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Address and Contact Information
Address: 245 E 53rd St, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 602-1005
Website: http://malaproject.com/
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Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
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MÁLÀ PROJECT
MáLà Project is a Chinese restaurant founded by four friends with a mission to deliver joy through the flavors of Sichuan cuisine.
Book Your MáLà Project 53rd St Reservation Now on Resy
MáLà Project is a restaurant brand founded with a mission to deliver joy through neo-Sichuanese cuisine. From fiery MáLà Dry Pots to comforting Northern …
MáLà Project – 53rd St. | Midtown East restaurant
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Reviews
Mel Hornyak
I consider myself lucky to be local to this restaurant and a regular here! You MUST order the dry pot – it’s all the flavors of a spicy Sichuan hot pot cooked into a delicious, fragrant, numbing, and salty oil that the chefs will fry any ingredient of your choice in (my friends and I always go with the eye of round (thin hot pot beef), chicken breast, bok choi, and enoki mushrooms. And don’t miss out on the crunchy snap of a konjac noodle or the saucy chew of a rice cake! Now I’m craving Mala Project again…)
Put 4-6 ingredients in a hot pot, get a side of white rice for everyone, and bring a friend to help you eat a delectable dinner that should cost WAY more than ~$25 per person. Mala Project is perfect for a sense of everyday luxury, or a fun and flirty date night out.
The ambience is also excellent, a pink-tinged retro vibe inspired by 1980s Chinese television, and they’re always spinning indie hits that my friends and I (roughly Gen Z) tend to recognize, which makes it a fun place to dine. It has lovely two-person tables (for sharing the aforementioned hot pot!) as well as spaces for larger groups, and I’ve seen families eat here frequently without issue.
I also really appreciate the service here! I have a severe sesame allergy that would normally stop me from eating at this kind of restaurant, but Mala Project has always been extremely accommodating (they even remade my dry pot once when *I* forgot to mention my allergy, which was totally my fault!) I appreciate this allergy awareness SO much and it’s a huge factor in why I come to this establishment over others in the area (that, and the delicious food.)
There are two servers I can’t remember the names of now (one who’s a photographer and one who’s always wearing an awesome alt outfit) who have been especially great to us, including every once in a while giving us an extra dessert if we’re there near closing – nice gestures like that. A plate of silver and gold mantou is the perfect complement to the dry pot, if you have any room left!
Some small pieces of advice for other customers:
This branch does get quite busy on Friday and Saturday night, and on those nights you can expect to wait a little if you don’t have a reservation and the service can get spottier (the main struggle at Mala Project is getting enough water to tide you through the spicy dry pot – they’ve recently started putting bottles of water on people’s tables, which ameliorates the issue somewhat but still disappears almost instantly at a table of 3-4). Still, maybe choose another restaurant if you (like we once unwisely did) have a show to catch – you can expect to spend at least an hour here, and probably a little more. Don’t put yourself in a situation where the wait for the check will be agonizing instead of barely noticed.
Also, this location has a variety of fun, cute cocktails – except our tastes run more on the sweet side, and for a while Mala mixed their cocktails quite dry. If you, like us, prefer a cocktail that tastes less like alcohol, their recently added Ganbei and Banana Milk cocktails are perfect!
I don’t have too much experience with dishes outside of the dry pot, but the first time I came here I got the mapo tofu and was unimpressed (Sadly I didn’t return for months after, missing out on many potential Mala Project visits! I’m glad I got the dry pot the second time.) You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t get the dry pot here – it’s like going to a French restaurant and not trying the French onion soup. You won’t regret it (unless you’re a spice wimp, in which case still get the dry pot but try their soy-ginger sauce! It’s very good.)
Overall, this is a fun, romantic, and surprisingly affordable place for a night out with friends or a cute date night just between the two of you. It’s allergy-friendly and just a lovely restaurant to have in the neighborhood. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
… morePut 4-6 ingredients in a hot pot, get a side of white rice for everyone, and bring a friend to help you eat a delectable dinner that should cost WAY more than ~$25 per person. Mala Project is perfect for a sense of everyday luxury, or a fun and flirty date night out.
The ambience is also excellent, a pink-tinged retro vibe inspired by 1980s Chinese television, and they’re always spinning indie hits that my friends and I (roughly Gen Z) tend to recognize, which makes it a fun place to dine. It has lovely two-person tables (for sharing the aforementioned hot pot!) as well as spaces for larger groups, and I’ve seen families eat here frequently without issue.
I also really appreciate the service here! I have a severe sesame allergy that would normally stop me from eating at this kind of restaurant, but Mala Project has always been extremely accommodating (they even remade my dry pot once when *I* forgot to mention my allergy, which was totally my fault!) I appreciate this allergy awareness SO much and it’s a huge factor in why I come to this establishment over others in the area (that, and the delicious food.)
There are two servers I can’t remember the names of now (one who’s a photographer and one who’s always wearing an awesome alt outfit) who have been especially great to us, including every once in a while giving us an extra dessert if we’re there near closing – nice gestures like that. A plate of silver and gold mantou is the perfect complement to the dry pot, if you have any room left!
