Flat Top Grill
30 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL, 60603
Flat Top Grill Menu
-
Appetizers
-
Create Your Own Stir Fry
-
Desserts
Healthy Meal suggestions for Flat Top Grill
-
Appetizers
-
Create Your Own Stir Fry
-
Desserts
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant blood pressure menu details.
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
30 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL, 60603 - Phone (312) 726-8400
- Website https://www.flattopgrill.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Garage, Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Steve P.
What a great idea and what a great restaurant. Very causal, very reasonable and very tasty stir fry. You pick from over 50 ingredients and sauces. You can go vegan or add chicken, beef, shrimp, etc. Fabulous taste for about $10. If you wanted a double portion (almost an impossibility) only $2 more. So, take the family and enjoy. A healthy alternative with choices for everyone.
(4)Daneih I.
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.
(5)Nektaria R.
Not sure why I love this place but I do. I like mixing up all the different veggies and throwing in some calamarie and fish. I've never been thrilled with the set up though, hate having to put my bowl of meat next to my veggies and then risk someone mixing them up or sticking the bowl on top of my veggies and possibly contaminating everything else. In all the years though, I've never gotten sick and I've enjoyed all the different flavors. I was sad though that I stuck two roti sticks in my bowl and only got one roti in my dish. Of course at the end of the meal I find out from the server that we could have requested a side of roti from her. Also, although the server walked us around and made sure that my friend who has food allergies (FA) had a FA stick in his food and yet when we were discussing the appetizer, she didn't point out that the item that we picked out had nuts in it and thus put the kabash on his eating any more than one piece. Thankfully he's not deathly allergic but still, what if he had been really allergic, then our fun dinner and then a show would have been a disaster. I do like this location for meeting with friends otherwise I prefer some of the suburban locations. If you're downtown, why not. It's pretty good food just be aware if you have any food allergies.
(3)Pete F.
Food is always consistent, but its nothing amazing.
(3)Pranamee S.
I like this place for its uniqueness and ambience. They have good service, good food in $12-14 and student discount :). They have multiple options for your do-it-yourself menu with rice, noodles, veggies, meat (which is even more interesting for the options) and sauces, all amassed together ready for a fresh stir fry in just 10 minutes. Its a new stir fry taste everytime I go to this place, trying all the sauces lined up for you. The extra color sticks for you to pick from just before the stir fry is the icing on the cake... everything for $12!!!
(4)Stina T.
I've been going to Flat Top since it opened in Spring 2010 and it quickly became one of my favorite places to eat! I love how many choices there are -- I really don't think I've ever had the same stir fry combination twice. It's wonderful for people with food allergies/dietary restrictions because of all the options and the fact that they clearly spell out all the allergens in their menu. Lunch time is pretty hectic, so you might have to wait a few minutes for a table -- but I promise it's worth it! The price is quite fair too, especially for being located in the Loop. It's a must try if you have an affinity for Asian food. I have to admit I'm really disappointed they've discontinued their brunch/breakfast menu at this location. It was one of my favorite places to go for breakfast because of the endless options and the phenomenal value. I might have to travel to another location just so I can experience their breakfast again. It's life-changing!
(4)Danielle N.
Met a friend here for dinner last night and I just wasn't impressed. The food was fine. The service and experience left something to be desired. First, we were seated right by the bus boy's station (literally our table was touching it) which lead to servers rushing back and forth and banging the cabinet open throughout the course of our meal. Our server came to bring us glasses of water and then disappeared. I wanted to order a beer and possibly an appetizer, but she didn't return until well after our food had been brought to us. After about 15 min of waiting for our server to return, we eventually realized that we were supposed to get up and get our own bowls, so we wandered to the salad bar style area where you form your creation. Maybe it's just me, but I found the raw meat laying out on ice for people to pick through slightly unsanitary. While the meat section was separate from the vegetables, people are free to add meet to their bowls and then turn around and add vegetables with the tongs probably touching the raw meat. I decided to put my slightly OCD tendencies when it comes to the preparation of raw food aside and continued to the grill where they cook the food for you. Again it wasn't really clear that we could just leave our bowls there, which left us waiting for another 15 min until the chef came and took our bowls from us. When our food came, it was pretty good and there was lots of it. As whole, it was just not my favorite dining experience and I don't feel the need to return to this spot. Way too many better choices in the area.
(2)Kammie G.
This. place. rocks! Not only is the veggie and sauce variety huge, they also have an option for FISH to be one of their protein choices! I haven't seen that before and it made me very happy. Plus, I loved that you are able to put your own sauces in there and however much you want. An issue with stir fry for me would always be that it comes out too dry cause of how many veggies I put in. But not this time. I also got to choose how much of the starchy carbs I put in (barely any for me). I just really like how ultra customizeable this place is. Then, there's their STUDENT discount. Yes. This is now my favorite stir fry place.
(5)Elizabeth A.
It's Flat Top. It's like every Flat Top. It was a bit weird that they sat everyone all the way in the back of the restaurant the afternoon a friend and I went. Admittedly, I am being very lazy here but, come on, who wants to take a walk to get their food when they've already taken the walk to get to the restaurant?
(3)Ben S.
GREAT Mongolian BBQ! This place would've gotten 5 stars if only you got to sit there and watch them cook your food on the big round grill. While I guess you could sit there and watch, they don't really encourage it... I prefer HuHot for this reason, plus I think HuHot has better/more sauces... Though I do like the different color stick idea for adding things, that was a very clever idea...
(4)lori c.
ordered the Kung pao quesadilla, and it was good. I gave a three star because the service at the 8-top bar sucked. major.
(3)Rhonda M.
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.
(2)David A.
This location didn't fare as well as the other Flat Top Grills I've been to. We were seated in the back and it was a bit claustrophobic. I loaded up my bowl with vegetables and picked my sauce. Don't be afraid to load your bowl up to the top because the veggies cook down a lot, otherwise you will have half a bowl full after they are cooked. Service was adequate at best, but it was lunch and they were busy. Probably wouldn't be on top of my list again.
(2)Angie R.
The new process on how you make your stir-fry has changed! The "stick" is handled by the wait staff and placed on various uncleaned surfaces then your expected to place this into your food. Not to mention the wait staff is handling many things like drinks, payments, menus, etc. I almost positive the wait staff is NOT washing their hands prior to handling each tables "stick". This is a HORRIBLE process!
(1)Jason F.
Had a great experience. Food was awesome and the service was outstanding. Highly recommend!
(5)Cynthia A.
Went for my first time yesterday and really enjoyed it. Went during dinner time and we were seated immediately. The waiter came to us and explained how it all worked. Waiter seem to be training a new employee but did not distract from experience. Will be going back
(4)Jacob A.
Like other people have posted this place does get BUSY during lunch time so plan accordingly. The wait staff here is decent. Food quality is fairly consistent. You have a variety of choices to pick from. They also give you helpful tips on how to make your stir fry if you are a little lost. I've always enjoyed the cooking here. Good quality and gets the job done. Make sure you have the roti with your meal. This place is also good for small groups.
(4)Jessica C.
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!
(4)Valerie P.
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.
(2)Dan B.
Took the whole family here and got rave reviews all around. Good service, delicious stir-fry and awesome roti. Great value too at less than $20 per person.
(4)Diana J.
Service was good for being a weekday lunch hour. The selection of veggies and meat were decent and you can't really blame them fit any bad plates as you choose your own fixins...
(4)Alicia E.
My favorite (and my boyfriend's favorite) restaurant ever. We come here for every major milestone in our lives, such as anniversaries, birthdays, promotions, etc. Even just for lunch sometimes. We are obsessed with this place. The food is terrific, the staff is terrific, the drinks are terrific (according to my boyfriend, I don't drink). They even have an emailing service in which you can get coupons. Usually restaurants give you crappy coupons, but Flat Top gives you awesome ones, like free appetizers and a free meal on your birthday! I recommend this to everyone! Great for groups as well. There is only one issue I have, but it is pretty minor: Seating. Some of the tables are so close to one another and it doesn't feel that private.
(5)Karan M.
Love the number of options..always try a the peanut sauce :)
(5)Burt M.
If you rate this place anything less than 5-stars, you have only yourself to blame since you're the one who chose the ingredients. That's why I rated this place 5-stars. Because I'm amazing. At least with Asian food. Notes to owners: love your new "pick your meat" setup, just make sure portions don't get smaller or else this review will have some serious changes.
(5)Clint N.
I mean really, what's not to like about FlatTop? You get to pick the ingredients you want and they cook it for you. The price is very reasonable and the atmosphere of the place rocks. They are also open late which is great for downtown Chicago. My only concern was the protein elements. I saw quite a few people manhandling the chicken and beef with the same set of tongs because they were too lazy to use the ones provided. That's how salmonella gets ya! Outside of that, the place was wonderful and the food was divine. It was cooked to perfection and it had all the things that I would want in my stir-fry.
(4)Vicky T.
We were seated right behind the cash register so it was annoying to have people looming over your shoulder. My boyfriend and I wanted to split a bowl because we were not super hungry but they said we couldn't do that. So i just ordered a bowl for myself. Got the calamari, very chewy and rubbery. The noodles were eh. I did not really care for this meal. Then the waiter made an implication that we were poor because we wouldn't get two bowls. Forgive me for not being a hungry savage. Will never be coming back.
(1)Brenden B.
Let me start by saying this really isn't about the food, but the experience and service. Flat Tops food has always been good. The food line was clean, everything was filled and at a place like this, it's your own fault if you don't like your meal....for the most part. Now, on to my experience. My friend and I went here for lunch this afternoon, it was later in the day, around 2:00pm, so it wasn't overly crowded. The hostess sat us down at a high top and asked us if we have been there before. We have. Our server came, and at first we thought he was nice. He took our drink order and said we could go ahead and start. My friend and I made our bowls, she is gluten free, so she loves places like this. I got the mushu wraps and 2 roti breads. When we went back to our table, our drinks still weren't there... fine, no big deal. A little while later, our server finally brought out our drinks. We knew our food would take longer because hers is cooked in a wok and mine have to be wrapped up into delicious little burritos. A food runner brought our food out and no roti bread. Our drinks were near empty and there was no sign of our server. We continued on, cautiously sipping away expecting our server to show up at any moment to ask how our meal was or to refill our drinks. After about 15 minutes, he finally arrives. I ask for some roti bread as they had forgotten and refills on our drinks. He quickly ran from the table. 5 more minutes go by and the manager brings by the bread. We ask her for our drinks and she said she would have them out right away. Never happened. We were abandoned. Left to deal with a liquid-less lunch. Another 10 minutes go by and our server magically appears, we ask for a third time for our drinks to where he pulls out a pitcher and just fills our now empty cups with water... we didn't have water, we had a lemonade... and he rushes off into oblivion before we could make a sound. At this point we are just annoyed and want to get out of there. Our bowls are empty and our water almost gone. What seemed like forever, our server appears with the check. I give him my card and again, not to be seen for another 15 minutes! Now I would understand if they were busy or if it was during a lunch rush, but it wasn't. There was no excuse for this server to keep playing this disappearing act. Sadly, it ruined it for me. What we thought would be a 30-45 minute lunch turned into an 1:30 minute magic show....that we didn't ask for. What a shame, because like I said earlier, the food is good, but you dear server, sucked!
(2)Scott L.
The food here isn't horrid, but it's not very good and certainly not worth the $16 it'll cost you after tax and tip. If you do come, my advice is to stick to one of their recommended sauce combinations. Even when you do everything right though - and to be fair, there's plenty of reasons (i.e. you) for your food to be awful that is entirely out of the restaurant's control - the ingredients themselves just aren't exceptional. The noodles are overcooked and mushy. The rice is a better bet, but fried rice just isn't that exciting. The vegetables don't seem very fresh either. The roti I got on the side for free was okay, but that wasn't enough to save a very disappointing meal. If you really want a decent stir-fry, just go to Chinatown and rely on a professional to make something for you from start to finish. The service was excellent (but honestly who cares).
(2)Ed D.
If you know how to mix ingredients, this place is the best. I always get at least 3 plates full of food with different mix of veggies, rice, noodles, meat and sauces. Definitely try the roti bread (blue stick). I've never made a soup so no comment there. If you want chef made food then this place isnt for you but if you have just a little bit of cooking knowledge and don't feel like cooking yourself or shopping for ingredients then this place is for you. Used to go to the one on Washington but im closer to the Wabash location now. Very similar experiences although it seems like the Wabash location has more attentive wait staff. Price is awesome too considering its all you can eat...im such a pig when it comes to all you can eat :) Definitely worth at least one visit!
(4)Lauren B.
Flat Top has become one of my favorite places. I think in my last review I had taken a star off for the service, but recently, the staff has been phenomenal! I would also like to share how to construct the perfect bowl: FILL IT. C'mon people, don't be shy! Tower your rice/noodles up in a big mound, and let your veggies pile up even higher! Nothing makes me sadder than seeing a lame bowl come back from the wok. Done right, your bowl can come back and easily give you plenty for your meal, and a good portion size of leftovers. Also, try putting the spices on the end on your meat rather than your noodles/veggies. I put garlic on my chicken to enhance the flavor. A spoonful of garlic on my other bowl would just get lost in the flavors. Not sure about sauce? Put more than you think. On my packed and filled bowls, I'll put 6 ladles of sauce on, and sometimes I end up wishing there was more like 7-8 ladles. If you end up like me (going basically once a week), ask your server about their punch card, buy ten bowls get the eleventh free...yay free stuff!
(5)Harshingar P.
A nice place and been there many times. I like the fact that I can select the ingredients and create my own bowl. Good enough options. Great staff, and once they lost my ordered bowl, but they were great in handling the situation. I was in no hurry so I didn't mind it. But the place is nice with a warm ambiance.
(4)Kimberley M.
The Flat top offers a make-it-yourself set up that I've experienced in other places, so I was excited to craft a meal that was totally to my tastes. The set up works well, and the options are plentiful, so you really can't complain about the food at all. Do remember that meats go in a separate dish, so you want to make sure you pick up the second dish when you get to the meat section of the buffet. What I noticed in this location is that everything is bustling - it's busy, loud and everyone kind of pushes past you to get where they are going - it's a bit over the top for my liking, so I took my food to go. A great option if you are staying in the area and have dietary restrictions, as you get to custom-craft your meal.
(3)Nicholas O.
They took a super simple process and have made it needlessly complex, all for a cost savings on their part. It used to be walk in, write your name on a stick, and fill your bowl, wait and eat. Now you have to wait for your waiter to give you your stick, write your meat selection on your stick (now limit 3), wait for your server to process it, come back with empty bowls, and then fill your bowl. The old method didn't make for a super quick lunch, the new method now it makes for almost an unbearably long lunch.
(1)Zach C.
