I'll be honest I've been coming here for quite some time now, Yeah it might be quite a drive from Koreatown to Whittier. But I keep going back especially since..Mongolian Hot Grill is a self-serve customizable to your liking. Their prices have increased since the first time I went, as expected since everything has gone up now in days. They give you your protein in a plate and you just start stacking up the veggies as high as you want. My only gripe would be have more tongs in the veggie section, doesn't feel right using one for all the vegetables. Then you get to your spice level.. there's 3 options Regular, Medium, Spicy.. I think Spicy is the only way to go honestly. It gives the food a nice little kick. The food to me is really good, you customize it how you want it.. doesn't get better than that & depending how much you were able to put on the plate, you might be able to take some back home, I personally always finish my plate. My biggest complaint is they have a "time they open" and i've gotten there.. and guess what they are not OPEN!! Now I'm stuck in Whittier (not a bad thing) but I would hope they would follow their times posted.. not open 45mins-1hr later. Service i feel is irrelevant here, they have one guy cooking everyone's plate. Sometimes when it's really busy the cashier will coming in and help him out. So be patient.. it'll get done. Just have to be a little patient. Be ready to bring some CASH, since it's cash only, & be ready to eat this in your car.. they have two tables here. Very limited sitting. There might be better Mongolian spots, but this place is still very good, & if you are around the area stop by and give it a try. read more

It's an awkward set up to prep your food and it's overpriced but once in a while when I don't feel like going to a restaurant this place was good for a to go order. After the way they treated me I won't be back here. I attempted to speak up THREE different times that my order was being prepared incorrectly. Both of the guys cooking kept gaslighting me that there was Chicken, Beef and Pork in my order. I spoke up when they first placed it on the grill, then once they were cooking it and Finally when he was packing it up I asked him point to a piece of chicken or pork in here cause I don't see anything. He couldn't because from the beginning there wasn't any other protein except for beef. His response is we'll tell the cashier and I'll take this home. I'm like and then what, wait another 45 mins because there are 15 people waiting too. He basically shrugged it off like meh not my problem. The solution would have been to get me the proteins I ordered and paid extra for that were missing. But instead I was made to feel like I didn't matter once they got my money. read more

Cheap, fast and good. Love coming here. Can't really mess it up as you choose your meat, veggies and sauce. Even my picky eater loves it.

I have no idea why there are bad reviews. Sure, it's a mom & pop shop so nothing fancy, no ambience, but who cares about that. I absolutely LOVE their food. I live in San Diego and there are no Mongolian spots around here that even compare. So I drive my happy a$$ all the way to Whittier for these noodles at least once a month. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Beef, chicken, and shrimp combo noodles - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

Our first time at this place. You pick your protein and pay $16 per plate. It's a CASH ONLY transaction, they have an ATM inside. Then you get a bowl filled with the protein and you add the rest. They have a decent selection of veggies and a few sauces. They have several signs that they will only cook what is in the bowl, anything on the tray they discard. The cook will grill the contents of the bowl and add noodles and sauce. It was tasty. But they don't clean the grill between people so mine was spicy because the person in front added very spicy sauce to her plate. It was a little busy but they okay. The place is small. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Sorry it's blurry but this is the grill. There's two guys walking around and round grilling the food. - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

Subpar service trying to order. You order and then the person running the register goes to a side room and comes back with your meat. Very suspicious where the meats are plated. The area where the veggies and sauces are is where this whole thing breaks down. There's ONE COMMUNAL PAIR OF TONGS. Everyone touches and use that to load up on all veggies. And I mean EVERYONE. Just one pair. That's just not sanitary at all. Bypassing that, the whole thing is just dirty and lacking refills. The sauces is the only area that has allocated ladles for each one. Standing here waiting for my food to be cooked. I'm seeing that it looks like they're cooking with a piece of wood from an old table leg or something. I hope I don't regret following this "rec" from instagram. read more

I was really excited to try this place after seeing it on TikTok. We arrived at 3:00 PM because the posted hours said they were open. Since we were a bit early, we waited but after 45 minutes there was still no response. We saw an employee come look at the door multiple times, yet no one opened or even spoke to us. Several other people also came and left because the restaurant wasn't open at the scheduled time. We even knocked, but the employee didn't acknowledge us or explain anything. After reading other reviews, it seems this has happened to others as well. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't worth the 40 min drive we took. read more

