Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot

My comments are only related to the service at this restaurant as we’ve never gotten to the point where we can actually try their food! We’ve visited this restaurant twice. The first time, we stood in the front of the restaurant with some other patrons for about 10 minutes waiting for someone to seat us. No one came although we could see waitstaff milling about in the back of the restaurant. The second time, we were seated and given menus with no explanation as to how everything worked. We managed our way through filling out the clipboard and then waited for a waiter/​waitress. We tried flagging someone down several times to no avail. After about 15 minutes, we finally gave up and walked out. We went to Tofu House instead and had a much better experience.

UPDATE: while this place used to be my go to, the past couple times I went have been sub par. I went last Wednesday night and they were out of a at least 3 ingredients at the sauce bar, but earlier in the night they had been out of 5. They have bean curd knots listed on the menu, but you can’t actually order them anymore, which was upsetting after an employee told me they were really good and I should get those over the bean curd sticks. We ordered all our usual stuff plus the bean curd sticks (including the mushroom basket with the wood ear mushrooms subbed in for king oyster mushrooms) and everything came out… Except for the mushrooms. We got started thinking it was just lagging behind. After about 8 minutes the host (?) asked if everything was okay and we mentioned the missing mushrooms. They said they would check on it. Another five minutes go by, the host never comes back, and we ask someone else. She comes back with our clipboard and asked if anyone had talked to us about the mushrooms… After we said no, she said that the «current manager didn’t allow for substitutions» even though they are listed as all the same price on the menu. I’m not sure why no one bothered to tell us, and at this point we were a decent way started on the meal, but as a vegetarian the mushrooms are the main event for me. I ended up having to get separate orders of the mushrooms I like, which when they brought it out had a second order of meat on the tray. We definitely did not order that and did not want to be charged for it so we grabbed someone to make sure it stayed off the check. After that we were fine until it was somehow impossible to get the check. It wasn’t even busy. We asked and the waitress forget. Ended up going up the cashier and just paying and leaving.
If the «current manager» is the new permanent manager, I really hope things start coming together. There seems to be a lot of miscommunication, and between the sauces and outdated menus (prices aren’t the same as they are listed/don’t have all options) as well as new policies, I might be better off trying somewhere else.
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I come here about as often as I can. They have a vegetarian broth option, which is really important for me. I always get the mushroom basket, and they even let me switch out the one type of mushroom I’m not very fond of for a different one. S/​o always gets the half lamb half beef and loves it. Only cons of this place is that it’s a bit pricey, and the device is very hot or miss. Sometimes they seem to be very understaffed and it will be hard to get someone’s attention. On a Thursday night though we had excellent service, so they seem to be staffing more regularly now.

It was a new thing for us and we absolutely loved it. We did not really understand how to eat the raw meats and soup initially. But then our waitress came to rescue. We ordered half & half soup (both were very tasty), half plates of each of the items like house made beef & lamb meatballs, lamb-​beef slices, wantons, chicken slices, fresh fish (they served Cod), thick noodles, napa cabbage and lettuce. Everything goes into the boiling soup for sometime and its done. The meat slices took only 30 – 45 seconds to get cooked! And those were the most delicious ones among all the items. Though its a little bit messy specially when you try to get the noodles out of the soup bowl, but overall a very delicious experience for food lovers.

Food: 5 stars. There’s something so magically delicious about the broth they use full of wonderful herbs. It’s really addictive and I can’t find it anywhere else. We add a couple spoonfuls of minced garlic and scallions and it made the broth absolutely divine. Meat and seafood are good — ordered he kurabota pork and it was sliced nice and thin. Lots of great choices to choose for your hot pot.
Value: 4 stars. dinner time can get pricey as you keep adding more items, but the lunchtime $ 10 combo special is legit. Huge portion at a good price.
Service: 2 stars. This is where this place really struggles. They’re really understaffed and service is so slow and at times, dismissive. We came at lunch and had to wait 30 minutes for no reason when there were 3 – 4 open tables, but uncleaned. There just wasn’t enough bussers and servers who were available to clean them quick enough. When we sat down, we waited for 15 minutes and no one came up to take our drink order. I had to flag a lady down who seemed really annoyed she had to help us. There were only 2 main servers and they were nice, but running around like crazy. There should be more servers. Food comes out slowly as well.
Overall: 3.5÷4 stars. Great food — just invest some money into better service and this would be a 5 star spot. Hire more staff and/​or increase efficiency.

