The music was excellent and our server was working hard. With how busy it was with diners, our server still made time to check on us, ask if we wanted soup and rice, and brought us our bill in a timely manner. Watching the cooks hard at work and mastery of Mongolian bbq was like a well-oiled machine. Watching the cooks and seeing staff continuously refill the food, toppings, and sauce containers for customers, while also putting out more bowls and trays, was like watching a flawless production! As for our food, the price of lunch is bang for buck because of how much you can fill your Mongolian BBQ bowl and the soup, rice, and addicting wonton chips with sweet and sour dipping sauce that come with your lunch meal. I gave 4 stars because the garlic and potato soup was super salty. My friends and I agreed this soup would have been perfect if it didn't taste like salt was poured into it. In addition, watching the cross contamination of some diners touching the raw meat in their bowls then touching the next tongs, like for the veggies, was a big health risk concern for me. With this, I keep in mind that I don't even know if this can be prevented due to the way Mongolian BBQ works with customers serving themselves, like a buffet. I understand it would be hard to control and prevent the cross contamination from touching the meat, especially as customers try to make room in their big bowl. In the end, the number of people dining, then seeing more people entering, shows how popular Hula's is! read more

See all

My first time coming here and it was a great success! I will say, filling the bowl with ingredients did give me anxiety, and it was very messy, BUT the food was delicious. Our server was very accommodating. The inside does kind of give buffet vibes, but the food is great! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Bowl - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

Remembered this place from when I was in college as a go to with friends. It's definitely a heaping amount of food. It was still decent but the quality dropped a bit or I just changed taste after not being a hungry college kid. The Mongolian is solid, the fried won tons were pretty greasy and bland. Rice and other stuff wasn't anything too special. I'd eat there again but wouldn't go out of my way to. read more

My family is very disappointed in our dining experience. Upon getting seated, we pulled out a seat to sit and there was a half eaten noodle not cleaned up. The whole dining area and grill set up in general was extremely dirty. Grease smattered all over counters, cross contamination of different foods into each other's bins, food dropped and smashed all over the floor that could cause someone to slip. Then the grills looked like they hadn't been scraped off all dinner service. It was really quite disgusting to put it nicely. Unfortunately, on our way home after coming all the way from Humboldt county just to try your restaurant since a good friend had recommended it, my partner fell very ill. read more

If you give this place anything less than 5 stars you suck at cooking. Because they give you everything you need to succeed.

If ever you are in Chico... try this restaurant! Always busy and long lines but it goes fast. You will enjoy the experience. Hint.. watch others in line and watch what they do... Enjoy! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

See all

Great food, great price and great service. Everyone is always happy when you walk in and very professional

I wish I could bring this place home with me to San Diego because it is ridiculously good. The only reason it wouldn't be good is if YOU didn't make it good. You can never have too much sauce! If you think it's enough, put more. The staff were all so friendly and helpful and this place has a lot of seating inside. The line is worth it just wait and take your time! Don't rush the process because it will make a difference. Use the small bowls next to the large bowls to smash the food down so your portion is bigger! read more

