Ms. Mong

Well… It surely tastes more like a fast food than a restaurant.
The food is not bad but it doesn’t have a special touch to it.
Service is fine, nothing special.
The meat was fine but a bit dry and not very much of it. While the fried rice… Tasted more like something coming out of a bag…
Anyway… Fine but not GOOD !
Wouldn’t come here again…

Terrific Banh Mi. My first visit today and I’ll definitely be back. Pretty bummed by the styrofoam plates and cups, but maybe they’ll upgrade in time. I’m sure it cuts on costs, and their prices are reasonable. Nice and friendly staff.

Even though I live in Raleigh, I make that drive out there just because IT’S THAT GOOD. I’m already at that point where I crave this on a weekly basis and I want to go back just because yes, it is similar to Bali Hai, but you can go back for that flavor but always tweak it just a bit to get something new. The portion size is VERY generous and I always have more for lunch AND dinner sometimes, the next day.
Pro tip: don’t just microwave it the day after, throw it on a frying pan and stir fry it! So good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Bahn-​mi was very flavorful too. It might not be ‘traditional’ but I like that it’s not dry like some places. the pickled vegetables on it are on point! And I love that there are several different flavor profiles to choose from and you can even get a fried egg on one!
Staff there is super cute and friendly. Since I went within the first weeks of opening, it was little crazy and super busy, but going back ever since, they have worked out their kinks and it is moving along really efficiently and smoothly.

I really wanted to give Ms. among a better rating since they are the new kids in town and I love local businesses but if I truly go by the meaning of the Unilocal ratings I can only give them a two –I’ve experienced better. There were quite a few things that kept the from getting the here star A-​OK rating.
1)I ordered the vegan Mong Mi and asked for the veganaise. They completely ignored this request and brought it out and said the chef put sesame oil on it. I hope that’s okay. It really wasnt. The sandwich was one greasy mess. There was hardly any filling and the bread dominated everything. I ate a little of the filling and threw the rest away.
2) Sesame oil is used way to liberally on everything. The food ends up saturated with oil making it so heavy to eat. I also ordered the original sauce in one of the bowls with veggies and tofu. I could hardly taste the sauce due to the overpowering taste of the oil. I had a small portion but also threw it out. I’ve had better fast food type Asian food at Panda Express. Portions are large at least and if I had a steel stomach I could have eaten for days.
3) Kid number 1 ordered a chicken stir fry bowl but it ended up with beef in it. Kid number 2 ordered beef but got tofu in it. Neither really enjoyed their meal and opted not to have them for leftovers. The whole process was so haphazard and there doesn’t seem to be a real system in place for consistency. I don’t think the cooks are trained in reproducing each dish so there is uniformity. You get kind of a whatever dish.
4) Husband got a beef stir fry with the Pacific sauce and he said it was pretty bland. He can take the heat but there wasn’t any. He also found it overly greasy and that was all you could taste. No definition between veggies, rice or meat.
5) We ordered beer but they didn’t have a bottle opener to open it.
6) it is so hot with that open grill that we were uncomfortable.
7) It would be nice if they included the menu on the website along with the cheat sheet so you could get an idea of what’s offered beforehand. Not sure why a menu would be excluded from a restaurant website.
Some things I liked: it’s a cool concept, a cool name and I think they will be very successful in a college town. I just don’t agree with the good as it gets majority vote. But to each her own.

I hope this restaurant sticks! There have been so many different restaurants in this location throughout my time at UNC, but this is one that I have high hopes for!
I went on a Monday night and it wasn’t too busy, but I expect that it probably gets crowded on the weekends. After going through all the pictures on Unilocal beforehand, I knew I wanted to order the Cali Sunset Mong Mi (they’re play on a banh mi). The pictures did not steer me wrong! My sandwich was HUGE and delicious! It was super toasty and the meat was nicely flavored. Add on the egg and you are looking at a messy but yummy sandwich. Luckily they had plenty of napkins on the table. Just a note, the sandwiches don’t come with any sides and I didn’t see any side items on the menu. But it was a big enough sandwich to keep me satisfied. But I can also see that some other people might want something else along with it. In that case, one of the rice plates might be better for you. A friend of mine ordered one of their rice plates and the portion size was huge! I also liked that all the food was made to order so it all came out steaming hot.
Ms. Mong, you can most definitely consider me a fan and I will be back to try more of your menu! I’m also hoping that they have desserts when I visit next time as their menu board said that desserts are coming soon!