The entire concept of this place is great: you go in, grab a bowl to build your stir-fry dish at the "fresh bar," pick your meats, then go back to your table and wait for your tasty food to come. If you don't know what would work well, or just want some ideas about good sauce combination ideas check out their "customer recipes of the year:" flattopgrill.com/docs/re… The service was "meh" at best -- once I was done it took over 15 minutes to pay & get out, hence the 3 stars. Overall I really like this place and am glad there isn't one where I live -- I'd be there all the time. Oh yeah, get the roti bread.. it's delicious.
(3)Mark B.
I stopped in here for lunch one day, just randomly, while exploring the city and had an enjoyable meal. Décor: The dining area feels like a bit of a cross between a P.F. Chang's and a club (both are good things!). There is a lot of space, a bunch of tables, and even a small bar area for loners like myself. The food stations are very well lit and very well labeled so you know exactly what you're getting. They have changed things a bit from when I have dined at a Flat Top in the past (for example, the meat no longer sits out...) but much has also stayed the same. Everything, given the style of dining, is kept very clean as well, which is nice when you think about it. Bathroom: a typical bathroom that continues the décor of the main restaurant, nice and clean Staff: My waiter left a bit to be desired as he was not very present after I started eating my main course. However, the cooks were great and my food was fantastic. Food: I started with edamame (it was pretty good) and then moved right to a build-my-own-bowl, which I loaded up. To be honest, I was a bit worried to discover that the meat is no longer "self serve" but they gave a healthy serving in my bowl. Everything tasted fresh and delicious! Value: It's not expensive by any means, but it is, when all is said and done, just a bit too pricey. I couldn't, as much as I'd love to, come here regularly for lunch. I've always been a HUGE fan of Flat Top and, after this visit, I shall remain. I can't wait to come back again!
(4)Norm W.
Absolutely the BEST! Our server Amber was great and explained it all well. The food could not have been better. We were in Chicago for a few hours 2 days ago and enjoyed lunch here so much that when we returned by train 2 days later...the first thing we did was head here for lunch again. Only wish they had a Flattop Grill in Southern California!! Sorry for any typos, I'm writing this without my glasses. Eat her! You will be glad you did. Price is right too!!
(5)Andrew B.
If you've ever been to a flattop Grill before, great, you know exactly what you're getting yourself into. If you've never been to a flattop Grill before I strongly recommend going to their website and reading the how-to or reading the Yelp reviews that explain exactly what you're about to get yourself into. My biggest complaint with flat top is always how long that takes but that simply the nature of the beast and if they change the process to make it faster I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as fun. My one criticism is that I was sad at the evil towards the front of the restaurant. They were on be misaligned. The three tables appeared that they should be lined up directly under the lights above them, instead, they were off-center leaving some very strange lighting conditions and placing The person that I was with directly under the air vent. It was probably a one time oversight, and could be easily fixed.
(5)Emily L.
So I used to really love this place but recently they changed the pricing which really threw me off. The concept of the restaurant is great though especially if you're the type who loves picking and choosing for yourself! I'll start off with the positives in that it still has a great selection of fresh vegetables, meat, sauces, and toppings; ranging from cilantro and garlic to squash and zucchini to literally over 20 sauces. Onto the not so impressive. Our waitress asked us if we had been before and we said yes but it had been a while so a refresher would be great. She didn't tell us that now you aren't able to go up for seconds/thirds for the same price (used to be $15) so we just assumed that hadn't changed. A friend of mine is vegan so she wanted to try small portions of different stirfrys since it was all included in the base price and didn't get tofu the first time around so she got a relatively small bowl. After we found out going up again would be an extra $4 (which is a great deal if you already had a full meal especially because you can get it to go) she had honestly felt a little cheated. Just be aware before you go but other than that miscommunication it was pretty decent!!
(3)Qi G.
I have been there twice and the first time was fantastic, it's a overall valuable lunch, you may register for free appetizer and use the student discount as well. The waiter was nice and patient to introduce. It suppose to be a great start but the truth is the second which is probably be the last time I will go. We felt "cold" when we got problems about the payment. I understand they may be tired to serve too many guests but when we ask for bags for boxes. We will told to get it in the front desk... absolutely different from the first time. But anyway, our waiter is good. BTW, I ordered two eggs but they didn't show up, at all!
(3)Guy V.
GREAT place for a filling, affordable, and relatively healthy lunch! Make your own stir-fry by piling up your bowl with whatever veggies, rice, and sauces that you want. Select your meat, and the Lunch Special total comes out to $10. The stir fry ends up being a huge quantity of food, and depending on how much sauce you put on it, it can be a very satisfying, healthy lunch. TOURIST TIP: It is about a 4 minute walk away from the Art Institute. I definitely recommend it if you get hungry and need to get re-fueled!
(4)Tavi J.
My friend and I were looking to try someplace new for lunch. She has a peanut/soy allergy so our first step was to see if they could be accommodating to that and they assured us they could be. Now I consider both of us to be very bright individuals, but the whole time here I was very confused. We sat down and our waiter asked us if it was our first time. We said yes....and from there on it felt like we were speaking a different language with the instructions we were given. I will apologize in advance, but this will be a lengthy review... First we were given a stick and a pencil with our menu. We were told to write on the stick our names and up to 3 meats we would like to come with our meals. Simple enough I figured (I chose sausage, shrimp, calamari). Then we were given this huge explanation on how things worked. They come back to your table with a bowl and then you are set free to navigate the ridiculous array of sauces, veggies, rice/noodles and basically put the meal together yourself. We held on to our little bowls and gave each other reassuring looks that we got this. So first stop we had to decide rice or noodles and then fix up your bowl with whatever condiments. I went with the brown rice, noodles, and added broccoli, mushrooms, onions. (There were seriously about 15 other items, but I tried to keep it simple). Then there are about 10 sauces to choose from. I went with the garlic black bean. After that it's time to "Transform your meal" You go over to this area where you are met with another set of sticks to choose from. You can Transform and add to your creation. The transform sticks you can choose between having them change the items you have in the bowl into either a burrito, wrap, soup, roti taco, or stuffed sandwich. I went with the roti taco. Also you can choose from the other side of sticks to add to your creation tofu, eggs, cheese, or a white stick to mean you have some form of allergy. Once your done with all that it's time to hand them your bowl so they can "create" your meal. By that point we were exhausted and went back to our tables praying we did somewhat well in choosing the right items. I also needed a drink by this point (I know it's lunch time...but I felt I worked hard enough for it ). I went with the FTG Punch...sweet and fruity and I couldn't taste the alcohol so I liked it. About 5 minutes later we get our creation and honestly we didn't do a bad job in our item selections. The problem to me is it tasted like something I could have ordered someplace else and had the chefs do all the work. I'm not big on specialization of my food and having to pick so many options, but if you are this is a great place to go.
(3)Dan P.
I have only been here a few times and my last visit pre-dated Yelp. The food here is always good, although my wife does not agree. I had whitefish as the protein option. The resulting stir fry is pictured with this review. My complaint is that it is difficult to judge how much sauce is necessary. I am not a line cook or chef and would prefer to leave to the experts how much sauce should go on stir fry. There are no sauces on the tables. I understand the theory that you shouldn't need sauce on the table. In practice, all four of us needed to add soy sauce. The nice and prompt waiter brought it so there was no problem, but there really should be some soy sauce and salt on the table. The wife did not like the roti bread. She said it was greasy and flavorless. I found it okay. She also warns that the vegetable pakora wasn't good. I didn't try it. If you like this kind of place, it meets expectations. I note that some reviewers have said "no line" or "no wait." This is not always the case. When we were left, at 19:30 on a Saturday, there was a line at the door.
(3)Anna M.
Not a place for allergy sufferers!!! The concept is cool--you order exactly based on your preferences because you scoop the food as it comes to you in whatever weird creation you want. Terribleness is that despite having a hundred signs about allergies an the ability to specifically make your bowls as allergy issues, the guys behind the lines still use just one set of utensils to stir everyone's food. I don't know about the flat top cleanliness but the sharing of utensils definitely bodes ill for us with allergies especially since the sauces have components of egg, peanuts, and soy. Flavor was okay but it was an overpriced and allergy problem experience. Service was also terrible--grumpy servers and really slow considering the kitchen was finished cooking and plates sat at the pass for 10-14 minutes before being served.
(1)Ryne D.
I'm really sad that I need to drop this down, and don't let this be indicative of other Flat Top Grill locations. I still love the idea of filling up a bowl with tons of veggies, meats, and sauces and having a fresh hot bowl of chow customized to your liking. Unfortunately there have been changes implemented here (maybe because it's in the Loop so they have higher traffic) that put it below the bar especially compared to other locations of theirs. Before, you got a little bowl to pile your proteins into, and you were limited only by your ability to stack. It was great because they had a large variety of them so you could mix and match beef, pork, chicken, fish, squid, longganisa... No more here. Now you can only get up to three different ones, and if you want to "double up" on one of them, they'll charge you $4. Oof. They've also removed their hot and sour soup option which was pretty darn tasty and my girlfriend's favorite. And to top it off, our service last night was pretty lacking. You'd think at 8:30pm in the Loop you wouldn't have to be waiting around to get water/get the check/pay the check. I really hope this doesn't extend to other Flat Top locations, but looking on their website it seems that they're showing the same $4 upcharge and lack of soup options. It's a sad day, but for now I'm going to go to the West Loop one and hope for the best.
(3)Sankhadip B.
Good food n good place for groups. Get to choose your items, amount of sauce and there is quiet a variety of sauces. Food really taste good. Good for veg n non veg people
(4)Jaehwan L.
Servers were very attentive, clean encironment, and the foods were fresh. I made my food too spicy but thats my fault. Overall, great.
(5)Monique M.
Love this place. Healthy good food and reasonable prices. You can make your own bowl including rice, noodles, veggies & sauce. I usually get chicken but lately the chicken hasn't been cooked thru enough for me so I do not get meat anymore. The roti bread (blue stick) is soooo good so I can never go there without getting it. I do not like that the tables are so close. Almost makes you feel that you're dining with people that you do not know
(4)Frank J.
Great place to go to "HAVE IT YOUR WAY!" You really can't complain about what you eat here, since the food is fresh, and you are the one picking what goes into your own bowl! They begin you with a choice of white rice, brown rice, or noodles. Then, a VERY LARGE variety of fresh vegetables, sauces, and meats (including seafood). As much you can fit and stack in the bowl w/o it spilling over as you take it to the chefs to cook...you can have and keep as well as choose to add eggs, shrimp, and roti bread to your bowl! Afterwards, you can return to your seat and the waiter or waitress will bring your bowl to your table. This was a great experience in eating a hefty amount of healthy foods. Can never finish it all...take home is a necessity! Bar is small but great drinks!
(5)Ziyan C.
A fun meal concept. And coming from SF, a $9.99 lunch seemed incredibly cheap, especially when you can really get a giant bowl out of it! They're good at explaining how it works if it's your first time, but it's also useful going with friends who've bene before so they can tell you their own tricks of the trade. Here are some tips: - Stack even more in your main bowl but doing veggies first, then putting the noodles on top. The noodles act as kind of a net that holds everything in place. Then the sauce just soaks into it. - Add PLENTY of sauce. Even if it seems like overkill, your bowl will taste really bland without enough sauce! I did about 4 scoopfuls (between the tomato, thai peanut, and a curry one. It was fantastic). - MIX your sauces! Test it out by adding your combos into the little plastic containers getting it mixed thoroughly by and pouring back and forth between to containers. You can ask someone to help you out with choosing a sauce, and that's what they do to taste it! - GET THE ROTI it's delicious!!! You have to add an extra stick. - The lettuce rolls are a nice option - you just get an extra plate of lettuce and you can wrap some of your into those and eat it in a different style! - MEATS: The Filipino Sausage was fantastic. The beef was really great too. Here's my delicious bowl: yelp.com/biz_photos/flat…
(4)G D.
This was a pleasant surprise. We just ducked into this place to spend some time before the Memorial Day parade started. The name, ' Flat Top Grill' suggested to us that the food would be normal cheeseburgers, or American food. We sat down and looked at the menu, and we almost got up and left. We were glad that we didn't. It was a new, and pretty cool experience for us. The menu is set up in steps. You pick your meat, you get a bowl, and fill it up as much as possible with veggies, and sauce. You put it in front of the cook, and he stir fries it right in front of the restaurant. It was delicious!
(4)Daniel N.
FOOD: 5 stars - Best stir fry/mongolian grill ever! The quality of the ingredients, to the cleanliness of the line, to all the awesome options, this place and it's endless option is dangerous for a gluttonous foodie like me. SERVICE: 2 stars - My husband and I put our bowls up at the same time but for some reason mine took 10mins longer. He was almost done with his before I even got mine. Our server took both our cell phones off our table while we were away and didn't even bother to say anything to us until we were getting frantically concerned that they may have been stolen. He also made a somewhat offensive comment to us about eating so much. ENVIRONMENT: 4 stars - Great location, music, decor and ambience.
(4)Bryana M.
Flat Top has change their set up in "peak your meat" but there is nothing to worry about. For example instead of going to the buffet area and get your meat, the waiter will ask you and then when your food arrive it will be already there. Is one of the best restaurant to go and eat, with one of the fastest service with food you will ever experience. The food in Flat Top is so good because you have the choice to prepare it all by yourself and put the amount of food that you like. The service is amazing the waiters are always attentive of what you need and with your food. The quality of the ingredients has been one of the cleanest, and best set up to go and get your food. Know with the new set up of "peak your meat" has change I think is a healthier and cleaner environment for their customers. One of my favorite things to order is lettuce wrap is so delicious, healthy, and fresh. For example you create your own wrap with the delicious meat that comes with the delicious juice and salsa to make it even better. One of the reason why I really enjoy going to Flat Top is their service toward their customers. Since you enter, while you are waiting for your food, and when you live the waiters are super attentive of what you need and want. Employee in Flat Top are so attentive that you have your beverage always fool and you are so comfortable that you don't want to live. Their attitude toward their client is always nice, positive and making sure everything is good with food and beverages. For example every time I see my beverage is running out of juice the waiter is already attentive to go and get me more juice, before asking. That way I recommend people coming to Flat Top, because is one of the best places I ever had good food with amazing service and never for this entire year that I have been going, had a bad experience with food or people working there.
(5)Nicole S.
Came here for lunch with my boyfriend. The service was good this was my first time here and he explained how it works well. You make your own food bowl and you have many options to make your meal tasty. We got pot stickers for an appetizer they were ok.
(4)Nick L.
We love this place! For an extra $4 you can get unlimited bowls! The selections of meats, veggies and sauces are great! You have to order the Roti Pratta Bread. It is fantastic! I wish they would open one in Phoenix!
(5)Kayla F.
LOVE this place. Always have a great experience. The barbecue tempeh is delicious, especially whenever you use the Korean barbecue sauce with it. Everything is fresh and delicious. The roti bread is awesome and I could eat like 3 pieces in one sitting. My waiter this time was Evert and he was so friendly. He was super professional and speedy. Very happy with this experience!
(5)Eesha G.
