Mala Sichuan Bistro Reviews

The Chinese LADY waitress was horrible towards my son who has autism. She claimed my son was bothering the other customers but the customers themselves refuted her. It’s obvious the lady waitress has no tolerance for customers with disabilities. She is not a kind person. Don’t eat here if you have special needs people in your party.

My Chinese colleague suggested we try this restaurant based on reviews he read. We were not disappointed. He raved about how the dishes were seasoned and prepared in a traditional way. I enjoyed everything we had.

Dear foodie readers, we absolutely love Mala Sichuan for those Chinese food cravings…we have been to the Chinatown location, as well as this one…each one has its own unique menu items…the Montrose location has a great mural for those insta selfies…my kids love the kung pao chicken and the cumin lamb…they are excellent. The fried rice is just right. Food comes out in record time…so if you are hungry, you will be eating delicious food in no time.

I love this place. I lived in Chengdu, China, for 3 years and really took a liking to the homestyle cooking. This place does it right including the use of "numbing peppers". I like the ambiance of the Montrose location best. Until moving here last year, I would go out of my way on every business trip to eat here - it's that good. Some of my favorites: dry fried green beans, crispy chicken, twice cooked pork, dumpling with red chili oil, kung pao chicken (this is how it's supposed to taste), lotus root, green peppercorn fish....actually, everything I eat there is my favorite. Friendly staff as well.

Good food has that mysterious way of bringing people together. Familys around the dinner table, old friends catching up over a meal, and in this case strangers becoming friends as we dined on the amazing flavors of Mala Sichuan bistro at the most recent Good Eats Houston private tasting. After stepping through the heavy wooden door, guests were greeted by a colorful floor to ceiling wall mural and contemporary fixtures. I loved that the dining area was upstairs with slightly dimmed lighting, which added a touch of intimacy to the experience. Hostess of our evening, owner Cori Xiong welcomed us, and immediately created an air of excitement as she explained the menu. She focused on the unique numbing effect on the tongue created by the peppercorns used in many of the dishes. This feeling itself is called mala, as in the namesake of the restaurant, and would prove to be an experience in and of itself. We were treated to several appetizers including the standout Garlic Bacon which was a cold bacon wrapped around cucumber and covered in sweet garlic sauce with just a touch of heat. The dumplings were tender with just the right amount of bite to their texture, and filled with well seasoned pork, topped with a zingy red oil sauce. Our main dishes were passed around the table again and again until they were literally scraped clean. We simply couldn't get enough. Favorites included the Spicy chicken dish which was crispy while keeping the meat tender and tossed with sauce, peppercorns and chilis, and also the Water Boiled Fish which was tender braised white fish seasoned well and served over leeks, cabbage and swimming in bean curd sauce. Both of these dishes provided the anticipated mala numbing. The Salt and Pepper Prawns were deep fried goodness, and the Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce proved to be so tender and flavorful it even converted those among us who typically dislike the vegetable. Too often dessert becomes an overlooked and understated course of the meal, But not here at Mala Sichuan. The Mille Crepe Cake is rave worthy, and when you see this treat headed to your table you will immediately understand why. Twenty layers of handmade crepe, twenty layers of smooth creamy filling, painstakingly created over the course of two hours and chilled to perfection. No overbearing sugar flavor here, as the dessert is intentionally created to be just sweet enough. You can choose from four flavors, Tira Misu, Green Tea, Caramel, and Nutella. They make them fresh, and they often sell out. We were lucky to try three of the coveted flavors, leaving Nutella for another day. Our group was split on which was the best, but that is because they were all divine. The perfection cap to the evening. After conversation, a few cocktails, and the amazing cuisine, our group of Good Eats Houston members were happy, well fed, and all certainly looking forward to a return visit. Mala Sichuan is authentic, inviting, and delicious, and provided us with an amazing night out!

