Manting

Discovered this place by random while I was walking towards Times Square. It looked like buffet at first, but when I walked in it was different. It seemed like, they were known for making Dry Hot Pot Bowls. Everything was shown in front like assembly line. Good Chinese food. I would definitely say their food is on the healthier side. Freshly made to custom orders. Would highly recommend the pepper steak with beef fried noodles. Good portion size. Very clean and friendly staff. Would highly recommend if you are in the area. Stop by and grab a bite. Definitely worth the money. Ambiance - Fast Food nothing Fancy Service - 10/10 WiFi - Not Sure

4.5 stars. I've never been to a restaurant quite like Manting before. And initially found it very confusing as to how to order. Its both a traditional table service restaurant and canteen. You can order food from the menu or choose the dry hot pot. I've had plenty of hot pot before but this was my first time having dry hot pot. You go to the counter to choose the vegetables and the meats, then they weight your order. The veggies and meats are weight separately and you pay by the pound. You tell them how spicy you want the dish to be, they bring the ingredients to the kitchen to be cooked and then to your table once this is done. I thought the dry pot came out so flavorful and so much better than I could have ever cooked with regular hot pot. I absolutely loved it. You also don't end up smelling of hot pot at the end of your meal which is a plus. We also ordered the egg scallion pancakes. The pancakes had a nice crispy texture and wasn't too oily. It badly needed a dipping sauce and this was when we realized that you are allowed to go up and make your own. There's a little spot by the food bar with all the ingredients for making sauces. We noticed quite a few patrons were eating beef malatang so we ordered this. This was also very good. Unfortunately, I was super full from the dry Hotpot and scallion pancakes to fully appreciate it. I think if you're a first timer here you might be confused as to why there's a line at the food bar especially when you're given a menu for ordering. And while the servers were friendly and attentive, they didn't really offer or give you instructions on what to do. You had to ask them or sort of figure it out from observing others. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the food here and found the whole dry pot experience fun. I could easily become a big fan of this place now that I know how to order here.

The decor of Manting is simple, bright and clean. It’s a great place for a quick fix meal. Their service was not the best but attentive and friendly. They served a great variety of ingredients for spicy dried pot with affordable price. Their food was cooked decently but looked not fresh at the counter. The portion wasn’t bad and came with complimentary rice. If we are eager for spicy dried pot we will visit again.

Manting seves the New York's best dried hot pot. You choose your vegetables and meats, then you tell them how spicy you want your hotpot to be. Don't be confused here as they take their spiciness very seriously. I wouldn't recommend very spicy, even the medium spicy is too much to handle , mild spicy is the perfect spice level. You get veggies for $11/pound and meats for $13/pound.

Line is crazy long between 12pm-1pm during weekdays. Excellent place to get stir fried or soup noodles with your own choice of ingredients, from almost 30 items Veg $11/lbs, Protein $13/lbs. This my most favorite item from their menu. They also have prepared dishes. For lunch special, you can pick upto 4 items, with soup and rice included. They restaurant is not too big. But it is very clean and staff are really nice.

Their lunch special includes 4 dishes, choice of brown or white rice and a bowl of soup for $10, which is very reasonable for NYC. Serving style is similar to Chinese restaurants at mall food courts. I picked a spicy fish dish. The fish was not fresh and had a funny smell to it. I also had a pork dish. The pork was a little tough and dry, but also had large chunks of fat go figure. The shredded tofu skin with pork was okay. I enjoyed the breaded spare ribs. My husband said his dishes were a little disappointing as well. We both had the sea weed soup. It was good but served luke warm. They also take special orders, but we opted for the lunch special. FYI, they take cash only for the lunch special.

Happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy is what you'll be singing after eating in Manhattan at this place! Btw going after 6pm is the best to find parking however this place got packed fast! Their customers were talking to us about how they loved the prices and the amount of food they offer. Which was true! The amount of food is huge! And they serve up some awesome Seafood Malatang !! I ordered mine medium spicy. This is a very light in tasting dish which gives you the ability to add more seasonings that you love Thank you for the warm welcome you guys!

The food was delicious. If you're going for dry hot pot, know that the veggies are placed in the front and the meats are at the end so choose wisely when you're picking out what you want. I wanted more meat but by the time I got to the end, there was so much food in my bowl already that I had no choice but to get a little. Also, I should've told them I wanted a small portion of everything I chose, otherwise, it's a big scoop of everything. However, I think each bowl or order is for a table or group of ppl if you're not going alone so the default portions were pretty big. We didn't know this and thought it was going to be individual bowls so we ended up with 2 gigantic bowls of food on our table haha but it made good lunch and dinner for us the next day. It can also get pretty spicy so be cautious with the level of spiciness you choose.

Incredible dry hot pot! I was extremely impressed. My friend and I shared a veggie and seafood mix, and it was beyond delicious. Worth the price for sure- about $25 each, with plenty left over, and including an appetizer. We chose medium spicy, which was a good idea, as it still had a perfect kick to it, with plenty of chili peppers. The squid, fish, and shrimp were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I'll definitely be returning here! I'd recommend going lighter on the vegetables closer to the door- they get better the further you go in line!

Love the food: a vast menu to fit everyone’s palate and their Dried hot pot is my boyfriend’s favorite! Very closely placed tables so might not be the ideal spot for a quiet date but definitely a foodie’s delight! It’s always busy for good reason- the food and service is awesome! I find the staff friendly and helpful