If thy half s star I wud do that...I loved the restaurant before thy did all this new changes..no more unlimited..charges 4 $ for second round and for 3rd round u have to pay the full price again. .most stupid thing that I have seen...already it's about 15$. Will nvr go again.
(1)Sam L.
Your Flat Top experience depends a lot on 1) the time you go and 2) your own ability to select delicious combinations. Regarding 1), the place can get packed during peak hours. You can end up waiting an age to be seated and another waiting for your food to come. If you see the restaurant packed, turn around and go somewhere else. Regarding 2), first timers may have experiences ranging from fantastic to dreadful. There are lots of vegetables, meats and sauces to choose from, as well as different preparation options. If you choose poorly, you can end up with an awful concoction. And you have no one to blame but yourself. Here are some tips to ensure you have a good experience: 1) Stick with ingredients you know and like. 2) The sauces can taste different cooked, so don't be put off by their strong flavors. In fact, I recommend you use at least four spoonfuls of sauce. I go with six. 3) Get the roti bread! 4) If you're unsure of how your plate is going to taste, go with smaller portions and try different plates. You can get unlimited plates for $1 or $2 more, depending on whether you're there at lunch or dinner, respectively. Worth it, in my opinion.
(4)Justin E.
This is essentially a Mongolian grill place. The food is good, fresh and tasty. I made the traditional stir fry but created my own sauce combination. (they need to post up a chart of how to mix sauces, hint, hint) Service was good and friendly. It was neat to pick out all of your own ingredients and the staff is helpful in helping you choose or explain items. It is a bit small but probably because its so busy. Be prepared to wait for a table. Oh and try the potstickers.
(4)Sara L.
Seriously, who doesn't love Flat Top??? You are able to create your own stir fry into a soup, lettuce wraps, mooshu wraps or roti bread. It is a great place if you want to eat healthy, have a large group or even out with picky eaters. Trust me, even picky eaters will find something they will like! The nice thing is that for protein options they have seiten, tofu, chicken, beef, pork, fish, squid, and of course they've longanisa!!! For those who don't know, longanisa is a Filipino pork sausage that is mighty tasty!! Helpful hint: mooshu wrappers are huge...I mean personal pan size pizza with the thickness of a pancake. Sometimes they will give you 8 or 10 of them....just make sure you are hungry
(5)Andrew P.
I dined here for lunch in February 2015. The last time I had been at this location had to be two years prior. It has gone downhill. While the following information doesn't impact the rating in any capacity, you should know some changes the company has made. First, Flat Top Grill has changed their business model. The bowls you receive to add your food into seem smaller and you no longer add your own meat, instead you add a stick indicating the meat choice you'd like. Probably saves money from people overloading in the meat part. I get it. But that's not why this place got 2 stars. This place got 2 stars because the service was spectacularly awful. It was noon on a Saturday. Barely anyone was at the restaurant. Wait staff was everywhere. And despite all that, I had to wave down a waiter (not our waiter) twice to get a refill. And then I had to flag down the manager for the check. Ten minutes passed from the time we had visibly finished our meals until we got our check. The wait staff were mostly goofing off not paying attention to customers. I love me some Flat Top, so I'll be going back ... I just won't be visiting this location again.
(2)Shakema C.
I missed this place after they closed down in VA in 2004. So glad I visit this place. Love this place. Great service and good food...made to your Order!!
(5)Sarah V.
With the right ratio of ingredients and a little luck your meal will be enjoyable! This place can be great or it can be a total nightmare depending on how good you are at pairing ingredients. Cons: The recipe board is of little help, I personally don't like the concept of scoops of raw meat. The food station tends to get pretty messy which is frustrating and you never know what kind of service to expect. Pros: The parathas are delicious and I believe unlimited, they offer a student discount and if you put an allergy stick into your bowl they will cook it in a wok instead of on the flattop. Anything that is allergy friendly and has the potential to be delicious is definitely worth a try. If after two tries the food still sucks, this isn't the place for you.
(3)Emma V.
I used to love going here with my boyfriend every time we traveled to Chicago because it was a good, and fun concept. However, almost every time we always get seated in a section with, who I believe, is one of the worst servers we've ever had. I would understand if it's busy but a lot of the times, we go there when the lunch crowd had just gone. Our server "M****A" would take forever to come greet us, or had to be asked several times for drinks to be served. She would talk to us like she had so much better things to do! Instead of checking back on her guests' tables, she's over at the POS machine chatting away with the other servers while we try very hard to get her attention for some more water or to get the check. We always enjoy the food, but the service of this server always leaves a bad taste in our mouth.
(3)David H.
They have changed the format for ordering here. No longer can you choose your own protein by sight or amount. I preferred the old system where you could see and choose your protein items. This is unfortunate because it is now up to the chef(s) to choose the proportions of vegetable to protein. Our food had the veggies over-cooked on this last visit. Also, I have forgotten how bad the music is here. The station they use features whiny pop music with screaming lead vocals. This is a problem in a lot of restaurants, so I don't mean to be sarcastic. It's just so unfortunate to be irritated by annoying music! Similar to another review, we found it odd that the "sticks" are first hand-delivered by the server, then the customer writes on them with pencil, then the server hand-delivers the sticks to the counter, then the counter staff probably handles the sticks, then gives the sticks back to the server who hand-delivers the sticks back to the table and in our case placed the sticks onto the (not clean) menus. After all this, you are supposed to bring these sticks with you to the food counter and place them inside your bowl of raw food.
(3)Deon D.
I signed up for yelp just to write a review. It took a while for our server to even get to us. We ordered one vodka lemonade and one regular lemonade. They tasted EXACTLY the same. We weren't able to pick our own meats anymore. The food wasn't terrible. There weren't many options though. We had to ask for the check twice and still after that it took a while to get our cards back.
(2)Usha R.
Huhhh .. We love this place almost dined in here for many times ... You can choose the food on ur own and they grill it with chicken. Egg peanuts .. They have good amount sauces ..if you are health concerned you Hav the option of brown rice & quinoa ... Felt bored as we visited many times and right now we took a break for a while ...
(5)Claire Y.
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!
(4)Leigh S.
Come in often for a quick lunch. Like the idea of ordering my choice of meat with the server to get my lunch quicker. Always love the bowls I create and today I made a soup by adding the yellow stick. Always add the blue one for the roti bread. I passed by today and noticed the new neon sign, looks nice!
(5)Deon D.
This establishment has made quite a few changes since dining here 2 years ago. The PROS: They seat you in a fairly timely manner & the food was not too bad. Also, they no longer leave raw meats out for everyone to pick over, you choose your meats through your waiter or waitress. The CONS: This experience was not a pleasant one for my sister and I. The waitress was not only performing as if she lacked proper training but she practically neglected our table, failed to provide the correct drink ordered and wouldn't admit it. The cooks got an order completely wrong, (one that included a $2.99 upcharge). By the time the food came out a second time, it wasn't too bad. WAITRESS GAVE ME THE WRONG AMOUNT OF CHANGE, WOW. The waiters could definitely do a better job in here. Also I was displeased to see that they no longer give you the option of unlimited bowls and there is an $4 upcharge for the second on top of regular price, keep that in mind. This was my last time dining at this establishment. I guess nothing too good can last forever!
(1)Jessica M.
The idea is there but it's in dire need of a better execution! It's lunch time at 1pm on a Tuesday. My friend and I were told to wait 10 minutes. When our table was finally ready, I noticed there were a lot of empty tables as we walked in. So...why the wait? Do keep in mind, most people only get an hour for lunch. We quickly picked up our bowls and went to the buffet section. Select your rice and/or noodles and top it with a bunch of vegetables, sauce, and meat. It's the same price no matter how much ingredients you toss into the bowl. And here is where you need to be extra cautious! The staff are refilling the containers as they find necessary. They pour the sauce in while neglecting the customers' presence. I was wise enough to back up two steps before they splattered the sauce across my white blouse. Beware of your surroundings! We left our bowls by the grill for them to be cooked and returned to our table. It was another 10 minute before we finally received our food. The Chinese yellow noodles were good and the roti prata bread is a must-order. That's where I applied my two stars! The rest of the contents were slightly charred and overly salty. The meat was rough and dry. The check also takes a while to arrive. My tip to lunch diners is to immediately ask for the check when they arrive with your bowls. This will get you out of there in a more efficient manner!
(2)Victoria G.
Very busy, noisy and loud place. Make your own noodles and they will prepare it for you and bring to your table. Loved this as I can choose what I want in my noodles. Overall great experience, other than a bit too noisy.
(4)Kevin S.
This was right around the corner from the Palmer house hotel and had great food with great service the first night. I ate there a second time last night and did not appreciate the cashier taking the one dollar change that was due to me and assuming that was his tip. If he only wants one dollar then he can have it, I would've given him more. The food was still delicious.
(3)Shanti N.
Shake Shake was crowded, my favorite hot dog place had closed (the windows were papered up), and the line at Good Stuff Eatery was long (and the burgers seemed too gimmicky for my liking). The third strike led me to Flat Top Grill. What really sold me was the fact that I could sit at a bar and have my food brought out to me. What can I say, my dogs were barking after a Saturday morning at the gym and running errands. The setup with the bowl and being able to select one's components before delivering it all to the grill was slightly confusing at first. I give this restaurant props, as there was a crowd of model UN-ers and a softball team (sounds like something out of a cartoon: nerds vs jocks) that the host all graciously accommodated. The value was reasonable, especially since I ordered a glass of the house chardonnay. I guess I didn't 'sauce' my food sufficiently, so I asked for a bottle of sriracha to be brought out and voila...instant flavor.
(3)Don J.
I like fried rice and this is a solid, fast and cheap option to fill yourself up. I have never had to wait to be seated and the food normally comes out about 5-7 minutes after you have given it to the chefs. The last time my wife went there she had a hair in her food (it happens) and when you think about how many people are near the ingredients, it should be expected once in a very blue moon. They handled it well by taking the charge for my wifes meal off the bill and then asking her to remake her meal. I would like more help with the sauces as I normally try this 4 sauce blend that i make and while its nice, I always wonder could a professional chef make a much better sauce than what I threw together. Two stars lost for the hit and miss service (the last time I was there I could overhear the servers complain a lot about working there) and for the basic seating and decor. It isn't exactly comfortable but you can also pretty fill yourself up for $10. In the heart of Downtown Chicago that isn't too easy.
(3)Saahithi G.
Awesome stirfry at a great location. Its one of the goto place for visitors. You get to chose your own ingredients and sauces/spices. Which is amazing, at times when you need fast, good food that you can rely on your choice (cant blame the chef). They have good vegan options too. Mango Mist is a must try non-alcoholic drink. Do avoid during weekday lunchtime, unless you can wait for at least half an hour.
(5)Heidi R.
I love me some Flat Top! How can you go wrong with an all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-build stir-fry meal? Just think all the vegetables, proteins, meats, sauces and even noodles/rice! Plus you get to jazz it up with egg, cheese, shrimp, lettuce wraps, pita to finish! Can't get enough of this place.
(5)Tu N.
Great restaurant with beautiful food, lovely staff. This will be one of my fav restaurants in Chicago. Looking forward to seeing one in NY.
(5)Tianyu W.
It's typical Korean flavor. Environment and service good. There are not that much vegetables to choose. And there is NO unlimited bowl as written in their menu. You need to pay 4 extra dollars for the next round. And their beef urf....don't try the beef!
(3)Pham D.
I used to love Flat tops, but I don't know what happened recently. I went during dinner, and instead of having both side of the buffet open, only one side was open. I waited for over 10 minutes just to fill up my bowl! It has gotten a lot pricier, so I try to make the perfect bowl on my first try, and avoid the unlimited bowl price. Which is sad, because that ability to attempt a perfect bowl with unlimited tries was the reason I loved this place to begin with, but not that costs too much and isn't worth it. But I've mastered my perfect bowl and this is what I will be doing from now on: White Rice Noodles White Onions Green Onions Red and Green Peppers Bean Sprouts 1 ladle of Korean BBQ sauce 1 ladle of Vindaloo sauce 1 ladle of Coconut Curry sauce Scoop of filipino sausage Scoop of chicken 1 ladle of Vindaloo sauce in the meat pinch of garlic pinch of cilantro pinch of jalapeno Mushrooms Sticks: 1 egg 1 roti
(3)Keycee D.
My friends and I stayed at the Palmer hotel which is walking distance from this place. We were walking around trying to find a place to have dinner and ended up here. It was a Friday night and luckily they weren't crowded. It's stir fry buffet style. You choose what sauce, meat and veggies you want; you put it all in a bowl and they cook it for you. Once it's ready, they bring it to your table. It's not just noodles, you can have white or brown rice as well. There's so much different sauce to choose from and variety of veggies. I also like the fact that they had recommendations on what's good together. The price was I believe $9.99 for one bowl or a few dollars more for unlimited bowls? (correct me if I'm wrong) The only thing I didn't like was that it took a while to get our food because the cook tries to cook as much as possible to bring back to as many tables as possible. When we got our tab, they automatically deducted $1 off for student discount...yay! i would go back here again!
(4)E M.
Worst dining experience I have ever had. Staff and general manager Juan Becerril literally laughed in our face. The hostess started laughing asking other patrons "what our problem" was. All because they lost our reservations and allowed three parties to be seated ahead of us. I can not figure out how they can treat people this way!!! I eat out EVERY lunch in downtown Chicago, this was the worst I have ever been treated. This corporate restaurant has hit rock bottom. Terrible place, horrible staff, never again.
(1)Eric L.
Every now and then I just want a good helping of stirfry and this place can satisfy that craving. It's a bit crazy at lunch time so plan ahead if you're limited on time. The waitstaff have always been really nice. They don't have a whole lot to do other than explain how the system works (if you're a newbie), take your drink orders and bring your check. But they do it all pretty well and smile and are pleasant. The "food bar" where you build your meal can sometimes give you a little bit of a concern. There's a lot of "drippage" if you will where someone will be trying to get something in the back row and drop some of it into other containers as they attempt to get it into their bowl. So if you have food allergies or dislike certain things, be wary that you may be getting a few surprises in your bowl. Overall, I like this place and the food is as good as the combination of items and sauces that you put together. While they do get busy, it doesn't seem to take very long once you've dropped your food off to be cooked before it arrives. I've been a few times and never tried the different preparation options (moo shu, soup, etc.) but just the regular preparation is good. Make sure to get the roti - it's yummy! Oh, and I'd skip the $2.00 for the shrimp. It gets a bit overcooked and tough.
(3)Jon R.
The food was great! The servers were good and I love the Chicago style artwork around the walls! This is definitely a gem in the Loop! I will be returning!
(5)Jared D.
This is my second time here in 3 days and the first time it was great. This time is after a work out and it helps because I can load up on all the carbs I want. Anyway this place is really low key and really chilk. The decor is great and the staff is very welcoming and helpful. It takes some getting used to the concept but once you grasp it, you can do alot because there are just so many options that aren't only limited to stir fry. This is one of my new favorite placed in the loop. If you like hibachi I would recommend this place
(4)Shardool P.
