This is the WORST EXPERIENCE I HAD IN A RESTAURANT BY FAR !!! I will never go there again or recommend it to any one. I worked in many five stars restaurants and i do have a culinary degree as well so please know that my opinion is credible and professional. The "Manager" didn't even welcome us when we arrived, we asked for a baby chair and he brought it late, when i asked the terrible waiter to change the table for me because my child was getting too annoyed because of how close the table was to the kitchen door she truly was upset and bothered !!!!!!!! she asked me to move my dishes to the new table !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no way !!!!!! she also took 10 minutes to go talk to that idiot manager to get his approval to change our table despite the fact that the restaurant was half empty and she made so many looks on her face to show me that she is upset....... i then just told the manager that we need to go and we are not eating here at all. There is another waiter walked out of the kitchen holding a pocket full of ice and was walking between tables and cursing at the guy in the kitchen in loud voice. !!!!!!!!!!!! this is just unbelievable !!!!!!!!! PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE YOU WILL BE TREATED SO BADLY. read more

They have varieties of choices, and service is excellent. Price is decent since they located in downtown. I have try their dinner and they have a very creative idea. The best is they are unlimited, which mean you can bring the food there for them to cook as many time as you wish. read more

I have been to flat top plenty of times at this location and the North Ave location and the Naperville location. Flat top is a great dinner or lunch place. I love the fact that they have an abundance amount of vegetables to choose from and you can put as much meat as you want in your other. Also, when i go in there i feel like im a cook coming up with new sauce ideas which is always a good time. Flat top is also very well priced from what you are getting!! read more

It had been a few years since I stepped foot into a Flat Top Grill. When I went in the past I usually dined in the suburbs like Oak Park or Lombard if I'm not mistaken. Although they weren't memorable experiences, I can't lie and say they were bad ones at all. However, my opinion has completely changed after my last trip this past Saturday for lunch. To be clear I went to the one downtown on Wabash. You would think the expansion of the item bar would make for a better experience. It didn't! I remember in the past there were recipe cards guiding you on how to make a pretty decent dish. Apparently the marketing geniuses thought they were a bad idea. Or maybe our server was new and didn't know where to find them when we asked for a couple. He said they don't have them anymore. They did have a couple of recipes on the menu, but nothing special. Although our server wasn't too bad the service overall was slow and, at times, rude. When we walked in the hostess acknowledged us but proceeded to seat people who came in after us first. Then my cousin asked the waitress if we should seat ourselves, to which she responded "your hostess will seat you" like a robot. When we did get seated it was not by our hostess but another waitress who wasn't even assigned to our section. The gentlemen who was collecting dirty plates hadn't been around for a while, therefore I put my plate on the empty table next to me so I can make space for my next serving in what was already confined area. When he did come by he gave me attitude saying not to put my plate on the table. The food took an awfully long time. I can't be mad at the cooks as there were only two. However, the place wasn't very busy. As far as the food goes, it was bunk to say the least, but considering you're responsible for your own ingredients I'll take most of the blame on this. But I can't take blame for the quality of the food. Very low end. All in all the place just seemed poorly managed. I wouldn't go back unless someone dared me and if I did go back it wouldn't be the downtown location. I gave it a two because my past experiences were not this bad. read more

My wife and I picked this place because it looked good from yelp and had vegan options. Our server, Anna, was great. She ran through how to get your food and also what was vegan. She also gave us great tips on places to go in the neighboring areas. Thank you! She was very attentive to us and have great service. We even came back a second time on our trip and she (and the hostess) remembered us! The food is great. You just pick what you want, put it in a bowl and they cook it for you and bring it to your table. Delicious. read more

I liked it! Simple concept, nothing too complicated. It is a great lunch place. Have the roti bread added to your dish.

I had heard "rave reviews" about this place but turns out - This was a total waste of time on my lunch hour. {waited over 19 minutes to get my food} Staff was okay. Overall system just isn't that great. It's a bit hap-hazard in there.The assistance from staff on "how it works" was just okay. I spent 14 dollars on a forgettable meal.... No matter the combo of ingredients - The price - plus the wait - plus the disorganization makes me want to stay away. read more

I love getting food here. Me and my boyfriend love eating here, there's a server who recognizes us when we walk in and he always says hi to us and that makes us feel very welcomed. We recently went yesterday and we had Manny as our server he was great. He was very nice, friendly, welcoming, and checked on us to see if we needed anything but didn't overwhelm us. We've never had a bad server here or a bad experience here. Highly recommend it, good roti tacos, good lettuce wraps, good drinks (their tea and cocktails). The dessert here is also very delicious. Good job flat top! read more

