Manting

CREDIT CARD PURCHASERS BEWARE! This place’s business practices are horrendous. I went to pay for my $ 10 lunch with my Mastercard and was told by the cashier that they only accept cash payments. I looked around the room and saw that there were no signs posted that stated that. In addition, the only signs that were posted were VISA & MASTERCARD logos on the cash register, stating that they do have the facilities to process your payment. I even saw a working credit card machine on the counter. When I informed the cashier that there was no sign saying «Cash Only» she merely shrugged it off as «oh well that’s what the management said». I told her that management should put something up at the front door, she said that management purposely doesn’t do that so that people like me would be in this type of predicament. If this place is already practicing bad business etiquette who’s to say they are practicing cleanliness and good sanitation practices??. AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE!

After living in chongqing for a year, real Chinese food in the US is so hard to find! But I finally found it at manting. Everything was delicious and authentic.

Great spicy stir fry around the area, we made here for a quick dinner stop, it’s a pick-​your-​ingredient type of place where they toss everything together, I had it mild spicy it was pretty good!

Sorry happy that there is finally a restaurant for hot wok and spicy stew in midtown. Though not comparable to Flushing or in China, this is pretty good.

Malatang is great! Too spicy for ordinary taste! Hot pot requires at least two pounds without adding extra five dollars, too much for single customers! Wish that they prepare smaller version of hot pot

Dry pot’s the new hotness apparently, so let me break down how it works, at least at Manting. An employee fills up two bowls with raw food for you — one bowl is filled with non-​proteins (cabbage, broccoli, noodles, etc.), the other with proteins (shrimp, beef, tripe, tofu cake, etc.). You tell them how spicy you want it, they cook it all in a hot pot-​style broth, then they pour the whole thing into a giant bowl for communal consumption. You get charged by the weight (different prices for the different bowls).
You can tell the employees how many people are in your group and let them use their best judgement on how much food to put in. It’s hard to know exactly how many mushrooms is good for three people, but they have a good idea about it all. The price came out to about $ 20 for each of us, which is comparable to regular hot pot prices.
For those accustomed to hot pot, this is basically that, streamlined. You have the peppery heat and flavor from the red chilis working its way into all the ingredients, sans the splattering of broth everywhere. You’ll probably still smell a little. The food is good — there’s no chance of you leaving something to drown in the pot for a good hour so nothing is overcooked.
But man, the service really brought me down on this place. I get it, Asian restaurants have crap service. Used to it, and I usually factor that in. But Manting is just a block from Times Square, yet they can’t even handle splitting a credit card bill? I needed $ 50 on my card for work reasons and the rest on another card, and they just couldn’t do it even with the manager involved. I thought this was 2015 where I can buy stuff from vending machines with credit card.
We ended up paying with card and gave them enough cash to cover the difference, but they still messed that up, taking all the cash and putting the difference on the card. Dry pot is an experience worth trying, but maybe try someplace else.

This is a decent place for traditional Szechuan food, especially if you are a fan of spicy pot. Indeed a handful of selections were offered, with protein selection (chicken, fish, lamb, pork, beef, fish tofu) and veggie selection (different mushrooms, cabbage). spiciness also ranges from no spice to extra extra hot. our group only went for small spicy and were already got wowed, so make sure you are not making over-​estimation.
Lunch time could get really crowded and five minute does make a difference. We came in around 1145 and it was still half empty; however by the time we got our food (20 min later), people started to line up and wait for empty table.
Service kind of sucks, as they tend to ignore what you said after you ordered. Nevertheless definitely one of the best spicy pot place in this area.

Native Chinese food. Had their spicy fish dish and eggplant. Great location and a variety of choices for food, will definitely come again.

Rude and unbelievable.
I went alone around 3pm before going to work.
There were 3 table dining.
I order a hot pot.
This lady (either worker or the boss)
Just sit across my table and letting her leg rest by placing them on another chair.
No manner not polite and disgusting.
Don’t Come Here!