Some small pieces of advice for other customers:
This branch does get quite busy on Friday and Saturday night, and on those nights you can expect to wait a little if you don’t have a reservation and the service can get spottier (the main struggle at Mala Project is getting enough water to tide you through the spicy dry pot – they’ve recently started putting bottles of water on people’s tables, which ameliorates the issue somewhat but still disappears almost instantly at a table of 3-4). Still, maybe choose another restaurant if you (like we once unwisely did) have a show to catch – you can expect to spend at least an hour here, and probably a little more. Don’t put yourself in a situation where the wait for the check will be agonizing instead of barely noticed.
Also, this location has a variety of fun, cute cocktails – except our tastes run more on the sweet side, and for a while Mala mixed their cocktails quite dry. If you, like us, prefer a cocktail that tastes less like alcohol, their recently added Ganbei and Banana Milk cocktails are perfect!
I don’t have too much experience with dishes outside of the dry pot, but the first time I came here I got the mapo tofu and was unimpressed (Sadly I didn’t return for months after, missing out on many potential Mala Project visits! I’m glad I got the dry pot the second time.) You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t get the dry pot here – it’s like going to a French restaurant and not trying the French onion soup. You won’t regret it (unless you’re a spice wimp, in which case still get the dry pot but try their soy-ginger sauce! It’s very good.)
Overall, this is a fun, romantic, and surprisingly affordable place for a night out with friends or a cute date night just between the two of you. It’s allergy-friendly and just a lovely restaurant to have in the neighborhood. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
MAJ PC
What an amazing place – the food and service were amazing. Restaurant is clean, cozy and bright. Our servers were super friendly, attentive and helpful. Everything we ordered was served hot, freshly made from the kitchen. Each bite was packed with flavor (spice) and a hint of heat – just absolutely delicious. An absolute must is the customizable MáLà dry hot pot, you get to choose your spice level (extra spicy of course!) as well as a wonderful variety of protein and vegetables and the option to add a side. There’s a couple of other locations in NY (unfortunately not yet on Long Island) worth checking out as well if you’re in the mood for some really good, make your mouth & tummy happy, tingly (spicy), yummee Chinese food.
… moreRita Zhang
this is a solid meal, and I would come here again. solidly tasty.
we got small spicy dry pot with two bowls of purple rice which fed four adult women perfectly. I recommend cauliflower (sleeper choice), fish roe balls, glass noodles / sweet potato noodles. you can get anything and it would be good inside. the meat portions aren’t that big though I think (which was fine for me, idc that much. might even be preferable this way)
… morewe got small spicy dry pot with two bowls of purple rice which fed four adult women perfectly. I recommend cauliflower (sleeper choice), fish roe balls, glass noodles / sweet potato noodles. you can get anything and it would be good inside. the meat portions aren’t that big though I think (which was fine for me, idc that much. might even be preferable this way)
Meera Mohan
We walked in without a reservation on a Friday afternoon and were lucky to get a spot. We ordered two Mala dry pots at MaLa Project, one with fish fillet, bok choy, wood ear mushroom, and baby bamboo shoot, and another with eye of round, lamb, and baby bamboo shoot. Both came with white rice and were spicy – kicked a punch! The lunch specials were reasonably priced. The staff was very friendly. Ambience was nice. We also had a lychee black tea which looked good. We’ll be back for happy hour cocktails which also looked good. It’s a great place to come with coworkers or friends, especially if you can handle the heat.
… morecaroline carrello
This place is fantastic. Sarah M. was our server and she was amazing. She was so knowledgeable about the menu and helped us order. Sarah is the best server. All the food was delicious. Definitely will be back.
… moredeepan prabhu
First time,
Limited but very tasty vegetarian or vegan items.
The Xiangi fried rice was savory, salty,
Mildly spicy and a must try.
Definitely coming back to taste the schezwan potatoes !!
… moreLimited but very tasty vegetarian or vegan items.
The Xiangi fried rice was savory, salty,
Mildly spicy and a must try.
Definitely coming back to taste the schezwan potatoes !!
Raymond
We ordered the Dry Pot with beef round and other various add-ons. Although it does get pricier the more you add, the price was justified. It was my first time ordering but my servers Stephanie and Sarah were very welcoming and actually gave us recommendation’s ! The dry pot can serve more than 2 so we took the leftovers home.
… moreVince Reyes
My friend and I had a really good time at the bar. Our servers name was Wyatt and he had really good conversations with us about school and work! He definitely made our night better at Mala project. On top of that, the dry pot was extremely delicious. I would come back here again
… moreGeofrie Piri
Top notch for having Mala Dry Pot! Bunch of interesting high quality options for meat, veggies and seafood. All items will be a la carte so it’s considered pricy but the dry pot worth every penny. On top of that our Server Adam was very attentive providing all we needed to ensure our experience. I’m not really a big fan of spicy foos but their level of “spicy” is not overwhelming which is perfect if you are looking for a place to enjoy spicy Asian food! They also have outdoor space to enjoy your Mala!!!
8.5 / 10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly recommend
… more8.5 / 10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly recommend
Angelica Garcia
Very nice ambiance and stellar service! Didn’t need to wait as we just got seated at the bar. Drinks came out quickly and food came out soon after. The dry pot is quite delectable; customizable to your liking. Wyatt is the best! He made my birthday the best it could be 🙂
… more