Tang Bar

Amazing DIY soup! I like the chicken broth base. It’s fun to try a bit of everything from the bar. My friend likes the sweet and spicy bowl. Get less than what you think you’ll eat, both of us could not finish the whole bowl

Really exceeds expectations. You can pick any meats and veggies you want, and it will probably always turn out great because the broths are super flavorful. The decor in the dining area is also quite impressive.

The taste of “just a kick” was perfect but the sichuan had so much oil in its soup. Mala tang should usually come with deadens sauce but they provide none, which I find it annoying. Overall, I would recommend “just a kick” to everyone. Side note: it only cost me $17 for my bowl.

Generally good for my first malatang experience in the US. $15.99/lb for toppings, which brings most totals to around $20 for each meal. I went close to closing on a Sunday and there was still a 20-30 minute wait before we got our food. The meat area was pretty messy and picked over by the time we arrived. My 2 star deduction comes from the messy environment and overcooking of the meat, I understand that it’s because everything is cooked at the same time but it was really hard. The tomato broth was delicious and comforting.

I visited Tang Bar after hearing it’s a popular Mala Tang brand in China, and it didn’t disappoint. The restaurant is located inside a mall, so make sure to check their hours — they close at 7 p.m. on Sundays. I arrived at 6:30 p.m., and it was still quite busy with a long line of customers. At $15.99 per pound, it’s a bit pricey, but the ingredients, from vegetables to meats, were all very fresh, which made it worth it. The process involves lining up to pick your ingredients, so be prepared for some wait time. I spent around $30 and chose the Sichuan spice level, the spiciest option, which was incredibly flavorful and made me sweat — just as I expected! One thing I found interesting was how many non-Asian customers were dining here. Most of them chose very mild spice levels (0 or 1), resulting in a lighter broth. The overall experience was great, with bold flavors and the perfect amount of spice. If I’m ever in the area again, I’d definitely return!

This is a self-serve Asian noodle place! You pick what meats, seafood, veggies, and noodles you want in your bowl. It then gets weighed (I think it is $13.99/lb for weekends, I don't know about weekdays) and then you choose either soup or a thick sauce of your choice. Certain soup bases are available on weekends only! They then cook your dish for you and this is the part where you need to hawk over people for a table as seating gets limited especially during the weekends. During busy times you can wait up to 45 minutes for your soup to be ready. I felt like the dish was good, but most of the flavor comes from your soup base. I did feel like my noodles were a bit overcooked. I felt like I didn't grab too much food, but in the end I couldn't finish my dish! So I definitely recommend getting less than what you think you can eat because after it gets cooked, it feels like it is a lot more than you think! They have plastic to-go cups with caps that you can grab yourself for you to take home any leftovers.

It was delicious! But I added too much; my plate was so big that I could have shared it with three people. 😅 It's important to know that if you don't eat much, just add a little of what you like the most!

Saturday lunch was quick even though busy. Line flowed, as long as people knew what to do. My mom got the laksa base and I got Tom Yum since it’s only offered on the weekends. Selection of meats, veggies and noodles were good. Liked that you could weigh half way to check how much you’re at. Seating was a bit hard due to the busyness but at least there are communal tables. Would definitely return to try their other bases or even the sauce version.

I've been to Stonestown shopping mall almost every weekend for quite some time now. It was my first time trying Tang Bar's self-serve BYO Malatang. My wife and daughter ordered meats with chicken broth. The dish turned out to be incredibly delicious. The bowl came out to $33, but it was more than enough for my wife, me, and my daughter. Tang Bar is incredibly crowded, with every seat occupied. It's quite a challenge to find an empty seat.

photo shows the food thats too salty to eat! ordered a hot and sour soup base, guess what i got an extremely salty and little spicy soup base, making every bite of food being marinates by salt for months. jesus, did you the employee or your boss every eat the food you cooked? i will never, ever, come here again.

Malatang, with the level of customization you can have, is such a great option for a group when you can't decide on what to eat. Being able to pick from what feels like an unlimited assortment of veggies and meats and seafoods is so fun! We came through about half an hour before closing, and everything still tasted really fresh. The cashier asked for my allergies and I noticed that my bowl didn't come with peanuts -- didn't feel any cross contamination! The szechuan peppercorn mix was perfectly mala, but also definitely to the point of flipping my stomach inside out. The spice pairs really well with the lemon tea beverage! Didn't take too long for food to come out. Seats also clear up fairly quickly. I saw parties sitting at other mall tables nearby.

