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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: LakeviewSouthport (Brown)
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Thanks to my best friend for taking me here. I really liked this place. It was nice and cozy. It was definitely a new experience for me since I never hand pick my own ingredient before the chef cook it.
It was fun due to the trial and error. However, luckily all my stir fry came out delicious. (^_^)
The staffs were not really social but they stil were friendly. There was no ignoring or giving you the look.
Do not get the shrimp stick. It's very very bland. It's not worth the extra money. Beside that, everything else tasted great together.
The breakfast wasn't anything to write home about, but it was good. Solid. It's very cool that they have student discounts (yippee!) and the concept is cool too. You go up to a bar and put a bunch of stuff together with some colorful sticks denoting end product and the sides you want (e.g. french toast, pancakes, etc. with bacon, sausage, etc.).
I also came here for dinner with a friend and was a little stuck when it came to choose what sauce to put on my food. They have little taster cups for that purpose so I tried a few and was surprised that nothing tasted like what I was expecting. I was confused. So I went for the good ol' soy sauce and siracha. My meal turned out quite tasty.
Here's my conclusion: Flat Top. Alright food. Won't choose to go there if I'm picking a joint, but if friends want to go, I'll go with them.
Do these places EVER get the order right? Why do we even bother with the sticks, huh? Maybe the waiters could actually do something other than hover and help the color blind cooks check and double check the sticks?
This is the second Flat Top breakfast experience I have endured. Granted, the food is extremely yummy and for $9.99 all you can eat, you cannot beat the price either. The problem is those damn sticks. You put in different colored sticks for the things you want with your omelet or scramble. Not once have they ever gotten it right. They would forget something every single time - in both this location and the other one I tried in Milwaukee. How hard can it be?
That being said, the food IS damn good, though. They have a nice selection of goodies to add into your omelets as well as munchies while you wait.
Another small gripe is that they have real bacon, real eggs, but turkey sausage that's pretty nasty. Let's get some pork, eh?
Even though they will mess up our orders every time, I will still keep coming back. You cannot beat the price and the flavor (sans the sausage).
I'm not sure what's going on with restaurants lately, but the past few I've been to seem to think I won't notice when they add additional gratuity to my bill. I understand that it's added when you have a certain number of people, but when I show up with only a few people, it's not okay. I'm a fan of contacting the manager, but the people I was with decided it was okay, they just wouldn't tip as much as they normally would have.
Also, even though 3 of us only had one plate, we were all charged with unlimited entrees. I know it's only $1 more, but it's the principle of the thing.
That aside, I love Flattop Grill. The food is great, and since you have total control what goes in it, it's almost always amazing. Someone decided it would be a good idea to get there when they opened at 9am. The place was generally empty, and the service started out impeccable. But after 45 minutes, the waitress was nowhere to be found. We decided we could wait for our check, but then an hour and 15 minutes went by, and that kind of wait for the bill is unacceptable.
I don't usually go to this location, so I'm not sure if it's a fluke or a regular occurrence, but definitely look over your bill before handing over your money.
I had a very good experience at Flat Top Grill. I had heard from friends that service was less than desirable. We had a good service experience...the server was attentive, friendly and not overbearing. We did the lunch special that is a bargain to be honest. There aren't a whole lot of places that you can go for $10 bucks for lunch that you get to creat your own meal, get a drink and get good service. I'd definatly go back. Yum!
PS. If you like spicy...this is your place!!
OK...when it comes to all you can eat...it doesn't get better than Flat Top...
NO...it doesn't mean it's always perfect. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? They make it entertaining and very delicious...especially when you can have three rounds of all you can eat food.
Mind you, I did label my stick "Hot Mess" after my friend labeled his "Hunky Needs Food" LOL.
Having said that...the service at this location is MUCH MUCH better than in Milwaukee, where everyone was getting half an order of what they wanted.