An honest review based on being led on by social influencers and the restaurant's Instagram itself, on a nice bright September. Unfortunately even their Google and Yelp hours aren't updated so if you came before 3pm you're greeted to locked doors as only finding out about their new hours by digging through their Instagram. If you came here based on a few local influencers and their Instagram Reels and TikToks, don't be fooled while the portions are a good size, quantity isn't quality no matter how good they say it is and it definitely not bang for your buck. The cashier, sad. The one and only grill cook doing his best to deal with the long line, bottle necked at the topping stations. The atmosphere is sadder than your average hole-in-the-wall joint. We all know how the drill works for Mongolian style grills, you pick your protein and tower as many vegetables till you can, how you prepare it is how it'll taste. In this case all ingredients are quite bland and stale, even the vegetables don't seem as well kept with a sad single serving tong, everyone in line seems to forget returning it for no one to use. And when I mean a single tong, I mean it. One entire tong for everything at the topping station leaving such a bottle neck of line flow, you'll be standing, waiting your turn for the one sad tong. Food, because that's what everyone's here for. For the most out of your dollar in today's economy and don't get me wrong, We are all out here hustling to keep our tummys full. No matter how much toppings to try and bring out flavor, mixture, combination of topping to sauces. Each time it just comes out bland, so bland you're eating for fill but for satisfaction this ain't it no matter how many social influncers praise it for pay, It leaves the mouth for more to be desired. You'll get better tasting ingredients from your local Ghengis Khan mall chain for around the similar price they charge here if you need comparison. Service; irrelevant in this case. You're here to grab and go. Nice or not, it's not relevant for this review. Overall; there are better places with the same style for around the same cost or even just a little bit more. Don't fall for this place's Instagram and it's bought followers and views, and don't fall for the paid Influencers saying how amazing this place is. If it can't can't take the minimal effort to update its online hours or even provide a 2nd tong at the topping stations, it won't make the effort to make you feeling satisfied for flavor for your buck. read more

I seen the instagram hype and definitely wanted to try. I miss seeing Mongolian grills in general so a trip back home to cali really wanted me to give It a go. You pay and pick your protein. Then head to the area to add veggies then create the sauce. I wish there were more vegetable options. If the place gets busy there may be a wait since there is one cook who has to cook each plate. It was okay to try, but not a fan of going back. read more

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The Google hours say open at 11. It's Friday 4/25/25 at 12:46pm and it's closed. Drove from La Habra, loaded the car with my family and it's closed. read more

So I've been a huge Mongolian BBQ fan for decades. I have taken my family to many different locations, one of my favorites was up in Duarte but unfortunately they're no longer there. My daughter was excited to have us come up to this restaurant because she had heard good things and had come here with some coworkers. Many of the Mongolian places that I have been to are all you can eat and you can go and serve yourself as many times as you want. But some places that I've been to in the past are a one serving location. This place gives you a bowl of the meat that you purchase and then you go serve your own vegetables and sauces before taking it up to the grill. The veggies, mushrooms and other items seemed a little old. And with some of the items, you had to scrape the bottom of the containers. It would be hard for the lady working the cashier to come refill them because the design of the place is badly done. While you're serving your veggies and sauces/oils, you're bumping your butt against the person waiting at the grill. Is super hard to get in there, this area needs to be redesigned! But the most frustrating part for me throughout the process was the long line largely due to the fact that the cook is only putting on one bowl at a time. I have never seen that at any other Mongolian BBQ location. I think part of the reason was that there was a large burned area on the grill because he is not walking around the diameter of the grill. I don't know if it burned because he's not using it all or if he is not using it because it is burned. But if your food touches it you're going to taste that burnt flavoring. It also makes the line go really really slow. I also paid the extra $5 to add shrimp. You only get four or five pieces of shrimp but they were pretty good size; unfortunately, the cook dropped one of my shrimp to the floor as he is rotating the food on the grill. :( They offer some spring rolls as a side menu, they are NOT! They are egg rolls, and they look like they are premade and fried there. They are not good at all. Super mushy and no flavor! There are only a couple of tables in the restaurant so I noticed a couple of people waiting for us to hurry up. We were fortunate and got a table right away. I guess everything is relative so I have to compare it to the other Mongolian BBQ places that I've gone to in the past, this place was not as well designed or clean looking. It wasn't gross but it just didn't look clean. I do have to give it three stars because the food is good. Probably not somewhere I would come back to because for the same price I think there are a lot of different options. If I ever came back and saw the same burnt spot on the grill I would walk out the door. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - My masterpiece - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