We finally had the chance to try Mala Sichuan Bistro this weekend, and are already looking forward to returning. The colorful, contemporary décor was casual and inviting, and we felt welcomed as soon as we stepped through the heavy wooden front door. I loved that the dining area was upstairs with slightly dimmed lighting, which added a touch of intimacy to the experience. We started with the Red Oil Dumplings, which were not as spicy as anticipated but full of flavor none-the-less. We moved on to Beef Flank Clay Pot and Spicy Chicken Dry Pot for our main entrées. The beef dish was a generous portion, and contained plenty of well cooked bok choy, tender vermicelli noodles, and of course perfectly cooked beef, all swimming in a herby, garlicky beef broth enhanced by peppers and sesame oil. It was delicious. The chicken dish was full of tender bite sized bone-in pieces of meat, slightly spicy with peppers, and full of vegetables. This dish was heavily seasoned. Both were complimented by the generous serving of sticky rice that also came to our table. The menu was large and varied. I loved that each item was described well underneath its title, so you could make easy, informed choices. Also worth noting, the menu had plenty of duck, rabbit and even bull frog, so even adventurous diners would be very happy here.

We visited Mala as a family with two young daughters/Granddaughters for a family evening meal. I live in Hong Kong and am a frequent visitor to China and to Sichuan Province. The menu is very typical of high quality Sichuan restaurants in China. The food selection that we made included Dan Dan mien, String Beans, crispy Mala shredded beef, Mala Chicken and vegetable fried noodles. All our dishes tasted well and I thought probably the best that I have eaten outside Asia. The service was excellent and speedt

We ordered fillet tilapia with garlic, ginger, celeries, green onion white sauce. Very tasty. $12.99. Yangchow fried rice does not use soy sauce but salt. We loved it. $7. Chicken with pickled pepper has a perfect spicy kick. $8. The bistro has two locations, Montrose and Bellaire. In Bellaire, you can get a discount if you pay cash. Next time, we would like to try the food street like Dandan noodles and dumplings.

Food was very good and flavorful but service is ok. Dan Dan noodle has a great flavor but a lot of heat the more you eat it. Portions are ok, on the light side. Recommend this place.

This place was totally different from the one that has been in bellaire for so many years. This place to start with has much HIGHER prices for example a plate of spinach here is 10 in bellaire is 6.99, we did not like the service, I e tea unflavored and no ice, our experience here was a disaster that we left and did not ordered anything from the Menu. Go to the one in bellaire and compare the difference.

Very casual dining. Nice staff help with choices. Interesting beer menu, with drafts from specialist breweries both local and nationwide. Did not care for the garlic bacon which was thin cucumber slices wrapped in barely cooked bacon. The other food was quite good, with appropriate spice levels, though not really Sichuan flavors.

We stopped for dinner. Place is in strip mall in Chinatown. Don’t be fooled though Food was great. We had dumplings with red oil sauce which were great. Also had a stir fry tea smoke duck, twice cooked pork belly, and a vegetable dish with eggplant and string beans and basil. Good service too

I have eaten here five times with family and friends. Nice environment, atmosphere, and clean. The service is excellent. Food is great. Most of the courses are spicy but they are good in marking the dishes with levels of spiceness. The chef is very generous with salt. If you like low salt food like me, make sure you tell your waiter or waitress. Even after I told them low salt each time my dishes were still much saltier than my taste. Next time I need to ask them to use a quarter of salt as they normally do.

My son, wife and I closed out a 25th birthday weekend celebration with an early dinner here in the Montrose location. He is new to Houston, we live back east. What Mala served was too spicy hot for my wife’s tastes, but my son and I liked it very much. The red oil pot stickers are superb—next time we will double that order. The Dan Dan Noodles appetizer was substantial in size, but just OK. The beef fried rice was quite good, if not actually fried and a tad buttery. The Kung Pao chicken (a standard for us) was very good, but the cook chopped too many hot peppers into too many pieces. Most Americans don’t mind having these peppers in the dish for flavoring, but most do not really want to eat them, or spend time picking them out. Ask the kitchen not to chop them so small. Overall, Mala is very authentic and offers many “non-spicy” dishes that will better suit my wife’s tastes. It would be fun to explore the extensive menu. Will we go back next time in Houston? Absolutely.