2.5 stars for this place Okay - two AYCE dinners (~$25 /each) + 2 drinks + tip (servers & the cooks) - in total spent about 75-80$ You'd think the drinks would be included in the overall meal since it is AYCE for dinner , but nope. However, you do get unlimited soup of the day, rice, and the sides like egg rolls and wonton chips ... soo I guess that makes up for the price ?? Here is the trick and this is WHY I think everyone LOVES this place... It's NOT about HOW many trips / bowls you can eat that makes this place ummmm... "great" (what people wrote) it's honestly HOW WELL you can PACK your food INTO one bowl... literally like - building a tower of food in one bowl ! Becauuuuseeeee ... here's the catch... If you go for dinner and you want to take your food home (leftovers) you only get ONE TRIP THROUGH THE LINE .. This means- if you finish your FIRST bowl and you want to go back for seconds, you are now disqualified from taking home any of your leftovers... how does that make sense .!? Sooo - the trick is .. and based on what I've seen & now I know WHY people "love" this place so much... is they take two bowls.. use ONE bowl as their primary bowl and the other bowl to PRESS DOWN , TO MAKE THEIR FOOD FIT .. not kidding .. like smush ALL the ingredients into the other bowl for their one pass. I saw everyone doing this.. towards the end of the line and before the food gets cooked, it's a HUGE tower.! That's your ONE pass .. now that you have your tower and your big pile of food .. you can get that cooked.. once your food is cooked, you can feast on the free side dishes that are given per "dinner meal" .. and take your "leftovers" home whatttt.!!? .. if you plan to go there for ONE pass only, go for lunch. Definitely not worth the "AYCE" dinner 1 star for the restaurant itself .. 1.5 for the service. Honestly- not worth it for dinner and I don't think it's worth it.. period. read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Dinner: Egg rolls and fried wonton chips with sweet and sour dipping sauce and a small squeeze of hot mustard (?) - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

See all

Food was fabulous. Can't complain about the food because I picked it. People are very friendly. A bit too slow with the rice and drinks but willing to wait. Wish they were open more for lunch. Would love to go more. read more

The food was so good! My boyfriend and I were really confused when we first visited since this was a recommendation from some co workers. Maybe having a sign up and explaining the process would help. I took off a star because it seemed a little dirty in the kitchen and in the restaurant, it probably needs an upgrade. Please take that with a grain of salt. But overall, my boyfriend and I loved our food and our server. read more

When I lived in the area 20 years ago Hulas was my favorite place to eat, haven't been here in at least 15 years and it didn't disappoint! I wish we had a Hulas in the Bay Area, none of the Mongolian bbq places here compare to how good Hulas is! The service was as amazing as it was way back when I went regularly, the wait staff and cooks were fast, friendly, and attentive. If I had one complaint it would be that there's no Hulas in San Jose! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Perfect bowl! - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

Tried again. Won't go back. Bowl is smaller and they over cooked the noodles and meat. Meat was tough and noodles were dry. Pretty disappointing. Place was super dirty. read more

Horrible experience!! A/C Doesn't work, swamp cooler flitter is brown. Long lines, not clean, very stuffy, cooks were rude and got food poisoning.. Will never return. The only reason I gave them 1 star is because the waitress was very good. read more

My all time favorite Chinese/Mongolian food. Still worth it for a special occasion meal even with the price increase. Service is always great just as the food is. Only two suggestions I have to better the restaurant is, 1: To have a designated grill for the people who put the kung pow sauce in their bowls. 2: Bring back the original spring rolls and offer them for lunch & to-go orders. I also want to note that I love the addition of the 2nd grill which makes the wait much faster. read more

The original Hula's closed down when we lived away from Chico for a few years, so we were so happy it was reopening! And we are largely very happy with the new Hula's. It retains the feeling and charm of the old Hula's, but the quality of the food has improved quite a bit. The waitstaff is often exceptional - I don't know how, but they seem to hire some of the best waitstaff in Chico. The cooks are also always friendly and polite, flawless. The management must be doing something right here! My one complaint would be the rice. It is often mushy and overcooked, and other times undercooked and hard. I'm not quite sure how you can be so inconsistent with the rice when using automatic rice cookers. I've actually never encountered this problem at another restaurant before, and I know from using a rice cooker at home that if you just follow the directions, your rice will be perfect. Also, you don't need to salt rice that is going to be eaten with Asian-style food. But the salt is minor compared the rice being poorly cooked. If they fixed the rice problem, the place would be near-perfect :) read more

