Mongolian Grille

Closed with a for lease sign in the window.

As of 1−28−12, this place has CLOSED and I am told there are no plans for it to reopen as Mongolian Grille…
so sad…

This is by no means a bad lunch option. The food bar is much cleaner than it used to be. The food is pretty good and the service is quick.
As much as I used to love Mongolian Grille, Genghis beats them hands down with the variety of options available on the food bar.
Add this to list of restaurant options for avoiding the catered rubber chicken at the Convention Center.

My first time in Mongolian Grill was maybe on a strange day, around 4:30 on a Saturday, so no business lunch crowd or convention center events to deal with. That said, it was pretty much just us there, but again, rainy weird time on a Saturday, so we got some pretty amazing service. The hostess gave us a nice little booth, explained the DIY stir fry process, and made sure that our drinks and side items were full throughout our meal.
The vegetable station was amazing. I’ve never had bamboo, and it’s delicious. The complete freedom to make whatever you want is super wonderful, and all of the vegetables looked really fresh. The entire station was well-​maintained, no spillage among vegetables or onto the floor. I picked out all of my favorites, some rice noodles, and some chicken. Although the meat station is strange looking, since everything is frozen, the meat itself was delicious in my end product so I have absolutely no complaints about the initial presentation.
The sauce bar is ridiculous (in a good way). There are a ton of options, which I would have found really intimidating if there was a big line behind me, but since we were there during a slow moment, I was able to really take my time in creating a sauce. I used one of their suggested recipes (Hot, Spicy, Garlic) and added some chili peppers and fresh basil leaves. There are so many options, I can’t wait to go back and try more of them.
Watching the stir fry process is half the fun of the experience in my opinion. It really built up my appetite, and was just interesting to observe with the big scary grill and everything.
The meal itself was incredibly delicious (thanks to my perfectly created sauce, I’m sure). The hostess reminded us about halfway through that it was all-​you-​can-​eat, which while super exciting at that moment, turned out to be a bummer because I was WAY too full to eat another plate at the end of the meal. In the future, I would go there super hungry just so I could eat two plates, and even then make an intentionally small first plate to save room for a second go at the veggie station. (SO. MANY. BEAUTIFUL VEGETABLES. I can’t emphasize enough.)
The stellar review aside though, I decided on four stars instead of five just because if you were there on a busy work day or a day when the convention center was buzzing, it would be really difficult to put together a plate and a sauce in a line without feeling pressured. While the system is perfect when you’re alone and can take your time, in a really busy time, I think it’d be scary and intimidating. But still, four stars, ridiculously good, absolutely go try this place. If you can make time on a rainy Saturday, not during lunch hour, that’d be a good get-​to-​know-​you time.

YUMMY! This is great food for a diet. You can control your own portions. Mostly I mean you can control the amount of carbs you intake vs. stocking up on veggies and chicken. I loved coming here! When I was in Austin last week I came 2x for a hot and healthy meal. Got to stock up on my veggie intake.
My recommendation is to go at it with 2 plates. This way you can create one large satisfying dish. One dish cooks down to barely nothing. Use 2 plates… trust me on this one.
As for the Thai selection, go ahead and skip that all together. It’s really greasy and kind of bland. Next time I’m in Austin, I’ll definitely be back.

They pretty much threw some weird bread on the table and told us how to prepare our food. When I was getting sauce, there was a long, black hair in the hot sauce. The people that worked there just looked miserable, like they were being tortured to stay there. The bathrooms were gross. Avoid.

Very good. My husband and I ate there for lunch and he ate the chicken and I got the beef. I did like the beef better. Meat is really thin with no fat on it. We both seasoned our dish with sweet BBQ that was recommend. I would go back.

