Brothy Bowl

Sirui Tang

5.0a month ago

The malatang here is so good and tastes really authentic! The spicy broth is flavorful and hits the spot. All the ingredients look fresh. Highly recommend adding tofu skin to the spicy broth！

Stef J

3.0a month ago

Edited 7/29/26: Downgraded from 4 stars to 3 after a second visit. We went on a less busy day to see how things changed since opening. Sadly, it looks like there's still a lot of room for improvement. Lots of veggies looked unwashed, with noticeable dirt and debris. Fewer fresh veggie options, no mushrooms. There was dirty silverware in the utensil trays on our table. The dining area was really hot, it was uncomfortable to eat hot spicy food on a hot summer day with no AC. The bathroom was pretty gross and looked like no one had bothered to put soap in the dispensers. They got their scale adjusted correctly -- the first time I went they charged me for the weight of the bowl. But my noodle dish the second time still ended up being over $30! The food was yummy, but it's just too expensive for what it is. I wish them luck, but there's a lot of room for improvement. Original review: It's open! We went for their first day and it was honestly impressive what they put out their first day open. There were very long lines and it took a long time to get our food, but the bowls were good and the signature broth was really tasty (be aware though, it's traditional Chinese mala style soup, so very spicy). The place is build your bowl style, where you can choose from a variety of ingredients, which get weighed to determine the price, then cooked in one of three styles you choose from. We tried their signature and tomato style broths with a variety of veggies, beef, tofu and noodles. Everything was cooked well, my main problem was how long it took (first day, so still some kinks to work out) and the fact we were overcharged because they didn't subtract the weight of the bowl. The other thing is it's basically the same concept as a hot pot restaurant, but without the fun and experience of cooking it yourself. So, if you find the hot pot experience tiresome and would rather have it done quickly for you, this is probably a good fit. It's like HuHot with Ramen.

Jane Verde

4.0a month ago

Brothy Bowl is a fun new build-your-own soup spot in Madison. You grab a large bowl and tongs, then fill it with noodles, vegetables, seafood, meats, and other ingredients. Everything is priced by weight at $14.99 per pound. The restaurant was clean, had a good atmosphere, and the staff was friendly and accommodating. It was extremely busy, which is understandable since they just opened. My main concern is the ingredient area. It is narrow, so customers tend to crowd around the food. Also, each person receives only one pair of tongs to use for everything, including raw meat, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and noodles. Providing separate tongs for different food categories would help reduce cross-contamination concerns. The soup spoon is also a little too large and awkward to use. Overall, it is a unique concept with a great selection, but the serving setup could use some improvement.

Marianna Kruger

5.0a month ago

The food was amazing and the service was phenomenal, everyone was so sweet. I’m so happy to have a place like this in Madison!

Roy Sutcliffe

5.0a month ago

Amazing food and the staff was very helpful!! Build your own noodle bowl with very fresh ingredients. Even the meatballs seemed home made. Everything had a nice hint of flavor. The signature broth does have a hint of Sichuan but they have a broth that doesn’t if you’re not a fan. I also got crispy pork bites that were amazing and the dessert treat cubes they have are quite nice. For the size of the spot they have a decent amount of seating and it’s very classy and clean.