Had lunch with few buddies at this spot. We were all shocked by how good & authentic this little restaurant is. I am so glad to find such good and authentic Szechuan Cuisine in our neighborhood and I am sure I will develope a strong craving for this place. Highly recommanded.

I got the dry pot and the Sichuan spices they used to season it were incredible. So flavorful and spicy in the way that leaves that unique tingling sensation, which I love.

Decent Chinese noodle shop. I had the pork noodle soup and it was delicious. The mini dumpling is very nice, too. I would say it’s in between a wonton and a dumpling, very tasty anyway.

By far the best, authentic Chinese food is this area of Astoria. If you want food with flavor, go here. Even after moving away I make a point to come here anytime I’m back in the city.

Such good food! Seasoned so well, high-quality and delicious no matter what you order. Friendly staff as well! Really deserves more attention!

Everything here was superb. We got delivery so can't speak for in-person dining but everything was packed perfectly and the food held up well even with a long drive. We got the lamb cumin, spicy crispy chicken, vegetable fried rice and Dan Dan noodles with beef. Everything was delicious and we will definitely be ordering from them again.

Holy cow this is absolutely some of the best Chinese food I have ever had. The Dan-Dan noodles, Juicy buns and dumpling soup are all spectacular. Highly recommended!

Ma LaLa was great when we walked in during their soft opening. The service was quick and the waiters were kind. Moreover the food was great. We had the dry pot with pork belly and mushrooms which was tasty and enough to fill up two people. I enjoyed the crispy spring rolls as well. Definitely adding to the growing and diverse Chinese food scene in Astoria!

Absolutely amazing place. I've been here more times than I can count and everything I've ever had had been delicious. The spice crispy chicken might be the tastiest dish in NYC. Total hidden gem, highly recommend.

One of the best in the neighborhood, I really don't know how they do it.

Spicy food lovers rejoice! Great food. Great service. Limited outdoor seating. I live in the area - feeling lucky to be in this restaurant's delivery radius. RECOMMENDED: MA LA LA CHICKEN. Tell 'em AVATAR sent 'ya!

Amazing tasting food! Absolutely delicious, fresh and good quantity of food for reasonable price! They also have good specials going on if you currently spend $10 you get steamed soup pork buns free and the more you spend the more you get. Great drinks too non alcoholic though

We always get the dry pot at this place and it is fantastic! Just be prepared for the spice levels. The owners are very kind and service is usually quite quick

This is not your typical Chinese restaurant! The hand pulled noodle bowls are absolutely delicious. If you’re looking for an entirely new flavor experience, then this is your place to go. 100% recommend trying the pork dumplings as well.

Absolutely love this place! Great food, super friendly staff and right around the corner. I've lived in Astoria for 16 years, and there's never been a Chinese place even close to this one. In fact, I used to drive out to Flushing to get my authentic fix. No longer. I ate an amazing dry pot last night, and woke up this morning craving more...it's that good.

We ordered takeout from here tonight. The food was absolutely stunning. The Pork "Juicy" buns are extremely delicious (they seriously reminded me of the famous soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai). The Beef fried rice was also a big hit! We cannot wait to go back!

Big fan of this place. Have ordered take out quite a few times now and it’s been consistently great. Recommend Dan Dan noodles, salt and pepper squid, Chengdu pork belly, and cumin lamb (my personal favorite).

I won't lie, I love this restaurant and I've only ever tried one thing on the menu. Lucky me, I don't like to try new things very often, especially when I've found something I love... And I love the crispy spicy chicken here. This dry rubbed or tossed fried bits of chicken with it's unapologetic Szechuan aromatic spice and flavor is just everything sometimes. And no I don't care if it makes my neck warm or sweat drip from my brow, it's yummy af! It's got dry red peppers diced and green peppers sliced and then roasted peanuts all over the place. I think it's also fun to eat with chopsticks. Definitely give this place a yeti, for real Chinese cuisine!

This restaurant is the best Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood in terms of taste.I think I' will come back here to have the spicy dry hot pot again .