I must admit I was a late-comer to the Flat Top Grill game but I do love me some from time to time. For the low price of $13 you get a heaping serving of meat with vegetables and rice/noodles ... and the sauces! You must get the sauces! I like being able to walk into a sit-down restaurant and have a fairly clean and healthy (depending on how many sauces you get!) meal at suburb prices! Great mid-week option when you're lazy to cook and want an easy option where there's something for everyone. The service isn't the greatest as they tend to forget things and are usually absent for most of your meal so if you need hot sauce or a Coke or something make sure you order all that at once in the beginning! Also the add-ons at the end of the line where you turn in your dish are worth checking out before you begin as there are some great options.
(3)Jacob G.
I've always liked Flat Top Grill. It's a good place to go to for lunch or dinner.
(4)Aaron A.
First, Flat Top Grill as a restaurant is so good and is great for everyone. You have so many options and everything tastes amazing. You'll definitely want to try the pita bread. We love it. However, we have been to this Flat Top on Wabash on multiple occasions and each time has been less than acceptable. The manager is rude and blames the customer for problems. I received one of my bowls that was over-cooked and burnt in places. My waiter took it to him and he brought it back and blamed me for putting too much sauce in. I'm not a chef by any means, but I think stirring and attending to the food would have prevented it from burning. But that doesn't matter. The fact that he blamed me, told me to go make another one and then did nothing to rectify it means they have lost my respect. I will be avoiding this location from now on.
(3)Samantha E.
I used to work at a place like Flat Top so they always seem to hold a special place in my heart. You can get stuffed for a good price and hand pick everything you want. While everything basically comes out tasting "Asian." I highly recommend getting egg and Roti added on. Also, be sure to put your meat in it's separate bowl!
(3)Michele O.
Decent stir fry/Asian Fusion/thai for a reasonable price. Not a good place for those who know nothing about seasoning. Use the suggestions, ask questions, and be prepared to get a different taste each time. We had a friendly waiter who consistently humored us...funny guy. The staff is often buzzing around. Kung Pao Hoison sauce is great! They have great boards that explain the ordering process. Each one is drawn with bright colors and Chicago scenes.
(4)Katie B.
Came for an early dinner on 4th of July. Seated right away, with top notch service the whole time. The staff was great about walking us through how everything is done, and there was always someone around to answer questions. All three kids (12, 9, 5) loved it. And because they could customize what they were putting in their bowls, it was only what they like so they loved the results. And as a mom, I love that it's a great way to get more veggies into them than you usually get at restaurants (since my kids don't eat salad). Food came fresh and hot. Love that my peanut-allergic son could have his meal cooked in a separate wok rather than on the common grill so no worries about cross contamination. And the roti bread was delicious! Drinks were certainly overpriced, but the food was not.
(4)Rick M.
I used to love eating at flattop, mainly because of the unlimited bowl deal. The food, though never AMAZING, was consistently tasty, the concept fun, and the service fair. Unfortunately, I visited the location on Wabash today, only to be told that the unlimited bowl deal had been taken off the menu. This was a huge mistake because this deal was probably the only reason people kept going back; the food is NOT spectacular. I think either not enough research was done, or someone dropped the ball on this one.
(2)Matthew D.
Will no longer be returning as they no longer offer the unlimited bowls. This is why I went there to begin with. Too bad...
(1)Johnna M.
On November 4, 2014, I dined at the Flat Top Grill located at 30 S. Wabash in Chicago, Illinois. This location is accessible by public transportation, especially the CTA train system, because there is a stop right in front of the restaurant. I have been to multiple Flat Top Grill establishments all over the Chicagoland area, but I have not received any customer service that was comparable to the Wabash location. From the moment I walked into the restaurant to the moment I left, the service was incredible! When walking up the few stairs to get into the restaurant, the hostess was extremely inviting as she opened the door for my roommates and I. She introduced herself, and than proceeded to ask us where we preferred to be seated--in the back or closer to the front, which was nice because I have never been to a restaurant where you are asked where you want to sit. While walking to our table, I noticed how big the restaurant actually was. It was perfect size for any event, big or small, and even though it is located downtown, it did not seem crowded because of how big it was! Once seated our waiter, Josh, quickly greeted us with just as much--or perhaps even more--enthusiasm than Jessica did. We were asked if we had ever dined at the restaurant before, and because someone had not, he explained how we got our food, and how it was prepared on a Mongolian grill. Once he was finished, Josh took our drink orders and left us to create our own stir-fry. The first thing I noticed when walking up to the self serving station is that it was clean and organized; there were no left over pieces of food from customers prior to us, all of the utensils were lined up perfectly in their dishes, and there were clean cups to be used for testing the sauces. Josh met us at the station, and gave us excellent recommendations on what to put in our bowls, and how to create the perfect stir-fry. He encouraged us to try food that we normally did not eat, and to move out of our comfort zone! It was really helpful to have someone so educated about all of the different types of food that we could use. After our dinner was created and left at the grill, my party and I headed back to our table where our drinks were waiting for us. While waiting for our food, I noticed that on the wall behind our table, were the instructions on how to create your own stir-fry, which was helpful for people who have never dined there before. I also noticed that the décor was very appealing. The light fixtures were beautifully designed, and gave off a warm, welcoming feeling. The music was loud enough to be heard, but quiet enough so that one person could have conversation with another person while dining. The entire atmosphere was great! Our food was served to us in a timely fashion, and was very hot since it came right off the grill just seconds before! Since it is create your own stir-fry, everyone at our table had a variety of food in their bowls. The food was cooked to perfection, and presented beautifully. Once we were finished, we got our leftovers packed to go, and our check was promptly brought to us. My overall experience at Flat Top Grill was amazing. From the helpful staff, to the amazing food, everything was perfect. I encourage everyone to dine at the Flat Top Grill on Wabash. It will truly be an experience you never forget.
(5)Brandon P.
Now horrible, never coming again they now implemented a tell us what meat you want and we will serve it to you policy, all sounds good till you get 5 pieces of meat in a whole bowl! And pay 13 bucks for a bowl!never again
(1)Vivek K.
It's different to review restaurant where there isn't a chef to judge- ratings are based more so on service and options rather than taste. While our waiter was friendly, the service was incredibly slow. With no line at the grill our food took at least twenty minutes to be cooked and brought to us- I've been to similar establishments where the food is cooked immediately. If the customer is assembling the ingredients the turnaround should be much quicker. The options also paled in comparison to similar restaurants. The meats were the basics: sirloin, whitefish, chicken, pork and sausage. No variety of beef and shrimp was two dollars extra. Most disappointingly, the egg was not a whole fried egg but chunks of scrambled egg mixed into the stir fry. Overall my meal tasted good, but that's a function of my choices instead of the restaurant's, and the options could have certainly been better.
(2)Deanine J.
It's because of the sweet service @ the door and bar that I give this location 3 stars , otherwise it's 2- the chefs kinda have 2 step it up OR they need 2 be given tools to grill in the sauces so they don't run all over & the customer loses them. How about I just grabbed lunch, brought it back 2 my office only to find this dry heap of grilled food in my bowl? I mean I drowned my veggie meat I'm sauce and it's all gone! Dry broccoli & noodles are so not cool. I hadn't been here in a while & decided to take a chance cuz they messed up my last order (inedible). But I had to go to Target so figured I'd save some walking time. Sigh..I wish I went to Flacos Tacos to get shrimp tacos like I started to. #disappointingFridaylunch - except 4 my quick drink :)
(3)S P.
What's not to like about this place?! I'm a Chicago girl who moved to CA for work, but every time I'm back in town, this is the first place i go out to eat at. Love the variety, the taste, the rotis, and everything in between. This year I received a birthday coupon to Flat Top and was so bummed I wouldn't be in Chicago for my birthday! Love, love, love! Wish they'd open one in the valley now!
(5)Marc P.
I liked it! Simple concept, nothing too complicated. It is a great lunch place. Have the roti bread added to your dish.
(5)Troy D.
Dear Flat-Top -- Please expand outside of Illinois. Preferably to KC. Much love, Troy xoxoxo Seriously -- this was a perfect place to stop for lunch in the Loop -- and while they are a chain (albeit a small chain) -- the atmosphere, selection, and service all clicked. They offer a ginormous selection of noodles, veggies, and meats to have prepared in a stir-fry... which, granted, you'll find at a lot of Mongolian BBQ-esque places. What sets this place apart -- they bend over backwards with recipes to try... they make sure folks are aware of what's not OK for food allergies... and they offer tons of customization options. I can see why this place is a great stop for people in the Loop who need a casual lunch. That goes for business folks, to tourists, to folks just wandering around. Helpful hint - get the blue stick.
(4)Lillian C.
I came here with a large group to celebrate a friend's graduation recently. It's a AYCE place that is very similar to mongolian BBQ, but has a ton more options/variety. I ca't really comment on getting there since we took a cab, but I know the red line is pretty close and that there is street parking, but it's 24 hour metered so don't forget to feed the meter! The service was really good and our server was really accommodating to our large party, but hey, we gave him a good tip. Maybe it's because I'm used to really yummy Asian food, or maybe I'm just not that good at making my own food, because I thought this place was decent, but not OMG SOOO GOOD. The prices are fair and you do get a lot of food for the AYCE option. You basically take a stick with your table number and write your name on it to the food table area. You put all the veggies/noodles/rice, etc in the black bowl and the meats in the red bowl. There is A TON of stuff you can put! And A TON of sauces too! At the end you can put different colored sticks to make your bowl(s) into lettuce wraps, soups, and/or add tofu, pancake, etc. Let me tell you, GET THE PANCAKE! Buttery goodness that's just like green onion pancakes! Also, you only get ONE pancake at a time no matter how many of those blue sticks you put in your bowl! :( We requested JUST pancakes from our server and he was nice enough to bring some for us. The desert rose and mango mojitos are also yummy, but weren't too strong. Overall, this place is a pretty good deal, but both my bowls were just OK, not extraordinary...
(3)Vina O.
Maybe because I'm Asian and I've had Mongolian-style stir fry since childhood, I felt this place was okay. They have a very good selection of veggies and sauces, and it's definitely worth shelling out the few extra bucks to go unlimited. My complaints are mainly that the cooks overcook the meat to the point where it's dry and chewy. Their vegetarian meat selections are also very disappointing and rubbery. Basically, go vegetarian if you're planning on going here and skip out on the meat and meat substitutions. All the starches/soups are really good (i.e. noodles, rice, roti bread, lettuce wraps) and I'd recommend any of them.
(3)Eileen B.
The hostess who took our reservation could use some coaching on her phone manners however once we arrived our server changed everything... Pierre was our server last evening & I would say he was outstanding! Attentive yet not over bearing & very friendly. Offered suggestions & sauce pairings to enhance my experience. I was the novice in our group & once I told him what I was looking for he helped arrange a great combo for me. Loved the purple califlower. Bright fresh veg options. My only suggestion would be to improve your wine selection. Although $18.50 is reasonable proce for a bottle of wine out we "GOT WHAT WE PAID FOR". Even a middle of the road Mondovi family would have been preferred. Thanks for a nice evening! BTW there was a family sitting across from us with two young children. THANK YOU MOM & DAD for teaching your children how to behave when out in an establishment. They were wonderfully behaved & a pleasure to dine next too!
(4)Tom A.
A great choice if you're looking for a hearty portion of food, yet aren't sure of exactly what you want. I've been to their better known Mongolian competitor that is very stuck to the suburbs, so Flat Top is a great (and quite honestly, better) urban-centric alternative. Lots of chalkboard drawings of the city's attractions and teams, and with a CTA "L" theme of the line colors. You pick the ingredients in the bowl, and put them together. And unlike the suburban chain, they bring your cooked bowl right to your table. So many combinations, unlike your stomach :) I've also been to their West Loop location, right next to Harpo Studios, and found the experience there just as great!
(5)Alan S.
Fun and delicious! A friend of mine wanted to go here while in Chicago and I was open minded about it. It ends up costing about $10-15 for lunch, which is generally more than I want to spend, but you do get your money's worth. It's an Asian combination of a Subway (in that you get to pick your items and they make it for you) and a buffet (in that you can eat as much as you want (for an extra buck) and there are tons of choices). Given all the possible combinations you can keep coming back here for a while before getting bored of it. One thing to be aware of is that it's not as quick as a buffet in the sense that once you make your bowl you have to wait for them to cook it. I just made a second one right after I put the first in to cook to avoid a double wait. I'd suggest this place to almost anyone... if I could get out of here for less than $10 it would be a 5 star!
(4)Tyree S.
I decided to check out the Flat Top Grill on Wabash for the first time. The service was great as we were seated immediately and given instructions on how things worked. The stir fry was great and there were tons of ingredients to add. However, seating was beyond uncomfortable. The seats were so close together that we were nearly sitting on top of other guests.
(3)Hil B.
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.
(4)Carolyn T.
The Flat Top on Wabash is the easy go-to place I enjoy going with friends for dinner. There will be a bit of a wait on weekend nights in particular, so I recommend putting in a reservation ahead of time. Or, there is always the option to put down your name, leave your phone number, and do some shopping or get drinks ahead of time while waiting for the call that your table is ready. If you're meeting a group of people here, know that half of your party must be present to get your table at your reserved time. Even if a few people are a few minutes late, you'll lose the table. Here's the procedure: You get seated, you are greeted by your waiter or waitress, and order drinks if you want them. Next, you're instructed to get in line by the ingredient bar, where you can select exactly what you want in your bowl. Be sure to bring a stick from your table, which will have your table number on it so your food can be delivered after it has been cooked. So, you go to the line and fill your bowl with anything to your heart's desire. You can choose noodles or rice (white or brown), but of course you can mix and match. There are lots and lots of veggie options, meat, tofu, and tons of different sauces. I have tried a bunch of different sauce combinations and amounts, and everything tastes more or less the same to me: good! Then, you walk over to the stir fry area where you can add extra sticks for eggs, shrimp, allergies (so your food isn't cooked with the same pan as others') and bread (you MUST, MUST, MUST get the bread). Sit tight and your meals will be brought to you shortly. I really like Flat Top because I know *exactly* what I'm going to get and I like it. I guarantee that you will have MORE than enough food to satisfy your appetite. We have never been able to save room for dessert! Even though my server told me I couldn't have leftovers a few years ago, a kind waitress more recently told me I could bring mine home. Score! Note: I've never ordered a drink here, but my friends have multiple times and they have never liked what they ordered. Even after asking to have them re-made once, they did not always taste quite right.
(4)Floyd B.
I must say when people introduce me to new places I am a bit reserved, but I must say I well pleased with the homemade somebody else provided the igredients and cooked it stirfry.......I am not much of a noodle person so I went with the whit rice with peapods broccoli little corns beef shrimp cheese....yup I ate good
(5)Liang H.