Overall, BRAVO...GREAT TIME WITH GREAT FRIENDS AND GREAT FOOD...WOOT
I had been told to go to Flat Top Grill for awhile now, but had never gotten around to it, having been under the impression it was expensive. But man, am I glad I finally tried it!
First, for anyone thinking this is expensive, you've gotta be kidding me. You aren't packing that bowl right, because you can fit a LOT of food in there - including leftovers. I went during lunch, where the prices are better, but considering the amount of food you can get - I'd be willing to pay more than I did ($8.99 for lunch, $12.99 for dinner).
Everything looked fresh, and the staff was incredibly attentive at helping me bust my Flat Top Grill cherry. They instructed me how to get my food, mix my sauces, and to be sure to get some flat bread (which was flaky and delicious!). I ended up doing my own spin on the Mongolian Beef sauce recipe provided at my table. The food came out hot and super tasty. The leftovers were just as tasty a few hours later. I think this would be a great date place - show off your awesome mad sauce making skillz - that'll woo anyone! Haha.
Flat Top Grill has made a fan out of me!
ohh how i love flat top. i haven't been in to experience breakfast, but dinner three different times, and i've left happy & full on each occasion.
the drinks they have are like liquid candy- having more than one of the same kind can be a little much, with the sweet factor, but jumping around and tasting a few different concoctions is fun- each one i've had has been delicious. (something about vanilla rum & a monkey? i don't remember, but try it, it's delicious!)
down side is this place is tiny, so be prepared to wait if you go at peak meal times.. going in for a late dinner has seemed to work for me; i think the longest i've waited was 20 minutes. the two top tables are a bit too close to one another, and it's hard not to bump the table next to as you get up to build your meal (or overhear their awkward first date conversation).
a complaint on the food- why is there garlic water? why isn't there just crushed garlic to choose to add to your meal as an additive? what does the water do? this just baffles me each time i visit. otherwise i was happy with the selection of ingredients offered. food made it to the table fairly quickly. and with all you can eat, you can throw in things you may not normally order because, hey, if you don't like it, you can always get right back up and try again!
really close to the el, only a short walk, and it looked like you could probably find some parking pretty close as well.
I never feel good after eating here, probably because I don't know what to mix together. Flat Top Grill works like this, basically you grab a bowl and make your own stir fry from various things (sauces, vegetables, seitan, tofu, etc.). Some things are clearly labeled Vegan and some are not, so make sure you ask. What I like most, is that you can have Vegan food cooked separately from the meat items - just put the white stick in your bowl for "special dietary needs". It is a little pricey if you're going to just eat one bowl, it's $12.99 for one bowl and $13.99 for unlimited bowls. This isn't a must-stop Chicago place, but if it's there, it works. It's also a good compromise when Vegans and non-vegans need to find a place to eat together.
Four words that make me smile: all you can eat. Ahhhh, warm fuzzies.
Not only can I challenge the limits of my consumption but I can also dabble a bit as a chef preparing my creation from a decent array of fresh vegetables, noodles, sauces, and meat. Is the selection all encompassing? No but it definitely packs at least some thing to please most palettes; including vegetarians.
The most challenging aspect of dining at Flat Top is self control. Don't blow your wad on the first bowl; that's a Rookie mistake. Choose your first bowl ingredients wisely and sparsely. It's not Noah's Ark, you don't need two of everything no matter how good it is. Pace yourself so that you can experiment with different flavors in your stir fry, moo shu, or soup. No when to say when.
The dinner is delicious and the atmosphere lively but the best time to go is, without question, BREAKFAST!!
Fresh fruit, muffins, oats, veggies, and breakfast meats. Oh my!! Start by making your favorite omelet or scramble (egg whites only if that's your thing) then grab a plate of fruits and oatmeal while you wait. After you devour your creation go back for dessert. Who says dessert is only for dinner? Get up there and make your pancake or French toast as sweet as you like; I won't judge you!
Flat Top, round tummy, good times.