We ordered the beef noodle soup, which featured really flavourful broth along with delicious pickled greens, and the string beans, which were delightfully subtle in flavour. They gave us some soup dumplings which were rich and warming. I’m excited to return to try their peel and eat seafood!

I feel so blessed to have such a solid dry pot spot in the neighborhood. I've eaten in and taken out from here quite a lot and it's always been delicious. Definitely my favorite restaurant in the area.

Five stars for excellent service and a truly high level of quality of food. This a few levels better than the typical Chinese restaurant both in ambience and menu offerings. I recommend any of their noodles and dry pot.

The best food I’ve ever tasted !

This place is excellent: the sweet spot between cheap and cheerful Chinese, and fancy, expensive Chinese cuisine. Take the indulgent naughtiness of the first with the beautifully curated balance of the latter and... BOSH! Ma Lala hits right where you want it. Two dishes not to miss: Start with the Mini Dumpling w/ Chili Sauce-Chicken Cilantro. And please get the Spicy Crispy Flounder if your tastebuds aren’t overly bland: it is an almost religious experience, but quite spicy. Nice people, well priced, good times.

The service was excellent and friendly, and the ma la xiang guo （麻辣香鍋）was delicious!

Hot, spicy and flavorfully authentic Chinese food. Try one of the dry hot pots or some soup dumplings. One of my favorite dishes I have had so far is the Crispy spicy chicken. So happy to finally have a really good Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood.

Ate here last night - delicious dry pot and yummy dumplings. The veggie options in the dry pot were delish and looks like there is a no sugar option. Will definitely be going back!

The food was really good. We loved everything we ordered and will return soon.

+1

One of me and my partner’s favorite spots in Astoria! Had the mala dry pot, dan dan mien, and pumpkin red bean cake, and all of them were delicious! Will be back

Ordered Mayo Tofu for lunch today online. Mayo tofu is my favorite and sometimes it’s a hit or miss depending on where you order. This place is legit authentic Mayo tofu and I love the taste! Definitely will order again and must visit soon.

We've been coming here for really spicy yummy food for years! Highly recommend the dry pot, general tso's chicken, mapo tofu

Delicious food with bold flavors! The dishes are always fresh, spicy in the best way, and full of authentic taste. Highly recommend if you love real Chinese cuisine!

Friendly staffs and food was done super quick. Ordered fish & tofu takeout from here and despite being less than $20, portion was big and delicious. A good authentic spot.

I asked for there steamed version of chicken with mixed vegetables. Amazing this place is super healthy.

Had the mini dumpling and wings for starters and dry pot as an entree. Place is a must try!!

High quality food and always cooked perfectly. Portions are great too. We are always satisfied and pleased after eating here.

No frills but mouthwateringly good! So delicious. We loved the lamb cumin (little spicy) and spicy crispy chicken (spicy). Taro bubble tea was also delicious. We will be back!

We love the food, the staff are lovely, and the ample portions have kept us coming back. It helps that we live nearby, but man is this place a gem. These are authentic Sichuan flavors and dishes. We spend more than most when we eat, but that's because it's all delicious and we're okay with leftovers! Please support these fine folks. You won't regret it

Foods very delicious. Serve very good. I will come back

The mapo tofu and fish was absolutely delicious (even delivered). Literally the best I ever had !

amazing food i feel lucky to live close to this restaurant

The food here is always amazing. I usually get the dry pot, cumin spiced lamb, or spicy crispy chicken. For appetizers the cucumber salad is great. I will say, though, having been getting malala for two years now, the spicy level has ramped WAY up the past few months. I used to eat the spicy option; tonight I got medium and I can't even finish it...and I lived in China for a long time.

So I wasn't at the resturant but I did a uber order pickup of a wonton soup with small shrimps and a green tea boba and dumplings and fried rice and it was so tasty and deliscious. My god so good and recommend to anyone the soup was a an absolute must it felt cozy and relaxing. Will be ordering from here again.

