Zhangliang Malatang Chicago 张亮芝加哥

Visited the restaurant for several times. The classical bone soup is my favorite. You'll find condiments available in the corner to adjust the taste as you like. I suggest guests with non-halal restrictions ask the staff before picking up the ingredients as some of the items have no labels and it may contain pork.

I think the concept here is quite fun. You grab a big bowl and tongs, pick out your ingredients, choose your broth. They then weigh it and cook it up for you. What you get is a gigantic steaming bowl of flavorful broth loaded with your favorite toppings. There’s even a dipping sauce bar. It’s basically hot pot without all the cooking. I tried the mild bone broth and it was creamy, garlicky, and well seasoned. One down side is that because everything was cooked together, some ingredients were very overcooked. The thin slices of meat shriveled and became super chewy.

It's my second time coming here and it hasn't disappointed. The price you pay can be very reasonable for the amount of ingredients you add to your malatang. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, consider getting lighter ingredients or else the price can sneak up on you when you weigh everything. The service is also very good. Even though they're super busy with a small staff team, they are super friendly and patient. Came by a few times to fill up our waters as well. I recommend this spot for a casual meal meet-up to anyone!

I really enjoyed my visit to Zhangliang Malatang. The ingredients were fresh, flavorful, and the spice level was easy to customize. The staff were friendly and the service was quick. Overall, it’s a great spot for a comforting, tasty meal.definitely worth trying 😃

It’s a build-your-own-bowl hotpot place and selections are pretty good. There’s a sauce bar for you to build your own dipping sauce. I love the classic broth medium spicy and would recommend that. It hits perfectly when you have that lemon water after eating because there’s a slight numbing sensation from the pepper and the detox water really complimented it 10/10

Classic malatang restaurant. There weren’t as many meat and veggie options as some other malatangs I’ve been too but this place was also fairly small. Great customer service though and the place was clean. Was open on Christmas Eve

Zhangliang Malatang Chicago is one of my favorite spots for customizable soup! I ordered the tom yum broth, which was bursting with flavor, and loved how fresh all the ingredients were. I really appreciate that the bowls are large, and you can make your soup completely personal to your tastes—choosing your broth, proteins, vegetables, and spice level. The ordering process is easy, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The restaurant has a clean, inviting atmosphere, making it perfect for a casual meal with friends or family. Highly recommend for anyone craving authentic, personalized Malatang in Chicago

Very delicious food and very much worth it to stop in. The staff member let us use the room in the back because it was so hot for our party of 5 when he didn’t have to, and it made our night so special. We got to have a family style table and chat comfortably while enjoying really yummy hotpot. The ingredients had so many yummy options available and the food came out quickly, which was great for a group that had just spent all day walking around in a heatwave. Thank you so much! (Most of us ordered the bone broth soup base, but my friend also liked the Tom yum base. The price is calculated by weight of the ingredients you pick at the beginning)

Visite el lugar me gustó mucho la comida muy fresca probé la sopa tradicional las salsas adicionales muy buenas. No tuve inconveniente por el parqueadero fue rápido. Muy satisfecha

Me gustó la sopa es muy buena los vegetales estaban frescos lo visité por primera vez y de seguro regresaré. Use el parqueadero que estuvo justo al frente del restaurante lo cual me agradó mucho.

I have been here several times, and this restaurant has very clean hygiene and good food preservation. It has a refrigerator and magical water mist. The employees are very friendly, and they also have a variety of sauces to choose from. I highly recommend dry stir frying as it tastes great. and I love Chinatown

$14.99/lb building your own hotpot bowl with various broth options. Also the options of a stir fry and dry pot. I ordered the classical bone soup - mild. This broth is creamier. The concept of your own bowl is nice because it's a quicker meal but it is on the expensive end due to the price per pound. I would probably opt for a typical hotpot place but it was nice to try out this concept! There is a sauce bar close to the cashier. You build your bowl, bring it up to the cashier, they'll seat you and then you'll pay at the end of your meal. I wonder how fresh the food is though because there were fruit flies while I was eating. They can also validate your parking.

came here around noon as a party of 2 on a sunday! i was super excited as this was my first malatang experience and ive had this place bookmarked for a bit. upon entering, we were seated immediately, the place was about half full at this time. we got our bowls and utilized the self serve buffet to pick out our malatang ingredients. there weren't as many options as other hot pot spots i've been to, but it was still pretty good. theu had a couple types of beef and they also had pork and i believe lamb as well. they even had pig's blood! i read another review that was worried about the hygiene of this place, and i will say that i also noticed that the ingredients had no "sneeze guard" over them and it was a little off putting knowing that so many people will be getting so close to the food. i guess this is expected for any kind of food buffet though, and at least this food ends up getting cooked after! i was worried about my bowl being heavy as i put a bunch of noodles and meat and veggies, but luckily it ended up being less than 2 lbs still. the bowl is kinda heavy on its own so be aware of that! we then handed over our bowls to the employees and specified which broth and spice level we wanted and then within ~7 minutes, our bowls were returned to us, piping hot and cooked! i got the bone broth at a medium spice level and it was DELICIOUS. the bone broth was rich and hearty and the spice level was perfect for me, although i did add scallion and cilantro from the sauce bar! overall, i was super happy with this meal, and given that i made quite a big bowl, i was able to take the rest home and get 2 meals out of this! i'm excited to come back.