Nerds! What a terrible experience! At 10pm we called ahead to make sure it wasn't too late to come out and although we were assured the "last seating is at 11pm," we were rushed through our meal anyway. At one point our douche of a waiter perched himself at the host stand a few feet away and stared us down in an attempt to get us out the door. As for the food, I enjoy the variety of veggies and sauces but my meat came out raw, which is pretty dangerous for pork, but it's cool...our waiter assured me that thai sausage is just like that. This was not my first visit, but it was certainly my last.
This isn't a restaurant, it's a battlefield!
Long time lover, first time reviewer.
Yes, this place can have long waits because of their unique business model and well, yes, it's popular because it's good.
Side Rant: People complaining about a place being successful = LAME. Down the block sits Joey's Brick house which is an awesome restaurant but constantly empty when I pass by. This leads me to worrying about Joey leaving me. That's not cool either.
Anyway, here's the reasons why I am a FlatTop groupie:
1. FlatTop is VERY vegetarian friendly with several tofu, qorn, and seitan offerings and all are pretty tasty and different (bbq, mushroom, chicken, and curry flavored)
2. FlatTop is very diet friendly (if you have any self control) because they list their sauces by calories, sodium, and even Weight Watchers Points. That was a big draw for me back in my WW days.
3. Very reasonable prices and as I mentioned, if you dine with a big eater, they're not punishing your pocketbook for it at FT
4. Most stuff tastes good and if it doesn't, well, mostly it's your fault because you chose what you're eating. I've never had them screw up my food but did learn the hard way to use a "food allergy" white stick so my food doesn't mingle with carnivore meals on the grill.
5. Yep, the blue stick roti bread alone is worth stopping by
Potential drawbacks: (all of these are not major for me but could effect others' enjoyment of the FT)
1. Seating is a bit cramped but other locations like the one by Oprah is much bigger.
2. The selection process is a bit daunting for newbies or simple people who can't handle things like choice or consequences for their actions. Live on the edge and try something new!
3. The buffet style tricks your brain into not feeling full because there is so much to try... leading to over eating and food comas later on.
Did you know Flat Top does weekend breakfast? Yeah, neither did I. It's one of the best brunch bargains in the city, though it ends by noon so they can start lunch. It's $10 for the all-you-can-eat option---it's the same concept as lunch/dinner, put your ingredients in a bowl, add sticks, and cooked for you. You can choose from egg scrambles, omelets, pancakes and french toast. Add a stick for egg-white only, cheese, hashbrowns, etc. Delish. Also, fruit and muffins to eat while breakfast is being cooked. I could come every weekend and mix up my options---though then, you'd have to roll me home.
I also enjoy the standard Flat Top all-you-can-eat stir fry. It's nothing out of the ordinary there, and the mistakes are yours---but the biggest pro is if you create a bad bowl, just make a new one. I appreciate the calorie count and info for sauces, it's helpful to know.
Damn, I'm craving french toast now.
I am a fan of Flat Top, but this location was not that good. We went just before lunch on Friday and it was not busy at all. We were seated right away and there were plenty of seats. We went and filled up our bowls and then we waited.
My wife's plate came out in about 20 minutes and then I waited some more for mine. Then waited some more. Feeling bad for the wait, I told my wife to start eating so it didn't get cold. She is a slow eater and by the time she finished her bowl, my plate finally came out. It took about 50 minutes to get mine. I even looked back a few times and saw the cooks not doing anything.
In the end the food was just as good as usual, but I would not go back to this location again.
I love the food, and you can't beat $14.99 per person. Took my boyfriend there for the first time yesterday, and not only was the food good, but the waitress managed to make me completely uncomfortable by hitting on my boyfriend in front of me. COOL DUDE.
Why I love Flat Top
1.Creating my own stir fry (somehow I always manage to mix it right but I could see how this could turn out as a disaster - so if you're a picky eater, read the sauce guidelines on your table first!)
2. I love the veggie options (Don't get me wrong, I looooooooove meat, but I am always impressed with the meat substitute - bbq one yum! - and all their options make it great place to take healthy eaters and your herbivore friends).