I live in Durham, but the Mongolian BBQ there is not really amazing (plus I hate that I have to stack my food, as I’m not expert in that and always get much less than everyone else even though we pay the same price), so I’m willing to go to Chapel Hill anytime I need a fixing of Mongolian BBQ.
At this point, probably I ate (or bought take away) in Ms Mong for more than 10 times.
I can say that the food quality is, unfortunately, a bit downgraded since the early days. For example: I’ve experienced the fried rice cold and hard (more like crackers), the white rice a bit to hard (undercooked?), or the stir fry is lack of sauce.
However, in general Ms Mong is still a good bargain and I’ll still go there.
I’ve tried the spicy level 10 (still eatable but a bit to spicy), spicy level 9 (good kick of spicy, still slightly to spicy), spicy level 7 (not enough spicy). So probably 8 is the right number (will try it next time). I’ve tried the original and the pacific sauce, and prefer the original one.
I usually go with the medium size and still have leftover (yes, I don’t eat that much).
The owner is friendly and has a distinctive voice (you’ll know if he’s around). The other employees look like students (and don’t really care about greeting people, like they boss usually do), but I’m here for the food, so it doesn’t matter.

I love going to Ms. Mong! The owner is amazing and very friendly. When it was my first time, he made jokes and was very personable. I also realized that he’s friends to many of my friends. I wish he was my friend as well haha.
Portions are very generous and the ingredients are fresh; you can see them as they make it! Wonderful places for dinner and def would go back.

No relation to Suzy Wong and this is NO House of Yum, unless you are «Just Looking»…AND maybe if you are 21 or 21+ you may want to see what happens Late (on the Weekends) when they draw the shades and this place turns into: Kumiho… I told 55 about this place and we decided to meet for Lunch… after reading Ron W.‘s Review and Rose W.‘s Review I said we could get a Sandwich… Hogler said lets go, and it is his Birthday… 55 and I have had many adventures in three time-​zones so this was exciting!
We got :
Pork
Beef and
Chicken
One Sandwich and one so called «Bowl»
Mong Mi = Banh Mi Sandwich
Comparison made to the Designer and Vietnamese House of BanhMi versions of this creation
Compared to the Designer Banh this one is Killin’ it!!! Almost half the pri$e and WAY better on the Flavor!
Compared to a Vietnamese Restaurant that serves a similar Sandwich this was way better than some and almost equal with many of the Best that I have experienced! In all fairness I give Ms. Mong 5 Unilocal stars because the Sandwich was better than 4 stars and it was a FUN place! My Sandwich was assembled with much more Love and Precision than Holger’s «Bowl»
Bowl
This «Bowl» is Styrofoam Tray even if you are Dinning in… CLASS!!! 55’s meal was thrown in the Tray (No Love) and part of it was dripping over one side where the Chef had sloshed it in the tray like he was cooking in the worlds fastest chef competition! Maybe they started out by using real Bowls here and the hasty Chef broke enough that they said «Hey we better switch to Styrofoam Trays (with lids)
LOVE
Little in the Kitchen ! MUCH in the Dinning Room ! ! ! This place is a Lookalota! First Dates, First Kiss and This is Lunch! We were Impressed with how friendly the Patrons were!
More LOVE in all the right places
I have never been to NYC though I remember hearing about the small dinning spots where, if you wanted a Seat you took what was available, which meant often you could be at a Table with Stranger (s) ! I have always loved this idea and enjoy it when people do not hesitate to sit down right beside you

Banh mi, that was good! Banh mi, I’m hungry! I love using «Banh mi» as an expletive.
Food: ⁵⁄₅ not your traditional Banh mi sandwiches. Trust me, I’m Vietnamese, I would know. Not saying it’s better or worse, just different. This is hotter (temperature wise), and more explicit with their flavors, whereas traditional Banh mi is perfect in its simplicity.
Service: like most Franklin ave places, counter service!!!
Price: not bad at all. One sandwich is pretty filling.
Overall: great lunch spot if you’re tired of getting Med deli everyday and want a change of flavors.

