A new Westwood Chinese restaurant opened in March following a trend of Westwood restaurant closures in recent years.

Bruin Bowl Malatang opened on Weyburn Avenue with indoor and outdoor seating and a buffet-style selection of ingredients for customers to customize their bowls with and cook in hot pot broth.

Bruce Chen, the restaurant’s founder, said he aimed to bring the concept of build-your-own malatang bowl to Westwood for UCLA students to experience. As the first restaurant business owner in his family, Chen added that he balances time working in all his business locations.

He is also the store owner of Just Boba located on Gayley Avenue and two other boba shops in Koreatown and Corona.

Chen said he decided to focus his restaurant on malatang, as the dish often brings comfort and unity among people.

“Growing up, malatang was more than just food; it was an experience — something you shared with friends after school or with family on weekends,” Chen said in a written statement. “I wanted to recreate that feeling here, especially in a lively college town like Westwood where students are looking for something that’s affordable, fun, and satisfying.”

Malatang is a Sichuan street food popularized in China, and it is often considered a one-person hot pot. The dish is named after its key ingredient, mala sauce, which contains Sichuan pepper and dried chili that regulates the spiciness of the broth.

Daphne Santos, a fourth-year public health student, said she lives near the restaurant and thought to stop by after walking past the restaurant frequently and seeing how much traffic the business attracted.

She added that the business’s build-your-own concept inspired her to try malatang for the first time, adding that she enjoyed the various broth and noodle options.

Santos said she underestimated the amount of food she would receive for a pound, adding that she now has food for at least the next two days.

Sofia Garza, a fourth-year human biology and society student, said the restaurant’s price-to-food ratio was beneficial to her as a student living off campus, since she has to buy fewer groceries because she has leftovers.

Jasper Yu, a third-year education and social transformation student working at Bruin Bowl Malatang, said he gets to provide a personalized experience despite the challenging work, making his job worthwhile.

The outside of Bruin Bowl Malatang has a stand advertising four of its key flavors: beef bone broth, fish maw and chicken broth, tomato broth and tom yum flavor. Yu said the meal selection is diverse and fits people’s dietary preferences.

“We have over 60 fresh ingredients that you can pick from,” added Chen. “We have a tomato base that is there for vegetarians, and we also have our beef bone broth for the meat lover. So I’m sure everyone can find something they like.”

Santos said it feels rare nowadays to find places to eat in Westwood because multiple restaurants have closed in the last couple of years. In comparison to her first year, Westwood feels empty, she added.

[Related: A look into businesses that have arrived and departed Westwood Village this summer]

“My senior year being my first year off campus and closer to Westwood, it’s just sad to see it all closed down,” Santos said. “Even BJ’s is gone.”

[Related: BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse to close the doors of its Westwood location July 2]

Garza said she liked being able to choose thicker noodles, and she loved how Bruin Bowl Malatang offers some of her favorite items such as rice cakes and fried tofu. She added she plans to come back during finals week when she has less time and energy to devote to cooking.

“I would definitely come back, just because, again, it’s such a cute spot,” Santos said. “And I feel like the choices in Westwood are getting a lot smaller, so it’s a change from getting Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out, which is regular fast food.”