I think it's a great concept, especially for the price in downtown Chicago, but I'm simply not a fan of the food, unfortunately. In the end, the meats are overcooked and the flavors of the sauces get lost.
(2)Melissa F.
It's a little pricey when you consider you're building your own dinner and they're only job is to heat it up, although my combination of rice and asian goodness was great! The potstickers were delicious! Service was good. The server had a good sense of humor when he saw that the names we wrote on the sticks were Batman and Robin.
(4)Rick M.
I love love love love love Flat Top Grill. I think my only problem with it is that every time I go, my food ends up tasting the same - BUT OH WELL, IT'S DELICIOUS. Last time I tried some different sauces to make my dish taste unique. I think I went with some kind of spicy curry sauce and it was actually really awesome, and I'm not a fan of spicy, curry, or spicy curry (I was just being bold. You need to be at Flat Top). The variety of veggies is incredible. The little corn on the cobs are fun to put in just for the hell of it. I don't like to eat them, I just think they're awesome. Not to mention, my partner is a vegetarian and Flat Top Grill has a ton of veggie options from Tofu to Seitan and of course all of those sauces. Now for meat eaters there are a lot of options too. I admit, I was a little nervous with the big bowls of raw meat, but they change them frequently and as long as you wash your hands afterwards it's all good. Just don't be shy with your portions. No one is going to say anything to you. My stuff is usually piled up so high it's hilarious. But it's not so funny when I have lunch the next day at work!!! We took my Dad and stepmom here when they came to visit. My Dad was nervous because he says he doesn't like Asian cuisine too much, but they both ended up loving it (they really enjoyed the alcoholic drinks, too). So that said, I definitely suggest taking visiting relatives here... or maybe even going on a date or two at Flat Top Grill (with non-family members of course). And when you go to Flat Top, get the Roti bread. It comes with the meal so you can just keep putting blue sticks. Sometimes if you put more than one, though, they will "forget" to give it to you so I suggest telling the waitress to bring you like 2 or 3 + for your group. Then maybe 2 or three more after that. Yum.
(5)Jason M.
Went here with my girlfriend for the first time after work. Love the idea of creating your own entree, with unique and interesting ingredients. Was a little disappointed in the length of time it took, and the food runner brought our bowls to the table looking sad and burnt. My date and I looked at the food and feeling underwhelmed, began to eat. Our server (I think his name was Nathan) checked on us and apologized for our meal getting burnt and destroyed. He said to make a new one and that the meal was on the house. We made another one, and both our server and the manager apologized and checked in on us to make sure the replacement was good. We were both impressed with the over top care and customer service, and the replaced meal was amazing. Fantastic customer service and a wonderful concept. I've found a new favorite restaurant downtown. Highly recommend this place!
(5)La Tonya G.
Whew, I made the mistake of coming here during the lunch hour can you say packed!!! I didn't know that many people filled up this restaurant but that didn't stop me from standing in line and waiting for my chance to make up my stir-fry meal!!! I have no complaints my food came to me pipping hot and my waiter was great!!! I will be back!!!
(4)Ramya K.
Flat top grill is our usually staple for a quick take out dinner. But I give this place 1 star for in dining service. And of all the flat top grill in Chicago, this place is like the most horrible. If you are from Chicago - you know the drill. Load up the stuff, place it on the counter and they bring the finished end product to you. My review is for the service especially the front staff. Firstly, the hostess or whoever up front (there is mostly different one every 15-20 min) is so totally rude. They care least about you as a patron. They don't bother trying to communicate about getting in to their wait list when it's crowded. I wish they were clueless because that would just make me feel sorry for them. But nope. They really don't care. They touched a nerve when I was trying to spell my name for them to get on their wait list and as I was spelling out - "R, a, m", the guy opposite asks - "how do you spell R" to my complete disbelief. After that incident, my husband and I decided to ALWAYS do takeout from this place. Which is too bad since the waiters and other wait staff are like really really nice. Unfortunately, I really cannot deal with an obnoxious bunch of front staff who are just dressed nice but completely incompetent.
(1)Sunil M.
I have been here numerous times and I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. Despite what the name may suggest (mostly to immature guys like me), people of all shapes and sizes are welcome here. Food: Selection is ridiculous. Tons of veggies, brown & white rice, two different noodles, crazy variety of sauces, lots of real meat, plenty of fake meats. They recently added quinoa. And they're very accommodating to dietary restrictions (lots of vegan options, sauces are clearly marked with allergy info, and they (claim to) prepare food in a way that doesn't mix potential allergens. Service: I have usually had friendly and prompt service. Occasionally they are swamped, so the food takes longer to prepare and serve. Value: Ranks up there with Chipotle. In other words, (quality + quantity) / price is really high. Also, lunch is slightly cheaper than dinner (you also get a slightly smaller bowl for lunch). --Pro tip1: If you like a lot of sauce in your creation, you should fill up the main bowl halfway with veggies, add some sauce, add some more veggies, then some more sauce. --Pro tip2: To maximize value, stack contents in such a way that stable/squeezable items are at the bottom and more rigid items are on top. For example, brown rice and greens should go at the bottom, while peppers and broccoli should should go on the top. And beans should go on at the end because they can squeeze into the nooks and crannies created by rigid veggies. (Lol, there's a science to eating at FTG!)
(5)Sophie C.
Very interesting, a build your own stir fry concept. Food was good and cheap but choices overwhelm at first. I had a traditional stir fry with noodles and chicken, adding in vegetables, but unfortunately I didn't add in enough food. Make sure to full your bowl completely, because all the cooks do is fry it all up and serve it too you.
(4)Ann B.
This was the worst restaurant we went to in Chicago. The food was so bad. The floor was so sticky from other people's sauces they put on their food. My meal had thick brown sauce on it that was not put on by me. The flavor was do strong, my bowl of food was could not be eaten. I don't know what they put on it, but it was bad. The chicken was of poor quality. It was dry and hard.
(1)Scientia Potestas Est ..
So they changed the way you prepare your bowl. One of the things I like about flat top was that you can make the bowl yourself down to the meat. Now that has changed and it is horrible. Now you get a stick, have to write the type of meat you want on the stick, the server takes the stick and puts in the meat order, brings the stick back to you with a bowl, they you go up and full you noodle and veggie bowl, at the end somehow the meat and bowl are married together again. How complex can you get. They claim it is for sanitation reasons but no other flat top on the area is going this. You know what is sanitary, having someone handle a stick three seperately times before putting it in your food bowl. Obviously the manager of this store should not fix what isn't broken, but you know what you can't fix...stupid.
(1)Tenzin D.
Alrighttt, everyone says Flat Top is great so I went. I arrived and was pleasantly surprised with the layout of the place, nice so far. We get seated and we get asked if that was our first time there and we said yes. The waited told us the basics, get a bowl and do your stuff and pointed at some papers on the table (not to great of a job). So we go and get out food buffet style and wait for it to come back cooked and stir fried. Food comes back.. not too awesome.. So, main points here: -how your food tastes, depends totally of your skills (sort of since you're the one picking out what goes in it and what sauce) so be mindful of that. i made the mistake of just piling everything I like in there.. pretend you're home cooking maybe -read the things on your table before going to get your food (I learned there's more options than just going to go pick out what you want in your bowl, colored sticks have meanings!) -CHOOSE YOUR SAUCE WISELY YOUNG CRICKET I think it'll take a few visits before I get their ways down and am thoroughly satisfied.. which sucks because that's $$$
(3)Hector N.
Great food, long term customers. Except for the server who didn't wash his hands in the bathroom. We have been coming here for years to this location and always had the same server. Never cracks a smile so me and my boyfriend sometimes poke fun at him when he's not around. This visit (early FEB) I was in the mens bathroom washing my hands and the waiter was just done using the urinal. He goes up to the sink next to mine and just rinses his hands with water. I called the waitress near me and she seemed annoyed by me. So she brought over her manager and he was just not responsive at all. He apologized and said he would have a talk with him, though he continued to serve tables. I requested that someone else could bring us our food and the manager himself brought it. I was grossed out though. We aren't going back to that location ever again and I wish the manager's apology was a bit more sincere and I wish he'd make more of an effort to assure us that this was an isolated incident. Gross.
(1)Jamie D.
Actually really good, seems confusing at first, but really they just have so many options to fit your tastes and allergies-- it's really all about you. Food was delicious, came in 5 minutes--easy. Had a waitress from Georgia and she was a peach!
(5)David V.
We are from out of town and were looking for a reasonably price nice meal. We found it here. They even cooked my wife's meal separately so it was totally dairy free. Here you pick your meats, vegetables & sauces and they cook it to order. 4 of us had dinner & drinks for under $90 including tax & tips. We were very happy!!!!
(5)Joel R.
Food is just to perfection, excelent customer service always happy to stop by any day during the week. KEEP IT UP GUYS!!
(5)Daniel S.
I admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but after 2 visits I'm sold, all the meats and sauces and other toppings I've put into my bowls have tasted really good, it's as much as you want for a set price so get as much as you can, havent had the desserts yet but im sure theyre good too, great spot to go to downtown that isnt expensive but fills you up
(5)Paloma H.
My review is for this particular location, not Flat Top as an entire establishment. Of course most people know that Flat Top is great, reasonably priced and has really good food. My server was the only person working, so it seemed, and I needed to check out for about 10-15 minutes but I did not see him. I tried to give him benefit of the doubt because if it was that he was the only person left on the floor, then I know that can be rough when it starts to get busy. Once he came to our table, I said I was ready to pay and as I was proceeding to tell him that I am a student he was like power walking away. Once he came back with the bill I had my student i.d. out and my credit card in hand, and explained that I needed my student discount. He rolled his eyes didn't take my credit card and walked away. When he came back he said "make sure you tell me next time that you are a student before I get your bill". I've been in the service industry so I understand that there may be this notion that students may not tip well, but the bottom line is that I was in the industry and know how to reward good service. I honestly felt like my server presumed that I wasn't going to tip well so he didn't feel a need to try to provide good service. He was so rude that I don't think that I will ever be back during lunch time and for anyone who does decide to come for lunch make sure it is around noon because once the busier lunch crowd dies down service begins to diminish.
(2)Trinity O.
Love the concept. You control what and how much goes into your bowl. They give you ideas and I think it's wise to follow there guides unless your sure your creation will be tasty. Don't be afraid to really mound up the food in the bowl! It's a fine art to create a towering bowl for them to cook you. Have fun and try to get a seat along the window to the grill.
(5)Stefan W.
Me and my cousin "fell" on this places since it was the closest one to the Silversmith Hotell where we where staying and boy where we happy we found it. Flat top grill is a buffé style restaurant where you get a bowl and pick your meat, poultrey, fish and add all the veggies, and rice/noodles you want and end it by picking one or more of the roughly 20 "cooking sauces" you can choose from and hand it over to the chef to have it cooked. The cooking sauces have something for every taste like hot, sweet and savory tastes like "Red thai curry", "Sweet & Sour" or "Indian" etc. Its quite fun mixing different sauces to have new results as you eat yourself through the buffé. You pay something like 12 $ for one bowl of 15 $ to have unlimited bowls of food. Eveything is soooo good and fresh and the service was so fast and by nice waiters that we went here two more times on our vacation. When turning in the food to the chefs you can also choose to have the food be turned into a soup or served as a wrap in a bread. You can also add shrimps for an additional 2-3 $. This place is fun, cheap and they have loads of great food for everyone. Dont miss it!
(4)Diane G.
2.5 stars for dinner, 3 stars for lunch. To be fair, I'm not a fan of buffets or eating until I feel like death. Flat Top's "create your own stir-fry" shindig is a fun concept and I do think it would be a fun large group activity (you pile as much noodles/rice, veggies, meat, and sauces as you can and they stir-fry it for you), but $13 ($11 for students) for dinner here is not worth it IMO. The food is just simply not worth that price, and I personally left feeling like I was about to give birth to a baby. Lunch is much more reasonable at $9 ($8 for students). As someone mentioned, dining here takes practice..so maybe after 1 or 2 more tries I'll master the art of flat top. Game Plan based on my first experience: Don't hesitate to MOUND that shit on, if your pile in fact looks like a flat top you are doing something wrong. Eat half, pack half for home. That's the only way this place is worth the $ IMO. VEGETARIANS: 1 huge star for being SUPER VEG FRIENDLY. They have a variety of vegetarian "meats": quorn (mushroom meat, which was delicious), seitan, bbq tempeh, and curry pakora. They also list which options are NOT Vegan friendly which is awesome: flattopgrill.com/vegopti… A final note---their roti is good! Throw that blue stick in there! =)
(3)Dan H.
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.
(5)Egan Z.
First try! Tasted very delicious!
(5)Angela T.
I'm still a big fan of Flat Top, because it's a great value and has lots of vegetarian proteins. Another tip: They have a buy one, get one free deal for birthdays. You gotta sign up for their email list in order to get the necessary coupon. However, even though my boyfriend was on the email list he didn't get a birthday coupon. I told the manager this, and he was understanding and let us still have the deal! Needless to say, my boyfriend enjoyed his birthday lunch. :-)
(4)Mahsa T.
If you're in need of something more hearty than a sandwich, but also want to get in your serving of veggies, Flat Top might just be the right spot. Lunch specials are under $10. You pick your own rice/noodles, veggies, and meat and pile your bowl high, leave it at the counter for them to stir-fry. Be sure to put a blue pin in your bowl at the counter to get their delicious roti prata bread. Service is friendly. Wait times are not too bad, never more than 5-10 minutes. Seating is a bit tight but that's just because they have a small space. Great place for lunch.
(4)Anoop A.
I have been to few Flat Top Grill locations, so far the worst experience. Visited on a Thursday, 9 pm. Significant delays, poor service (I needed to ask 3 servers and wait for 15 min to get a spoon for the soup), very ordinary food. Overall you can definitely pass on this one.
(2)Ellen C.
I love this place!! You can customize your dish, they cook everything just right, and there is always more than you think there will be when you're packing your bowl. Considering the ingredients and the adds you can put in there (roti, egg, tofu, cheese) all included in the price, this place is a pretty good value. I think they recently increased their prices so they're a little more expensive now, but they still have a 10% student discount (it's really just $1 or so per entree for lunch). Most importantly you can customize your own flavorings and they have handy little guides if you don't have any idea how to bring together flavors. I tend to be a little misguided and combine a bunch of ingredients even though that may not be the best idea. This place gets packed but it's well worth a 15-20 minute wait. The food gets to you hot and relatively fast and every morsel is tasty tasty tasty. Can't wait to go back!
(4)Neil R.
This is a great option for lunch for those that work in the Loop or willing to trek a bit. I find the food very good and you get a lot for your money. Service was very good and the experience is pretty fun too. I would try not to eat much all day as you get a lot of food, even for those with huge appetites.
(4)Elaine L.