3. Great service! (The servers and hostesses are always on top of everything and I really do get service with a smile - take note other restaurant chains, Flat Top is doing something right!)
Why I DON'T like Flat top - these aren't serious enough to knock it down to three stars, but worth noting.
1) Seating is tiiiiiiiiiiight. (I was lucky enough to score what I can only imagine was round booth meant for 4 people last night for the husband and myself - but normally you are rubbing elbows with everyone and you can basically reach over and grab some of their stir fry. I have only been to this location, maybe others are better? But they really need to spread it out, which is hard, because its always packed.
2) Food layout is also a little odd (Bar style seating right behind the start of the food line - ehhhh, not good. Also, everything is really really close. I always feel like I have some hungry hungry hippo on my tail elbowing me to hurry up and get to the next station.)
3) Sauce area should be at the end - after the meat (With the way it is now, everyone is taking their sweet ass time tasting sauces and then the line builds up fast. I think this would help the situation).
My complaints aren't huge, and will not turn me away from Flat Top, they could maybe just use a little tune up.
Well I am a big fan of Flat Top. The only complaint I ever have is the seating arrangements. I feel like I'm rubbing elbows with the parties on either side of me. But then again, that's just one of our problems today, being uncomfortable with proximity to strangers. And then AGAIN, why wouldn't we, living hip to hip with everyone in Chicago?
Um anyway I do love me some Flat Top and I enjoy everything that I make. I usually get the mu shu wrap. Add lots of sauce and I would recommend adding plenty of cheese and an egg. I'm always sad when I fill up after 2 servings at best.
It can be pricey for dinner so I recommend lunch. It'll fill you up for the rest of the day anyhow. Don't bother with drinks, I had my 21st birthday dinner here and none of the alcoholic beverages were worthwhile.
Got reintroduced to this place on a Friday during lunch time. Surprisingly, not very filled. Was able to get right in. (I think it was around 1pm).
Had the All You Can Eat Lunch special - man - you have to pace yourself for sure when it comes to stir fry!
Overall, I was pleased with the service and the food selection (I thought the brown rice was a bit sticky to the spoon).
After some trial and untasty error, I've learned a formula/recipe that I really like. If they ever get rid of the cilantro though, I will be doomed.
They really should put more than one measly shot of rum in their mojitos . Or they could make them not tall, then they would taste better.
I've worked about a block away from this location since June and finally got around to eating lunch here. I had heard varying reviews from others (and here on yelp, too) so I didn't quite know what to expect. My server was very nice and explained everything nicely to me when I told him I had not been here before. At its core, Flat Top Grill is a do-it-yourself establishment that merely provides all the fixin's of a great meal. It all falls on you if your meal is great or not.
And I've decided that this reason is probably why people are so up and down with flat top. The public certainly doesn't like taking responsibility when things go wrong, which is why the naysayers are often so vocal about flat top, and when things go right, people are more than happy to take credit. Aside from that, here are some other things I enjoyed/you should know about my visit:
-loved the calamari option (no extra charge!)
-students get a discount (how rare is that!)
-you have the option to eat one bowl, or do an unlimited bowl choice. You should know that Flat Top charges $5 if you choose the unlimited bowl choice and you decide to take some home.
-space is limited, so I don't recommend a party of 4 or more
Ultimately, the best and worst thing about Flat Top Grill is that your meal is in your own hands. And in the words of RuPaul from RuPaul's Drag Race, "So Remember, Don't F**k it Up."
I go to Flat Top for three reasons. (1) It's really close to my house, (2) I can get relatively healthy food, and (3) my daughter likes it.
That said, it's still pretty marginal. I went there yesterday and it's become even more marginal.
First, it's really loud and the tables are packed together. It's often really warm in there... you can't see out the windows because they're covered in steam. Okay, I can live with that.
I always get mine on top of salad. It tastes good and it's even more healthy. And my daughter likes shrimp.