Not a new concept. They have been doing Mongolian BBQ in the UK for about 20 years. But unlike Mongolian BBQ this actually tasted good. Man I am such a good chef! I went for shrimp with a flat roti on the side. I loaded up with goodness: broccoli, pepper, beans, kale, tomatoes and a load of Thai sauce. It was SUPER tasty and probably pretty healthy ... bar the salty fish sauce. Service was good. Price was good, nothing not to love about this place. read more

It's a Mongolian BBQ. It's ok. Tons of choices when it comes to sauces but restricted Asian veggies. Was not bad but as I know the real ones in Asia, this one is not to compare. Very friendly service. I paid 20$ tip included for one bowl with no options + one sprite read more

Pretty disappointed. Came here for my birthday and couldn't even get a drink. Gave some BS story about their liquor license. Meat was pretty tough and got charged an extra 2.99 for three little shrimps. Been a while since I've been here, definitely not what I remember. read more

Hostess was nice. Server was nice but kind of clueless. Food was okay, but somewhat cold by the time it got to the table (which was probably about 12 minutes). The food is good, but this location just doesn't seem equipped to handle a lunch crowd. Forgot my friends meat in her stir fry and both of our breads (so good!). I'll visit another location, but not this one. read more

My boyfriend is obsessed with this place. I am a little less enthusiastic (though it's still a really solid meal option), so 4 stars. First of all, the ingredient selection. There's a ton of available fresh veggies and sauces, as well as a pretty good mix of meatless/vegan options. All the veggies and noodles go into one dish, while the meats go into a smaller bowl. I don't know what it is about the meat section, but I always find it a little off-putting. Maybe it's the often-sticky handle of the chicken ladle, or the fact that mounds of raw meat in a bucket usually don't look that appetizing. (Unless it's sushi. That looks good anywhere.) I don't know what it is. Either way, the meat seems fresh and tasty enough and the sticky handle problem can be solved with a quick trip to the restroom. Finding a good sauce combination is a bit of a hit-or-miss, since all the sauces seem to have their own very distinctive flavor profiles that can clash if you're not careful. Usually the flavors meld together fine, but once in a while there's a feeling of "oh I really shouldn't have put that horseradish sauce with Korean BBQ." The roti here is delicious, and I always put a roti "stick" in my bowl. There are about 10 colorful sticks that you can put in your veggie bowl, which tells the chefs any extras you want to put into your stir fry. Some options, like shrimp, cost extra, but most (like eggs, tofu, and roti) are free. Lesson I learned: sticking 2 roti sticks into your bowl will not get you 2 pieces of roti. Darn. But you can always ask your server for extra roti. The portions are really generous, especially for the price. I pile up my veggie and meat bowls, and with the eggs, tofu, and roti, usually find myself unable to finish my first bowl. I don't feel terrible about myself afterwards either, since it seems relatively healthy. I highly recommend one of the appetizers here. I can't recall the name, but it's roti filled with meat and onions, and is served with two different sauces. Service here is pretty solid--friendly waiters and regular water refills. The one time our server forgot to put in our appetizer order, we got it comped, which we appreciated. Students get a little bit of a discount (it's either $1 each or 10%, can't remember which), so tell your server! read more

Very good compared to Genghis Grill. Better ingredients and cooking style.

Food good, servers was really busy but did great for me. Just need to wipe things down more often and better. I would come back!

I always end up craving some Flat Top! Healthy options, tasty sauces, you make your own stir fry, and it's always tasted great for me! There are some recipes on the back of their menu in case you're not sure what you're doing. P.S- Get the Roti Bread!!!!!! YUMM! read more

The idea is really cool, cuz you got all the choices, and you pick the ingredients you want to eat! But I don't think it worths for what you pay actually. read more

Took my family here for the awesome food (which is always good), but the service is pretty much always horrible every time I've gone to this location. When my family and I walked up to be seated we waited for about 5-10 min WITHOUT even being ACKNOWLEDGED. This was pretty embarrassing for me since my family was in from out of town and I wanted them to have a nice experience. Service wise, I basically always have to run and find my own hot sauce and water refills. This is a good option since I am vegan and I can make my own concoction of food and my family can still eat meat. But It's pretty unacceptable to go to a restaurant and not have any customer service. read more