Houston has wonderful regional Chinese restaurants, including a lot of Szechuan/Sichuan options. A friend and I were visiting Houston this past weekend and knew we wanted some Chinese food while we were in town! Mala, being right in the heart of Montrose on Westheimer, was a convenient for us and absolutely delicious! When I say we had a hard time deciding what to order I MEAN IT. We wanted just about everything on this menu. Because of that, we ended up ordering WAY too much food. Our eyes were a lot bigger than our stomachs. We started with hot and sour dumplings, which were exactly as advertised - very hot, very sour, delicious. We then had Mapo tofu (soft tofu braised with ground beef and leeks in fermented broad bean sauce paste and fermented black beans, sprinkled with Sichuan peppercorns), which was really delicious, too. Last, we had cumin lamb (lamb sauteed with serrano peppers, red bell peppers, white onions, garlic, ginger, green onion, and cilantro, in ground cumin, soy sauce, and chili sauce), which was maybe my favorite? If you haven't had Sichuan food before, you should know that's it's known and love for its spiciness. Lots of bold, pungent, spicy food. And Sichuan peppercorns? It's a spice that creates a tingly numbness (there's a scientific reason for this that I'm not sciency enough to understand). Our meal at Mala was spicy and delicious. And, yes, my mouth was numb and tingly (it weirdly makes water taste different, too?). Worth it. Great meal. Check it out whether you love Sichuan food or want to know more about it!

This place serves up authentic cuisine primarily from the central region of China. I used to live there and tasting the wonderful food at Mala Sichuan sure brings me back. The food here is excellent! Mala Sichuan as mastered the complexities of traditional cuisine from central China -- finding that right balance of spiciness and bold flavors with delicate subtleties and textures. Don't expect to see your typical Chinese-American dishes you're used to. Give Mala Sichuan a try; you won't be disappointed.

Gem of a restaurant hidden away behind El Real Tex Mex. Got a great ambiance when you walk in. Service can sometimes be a little slow if busy, but the food is well worth the wait. Every dish is unique and tasty. Beware the peppercorn spice - it creeps up on you over time. Green Peppercorn Fish is by far the best dish on the menu - I believe it's a Sichuan specialty, and the numbness of the tongue after eating it is known as Maaaa! Highly recommend a stop at Mala if you're in Houston and need a fix of spicy Sichuan food.

Mala Sichuan has operated in Chinatown for years, now in Montrose next to El Real, where Mo Mong and Dua used to be. This is the real deal, with such entrees as fried bullfrog. We took a safer route, as do most of the customers in town. Cold Sichuan noodles are fabulous. My friends loved the pork belly dumplings. The green beans were to die for, and the spicy flank steak (actually beef tendon) clay pot was delicious, although definitely spicy. I can hardly wait to go back and try more dishes. Service was very attentive, but a bit rushed.

Our group arrived a little before 9:00 PM, well ahead of the posted 10:00 PM closing time. From the moment we walked in, the staff made it clear we were not welcome. We were told the kitchen closes at 9:30 PM, and rather than being offered proper service, we were given Styrofoam cups — apparently to avoid doing dishes, which came across as lazy and unprofessional. The ordering process was rushed, and any small adjustments we requested were met with visible frustration and even yelling toward the kitchen. The overall attitude of the staff made for an uncomfortable and unpleasant dining experience. This was by far the worst experience we’ve had here, and unfortunately, we do not plan to return.

This food is truly authentic and very good! What a surprise to go out for Chinese food and discover this gem. The menu had plenty of vegetarian options and if you wanted heat as in spicy, it was available in abundance. A couple of the noodle dishes started out warm to the taste but heated up the more a person ate. There were four of us and we were able to share our selections which was a great way to try different offerings. We selected something from each menu sections and all were delicious! The decor is eclectic but there is a definite Asian vibe to the surroundings. Will definitely return when in Houston!