I'm getting the hang of self-serving places like Tang Bar. When it comes to these type of places, I usually go overboard. My tip is to be conservative (especially since it's 15.99/lb). For a consistently busy, self-serving cafe it could appear be a turn off. However, the response time is quite fast. On my most recent visit, I ordered the savory mix (not soup) for the first time. Szechuan Peppercorn was my choice. This flavor was second to the most spicy (szechuan spicy), but it packed a punch! I love how spicy, juicy and fresh everything was. The fish-stuffed with roe shrimp and the Basa fish were expertly balanced in this hot 'n' saucy dish. My only regret was not ordering myself a side of white rice (and adding calamari to my bowl). It's that good!!!!

Been to Tang Bar several times now and I have finally concluded that my favorite broth is Laksa. This place can get pretty busy during peak hours so your food will take a bit longer to come out and you'll have to wait for a table. There's a lot of options to choose from. Some of the meat does feel hard though I wish it was more tender.

Yes I am many years late to the Tang Bar hype in this Stonestown location, but it is still thriving every time I walk by. It is packed! I got to try this Tang Bar location and it was great. It's an easy process getting your food too. You pick out your ingredients in a line, cafeteria style, then go to the cashier to pick our your soup base. Then they make your food with your ingredients you choose then pick it up. The customization aspect is what makes this place so appealing for so many. The weight of my bowl was a little over 1.30 lbs and that was filling enough for me. I picked the chicken broth which I got judgement for, but I swear it's good! If you're in the mood for a lighter flavor and not one with a kick or sour taste then this is a great option. The meat and veggies all taste fresh and you can't really go wrong with anything you pick. Yes, I even picked spam. It was worth it. Service is friendly overall too although you certainly don't get that much opportunity to interact with the staff with this type of style of restaurant. The ambiance in this location and even San Mateo's looks really nice, but seating is definitely a bit limited. There is also the long table with a pond in the middle with actual fish which surprised me. My first thought was, "what would happen if someone spilled some of their soup into the water...or a piece of beef?" 10/10 experience going to Tang Bar and I can see why it's always so busy. Would recommend this spot to anyone and I will go again without a doubt.

The Slight Kick soup has a really interesting flavor that's quite unlike other malatang places! I thought it wasn't that flavorful but still pretty good. The assorted offerings of vegetables, meats, and seafood are pretty diverse and well-maintained. Unfortunately it took 45+ minutes to get our order after paying. :/

What is this fun tasty goodness. Delicious! Pick your own meats, vegetables, noodles, totally customizable. So many choices self serve style. Help yourself to plastic gloves (they're large so will fit anyone don't worry), grab a large metal bowl, and fill it up to your heart's content. get more or less whatever you want. small eater, not hungry, get just a bit or try anything. be adventurous if you want to try new meats and items. or stick to your familiar items. whatever feels good. you're here to have yourself a good time a tasty meal, so make it what you want it to be. weighed by the pound. final cost = food + SF employee mandate 3.5% (as of Dec 2024) + tax the menu is confusing and is only located right in front of the cashier. for the anxious types, it's a bit nervewrecking because you cant decide ahead of time, like if they had it displayed up high somewhere else then you'd be able to think about it first. I said it's confusing because there's a bunch of broth choices on left side and then some "sauce" choices on the right. you pick one or the other, not both. right side ones are if you don't want soup. had to ask about that. now it makes sense, just wish it was explained better. tables are soo hard to get at noontime. come after 1:30pm or later if you want less crowd. it's frustrating after you've ordered and you're circling around and everyone's like vultures hovering over other tables waiting for people to leave then get defensive and territorial. Wish they had more tables for busy hours. anyway. Was chatting with someone I ended up sharing a hi top table with, wait is always at least 20mins for them to cook your dish during peak lunch time. Not a good choice if you're on a time crunch. food is so tasty and warming. good for cold winter days. warms up your body for sure. 2 chili signs is a mild spicy and will likely make you cough. worth it.

It was cool to try out tang bar which reminds me of malatang stores in China. You build your own bowls and I appreciated the variety of options they had. As a tofu lover they had so many different options and also had unique things like cheese filled fish tofu. The just a kick broth was flavorful and not too spicy. Yum

Craving something nice and warm? Not sure what to get and not liking the different options? Want something specific without any additional things? Check out Tang Bar. Build your own hot pot noodle soup! Tang Bar brings the Malatang spicy Chinese street food concept to the Bay and elevates the experience while making it easily approachable even if you've never had anything similar. The build your own bowl adventure at Tang Bar lets you get everything you want and nothing you don't, placing the power in your hands to make the perfect bowl for you. While it may seem intimidating at first, it's actually quite simple and easy - make your way down the bar and grab what you love, letting them do the rest and prepare to perfection for you. The staff is friendly and efficient. They also keep the place very clean and orderly. The vibes are immaculate and they capture the fast casual concept perfectly. It's amazing they were able to include that inside an inconspicuous mall. They've definitely made the best of the odd setup. Overall, if you are craving a hot bowl of delicious soup filled with only the ingredients you love, Tang Bar is the place for you.

