HuHot Mongolian Grill — Restaurant in West Des Moines

My mother and I were going out for Black Friday and stopped for dinner. It was fairly busy given the day but only a bit more than a normal dinner/lunch rush. Our waitress quickly took our orders and after we went around the loop for food, we returned to the table and our appetizer hadn't come. When the waitress finally stopped by to check, I asked about it and she said "I forgot if you wanted eggrolls or crab rangoon (we ordered egg rolls)" Which I understand forgetting and double checking before placing the order, but it shouldn't take 10 minutes, after we go through a long line for the waitress to check in for that reminder. We were there for about 45 minutes and she never came by to offer any refills on drinks. I had to walk up to the bar and ask for a refill on my coke. When we were getting ready to go my mother asked for a box for the eggrolls because we had 2 left, and a cup for the dipping sauce. The waitress said "Oh, I'll wait and bring you a box when you are done with your plates" Then she walked off before either of us could say anything. At this time, my mother's plate was empty except a few bites (which she wasn't going to eat) and my plate was about half full, I eat a lot. Normally we would ask for a box with no problems and I would finish up as my mother packed up. After another 5 minutes or so, I flagged down our waitress and asked for the check and a box. "She asked again if we were done with our plates" Which were visibly empty. I said yes, and she took the plates. She then came back with the smallest box and didn't bring a cup for the sauce. She brought the check, and then walked away. I saw her on the other side of the room just chatting with co-workers. After a while I saw her at the register, so I walked over and she grabs the checkbook with my debit card out of my hands, without looking at me, or saying anything, just grabs it. And walks away. Baffled by this I go back and sit down and do my best to try to watch her (because I've had waiters and waitresses take my card for long times and swipe them and steal from me I'm not a very trusting person) With my card and the bill, she walks through the kitchen doors, walks around, talks to a few customers, and finally goes and takes care of my bill. After she comes back and gives me my bill. I say thank you and she doesn't smile, respond, or anything, just walks away. My mother (drove separately) has to go, so she takes her box, sans sauce, and leaves. I was still a little hungry, so I go through the line one more time. When I come back, the waitress asks, what are you doing, you got a box and already paid, why did you get more food? I respond, because this is a buffet style restaurant and I'm hungry. I ask her for a refill on my drink while she is there also. I finish my food and the refill never came. I left a nice tip because it was a holiday weekend and I know from experience that tips are important especially over holidays. I still enjoy the food at HuHot, and most of the people, but my mother and I were treated very poorly and disrespectfully by our waitress this night and we won't be returning...

Lunch w/friend. It was my 1st visit, friend had previously been there. Experience from beginning to end exceeded my expectations in all categories! Restaurant about 50% occupied. Greeted & seated immediately & server friendly & positive. We choose to build our own asian stir fry mix on grill. Food bars very clean, organized & well stocked with wide selection of choices; 5+ meats, fish & imitation crab meat, 2+ noodles, spiralized zucchinis, multiple vegetable & fruit choices, tofu & more. Separate clean, organized sauce bar with numerous choices & each labeled w/detailed ingredients & taste essences from sweet to extremely spicy & also neutral from either. Several cooks available to stir fry on large circular flat grill & place your food on plate all while you wait & watch, they work fast & are happy to accommodate you! Then you return to table to enjoy food & conversation. We compared our choices & flavors for our next round with conversation & music in background. Our server very accommodating checking on our drinks, needs or any questions throughout, keeping empty plates cleared for next round. They prefer you only take one empty bowl each time for your choices to be grilled. My friend ask server if it was ok to take 2 bowls each 2nd & 3rd time due to medical concerns & time constraints in our schedule. She responded, " Yes, that will be fine"! Along with the many choices for food, there were several side toppings to boost the flavor/textures. If it is your 1st time visiting, it is helpful to go with someone who is familiar with restaurant, but not absolutely necessary. All the staff were very accommodating in every way to ensure your experience was outstanding. I personally did not look @ the menu as I only wanted to try Asian stir fry on this visit. We both only had water to drink & all you can eat stir fry & our bill was just under $27.00 w/o tip.FYI/Important If you have food allergies or any other concerns let your server & staff know from the start & they will accommodate anyone in your group. The cooks clean the grill continuously with water, steam & scraping. Be very cautious if you have any allergies for cross contamination in cooking, utensils, containers, sauces or any other concerns. I recommend you put a minimum of 4-5 ladles of mixed sauces in your bowl for bold & tasty flavors. The business is located in Water Tower Place Shopping Center & we were able to park close to business. I definitely will be returning soon & look forward to looking @ menu & all options available. Hope this is helpful & highly recommend you patronize this business & all the value it offers. Thanks to the Owner & All Staff for a truly pleasant experience! Will share experience with others! Wow awesome, awesome, Signature Sauces Made Daily, No MSG, No...

Another night in the West Des Moines areas, and sometimes you want something...different when it comes to your eating out experience. Well, look no further, dear reader, then Huhot! I never been here before, but when I hear all you can eat AND Mongolian grill, I just couldn't pass it up! I was curious, and wanted to know if the rumors and hype for the restaurant was accurate.

First things first, the interior. It's clean and nice, with decor that tries to show how Mongolian it is. It's kinda funny, but the art and such is nice to look at, which makes it worth it. And when I say the place is clean, I mean I walked around the store, and not a drop of wasted food or wrappers was on the ground, and they keep their stone grill spic and span! So right away, not only was I expecting good food, but I knew it was gonna be clean!

Then there was the food itself. Now, for an all you can eat, they do have an appetizer menu that they can start you with, but does cost extra in addition to the all you can eat. A bit of a bummer but it is a bonus. And I selected the sampler, which comes with egg roll, pot stickers, and crab Rangoon. The pot stickers tasted nice and wasn't real greasy or oily, as was the egg roll. The crab Rangoon was nice as well, with a cream cheese taste to it that I always find satisfying. The sauce that the three came with was...interesting. I can't tell if it's sweet and sour or a mild chili, but it did complement...most of the food.

Now, time for the main event. The Mongolian stir fry! Like most Mongolian grills, you select what you want from a line, and bring it to the counter for the cooks to make. The options was rather vast, from meat to veggies and so on! No worries vegans, there are options for you too! But what I found interesting was the sauce bar. There was an impressive selection, ranging from mildly flavorful to burning. Eater beware, if you can't handle spice, stay away from the Khans Revenge, their hottest sauce. They also come with their own selections to noodles. Oddly enough, you get steamed rice, but no part of the selection. As in, normally when you're getting the food, when you get back to the table, you get steamed rice then. I kinda wish you could just get steamed rice before hand and have if fried with your stir fry, but it's not a deal breaker. In fact, rice is a good way to cleanse the pallet.

There is a drink bar for the adults, but I didn't get a chance to partake in any beverages. Maybe next time!

Overall, I did enjoy my experience and my meal, after about three plates I was good to go! I will say try to come when it's not so busy, as you will be waiting for a waiter if it's very busy. And, as always, be sure to tip the lovely cooks and servers for their hard work. They earned it!

So what are you waiting...