Word of advice — come here in some clothes that you can throw in the washer because you will smell like hot pot for days. In the winter time, leave your jacket outside.
We love their spicy hot pot and the place nails. I would recommend you order the house made balls (fish, shrimp, beef, lamb) instead of the non-​house made ones as they taste much better even though they are pricier. They have a good lunch special for about $ 11 bucks which would fill up most people (but me being a fatty I always order add-​ons). They get really busy so go early whether you are going for lunch or dinner!

We go here at least twice a month. I don’t really have any complaints to make.
Service:
The waiter /​waitress helps you initially get set up, then it seems like the bus boys /​other staff take over. I do find it that I have to bug someone to get a water /​refill sometimes. Usually, when they bring some food over, but they don’t seem to just ask. I have been asked if I wanted more soup, but not things like if I need more ingredients, etc.
Food:
The food is good, ingredients are fresh. The sauce bar is pretty awesome, we like to mix a bunch of things together. Hot chili, green onion and a little bit of minced garlic went well together. The pot stickers are also very good.
The teas are freshly made and are tasty. Seems like the bubble teas are quite popular too. It’s BYOB so bring your own wine and they will get you wine glasses.
Ambiance:
Pretty cool and fun place, nicely decorated not too fancy. Cool seeing all the steam from everyone’s pots. A lot of Asian people frequent here which must mean the food is legit. There are only two of these chains on the East Coast. I also read that there are a ton of these chains in China.
Tips:
Don’t order too much, two people I’ve found that ordering «half» of items goes a long way. You can order more as you go.
Dinner time is very packed, go when they just open for the best experience.

Came here for the lunch special which was a good sized portion for only $ 10 — it comes with your choice of meat, some vegetables, meatballs and noodles. We ordered the half and half soup to get the best of both flavors. However, just want to note that the spicy broth is a bit too oily but still had very good flavors. I got the angus beef which was very fresh. They give you a lot of vegetables and I’m personally not a huge fan of napa. But overall I think the lunch special is a good plate because you get to try everything so it’s good for beginners to get started with. But even people who regularly have hotpot it is still a good choice for a quick lunch because the plates are already curated.
The service was good but it is evident that they are short staffed and it gets very busy during the lunch hour on weekdays so try to get there early! They opened at 11:30 and by 12pm about half the restaurant was already full. Overall, a good meal for a decent price.

First time in this place and I am a fan.
The Hot Pot concept is wonderful. We were there for a birthday so we ordered various meat trays with meatballs, fishballs, shrimp, fish, ribeye, pork, etc and then we cook them in broth to the condition we like and make them as spicy or mild as we’d like. It makes for a great meal as long as you bring your own bottle it makes it even better. The quality of food is great and the quantity enough to feed to hungriest.
Planning to visit again soon.
P. S. 4* because the place needs a little TLC but the food is great.

Pros: broth is delicious which is key to having a great tasting hot pot. Good selection of hot pot ingredients and the ability to order in half portions give you the chance to order a greater variety. Ingredients are fresh and the place is spacious and clean. Service is a bit slow at times, but that could be due to how bustling the restaurant is.
Cons: expensive and wish they will introduce some seasonal items to core menu to make it more interesting

This is the best hot pot place I’ve been to in NJ.
It is expensive! It turned out to be such a huge bill for me, but maybe it’s because I can eat so much. My family loves hot pot, and they’re extremely picky. Everyone loved the hot pot here, without a doubt! The service is great, too!