It’s good, filling, made fresh and easy to order. 3.5 stars for lunch.
I’m gun shy about giving it a 4 star review just because it’s so dang crowded at lunch and they use. (gasp) styrofoam — which I really hate.
If you haven’t been, it’s dog-​gone easy to order — you simply fill out a little reusable plastic form with a dry erase marker, hand it to the cashier and pay.
Choices are pretty simple — choose your protein, veggies, sauces, and type of starch. Most importantly, choose how big you want to go: Reg, Large, XL.
That’s it.
Oh, and you can decide if you want it all stuffed in a burrito or not. A nice «fusion» option.
I’ve been a couple times, and have come away full and satisfied for under $ 10. I’m a big eater and like the Large bowl, but I’m sure that most people will get their fill on the Reg size.
Note — They do offer bahn mi sandwiches — which I’ve not tried, but look solid.
If you can go outside of the Noon-​1pm lunch rush, you’ll be glad you did.
Food is a 4 stars, but the other factors bring it down a hair for me.
(I have not been here for dinner).

I’m not sure who Ms. Mong is but she makes a pretty decent banh mi! But the mongolian BBQ here is sorta meh.
Heading out for a Carolina basketball game, I had Ms. Mong bookmarked for a visit since I’m not in Chapel Thrill that much. And it met most of my expectations, good and bad. It was crowded on a Wednesday night, full of college kids ready to get their rice on. Staff is also super young which means attentive and well-​meaning but not quite up to snuff. You order up at the counter on laminated cards where you check off all the desired ingredients of your Mongolian BBQ. You can choose different proteins, veggies/​accompaniments, base carb, sauce and spiciness but they ran out of cards as we were in line. I ordered up a Cali sunset banh mi and rice bowl. We grab our drinks and a window seat and wait. And wait some more.
Given the crowd, it probably took 25 or so minutes to get our food. The banh mi was solid, topped with an egg but using more thinly sliced marinated pork for the meat. Tasty if not traditional. The Mongolian BBQ was sorta weak. Served in a styrofoam container and mostly rice with a smattering of meat and veggies but at least they got the spicing right.
On the way out we dump out our leftovers in an over-​flowing garbage can and head off into the night. So in some ways Ms. Mong is ok but in other ways, as an adult diner, it missed the mark. In the end, like many restaurants on Franklin Street, it’s designed for a university audience which means cheap and large quantities. When in Rome…

Ms. Mong has a lot of potential, I’ll give you that, but my experience left me wanting to return for the food but nothing else. We walked in to a very crowded restaurant on a Wednesday evening (about 5:30p). While typically customers are supposed to grab an order sheet and mark what they want, they didn’t have any available to customers and there was no explanation, so I verbally placed an order (not bad, but definitely was a confusing five minutes as I waited in line knowing that I was missing something). Ms. Mong has a couple different options, none of which include beer, although it’s advertised through the store (according to the cashier, they were out, «of everything…»), they also have no dessert, but with the promise that it’s «coming soon». Whether you’re in the mood a banh mi, rice or noodle bowl or burrito, they’ve got you covered.
After a 25 minute wait for our food – who knew it would take that long?! I finally tried a standard Mong Mi (their version of the banh mi) and The Pacific rice bowl. I was impressed by the Mong Mi, the meat was thinly sliced without the fat (I was a fan of this more than the typical thinker sliced pork) served on a toasted piece of ‘french’ bread with a small portion of pickled carrots, cilantro and grilled jalapeños (by request). Next time I’d ask for extra veggie toppings, the flavor was good, but proportions were off. The rice bowl was underwhelming and over sweetened, it tasted of pineapple, not mango and habanero (no spice at all). Honestly, I did enjoy the sandwich, but the long wait, overflowing trashcans, lack of menu items and helplessness from the staff wouldn’t entice me to return. While the prices are cheap, I’d rather pay a little more for a cleaner and more enviting experience.

Great place for an Asian Dish, didn’t expect much but very impressive. The owner and chefs are very friendly and professional.
Highly recommended.

