Altai Mongolian Grill

When everywhere else has 45 minutiae wait, never trust a place with no wait and nobody inside. A buffet style hibachi grill, it seemed okay at fist then we realized we had no idea what type of seasonings and/​or sauce to use. They had about 30 different sauces and seasons but no description of what they were. Very confusing. After failing at my first attempt to recreate pad Thai, I went the curry route the second time around. I failed again, no examples or dish recreation recipes. This place just sucks. And very over priced. $ 16 per person. Go to nacho mamas across the street.

I really use to like this place but it has really gone down hill this year. Prices when up and quality went down. I’ve given it a handful of tries to see if it was just an off-​day but it is not worth it anymore. They use to have quick and good service but it now feels really slow and delayed even though it is never busy. The buffet is sparse and doesn’t look as fresh as it use to be. The salad bar is just a major no-​go because it is either non-​existent or bad quality. Sad because I really use to like this place and my coworkers and I would go often for a quick, affordable lunch. Gave it a 2-​star rating instead of a 1-​star rating in hopes that it gets better. Not sure what happened but I sure hope they turn themselves around. Bummer.

Ever since Genghis Grill in Ellisville shut down, I’ve been looking for a replacement Mongolian BBQ. Unfortunately, this probably isn’t it. The «waiter» was really laid back and spent most of the time in what I’m assuming is the managers office. He showed us how it worked and then let us go. The protein and veggie choices were good and everything looked pretty fresh. The sauce situation was weird. You can sample each sauce if you’d like with a sample spoon but the new spoons and discarded spoons are pretty close to each other so I didn’t risk choosing the wrong one. After making my bowl, I waited. It didn’t take long. The food was good, but I did have to refill my drink myself, which I’m still not sure if I was supposed too. Overall food was good, atmosphere was Mongolian, service was poor, and cleanliness was so-​so.

I was surprised to see so many low star reviews for Altai! Our family rarely goes out to eat, but Altai is usually first on our list of where to go. Seems to me that a lot of people have tried Altai expecting it to be like HuHot and been disappointed. My two cents is that HuHot is very American and Altai is very Mongolian. HuHot is tasty food, but it’s basically Appleby’s with a supposedly Mongolian flair. Bored with the food at Appleby’s and TGIF? Try HuHot and have the same American restaurant experience you’ve come to expect, but with new flavors. That’s fine, if that’s what you’re after, but don’t expect Altai to be something it’s not.
Now, if you’re the kind of adventurous person who wonders what a restaurant in Mongolia might be like, try Altai! I’ve never been to Mongolia myself, but I have lived overseas and I love Altai just the way it is. Yes, the desserts are not what I would expect from an American restaurant. Yes, the waiters and waitresses do not fawn over us with huge, crazy smiles. However, the food tastes fantastic, I’ve never been sick from it and everyone gets exactly what they want from the meal. It’s worth a try, just come at it with the right expectations!

We wanted to try different Mongolian BBQ places in the area, as we still haven’t found one we liked. Altai was so-​so and I can totally see why it was rated on the low side by Unilocal.
The meat/​seafood selection was decent. The BF liked that they had lamb. I liked the calamari rings. I like how the meat/​seafood are frozen, as I know it hasn’t been sitting in room temp for hours and I’m not going to get sick. I would like to see some tofu though for some healthy protein. The powder spices were nice, but the plastic containers were a bit of a turn off. It makes it look dirty. I had trouble finding the noodle I liked. Spaghetti noodle is not substitute for stir fry noodles. The vegetable selection is lacking compared to HuHot or Stir crazy. Having vegetable in water is just gross. just imagine what else is in the water. I know they’re trying to keep it from welting, but how about keeping a little bit out and replenishing it every hour? The wooden tray and plastic bowls looks worn. Even though they’re probably clean, but from an angle, they look dirty. Might want to replace them. The sauces were different, but as a cook, I just wanted my basic sauces! I do like that they had tasting spoons for the sauce. The self help ingredients line had some logistics problem as it had different things on both side, but I couldn’t reach over, so I would have to go down one side then the other. This would never work if the restaurant is busy like HuHot.
I didn’t dare try the salad. The desserts were sad. I did have some grapes and a slice of pineapple. A soft serve ice cream machine would work well for a place like this and would please the kids!
Overall, on the upside, I did not have diarrhea after eating the meal, so at least the grill was hot enough and the cook knew what he was doing. I probably still go for HuHot… as I like their soda machine.