I was craving for spicy boneless flounder filet fish, I live in the neighborhood and ordered a pick up. I must say, the flavor hits the right spot! Flavorful spices and delicious! The fish is fresh! The spicy soup is yummy! Nice and clean packaging! Thank you for having this cuisine in the neighborhood! Very good and highly recommend! Don’t have to go all the way to flushing.

Delicious authentic sichuan food with a cozy atmosphere and friendly staff! My brother and I loved the crispy fish and burning noodles.

The best noodles in Queens. The dishes are gourmet but casual and with really reasonable prices too! I’ve lived in Astoria for years and this is one of my absolute new favorites. Ambience is chill (nice music) and spacious too— definitely a hidden gem.

Love their Mapo tofu and I appreciate that they offer a vegan option. Very tasty and affordable.

It was my first time trying spicy dry pot, which is any combination of meat, seafood, vegetables, and/or noodles stir-fried in typical Sichuan mala spices. There are 4 different spice levels to choose from: mild, medium, spicy, and very spicy. I chose spicy and it wasn't numbing but definitely packed enough heat. The chicken dumplings with chilli oil also really hit the spot on a cold autumn day. Service was prompt and friendly, and the servers were wearing masks. I'll definitely be back when I'm craving Sichuan cuisine!

Food is so good- we get the dry pot and it’s always fantastic- just look at that photo.

The best mapo tofu in New York! Delicious, I have been to a lot of Cantonese and Sichuanese restaurants for mapo tofu but this one remains my favorite

Yongxi Zheng

"Absolutely amazing dining experience! The food was exquisite, the service was impeccable, and the ambiance was perfect. Highly recommend the dry pot —it was a standout! Can't wait to return!"

Will K

Really delicious dry pot. The potato and fried flounder are my two favorite options.

Zarina Mae Abardo (Zarina)

I've been ordering spicy dry chicken here for months since I found them. It's by far one of the best crispy chicken dish I've ever had. If my stomach was more forgiving with spice I would buy it everday. Luckily, the chef read the notes I left on my to go orders and has been accommodating with lowering the spice level.

Stuart Davis

Had delivery a few times before and came tonight to eat in person with my wife and we loved it. It is a very tiny space but very nice. We split the stir fried bok Choi and the fried chicken mini dumplings. They were both good but the dumplings were especially great. She got chicken with broccoli and I got Mala chicken; both were also great. Finally, they gave us a free cucumber salad which was actually the best thing we had! The staff were not very talkative but very nice! I will definitely go back! No question.

Tee

We ordered for delivery. I don't like how they provided absolutely no sauces or utensils. Food was absolutely delicious. I've been craving the dry chicken with fried rice. I got some for bae or the beef and broccoli and white rice and he loved it. Been craving this past few days and can't wait to get some again.

Philip Reizenstein

Small family run place. They made the dumplings to order and they were small delicate and delicious. Melted in my mouth. Also had a spicy peanut noodle dish that was too much for me to finish but was topped with fresh peanuts and spices and was delicious. This is one of those hidden neighborhood places everyone is looking to discover.

Bill Yu

Love Chinese but want a little added oomph? — then this is the place to get it. As a resto specializing in hot chili spicy food, it’s mild compared with other Szechuan or Mala places but still oozing with flavor. Highly recommended hands down. I got the egg with shrimp (good wok hei), crispy spicy chicken (the best of this order), tantanmen (tasty but could go up 2 notches in heat to taste more authentic), and pepper pork.

Sue-Ann Jarrett

An excellent choice at any time. Went here for the first time today and you can guarantee I will be back. We had such an amazingly simple and lush/wholesome meal that left us feeling full yet light at the same time. Everything was fresh, made to order, and just simply perfect as it relates to spice ratio. The service was impeccable and so were our drinks.

