HuHot Mongolian Grill

I’ve always been a fan of HuHot. They have great food and we’ve always gotten great service.
I really like the fact that you can choose exactly what it is that you’re going to be eating. They have a great selection of raw meats, noodles and vegetables to choose from. Then, they have a sauce bar with around 20 different types of sauces that you can use to make any number of combinations from garlic to spicy.
We highly recommend this place to anyone with a big apatite!
The only bad part is that they get super busy around lunch time but they do a pretty good job of getting you through the lines.

I previously posted a picture of the amount of food I had left over at lunch today. I was recently hospitalized with stomach issues, therefore I’ve been on a pretty bland diet. Slowly adding flavor. I picked HuHot for the bland rice and noodles. Since my stomach has shrunk I was barely able to eat any of my meal. They refused to give me a Togo box when I had only been to the grill once. What a disgrace. We have starving people in the world and they would rather waste food. I will never be dining there again.

Good meal at a good price. Relaxed atmosphere. No hassle if you are on a business trip and traveling by yourself. Friendly service that allowed you to eat without getting in your face. Meat and vegetables were fresh. Sauces were interesting and the ability to «make your own» was great.
Here’s an interesting effect. If you are doing low card then this is an easy place to eat. Load up on verges, meet and fish and you can eat well without any stodge.

This place is terrible! For the price I pay, it was not worth going there, and it doesn’t matter that it’s «unlimited»; it’s unlimited bc they made sure to make your first round through suck so you don’t want another round. At the bar where you pick the ingredients, raw meat was in the fish container, mushroom bits in the corn container, etc… it was a mess. The vegetables did not seem fresh at all and some were turning brown. Very unappetizing visual, but the problem that was the last straw for me was the cooking. I am a vegetarian, meaning I don’t want my food cooking right next to raw meat. But whatever, I’ll go with the flow this time even though I specifically told them I don’t eat meat… then they started chopping up my neighbors food that had raw meat and having it fly into my pile, even worse he went straight into my pile and started chopping everything up without cleaning or switching out his cooking tool!!! And he goes around doing that to all the meals… So now my food is contaminated by meat and god knows what else! What happens if someone is allergic to something? You would be screwed. And worst of all, they all seemed like they hated their jobs. This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had in Des Moines. So unless you are like a disposable that will take anything no matter how crappy it tastes as long as it’s food, stay away from this place!

You should be hungry and ready to earn your meal!
If you go get ready to stand in line and wait, wait and wait some more.
I think for the cost, and you doing most the work that the plates should be bigger. If you want to miss the lines then make sure you pile your bowl super high the first time around. The time that it can take for you to get through a busy line, wait for the cooking, and then sit and enjoy your food it could be a good 15 min. Then you try and keep and eye on the line by the food cause when you think you want more you got to get up in line again and be quick enough to beat the rush.
Dont get me wrong, the food is good. The waitress was attentive and kept and eye on our drinks very well. With just the two of us we got sat within 10 min even with people waiting inside the door.
There isnt much in the food options if you have any kind of food issues. I like to keep an eye open for that stuff due to family members being limited. Unless you just get veggies and some sauces you wont be able to get the meat (frozen chucks) that are available.
They used to even have eggs on the bar that you could cook with your rice and meal, but those were not there this last time.
I think since I am not a big eater, that the charge for as little as I eat that its not really worth it. I probably could have had just a salad and passed on the bowls of mixed stuff.
Again the staff was super. They were all great, its not anything to be with them. The place was busy and successful and no matter where you sit you can here the grill masters working non stop (they really EARN those few tips) I just wish they had more space up there around that grill to get more people going around, cooked and gone.

HuHot is what I got, just remember that! Oh man I had a great late lunch experience at Huhot yesterday! Now I have been here before and to other Huhot locations but yesterday was the best experience I had!
The staff was super polite, and smiley!
The music was kicking, loud enough to here over the clink/​clacking of the grill masters on the Mongolian grill, but quiet enough you could still talk!
They must have had it on some Rock n Roll Hall of Fame channel on, cause I heard Madonna, McCartney, Talking Heads, CCR, and even the Lemon Pipers «GREEN TAMBORINE!»
Just like in that song where money feeds the music machine! I became a food machine here! AND I GOT FED WELL!
I love how the experience is all in your hands, you pick the noodles, the veggies, the protein, and most importantly the sauces! I found a great mix yesterday.
3 hot Bar-​b-​q, 2 Peanut, 2 garlic oil… It was perfect and I had to go back for seconds!
We went at 3:45-ish and the line moved super fast even though it was kinda packed in there! The grill masters were super cool about cleaning the grill for me, since I’m vegan as well!
All in all the food was great, I did notice the prices are slightly higher on weekends, but I’m still not complaining as it was a killer fun meal experience!

If you like sticky sauce handles and cross contamination, this is the place for you.
If you have any sort of food issues, don’t go. I can’t eat gluten and choose not to meat. I chose gf noodles, veggies, and sauce. They throw it all on this circular grill with two spatulas they toss and chop while your food cooks.
The problem is. there is all kind’s of crap stuck on those spatulas as they go continually around the circular grill stirring and chopping everyone else’s food. I had. Non gf noodles and meat mixed in with mine.
It was 10.00 just for that not including drinks. Dessert or appetizers extra. Plus the tip jar for the guys at the grill.
If you have an iron stomach and no aversion to grimy places to eat. Have at it.
At least I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow.