Ms. Mong’s is one of my favorite places to eat, and it’s definitely my to-​go restaurant when I don’t know where to eat. They have three options that are fully customizable: the bowl, burrito, and banh mi. I’ve always gotten the bowl because I think it’s the most food for your money. The way you order is similar to Chipotle, except you mark down everything you want on their «cheat sheets,» which are located beside the register.
I pretty much have a standard order at this restaurant: a medium bowl with all the meats (pork, chicken, turkey, beef, tofu, fried tofu) carrots, onions, green onions, potatoes, mushrooms, bean sprouts and extra pineapple with South Side 8 and fried rice. My food has always been pretty consistent with the heat level and size, but sometimes they forget to put tofu in my bowl.
The one thing that is preventing me from giving Ms. Mong’s five stars is that food from other orders often gets mixed into yours. It’s not much, but I sometimes find a few vegetables that I did not order. It’s not too big of a deal for me since I’m not allergic to any of the ingredients, but if allergies were a concern, I would be more worried.
Besides that, the environment is very energetic and inviting. The staff is super friendly and they are very generous with portion sizes. One of my favorites!

I have been here a couple times already, so I wanted to wait to write a review until I tried different things.
This place deserves 5 stars for many reasons. First I need to say that I don’t even go to Bali Hai anymore. I was obsessed with that place, but MM has replaced that obsession. This is the first place I go to every time I’m in Chapel Hill!
1. I love that you can just choose what you want instead of stacking. It makes the process go by much faster.
2. Price is very reasonable and actually they are very generous with portion size. I always get a medium bowl and that can fill me up for two meals.
3. Both the original and pacific sauce are delicious. I always get spicy level 8!
4. The sandwiches are even better. Please try the Cali sunset and you will not be disappointed.
5. The workers are great and welcoming! If y’all are reading this, hi! Isaac is also very welcoming and service is just great.
Make sure to stop by MM on Franklin Street. You won’t be disappointed!

There are so many reasons this restaurant deserves 5 stars– I will summarize them to just five to represent the five stars I believe they deserve:
1. Bang for your buck
2. Absolutely delicious food
3. Super friendly staff
4. Personalized meals
5. Leftovers= tomorrow’s lunch!
First off, portions are huge. But guess what? They don’t slack on the flavor! I got the originale with a spicy level of 8 and I loved it! I tried my friends curry south side with a spicy level of 5 and it had a totally distinct flavor that was still scrumptious!
Also, I got to sample one of their mong mi’s and it was sooooo good.
From the filling and meat to their bread, I was 100% satisfied.
I like the fact that you can personalize your dish by adding whichever meats and veggies you really like. My only criticism would be that I would sometimes get some veggies I didn’t ask for (I think it would slip in as their cooking everyone’s dishes on the same grill)
^it didn’t really bother me but I think it could be dangerous for those allergic to some…
The staff was super kind and friendly. I came with a large group and it was pretty crowded that day– yet, they handled everyone’s orders flawlessly.
Coming from raleigh, I was skeptical. «Is it worth the drive?»
Yes, yes it is worth the drive.
I used to be a devout bali hai-​er but I am changing my ways and turning over to my alma mater’s Mongolian grill!
Plenty of seats for groups! Lots of food options! Clean atmosphere! Leftovers possibly for days!
I will definitely have to come back!

Fantastic new addition to Franklin St! As big a fan as Mimi is of Bali Hai, it was a welcome addition to have a similar stir fry concept in the heart of Chapel Hill. And I will take Ms Mong over the former any day of the week. Let’s start with the basics:
Grab an order sheet and check off all the toppings you’d like, from 1 item to the entire sheet. Meats include the usual poultry and mammals: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, along with your typical stir fry veggies. The sauces have pretty good flavor and a spicy level 8, which is what I get, definitely lingers on the tongue. And the portions are gigantic. Even a hearty eater like myself should never have to order more than a large. To be honest, I didn’t really notice a big difference between large and x-​large, so might as well save yourself a few dollars.
Banh mis (or Mong mis) are the other major staple and they are really solid here as well. I tried one of the specialty ones with pork belly, but to be honest, you might as well just get their standard for only $ 4.99, which is just as tasty with your choice of meat and pickled veggies. They drizzle on a creamy sauce reminiscent of the shrimp sauce at japanese steakhouses that imparts an extra layer of flavor. Add on some stir fried jalapenos for free for even more bite.
Mimi and I share a banh mi plus a large bowl with 2 fountain drinks for $ 19 and have leftovers to take home (shocking for me, I know). Flavorful food, large portions and reasonable prices with a niche that was sorely lacking in Chapel Hill and you get 5 stars for sure. Really hope they survive the brutal run of closures that has struck down its predecessors.