Now, they're eliminated the salad option (you can get lettuce leaves to make your own lettuce wraps, but if I were going to do that I would choose the moo shu option). And now they charge for shrimp at dinner. $3 for some crummy shrimp that my daughter will insist on and then not eat. I think they also upped the prices... I know it was $1 more for all you can eat before and now it's $2 more.
So it was marginal before, and now it's marginal -
I'm only going back if my daughter makes me choose between Flat Top and Rainforest Cafe.
On second thought:
This place seems terribly crowded even when it's only half full. It's very noisy, even when only half full. When someone does sit next to you (at a table less than a foot away), chances are high that it will be some vapid trixie who doesn't understand the concept of "indoor voice."
The atmosphere is awful. The service is marginal. The food is OK, but they only bring you one little buttery pancake at a time, even if you request two.
I might return to a FTG in the future, but it wont be this one.
Quality / Taste (40%): 2.5
Atmosphere (20%): 1
Service (20%): 3
Value (20%): 3
Overall: 2.4
I usually really like this type of restaurant (build your own stir-fry), but I have to agree with… Read more »
I have been to three Flat Top Grill locations in Chicago and the food has always been very good - this one included. The food was fresh and cooked nicely. Even though they only gave me one flat bread when I requested two!
I left this place feeling really irritable from my experience. The tables are packed so close together that it was a major pain to get up to prepare your ingredients. The noise was out of control. Even when the place was half full it was still very loud. The seating area is very close to the grill and for the entire meal, the clank clank clank clank constantly clanking of the metal cooking utensils on the metal grill was about to lead me to freaking homicide.
I do like the Flat Top Grill but my favorite location is the one at 1000 W Washington. they will give you two breads, the noise is bearable, you can relax comfortably and the food will be just as good.
My bf really loved this place (it was his first time there), so it's more like a 3.5. For me, it's a 2.5 to a 3. I haven't been here for about 5 years, but we received a gift certificate for this place over xmas, so we decided to come. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed the experience. It's not my favorite food, which is why I can't rank it very high. However, if you're looking for make your own stir fry, by all means, go to Flat Top.
I think their ingredients are good, it's a fun experience, and they have great options like tofu, mushu, lettuce wrap, etc. You can change your selections into a soup if you want, and you can even request Roti breads. The bf fell IN LOVE with the Roti breads, which was my fave too, so if you go, make sure and put in that blue stick on your plate for a Roti bread.
No complaints here about the place, just not my first choice for dining. They do give student discounts, so take your school ID's! It's hard times out there, save wherever you can.
I enjoy going to Flat Top Grill. This location is really busy on the weekends and there is not a large area to wait.
You'll more than likely enjoy your food, since you create your own stir-fry here. Selecting your noodles, vegetables and proteins to create a unique dish is fun. It's a good place to go with a group and they have group packages available. If you aren't sure you will like what you make, go with the unlimited trips option so that you can make as many dishes as you would like.
Don't forget to try the bread. yum. Be sure to ask the cooks for suggestions of sauce combinations. They are really helpful.
My mom and I stopped in here one afternoon, after doing running some errands and then wandering around the area and not really finding many other places to eat. I had never really heard of them before. From the logo and name, for some reason, we both expected burgers or some sort of sandwich-related fare. The stir fry scene is pretty cool, so we weren't disappointed, but I think they could work on their identity.
When we sat down I was a little thrown off by the prices, and might have suggested looking further if we hadn't been in a rush. The soft drinks, I remember, seemed really overpriced, and it seemed a lot in general for a do it yourself stir-fry style lunch menu. I don't consider myself to be especially cheap, either, but it was something that made an impression. Perhaps it was just because we didn't have time to do the all you can eat deal.
All of this is not to say that I disliked the place. Those, along with the sort of distracted wait staff, were just the things that hit me when I came in. When we got to actually eating it was excellent. Of course, it's the kind of thing where you're responsible for putting together your own tasty (or potentially untasty) bowl, but they have a very nice selection of ingredients and it was great of them to clearly label allergy/vegitarian/ect.