I was really disappointed. I had not been here since it had been re-opened. The carpet was gone, it was a bare, cracked concrete floor. The ceiling has brown water stains. Esthetically, it not very nice. The food bar line was really dirty. Lots of empty pans. The floor was sticky, I could feel my shoes sticking. The area where your food is cooked was so messy. The cook top appeared as if it hadn't been cleaned all day. My food tasted like it had seasonings from other patrons. The tray around the sides of the cook top was filled with food from the day. It seems like they should hire some people to keep that bar clean and filled and floor clean. The waitress was very friendly, however she was pre-occupied visiting with her co-workers. She forgot our drinks. She reappeared when we were nearly finished. I feel that with all that being said, $25 per person is not worth it. read more

Get the poke bowl and you will not be disappointed. Not much seating space and prepare to wait if you get there when the high school students nearby are out for lunch. read more

Unique and always the best quality. I highly recommend this business. Been going for 30 years. A Chico institution.

Went again last night with a large group of people, and no matter how many people is in your party. The service is always impeccable. I went for lunch this time I was surprised at the price of the bill! It's extremely affordable, considering prices at other restaurants and the amount of food you receive! Highly recommend!! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Hulas bowl - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

Love the build your own bowl. Service is always great. So glad to be able to come down out of the snow and enjoy one of our favorite Chico spots read more

Worth the wait!!! I've been to many Mongolian restaurants but this is the best! I finally figured out that it's all in the sauce. Sure, everybody has many of the same veggies and meats and they are cooked on a hot griddle in sauce, BUT, they don't taste the same. NOT EVEN CLOSE! Hula's makes they're own sauces, in house. They have a great variety and HUGE flavors. Every other place I've eaten has very thin, watery looking sauces. It doesn't matter how full my bowl is with sauce, there isn't much (if any) flavor on my food I've moved nearly 800 miles away and it's still the place we come when we're in Northern California. Truly the best! Side bonus, it's the only place we've found that uses the big fat noodles, they're wonderful...NOT like the spaghetti you get elsewhere. As I remember the sauces included: Fire oil Ginger Garlic Sweet & Sour Teriyaki read more

Love that Hulas came back! They have a wide selection of veggies that and the sauces are still great! We've been when it was busy and moderate but the service was always good. read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

I've been going here since I was a sophomore in high school 20 years ago, I don't think I've ever had a bad meal. In those two decades it was slow maybe twice at most. In my experience everything about the restaurant has been very consistent over the years. There are copious ingredients to choose for however you may like your stir fry. There are some hacks to get the most out of your pass down the line too, like getting a second bowl to smash down the meats you choose so there is still plenty of room in your bowl for noodles, veggies, and other ingredients. Then you fill that extra bowl with different sauces and oils at the end of the line for the cooks to pour over your food while it cooks on the wok (that way you can get more of it). As far as I know, the restaurant doesn't have a problem with either of those techniques. The only reason I give it four stars is that Hulas has always had a very plain cafeteria or workplace lunchroom vibe inside. Aesthetics aren't everything, and they certainly have no bearing on the food as one can see here, but they could still be better. None of that should be a dealbreaker for diners though, the food is always worth it. read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Ask the cook to make it "well done" if they can; also max out the sauces as much as you can. - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

See all

As a person of color, Stay away from this place if you want to eat comfortably!! From the minute my girlfriend, a friend and I walked in I was being bombarded by weird looks. Racist passive aggressive looks that make you feel unwelcome. In the food line I was unable to pick food up without one of the workers bumping into my hands as I'm picking out food from the trays The whole restaurant's layout is incredibly uncomfortable. There is a huge line that runs through the middle of the restaurant and tables. The restaurant is also crowded with tables really close to one another. I got bumped in line by workers there twice as they were making their way back and forth from the kitchen area When the food was cooked our party had asked for a to-go box for it and they incorrectly served my friend and I dine in plates. My girlfriend got a to go box. So after that we sat down to eat since the two of us had received dine in plates so we thought rather than create a fuss about it we'll just dine in. When we did that a worker came up to us and told my girlfriend that she needs to leave because she could not eat from a to go box inside. So we explained the situation and she told us that she cannot eat inside despite them making the initial mistake. We suggested that my girlfriend could just transfer her food to a plate and we would pay the dine in price. The worker said that was not possible and she would still have to leave. After that she said that she. Would pack all of our foods up instead and we could all leave. All of this in a passive aggressive manner of course. It felt as if we were being kicked out of the restaurant for a mistake they made initially. We never acted aggressively or rudely to justify such treatment from the workers. We never heard an apology for the mistake they made or for being forced out of the place. Like the other reviewers have said Latinos are not welcome here read more