Going downhill.
The cleanliness of this restaurant has seen better days. I’m not sure if this location has gotten new management in the past year or year and a half, but the food is now all mixed in with each other in the vegetable area, sauces are always empty, and you can always find delicious chunks of vegetables in the sauces. Also, the floor area by the grill is filthy.

This is the best place in town for healthful food. You pick out the ingredients you want, and you have a large selection of vegetables from which to choose. You also pick out your own sauces and can pass on the oil if you want. The cooks are always pleasant and willing to accommodate special diets, allergies, and food sensitivities. Eating here is as healthful as eating at home, but without the hassle. It can be quite busy at lunch, so consider going early or late. A brown rice option would be welcome.

Great food! Fast service! Only down side is the noise but you can still talk over it!

We were able to get into the back side room but it wasn’t able to reserve so we had to go early, food was delicious, and it was pretty busy, but our waiter was pretty good, and made us feel welcome.

In town visiting family who brought us here. Neat concept with one major flaw (see below). Meats are frozen as someone else mentioned, but sliced very thin so they always cook well so I don’t see that as a problem. Crab is imitation which is probably why they label it Krab instead. The bowls are a little small if you have a healthy appetite, but the cooks will accept two bowls for a single finished plate. Most people who do this would do meat and noodles in one, veggies in another and sauce on both.
Plenty of variety of veggies and sauces to choose from and I wish I had been hungrier to be able to try more while we were there. The ring of the spatulas on the cooking surface make it noisy so don’t expect to be able to carry on an easy conversation. Line can get long quickly, but is easy to see from any table so you can time going up for your next helping. Make sure you come with an appetite if doing the buffet.
Flaw: One member of our party is very sensitive to spicy foods and despite using extremely mild ingredients, very small amounts of a mild sauce and requested the cooks use extra water, still ended up with a spicy finished product (equal to medium salsa). This is due to the fact that the cooks use the same spatulas for every dish as they walk around the cooking surface. Sure they scrape them on the edge of the cooking surface, but that isn’t enough to stop stuff from mixing together. If you have allergies or sensitivies, you MUST assume that there is mixing going on and that you might be better off ordered from the regular menu.

Good lunch prices! A tiny bit more than standard fast food. Not the extra meat choices you get from other Mongolia BBQ places but it is good.

Nothing special, but far from the worst. However, it pales in comparison to other chains (BD’s is one) in its lack of choices. The only starch available is steamed white rice and the vegetables and meats are obviously frozen. Although most vegetables are easily identifiable, it would be nice if they were identified with signs.
$ 11 for lunch (no soup or salad) on MLK day seemed a little steep as well. The benefit to Hu-​Hot over some (such as Genghis Grill) is you are (as many have noted) offered unlimited portions; therefore if you make a lousy sauce combination, you can simply discard it and try again.

This is by far my favorite Mongolian Grill, I have tried numerous places in CA, OR, IA and WA and none compare to HuHot! As far as the loud music and dimmer lights it’s all part of the grand experience! Bring friends order sake bomb’s make a mess… Laugh … Eat and let your hairdown! Where else let’s you pound tables and spill your drinks all over ??? If you don’t know how to take a sake bomb ask there’s a saying that goes along with it !

Hu Hot is a great place to eat-​in! I strongly would recommend it! I have the heart for the crews who cook the food. Tough job for an 6−8hr of work duty! My personal suggestion to the management is to TURN DOWN THEIR MUSIC, TOO LOUD! The place is too dark too — I just wish they would paint it natural colors though. Waiters are very polite and courteous! :) Good food! Eat all you can! Noodles are great! With sauces, it is a win-​lose deal thing: if you got the right mixture, you will love it. And the opposite. Generally, you will love this resto!

Used to love this place when I was a teenager, but the novelty has worn off.
Frozen pre-​sliced meat pieces, pre-​cut vegetables intermixed with each other, sauces… all sorts of cross-​contamination.
NO THANKS! Would rather make at home for half the price.

Grab your ingredients and take them to the grill for them to make your dish. Easy and moderately priced. Enjoyable atmosphere. The line tends to get long sometimes. Lunches are a much better deal than dinners. Not a place to go if you plan to eat light.

I’ve always enjoyed going to HuHot when I’m back in Iowa. I recently went back to Iowa last weekend and always try to get to a HuHot with my best friends in High School. The atmosphere is loud, but not so much that you can’t carry on a conversation.
The wait staff is usually very attentive and courteous.
If you want shrimp, you need to go on Wednesdays or Fridays, which is unlike some other mongolian restaurants I’ve been to. Calimari is usually available regardless, along with imitation crab (Krab), along with your standard pork, chicken, beef, sausage, etc.
My suggestion, do two bowls at one time (not usually allowed at other mongolian restaurants), which allows you to get more combinations going with more ingredients and more food at one time.

HuHot is GREAT!
My wife and I were in town in Des Moines and were taken there by family and all I can say is we’ve been craving it ever since (that was almost 5 years ago now). The only downside to the chain is that they don’t have more locations so that everyone can experience what great food they have.
Beware, you might have people that don’t like the food. Note that you make your own dishes so it’s really not the restaurants fault unless the service was bad or it was undercooked or something.
Overall we had a great experience, the food was amazing and we can’t wait to go back.