Great lunch spot if you work in midtown! As a preliminary note — no Amex, and $ 30 credit card minimum.
On to the review —
To echo what many reviewers have said — $ 9.95 lunch special in the front (choice of 3 entrees, rice, soup) and more «authentic» made to order dry hot pot in the back. There are also some noodle soup options that I plan to try next time.
Since the front is pretty simple, I’ll just break down how the back works. You can order from a choice of various raw veggies and meats. They are priced and ordered by quarter-​pound. All veggies have one price, and all meats have a slightly higher price ($ 2.99 per quarter pound for meats, I forget the veggie). To avoid an additional $ 5 service fee, you must order at least 1 pound. I think that .75 pounds to 1 pound per person is enough. You point at which veggies/​meats you want, they toss it into a bowl (or two), weigh it, and give you a ticket with a number on it. You pay, you wait until they call your number, you then ask for rice, which comes for free.
Pricing-​wise — we got 2 pounds of food for 2 people for about ~$ 26.
Taste-​wise, very good flavors — plenty of mala, garlic, and cilantro. Just a tad bit too salty. Spiciness level is on point with what I was expecting from a typical Szechuan joint, though less spicy than some of the other reviews say. I ordered the medium, and it tasted medium to me, though it’s possible they might have toned it down.
Crowds — really crowded when I first got there (around 1pm on a weekday), but had thinned out a lot by 1:30 pm.

Came here after work and wanted Chinese but something a little better than the quick take out spots that are literally on every block in New York.
Manting is mostly known for their Szechuan fare — their hot pot soups and their dry hot pot. For their dry hot pot, you choose the veggies, noodles and meat/​seafood from behind the counter. They had calamari and spam, which makes for an interesting combo. The thin sliced beef is a must. Then they cook it up for you according to your spice level. I got medium and there were plenty of red chilies in my dish. Very authentic Chinese (you can tell by the employees and clientele.)
There is a two pound minimum for takeout and it’s like 12 dollars a pound. But you also get a couple boxes of rice too so it’s good for a couple meals at least.

Summary: Super spicy Szechuan food. Subtract 2 levels from your usual spice choice. Sizable, shareable portions are great for budget.
Atmosphere: This is a bit like the canteens in Asia but with friendly service to help you once seated. They keep it clean, but it is definitely quite Anthony Bourdain, i.e. zero atmosphere with focus on the food. It is loud and because of pricing attracts a lot of students as well as very confused tourists that don’t know what they are getting themselves into.
Service: Given that this is a canteen, the service is actually excellent. What to do when you arrive can be confusing. If you’re getting dry hotpot, you go to the register/​kitchen area and just pick out what you want. If you’re getting anything else, have a seat and flag down one of the staff. They will get you sorted quickly and can offer suggestions. All seemed to know the menu well. Drinks can either be self serve at the cooler or they can bring it to you. Whatever makes you happy. I can’t imagine other deli-​esque places having staff this accommodating. Full 5 stars here.
Food: It is on the 1 block that has the best food in Times Square. While all the menu items are fine, it is really about 2 categories (listed below) plus whatever protein or fixin’s you choose. These 2 items are:
Dry Hot Pot: Really delicious and one of very few places you can get this without going to Flushing. Definitely can be shared. When in doubt, choose you some winter melon, lotus, and beef…
Stew: Essentially this is regular Szechuan Hot Pot, but after you’ve spooned out everything in the end. The selection they have is pretty darn good and is shareable as there is at least 2 of everything… unless you’re a little piglet like me and want it all for yourself (**yum yum**). It includes a huge variety, i.e. the protein chosen, corn, kelp, bean sprouts, lotus, rice vermicelli, etc). I personally prefer fish as a protein as I philosophically believe that fish– being of the water — soaks up hot pot juice the best. Type of fish is not stated and if you ever ask a Chinese person, they usually just answer White fish, but likely it’s 1 of 3 non-​delicate varieties on any given day as these hold up best in hot pot and are also the cheapest per lb (Tilapia, Basso, or Catfish).
KEY TIP: Szechuan spice often uses oil as a delivery mechanism and attacks the lips and skin tissue down the throat (vs. the nostrils like wasabi or the tongue and taste buds like the jalapeño). Picking from the top of the stew is a bad call… A BAD BAD BAD call… If you want that juicy piece of fish or cilantro temptingly swimming in the top, push it back down in the broth before removing it from the liquid. Otherwise, you will learn the hard way… like my poor Thai friend as she cried the tears of lament to the spice gods for 3 long minutes while I, though expressing friendship empathy, ate my fill unobstructed…***girl, where were your spicy-​country genetic roots to protect you on this one!!***