My friend chose Tang Bar for a low-key bday lunch, and I was surprised how busy it was for a Tuesday lunchtime--all the seats were filled! Luckily, I found a spot. The concept is unique: you build your own bowl by choosing from a variety of fresh ingredients, and they cook it into soup. Be careful, though--it's priced by weight, and my bowl ended up costing $35, which was steep for a mall restaurant. That said, the portion was huge (I'm 5"0 104 pounds and I felt I looked ridiculous carrying a gigantic bowl of soup to my table) but I stretched it into three meals, so it worked out to about $11 per meal. I tried the Laska soup, which had a nice hint of spice. It was very tasty and satisfying overall. If you take leftovers home, I recommend separating the soup from the ingredients to keep everything fresh. A few tips: avoid heavier items like broccoli, as they can drive up the price quickly, and skip the Chinese donut--it got soggy in the soup. Despite the price, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend trying it, especially on a cold day or when you're feeling under the weather. Just watch the weight of your bowl to avoid sticker shock!

Went in around 7pm and no line! But by the time we finished there was a line. Flavor is so good! The top picture is szechaun savory and the bottom is spicy and sour malatong. The malatong one was okay, the szechaun one was so good though! maybe just my own preference. But definitely flavorful enough. Quite a lot of choices, the weight builds up quickly tho, spent around $52 for this. I'm giving a four star and not five because it seems like they don't have a good separation in the kitchen. So maybe if you're allergic to anything that would be something to be cautious about. I noticed that I had a ton of other types of noodles we didn't put into our bowls in it.

Since the Stonestown mall opened, Tang Bar was a restaurant that we had heard numerous friends mention and recommend for checking out. It is an all you can eat hot pot bar so I was pretty intrigued by how the experience would be, especially since I haven't seen this layout in a while. When we arrived it was really crowded, and you essentially go down the line and put in various meats, veggies, and noodles before they add the broth to the bowl for you. I'd recommend putting just a bit of each item in, since otherwise it can be really easy to over-add to the bowl. A table opened up right as we were searching for one, so we thankfully were able to get a spot. The quality of the food here is pretty good and it's on par with other hotpot places that I've been to. I can see this place being great for students who live near there, especially if they want to just grab the hotpot to-go and eat it somewhere else. While it might be on the pricey side, I think if you come here enough you can eventually optimize for what you want to get. Tang Bar is worth checking out if you're around the Stonestown area!

I have been meaning to try this spot, and I finally did and it's been the best decision ever! I shared this with two others and it came out to $50 ish dollars and filled us all up! I got the Laska/Szechuan soup base, and it did not disappoint and honestly wasn't too spicy so don't shy away if you wanted to give it a try. I tried just about every topping and I would recommend bok Choy, sweet potato noodles, spam, fish roe balls, and ofccc pork belly! Sooo if you're just like me and haven't gave this spot a try and have been thinking about it THEN THIS IS UR SIGN TO DO IT! The open bar where you add what you want in your soup can be overwhelming but take your time, and depending on if you're eating it by yourself or with others, judge it based off truly on whatever looks like your favorite stuff to have in soup with a broth already in mind beforehand!

I'm a huge fan of malatang, so I was thrilled when Tang Bar opened up--especially since the Stonestown location is known for its Laksa broth. The ambiance is great: spacious, clean, and modern. Both times we visited were for double dates. On my first visit, they weren't serving Laksa, so while I was a bit disappointed, I tried the 'Just a Kick' broth, and it was fantastic. The veggies and proteins were all super fresh. On my most recent visit, they did have Laksa, and I was really excited to try it. The Laksa broth was good, though I've had better. I'm not sure they've perfected the flavor yet, but I still enjoyed it. Here's a photo of the Laksa broth! We'll definitely be back :)

I visited Tang Bar after hearing it's a popular Mala Tang brand in China, and it didn't disappoint. The restaurant is located inside a mall, so make sure to check their hours -- they close at 7 p.m. on Sundays. I arrived at 6:30 p.m., and it was still quite busy with a long line of customers. At $15.99 per pound, it's a bit pricey, but the ingredients, from vegetables to meats, were all very fresh, which made it worth it. The process involves lining up to pick your ingredients, so be prepared for some wait time. I spent around $30 and chose the Sichuan spice level, the spiciest option, which was incredibly flavorful and made me sweat -- just as I expected! One thing I found interesting was how many non-Asian customers were dining here. Most of them chose very mild spice levels (0 or 1), resulting in a lighter broth. The overall experience was great, with bold flavors and the perfect amount of spice. If I'm ever in the area again, I'd definitely return!

