A new Asian restaurant has opened in Carrollton, introducing the popular malatang trend to the Dallas area. Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang, a chain from Korea, is now offering malatang, a street food from China, at its first Texas location.
Located at 2701 Old Denton Rd. #164, just north of the Bush Turnpike, Tanghuo specializes in mala tang, a dish similar to hot pot, where ingredients are cooked to order in a spicy broth.
While both hot pot and mala tang involve cooking ingredients in broth, the experience at Tanghuo is unique. In hot pot, servers bring ingredients to the table for sharing, while at Tanghuo, customers self-serve. They select fresh ingredients from shelves, resembling a supermarket, then take them to the counter for cooking.
The self-serve approach emphasizes freshness and allows customers to choose their own ingredients. This makes the experience more personal and interactive.
The Tanghuo menu features three main items, with prices based on weight:
Mala Tang: A spicy soup, cooked in broth, priced at $15 per pound.
Mala Xiang Guo: A spicy stir-fried hot pot, priced at $19 per pound.
Gua Bao Rou: Sweet and sour fried pork, with 8 pieces for $19 or 14 pieces for $27.
Ingredients include seafood, beef, mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables, all cut to cook evenly in the same amount of time.
While the prices may seem high, Tanghuo highlights the affordability of the self-serve model, noting that there is no tipping required.
Tanghuo’s Carrollton location is owned by Yoon Mun, a native of Daegu, South Korea, who has lived in Dallas for 13 years and worked in tech. Mun discovered the malatang concept during a trip to Asia and was surprised to find it hadn’t yet arrived in the U.S.
“I want to make malatang a trend here in the U.S., just like pho and ramen,” Mun said. “It’s affordable, personal, and enjoyable with fresh ingredients, great quality, and no tipping.”
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