I should have known based on some of the other Unilocal reviews, however I have always wanted to give Altai a try and when a Groupon deal was made available I figured that it would be the perfect opportunity to give it a try. The offer was $ 14 for $ 28 worth of food, which is pretty much Buy 1 Get 1 Free since dinner is $ 13.99.
Anyways for those that do not know, this is essentially a buffet Mongolian grill. You are given a bowl and are free to load it up with as much meat, noodles, veggies, and sauce as you would like before handing your uncooked creation over to be prepared on a large flat grill. You can stay and watch, however unlike other places (HuHut) it just felt awkward standing and waiting for my food.
The selection is rather limited, however the standard items like beef, chicken, and pork were all available along with calamari, lamb and some other seafood selections. Spices were also available however many if not all of the containers were nearly empty. The vegetable selection was alright, still less than the competition. Soup and rice is also available however unlike places like HuHut, where they bring that to your table its served buffet style here. Rice selection included white, brown, and fried while the soup that was available was some type of chicken noodle. There is also a «desert» station, which was a surprise I wasn’t expecting. I passed however I took a look and again this was severely limited, as it really only consisted of a few grapes, slices of pineapple and green jello. Nice gesture, however I’ll pass.
Service itself was rather spotty, especially considering there were at least 3 employees managing 5 small tables. I was also confused my the location of the soda fountain, which was right next to the rice station. I wasn’t really sure if I was supposed to fill my own glass or if that was the job of the waiter.
Another complaint I have is that when redeeming a Groupon, our server actually had to take the phone away from the table to redeem the deal, are you kidding me? I have financial, personal and work emails on my phone and I am expected to just give it away unlocked to disappear out of my sight all to save $ 14. I think not, this was very unprofessional and needs to be corrected.

Very poor experience and not so great food.
We went on a Tuesday night and it was completely empty. I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to go somewhere else, but we drove all the way there so we decided to try it. $ 13.99 a person gets you unlimited trips to the stir fry bar (frozen meat), salad bar (brown lettuce, brown apples, dried watermelon), and rice (crunchy…old). The food was below average, but edible. The waiter was joking with the cook the entire time and laughed when I asked for a to go box and told the cook that I was going to take it home and feed it to my dog. Well… he wasn’t far from being right on that. I would never go back here. I can’t believe I spent over $ 30 (with tax and tip) for this food. UGH… I’m still upset about it. Waste of money.

Interesting concept, similar to HuHot, but not as impressive. We were there on Friday evening, the 18^th, around 6:30 or 7:00 and we made customers number 3 and 4. We thought maybe we we early for dinner rush. The staff was friendly, but the ingredients on the buffet were not super fresh. $ 32 for the two of us. Dinner price includes a salad bar with pretty limited options, rice and oddly paired sides like onion rings, and unlimited trips through the buffet which had an assortment of meats, veggies, noodles, dried spices, and sauces. After a disappointing round one, we opted not to take advantage of the unlimited offer. All in all, it wasn’t a terrible dinner, but next time we’ll drive the distance to HuHot.

Altai grill is a build your own stir fry, like the chain Flat Top Grille. They have a buffet of ingredients, meats and veggies, and you get to play chef for a night. The fun part of these experiences is the sauce bar, you can taste various sauces and finish your stir fry off with pizazz.
At 7 pm on a Friday, Altai Grill was almost empty (one other family and my group), two other tables rolling in before we left. The décor and atmosphere is lacking, it seems half strip mall Chinese restaurant with the tables and chairs and typical artwork, and half upscale with the nice stone pillars and a cool grill area.
Unfortunately, they said they were «between liquor licenses» which meant that they are not currently offering adult beverages. I am not sure how they let their license lapse or if they had it revoked, but that may be a matter to ask Altai.
The food bar seemed neatly kept and the food seemed fresh. I really liked the grill chef who worked hard with a smile to turn your raw creations into cooked masterpieces.
This place is not a good idea for those of you with allergies or who would like your food not to accompany meat on the same surface as other prepared stir fries because unlike Flat Top Grille there are no indicators that I saw to flag your food.
All in all, a second or third rate experience to Flat Top Grille.

Fun concept! Asian version of crazy bowls and wraps, and they have tofu as an option for vegetarians. The spice and sauce selection is extensive and impressive! And there are wonderful veggies to choose from; the standards as well as book chit, bamboo shoots & pineapple. You can add noodles or rice to your dish & it’s all you can eat. The service is good too, my only complaint is that it’s a tad bit pricey, even though there is also a paltry salad bar. But, it’s fun, delicious & a cool concept, so we’ll be back!

