Owners Cori Xiong and Heng Chen introduced their spicy cuisine to Houston in 2011 with the debut of their first location in Asiatown. Now with five locations, it’s safe to say that the demand for more was high. Mala serves authentic Sichuan food with menu items such as beef tendon, red oil dumplings, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, brown sugar sticky rice cakes, and dry pot dishes with beef, basa fish, or prawns. The newest location in M-K-T Heights, designed by Gin Design Group, boasts a pagoda roof, lanterns, and a back bar made of roofing tile used in the Sichuan province.