I've been here twice so far and I love the concept of Malatang! Their broth is very yummy and flavorful and they have a good variety of ingredients you can choose from. I just have a few concerns since both times I have been here the restaurant is almost close to empty so their ingredients just sit out for who knows how long. Another concerning issue is the flies. Both times I've been here there were so many visible flies everywhere. The first time I came here I even saw a worker using an electric flyswatter right above the sauce bar. So it's very off putting. I think the food and concept itself have great potential but the cleanliness and time control of ingredients need improvement.

Ugh I can't help but love malatang because I love any creamy bone broth, and I LOVE when you get to pick your own ingredients. What I don't love is how pricey it can get, especially cuz just a few ingredients will make your bowl so heavy, and you pay by the pound ($14.99). I got a bit of everything including beef slices, pork slices, octopus, fish fillet, enoki mushroom, chicken leg mushroom, etc. The potatoes and chicken leg mushroom were definitely the highlight, in addition to the insanely yummy "cheese fish ball" which was filled with some sort of cream cheese filling? Sounds weird but HEAR ME OUT! The mild bone broth itself was quite good, though I think it lacked some mala with that signature numbing spice. when I added more chili oil, it was definitely delicious!! They have an AYCE free sauce bar with a peanut appetizer too, so that was nice. I spammed my bowl with scallions and their garlic paste. Their service is incredibly fast and you pay after you eat! A good number of tables, though it was quite packed even on a random Thursday lunch at 12:30pm. They kept the place very clean!

Ambiance - casual dining spot, great for 1 person dining Service - self serve bar, you pick the items (meat, noddles, veggie), weight the bowl by the cashier and you pick soup base or stir fry Food - amazing flavors, tom yum soup base came out pipping hot and spicy, stir fry spicy pot was the right about of numbing spice & came with a side of rice

Hot pot & dry pot restaurant in Chinatown - you pick ingredients and a broth or sauce (e.g. tom yum soup, spicy mala soup, spicy dry pot mix); the restaurant cooks for you and you pay by ingredient weight (approx $15/pound as of summer 2025). There is a large variety of ingredients and ample room for indoor seating. They also will validate your parking in the large Chinatown lot.

Great spot when you're craving an affordable, individual size Chinese hot pot meal. They've got a wide of variety of the common meats and veggies. They're either frozen or fresh although some of the veggies is questionable. Wide selection of sauces including Sacha, my go to. Bone broth was flavorful and nothing was overcooked, including the noodles and meat. Good amount of seating inside. They didn't check on us or refill waters after bringing the food.

First time at a malatang in the States. Friendly staff. Took some time for ingredients to get filled and for food to come out. Otherwise clean place, nice restrooms, and good crowd. They were surprisingly busy on a Thursday evening. Spicy bone broth is yummy.

My korean girlfriend approved this and I agree. We thought the food was delicious with a lot of fresh ingredients to select from. The broth had a homemade taste, not commercial taste, and with the quality ingredients for the sauce the food ended tasting amazing. Beware it's busy and can feel chaotic, especially with all the youth that enjoys eating here, but that just added to experience for us. The place was clean which we appreciated.

I wanted to like this place but I simply didn't. My friend and I came here on a whim on a Monday night at 5p. There were a few other tables in there but not very busy. I'm going to get the bad out of the way. My first issue was that the food selection was just sitting out without proper temperature control. It made me wary of the seafood and the meat. The 2nd issue I had were the fruit flies around the food bar. 3rd issue was the fuzz on top of our water in our cups. Now onto the rest of the experience. There's a sign at the entrance that tells you what to do which is good because I've never been to a place like this before. First you grab a bowl and tongs and grab whatever you want (there was a selection of various meats, veggies, meatballs, seafood). After you grab your food, you take it to the back where the bowl is weighed and you choose if you want a hot pot or stir fry. I opted for tomato hot pot and my friend got hers stir fried. The tomato base was good, thicker than I was expecting. And it came out pretty hot so I knew everything was cooked. The mussels were not fresh tasting. It was funky and fishy. I didn't eat the rest of them in my bowl. Everything else was overall fine. My friend liked her stir fry though. I tried it and it wasn't bad. Overall, this just isn't a place I will return to. I can't be worried if my food is fresh or clean.

FINAL RATING: 8.5/10 This is such a quick and easy way to get your fix of malatang! For all of the ingredients and selection, this was a great deal at $13.99/lb. I ordered one pound of food and it was enough to last 2 meals. My boyfriend and I both got the mild bone broth and it was the perfect amount of spice. When you first enter, you grab a bowl and fill it with your choice of meat, seafood, tofu, and vegetables! They had beef tongue and lamb leg which were delicious. Then, you can make your own sauce at the sauce bar. You don't pay until you're finished eating. Service was great and they even packed up our food for us!