Totally glad there is a malatang/​wooden bowl (or dry hotpot) place in the city now, but this place needs some work!
When you enter, you will think there is a line that’s inching out the door, but that’s actually the food buffet line where you pick a few items that gets packed in a lunch box. Same as what you would see in a regular deli that serves hot buffet.
Loop around to the back and you’ll see another counter that serves the malatang and dry hotpot. I was trying to find who and where to order from, but everyone there just seemed to be out of it, or focused on something else. There was no one else in line either. Finally, we asked the cashier lady who can take our order, and she rudely told me that she was just the cashier and that she doesn’t take orders. Then she proceeded to ignore us… okay. So we finally found another lady behind the counter and FINALLY, some service. We picked out our veggies and meats (they had a good variety, and it seemed better quality than what you would find in flushing to be honest) and paid for it… we shared one and picked items sparingly but it still came out to be $ 27. Not cheap!!!
We quickly found some seats and noticed that there was a leftover bowl of malatang on our table… barely eaten. I wonder if it’s because it wasn’t good, or because of some other reason — i’ll try it next time and report back ;) After a 5 min wait, we got our dry hotpot in a huge wooden bowl. It was actually pretty good, but way too salty!!! Thank god it came with a bowl of rice, or else I think I wouldn’t have been able to eat all of it. They also have complimentary water in the back that is self-​serve.
Good place to go to if you don’t want to venture all the way out to flushing. But again, service needs work, and I think they need to organize the flow of their restaurant much better and maybe put up a few signs to direct people!!!

Finally, a legitimate ma la tang/​Sichuan Chinese restaurant in MIDTOWN of all places! The food gods have been listening!
Ma la tang is essentially a spicy chinese stew/​hot pot. At Manting, they let you choose your own level of spice, but beware — it’s still spicy. I got the beef tripe ma la tang (hot pot) for $ 12.95 — it’s definitely more expensive than the restaurants that serve this type of food in Flushing, Queens, but you don’t have to travel all the way out there on the 7 to get it, AND you can get it during your work lunch! The beef tripe was fresh, but there wasn’t enough of it. There was a large variety of vegetables in the hot pot as well as cellophane noodles, which is traditional. The soup base was a bit on the salty side, but was very, very flavorful.
There are also options for noodle soups, which I will try next time.
Manting also offers traditional dry hot pot — your choice of various vegetables and meats all stirfried in a spicy sauce — minimum is 2 lbs or else you are charged an extra $ 5. It’s $ 2.45 per ¼ lb for veggies and $ 2.99 per ¼ lb for meats and seafood. Again, more expensive than Flushing, but you don’t have to commute an hour to get it. This is also on my to-​try list.
For those in a rush, Manting has a hot buffet table for takeout as well. It’s something like $ 9.95 for 3 kinds of dishes and rice + soup — not bad, I’d say.
Overall, Manting offers the Midtown lunch crew something different for lunch, and it’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Excellent midtown Chinese option. This place is pretty legit. The service is quick and efficient. The lunch line appears to go out the door, but it moves quickly! Seating is limited, but many tables opened up as you are waiting. My friend was a little put off by the «yelling,» but that;s how you know the food is good.
The dry hot pot was extremely flavorful and delicious! This is a great option for hot pot to go. I can’t wait to come back.

