiple locations around the city, and they’ve brought their mouth-numbing cuisine to an upscale, modern space in the MKT marketplace in the Heights." - Gianni Greene
"Opened in September, the Heights outpost feels closest to Cori Xiong’s long-held vision and tribute to her Sichuan homeland: the storefront’s circular figure is inspired by China’s “moon gate,” fabric lanterns hang as if floating into a dark-blue night sky, there are etched scenes of the Sichuan countryside on circular wooden plaques, a full-sized traditional pagoda roof handmade by Sichuan artists floats over the dining room, and a laser-cut floor-to-ceiling partition separates the service area. The food is just as promised, with around 100 dishes including Mala’s top sellers — slinky, pleasantly spicy dan dan noodles; green tea bacon fried rice; spicy, crispy fried chicken; red oil dumplings; and saucy mapo tofu (best eaten over white rice) — alongside newer items such as three-cup chicken, chicken stock potstickers, squirrel tail fish with pineapple, Christmas tree whole bass, mayo prawns, supreme bamboo, and dry pot mixed vegetables. The menu is rounded out by a host of new cocktails by local bartender Chris Frankel that pay homage to the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, making this location both a culinary and visual realization of Xiong’s idea of authentic Sichuan dining." - Brittany Britto Garley