I’m not sure if lack of business makes it difficult for Altai to keep it fresh, but day old steamed rice and less than fresh ingredients made it difficult for me to enjoy my own concoction, which is what you do here (mix sauces, meat, and veggies up as you like). I also felt that the suggestions they made for mixing traditional Mongolian sauces and oils were a bit absurd. I’d like to like it here, because you generally can’t go wrong with Mongolian BBQ, but I’m going to say no to Altai.

Concept– Genious or Not?
At first, I thought *genious* after eating my pathetic concoctions created by my own hands. I just ate some of the worst tasting dishes in my life and have no one to blame but myself. Then I thought *Not* after leaving the place knowing I will probably not return to subject myself to my own inept ability to co– mingle ingredients.
Aside from the meal, Altai lacked in ambience and service. Lucky for them I was so preoccupied with my own debacle I just wrote the meal off as a loss onto thine self.

Walking in, I was pretty excited about the possibilities, I even thought, if its bad, I only have myself to blame. Well, it was pretty bad, and I’m not taking all the blame.
Although the concept is great, the execution of the foods wasn’t awesome. The veggies and meats didn’t taste fresh, and lacked flavor even with spices, the sides were worse than an elementary school cafeterias, and it was really expensive for what it was.
The customer service was really good, no complaints there.

Not a huge fan of Chinese food as meat cuts are usually low quality and the food can be overly greasy, I decided to try Altai Mongolian grill as an alternative to satisfy my crave for Asian food. And I was very pleasantly surprised!
As many reviewers explained already, you get to choose every ingredient you add in your bowl. They do have a wide selection of meats (beef, chicken, lamb, pork) as well as shrimp and the good thing is you get to pick your meat cut, which allows you to pick the leanest one if you want to be healthy! The lamb is surprisingly very tasty and lean which is not always the case with lamb you eat it at restaurants…
After selecting the meat, you get to choose the pasta, spices and veggies. I usually choose the rice noodles, and it always tastes great. I would recommend to put more spices than the recipe states, I usually add crushed garlic or garlic powder, cumin, curry and ginger in whatever dish I make. It always adds more flavor, although make sure not to overload on these as you’ll add the sauce at the end. There is also a wide choice of veggies to add if you want more fibers. The last time I was there, I added some pineapple chunks for a little sweet twist and I loved it!
I also make sure to add cilantro everytime. As for the sauces you get to mix at the end, I usually follow the recipe closely and it turns out to be perfect!
I was never disappointed in the bowls I made myself, and it always was very tasty, knowing I add more spices that the recipes recommend but I always follow the instructions for mixing sauces. I love the fact that you get to choose every ingredient and that they were fresh everytime I went there. I also really enjoy the fact that my meal was not cooked in a closed-​door kitchen where I don’t know whether sanitary regulations are followed or not. I get to see every ingredient I put in my own dish and that really is nice after being so disappointed in the quality of the ingredients I ate in a lot of restaurants…
This place is now one of my favorite spots for healthy Asian food as I am confident that whatever is on my plate is much fresher and healthier than a lot of other Asian restaurants I’ve visited before.

I was pretty pumped when I saw this place moving in since I work close to the location. I’ve visited about 10 times now, so I feel I can give a clear review.
…I really want to like this place. The concept is great. I just have a couple of small concerns:
— I’m normally excited when preparing my bowl, thinking this is going to be the best dish ever. But when I receive it, it’s just so-​so. Yes, I know I’m making my own bowl, but it’s never blown me away. I’m not sure if they’re using too much oil when cooking, or maybe the ingredients aren’t top notch… but something isn’t right.
— There always seems to be mass confusion with the servers. Questions of «Will you bring me an extra bowl or should I get it myself» seems to differ with who you talk to. When depending on your server to bring another bowl, you sometimes get held hostage at your table waiting 10+ minutes. I recommend Altai management should get their servers all on the same page. Personally, I think it’s best to go get your own 2^nd bowl.
— The layout of the sauces can get a little rough. There’s no room for error when balancing your spoonful of sauce over to your bowl. As a result, the sauce area normally looks like a battlefield after a group comes by.
— The soup and salad bar is really lacking at lunch. When they first opened, they used to serve a few appetizers in that location, but I guess they were losing their behinds on it.
Even with all these concerns, I’ll still go back. I think if they can do a little tweaking, they can have an all-​star restaurant, although I have noticed attendance has been slipping lately. Hopefully it won’t be too late.

