I’m such a sucker for Mongolian grills. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been to one I didn’t like. When word came out a bd’s Mongolian Grill was coming to Wichita, I got even more excited. Years ago I visited the one in Kansas City and loved every second… or I should say bite of it. If you’ve never been to a Mongolian Grill, I’m here to walk you to the process of the new restaurant that will be opening Monday, June 22.
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111 S Rock Rd
Wichita, KS 67207
316-202-7326
Monday – Thursday: 11am – 10pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 11pm
Closed on Sunday
Cash/Card Accepted
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Soft Open Disclaimer. I was invited out to a soft opening before they opened to the public. Sometimes in those instances, the service is very personal, the food can be free, and/or the event is set up for training purposes so it could really skew the experience even more. So instead of giving a full-blown out review, I decided to give you an idea of what to expect. Then once the newness has died down, I’ll go back in for a real review with some friends who’ve never been to get different perspectives.
bd’s Mongolian Grill took the place of the former Genghis Grill. During the last months of Genghis Grill, you could really tell it was on its last legs. The new restaurant spruced the place up. One of the big changes they made was moving the bar away from the back corner of the building and to a side wall. The entire interior was brightened and more inviting.
For newbies to a Mongolian grill of any sort, it’s a huge all-you-can-eat affair of create-your-own Asian inspired stir-fried dishes. Once you make your bowls, everything is cooked on large, round, solid iron griddles.
bd’s Mongolian Grill has different prices depending on the type of day. You can get one bowl for yourself for $9.99 or unlimited bowls for $11.99. Kids 4-10 are $6.99. At dinner time which starts at 4pm, prices bump up to $13.99 for one bowl and $15.99 for unlimited bowls. Kids prices stayed the same.
When you arrive, your server will hand you a bowl. You walk up to the buffet stations where you have the option of grabbing a recipe card that gives you step-by-step instructions on what to place in your bowl. You can either do that or just wing it like I do every single time.
The first step is choosing the type of starch you want.
Next up, you can choose your protein. There’s so many options to choose from. You have pork, chicken, steak, sausage and an assortment of seafood. *Give me all the scallops*
After that you can season it up with your basic salt and pepper or 14 other seasonings. I always choose anything that can provide some heat.
If you feel like Mongolian Grills are unhealthy, this assortment of vegetables makes me feel better about what I’m about to indulge in. Pro Tip: Always get an egg!
Then the magic of the Mongolian grills are the sauces. For the uninitiated, this can be overwhelming. But for a seasoned pro like myself, I go all kamikaze and mix and match everything with no rhyme or reason. It’s hard to mess up.
Once you’re done, you take your bowl up to the cooks who ask if you want brown or white rice to go along with your bowl. Make sure to bring the ticket your server handed you originally which denotes your name and table you’re at. Don’t be the fool like me who forgot it.
Your cook then takes your tray and begins the cook. Please note, this all wasn’t for myself.
While you wait, you have the option of ordering appetizers. Can you ever go wrong with mini egg rolls, crab rangoon, edamame and fried rice?
Not long after, your bowls arrive just as you made them. For some people, one bowl is plenty. Everyone of us just had a single bowl. As much as I wanted seconds, my body wasn’t ready to endure the starch crash that would take place later in the day. Perhaps next time, I’m going with unlimited bowls.
Fortunately, opting to go with one bowl saved room for dessert. Cheesecake Factory fans should be happy to know they supply the cheesecakes at bd’s Mongolian Grill. Chocolate tuxedo cheesecake and the big brownie were our choices for the evening and we weren’t mad about at all. I’m lactose intolerant and let me just say, the pain was worth it.
One big question that will likely come is what is the ultimate different between HutHot Mongolian Grill and bd’s Mongolian Grill. Both are great in their own right and it ultimately comes down to the ingredients; fresh vs. frozen. If you go to bd’s Mongolian Grill for instance, all the meats and seafood are fresh on the buffet line. In contrast, HuHot Mongolian Grill has frozen meats as seen below. The pork is like frozen meat chips which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and all a matter of preference.
bd’s Mongolian Grill officially opens to the public on Monday, June 22. I have a group of friends that regularly get together for lunch often and you can bet we will be adding this place to our rotation in the near future.
Here’s the menu that was available during the soft opening and will likely be the one used for opening day:
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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Lived just a couple miles from the one in Overlandpark. Was one of my favorite places to eat. When they first opened the used one by one oak boards to beat up the food on the shield so much better and quieter than the metal rods they use now. The squid and lamb were my go to in the meat department. Glad they have come to Wichita.