Ideal location for a hot pot place next to one of the most popular Asian supermarkets in central Jersey. First time I went for Sunday brunch and had to wait 20 minutes, second time I went for late Saturday lunch and had to wait 40 minutes but didn’t end up staying. Third time we came at like 11am and got a spot without waiting. They don’t take reservations apparently.
Hotpot doesn’t involve much preparation on their part since customers cook the food, but the waitstaff was very quick and efficient in getting everything set up. The ingredients (meats, veggies, various fish balls, tofu, all sorts of mushrooms, and more), are laid out on the menu, while condiments are buffet style (sesame paste, various spicy mixes, cilantro, etc). I just put a bit in each bowl and kept on going back for more condiments to try them all out.
The bowl is awesome with a divider so you can try two kinds at once: or separate the spicy broth from the non-​spicy, meat from veg, etc.
Overall, my only complaints are the waiting time and the somewhat excessive oil in the broth. Otherwise, cool décor, unique setup, very individualized so you can eat what you want during hot pot (rare since it’s a very shared experience).

I have never tried mongolian hot pot ever in my life before. However, after since my experience in this particular restaurant, I am now in love with mongolian hotpot.
This place is a really busy place. Despite the fact that my friends and I went there at 3pm, the restaurant was still packed.
This place also has a great customer service. None of the staffs were rushing, and they gave us enough time to skim over the GIGANTIC LIST OF OPTIONS that we had to choose from. I am capitalizing the GIGANTIC LIST OF OPTION, because I am not kidding, they have a HUGE number of different kinds of foods that ypu have to choose.
The foods are FRESH. VERY FRESH. Every food we ordered were all fresh. I was amazed how they were able to manage and serve all these different kinds of ingredients.
My friends and I always order the original hot pot (we didn’t really enjoy the spicy flavor when we had it previously)
Anyways, it is a Great place to go especially when it is chilly outside!

Definitely a fan of the food but, not so sure about the waiting times. Of Course, that has not stopped us from going back for that deliciousness!
The soups are insanely tasty and the meats and dipping options bring just bring out more flavor in them. The must try on the menu are the a la carte lamb skewers which are probably the best lamb skewers I have ever had!
This review already makes me want to be there right now!

«READ THE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS.»
I cannot emphasize enough on how important this is before entering this establishment, if you have no idea how to use or eat hot pot, please read the instructions the restaurant provides. That being said, let the reviewing begin.
If you are like me, being lazy is a part of your DNA and if you hate the treacherous task of cleaning up for hot pot, then by all means come down to this joint. I am so thankful that this franchise open up in Central Jersey. I also enjoy having a nice hot bowl of soup to warm up my dark bitter soul from the cold nights ahead of me.
This place is expensive if you don’t know what to order and ordering too much food can really increase the bill very fast. Beside that the place is very clean and the ingredients are fresh. you order food by checking off or tallying a board that has all ingredients that are provided in the restaurant. There is usually half or whole prices. The meat I usually order the lamb and beef combo and shrimp balls with the fish roe, every time I visit here. As for the vegetables, there is an assortment of different types, but I usually order the tang ho and lotus roots/​daikon. Beside the cooking time of the items for hot pot, the sauces play a huge role in the feast. The sauces are in the back right corner from the entrance. If this is new to you, just try a different combinations and find which combination you like.

Little Sheep does not disappoint.
Why I like Little Sheep more than other hot pot places?
1. Great quality cuts of beef. Melt in your mouth, perfectly thin slices. I’ve never had a bad experience with their meat.
2. Delicious broth that is not overly salty or greasy. Lower sodium broth option is available upon request as well.
3. Awesome Create Your Own Sauce bar that is kept in stock. There’s a ton of sauces, condiments, oils, vinegar, and other seasoning for you to create your perfect dipping sauce.
4. Service is friendly and quick.
5. Clean. Unlike some of the hot pot places I’ve been to in Manhantan, this place is pretty clean and not overly crowded.
Although it is not All You Can Eat and it is not cheap if you have large appetite like me, I would still choose Little Sheep quality over other hot pot places.

This place gets PACKED easily. Heres an early tip: This is one of those places where you drop someone off just to get your name on the list before you park your car.
Once you’re settled down, service is reasonable of how large and packed this place gets.
You get to self-​serve at the «soup» station, where you can mix in any combination of ingredients and sauces.
We ordered a huge platter of items; quail eggs, fish balls, beef balls, lamb, beef, pork, mushrooms, bamboo and noodles.
The soup here is very tasty, they serve it in a huge ying-​yang-​bowl.
Its BYOB here so I would definitely recommend stopping by a nearby liquor store for some beers.
Desserts here are really good. We had this one where with sweet breads and condensed milk dip.
Would go here again, but only if I can beat the line as easily as I did before.