We were at a big event down at the Convention Center the other day and for a quick lunch, we went to Mongolian Grille. I thought, «Hey, a stir fry wouldn’t be too bad, would it? We’d be in and out.» Unfortunately, knowing there were a few thousand people seeking lunch, I knew it wouldn’t be the case the moment we stood in line and waited.
It took us the full hour from door to having our dish stirfried. We would’ve left earlier, but we were kind of stuck (since there were coworkers to contend with). We were back from the lunch break after 30 minutes being late for the afternoon portion of the event we were attending.
I know it was very busy– but a place like that in that location needs some kind of high traffic system in place. Being close to the convention center, there should be either an extra stir-​frying stone or more personel to assist with preparation to get people in and out. Also, the line where you choose your ingredients was a big mess and it would’ve been nice if someone came to clean it up every so often.
That all being said, those are the bad things. The people themselves were actually very nice and tried their best to move things smoothly along– with one person even writing up tickets and assigning tables. It looks like they were making an effort to get people in and out smoothly, but I think the facilities themselves do not allow for a large influx of people all at one time.
The food itself was pretty good. I like that you can just concoct a recipe– and I can’t tell you what mine was because I don’t remember. The selection of ingredients is pretty vast and I enjoy the fact you can make your dish just how you want it with practically whatever you want. So the food itself can be tasty depending on what you choose.
So overall, great food, good effort with service, inadequate facilities for a high traffic area. I’d like to see them expand to a 2^nd grilling station if they can to accomodate for convention center traffic.

I go here every time I’m in downtown Austin for technology conferences and last week was no exception! After wowing the crowds at this year’s InnoTech conference, I walked on over to Mongolian Grille for a quick, delicious lunch.
Their service is wonderful! One of the owners was in line right in front of me and couldn’t have been nicer. His recommendations for spicy Mongolian style was excellent! The food is wonderful and the price is amazing for the amount you can get and the show that the fellas put on when samurai-​ing your lunch on the ridiculously hot round grill.
I’ll continue to visit the Grille whenever I find myself downtown and encourage you to do so as well!

Have loved this place for years, but it had been in a slow slide downwards. Then I noticed that I got a grumbly stomach every time I ate there and skipped it for a year. Went back today for lunch, and everything I loved was still there, while everything I disliked has been fixed. Don’t mind the slight thrift store décor feel at all, and it is much cleaner. In particular, the quality of the meat is better, and the vegetables kept filled. Before, I would see fresh veg go down on the older stuff, so that if things were running out, you could get some pretty sad food. Today, it was fresh bins with the older stuff with put on top or taken away.
Also, I don’t eat grains, which makes many restaurants impossible. The DIY aspect of Mongolian Grille is perfect!

I’ve been watching way too many episodes of Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America lately, because the minute I walked into Mongolian Grille, my first thought was that Gordon needs to swoop in here and save the day NOW! The restaurant was dark, empty, and smelled too strongly of dirty water and industrial cleaner.
I didn’t let the ambiance, or rather lack of, deter me, as some of my best meals have been enjoyed at establishments like these. So, onward to the food. Mongolian Grille is a DIY stir fry set up that allows you to pick your own veggies, meats, and sauces, then a chef will stir fry it up for you. I’ve never really been a fan of this scenario. I figure a trained chef should know more about flavor combinations than me, but my husband loves this sort of thing, so I went along.
Sadly, the veggie/​meat/​sauce buffet was sad, sad, sad. The veggies all looked as if they were sliced days ago. The meat is served as little frozen (freezer burned??) discs, and set up last on the table to prevent you from adding much to your now stuffed bowl. On to the sauces. They have a plethora of sauce bases, and you have to either wing it, or follow one of the many «recipes» listed above. This proved to be much too confusing to me, and I would have preferred a selection of a dozen or so pre-​mixed sauces instead.
My resulting concoction was decent, but nothing I couldn’t put together myself with a bag of frozen stir fry veggies at home.
I’ve been looking for a new place to add to our rotation of weekend lunch options, but Mongolian Grille is not going to make the cut. :(