Carl Torola

So great 👍, I must've looked too immature as our server advised me to downgrade my spiciness level down, and try the spicy next time! Recommend the Ma La Dry pot, shown here is corn, mushroom ears and knotted noodles, ordered completely at random as I have no idea what most of the stuff is. It was tremendous! 🤠

Michael Yeung

Authentic Chinese food, which is hard to find in the Astoria neighborhood. Lots of diversity in a wide menu. Friendly staff. GREAT lunch special. Highly recommend the mapo tofu with flounder and white rice.

Polly Anywhere

Such a neighborhood gem!!! Everything tastes so good; the two of us had a feast over steamed pork cabbage dumplings, garlic cucumbers, dandan noodles, and mapou tofu. Yum yum yum. Even their rice is super good. The place is very clean with great service too!

Ron

A great authentic dry hot pot option in Astoria! Very grateful I don’t have to venture out to Flushing for this cuisine anymore. You can never go wrong with the spicy garlic cucumber appetizer and in the dry hot pot get the thing slice beef, fish, enoki mushrooms, cilantro, ribbon noodles, and a veggie like bok choy. You can choose your spice level and for those who have never had northern Szechuan food before: beware the pepper corn. This is a unique type of spice that you may have to grow to love and once you do there’s no going back! Malala can be very busy on weekends in which we have waited 20 mins instore after ordering ahead about 40 mins but that was after the pandemic when they seemed short staffed. Dining in is always a great experience as well with their soothing decor and relatively quiet ambiance. They can rarely be stingy on portions but we typically always have leftovers for lunch the next day with a typical hot pot order!

Sarah Cohen

Clean, cozy, fast, well priced. Came here with a friend for a sit down meal. We ordered a whole bunch of food- it was all great! Fresh and not greasy at all.

Gia Sykes

They're super fresh and not to mention - the portions are extremely generous. They read any notes you leave and you can ask for white meat on any dish. Super super savory and just feels like an amazing hug in your belly. They also have great customer service! I love this place and super thankful they're on EATS.

Yi Zhang

As good as any noodle place in anywhere in NY. Feels like I'm back home in LA. Been here twice. Everything I ordered is so good ( : love this place! Amazing comfort food: homey with deliciously executed seasoning and flavors!

+3

Very good Chinese food. The Szechuan dishes have enough spice to feel not generic. This is the only Chinese takeout place we’ll consider in our neighborhood.

A small but cozy and clean place. The Sichuan dishes are delicious! I like the spicy taste. The staffs are nice and polite. It's a good place for a quick spicy lunch.

Pretty good ma la dry pot but it’s expensive to build—a bit much to charge $4 for cilantro in your food!! Standard at other dry pot places is do this by weight instead of charging per ingredient which I think is also more fun as you can control the quantities you want for different ingredients and can build a more robust pot. Overall, food is good and I may return to try other things

Nice place to have comfort food. Ordered the dry pot and was pleasantly surprised. Make sure you ask for less spice. There medium spicy was more hot than medium. Being new the waiter was a bit hesitant and kept apologizing for nothing. Bubble tea was good. The shrimp fried rice tasted good but could use a bit more egg. Don't bother with the potstickers, very plain.

Open with only 2 table for social distancing, the staff is super nice. Food comes fast and it's pretty good. We tried it on delivery too, still taste good. Try their spicy sichuan chicken in the restaurant, on delivery it's loosing the crunch. We will come back sometime later. Warning: no alcohol served in the restaurant but you can bring your own Warning 2: pay cash for discount !

Good to have another noodle option in an area that's lacking. Got the chicken sambal noodles and it was a good size bowl of what seemed like fresh, handmade noodles with a fragrant spicy sauce with a hint of Szechuan chiles. Overall it was good if not great - the noodles were good and chewy, it had good flavor, but I can't think of anywhere else in Astoria which has anything with that kid of flavor profile or quality of noodles. It's fast casual style with an atmophere that's smart but not super comfy, so probably not somewhere you're going to linger too long. Prices were a little higher than most similar places in the area, but next time I want a quick bowl of noodles or dumplings, I'll be back to work my way though the menu.

JJ Jones

Highly highly recommended. I love their Chinese soup dumplings. You must try the dry pots and the amazing choices of proteins and vegetables. Some of the best Chinese food in Astoria. Be careful with the spicy options. The number 4 level is really hot for most people.