tl;dr Creative personal hotpot concept where you pay by weight, allowing you to choose only what you want to eat. They have a good selection of soup bases and seating available. Pricing is fair but can be on the higher side $20+ if you eat more than 1 lb of food. The line got a lot longer after 6 pm, so come earlier if you want to avoid a wait. I've never tried a restaurant with this choose-your-own personal hotpot ingredients restaurant but I am sold! Tang Bar is on the 2nd floor of the mall. You start at the end of the line by grabbing a large metal bowl and gloves, then make your way down the line selecting raw ingredients that you want to eat. There is a scale halfway down the line so you can predict how much you've gotten and will pay in case your eyes are larger than your stomach. At the cashier, they weigh your bowl and you select your sauce base. There are a handful of options to choose from, and a couple weekend specials like Tom Yum. After paying, they'll give you your receipt with your number, which you'll watch for on the screen overhead. They ring a bell whenever new orders are ready. They have a good amount of seating inside/at the front of the restaurant. There is a free water station as well. Overall, I love the concept and would consider returning if the wait wasn't long. I'll just have to expect to pay a bit more next time since I ended up with 1.1 lbs of food and was just barely full with my selections.

Tang Bar is a restuarant that specializes in paying how much your bowl weighs. You grab all the items that you want in your dish, weight it, choose a flavor, and then they'll make the dish for you. They have broth flavors and non-broth flavors along with a few vegetarian options, as well. It can get really busy even on weekdays, which can cause the meals to take around 30 to 45 minutes to be ready. I recommend going shopping, grabbing boba, or even getting groceries while you wait LOL. There were times where I would visit a few stores, grab boba, and my dish still would not be done yet. Seating can also be limited. There are communal seats, but it can be limited when they are busy. There are a lot of options to choose from, and I have only tried the soup-based ones. I have tried the chicken broth, pickled veggies, just a kick, laksa, and hot and sour. My favorite soup bases are the pickled veggies and the laksa. The laksa is coconuty and not as spicy as the just a kick flavor. The pickled veggies is not spicy at all and like its name, has a pickle taste kind of like Asian pickled sour mustard vegetable taste. The chicken broth was milder and not as flavorful as the others but was good for days I felt a bit sick. I think the hot and sour was spicer than the just a kick and was like a spicy version of hot and sour soup with a thicker broth than the others. Usually, my bowls are around $20 or so, and it fulls me up pretty well. They also have a scale in the middle where you can preweigh your bowl to gauge your weight before reaching the checkout line. Overall, the broths are very flavorful, and I really enjoy the different options they have or the broths and non-broth flavors. I also like that there is a lot of variety and options of toppings for your bowl. However, it can take quite some time for the food to be done, but it means they're making it fresh!

The one at Stonestown is good. The new one on 4th Ave is not so much. Our experience today was disappointing. TL;DR: there's definitely potential and opportunity for improvement, but I'd stay away for a few months until they work out their soft opening kinks. Ambience is nice. It's a bright, spacious, and comfortable space. That's about all they have going for them for now. 1) my friend told them he has a seafood allergy. The cashier was confused and asked him to explain. So he was like you know, shrimp, mussels, fish, etc. cashier then goes oh you mean seafood? SMH 2) I told him I have a lamb allergy. He searched his screen and looked very confused. Finally, he tapped something and said ok whatever. I get the receipt and it read food allergy: other. This concerned me but I just rolled with it. Maybe it said other on the receipt but in the kitchen it said lamb? Idk 3) receipt showed that I was charged for a bottled drink. I asked the cashier to refund me because I didn't order a bottled drink. He literally shrugged his shoulders and helped the next customer. I told another worker and he was nice to run to get the manager. The manager was very empathetic and apologetic and refunded me right away and even gave me a bottled drink for free while thanking me for my patience and promising to improve. That's a great manager! 4) my seafood-allergic friend found shrimp tentacles in his food. That means they must have boiled his food in cross contaminated broth! Luckily, his reaction was minor and just an itchy throat, but damn, they need to be careful about food allergies. Someone can go into anaphylactic shock! 5) my other friend found a slice of spam in her bowl but she didn't take any spam from the buffet line. Magic spam! 6) some of my items were missing. I took about 8 slices of beef. I received 3. I took 4 pcs of beef tendon, I got 2. I grabbed 5 pieces of broccoli, I got 2. I asked for sweet and spicy, which had only 1 chili symbol, indicating minimal spice, but what I received felt like max spiciness because my lips and mouth were burning bad. It didn't taste like sweet and spicy. It tasted like Szechuan spicy, which had 3 chili symbols. I love spicy food and can definitely take the heat, but this was over the top even for me. Last but not least, I think they cross contaminated and cooked my food in the same broth where they've cooked lamb because I had an allergic reaction creep up after leaving, and I'm not allergic to anything else. Cashier and kitchen staff need more training.

