Kid-friendly Suwon malatang restaurant with white broth: Rahongbang

Lately I find myself craving malatang (Sichuan-style hot pot with mix-and-match ingredients) every so often, and this time I went with my family to Rahongbang Malatang Suwon Cheoncheon Branch. Malatang might sound like a tricky choice with a kid in tow, but Rahongbang lets you order the mild, non-spicy white broth too, so it turned out to be a better family meal option than I expected. The adults could pick their preferred spice level while the kid had egg fried rice, which made choosing what to order pretty easy.

Why choose Rahongbang Malatang in Cheoncheon-dong, Suwon?

The biggest appeal of malatang is definitely being able to pick out your own favorite ingredients! Everyone loaded up their own basket, then we ordered our preferred spice level. That day we ordered two bowls of white broth malatang and one at level 1. The white broth let us enjoy it smoothly without the intense mala heat, which was a good choice for anyone who can't handle spicy food. Level 1, meanwhile, gave enough of that characteristic mala aroma and tingling sensation to be tasty without being overwhelming.

How picking your own malatang ingredients works at Rahongbang

The fun of malatang really is loading up your basket with whatever you want to eat. From all kinds of vegetables to mushrooms, tofu, and noodles, you can pick according to your taste, which made it great to go as a family since everyone could choose their own favorites. I especially like piling in a variety of things for a hearty bowl, so even the ingredient-picking time itself was fun.

The malatang we ordered that day was two white broth bowls and one at level 3! Anyone who loves spicy food got the full tingling experience at level 3, while anyone who finds spice too much went with white broth. Being able to choose your own spice level at the same malatang restaurant made it great to visit as a group.

The white broth in particular was relatively mild without the intense mala heat, which seemed like a good option to pick when visiting with someone who can't handle spicy food.

Egg fried rice for 7,000 won that a three-year-old finished

And the menu item that felt like the biggest relief when visiting with our kid was the ₩7,000 egg fried rice. Honestly, the biggest worry when taking a child to a malatang restaurant is 'what will they even eat?' That's why we ordered the egg fried rice too, and it turned out better than expected. The rice was fluffy and mixed with egg, mild and not too seasoned, so it was easy to portion out for our kid. Best of all, our three-year-old ate it really well, which meant mom and dad could relax and enjoy our malatang too.

Large guobaorou: the side order to get with malatang

Malatang alone feels a little lacking, right? So that day we also ordered a large guobaorou (sweet and sour crispy pork). With its sweet and tangy sauce, guobaorou really does pair well with malatang. After eating the tingling, rich malatang, one crispy, sweet bite of guobaorou feels like a whole new flavor! If you're visiting with a group, I'd recommend ordering the large size to share. Alternating between malatang and guobaorou, you'll find yourself reaching for more without noticing. Personally, if you're visiting for Cheoncheon-dong malatang, I'd say order the guobaorou alongside it too.

Is Rahongbang Malatang in Cheoncheon-dong good for a family meal?

What we ate that day — two bowls of white broth malatang, one at level 3, large guobaorou, and egg fried rice — was quite a spread. You can choose your own ingredients and spice level for malatang, and adding guobaorou on top made it feel like a proper full meal. Our kid ate the egg fried rice well, so everyone in the family got to enjoy the dish they wanted. It's great for malatang lovers, but also good to know about when you need to visit with someone who can't handle spicy food, since the white broth option is there.

If you're looking for a Cheoncheon-dong restaurant or craving that tingling Cheoncheon-dong malatang, try loading up your bowl to your taste at Rahongbang Malatang Suwon Cheoncheon Branch. Ordering malatang, guobaorou, and egg fried rice together made for a satisfying family meal.