+12

Suman Fayyaz

This is a cozy little chinese spot in Astoria, but very nicely decorated. We ordered dan dan noodles, beef soup noodles, chicken dumpings, vege crispy rolls, and orange chicken. Loved how soft and juicy the dumplings were and the rolls were very crispy as well. Dan dan noodles were spicy and I totally loved them. Beef noodle soup bowl was huge and it was amazing. Loved the broth and the noodles - beef felt like slightly on the drier side, but it tasted good regardless. Orange chicken was on point as well. The staff was super nice and the service was cook. Prices are extremely reasonable. I would recommend!

+1

Not bad. After living in Flushing Mandarin town for a year prior to Astoria relocation, I can testify to my palettes perchance for authentic Chinese food. Albeit this falls somewhere in-between from the usual take out joints and under the full scale non-Americanized Main street varieties....it is decent. I had the Kung Pao Ding which seemed a tad bit to salty and the scallion pancakes which were disappointing. Very thin, small and not worth the price considering the more tasteful variations being sold at other take out venues in the area. Not too mention no dipping soy sauce so it was left semi-oily and tasteless.

I like the idea of this place, but was disappointed in the food quality. I thought putting broccoli and other vegetables in beef noodles was not authentic and a little lazy. A Chinese vegetable like bok choy would be more appropriate. The broth was a strange color red and not full of flavor as beef noodle broth should be. The dumpling wheel looked nice but the skin was tough and the filling underwhelming. I'm happy to see a place like this in my neighborhood, but I was a shocked at the steep dinner prices and don't think the value matched the price. Maybe I'll come back for lunch when I need a noodle fix.

Service super slow. I ordered take out. Waited a bit. 3 men came in, sat and down waited for a friend that used the facilities then ordered. Their food was served as I waited. I asked for my food again. I was told it's coming. I waited for another 10 min. Finally was handed a bag. I walked a half block home. Soup dumplings were cold. My noodle dish was bland. I think dine in is their strength.

This place was recommended to me by a friend of mine. They rely mostly on deliveries. Indoor dining is possible, they have around 7-8 small tables, nothing fancy. They do not play any kind of music, a bit sterile atmosphere. All employees were wearing masks when I was there. Service is fast, maybe too fast since I received my food (2 dishes) within 5 minutes! I had a wonton soup which was quite bland and tasteless (water, algae, scallions and wonton noodles) and lomein with beef (an average quality). I think I chose a wrong dishes, although I asked the waitress for a food recommendation. Prices are very moderate, the soup was $10.95 (big bowl) and noodles were $12.95. Anyway, I will give place the second chance. They close the kitchen at 9:30pm, so keep that in mind. MaLaLa does not sell alcohol. Location: corner of 42nd Street and 30th Avenue. Close to Steinway, Q18 bus, and R and M trains.

Sledge Williams

A forgettable lunch I had here. It's not terribly bad but I can name a couple other Chinese restaurants I've had a better experience in. The restaurant is a few blocks from the main street of Steinway so it'll take a bit of searching. Going inside, the area is rather abstract. Pink flower wallpaper on one end and dry wall on the other, it's kinda off-putting but I didn't come here for the atmosphere anyway. Service was lukewarm, I got my order in but the two workers inside weren't too receptive and the menu itself is kinda barebones with most of their food being a bit more than I would like to pay for so I just settled on one order of Singapore Mei Fun. After waiting 10 minutes for my food to arrive, the Singapore noodles which are usually spicy were kinda salty but it was nothing a bit of duck sauce wouldn't fix. This one order cost $17 while not the worst Singapore Mei Fun...well technically it is, even though it's not horrible but I've had much better from other places for a stable price of $12. Yeah, a rather disappointing visit. Not the worst I've ever had but could be so much better.