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So plus side is the food is good. Nice bar with plenty of veggies and options. Very surprised they have tofu as a base incase you don't want meat that's always nice to see. Really like the sauces bar that allows you to tailor it to how much flavor you want (I will warn though do not go super heavy on the sauces as it can be overpowering). Portions are nice size as well. Overall food and options I give a 5/5. Now the down...the wait times....my god the wait times. Walked in at about 4:20, paid for my food, got my bowl with my protein, and from there I was waiting in like for about 45 mins. Slowwwwwwwly making my way past the veggie and sauce bar till I finally made it to the front. This for me is really unacceptable especially in food service. Now I understand yes it's a small business but you need to have two cooks working at all time that's just standard especially when you're standing with RAW MEAT for that long of time. I almost had a moment where I was going to ask for a refund but I figured well I'm already half way there and the lady I paid earlier was nice so I just pushed on through. Overall service 4/5 but wait time 0/5 This place can really be something big considering it's the only one of its kind in the surrounding area. But they really need to work on the speediness of from when you order to when you receive because having raw food out as long as I did especially pork would start to worry me a bit. Overall would I go back? Yes I would if I saw there was a very short line but I would walk away if I saw a line of more than 8 people if they continue to only have one cook. read more

I'll keep it short and not that long, I live near it and I've been going to it for some time, personally I really like the food yea it's a bit awkward to order, but it's self serve, also you have to pay with cash no card but they have an atm at the restaurant, also personally to me the staff aren't kind and it's mostly the cook he's rude and just not very welcoming read more

There is no ambiance, the service is ....... what service? The help was 6-7. Cash only. The food was sub-par for Mongolian BBQ. Food on the flat top for too long. The prices are good. The portions are big. No soda fountain. I won't be back, but I wish them luck. For a much better meal and experience, just down the road, try Mad Wolf in Brea read more

The food & service by the owner...top notch and that is why we're return patrons. I don't care much for the surroundings; i.e., the abandoned Albertsons next door but if you take that away, it's a great place to eat. read more

I don't even know where to begin with this place. First off, the restaurant is filthy. From the moment we walked in, we were hit with a sour, musty smell that made us question whether we should just turn around. The floors were sticky, the tables hadn't been wiped down properly, and the plumbing is clearly ancient along with the electrical The vegetable and sauce station is filthy and unsanitary, I'm most certain the vegetables are old and they taste horrible Not exactly what I want to see when I'm trying to enjoy a meal. The service was below average cashier with bad attitude and only one cook which causes a big line to form As for the food... let's just say it didn't do much to redeem the place. Lukewarm, poorly seasoned, and just overall low quality. I'm honestly shocked this place is still in business. Health department, are you listening? Do yourself a favor: skip this disaster and find literally anywhere else to eat. read more

Why does this place say it opens at 3 but it's damn near an hour later and it's still not open and when I knock on the door someone pokes there head out the back and ignores me and last time I came when I complained about this they gave me attitude and said "well you don't need to eat here" what type of business is this. read more

This place is a little gem in South Whittier. Bomb noodles made with veggies of choice and plenty of meat. Last time it was cash only so please have cash on hand before you order. It's a simple hole in the wall with a couple seats but you can sit and enjoy the smell of food cooking or you can take out and enjoy at home. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

Food was really good. A little pricey but worth it. Get there early, around lunch time, so u don't have to wait in the long dinner lines. It's a small place and it's hard to move around in there but hopefully they can rearrange the vegetable bar. read more

