Malatang, a new hot pot restaurant, opens on Kirkwood

Bloomington, Indianapolis – There’s a new hot pot restaurant in Bloomington on Kirkwood. At 430 E. Kirkwood Ave., a Chinese-inspired hot pot restaurant called Malatang opened on September 1.

The restaurant offers semi-do-it-yourself hot pots where patrons can customize their bowls with an assortment of veggies and vegetables. Traditionally, malatang is a hot soup-based cuisine called after mala sauce, one of its primary ingredients. Although the restaurant’s name, Malatang, means “hot spicy” in Mandarin, it serves five distinct soup broths and dry mixes that vary in intensity of spice.

whereas ramen, a Japanese noodle soup dish, and malatang are similar, assistant manager John Qian said that ramen has fewer topping and noodle possibilities, whereas the restaurant offers up to 70 distinct ingredient combinations.

Regardless of the ingredients, the eatery charges $15 per pound for their bowls. Additionally, Malatang uses Fantuan and HungryPanda, two distinct platforms, to distribute food.

Malatang provides an array of options for fix-ins. Qian claims that some ingredients—like lobster, beef and fish balls, tofu skins, and bamboo—are imported from Asia. The remaining components are purchased from nearby farmers’ markets and stores like Kroger.

Instead of cooking the bowl at the table like other hot pot restaurants in the region do, the bowl is sent back to the kitchen to finish cooking before being served.

Although Malatang and Yatagarasu, a ramen restaurant, share a front door and kitchen, they are run independently because Malatang is housed in the building’s lower level.

Malatang has restaurants in Lafayette and Champaign, Illinois, in addition to the new facility.
Qian thinks that the reason college students have been drawn to these places is because Malatang’s food is well-liked by them.

The restaurant is open from 5 to 11 p.m. and from noon to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and on Friday and Sunday from noon to midnight.