Given that Fire Bowl Café is one of my favorites, you can believe that I’m a fan of DIY stir-​fry restaurants. However, Mongolian Grille in general, and this location in particular, leaves me feeling decidedly «meh».
As you can tell from the Unilocal photos, the exterior is somewhat sad-​looking, and the interior is only slightly better. The lighting and mirrors aren’t bad, but the ripped vinyl booths really give it that old bowling alley feel. The selection of ingredients is pretty large, but the freshness and availability of some ingredients is lacking. No bell peppers??? (The meat is frozen and put out sparingly for good reasons; I have no complaints about the freezing or the taste of the meat.)
The real downfall of Mongolian Grille though is the sauce situation. With more than a dozen customizable recipes, you’d think it would be picky-​tarian heaven. However, the process of ladling out a half-​dozen liquids fails for several reasons: It’s time-​consuming, which slows up the line. It’s messy when ingredients drip into other ingredients, onto the counter, and onto the floor. It’s impossible to guess what the finished product will taste like (e.g. the main ingredient is called «Combination Sauce»). And finally, much of the sauce runs off or burns up in the cooking process. For instance, it’s simply impossible to stir fry a coconut milk-​based Thai curry on a flat grill with reasonable results. My wife tried that, and it just ended up being dry and burned tasting.
My suggestion: Premix a half-​dozen well-​tuned sauces into pumps or squeeze bottles, with extra ingredients like oil, chili paste or garlic available to be added to personal taste. For extra sauce or sauces that don’t grill well, have an area for sauces to be added after grilling.

I bought the recent groupon for Mongolian Grille because I have had great experiences at choose your own stir fry type places in the past. I went there on a Sunday with my girlfriend and as we walked down the buffet of raw veggies and meats we were both pretty dissapointed/​discusted with the place.
We would have left and looked for something else except that I had a «free» meal voucher. The entire place is grimy and dirty. Both meat and veggies look old, as if they had been sitting out most of the day. We avoided the meats for the most part and loaded up on wilted veggies which we then sauced and had cooked. The result was decent but neither of us has any interest in returning here. I would avoid this place…

Fan-​freakin-​tastic. I love any kind of ethnic food, but there is something to be said about knowing exactly what you’re getting and having it prepared in front of you. Fresh ingredients and there was even a lady checking food temps as we were in line. This is a wonderful place for lunch and I left with a smile on my face.

I love the food here. You can’t go wrong with a bowful of sauteed veggies. You can make your own sauces and they are marvelous! However, the ambience is greatly lacking! My boyfriend and I disucssed how they restaurant had obviously «remodeled» an old night club. By remodeled I mean, put in brighter lighting. The orange and yellow walls are covered in mirrors and the old dance floor is filled with booths.
There is also almost no parking! So, when you consider the price make sure to factor in the $ 8 parking you’ll need to pay for as well!

I must say the reviews for this place really surprises me. I have been to the one in Round Rock and it must be own by the same owner because the grill is the same and the food quality the same, just average and really below my expectations.
Maybe I’m spoiled by the BD’s Mongolian Grill in Michigan. The concept is the same, but the food in the Austin restaurant is really poor. All the meats are frozen and thinly sliced. Sliced thinner thinner then bologna. The vegetable selection is good and maybe that is why all the women rate this place so highly, but if you are a meat lover you will be disappointed.
Only 3 types of meats: chicken, beef and pork. In Michigan, they had thick cuts of 7 kinds of meats. Two chicken, Two beefs, pork, shrimp and sausage. Going to this Mongolian Grill, I feel like they really cheapen the brand and are just trying to maximize profits. They dont even provide separate bowls for the sauces. You have to mix it all together and its all cooked at once.
Now maybe, if I have never been to a Mongolian Grill before, but would say its great. It’s $ 10.50 for all you can eat and they cook right in-​front of you. But the quality of the food, just isnt there. I cant say I will be ever going back again.