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Place is small the guy cooking was friendly and greeted us. It had almost just opened and was already full. Once you order they go and get your bowl with your choice of meat. Then you go and put all the fixins you like. The ingredients looked fresh. You get to put all the sauces and they have recommended amounts on top of wall. I also highly recommend the bread they give it to you at the end once your food is cooked. It was very hot like freshly made. Took the food to go was still nice and hot. It was a good portion and you get a side of rice which was also very good. I quite enjoyed it and was hard to stop eating because it was all so flavorful but the stomach was full n have a nice snack for later. read more

Horrible. They cooked the food dry. Added no sauce with the grill. I asked him to add some from the pitcher by the grill and he refused. Do not waste your money read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

I live in Whittier and this is my third time coming...... and closed... AGAIN. I even checked their Instagram to confirm hours this time. Their Instagram says open Saturdays from 12-8. It's 1:26 pm and they're closed. Stop wasting peoples time. read more

The wait time wasn't very long, from 1-10 on quality of food and taste, I'll give it a strong 8+ , now you help yourself to the veggies, only. I wasn't to keen on the idea that you tell them your choice of meat, because then, they go back into the kitchen and bring you out a portion (small) according to their portions. Now when I go to other Mongolian Restaurants, you pick and choose yourself what you want, including the meat, that's my only gripe. read more

I wish I would've read the other one star reviews before coming... yes they were closed. Hopefully this place can figure out a schedule that works. Another potential customer left after knocking on the glass door several times. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Closed/ Open signs @3:16 - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

I think this place has some nostalgia to it. It's kind of in a dilapidated shopping center. Bathrooms were typical for that area. Graffiti all over. The male cashier, in my opinion, a little bit impatient and rude for our first time. Instead of taking the time and explaining how the whole process works, was more of a simple point at the menu above and the plate comes with rice and noodles. I agree with other reviews, the only customer service/nice personnel was the cook. So that's why this place gets a four star. In my opinion, the food was decent, there is a long wait, and just get ready for the rush-hour. I would recommend trying this place, if you're in the area. I would say if you're within 10 or 15 mile radius, it's worth a trip. Food doesn't blow your socks off, but it's good and decent. read more

We drove a little over an hour to get here after seeing they had sesame buns. We got there at around 5pm and there was a decent line. There was only 2 employees working. The place is small and there also isn't a lot of seating. This location is also cash only but if you don't have cash they have an ATM inside. Everything is self-serve (except the meat) and it's a very tight area between toppings and waiting for your food to be cooked, you're basically back to back with other people, the floor was also SUPER sticky. They were out of the sesame buns unfortunately but we had talked to the female employee and she said she stopped making them because no one was asking for them. She ended up making some just for us which was really sweet of her. The flavor was okay but it was really nothing special. read more

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Made a 45 minute drive just to try this place out since I kept getting posts on Instagram about it and the food looked really yummy. Their bio on Instagram said they open at 12 on Saturdays, I got there right at 12 and they still weren't open yet which I understand happens so I waited til 12:15 that's when I got the lady on the insides attention and she said they'd be open in 5 mins. Cool. I waited til 12:40 and they still weren't open so I just ended up leaving. Really disappointing and unprofessional, if their hours aren't reliable they should've made a post on Instagram about opening late or change their hours all together on their bio just to save people the trouble and gas and drive. read more

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I have been coming to this restaurant since my dad would bring my siblings and I as kids and this place is a gem. The food has always been a 10/10. The bread is always great to pair with the food! Huge plus is the generous portions! read more

For starters they open whenever they feel like it. They have you serve yourself all the veggies and condiments and where you make line there's barely any room to even get by. Not a place I'd crave to go back to. Food is alright read more

One of my favorite food places in this city,obviously you make it yourself so it's more on yourself how you make it. I personally make it the spiciest with a little extra kick and it's delicious every time. The service is always great been coming here for almost 2 years now, the cook is always great to have a small conversation with, always great. The price is great and you can stack up your veggies as long as it's not falling outside the plate. Veggies and fruits always fresh. It has some white tables to sit down nothing too fancy but the food definitely makes this place. 10/10 every time, I would recommend to every Mongolian grill lovers with patience! read more