I was very happy with my lunch at this restaurant. First, I think $ 10 for an unlimited lunch where I control the ingredients is a good deal. Although I may not always choose the healthy route, I can have a very tasty and healthy meal of lots of veggies.
Service was good. The server offered the house made tea. It was alright, but not the best flavor. But friendly servers, so I am sure they would switch you out if you card to try and did not like.
The place was not busy at all when I came in, this made the service go well, but I enjoy having a mongolian grill nearby, so I would encourage others to try. They do have a wide sauce selection. My two bowls were very tasty, but of course there is always a risk when the customer chooses the sauce, but that risk is also part of the fun of a mongolian grill. Dinner sounds like it might be a little pricy for just the desserts, but for lunch, I am very pleased and will be heading back.

I drive by this place every day on my way to work and so one night we didn’t feel like cooking we decided to stop by. It was really empty as we came early but more people came in as we were eating. We were greeted when we came in and the hostess explained the process of putting different ingredients in our bowls and then putting sauces in a little one.
We came for dinner, which cost $ 13 – 14 and included unlimited food, salad bar, sides and desserts. The salad bar didn’t include almost any toppings. The creamy Italian dressing was really good though! The sides were fried rice, chicken strips and onion rings. Weird sides for a full dinner already. The desserts were cookies and some pound cake looking stuff, some with different sauces on them like chocolate syrup. I wasn’t that thrilled by the choices. However, the oatmeal cookies were delicious, my favorite thing of the night!
The stir fry bar had a lot of different options for veggies and meats. I don’t eat meat but my husband got calamari and shrimp and there were scallops and many other things. Lots of veggies too. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sauces. There were SO many choices. Bonus for having spoons to try them but I couldn’t decide. There also were some combination suggestions.
Our food was cooked and brought to us quickly. I asked to have mine cooked separately from where they cooked meat. I wasn’t very thrilled by my food. It just wasn’t that flavorful. Kind of bland, though I did try a combination they suggested. My husband liked his more.
They have good happy hour specials, including on the buffet. There is a 15% discount if you come before a certain time, 6 I think. I was glad for that because I thought the buffet was pricey. I would’ve liked the option to just get the main meal and salad bar or something.
I might come back and try a different sauce.

I use to LOVE Great Kahn’s Mongolian Grill, but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere so I thought I would give this place a try. It is $ 10 for all you can eat Mongolian Grill at lunch. Don’t expect to be «wowed» by the food, but it’s decent and you can load up on tons of veggies and meat. I’m not dying to go back, but when I’m in the mood for Mongolian food I’ll probably go back since it’s convenient to my house and quick.

Lunch is $ 9.99 and includes all-​you-​can-​eat Mongolian grills, soup, and salad. First, you fill your large bowl with as many and any meats and veggies you want; then you fill your small bowl with sauce or try more than one sauce from their recommended blends or create your own.
Meat choices were shrimp, scallops, lamb, beef, pork, and chicken from what I remember. We were especially happy that the choices were all fresh meats kept cold over ice instead of freeze-​dried. Veggies included bok choy, celery, carrots, corn, broccoli, water chestnuts, bell peppers, zucchini, cabbage, and more. And there tons of sauces and seasonings for your sauce blend.
I did my own custom version of one of their recommended sauce blends (The Mongolian Warrior?) with a little sour, a little Japanese soy, a little of something called Mild Mongolian or something like that, and a dash of mustard powder. Then I dropped it off at the Mongolian window, grabbed my soup, and went to my table.
The salad bar was small but OK. They had 1 soup, which they told me they change regularly. It was something like «Asian Chicken Soup» and it was pretty darn good.
You have a seat with your soup and/​or salad, and the guy brings your stir fry and a bowl of rice if you want rice. All in all, we thought it was decent for a pure Mongolian stir-​fry with all-​you-​can-​eat fresh choices, salad, and a tasty soup.

I finally decided to give this new spot a try. It’s been open for a few weeks now and has taken the place of the old Bella Vita wine bar.
Putting your meal together is very cafeteria/​grocery salad bar-​esque. You get a tray and pick out your meats, veggies, and sauces then you deliver the tray to the grill cook. He cooks it all together and then the server delivers your goodies hot off the grill. None of the ingredients were spectacular, but it was kind of fun mixing and matching and choosing sauces.
It’s all you can eat for 10 bucks at lunch… but you can still eat healthy if you want. I loaded up on veggies and tofu.
It’s kind of a fun place to try… just don’t be expected to be blown away.