Good malatang place inside Stonestown on the second floor. There is always a line when I come and the wait for the food is usually pretty long. You start by going down the line to pick out items you want to eat. They have everything from hot pot meats to veggies and noodles. Be careful not to add too many items as the portion may end up bigger than expected. After grabbing the items, you get to choose your broth. I usually get the chicken broth since I'm not that good with spice. The times I've tried the just a kick it was way too spicy for me although the broth is flavorful. The cost is $15.99/lb which can get pricey. Everything like utensils and water are self served. Aside from the wait this is a good place grab lunch or dinner.

From the outside looking in Tang Bar looks a bit chaotic because it's cafeteria style and there are no walls to separate the dining area from the public. But after eating here I think this setup is best because it's busy and I waited 25 mins for my soup. Having no wall allowed me to go do other things in the mall and when I came back I could check the TV screen for my order status, coming and going as needed. I was worried there would be no seating by the time my order was ready but it seems like there is a good flow going with diners already seated finishing up and clearing space while new rounds of orders were ready. The tom yum soup was delicious and there was a good selection of meats, veggies, noodles. There's only two dipping sauces available- chili oil and this peanut sauce which were both good. There's a long sharable table that had live fish in the middle which was really unique and aesthetic!

Came before noon on Wednesday and there weren't many people. First you pick up a bowl and tongs and start picking the ingredients for your soup noodles. At the cashier you request your soup base and then pay. Keep your receipt and note your number. Pick up from the counter when you see your number in red on the screen. Note - the numbers do not necessarily show in order. Also, pick wisely because it's easy to get carried away in filling up your bowl and racking up your bill. There is a weighing machine to help you gauge how much you'll be paying and not get a sticker shock when it comes to paying.. I love the long wooden communal table because in the center, there's flowing water with live goldfishes swimming about. There is also a note saying, goldfishes do not like spicy food - so don't feed them. I ordered the laksa soup base, beef and veg and yam noodles. The ingredients was very good but the beef was a little tough and the soup base was a little too salty for me. However, I loved the convenience of choosing what I want in my bowl of noodles and having options of where to eat, tables, communal tables or outside in the mall. Will return when I'm in the mood for hot soup noodles again.

Tang Bar is a little more expensive than the other Mala Tang restaurants (15.99/lb) but it makes sense, they are in SF. Before trying Tang Bar, I was a little turned off by the fact that it was a inside mall, with no walls, because of covid. But I wanted to try Tang Bar once I got into Mala Tang. They have a really good selection of choices for Mala Tang, with 3 types of beef. It's always crowded, even right when its open, which is when me and my friend came. Labor Day at 11AM. We picked our selection, got seated, and waited. I do think there is a bit of a wait, and they can be faster. They don't really have any sauces, only soy sauce and vinegar, and my friend told me that you have to buy them at the register? So that might be a deal breaker for me. Seats wise, they have a decent amount of seats but Tang Bar is just so popular that it fills up quickly. One cool thing is that they have this long table with a stream with goldfish, so it's really fun. The food was pretty good, but again, the lack of free sauces makes me take off a star.

Good hotpot place in the Stonestown mall! It's very fast and affordable but the price is per weight so it depends on how much you get. They cook it for you and I've never been disappointed with the food. Tang Bar has a great selection of hotpot meats, seafood, veggies, tofu and noodles. It's nice to be able to pick specifically what you want. They also have the choice between soup or dry pot, and the different spice level. With the dry pot they cook the ingredients in a flavorful sauce, many hotpot places don't have the dry pot so it's definitely worth it to try. It's so good that I prefer it over the soup. This place gets really busy during lunch time and dinner time on the weekends. It's a casual spot so you have to bus your own tables and find your own table. It can get hard to find a seat so it's definitely better to go during less busy hours. Also they have a pretty good chili oil that you can ask for at the counter!

I love coming to Tang Bar for malatang! It's on the second floor of Stonestown. You get in line and, in assembly line fashion, choose the meat, vegetables and other toppings you want. There are many ingredient options to choose from. It can be really easy to overdo it, but there is a scale to weigh how much you've put in your bowl. $15.99 per pound of whatever you want :) My favorite broth option is "Just a kick". There are a generous amount of tables, but it will be busy during peak dining hours! FYI Wait time has usually been an additional 20-30 minutes to have the food cooked after paying at checkout!

This is a self-serve Asian noodle place! You pick what meats, seafood, veggies, and noodles you want in your bowl. It then gets weighed (I think it is $13.99/lb for weekends, I don't know about weekdays) and then you choose either souple or a thick sauce of your choice. Certain soup bases are available on weekends only! They then cook your dish for you and this is the part where you need to hawk over people for a table as seating gets limited especially during the weekends. During busy times you can wait up to 45 minutes for your soup to be ready. I felt like the dish was good, but most of the flavor comes from your soup base. I did feel like my noodles were a bit overcooked. I felt like I didn't grab too much food, but in the end I couldn't finish my dish! So I definitely recommend getting less than what you think you can eat because after it gets cooked, it feels like it is a lot more than you think! They have plastic to-go cups with caps for you to take home any leftovers.

