Mongolian barbecue is a cuisine featuring distinctive ingredients and a unique cooking process.
Last fall, Mongo’s Stirfry opened on Bulldog Avenue, and it is quickly becoming a food staple in Provo. Mongo’s offers a fun experience, good value and diverse choices for everyone.
When walking into Mongo’s for the first time, it might be confusing if one doesn’t know what to expect. Customers tell the greeter whether the meal will be enjoyed at the restaurant or as a takeaway order and then begin the journey to an enjoyable, personalized meal.
Customers grab a bowl at the beginning of the serving line, with sizes based on how big of a meal is desired, and load up on different ingredients.
“A medium-sized bowl is plenty for me,” said Jeff Rowe, a BYU senior studying biochemistry. “You just pay for a bowl, and fill it with as much food as you can from what they have.”
A wide range of thinly-sliced meats such as chicken, beef and pork and veggies such as broccoli, mushrooms and spinach are available to satisfy customers’ taste buds. A first-timer might even back track after realizing their bowl is prematurely full.
“I like that the menu isn’t set in stone,” said Samantha Roan, a student from Chicago studying wildlife conservation. “They have different suggestions to help you out, but you can end up eating whatever combination of rice, noodles, meat and veggies that you want.”
After stacking a mountain of noodles on top of meats and veggies (gluten-free noodles available), the sauces come next. There are 16 different sauces available including: Thai peanut, ginger and many others. Some recipes are listed with combinations of a few, but it is open to the customers to decide their flavors.
“I mixed the plum sauce and the hot and spicy sauce,” said Jacob Ludlow, a student from Provo studying acting. “I liked it a lot, but there are still tons of different combinations.”
Meals also come with white or brown rice and range in price around $8.
“The portions are gigantic and definitely feasible on a college budget,” Roan said.
Mongo’s Stirfry is located at 150 W. Bulldog Blvd., next to Subway, and is open Monday–Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on weekends.