You know my reason for writing a review, of course, is to share my combination! I did one scoop of each of the curry sauces, one of the plum sauce, and one of the garlic water... over beef, calamari, noodles, mixed veggies and potatoes. It was splendid, and I recommend it if you're a fan of spicy-but-sweet curry combos! I would probably leave the potatoes out next time, as they didn't have a chance to cook to my liking.
So a delicious, pleasant meal, that turned out to be worth it despite my first impressions of theme and cost. I would definitely go here again, though I might not go out of my way to do so.
My husband loves this place and I use to go just to please him, but l always end up really enjoying the food. We have always stuck to lunch and for $9.99 you get unlimited trips to the bar. I love all of the veggies and sauce options, but at lunch there is a smaller selection of proteins. Remember Mongolian BBQ with the huge meat selection. I miss them sometimes. Now to get a good meal here you need to work it a little and kind of have a sense of what goes together. Or you can ask for the suggestion cards which guide you to great sauce combination's. I would give them 4 stars for lunch but the breakfast is seriously to die for and is totally five star. Father's Day was our first visit for breakfast and OMG was it good. There was oatmeal, fruits and muffins. Then all the fixins you could possibly want to put in an omelet, egg whites or scrambled. Plus you can have bacon, turkey sausage, the rockin Indian bread and hash browns. Then comes the french toast and pancake options! We made fruit topped french toast with brown sugar and pancakes stuffed with chocolate chips and peanut butter cups! It was so friggin good.
One area I can see for improvement is that sometimes they missed items we had requested with the little sticks-like bacon or hash browns but the server was kind enough to bring those out for us when asked. I also wish the coffee selection was more interesting than just plain old coffee. I spiced mine up by icing it and adding the cinnamon/sugar mix from the oatmeal station!
I highly suggest reservations for the brunch since the place is small and fills up fast.
Despite what everyone else says, I've had good luck eating here on weekdays around 6 pm. That's the main reason why I'm giving it 4 stars because other locations are harried.
This Flat Top is the smallest of locations I've been to, and allows access to only one side of the ingredients area. In case you're not familiar with Flat Top, this is a place where you pick raw ingredients (rice, noodles, vegetables, protein), add a couple of ladles of sauce, and have the cooks turn it into a stir fry, soup, mu shu wrap or salad. You're pretty much creating your own meal and can easily screw up (stay away from more than 4 ladles of thick sauce, read the suggestions on the little menus on the tables, and ask the waitstaff).
This location also has the best assortment of vegan/vegetarian protein options with different flavored seitan and tofu. Personally though, I'd say stick to the regular seitan because the vegetables and sauces you add don't always mix well with the flavored wheat germ and soy.
One suggestion to Flat Top in general: please provide us with wetnaps or antibacterial hand sanitizer after we handle the raw meat. Thanks.
Yeah.... I kind of have issues with this place. I'm all for cooking my own grub (hello San Soo Gab San!) but for some reason my bowl of Asian goodness never comes out, well, that good. My flavors are off, I try to get creative with sauces, experiment with egg vs. no egg, etc. I'm at a loss.
However, the restaurant itself is set up well. Tall tables with half of the seating on booth benches and the other on chairs, tasty cocktails and reasonable prices, it suits my needs. I'll be back as soon as I can find someone who can tutor me on how to build a bangin' bowl.
When I was in college, in the po-dunk mid-America college down that I endured for four years, Flat Top was one of the coolest places to go.
But I'm a big girl now, I have nicer shoes and I have my own apartment. I have a real job. I don't do power hours anymore. Well...I'm grown up is my point.
Flat Top is just not that great. The veggies are fresh (if you like the popular ones), and some of the sauces taste good when you sample them (get one of the little cups and try them all!), but the raw meat sitting there grosses me out. Someone always makes a mess of it and it makes me f-ing nauseous. The roti bread (blue stick) is good. But seriously, no matter what I put in my little bowl, it always ends up tasting the same.