Pickled radish soup base is the safest choice in terms of flavors mixing well and complimenting each other. Lots of variety in terms of toppings and vegetables, great choice for a cold spring day

Food 3/5 I ordered the Laksa (only available on weekends) but my broth tasted like hot pot soup except they forgot to add the laksa paste. Very disappointed as I had looked forward to having my laksa broth. Meat was okay the day I went, lots of hard tendons in the lamb slices. My bowl of malatang also came out warm, would've been nice if it was hot! Service 3/5 Went on a weekend and I understand they're busy. But no one refilled the meat section for like 20 minutes and only fat and broken pieces left on the trays. Long wait times and hard to find seatings. Ambiance 3/5 Located in a busy mall. I enjoy the dining section inside that is more secluded from the rest of the mall. Theres a big dining table with a fish pond in the middle, which is very nice.

Can get busy at times but the line moves fast. It's a cute spot with lots of seating and is so good every time. The ingredients are fresh every time I've had it. Thank you !

Been to tang bar too many times to count. This is my favourite ma La tang place that I have been to in the Bay Area. Lots of different soup options and price is reasonable. It's a self service place with a first come first serve for seating. They have laksa and Tom yum soup offerings on the weekend. It's much better to go in store to order as you can pick what you want versus door dash where it's pre determined. I wouldn't bother with doordash as it's not nearly as good.

Clark, the general manager, reached out to me regarding the incident. Super kind, and I do understand that what happened was not a common occurrence. He helped cover me and my dad's meal the next time we visited which we appreciated!

Came here over the weekend since I was always curious about this place every time I visited Stonestown. Always a line, always very bustling - how was my first experience? I went around 530pm, and figured to get there early before prime dinner time. I lined up in the queue, and grabbed different meats, vegetables, noodles, and balls. It gets weighed (current price is 14.99$ per lb) and then you pick your soup base or dry base. I opted for the pickled vegetable base, which was lightly spicy and rich in flavor. My friend opted for the hot and sour base, which was too spicy for him. Both broths were very oily... so if you're a fan of drinking soup, this place might not be for you, unless you like lots of oil! After your bowl gets weighed and you pick your base, you pay and get your number. My biggest gripe of Tang Bar is what the number system is very disorderly. Bowls come out at different times, and if you get a popular soup base, then you may have to wait a very long time. Tang Bar isn't very good at announcing numbers either. Sometimes to announce your number, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they call your number when your full order is ready, or sometimes they call each individual bowl. Best thing to do is to check in with the staff to see if your order is ready (if you've been waiting a long time). To avoid confusion, I might advise people to order separately. That way each order has a number associated to it. Not sure if I'll be back again. I think all the oil (while tasty) negated any "health" benefits from eating soup/hot pot, and lastly the ordering system was so disorderly that it was a turn off for me.

My friends put me onto malatang about a month ago, and I have been trying to find a place in SF that was just as good as the first time I have ever had it. So, you can imagine my happiness when I found out that Tang Bar has malatang soup! My family stopped by around dinner time on Saturday night and they were busy, but not packed. The concept of this place is that you fill an empty bowl with meats, vegetables, noodles, and basically any hot pot ingredient, and pick a soup at the end to cook everything in. It took about 15-20 minutes to get down the line picking our food, and they had a wide selection of ingredients from wagyu beef, to a seafood/fish balls and and plenty of noodle options to choose from. I ordered the Laksa soup (which I have only realized now that it ISN'T malatang, but more of a coconut soup), and my family ordered the chicken and Szechuan spicy broths. The Laksa broth was creamy, but light, although it could have used some more seasoning. The chicken broth is great for someone who cannot handle spice and it was very flavorful. The Szechuan spicy broth was indeed very spicy, but the thick layer of oil on top was off-putting. I think this concept is really fun, and I definitely want to come back to try the other soup bases!

Awesome place if you love málà food and spicy Sichuan food. You get to pick your ingredients (meat, vegetables, carbs, etc.) and then they'll cook it as a soup or dry pot. I went for the Sichuan broth (spiciest option). Great numbing sensation and delicious flavor. Pretty spicy so don't get this broth if you don't like spicy food! The meats are yummy too. The table is awesome and has goldfish in the middle. Little wait but not too bad around 8:30pm.

My favorite and most frequented malatang spot due to both convenience and taste! Parking is fairly easy since it is located inside the Stonestown mall so there is a parking lot outside or an underground garage. The line can get quite long around peak dinner times so I would recommend coming early to avoid the crowds. I love the variety offered at Tang Bar and the soup base never disappoints (I always get "just a kick"). Be careful going down the line though, it is SO easy to overfill your bowl and end up with 3+ pounds of food... They are also very peanut allergy friendly (they typically add peanuts on top upon serving) but just tell the cashier when paying so they clearly print "peanut allergy" on the order! Overall, I would recommend Tang Bar if you are looking for a nice, warm, comforting build-your-own bowl of malatang!