The food is good and interesting with a large variety of flavor profiles to build. I really wish they offered lemon juice. As for the service. I feel weird tipping someone who does nothing more then bring me a soda. They don't explain much or guide you though the experience. Getting seated can be a mission. Today I have r servers pass me without an acknowledgment and then someone finally said be right with you as she walked by. I felt unappreciated. But to their defense I've had a pleasant time before. None the less I come for the food not for the service. It is the closest to Mongolian BBQ I can find in the city so it will do.
(3)Gwen E.
I came here for the first time after doing some window shopping in Macy's. ...we were seated fairly quickly and our server was pretty attentive.....the food was really good....I loved the selection of veggies and sauces to chose from....overall I had a fairly good experience here...I would definitely come back.
(3)Tiffany D.
This place was so much fun! Next time I'm so going to stack my plate up so much higher, and try the rice. The server was nice and everyone was so helpful. I'm not giving the complete 5 stars because our waitress wasn't phenomenal. And she forgot my brothers teriyaki sauce. Other than that this place gets 5 stars I look forward to going back.
(4)Omair R.
Just ate here. Typically we enjoy this style f food as BD Mongolian grill is a favourite. While this place has a classier sit down feel, the food took well over 20 minutes to arrive after we submitted our order, which was far too slow for this style of food In addition my vegetables were all burnt on the bottom, but since it took so long to receive the order I didn't have time to send it back Not impressed with experience unfortunately
(2)Penny P.
Some of the people who post on here need to reevaluate their expectations, and realize they are not a food critic/food blogger/foodie/etc. I dine at Flat Top frequently, especially this location. The staff is friendly with a lot of personality. Their wait staff is exceptionally knowledgable about the ingredients, and are eager to give recommendations. The variety of food is great. Everything from the fresh vegetables to homemade sauces, Flat Top is better than any "create-your-own" place I have been to. Their appetizers are also fantastic! I recommend their quesadillas. My friend is a vegan, and she had no problem finding options to suit her dietary needs. Like many restaurants in the loop, lunch does get busy. Make a reservation. They are very accommodating. I myself am a server at a restaurant, so if lunch is crazy busy, understand your server is not only serving you, but probably plenty of other customers as well. If you are in a rush, ask for the check a bit earlier. They understand. Once I sat next to a couple who took their time eating and then as soon as they needed their check, the server brought it promptly. She took about 2-3 minutes returning to the table to get their credit card and all they could do was complain about how they were in a rush and have to get back to work. Cool it people! Its a restaurant! I think this is an all occasions type of place. Its a different take on dinning, and a fun experience. The price is reasonable and you can fit more than you think into those black bowls. Just simply follow directions and enjoy your time! All in all Flat Top is outstanding for the type of restaurant it is. It will forever remain one of my favorite lunch places. PS. if you don't like "Salty" food then don't use the salty sauces!!!!!!!! Its your own fault it tastes bad.
(5)Kristy F.
Atmosphere: Large, a little loud, plenty of booths, dim but relaxing lighting. I like the set up of flat top where you make your bowl, drop it off and have it delivered. Service: I have been here twice now and both times had excellent attentive and knowledgeable waiters. Food: I usually select brown rice, a variety of veggies, and chicken with teriyaki. I'm simple and all the ingredients I pick have been great EXCEPT the string beans. Yuck. Whenever I eat what they stir fry I wonder what they do to it to make it so tasty...I swear if I attempted to throw raw veggies and meat in a skillet with some teriyaki and olive oil it still wouldn't come out the same. Conclusion- Easily a monthly stop. =) 4 stars.
(4)Monique B.
make your own stir fry with none of the chopping and clean up! Go for lunch, where it's half the price of dinner. And the roti is greasy and delicious.
(4)Josh G.
This place can get VERY busy during the lunch rush, that's the only big negative I have. The food is good, but the service is GREAT! I believe my server's name was Carlos. He is GREAT! I was standing in line, and a different server asked if I needed help or if it was my first time. Great service. Ask for Carlos; he rocks. I did put in two blue sticks to get the amazing pita thing. You would think two sticks would equal two pita things...apparently not. Flat Top Fail! :( One time they gave me one and one time they didn't even give me the pita. I could live on that pita bread stuff. SO GOOD! Use the blue stick! YES
(4)Daniel D.
The concept of Flat Top is great, but the implementation is way over-complicated, which leads to a sub-par dining experience. I left feeling frustrated, but not from one major issue but rather lots of little ones. Our experience wasn't all bad, but it was far from perfect. There are some really simple things they can do to vastly improve customer satisfaction. Pros: - Our server was very friendly - The new system of ordering the meats first sped up the process and our meals came back quickly, which was great. - The roti was delicious and the meats were cooked just right. - Deserts were delicious. Cons: - There were no ladels to help with measuring the sauces, and what's worse, there was absolutely no indication or help as to how much sauce was recommended. It was a big mess at the sauce counter, spills everywhere. - A related issue- it's very hard to balance out the amount of meat, sauce and veg unless you are a frequent diner, because you have no clue how much meat they'll give you. Some of our friends had overly wet dishes, mine was too dry, etc. - The mu shu wraps were unavailable. We didn't find out until we were at the grill counter. The displays all around the restaurant hadn't been changed to show it. - Despite requesting a roti, it didn't come, and the servers also kept forgetting silverware for our group. - Some of us didn't fill our bowls very much on the first round, intending to go back for the $4 all you can eat. However, the server implied it was $4 per extra bowl, not all you can eat, so we didn't go back for more, which left us annoyed. The server may have been wrong, but we didn't know that. - The entire concept of Flat Top seems is that you choose what you want, how much, etc. I figure that with about 30 salads, 24 sauces, plus the sticks etc there are about 2^61 (a billion billion) possible combinations. Now, not all of those are going to taste right. Some people love this system. For me, it was mind-numbing. I was paralyzed with choice. It would vastly improve the service if they had signs or hand-out cards at the salad bar with maybe 10-20 suggested fillings and sauce combos. I saw about three suggestions on the menu, but didn't want those. This is not my first time at this kind of restaurant - I do understand the system. I just think it's poorly designed. Some simple things that Flat Top could do to make it a 5-star experience: - more suggested combinations. just have a rack of little hand-out cards or something at the front of the salad bar, organized by meat type. It stops indecisive newbies like me holding up the line and getting annoyed. - clear indications of how much sauce to take, and ladels to measure it out (!!). This makes the difference between a good or bad meal. - A more streamlined system for ordering. Designing a meal in three separate steps is just annoying. This is the key issue, not the number of choices. Meat choices on the wood stick when you sit down, plus all the colored sticks later on, some that can be combined and others that can't...too complicated. They need to streamline the process and figure a way to combine things so that you make all your choices at once, if possible. When ordering meats, I couldn't see the list of sauces. Later, I'm in the salad line and I suddenly can't recall what my meat was. Most restaurants involve a single choice for your meal from a menu with 20 or so items on it, for good reason. There is such a thing as choice paralysis. It's going to subtly annoy a good fraction of your diners. You need to figure out a way to streamline things so the choices seem easier for those who aren't sure. It will stop a lot of first-timers from not coming back.
(2)alysia f.
This is my second time at this location and after the disaster of a first time (involving meat being designated allergy friendly and being told that it was GF and then that it wasn't GF), I figured I would give it a second try. This time, I knew to avoid the meat conversation and asked for tofu to be added to my hot/sour soup. Not only did my food take 10 min after my friend (when I had put my order in 5 min before her), but they forgot my tofu. I am very confused how they could completely ignore the tofu request. The guy in front of me in line got shrimp for free because they accidentally added shrimp to his bowl. Definitely check your food before you eat or leave the restaurant (for to go orders).
(3)Mary K.
When my friend and I stopped by earlier this afternoon, it was still only about 11:45am. There was a small crowd but not a rush. It took about an hour for our food to be prepared, then it took an additional 10 minutes whenever we requested water, iced tea or a to-go box; yet somehow our waiter was able to quickly serve the table of four next to us faster than our table of two. My friend and I were at Flat Top for over an hour and a half, longer than I've ever been when I've gone with a small group. Disappointed in service, completely.
(2)Erik C.
This place is awesome. Creating your own stir-fry, wrap or soup is a great idea. You have many options to choose from and very healthy choices, even if you are a vegetarian. The variety is endless and to top it off, it is inexpensive. Definitely stop by if you are near the area. Wish they had something like this in South Florida.
(5)tony d.
First off, I want to say that I hardly ever give 5 star reviews, usually just 4 even if I really like the place. Our server Marina is what made me give that extra star. My friend and I were visiting from Los Angeles, looking for vegan friendly places in the area. We were a little confused about how the whole ordering process went but she was super helpful and friendly as well. This place is great! Such a cool concept of ordering your food and then having them stir fry it. Tons of vegan options, and somewhat healthy as well. Got sooo full for only 9.99, pretty good deal when you're a traveling vegan. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. Once again, our experience wouldn't be as great had it not been for our wonderful server Marina, give that girl a raise!
(5)Natalie S.
LOVE Flat Top. Love it. This is the 6th location I've been to and we had an excellent experience. Really, when it comes to a good Flat Top experience, it's all about the service. You can't really complain about the food when you concocted it yourself! Here, the service was awesome. The food came out fast and hot but most importantly, they got the sticks right! I can't tell you how many times we'll request a flat bread and not get it or request tofu and don't get it. My sticks were read perfectly and my meal was just as I requested it. Our waitress was awesome. Even the other waiters walking by were friendly. For less than $8 per person for lunch, you really can't beat it!
(4)George B.
Cheap and good, not super but makes you full!
(3)Anne S.
Outstanding! I had dinner here Saturday night with out of town friends and their 2 year old. We wanted to be close to Millennium Park so we could walk around and look at everything. I was surprised by how busy they were! At 5pm they said it would be a 45 minute wait. The 2 year old started screaming, so I asked if I could leave my cell phone number with them and we could take him outside for a walk. Less than 30 minutes later I got a call saying our table was ready! (It was perfect timing, since everyone was getting cold). Our server was wonderful! He was really patient with the 2 year old, didn't mind that we were in a rush and being rude (a huge table was seated right before us, so we were in a rush to beat them to the lines). The food was really good. I am normally terrible at picking my own sauce combinations. Not to worry, they had suggestions on the flyer at the table! (Yes, I did carry it with me through the line). So all in all, the hostess was wonderful, the server was great, the food was delicious (and came with helpful suggestions), and the place was loud enough that the 2 year old at our table was not too disruptive. It was a great night out!
(5)Julie M.
We came here in a group of 5 for my birthday since we were already in the area hanging out. It was a Sunday afternoon/night about dinner time so the wait wasn't too bad about a half hour wait or so. Half our party had been to Flat Top before, the other half had never been. Our server was lackadaisical. His section was about the size of my living room, so you would figure that the 5 table section (with only 3 actual tables in it) wouldn't be too much of a problem. WRONG! He went to the one table, then to the back, then to the other, then to the kitchen, and THEN to our table. We ordered sodas/h2o's and I said I would probably order a drink with my meal. He brought our drinks back and then explained how the whole make your own bowl thing worked. We went up and made our bowls and got our meals rather quickly. Quickly as in all the sudden this dude turned into Speedy Gonzales. He was already halfway to the back again before we could tell him we didn't have one table setting, get any type of refill or for me to order my drink. There was no "is there anything I could get you? How's it look?" yada yada... We got his attention to ask for the silverware and napkins and then Zoom - the road runner took off again. Now I'm not trying to be a jerk, but he seemed to have all the time in the world for his other tables - laughing and joking with them - but we apparently had the plague. The place didn't seem to be too busy, and you would assume since his section, again, was the size of a rich person's bathroom he could do a full circle check of his whole section before running to get whatever he needed from the back. When half of us went back for seconds the girl told us we were supposed to get another bowl from our server (well, if the Flash would slow down for a half of second to TALK to us...!) All in all though, the people I was with made the day enjoyable - even if the server didn't.
(3)Andrea G.
Buffet-like stir-fry with tons of fresh veggies that will definitely get you full?!!!! Then to order a cocktail and you can actually taste (and eventually feel) the alcohol you paid for? Not bad. Not bad. The only thing you have to pay attention to is your bowl may be a little dirty. I'm pretty sure it's because the bowls are left on tables in the open instead of in a better place so it won't attract dust and who knows what from people in and out the restaurant. You may find yourself switching bowls about 2 times like me and other customers Saturday. Other than that, the Kung Pao appetizer is delish. The food was delicious and plentiful, and the batenders won't cheat you out of your money with watery drinks like other restaurants. I will definitely be back.
(5)Selena L.
Do-it-yourself stir-fry minus the work of cutting and cooking. Great idea, and you only have yourself to blame if your food doesn't come out to your liking. HA.
(5)Juan J.
Calamari cooks fast so by the time the rest of the meat is done it becomes chewing gum. A person with food allergies should avoid this place.
(1)Ashley L.
I was really impressed by this place, although maybe I should first say I am an unapologetic fan of "Monogolian grill" style chains. This one really really has it figured out. I was impressed with the selection of vegetarian and vegan proteins and how easy it was to see what sauces were vegetarian and vegan. It was labeled well, available on the website, and the server was knowledgeable about it. It's maybe not obvious on the website, but they have tofu as well. If you do want meat, you put it in a separate smaller bowl. I'm assuming this is to prevent the possibly astronomical expensive of people putting nothing but the most expensive ingredient in their bowls, but the positive is that you don't have to worry that you'll put too much of one appealing veggie in your bowl and suddenly not have any room for meat. I'd never been to one of these places where you don't have to sit there waiting while they stir fry it, so overall I was very impressed with the service. The roti bread is really delicious. I also love the deal that you can pack up and take home your leftovers for just $4.59 more on top of the cost of all you can eat. In fact, you can just make another bowl and tell them you'd like it to go and it'll come to you already boxed up. We were staying at a hotel in the area, so it was nice to basically have breakfast for the next day. Someone please franchise a location in Washington, DC! I went on the website and clicked on franchising. We have many spots that meet the profile you're looking for to a tee! I swear!
(5)Matt G.
Went here during a recent trip to Chicago with my girlfriend. As per the other reviews for this place, the food was delicious and the service was amazing. Specifically, our server, Ryan, deserves high praise. He explained in detail how to maximize our experience at Flat Top (us being novices), was very attentive, and even chimed in with a few recommendations for sauce recipes. Give that man a raise! 5 STARS.
(5)Nicole H.
I go here quite a bit. The Flat Top is just appealing to me. I don't know why. It's always a solid experience. The food is always fresh, even when I go at later times. The prices aren't steep. This last visit was no exception. My waiter screwed up my drink order but he was nice and it didn't ruin the mood.
(3)Maribeth A.
Went there tonight and the experience was great! The hostess was so nice and have me some good info on what to order. The food was great! I'll be back great customer service and great food is a double bonus!!
(5)Anne M.