The best thing about this place is the mid-century-modern-meets-contemporary-cafe- chic-cafeteria decor. Nothing really asian about it despite the mongolian barbecue format but inviting nevertheless. Primarily a 20-something crowd. Came around noon with a party of ten which they are not set up for. They took a reservation. We were seated quickly at two separate tables though the tables are close enough together that it wasn't too bad but the physical separation does physically and psychologically split the group so you end up with two parties. I had to work at engaging everyone. On the plus side the background noise was not bad and you actually could converse with the next table. The waiter could not speak intelligibly but was adequate since we really didn't need to rely on him to take an order. Layout was cramped and circuitous making it hard not to run into people and causing heavy back-up at the vegetable/meat bars. One member of our party did not get his food until the rest of us were nearly finished (they should have comped him, no real customer service). It's just "lunchy" enough that I would not come here for dinner. Two stars thus far. Ok enough of that. The food: super solidly OK. The selection at the vegetable and meat bar was varied and appeared and tasted fresh though the broccoli was pushing it. For the $10 lunch price tag you get one run through the line (for another $4 you can get AYCE; pretty pricey for lunch). The bowls however allow you to amass healthy portions of rice, noodles, vegetables, meats, and sea food. Though all the food is cooked on the flat top grill, you can choose how the entree is plated (e.g., traditional stir fry, hot and sour soup, vegetable soup, or wrap but everything comes in a bowl). For the soup, your stuff is cooked then the broth is poured over the top of your bowl. I had the vegetable soup over a bed of rice noodles, a variety of veggies, chicken, and octopus. All the sauces are basically salt/sodium and some different colored liquids. All processed. I cannot say the food was bad nor was it anything that you couldn't fix at home after work and probably do better using fresh ingredients. Super solidly OK but have to go with the two stars given the price. You work too hard for your money. Get better for it--the pleasant decor does nothing for the food. read more

Close to my school- DePaul and good price. You choose the protein and veggies you want (also how much you want). You can add extra protein such as tofu by putting a stick in the bowl. YOU HAVE TO TRY THE ROTI BREAD! I don't know how to describe the flavor of it BUT IT IS SO GOOD! read more

Very poor service at this location. We were not checked on one time during our lunch(no refills, I wanted to order another drink),the bill was dropped off at the table before we had finished eating(we wanted to order a desert), and had to wait around and ask the hostess for a bag because our server was nowhere in site. Food was very good but the service was terrible. We will not be visiting this location again and I recommend that you avoid this locale as well. read more

This has been the best stir fry that I've had in a long time. The sheer amount of variety and how you are able to customize it to exactly what you want is amazing! read more

Interesting concept. You choose the ingredients and they cook it for you. Staff is friendly and helpful. The outcome Of your meal depends of course on your choices. Any combination is possible so for those who do not cook it might be challenging. read more

Not a fan. The chicken tastes synthetic, although steak was good. Potatoes were hard. 4 scoops is way too much sauce .... my food was drowning in teriyaki even if I added more rice. It tasted weird. I would never come back. Service was great. read more

Had a pretty annoying experience here today. After waiting 10 minutes for a table, I interrupted the manager and hostess's conversation and asked for a seat. Not really sure what they were talking but it involved a YouTube video of some sort. Anyways. I got a seat at the bar, it was just myself. I was waiting for an additional 10 minutes, didn't have a menu, server, and I was clueless. The manager and hostess about 10 feet away from me were continuing their conversation, maybe a different subject this time. I got up and promptly said "Okay I'm a little confused on how the process works, no one is helping me and you two are having a conversation." The gray shirted, polite, gave me a menu and I served myself. After my food came, I ate it then waited for my check. APPARENTLY this entire time I had a server and I didn't even know. I was standing by the register seeing if anyone with a flat top grill shirt would help me. I asked the hostess where do I pay and she's like where's your server? I snapped back and said "I didn't know I had a server, the service is slow here and I don't know what anyone does here anyways." The server delayed in getting my check but finally when I paid, I didn't leave a tip. With my luck, I wouldn't of know where the tip would have gone to. The person with the gray shirt. The unhelpful hostess. Or the group of 'servers' behind the bar. Maybe I'm naive idk but I was irritated. The hostess said have a great day and I didn't respond. I was mad afterwards because I was still hungry and I felt like I wasted money here. read more

Best service! Great food! Amazing food! Dakota was amazing. First time coming here and was not disappointed. Plenty of help figuring out how to make a bowl and add what made it exceptional. Dakota was our server for a party of 8 without letting us down. Will definitely return! read more

First-time visitor as of a week or so ago. Interesting concept, and very friendly and attentive staff. Overall the food was decent though the meat choices I had (chicken and pork), both of which seemed very dry though perhaps it was my own fault for not adding more sauce. That said, in all honesty I probably wouldn't gravitate to this place as there are other stir-fry Asian places which I prefer. read more

Decent price for a good amount of food. I've been to other places like this one (Genghis Grill) but never this place. The major difference between them is that at Genghis put the meat you want in the bowl and they cook it, whereas at Flat Top you put the starch in the bowl. I feel like that might prevent the diner from getting as much meat as they would otherwise because they fill the bowl up with noodles. The also offer soup, burrito and salad options, but I'm nor really sure how those would work out. Overall, the food was good and the portion was more than I could eat. The waiter was helpful, but the service was a bit slow and it wasn't that busy. Good experience, in general, though. read more