I don't usually give bad review but this time they make us waited way too long. And the point is it's totally unnecessary. We have been here all the time and I always give 5 stars review. There was no line at the register when we came. We picked our food and walked over to register smoothly. When we paid, cashier said about 30 mins. We sat down and waited patiently. After 40 mins, we were still 10 numbers away which is very frustrating. I can see a lot of empty tables with people sitting and waiting for food too. I can hear people around us complaining how long they have been waiting for food also. Anyway, just wanna leave this review here for management to check on operations to ensure proper customer satisfaction. Food is still good !

tl;dr: good but wouldn't line up for it, I appreciate that it is easy to access though Another malatang spot but one that's closer to San Francisco downtown than the south bay. I enjoyed the food and the plethora of choices but the wait was quite long (about 30 mins or more after we had already placed the order) and you had to get in line even before that to pick your food items, and hover over people to get a table. I didn't enjoy the aspects of getting a seat, it seemed like a lot of effort for what you get, basically a fast casual meal. You can load up on the food to share or get your own bowl which I did, but I saw loads of other customers getting bowls to share and containers for leftovers! It is easy to go a little crazy so approaching the food choices with restraint is what I would caution (not just to manage your portions but also your eventual price point). It's probably most worth it to help yourself to the meat options, especially since they have wagyu slices available. I also liked that they had a large variety of vegetables and frozen fish ball items! I enjoyed my soup choice as well (the sour vegetable one) though I think the spicy options can be quite intense so approach with caution. With its location in the mall, parking is easy enough, and the restaurant also has a very prominent spot across from the food court. I hopped over to the food court afterwards for dessert too!

Such a great concept AND it's conveniently accessible in a mall! You pick what ingredients you want (meat, seafood, noodles, fish balls, vegetables, etc), decide spice level, choose whether you want soup or dry sautéed, and then wait for it to be cooked! For the 4 of us, we had so much fun picking out the ingredients together and it's nice selecting exactly what you want. We got the "just a kick" spice level and we were pleasantly surprised with how spicy it was and the soup was the right amount of flavor. I can imagine the spicier ones would definitely be spicy. We also read that there was MSG in these soups, but we didn't get those headaches at all. The only downside is that it can be pretty pricey, especially once you fill up your bowl. We got ~2.75 lbs of food and the price came out to almost $40. I would definitely come back here again though, especially with lots of people!

Got the order back and not even a quarter into it, realized more than half of the ingredients were NOT OURS. There was a bunch of stuff that we would never put into our bowls along with the fact that A LOT of the stuff we did add was not there. We tried to just ignore the fact that the bowl was just completely wrong but couldn't. btw the bowl was almost $30!! With that price I want to at least know we're getting all the stuff that's weighed in and not have to push a bunch of other stuff to the side... didn't really care when we let them know

Love the selection, price, service here. What a great place to get good value , good portions, and good food. The seating area is large and has great ambiance and decor. Feels like you're in a restaurant yet you're in mall food court. We ordered just a kick with beef chuck, beef wagyu, tendon, tripe, flat noodle, fish ball. Truly just a kick and perfect for those who want nummy and still want to keep eating at a consistent pace. We also ordered mushroom broth as well. This broth is so clean and comes with mushroom pieces! It's vegan as well - but the heartiness really helps this broth feel rich. Tips: don't get too many noodles. You can get hot sauce on the side. Pick up items from the top of the pile so you pay less water weight lol, box up your leftover broth for home to make some ramen!

Tang Bar is a nice build-your-own mala tang joint in a mall that is filled with more Japanese options than other cuisines. While the food and ingredients are nice, you should prepare yourself for a long wait and lack of seating when you go in during peak dining hours. There's limited seating in the area, and the lines typically move slowly. Once your order is placed, you'll have to wait quite a while for them to cook it as well. It's not too different from other restaurants that do a price by weight noodle model, but they do have nice soup options and lots of variety. I do think it is still quite pricey for a lack of a specialty that pops out though.

This was a great place to eat mala tang! I didn't expect it to be so good since it's in a mall but it was amazing! I got the hot and spicy broth which was a good spice level for me! It definitely is not for the faint hearted. To make your bowl, you get in a line, somewhat like a buffet, and add what you would like to your bowl. I overestimated how much I could eat and definitely put too much. If you're allergic to peanuts, make sure to tell the workers because they add peanuts at the end! It was a bit difficult to find seating since it's at the mall but seats open up eventually.