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The food here is good. I've been looking for a good nice Mongolian spot near home in whittier instead of having to drive to cerritos and Mongolian hot grill hit the spot for me! The pricing ranges from $13-$15 a plate and they hand you your protein of choice in a bowl, then you add your veggies and sauce goodies! The service was great and they are so nice and friendly. Definitely come check this spot out. I'll be coming here at least 2-3 times a month or more. I'm already wanting it again! I got the Beef plate and added veggies like onions, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, green onions, carrots, cilantro and made it medium spicy and topped it off with lots of sesame seeds. The flavors was perfect! Can't wait to go back! read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Beef plate. Over loaded with the sesame seeds because they are bomb! 10/10 - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

You drive up into the parking lot and it's not appealing so benifit of a doubt we go into the place and it's not appealing either looks like they haven't renovated the place for a very long time. They do have people going in and eating but the place where you pick your add one is not appealing either. Can't say anything about the service because we did eat there because nothing was appealing not even the food. Sorry I can't say anything good about the place but I bet if they updated the place they might get more people in. read more

This is my go to Mongolian spot, and every time I come, I enjoy my food, so I don't understand the reviews about the food being nasty because mine always comes out good, it might be the way they setup their plate. BUT I do have to complain about the "female cashier". The owner needs to seriously get rid of her because that business will not thrive with people like her working there. Since the first day she was cashier, she has always given mean look to customers and has had an attitude. I would always let it slide but the last time I went, she said something to us that we would never forget and even left us pretty shocked. There was a couple gently pushing down on their plate to make space for their vegetables and the cashier yelled at them, telling them to not do that, that was fine but then she told us "that's embarrassing, you wouldn't see this happen in a rich neighborhood!" Talking very badly about the paying customers, just for that mistake.....we were so shocked because it caught us off guard, it's the first time I ever see a cashier talk badly to a customer about another customer. I felt so bad for the couple because they told me that it was their first time trying this spot out and seemed so excited to try it out and they had no idea that they were being judged by the employee and that is absolutely NOT OKAY under any circumstance. Do better, get a new cashier, this will affect your business a lot.....listen to your customers. read more

If you are ever in the area and craving for some Mongolian bbq, then definitely come to Mongolian hot grill. I came here on a Sunday afternoon and it was a pack house. I got the beef and shrimp, The shrimp are huge by the way. Once you get your bowl of meat, here's a tip, use your disposable gloves and squish down the meat so you have space to put your veggies. I followed the spicy sauce and it turn out amazing. You can put whatever veggies combination you want into the bowl. I highly recommend trying Mongolian Hot Grill. read more

Small rundown place with only a few tables. Just two employees, the lady took our order and then went into the kitchen and came out with bowls of meat. They had run out of beef. I got the pork but it was dry. I was satisfied with the amount of veggie options and I liked that they had a sign suggesting what sauces and oils to use. What I didn't like is that the cook decided to stop and take time to scrape and clean the grill right before our order which held up the growing line. Was that really necessary considering they were closing in 30 minutes? Not friendly at all but guess he was on his feet all day so I'll let that slide. They are cash only so we had to use their atm which was a $3.50 charge. But when I looked at my account, I was charged a separate ATM fee of $3.00! Guess that was my bank's fee for using a non-Chase atm. So go to your own back instead of wasting $6.50 in fees. read more

We've been going here for a few years and 95% of the time, it's closed. Their hours are never correct. It's very frustrating for people that drive farther. Hours of operation NEED to be worked on. read more

No where to sit down didn't eat there. But very clean i just don't like somewhere to eat without being able to sit down hopefully I can try the food next time read more

I think this is the last time I'm giving this place a chance. Its been a couple years. Are they ever open? Says they open at 12pm. And it's after 1pm. I guess they just open when they feel like it. read more

Mongolian Hot Grill - Current time is 115. Time says they open at 12pm. - Mongolian Near Me - Whittier, California

Hours are all over the place Yelp says one thing Instagram says another Every time we have came it's closed We came late afternoon the line was long and super uncomfortable to be waiting.. the place is small and no one really moves or makes space for you to put your veggies so you just have to stand there. No much seating so be prepared to eat in your car or take it home. Customer service can use some work the lady in the register is rude read more

Weekend are a little busy but over all worth the wait! Food taste great. I personally prefer the beef. Try it!