Okay yes it's a chain and a glorified buffet a la Mongolian BBQ. However, with that said, it is a good brunch place.
Went here this past Sunday after a grueling spin class at LPAC. Needless to say, we were ready to strap on the feed bag.
Showed up and there was a bit of a wait: 10-20 minutes. No where really to chill while you wait except for a tiny entrance way. We scored a seat in about 10 minutes.
For the brunch, I got an egg white omelet with so many vegetables. Cooked really nicely. My friend had their crazy french toast which she couldn't even finish.
Food was good enough. Service left much to be desired. Silverware had funky smudges, as did the replacement ware they brought over about ten minutes later.
And then there is the seating: the seating is super tight, they really pack you in. If you come and need to discuss work or anything confidential, skip it. Plus you're pretty much yelling at eachother due to the noise level.
This was the highlight of the experience at this chain: We were sitting next to this couple: great guy who donned a floor length man fur (not kidding) and his icy lady friend. When my friend dropped her knife, our man-fur wearing table neighbor picked it up, and gave her his knife. Ladies and gentlemen, chivalry is not dead. Leave it to a guy in man fur.
Can't promise you'll have great table neighbors like we did but you will score a decent brunch made the way you like it.
There is nothing crazy special about this place. Every time I pass this place it is always very crowded. When a friend suggested we go here I thought to myself is that it will probably be a two hour wait. Well we got here and it was only about a half hour wait. After being seated we went straight up to fill our bowls. It was very intimidating when you see all those ingredients. I could have stood there forever looking at everything they had to offer. I was good to have someone with me who had already been there to offer up suggestions. They cook the food up pretty quick and get it to your table. Like I said nothing is really crazy good here. It was typical stir fry . The wait staff was a little slow to fill our glasses. Not sure I will ever come back here but I would not rule it out.
Yes! This is the perfect pick-me-upper after a long week. It would get 4-5 stars except the drinks SUCK. Yeah, they taste good, but they are super, super weak. Also, sometimes the service is slow, which I don't understand considering you mix up your own food there ?!
Come ON! It's the weekend and I teach 4th grade and I need a drink that is STRONG.
But it is always super-yummy and I leave feeling full, but not stuffed in a an unhealthy way. I'll go again and again, despite the weak drinks and slow service.
I am bit conflicted about Flat Top. It is a great restaurant, don't get me wrong. However, whenever I come here I always get overwhelmed by all the choices.
And the problem is, that since this place is so popular, the line is constantly moving, so if you do no know what you want, you are potentially holding up the person behind you.. then you get all nervous and just start throwing random stuff into your bowl. Which is not good.
But FT is great if you get in on a day where there aren't many people in there. You can take a little bit more time picking out your ingredients and be a little more satisfied with your end result.
Some tips BEFORE you get up to create your bowl:
*Decide what you want to eat first (meat, no meat, chicken, beef) The reason I say decide is because the place is a buffet, you can always go back up if you didn't like your dish, or you want more later!
*Move quick - someone is likely to be moving quickly behind, and they will rush you for that sauce!
*Dont overload your bowl - again, its a buffet, you can come back
*Experiment - (it's a buffet you c......)
*Get the bread every time.
*Come again
the price to me is not very economy friendly , but the food was pretty good that's why i gave it so many stars... the only thing i hated was the confusion at the buffet option table... every thing is just scribbled on the glass its hard to tell what your getting...our waiter was cool but he looked more like the door man cause he stood by door the whole night staring
I'm a fan of lunch and dinner here. Put your ingredients together for your stir fry, and a couple of colored sticks for additions or allergy, and whala! Good food at the table. I have never had the appetizers here so I will not comment on them. But for dessert, you must go with the Chocolate Storm!
Also, this location is pretty tight on space. If you have a big group, you might want to try the Evanston location as there is room to move.