They have a lot of choices for you to choose from lots of fresh veggies to choose from and sauces as well. It is fun to come up with different combinations the only drawback I could see is the fact that they were slow really slow. But the staff was nice so that kind of makes up for it. Also maybe if I had been with a group it might have made the slow time more enjoyable. read more

So awesome! This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in the loop. I went there last night and I'm never disappointed! Everything is so fresh and you definitely get the value for your dollar. They also have a college student discount! Cha-Ching! Our waiter was really awesome and the food topped it off. Definitely would recommend this place!! read more

This was definitely a fun place. I went with friends who are fans, so they explained the whole Flat Top "concept" (the waiter was NOT friendly whatsoever). We used the student discount, which would be worth it for the unlimited bowl option (I think it's $13), but I wasn't hungry enough, so I just got the one bowl for $11, which I kinda thought was a little pricey considering you do most of the work. But stil very yummy. But I just fell in love with their Prata roti bread...sooo goood. I needed more than just one, so I got my friends' who were doing the unlimited option, to stick 2 blue sticks, so that I could get their extra bread. Sadly, they still only got the one bread. Cute location. Perfect for a date or a small group. I will definitely go back, next time with more of an appetite! read more

We went here on Mother's Day and it was probably the best Asian Stir Fry meal I've ever had. We've had Mongolian Grill before, but because of the freshness and selection of topings, this blew that away. The service was great and the prices were reasonable. Highly recommended! read more

This was a pleasant surprise. With a friends and just wandering from Millenium park for a good place to eat. The ingredients were fresh, sauces very tasty and the stir fry wasn't over-cooked (I had three bowls in one sitting). The service was a little slow and a friend of mine didn't get a refill on his drink the entire time we were there. If it were not for the drink issue, definitely four stars. read more

Great food. That's the first thing that comes to mind with my first experience of Flat Top. It's an interesting concept for a restaurant, and I really enjoyed it. You can get 1 bowl or do unlimited bowls. Then the fun begins. You go through a line at a buffet-like table. You can choose rice or noodles, add every kind of veggie you can imagine, put a few scoops of sauce on top [there are so many choices!], and then fill a separate bowl with your choice of meat. They have chicken, beef, pork, fish, calamari, and a few vegetarian "meat" options as well--including one's I've never seen before. Next, you bring your creation to the counter next to the grill. You can put different colored plastic sticks in it for different options: add a shrimp skewer, make it a soup, add egg, add bread, make it a lettuce wrap, make it mu-shu. Side note: ALWAYS get the bread. It's so good. I could order a plate full of just the bread. Then you go back to your seat and wait. We got a seat in front of the grille, so we got to see all of the action. It's a huge flat top grill, and 2 chefs work around it like machines. They work in a circle around the grille, and cook each order. It's amazing to watch. And everything tastes good. I opted for rice noodles in both my bowls, various veggies, and the white fish. Yum. Hot red chili sauce in one. and Pad thai sauce in the second. Both were great. I love the food here. The other great thing, other than offering vegetarian/vegan options, is they have a huge list of what you can and can't eat for various allergies: gluten, garlic, egg, soy, peanuts, dairy, sugar, salt. There's something for everyone to eat. Don't opt for the unlimited bowls unless you can eat 3 or 4 of them. [After piling up on my first bowl, I could only eat about half of my second one before giving up.] They charge you $4.50 to take home the extras. I wasn't impressed with that at all. What a waste. Despite the weird doggie bag price, I can't wait to come back. Recommended. read more

Why don't we have it in LA! Love it! Healthy and tasty!!

Great place for a quick dinner. The food is awesome and it's nice to be able to pick your own stir fry combination. Sometimes the service can be a little slow or inattentive but most of the time it's fine. The food makes it worth it anyway. read more

This has become my favorite restaurant for date night in just a couple months. Every time we go the food is fresh and the place is clean. You definitely get your money's worth since you can load up as much as can fit in a bowl no matter how heaping. Servers are typically attentive and the manager always stops by to make sure you're enjoying your meal. The flavored teas are really good and so are the margaritas. We always leave happily full and satisfied with our meal. Will definitely be back again and again. read more

Always Great FOOD & a Great Experience!!! To the GM Mark & our server Andrew, u make coming here worth while!!! Keep up the Great Work! God Bless!!! read more

I like the concept of this place. You get to load up in your own choices of veg and meat. Make sure you don't pick more than 2 sauce varieties - 3 max, or your dish will taste mumbo jumbo. The service at this place is fast, friendly; we never had to wait for water refills. Their triple chocolate storm is the best!!! Best brownie I've had in Chicago. read more

I like the idea of customize my own food. The place is enjoyable. We sit in the high table which allow us to see the chefs while cooking. It is yemmy and fun. read more