Summary: excellent close to authentic Chinese food, large portions, great service. If you love PF Chang, don’t eat here! Ambiance: industrial chic, dark lighting Hostess: We arrive shortly after opening time for dinner and were promptly seated upstairs. Bacon appetizer- served cold. Pork belly rolled with cucumber topped with spicy oil, broad bean sauce, and slivers of onion. Flavorful, spicy, and unique with hints of numbing peppercorns. Three Pepper Beaten Duck- lightly smoked, very flavorful served with dried peppers, celery, bell pepper, and green onion. Twice cooked pork- perfect! A heavy, oily, lightly spiced but perfectly cooked pork belly with onions, garlic, leeks, ginger, and numbing peppercorn. Fantastic and huge portion. Overall cleanliness: above average Bathroom cleanliness: below overage

Excellent menu choices.. this is probably my favorite Sichuan places with good food and service.. parking is mostly always valet unless you're there at an off time since they share with another restaurant. This food can get spicy in a hurry so it's good to know your level of tolerance.

Came here for a team dinner. This is more of an "authentic" Chinese restaurant - no General Gao's Chicken, for example. Many of the dishes were spicy, and many of the dishes were ones I had never seen before. Having said all that, everything was delicious, and we had a great meal.

Too much attitudes! Either they think they are too good to be in town or whitewashed. I don't get the whole $15 open bottle fee. Take is very close to each other. I can basic share your food or conversation with your dinning neighbors.

Obviously a popular place. All of our plates were good. It is a busy place and, for me, a casual luncheon atmosphere. No complaints about the food or service.

I've been wanting to try this place since it opened in my neighborhood. The reviews were mixed, so I waited. So glad I finally got to try it! I joined a friend for lunch and tried the Funky Noodle and the Eggplant in Spicy Garlic. Both were outstanding—and I'm very picky. I will definitely be back. It's great to have a good Sichuan restaurant nearby. There is limited off-street parking but the lot fills up.

Tremendous service and quickly made dishes so be prepared for a prompt meal. We had several dumplings and cold chicken platters for appetizers. Kung pao chicken and hot and spicy chicken were good. Kids enjoyed the hot and spicy fried rice.

The food here is extremely tasty - and spicy - so don't go there if you are afraid of hot stuff! Service is very prompt and friendly. Generous portions (a dish can easily serve 3, we left with lots of leftovers!). Can't wait to go back and try other things...

Mala Sichuan Bistro has two locations: the original in Chinatown off Southwest Houston's Bellaire Blvd and the other near downtown in Montrose. I visited the Montrose location - and boy, was I in store for a Chinese treat! It was truly an evening spent in Sichuan - without ever leaving the comforts of home. I do recommend! If you aren't familiar with Sichuan or Mala, don't let that deter you from trying this wonderful restaurant. You are missing so much if you do. Enjoy the adventure, you will find that it is not that adventurous, it's just good! The Montrose location is right in the middle of the culinary action in this part of town. You can literally throw a stone from the parking lot and hit one of a number of fabulous eateries. But, you know what happens to those who cast stones... So, we decided to take a little vacation and just walk through the door. The first thing you notice as you walk in is the beautiful Sichuan art painted on the large wall. The server mentioned that the artist had been contracted from Sichuan and all the images were authentic to the culture. Just another element that makes this restaurant something special. We started off with a couple Tsingtao's and wasted no time ordering the small plates. With all the reader recommendations, it was easy to figure out exactly what to try. It was such a beautiful night in Houston that we decided to have our meal on the patio. Our very attentive server delivered a foursome to the table. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. What a beautiful presentation! Although all the apps were delicious, my favorite had to be the Garlic Bacon. Imagine a dish of hand-crafted pork belly, cooked and chilled, wrapped around slices of cucumber, then slathered with a mixture of ground garlic, a sweet and spicy soy sauce concoction, and red chili oil, and finally garnished with julienned green onion. Right off the bat, I could tell where this night was going to take me. Vacation! This app is a must-try here at Mala. Next up were the Dan Dan Noodles: a custom-made noodle boiled and mixed with mala spicy sauce and sesame paste then topped with boiled spinach, Yibin preserved vegetables, spiced ground pork, and green onions. This is a dish I crave at least once a month. Very tasty. What Chinese experience is complete without dumplings, right? Well, the Red Oil Dumplings were the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. House-made, pork-filled dumplings slathered in a mix of red chili oil, ground garlic and a sweet and spicy soy sauce concoction, then topped with sesame seeds and green onions. Remarkably beautiful, just have a look at the photography and see for yourself. That's one thing that is consistent here - everything is beautiful. Of course, we ordered family-style as it is the best way to truly experience a restaurant. We chose the Aromatic and Spicy Chicken, Water-Boiled Fish Fillet, Mapo Tofu and Mongolian Beef. The Spicy Chicken was built with bite-size, dark meat chicken pieces, battered and deep-fried, then flash-fried in the wok with dry red chilies and aromatic, spicy seasonings. Awesome! I didn't find it super spicy, but a couple of people at our table said they felt it was. So, if you like it hot - then go for it. You will love it! I wasn't sure how much I would like the Water-Boiled Fish Fillet made with fresh tilapia. Boiled fish is not something I would normally order. But, that is why I don't always go with my instinct and follow the advice of the chef and locals who frequent the place. The dish is made by braising the fish with garlic and ginger bits in Sichuan-fermented broad bean paste. This fish mixture is then poured on a base of steamed Napa cabbage and leeks, topped with garlic bits, green onion, and red chili powder and finished with a splash of boiling oil. This is such an amazing dish - the flavors are very apparent and in-your-face. I am so glad we ordered this for sure! The Mapo Tofu was a mixture of soft tofu cubes - braised to perfection - with fresh leeks, fermented broad bean sauce paste and fermented black beans sprinkled with ground Sichuan peppercorn. A great soup and one that has received many recommendations from our readers. So, if tofu is your thing, then this is where it's at! Of course, I ordered the Mongolian Beef. It has been my go-to since I was little. The Mongolian Beef was prepared with tender beef slices stir-fried with large green onions, ginger and garlic, then combined with a savory brown sauce. Such great garlic-flavored beef... and the ginger makes it pop. So good! So, my Sichuan experience here in Montrose is a perfect example of what makes the Houston culinary scene one of my favorites. Every nationality is represented in this city - and Mala Sichuan Bistro definitely has you covered when it comes to Sichuan, China. No matter which location you choose, you can be assured it is the right choice.