I know the prices have increased but so has errrything else. Still fresh veggies and meat slices with a few new things in the mix. Still the same great sauce station. Still good service. A great place to eat until you're full. read more

This one star review isnt reflecting on the food or workers at hulas. They are all wonderful and provided great customer service! Im giving hulas one star because the owners/ managers are making their paying customers eat in a blazing hot restaurant when its 110 degrees outside! Not to mention having your poor staff sweating their butts off. No one wants to go out to eat and have their server and support staff sweating all over the place. It not their fault the people in charge wont fix this issue. Shame on you hulas read more

Waited far too long in line for food. Way over priced. Cooks don't wear gloves or hair nets. Grill looked caked in crap. Damn near smacked the sticks they cook with on the ground several times. Took to go and they packed it horribly it spilled. No host in sight then when they finally greet you, rude like I'm an inconvenience to her. Cup holding shelf in coke area on the floor aka your drink cup touched the floor. read more

Man, other than not putting things in the bowl myself, the experience was basically the same. I wasn't sure what to expect but my takeout during covid was great. They didn't skimp on serving size, taste was great, everyone was safe and even ordering was efficient! If you normally go to get your fill of noodles, don't wait, do it today! read more

their food is so good. I could go there many times over and over if I wanted to I plan on going there for my 20th birthday.

My absolute favorite restaurant in Chico and its not even close. I live 200 miles away and make it a point to come here anytime I'm up and down I-5. The food is great, service is great, selection is good, parking is good. Tons of sauces and drink options. You really can't miss. read more

I stopped in with my two friends on Sunday a little after 8pm. We kind of got the "eye-roll" look as we were coming in since they close at 9. I wasn't upset as I work the food industry myself and totally relate. The server didn't have the nicest attitude either but hey, lets talk about the food. I had never been here before but I worked in this shopping center for the past year and always had wondered what a "Chinese BBQ" was. It's kind of like a buffett where you grab a bowl and you fill it with ingredients as you go down the line. You start with proteins first and then go through noodle and vegetable options ending with various different sauces. LOAD up on the sauces at the end otherwise I feel as though the flavor will be lacking. Honestly for the price and all the hype it gets I really didn't think it was all that exciting. They didn't really have as many options as one would think. I would say 3/5 based on the service I got from the employees and the food quality. Not too bad but also not good enough for me to return unfortunately. Maybe i'll give it another try in the future. read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Finished Product! - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