I'm so conflicted about Flat Top. Definitely NOT one of the better Mongolian BBQ-type places I've frequented. Yet every time we end up here, I start out with massive amounts of optimism. All the veggies! All the sauces! All the options! They'll even turn it into a mu-shu wrap for you!
However, it's usually downhill from there. It's not that I've ever had a BAD experience. It's just that I've never had a particularly GOOD experience. Everything usually ends up tasting the same, no matter what combination of sauces you dream up to put on it. The meat never tastes very good (although I am picky), and even the veggies are hit-and-miss. For example, the last time I was here the broccoli was really gross. Why?! No idea.
So, for the purposes of giving a somewhat helpful review, I will offer you my Flat Top tips:
1) Use a white stick even if you don't have allergies, because it means they'll cook your dish separately and you'll have a better chance of it actually tasting like... something other than what everyone else's at the table tastes like.
2) HAVE THE ROTI PRATA BREAD. It is by far the best part about Flat Top. However, don't expect to get 2 pieces of it even if you put in 2 blue sticks -- you'll need to ask your server for an extra.
3) If you get the mu-shu option, your stir-fry won't come out quite as "juicy" as they normally do.
4) Put extra sauce on your meat in its separate bowl. It still won't taste very good, but it'll at least taste slightly better.
5) If you're wondering whether or not to save room for dessert or go back for 2nds, you may as well get 2nds. The dessert isn't bad, but I'm not sure it's worth whatever ridiculous price they're charging for it. And 2nds are at least free!
I went to this location a couple of nights ago for the first time. I'm a Flat Top fan, but I usually go to the Old Town location. I came here at about 9:30 on a Friday night, after a show at Schuba's across the street. It was crowded, but I was only with one other person and they were able to seat us right away. It's true that the tables are very crowded, but I really didn't mind. I guess it's part of the vibe of the place.
The food was a little slow in coming to our table, but it was a busy weekend night and I didn't think it was unreasonable. Unfortunately, my friend didn't get the food that she'd prepared. Two servers and our waiter immediately went to track down her food, but it had already been served to another table since the sticks had been switched. The waiter was very apologetic and said that this rarely happens. I've been to various Flat Tops many times and I've never seen it happen before. Anyway, while he was apologizing, an older man came over and told her that her meal would be on the house. I wasn't expecting anything besides maybe a discount for her, so I thought they handled the situation really well. While she was fixing her bowl again, the older man came back to the table and made sure that I knew that my meal was on the house as well, which I hadn't assumed at all! I thanked him and said that they didn't have to do that, but he said that it wasn't right and I shouldn't have to eat alone. So I thanked him again and we enjoyed our stir fry evening as the restaurant began to empty and slow down. When we finished, the waiter took our bowls and reminded us that we were all set. I was still so impressed with the service that I left about a 30% tip of what my meal would have been.
I'd probably have given the place 4 stars, but their response to and handling of the problem bumped them up to 5.
This review is for their breakfast option. Yes, they have a breakfast option.
Don't worry, there's no odd Asian food being placed in the eggs. It's pretty cool as you pick either Pancake, French Toast, Omelet, or Scrambled Eggs. You then go through the selection of additions which include a good amount of veggies, fruit, and some fun sweet things (gummy worms anyone?).
The food was only so-so though. The omelet is more of a crepe with your options inside. I also ordered the French Toast which was pretty good, but did take a LONG time to arrive.
Overall ok, but not the best breakfast in the city.
No. No. Just no to everything about this place. The place is over-priced and the food is nowhere near quality produce. You get a little bowl to what, put just rice or lettuce in? You can't fit anything else in there, and I'm going to go out ona limb and say that is not a mistake.
There are plenty of other good places to eat in Chicago then some gross chain. Go to the Big Bowl...that place is pretty finger-licking good.
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Restaurants
Oak Park, IL
Category: Restaurants
Lombard, IL
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: West Loop
Category: Restaurants
Evanston, IL
Category: Restaurants
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