Don’t think you can get a greater quantity of yummy food for a cheap price anywhere else on Franklin Street. The portion sizes are HUGE. I think the medium, for $ 6.99 and the smallest size, is plentiful enough for most people — for me, I have enough food left over for at least another meal and a half. All the workers are super enthusiastic and are definitely willing to help customers out if they have questions about the menu.
With the Mongolian BBQ, each customer gets one bowl of meats and one bowl of vegetables, which are all stir-​fried together with your choice of sauce. The workers are all super generous with the amount of meats and veggies, which is great. I love the flavors of the Original and the Pacific sauces; many of my friends find the Original to be too gingery, but I’m a pretty big fan of ginger, so I really like it. The spiciness of the sauces can all be adjusted, and in my opinion, anything spicy level 5 or above should be reserved for those who are accustomed to and enjoy spicy food. If you’re a fan of Mongolian BBQ, you’ll love Ms. Mong, but some may find it too simple or too saucy.
I’ve also tried the Green House Bahn Mi (a Vietnamese sub), and the portion is super large as well. The Green House is the only vegetarian bahn mi, and it contains fried tofu as the protein. I found the flavor to be really unique and tasty, but there was too much sauce/​spread for my liking, which also made the bread a little soggy. I definitely prefer the MBBQ over the bahn mi, but maybe I’ll give it a try again in the future.
Overall, a lot of food with strong flavors for a really great price. In my opinion, there is nothing extraordinarily special about the food (tastes just like any type of stir-​fry to me), but the cheap price is what makes Ms Mong stand out!

I’m already a huge fan of Bali Hai (a Mongolian grill place) so when I heard there was a similar version opening up in my area I was thrilled! And they offer banh mi too?! Took myself there ASAP.
So we made our way there and though I wanted to order both a sandwich and a bowl, I went for just the bowl. The medium is a great portion size that you can probably finish in one sitting, but a large is great for having leftovers! Because YES, you do want leftovers of this place.
They normally have a piece of paper that you order off of by marking the options you want. You pick your bowl size, the kind of rice, the meats, the veggies and of course, the sauce and spicyness level of that sauce! The staff make the bowls for you… so not DIY, not as fun, but it’s easy/​quick.
I tried the Original sauce, level 7 and it’s not that spicy, VERY tolerable. They don’t give you as much of the sauce here as they do at Bali Hai. I’m not sure if that’s why the 7 didn’t seem as spicy as Bali Hai’s but if you really like spicy I would DEFINITELY go higher than 7. The spiciest right now is Wrath of Khan (11) but apparently Issac says they are soon offering an even spicier sauce, so look out for that!
They offer chicken here as a meat which I enjoyed and I liked having my bowl topped with cilantro. The food comes out steaming hot in styrofoam take out trays and is definitely delicious. It’s a great addition to Franklin St. for sure and I really hope they are successful here, and don’t just close down in 1 year like all the other places!
Cannot wait to come back to try their take on Banh Mi! Love having this place here for an easy meal after a long shift at the hospital!
Beware though if you come later towards closing time they might have run out of certain rice types/​toppings.
Also the staff here are incredibly chill and friendly, very casual kind of place.

This is honestly one of the best places to eat on Franklin Street right now. I usually get a large bowl and have so many leftovers that I have enough for a second meal. The quality of the food is also astounding. For spicy lover’s, you have a 1 – 10 range of spiciness to choose from, with the addition of the «Khan Sauce,» a zesty, special mixture for the true spicy food enthusiast. I typically get a level 10 with Khan Sauce on the side to dip.
If you’re not feeling the usual stir-​fry they offer, you can also try their takes on banh mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich. Each variation offers a combination of great ingredients, including one of the best aioli sauces I’ve tasted to date. All of the sauces are handmade and absolutely delicious. I’ve been here three times in the past three days and am currently writing this in Ms. Mong’s as I sit here for a fourth time, if that gives you any indication of how good it is.