Chinese Bar-BQ? Perhaps in some mysterious way. Mongolian, yes. Saw the place quite by accident as I was leaving Target last night, very busy so today after reading reviews, went for it. Place definitely commands a crowd, and all staff move fast and efficiently. As for the food this is my take: having visited several establishments in the past with the same concept, some good, while others not very much so, I rapidly started the line, which now I understand why several patrons stuffed their bowls to great amounts, and certified skills, mounds way above the capacity of the size of the generous bowls. Plus an additional reduced size bowl apparently for the sauces at the end of the line just to pour the almost full with combination of sauces onto the impressive bigger bowl, which is received by the very adept cooks to cook the raw ingredients. Monkey see, monkey do, I tried to fill mine to the same proportions as to the lady ahead of me to disastrous results. Why when is an all you can eat? Simply because a person could eat half and take the rest home without breaking the house rules. Still is better to do the same gigantic bowl and take it to go for a lesser price minus full price and gratuity. Which I did not regret at the capable and friendly service provided by Abby? Truly an asset to the locale. Food: Protein frozen thin mostly, pork-beef-chicken all tasted the same, perhaps the chicken slightly different, so it is kind a let down. Tried a little spicy sausage and kielbasa sausage but low grade, not an inedible memory by a long shot. Zero seafood, possibly not business savvy. Meats at most 2.5 Stars. Vegetables, now that caught my attention fast with a long list, mostly fresh 95%, and probably a great option for veggie lovers. Wish I was a vegetarian but sadly no dice. 4 Stars! Abby brought to the table some kind of chicken noodle soup, not spectacular but edible. 3 Stars. Also won ton skins and 3 egg rolls, way past their normal cook, but easy to eat. Additionally hot tea, all these part of the price of admission, 3 Stars. The sauces were typical for this kind of fare, not one better than the other. Some contend that soaking all food with sauce is best, like their food dark from the surface of the grill, not the recently cleaned. 3 Stars. Service 4 Stars! Total for 2= almost $50 plus a nice gratuity for the very nice Abby. Needless to say, once will do it. They sure have the crowd. read more

See all

Would almost give this spot a 4 stars, but trying to be a bit more conservative these days. Called and was told just to show up. Brought my Dad (who just had an ankle replacement and has to be a little careful how much he times on his feet) for dinner while he was in town. We waited a good 20 min outside and then it was 40 min + till our food was in our hands. At least they have pretty good beers on draft and all the egg rolls you could ask for. Love this place's concept have been coming here for decades. Food was pretty good. The wait staff was killing it and deserves their roses for sure. Would definitely come here again, but would find a time with less than 50 people in front of me having their food individually made for them. read more

Blonde hair in the food. Told the manager didn't do anything about it. And I showed him the hair in my plate. Didn't care. Our total for 2 people Plus+ 2 drinks was $109. 89 yes overcharged. Will never come back to this Hula's. read more

To be fair, I've eaten at quite a few good Mongolian BBQ places around California so maybe the comparison is unfair. But I've tried this place a couple times in the past pre-COVID and now again post-COVID, and in my opinion the quality of some things have decreased since. I found my experience to be somewhat mediocre. The best part I will say is the meat and vegetables: good quality and a good array of it! And if you make a huge first bowl, but can't finish it they will let you take the rest home. That's awesome and definitely appreciated! It's also nice that the price includes a set of free egg rolls, wonton crisps, rice, soup, and tea. Very filling. Now for the bad...I did not care for the free sides. Everything tasted a little old and bland: the soup reminded me of Campbell's Chicken Noodle, the rice tasted like it was as reheated from yesterday, and the sauce served with the egg rolls/wonton crisps is supposed to be "sweet and sauce" but is the blandest imitation I've ever tried (more like a lightly sweet, flavorless, watery gel?). Also, the sauce for the Mongolian stir-fry is cheap and strange. I don't think they even use Kikoman Soy Sauce, the most essential ingredient for it. I'm not sure what brand they use, but it's not good and definitely reflects in the dish (the main attraction), unfortunately. And although it's minor, even though we came in the first hour they opened and it was slow the grill was not scraped down/cleaned like it should. Having a smooth grill is what helps the ingredients get a nice sear, doesn't chew up the noodles when moving around the grill, and doesn't waste some of the sauce/contaminate the flavor with the cooked debris left behind from previous bowls. Overall the food would be be better if they chose a quality sauce to use, and made their sides fresh in small batches to keep a good rotation. Don't cut corners; it'll reflect in your food, and especially if you want to charge $22.95 a person. My opinion is make your bowl without their sauce and use your own. I really recommend real Kikoman Soy Sauce, chili oil if you like spice, and Bachan's Japanese BBQ Sauce if you like sweet. Makes a huge difference. read more