I used to like Flat Top much more than I do now. I still like it, but, it seems each time I dine here, the dinner rate goes up another $1. I always think of this place as being cheaper than it actually is. In my head and heart, I think $9/10 for dinner, but I think it's up to $13/14 now. And, that just seems a little high for this do-it-yourself style stir-fry. This location gets super busy at dinner time, but they do still handle crowds and service relatively quickly. Depending on your server. Notes: - The round crispy/chewy bread (optional - you have to request it, via the appropriately colored stick) is awesome. I'd like more than one. - I always get a little grossed out at the end of the buffet line due to all the touching of the diff. handles for everything - noodles, rice, veggies, raw meat, sauces. I immediately wash my hands after I finish compiling my raw bowl. The buffets can also get a little messy - especially around the sauce/meat areas. :-| - I'm on their email list and take advantage of the coupons they send out.
(4)Caveat E.
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.
(2)John G.
I could eat here every day! Its a little expensive for what it is, but its fun being your own chef. If they price point dropped $2 a person I would give it five stars and they would get a lot more business.
(4)Lorena A.
We picked this place randomly as we searched nearby places. It seemed promising because of the positive reviews. It was ok, and I guess the only reason why I gave it the three stars is because I really didn't know how to prepare my stir fry...I didn't know how much sauce to add or even which kind of sauce to pick. I'm sure your meal gets tastier with every visit, or if you have experience preparing Asian stir-fry dishes. The service was really great! Oh and I did order the appetizer quesadilla and that was very good!
(3)Jason S.
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.
(2)Janet E.
This place is freakin awesome!!!!! We came around noon and the place wasnt very full which was nice. More service time for us. =) Our waiter came around to us and explained how things worked. There is a wooden stick on the table with your table number on it. With a pencil on the table, write your name on the stick, grab a bowl, fill it with food (they have noodles, rice, veggies, meats, seafood, and sauces) and put the wooden stick in it. You can also choose to add bread, egg, shrimp skewer, etc. You can even make your food into a wrap!!!!! So many options here. After they finish stir frying your food, they will bring it to you. If you get stuck on what to pick or what sauce to use, there is usually someone around that can help. They have a lot of staff at this location which I thought was awesome! If you want one bowl the cost is $8.99. For unlimited, you pay a $1 more. We got unlimited of course! But could only fill our bellies with two bowls. If you end up not eating all your food and want to take it home, it will cost another $4.59. So make sure not to waste food! The drinks here were yummie. My server suggested the desert pear drink. It was delicious!! He saw my initial hesitation to order the drink and offered to switch it to something else if I didnt like it. What great service!!!! He came by multiple times to make sure things were going ok. Overall a great experience! I would definitely come back!
(5)Vincent Y.
Dear lord. The concept is innovative, I suppose. But I thought the food was like those Asian buffets you see in the middle of the road driving on a 14-hour road trip. That is, it tastes like soy sauce. Lots and lots of soy sauce.
(2)Dina G.
Dish.Pick.Table. Juices.Ice.Sauce.Noodles.Chicken.Beans.Stir.Fry.ÂSlap. Mix. Match.Side.Bar.Sticks.Pencils.Open.Grill.Chef.ÂService.Colours. Its one big explosion of everything good.sweet.spicy and nice. If you're fussy or shall I say a perfectionist (and why shouldnt you be with food?!) This place can carter for you. You are your own chef. Its like providing the ingredients and instructions- except you dont have to get your hands dirty. You get to bask in the atmosphere, sway to the music, sip on the delicious refillable juices and converse with the wonder people of flat top grill. There's a special hot sauce that has me jumping through fire hoops for fun. I searched Illinois for this awesome red substance of sweet delicious hell and here I found it! I was the happiest smoked rabbit in the states. The chef kindly allowed me to purchase the sauce. Hats off to you guys for making this one of the most memorable dinners in the states. The service was just spectacular. The friendliest, warm and craziest place on wabash. Ill see you soon!!!! p.s. PLEASE COME TO THE UK!!!!!! thank you.
(4)Shradha A.
I have a very hit or miss experience with Flat Top Grill and this particular location was a total miss - in preparation and in taste. The lines are long, tables too close together, orders messy, people not communicative, and overall an average experience. The concept is cool, but some more guidance would be helpful. I'm sure practice and experience here help mucho.
(3)Amy H.
Mmmmmm...Flat Top! Nomnomnomnomnom!! I was meeting some friends for brunch and suggested the Flat Top Grill because it was close to their hotel. I didn't know Flat Top did brunch! It really doesn't. It does breakfast by making DIY scrambled egg bowls and also waffles, but not really a brunch type of place. Also, the breakfast ends at noon. We were seated at 12:05pm so no breakfast for us! Other than that, this is a typical Flat Top Grill. You fill your bowl with stuff, they stir fry it, and you eat it.
(4)Iman W.
Being quite possibly the pickiest eater known to man, I have great appreciation for a place that let's me decide what I put into my stir fry. Usually I get stir fry and it has a bunch of stuff in that I have no desire to ingest, so I end up staring blankly at my bowl, making failed attempts to separate what I want from what I don't. So yay for variety! But I'm having a hard time remembering what I ate...as in, it was good, but not memorable enough to be 5 stars. Except for the roti, now that was good.
(3)Jackie P.
Wait I know I added rice and noodles! So where'd my rice go? That's right folks some how my rice up and disappeared from my bowl despite the fact that I added iy only minutes earlier. I'm really curious to know where it could have went. Anyone see any random rice it's probably mine. I wasn't wowed but I did enjoy my experience. It was fun picking out my veggies and meats but I had no idea what to do with the sauce. I did my standbye soy sauce and garlic. Seemed alright to me. Oh and beware all the little extras can sneak up on you and become rather costly, especially for lunch.
(3)Jen B.
I'm a big fan of Flat Top. It's not a blow-you-away, impress-a-date/parent/boss kind of place, but it is a healthy, yummy option for make your own stir fry. And since buying all the ingredients yourself would probably cost more than your bill, it seems pretty affordable. See my review of the Old Town spot for details on how this place works. I opted for brown rice this time instead of noodles and it was a good call. I also skipped some of the weirder mock meats and just got quorn and seitan. Another good call. Added broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and pea pods, plus roti and egg. Proceeded to eat myself stupid. A bowl runs you about $12 and for $2 you can get seconds and take your leftovers home. The drinks are priced a bit high especially since 2/3 of your glass will be ice, but they are generally good. The only weird thing here is tipping. Since you get your own food, the server is just there to explain things and bring your drinks/apps/dessert over. I have been tipping the standard amount but $2-3 is probably enough if you're not running him/her all over the place. If it was on my block, I would probably be in here at least once a week.
(4)Laura K.
My recent experience at Flat Top has gotten better since the last time I was there. I LOVE their breakfast, and am especially pleased that they offer turkey sausage links! I also like how you can turn any dish into yummy soup. And that roti bread is to die for! The only complaint I have is their system for cooking the food. For one, its a free-for-all when you place your completed dish at the counter. The cook will just randomly pick up bowls, so you could be the last one picked even if you were the first to place your bowl in the area. And second, they cook the food REALLY close together, so you may end up with beef or some other oddity in your bowl that you didn't add. Other than that, the food is good, and it is what you make of it.
(4)Miriam B.
Nothing like going up to the stir fry line and slipping on pieces of raw chicken and veggies that were all over the floor. Normally I love flat top grill but this was filthy. I mentioned this to my server( so no one else would fall). My beef stir fry was completely burnt. I sent it back. They charged me anyway( even though I only had 1 bite). Will not be returning. I only recommend this place if you enjoy dirty restaurants with burned food.
(1)Tim P.
Although the food does taste very good and there is a huge selection of items and sauces, their execution and attention to detail leave much to be desired. We came here for lunch... Round 1: they missed out our eggs even though we clearly deposited the appropriate stick. Round 2: food took forever to come back. Server checked twice and finally returned with my food, but it was missing my tofu. In between, I twice heard the servers shouting at the cooks to get their act together. This was in full view of all restaurant patrons - very unprofessional. Their execution for breakfast was much better, therefore I will stick to that.
(2)Kevin W.
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.
(3)Michelle M.
I've previously reviewed the Flat Top Grill on North Avenue. Although I like the interior of this location better than the last the service was noticeably better on North Avenue. All else is the same... the meat and veggies are very fresh, the selection is wide. I would definitely go again.
(3)Tina A.
Great place fire stir fry! The Loop location is not as crowded as some of the others. This is my favorite stir fry place.
(5)Bill M.
My friend and I ate at the Flat Top Grill on Wabash that is in some of the back space of the former Carson building. Even though it was a busy Saturday evening, we only waited a few minutes to be seated at a table. Yes it's a make your own Asian buffet, and I know I'm a lousy cook but not bad in "mixing" foods. I seemed to do well in selecting the raw vegetables, toppings, meats, sauces, and then you hand the bowl over and the stir fry cooks whip up the food for you. You can add on items like roti bread at no extra cost. I think I ate three servings on this evening (two times with noodles, once with brown rice) and was plenty full. We had a good time choosing seemingly random ingredients and creating very edible dishes, and also jamming to the soundtrack. You can ask for a box for leftovers, but they will charge a few extra dollars for the box to ward off people from over-ordering and taking everything to go.
(4)Sara M.
I really, really like Flat Top, but sometimes this location is so crazy. For some reason we always go on Saturday nights around 7:30 or 8 which is poor timing, but regardless, it's always delicious. I had one bad experience here once when my beef wasn't totally cooked and my stomach had a lot to say about it later so maybe keep an eye out for that, at least when they're really busy. Overall I really enjoy the concept and leave feeling full, but not overstuffed-it's definitely something you have to be in the mood for and ready to take on! And the roti pita bread?? Probably one of my favorite parts of the meal. I would give it four except that service lacks at this location when they're busy and they try to pack people in.
(3)Stacey L.
After walking around Chicago and meeting up with my husband cousin we decided to go to Flat Top for dinner. It was okay, not that many meat, poultry and fish selection that I'm use to having at Fire & Ice (a restaurant in Boston, MA). I had over did it with the Korean BBQ sauce and made it to salty, but my husband went up for a second round. We was able to get our Asian beer which a plus.
(3)Melanie R.
I went with a friend who loves this place, but I didn't instantly join her enthusiasm. On the one hand, it's sort of your own fault if your food isn't good, but on the other hand I felt like it was a weird set-up to have waiter service given that you build your own. I think it would be helpful for them to offer up some suggestions for those who aren't sure what combinations might work together. And, it would be helpful if the "waiters" actually gave some recommendations about pairings, provided an overview of the different options (including the sticks you can add in at the end for various options), etc. Basically I tipped someone to bring me a glass of water. I could have gotten that for myself, too, so I guess I'm peeved about that!
(3)Ilse H.
Food good. Although the vegetables were a bit hard as if they weren't cooked thoroughly I guess you can fix it with just letting them know you want them fully cooked. Otherwise the service was okay, a waiter suggested we get the pita bread and thank god because it's so good and crispy. :)
(4)Laura D.
The food is unbelievably good. Healthy, delicious, friendly service. However, it takes forever compared with ANY other stir fry place I have been to...45 minutes, when the food was just sitting there, getting cold when it was ready. Never again...despite loving the food and the awesome bartender.
(2)Jose D.
I've been going to this business for a while now and I'm disappointed on my last couple of visits that I'm pretty sure I'm done with them. I went here last Thursday 4/23/15 and it was completely dead.. Took almost 15 min just to be seated just for 1 person! Finally I get seated, waitress finally comes to the table after another 15 min not even gotten a drink or anything yet! She says she's getting a meat bowl for me and never returned.. And still never even got a drink... After sitting for another 25 min I just got up and walked out... I get it if it were packed but this place had no more than 5 people and 2 or 3 waiters so not sure why it would take this long.. I'd just avoid this place and enjoy better and friendlier places just around the block..
(1)Amy H.
I loved this place when I was vegetarian because their veat was like orgasmically good, and I still love this place even though I'm no longer vegetarian. Most recently, two supervisors at my internship took me out for lunch here on my first day, and we had a good experience =) I like going to Flat Top Grills for dinner more than lunch, though, so I have time to make multiple bowls. Sadly, my first bowl is usually not my best creation. Things you must try: the veat and the roti bread! Omg the roti bread. It's the blue stick =) Service: I've experienced great service at this location. Our waiter was joking around with us and seemed very happy to be there. Refilled my iced tea without me asking =) Since my internship location is suuper close, I bet I'll be back here for lunch many more times this summer! =)
(4)Melissa H.
So tasty and healthy. You make your own bowl and they grill it up for you! Always good and lots of choices for your stir fry or soup. They have a full bar too.
(5)Lindsay C.
Word of advice-- don't be afraid to go nuts and fill your bowl..it cooks down so load it up...that goes for meat as well. And DO get some of that yummy flat bread. The service is always really good, which is surprising for a place right in the middle of the Loop. Sade G. is awesome. I need to let loose and get a little more wild on the sauce factor. Also you have the opportunity to write your name on your food stick.. which is always a good time.
(4)Betsy S.
This reallllly hit the spot. It was north of 100 degrees, and after a morning of tourist-ing, the boy and I were ravenous. We didn't want Potbelly's or Panera, and stumbled upon Flat Top. Lucky for us, stir fry is a favorite meal. And were we impressed. The selection of sauces was astounding, as was the possible addition of lettuce wraps, yummy bread, egg, etc. And the soup choice! We didn't try it out (too risky), but that is something that our regular stir fry places in DC lack. I piled edamame, corn, mushrooms, chicken, carrots, and black beans upon my brown rice and tried out the Asian Sesame (I think) sauce. The stir fry really retained the sauce's flavor well, unlike some of the other stir fry joints. The boy was impressed with his bowl (whatever he put in it, there was a lot of broccoli and the sauce was spicy), and he cleaned it to the last rice kernel. I'm pretty sure we needed wheelbarrows to get us out of there, but it was a pleasant choice for a random Monday lunch. So happy we found it!
(4)Edwin W.
Are people serious when they say they like this place? Is there something I'm missing? This is almost offensive to Asian cuisine thinking you can just pick out a starch, some vegetables, a protein and pour sauce over it and call it food. This is what I do at home when I'm too lazy to go shopping, and too poor to pay for delivery. Come on people. This makes me weep for society. All this place is, is an excuse for the owners to cook food that's not delicious. I hate Panda Express, but at least they have a reasonable excuse for being awful.
(1)Mordechai S.
The quality of the food at Flat Top is mostly dependent on one's ability to assemble a plate of food that one will enjoy - you basically have to cook your own food, so it's mostly up to you to know what you like. The raw foods they have available are fairly fresh (aside from the broccoli, for some reason they always have the worst broccoli), and they have a huge variety of sauce options so the food is always decent. Due to the convenience of this location and hours, I go here all the time, almost once a week, so it's a solid bet. It's just not anything special, seeing as I have to prepare my own food so I'm not impressed. Also, for some reason, the waiter Kenneth is so pesky and bothersome. I even saw another review complaining about Kenneth, so he's clearly bad news.
(3)Shae F.
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.
(2)Mark F.