Little Sheep has been my most favorite hot pot restaurant ever since I had this on a visit to China in 2002. I’ve been to various Little Sheep locations throughout the world, and though the ones in China and Hong Kong remain the best from a flavor perspective, this location in Edison NJ is good enough. Some of my observations for this location after having Little Sheep for 13 years:
— The soup base is a little bland, I think it’s to cater to the local crowd. The one in Flushing NY has more dense flavor.
— They also offer a dipping sauce bar, something that isn’t available in Hong Kong or China. The soup is flavorful enough to not need dipping sauce ala shabu shabu.
— Intestine is the best and freshest compared with NYC or LA.
— The pig blood is not that great.
— Don’t order bubble tea here.
— Fresh tofu is excellent, though I recommend frozen tofu as well since it absorbs the soup better.
— Don’t order the fried tofu.
If you insist on using the dipping sauce bar, make sure to try the ponzu sauce, provides a completely different taste experience.

Here’s a list of the sides we ordered: angus beef, pork kidneys, homemade meatballs, homemade fish balls, fried tofu, beef intestines, pork sausages, fishball with roe, lotus root, spinach, wide potato noodles, fish dumplings, enoki mushrooms. I loved all the sides especially the homemade meatballs, fish with roe and the fish dumplings. We got the yin yang soup mix, so half spicy and half mild.
The Mongolian cake was also quite delicious. I loved the sweet and salty sesame crust. The inside is doughy and soft. Dipping the bread into the sweetened condensed milk took this to another level. This would make a great snack but would be a good dessert as well with some coffee.
This spot is cute. I love how roomy it is inside. Service is great! Quality of the food is in point. Great price for the portion sizes. Don’t forget about the sauce station in the back!!! They have soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame sauce, chopped garlic and chopped scallions. You can mix and match, or just have the sauces individually. Overall, great spot and would return.

I think this was the first place my parents ate hot pot at a restaurant not in Taiwan. In the States, we usually do hot pot at home. I was sad when they closed down the Asian Food Center here, but I guess this new hot pot place makes it somewhat better. This place is pretty much similar to the one in Flushing, except I think they bring out the items a lot slower. They were also missing some of the items we wanted off of the menu, which the Flushing location usually had. The broth is really salty, so drink lots of water.
When I came here with my parents, we ordered items individually off the menu, but the second time they came here without me they ordered off of the $ 9.99 lunch special. They seemed to think the lunch special was more worth it. They also keep the temperature here really cold, but you’ll warm up quick while eating the hot pot.

I absolutely love this restaurant. I grew up with hot pot as a child but we would always get it in New York City. It really reminds me of my childhood eating hot and fresh asian style food. I was so excited when this restaurant opened because I knew I would have an opportunity to eat hot pot again. I was not disappointed when I first went to the restaurant there was a variety of different things to choose from from small sizes to large sizes of meats, seafood, noodles, and vegetables.
Now I have been there probably over a dozen times with many different groups of friends and family everyone has enjoyed their meals every single time. I have even celebrated my birthday there in one of their private rooms. There is a minimum of spending in order to use the room but there really is no room payment that you would need to make. I really enjoy this because the restaurant is also BYOB and that way you can bring your own beverages and celebrate in a private room with friends and family. I really never get let down even when the whole restaurant is very full and the staff are very busy they try their very best to give the best service that they can.
If you’ve never been to hot pot before I suggest that you be adventurous and try new things because you may find that you may enjoy things you did not expect. You can always ask the waiter for suggestions as most of the waiters are very knowledgeable of the menu and are able to communicate well with the customers. Lastly I recommend that if you are new to hot pot that you try the yin-​yang style of soup so that you can try both the spicy and non spicy versions of the broth. They also refill the broth as you go but you only pay a flat fee of about $ 2 to $ 3 for each person to have broth. Enjoy!