Don’t know if I’m kidding myself or not, but I always feel good about myself after eating here instead of usual fast food fare or cheesy Tex-​Mex. I load up on veggies, add copious amounts of garlic, ginger and hot sauce and other yummy sauces and am happy scarfing it all down.
My only complaint is that I wish they wouldn’t put the rice and bread out on your table while you’re waiting in line to get your food cooked. It’s cold by the time you sit down and I never remember to tell them to wait because I have CRS, especially when I’m hungry.
I also wish they had a south or central location because their parking truly does suck big time. Even when you find a place, you have to pay — that always peeves me.
Otherwise, one of my very favorite places to eat in Austin.
Update: I really hate it when they don’t have the bread, which is a big plus that sets them apart in my opinion. I was told today that the bread machine has been broken for a week — not cool!

DIY dishes are my favorite. You can choose what vegetables you want, meat or not, and create your own sauces from the available samples. It’s a buffet but it is good quality and healthy. The chef grills it up for you and it is delivered to your table with soup and dumplings.
Oh did i mention the lucky 7 business card? Eat 7 meals and get one free. 2 down and 5 to go!!!

Drunk? Tired? Hungry? Ate Best Wurst 6 nights in a row and have an insane case of heartburn? If so, welcome to the next best thing… Mongolian BBQ!
These kind of places are like sex… even when it’s crappy, it still ain’t that bad. After all, when it comes to Mongolian BBQ, if the meal tastes like garbage, you have nobody to blame but yourself, since you put it together.
Personally, I always end up hating mine. For whatever reason, I’m enamored with HOT. Jalapenos, Thai peppers, hot sauce, you name it. Every time I sit down to eat, it feels like I’m tonguing a South American field worker who pops habaneros like Tic Tacs. Holy fuck man, I gotta put an end to that…
If you’re in the hood and looking for a cold beer and some quick eats, this ain’t a bad spot. You can seriously eat your weight in food, and pay the same singular price. I think it was like, $ 11 or something.

This place reminds me of Flat Top Grill, a restaurant I used to go to all the time when I lived in Chicago. Basically, it’s a create-​your-​own-​stir-​fry restaurant… but this one doesn’t appear to be a chain.
Pete and I were walking around downtown Austin, and were told that there were lots of places to eat near 2^nd and 3^rd Streets. Well, Las Manitas was closed for the day (2:30pm on weekends! Boo!), so we ventured to try Mongolian BBQ.
The outside of the restaurant looks somewhat more impressive than the inside — I’d say the word «dingy» comes to mind when I think about the décor. But they’re economizing! Good business model? :)
The hostess asked us if this was our first time, then led us to the bar where you pick up a plate and pile it high with ingredients for stir fry. She said to pick whatever we wanted and bring it over to the counter to get it cooked. She was helpful, but didn’t explain where to sit. I had to ask her if I could order drinks and at first, she took my order, then said I’d have to order it from someone else. (Thankfully, the other waitress promptly came and took our drink orders and set it down at a table for us.)
The ingredients seemed somewhat fresh, although I thought the pineapple tasted absolutely putrid. For the most part, the ingredients I stocked up on (mushrooms, tofu) were fresh and tasty. And I piled it on! The weird thing was the noodles were at the end of the line (which I thought was good and bad. Good because you can pile on more veggies on the way and bad because your plate is about to topple over at that point.). Then they had all the sauces lined up, with little recipes on top so you could choose what kind of dish you wanted to make. I did a combination of the Schezwan Dish and the Hot, Spicy n’ Garlicky. It actually turned out alright.
There were eggs that could be added to the dish at the counter, but they weren’t clearly marked so I didn’t get one. :(They should probably put that closer to the bar with all the food, not at the end of the counter, where you come to pick up your food!
At our table, we found these sesame pocket flat bread things that were über yummy and a little dish of rice. My Diet Coke (oh man, I hadn’t eaten all day and it was 3pm when we sat down — I needed a little pick me up!) was a bit syrupy, which I hate — why can’t restaurants learn to make good soda?!
But overall, the dish was filling and satisfying… and at $ 8.50 a person, not a bad deal at all! I’d go back … but I wouldn’t get the pineapple ever again.