Office is nearby so for some reason I came here three days in a row with different people. Dry pot is better than hot pot but you have to have at least two people to order it, otherwise they charge you a $ 5 service fee for not ordering enough. For dry pot you have to pick your food ingredients. With some staff, the process got super rushed and I felt a lot of stress. At one point, I was pointing at and asking if my friend wanted it, the staff already added a ton of them in my bowl. If you are not used to the low standard Chinese service, my advice is to stay away. Good is good tho. It’s nice to see more authentic restaurants opening up in midtown.

I decided to try this place out after a Chinese coworker let me in on this place.
In the front: steaming platters of your standard Chinese food. I avoided this like a venereal disease. I want the real stuff.
Instead, I ventured toward the back, where platters of raw meat and vegetables glimmered enticingly at me. The menu is on a wall, a mishmash of misspelled words (for example, «Lamp hotpot» instead of «Lamb hotpot») with prices but no descriptions. Confused people darted here and there, looking baffled at how to order, as some more adept native Chinese speakers stepped forward and bravely faced the lady behind the cash register.
«Lamp hotpot please!» I say proudly. She gives me a quizzical look. I repeat my order in both Chinese and English, and she nods. I pay ($ 13). A few minutes later, I’m handed a steaming cauldron of spice, meat, and vegetables. I sit down and taste it. It’s spicy as hell (even though I asked for the mild spicy level). The meat is sliced paper thin and boiled in the soup, absorbing the piquant spiciness. The vegetables also soak up the beautiful broth. At the bottom, there is a surprise of glass noodles, sliced seaweed, and bean shoots. Unfortunately, there are no true soup spoons to ladle the broth into my eager, gaping mouth.
Thirty minutes later, with a pile of used napkins next to me (both to clean up all the splattering hot oil as well as to blow my nose with), I stand up, slightly dizzy from the spice. «This is a truly authentic dish in Sichuan China,» I’m told by my dining companion. It certainly tasted that way.
I’ll definitely be back for more punishment.

Authentic Sichuan fast food.
A bit pricey for what it is and has the ambiance of a cafeteria/​food court (fluorescent lights, generic radio music in the background).
But hits the spot when I have a craving for Sichuan and don’t want to venture out to Flushing. Which is like everyday more or less. In particular this is the only place I know of in Manhattan that serves spicy wok (麻辣香锅) where you can pick your own ingredients by weight.
One pound minimum with $ 5 surcharge. At least two pounds = no additional charge.
I ordered medium spicy but turned out a bit mild (compared to typical Sichuan around the city). Could just be a one-​off thing?
Service is pretty good for what it is. Waiters try to be helpful. Zero wait on a weeknight.

Food was great but overpriced ($ 33.28 for two of us). I had Mala Xiang Guo with a friend and we were really full! There are many items to choose from for your Mala Xiang Guo: beef, lamb, beef tripe, fish fillet, lotus roots, seaweed, wood ear and mushrooms. We had mild spicy and it’s about right. Chinese mild spicy is very spicy for most people, for those who have a low tolerance of spiciness, I would suggest to get the non spicy option.
The restaurant is a little confusing because it is divided into two sections. On the side that near the door, you have the standard lunch bar (choose 3 sides with rice), and on the far side, you have the authentic Sichuan food. There are two different cash registers and two group of servers. I’ve only been to the «authentic Chinese» side so I cannot speak for the other.
Manting definitely worth checking out not only as a good lunch spot, but also if you are adventurous enough to try regional Chinese cuisine. I’ll have Ma La Tang there next time.

Rude service and food is nothing special, portion is small… Why did I come here? … Lesson learned
Fast food service with restaurant price seem to be their business model.. I wonder how long they will last here.