I recently ordered dry pot takeout (beef, ribbon noodles, tofu, bok choy) and kept crunching on very hard objects as I chewed. I couldn’t bite through so I spat them out. They were tiny pieces of black rocks. I would’ve lost a tooth if I kept chewing. The dry pot itself was decent. I prefer the dry pot in Flushing more. Very upsetting because I wanted to give this place a chance.

This place needs major improvement. I had high hopes. Their menu has some more traditional items plus some typical American Chinese items. I wasn’t hungry the day we ordered so I just nibbled on what my Guy and his mom got which were more on the American side of Chinese takeout. General tsao and kung pao chicken. I paid extra for white meat in the general tsao. First of all. It was basically cooked in bbq sauce. 2nd. I’m not sure that was chicken. It was glops of dough with some sort of stringy dry substance mixed in. Unbearable. It could not be eaten. The kung pao was acceptable but not very flavorful. Fortunately I was able to doctor up the kung pao and they shared it. neither of these are my go to but I can tell when a restaurant is just trying to pass the buck. I’m very glad that I did not try their noodle soup with beef and sour cabbage. I’m afraid it might have been a disaster..

I bought these 5 dishes for Chinese New Year dinner with my family. I got severe food poison after just 6 hours. I couldn't sleep well or even get out bed for 2 days because I was so sick. $120 all wasted! So disappointed because we were looking forward to a nice dinner. Terrible experience! Cumin Spicy Lamb 香辣孜然羊 Pickled Cabbage Boiled Flounder 酸菜鱼 Spicy Crispy Chicken 霸王辣子鸡 Spicy Crispy Flounder 香辣鱼片 Dan-Dan Noodle 担担面

The food is sometimes good, but I gave it a 1 rating because the customer service was not the greatest they messed up my order and didn’t want to deliver the correct order to my house. I had to dispute the transaction with my credit card company. I’m always ordering food from them the last 3 years very dissatisfied in the customer service part how they handled the situation.

Wouldn't go here again. Food was served at room temperature at best and nothing was flavorful. we ordered the Dan Dan noodles and they tasted like nothing. Pork buns were room temperature at best, which made me worry about how long they had been sitting out. The veggie hot pot that my friend ordered was decent. Scallion pancake was so oily I couldn't eat it. Whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth and I left hungry.

Bland food, horrible service, & overpriced. They also have a C rating that they hide behind other signage.

Very salty dry pot, we were the only ones and the staff was watching on her phone. She had to be called multiple times for things that other places would initiate asking customers about. They never offer to refill your glass. They’re not thrilled to have your business, and it’s as if they don’t want you there. Spend your money elsewhere. Food is salty, service is subpar, value for money is low.

Before the pandemic and for the first year of the pandemic, Malala was AMAZING. Now it is absolute garbage. I can't believe it's still open. I never see anyone there when I walk by!

Tasteless , shrimp fried rice how can u mess that up.this is my first time ordering here, and I did so because of the reviews, I will never order here again.

Try this because of Uber eat, order a dinner take out of broccoli and chicken. It's horrible. No taste at all. broccoli is over cooked and yellowed. the sauce is poor done, way too much cooking starch. stuff is stick together. Maybe worst Chinese takeout ever.

Mark Zamora

I used to order from here all the time and absolutely loved it. This place was once the best in Astoria, but sadly not anymore. My recent order of beef noodle soup was the saltiest dish I’ve ever tasted—it was basically pure sodium. When asked if I wanted it spicy, I said just a little, but what I got was overwhelmingly salty instead. I even tried diluting it with hot water (¼ cup soup to ¾ cup water), and it was still unbearably salty and oily. It burned my tongue, and I couldn’t finish it, I ended up throwing it away. Honestly, if you’re looking to raise your blood pressure, this would do the trick. Maybe this was just a bad batch of food made but I was very disappointed.

Isaac Lal

Don’t be fooled by this seemingly upscale Chinese Szechuan restaurant. The food sanitation grade is a C, with 45 violations. They’re hiding this from the public by not putting their grade up, along with most people not caring. This should be taken very seriously, and I hope this review can reach more people before they eat here.