Food: we ordered several entrées and appetizers. The cool pork belly and cucumber appetizer was a wonderfully refreshing dish on a hot Houston evening. The cucumber rolled with the pork belly then dipped in the spicy Szechuan sauce was simply sublime. The hot dumplings and spicy sauce with numbing peppers were perfect and the sauce is addictive. As for entrées, we ordered several. The cumin Beef was excellent. The cumin flavors were not overwhelming. And the flavor profile developed progressively. First, cumin, then spice, next a hint of numbing pepper- simply excellent progressive flavor profile. A less venturous friend tried the Mongolian beef- Excellent flavors but no spice at all. As for the crispy Mala beef, it was sublime, the flavors started spicy then transitioned to numbing pepper. It was a beautiful rollercoaster of flavors. The tea smoked duck was excellent. Caution on the tea smoke duck-it does contain bones. Service: Great service. Our Chinese waitress was energetic and very helpful. The second evening we dined at Mala we had a very friendly energetic young male waiter. Excellent service across the board. Drinks: Good happy hour specials on draft beer and wine by the glass. Ambiance: classy casual and intimate. During the evening dining rush, the restaurant can be a little crowded. And the tables are fairly close together. Intimate conversation is possible but it is challenging to have a private conversation with people sitting very close to you. Overall cleanliness: above average Bathroom cleanliness: average

We went for early dinner. Good flavor and clean setting. Order the dry hot pot with fish. Pretty good. Hot and sour soup also recommended.

This was our first visit to this place, didn't try the other location. I would say it's good food 4/5 Prices are reasonable And the service is good and the restaurant is nice But I would say nothing is memorable about it

A very unique take on Chinese Szechuan cuisine. Mala is a Chinese peppercorn with a distinctive flavor. A wonderful atmosphere, quiet and comfortable. I highly recommend the DanDan noodles, crispy fried chicken (small bites of delicious dark meat fried chicken) and a surprisingly delicious pork fried rice. The service is excellent and accommodating. So don’t hesitate to get your server to describe dishes or help with recommendations.