One person lunch delicious lunch! I think this is the cheap and delicious lunch I had during my business trip in Chicago. Thank you

Service 10/10: it was our first time so we were honestly kind of lost but they guided us through the whole process - we first got a table to get seated - we then got a bowl & selected our malatang contents and brought it up to the counter to weigh - it is 13.99/lb & u select your broth - they give you a key ring for ur table, they cook ur food, you get your sauces ready, and you get seated - they bring out your food to you in a heaping bowl, you pay at the end of your meal - they gave us a pitcher of lemon water to refill as we went Ambiance 9/10: - spacious roomy restaurant - brightly colored, clean Food 10/10: - genuinely so good - our malatang came out to 1.6 pounds so about $22 so $24 ish after tax - it was more than enough food between me and my boyfriend - we got a good mix of seafood, veggies, and meats and other toppings - we got the bone broth medium spicy, honestly not that spicy but the bone broth is hearty - very diverse and clean sauce bar, use it to further season ur broth - overall, food was so good and filling and they even packed up our leftover broth for us

I swear it looks better than it tastes! The bone broth was super garlicky which I enjoyedYou get to pick out your own ingredients and are able to control how big of a bowl you want. Also free hotpot condimentsHowever, none of the ingredients really stood out. Meats are on the tougher side, nothing special. I didn't really care but wanted to point out how it's probably not the most sanitary. As you get one pair of tongs and pick out what you want. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some cross contamination haha

Quick and tasty malatang spot! Great and fresh ingredients offered and of course all the sauces for you to make your own concoction. You pay by the weight and really affordable even if you pile on your toppings! The broth choses and spice level is great. The spiciest isn't too hot so if you can take on the heat then ask for extra spicy and they can help adjust it for you. I like that you don't have to cook your bowl- takes probably less than 10 min for them to cook your bowl!

Love this place!! I probably have been here at least once a month since it's opened. I love their regular bone broth when it's mild since I don't like it too spicy! There's beef, fish tofu, mushrooms, ton of vegetables, etc. They also have a great sauce bar if you even need more sauce though I find their soup flavors enough. My only qualm is that if you come too close to closing time aka 15-20 minutes before they close, they won't serve you even if you say you'll eat fast haha!

love this place for an individual serving of hotpot or quick malatang fix!! it's super affordable and easy. i love the classic bone and tom yum soup! for the soup option, it's $13.99 per lb and I usually can eat around a pound. they have a great range of toppings and free sauce bar. it is self service when making your bowl. the waiters give you a seat, weigh your food, and give you the check. they also refilled our water often which is nice! they also package your leftovers if you like my boyfriend and i love coming here when it's just the two of us in comparison to going to a full on hotpot restaurant

basically the only malatang place in Chicago and it's def good! super good prices and all the ingredients were super fresh

If you're craving something delicious and quick in Chinatown, this is the place to go. You select your items, choose your base, and the staff weigh it before cooking and serving it to you. The staff were helpful, and the place is casual.

They have a branches in California and New York, and I'm so happy they opened one in Chicago! A build your own hot pot place with hearty broths. I'm a huge fan of their classic broth in medium spice - very full flavor. It was my partner's first time trying it and with each consecutive bite, he started loving it. This place is still getting itself established but I have full faith it will soon be up and running like the other stores. When we went, there were a couple of items missing and we had to ask them to refill. I also feel like the branch in Mountain View, California had more of a selection of items but it could just be false memory. I'm not sure if you had to ask for a side of rice, but at the MV location, they give you a side of rice on default. The staff are nice and attentive to the tables which is always appreciated. I will definitely be coming back!

really nice spot in china town for a comforting bowl of malatang. first thing i noted when i walked in was it smells CLEAN as in you can still smell the clorox lingering in the air. the server was very attentive and nice to us as she guided us on the process since we have never been. the food was fresh and flavorful-- but also pretty spicy and piping hot. I had a really good experience and felt very satisfied at the end, and the price was very reasonable. the sauce bar is okay but you don't really need it since the broth is so flavorful anyways - sent from my iphoen

decided to try this place since i saw it on my tiktok fyp and was a bit disappointed in how bland the bone broth had tasted even with the amount of meat and seafood i added. i had paid around $28 for my meal since it's around $14-15 a pound. if i do revisit this place i would definitely try out the other broths that they have other than the bone.

Great concept! I would be cautious when filling your bowl because it was way more food and money than I expected.

You pay by weight and they let you pick what you want to include. There are a variety of soups for spicy eaters. You're a bit limited on your broths for non-spicy but their original mild isn't too spicy if you can handle some spice. Service has always been friendly and they have a nice selection of noodles, meats, seafood, and veggies. The ambiance is very casual. You grab a bowl and tongs upon walking in and then fill your bowl with the things you want, go to the counter, they weigh it, pass it off to the kitchen, and then you take your seat.

Food is very well priced for the amount of food you can get. You can get whatever meats, veg, and noodles you want, and all were very fresh.

I ordered the mild pork bone soup, which is very tasty and not too spicy for me. The service is great.