Nothing has changed since my last review. April 2022 price for dinner has skyrocketed to $22.95. Unbelievably high priced for what we get for that. Same greasy eggroll and soup (no choices) come with the dinner that you stand in line to pick out and fill your bowl with frozen shaved meat, veggies and noodles and then bring to the cooks who quickly cook your selections that you were able to squeeze into the bowl. If you don't go for seconds they will allow you to take home any leftovers. All workers seem to care and work hard. Value= 1 Food quality (no organics, shaved budget meats, however large selection of veggies, etc)(depending on your view of budget frozen shaved meats, non organics, etc)= 2-4 Ambience=1-2 Employees caring=5 For many people this place might just be their cup of tea if priced as much as $15 however at $23 I can't imagine a lot of repeat business. I certainly won't be back. read more

I am gluten-free (not celiac) and was absolutely blown away by their team! When we first came in, we asked if they had gluten-free options. The hostess told us she would have the manager come to answer our questions as she wanted to make sure we had the most accurate information. The manager Logan came over to us a few minutes later. He was able to tell us what options were safe and was so very kind and accommodating. But he didn't stop there... at every step along the way of filling out bowls he kept checking in and making sure I didn't have any questions and he personally walked me through the sauces so I knew what I could add without issue. The most amazing part of the experience was when we got to the grills, the team was ready for us. The manager had given them advance notice we were in the line, and they proceeded to fresh clean the grills, the tongs, and their hands to make sure the grill had a reduction in gluten on it. The meal itself was tasty, and having a variety of fresh veggies and meat options in a very well managed and clean restaurant made the experience top notch. The wait staff were attentive, bringing fresh rice and lots of drink refills as needed. I observed a team that was very engaged with the customers and worked hard to keep everything clean and organized making their ambiance really great. The fact that you have an option to do all you can eat or just one bowl for a reasonable price is also great. For someone who struggles to find delicious gluten-free options, this place was amazing, but the experience is what I can't get enough of. I recommend this place to anyone looking to have a great radiant experience and if you have dietary needs they are the place to go! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Veggies and chicken bowl, gluten- free sauces before they brought me fresh rice - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California

See all

Last time we were here they messed up our order majorly. They gave us a gift certificate to make up for it. Today we finally decided to go back and give them a second chance and they tell us they they are not accepting the gift certificates. We use to enjoy Hula's, but I don't know if we will be back. The poor service along with the price increases isn't worth it anymore. read more

Mixed review, the food was amazing everything was stocked up an super clean. This was my second time eating at Hulas and it definitely won't be my last. So for this portion of the review I give 5 stars. However, when it comes to the tall skinny cook that wears his hair in a low ponytail/bun I rate his attitude and the way he carries himself and treats others a 1 star. While waiting in line I observed that specific cook interact with his co workers in a rude and sharp manner that even the people around me were picking up on. When it came time for my bowl to be cooked he continued his attitude as he thought I payed for one bowl but used two ( I payed for two bowls so I can fill one with all noodles and the other with meat/veggies) He began to say I could have absolutely fit it all into one bowl and he will cook it this time but not to let it happen again. His attitude was so blatant that the couple next to me looked over with a shocked and awkward laugh. I then clarified that I payed for two bowls and wanted it cooked as one. Instead of apologizing he just switched to the other grill to cook others food and lets a new cook finish mine. I'm writing this review so the owner of this company can give that team member (the rude cook) the feedback and coaching he needs to keep Hulas an amazing non toxic and fun environment. This was only my second time at Hulas and I observed the same cook with the same rude attitude on my first visit. That is what's making me write this review as I believe it's not an isolated incident and he is always treating staff and customers this way. My words to that young man....Treat others as you would like to be treated and leave your problems at the door, no one cares if you're in a "mood". With that being said I will be back to enjoy the food and services here at Hulas. See you guys soon! read more

Hula's Chinese Bar-B Q - Chinese Near Me - Chico, California