Saw this place walking through Stonestown and tried it for dinner on Saturday at around 5:30 pm. There was a pretty long line and the wait time was about 30 minutes to get through. When you're at the front, you pick up a bowl and tongs to be able to select different meats, seafood, vegetables and more as the line moves. They had a pretty variety for the different items and kept it fresh in the stations. You fill up the bowl with how much you want and pay based on the weight as well as choose a broth or sauce for them to cook it in. My bowl was about 20 dollars and it was a decent portion size. The dish came out very hot and was about a 30 minute wait for ours to be cooked. The mushroom broth was very mild and comforting which is what I wanted but could be a little too plain if you want more of a punchy flavor. On the weekends they have laksa and tom yum as options for broths too. I really enjoyed the seafood tofu, different fish balls and their pork belly. Very surprised I didn't come here before but would check it out again for a filling meal.

Honestly, I never thought Stonestown would have something like this. I've been walking around this place for quite a long time, but I finally got to try it out. You pick your ingredients, weigh them, and then choose your soup base and select your spice level. When you do weigh them, it does get pretty pricey with the more stuff you add into your bowl, but I think it's not bad cause they quality of the ingredients is pretty high for me. A lot of the veggies and noodles come out super fresh and I love that. Some hot pot places make it seem like the ingredients are like a day old or you know the veggies are gonna go bad. So, I really appreciate the quality of the food here. Even the meats and stuff are good too and there's quite the selection to choose from. The bowl comes out piping hot and fresh and the soup itself is good! I got spicy level, and I regretted it cause the spice kept building up and I felt like I was battling a pool of sweat that wouldn't stop building up. Could barely even taste the food at that point. But it's spicy y'all. Would definitely come back again!

I really like all the ingredients they have. It's definitely way more options than the typical "build your own" hotpot. I also appreciate that they give you a scale so you can weigh as you go. Also their soups are extremely flavorful and have just the right amount of spice. I'd suggest the laksa as it has this slight curry taste that's super good. Great selection of meats and quick service when they're not caught in a rush

It's pretty cosy whenever we go, I love the stonestown location... though during rush hour it can get pretty busy and it'll take a while for your order to come out and they like to skip around the numbers so it leaves you on your toes. the flavors are nice however I always go for just a kick. overall the food is good and the staff are alright in terms of doing their job. A little more interaction between customers would be nicer though.

Came to Stonestown Galleria to get some steps in. Stopped by Tang Bar for the first time for lunch. No line to get the food but had to wait a few minutes to find a table because all of the tables were full of people already enjoying their hot soup. Went through the line to self select all of the raw ingredients that I wanted to be added to my soup. Seemed a tad pricey at $15 per pound for any/all ingredients. Naturally, I picked a lot of protein and the more expensive veggies. The cashier weighed the ingredients and handed me a number and left me to find an available table. Dining areas were kept clean and in terms of noise level is what your would expect in a food court. Waited for about 8 minutes before my number was in the display board that informed me that my order was ready. They cooked it to perfection. Nothing was over or under cooked. The broth I selected paired nicely with all of the items selected. It was overall quite satisfying. After lunch, I contacted a few family members to tell them about the place. Was pleasantly surprised. Will be coming again

Tang bar is probably the closest malatang place to me in SF. If yall know of a better one, be my friend on Yelp and message me pleeeeeease!!!! But for a while I was so seriously obsessed about this place, craving their szheuan broth all the time, but on several occasions, I'd say 4/10 times I've eaten here, there was just something off that didn't allow me to fully enjoy lol like sometimes the noodles aren't cooked throughly enough, or the broth is just like kind or flat instead of full of depth like I'm used to. So this place can be inconsistent and just crazy long lines.. but if you hungry and it's a good day; it's literal heaven on earth . Don't order their dry pot. Def seems like a waste of the long wait time here... I love dry pots too btw but just go to Sizzling Pot King. They just boil your ingredients here and throw sauce on top.. instead of stir frying it

As someone that is a huge fan of malatang and hot pot, Tang Bar definitely piqued my interest. Not sure what malatang is like? Think Great Khans (aka the fast casual Mongolian BBQ) but make it self-serve hot pot. Tang Bar is filled with an expansive ingredients bar (anything from Wagyu Steak to Roe Fishballs to Egg Noodles). If there's any hot pot ingredient you've thought about, Tang Bar will have it! In terms of pricing, as of February 2024, the price per pound is $14.99. Honestly, with the price of eating out, not bad. For the vast amount of ingredients and how seemingly fresh everything looked, not a bad deal. Just be conservative with the portions of ingredients you put into your bowl. In terms of service, the employees are super friendly and fast! Only things I wish could be improved with this restaurant is a faster turnaround (it takes around 15 minutes to get through the line and another 20 minutes for your food to be ready) and more seating (we had to play the awkward game of hovering around guests that seemed like they were ready to leave). All in all, a solid place if you're looking for a soupy dinner and already at Stonestown.