So coming here it's not for the faint of heart. The food is rather spicy given that It is Szechuan cuisine but they are always willing to accommodate you and your palate. Admittedly, I'm a bit wimpy, but the food is fantastic and I'm willing to sacrifice a little heat. This is a rather casual Chinese restaurant. The service has definitely improved. There are so many wonderful menu options. I love you to start with the red dumplings and that Dan Dan noodles. I also love the cucumber salad. All the dishes in the hot pot are fantastic. Once again you can have them create a dish from mild to very spicy. It's been a great addition to the Montrose district!!! Perfect for dining alone, or dining with friends and family.

Wow is this place good. Mala Sichuan Bistro is the best Chinese food place in Houston. The best Chinese food place in the Houston area is actually Aling's Hakka in Sugar Land. Note that Aling's is actually a hybrid Indian-Chinese resturant. The food at Mala is wonderful. Mala is a new generation Chinese cuisine establishment. The updates (versus older Houston Chinese) are excellent. The menu is wide-ranging and very tasty. A few notes... The menu is long. Keep reading. Some of the dishes on the back pages are quite tasty Parking is easy and Mala is easy to get to (on Westheimer) The Mexican place next door is not recommend (by me at least) Mala is not inexpensive Mala can be quite spicy. Be careful how much spiciness you ask for. You will definitely get it. Service is quite good Mala is somewhat dark. Not in the abstract sense. The lights are pretty low. I would not consider Mala to be "Kid-friendly". White rice is about it for kids. No milk. There is a second Mala in Chinatown (actually the first one). The Chinatown Mala is less upscale with some very, very good food. Enjoy!

This is hands down one of my husband and my favorite restaurants. We don’t live in Houston anymore but miss this authentic food so much!!! The tofu with ground beef is an absolute must as is the red oil dumplings and Kung pau chicken. Definitely not your average Chinese food, so so much better!!!! A must place in Houston!!!

This restaurant produces a range of authentic and tasty dishes. The atmosphere is typical of a restaurant in Chengdu! It can vary the level of spice to suit!

I had some of the best maps tofu outside of China here. It was delicious! Just the right amount of spice and the tofu to sauce ratio was perfect! The garlic cucumbers were great too. The staff was friendly and the space is beautiful.

This is the second Mala, the original is in Houston's Chinatown. The new location on Westheimer in the Montrose neighborhood makes authentic Sichuan cuisine more accessible to the inside-the-loop crowd. And it is authentic: cumin beef, shredded pork with garlic and wood fungus, and bullfrog with the bone. Spicing is variable but strong Sichuan fire is available. Sharing multiple dishes with friends makes for a great adventure. Service excellent. Prices reasonable. Location easy to find. Non-valet parking plentiful. Bathrooms not the cleanest.

We ordered spicy chowmein, lamb, and eggplant. All were spicy, I suppose Sichuan cuisine. There was plenty of spicy oil. But the taste of each was different, and different from other Chinese restaurants. The Mala Sichuan was in Sugar Land, but it’s not listed in TripAdvisor

My dining partner was in HEAVEN with the hot & sour soup & entree, but holy moley, pretty much everything on the menu is fiery hot. HOT. Except the creamy tofu & ground beef soup, which I call unique and a winner. I don't like fiery hot, I think it hides the flavor of food when you murder your tastebuds, but if you do, you'll be very pleased to eat here.

The food is very good, even the non-spicy items which there are plenty of options for all tastes. The service is outstanding. I think the ambiance here is a lot nicer than the one in Sharpstown. The parking is very tough if you come around meal time.

The Montrose location of this restaurant serves superb Szechuan cuisine. They use the authentic Szechuan peppercorns and don't hold back on the spice. Service and presentation and outstanding too. The dried beef with peppercorns came loaded with an array of crispy sweet/hot dried beef and an array of dried red peppers Extremely flavorful. Dan-dan noodles came with just the right amount of sauce and a hearty noodle. Note. I have been to the "Chinatown" version of this place out in West Houston. It was not as good. (Different chefs?)

So I keep hearing about this style of Chinese cuisine and a group of us decided to give it a try. Service was good, food comes in shareable portions, not badly priced, but the peppercorns that they are known for cooking with are just not for me. They leave your mouth with a semi numb metallic feeling, a strange sensation. Overall glad I checked it out, but I’ll stick to traditional Chinese.