A solid choice for a big group with lots of different tastes. Always a hit with the younger crowd. Service is a little lacking, but the taste and price is right.
(3)Bani M.
Have been here several times. One change they have made is giving a "caddy" to hold their veggie and meat bowls separately. I found the "caddy" quite a pain to balance and hold. Food: I have always liked their food as it has always been good because I choose the right mix of veggies and meat and sauces to get my perfect stir-fry and also loooveee the Roti Paratha. Service: Needs improvement as there are delays in turning in the food to table. Not proper guidance to 1st timers so it's advisable to go with someone who has been there. Lacks attention to detail. My friends stir-fry was missing the tofu but luckily my stir-fry was not missing anything. Great selection and variety of stir-fry. Building your own stir-fry is fun if you are familiar with the sauces/veggies to create your perfect stir-fry!
(4)Brittany H.
If I get another lima bean in my bowl I don't what know I'm gonna do!! I love coming to Flat Top, this location specifically, but they do have some work to do in the grill/kitchen. Sometimes I get eggs I didn't ask for and again lima beans. Who eats those anyway? It makes me feel like this place isn't very vegetarian/vegan or people-with-allergies friendly because of the carelessness behind the grill. Other than that, I love making my own stir fry and have introduced many friends to the restaurant. Make sure to get the blue stick for the delicious bread!
(3)Candice K.
Pros: - You choose everything that's in your dish. - Tons of ingredients and sauces to choose from. Everything always looks fresh. - They have quite a few meat substitutes for vegetarians/vegans - THE ROTI BREAD. (seriously, SO GOOD) - The "colored stick" system they use for customizing your dish is great. - Use the white stick to have your food cooked in a separate wok in case of allergies (or if you're vegetarian and don't want your food cooked on the same grill they use for meat) - I've never had a bad meal here. Cons: - Seriously overpriced. Especially considering the fact that you prepare your own dish. For the cost of the meal, it should automatically be all-you-can-eat, but you have to pay an extra $1 for unlimited trips. - The area with the sauces is always a mess. They really need to find a better layout, or a better way to dispense the sauces, because it really does look gross a lot of the time. Sauces are dripped all over the counter, as well as into other sauce containers. Ugh. - Service is almost always slow at this location. There have been 2 separate occasions where we have gotten our dessert for free, because we had to wait over 30 minutes to get it. Another time we waited 20+ minutes only to be told they were out of fruit, so they couldn't make our dessert at all. - You have to pay extra to take your leftovers home. (seriously, WTF.) All that being said, I love Flat Top, and will continue to go here. I only wish they'd lower their prices so I could go more often. The price is the only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars.
(4)Keith B.
Not sure what others are complaining about regarding value and price: $15 seems pretty fair for a decent dinner in the Chicago Loop. (Can you imagine what the rent must be??) After sifting through dozens of Yelp reviews for the Loop area (basically everything within a half-mile radius of Monroe and La Salle), I chose the Flat Top Grill. I ruled out everything really expensive (entrees over $30) -- and there were some good choices -- but in the end, even though traveling on an expense account, I wasn't in the mood for a fancy, hoity-toity treatment of what would probably be a small portion of Chilean sea bass, or a way-too-expensive-because-I'm-a-chef! slab of steak for $40+ that I could rival with my Weber charcoal grill back home for, oh, about $10. So Flat Top it was. I had a great time, from the cheery and helpful waitress who guided me through the build-your-own stir fry process. (It's just like a salad bar.) I had fun putting together my stir fry, an eclectic mix of celery, onion, broccoli, rice noodles, spinach, carrot slivers, black beans, red cabbage. I threw on some sauces -- they recommend 3 to 4 small ladles: garlic water, some thai dressing, and some hot chili sauce. Lastly, you fill a small bowl with meat; I chose sirloin, heaped it with chopped garlic (fighting a cold, buit garlic is delicious and healthy anyways), and -- awesome! -- some chopped cilantro. Then you put the bowls, veggies and meat, rims touching, on a table in front of the cook; a waiter delivers the stir fry to your table. The ingredients were fresh -- and the end product was delicious and healthy. (Check my Twitter feed for a pic.) Because I'm gluten-free these days, I did not try the roti, which from all the Yelps, is really good. I'm giving Flat Top four stars only because five stars should be something that really blows me away from a culinary perspective. All in all, enjoyed my visit, and I would have no hesitation to return!
(4)Katie M.
My boyfriend and I go to Flat Top for lunch. With a student ID you can get unlimited trips to the grill for $8.99. I've had my fair share of good items and bad items, but when you make it yourself, it's really noone's fault but my own. However, this last time I did stumble upon some gems: the curry seitan (or some other meatless protein) was really delicious. I also find that the regular rice or noodle bowls get boring about half way through. I like to order mine either with lettuce wraps for some crunch or as the vegetable soup with lots of spicy sauce. The roti bread is great, but you can only get one piece at time - I would eat it by the basket if I could. Generally, it's nothing wow worthy, but it's a good bang for your buck.
(3)Umakaka L.
I am only here for quick lunch, I didn't know I need to participate for your cooking task. Thank you chef. A lot of people are there during lunch time and a lot of my co-workers recommend it and here are 5 things that I experienced and dislike: - 1) RAW MEAT. Yes, you are touching, picking the raw meat yourself. Raw meat includes chicken, beef. And guess what, the bowl holding those meat are so much smaller than the bigger rice bowl. I need a hand towel to clean my hand after picking those meats. 2) pick your sauce - Oh wait, you need to taste it before you know how it taste with you rice. Imaging scooping sauce, some will spill to our hand, luckily not my dress shirt and imagine drinking abit of soy sauce, ginger sauce, and whatever sauce? Gosh, try do that on a salad bar counter and I bet they will call you crazy. I don't mind picking my sauce but please make it more convenience. 3) The handover - All food are placed on the counter top and they will stir-fry it for you. If there's no space, well, just squezz in. Ops, what about the sauce and raw meat, well --- customer beware. 4) All you can eat - yup, they have it but you have to find it in their menu. The word is so small that I almost will not see it. Add one dollar, and you can go back for unlimited rounds. 5) The bowl is small, plastically cheap. imagine put some rice in there, then, vege, then mushroom, then move to sauce, then mushroom fall off since it's a small bowl. Then imagine having to powl those sauce into the bowl and sauce spill on your shirt. If I were to hand pick and get my hands dirty on saucing my rice and vege, I my as well cook it for myself.
(2)Edwin L.
Flap Top Grill brings the fresh asian stir-fry and the create-your-own monster concept into one roof. This restaurants is simply an awesome. I always enjoy my experience in Evanston as I walk away a happy man. Guess what?! Now they have a downtown location! As one of the few lucky ones to experience their soft/pre-opening for breakfast, they totally supersede my expectations! Oh WOW! If you think their dinners are good, you have to try their breakfast! Following the same mythology of creating your own beast! You can make just about anything... cause they GOT IT ALL! Create your own omelets! Create your own scramble eggs! Create your own egg white omelets! Create your own French toast Create your own pancakes And their accessories! Slice ham Slice sausage Roti prata Cheese Hasbrowns Hot sauce Garlic Slice onions Green onions (I know I'm missing a lot) While you wait... (which isn't long) you can enjoy fresh fruits, oatmeal and muffins! That's right muffins! I understand that the downtown breakfast style is all about speed! I requested to seat next to the flap top to have a bird's eye view on everything! And WHAO! 8 cooks if not more was working on everyone's order! Speed is not an issue here. They are quick and competent... they know their stuff! They even have a student discount - AWESOME!! Hands down the best breakfast joint in DOWNTOWN... I recommend this to anyone and everyone.
(5)Jenna S.
I've always wanted to try a Flat Top grill because people seem to be in love with them on Yelp. They opened this awesome location right near my boyfriend's office downtown which gave me an excellent excuse to come here for lunch. This location is pretty large and has plenty of seating for small and large groups. I'm sure it gets really, really busy at the lunch hour during the week, so I'd prepare for a wait. We came on a Saturday afternoon which meant there wasn't really anyone here. Service was attentive and friendly - we never had to wait for anything that we requested. Our server explained the ins and outs of Flat Top to us newbies and we were set to start our stir fry experience. There's a small menu at the table that gives pretty awesome suggestions for making certain types of dishes if you don't want to just go up and put a bunch of stuff in your bowl and hope for the best. I decided to do that, so I just piled everything in (mini corn, noodles, watercress, garbanzo beans... the works!) and added some sauce and went to town. They'll add meat or tofu for you during the stir fry process, just add a little "flag" when you hand over your bowl for cooking. You can also get some other add-ons like seafood, bread, etc. They seem to be pretty accommodating of allergies and the like because there are ways to notify the cooks of any issue you may have with certain ingredients. However, I wouldn't come here at all if you were allergic to nuts. A pretty good experience, if you ask me. I still think Mongolian BBQ is better just because the buffet area is larger and there's way more combos and choices. However, this is a great little restaurant to have downtown, especially if you're looking for a fairly quick and satisfying lunch. Prices are great AND they have student discounts if you are looking for a place to use your college I.D.
(4)Karen R.
Let me start out with saying ftop grill is one of my favorite place to eat. I went here today for lunch so amazing. The service is decent but the food is so delicious I love it! I always get excited when I know I'm headed to flat top. I can only eat one bowl but I stuff it overflowing with meat, veggies, rice, and noodles. Also my sister loves it (she recommended it to me way back when) and she's a vegetarian so it's nice to find a place with a lot of food for her so she won't still be hungry. Definitely get the blue stick for bread. Today they gave me two pieces of bread with my bowl. I could only eat one so basically they wasted a piece not cool. My waiter asked if I wanted a refill which I appreciate because I don't want to waste a whole glass of soda if I'm full. I only have one piece of advice to tell this flattop location: Please cook your broccoli, it's always hard! The reason this place gets 4 stars is because my favorite flattop location is North Ave, they are better, they cook their broccoli. The new bowl system is awkward because it's doesn't fit on the counter. Also the $4.59 for you to take home your bowl is a ripoff. I would never pay for that. Maybe if it was your 3rd bowl they should charge you but I think 1st or 2nd you should be able to take it home. They waste so much food by doing that. Oh the politics!
(4)Ashley C.
This is a make your own stir-fry. I got really excited and then ultimately just left to wonder what went wrong. First, there was no guidance. I had no idea on meats, sauces, pairings and the entire process. We wandered up and tried, but had no idea what to expect. The good thing was that there were two lines, but everyone was on top of one another. An employee, as he was putting more chicken on the meat bar, spilled leftover chicken juices on my boyfriend and was rude. (I also didn't like leaving the food unchilled on the counter when so many bowls were in line.) Our waiter had disappeared and it took forever to get the bill. Moreover, the staff was very disorganized and three times they tried to serve us other food. Then we didn't get the food that we prepared - mine had seafood mixed in it (not ordered) and my boyfriend's was missing his seafood and some choices, but had extra vegetables. I'm not sure it tasted any different from one another: too greasy and bland. Maybe it was the wrong combo, but between that, the lack of some service (and some rudeness), I was just not impressed for what you got. I'd be hesitant to try it again.
(1)Amber D.
After eating here once, every time I am in the vicinity I can't help but beg whoever I'm with to stop by for a meal (The Wabash location, almost always!). The atmosphere, though sometimes busy, is enjoyable and the concept of making your own stir-fry without actually making your own stir-fry is excellent. The Roti bread is divine, by the way. The servers have always been kind during my visits, some even particularly enthusiastic. Portions are more than fair and the thought of having leftover stir-fry the next day always makes me happy. Oh and did I mention the Roti? Hot damn that bread is good.
(4)Chris S.
I've had average to poor experiences every time I go here. I'm not sure why I keep coming back.
(1)Vineet S.
Cool food place if one loves to pick what he wanys in the food and how it should be cooked.For somebody who is new to this type of arrangement it would take 2-3 visits to get used to it.Normally somebody is there to help out the newones who are not used to this concept. I tried some vegetables with tofu, my dish was kind of bland. Maybe next will try some other stuff.
(3)Pedram S.
This is my new favorite Stir Fry! The food is great, the service is amazing and you literally have an unlimited combination of dishes you can create! Loved it!!!!
(5)Bruce B.
I ate at the Wabash location last night before attending a show at Chicago Theater. I alerted the waiter this information and he said it wouldn't be a problem. However, the kitchen was delayed last night and it took over thirty minutes each time for a plate to be delivered. What did I order? My bowl consisted of noodles and chicken - pretty easy. I think 30 minutes per plate is way too much time for food that's tasteless. Also, the service is pretty terrible. They rush you in and out and the tables are too close to each other. This place is just bad , real bad, Michael Jackson. I will not be eating at this restaurant again. Also, I can't believe they had the audacity to then up charged me an additional $6 dollars to take my food to go because they can't cook in a decent amount of time. There's so many places around this area that are much better - go to them.
(2)Ronnie B.
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!
(3)Kourtney M.
This place is stir fry heaven. I mean you can't get create-your-own stir fry wrong (correction they can't...you can). They provide you with a variety of ingredients and a huge selection of sauces. The blue stick (bread) is to die for! Oh and I know most people don't get appetizers here (especially if you're going with the unlimited bowls option) but the pot stickers are so good becuz of the sauce that they serve with it.
(5)Serena B.
Let me start off by saying, I loved Flattop Grill before it was cool! I remember when they only had 2 locations! Now that they have expanded everyone wanna jump on the FTG bandwagon! Well that's ok, cause I want everyone to know about FTG! Flattop is my absolute favorite restaurant in the city, no matter which one I go to. They are consistantly good, reasonably priced, and cmon how much fun is it to make your own stir fry? I have my stir fry down to a SCIENCE. There is something for everyone here. You basically customize your own food, whether you have allergies, dietary restrictions, or just don't like certain things in your food. You can make your food to order and don't have to worry about that uncomfortable conversation you have to have with the wait staff. What you put in the bowl is what they put on the grill. They even have the nutritional breakdown of the sauces! Insider tips: 1. On your first try, stick to the recipes if you are feeling antsy about making your own food. 2. The roti bread is a MUST TRY. It is so delicious that my sister calls it the bread that makes you want to roll around on the floor like a cat lol. 3. Come for the stir fry, stay for the deserts and specialty drinks. They are all very good. Try the desert pear lemonade and the chocolate storm, they are TO DIE FOR!
(5)Miguel E.
This is not your traditional buffet. Even though you have to get up to choose and pick what you want grilled, most of the options are very fresh and healthy. I would really recommend this specific Flat Top for a small gathering or dinner date, because trust me, you can judge a person on what they put on their bowl... but in a funny/flirty way. The location small, but spacious in the back. But can get very crowded by the entrance and the grill. I wouldn't really recommend children during the dinner hour as many people from work and usually if you make a mess, it might take a while for workers to come and clean up. Pros: Cute date atmosphere Food is very fresh and fast There is a bar, but not as crowded Cons: Cleanliness With the sign outside, it's really a hit or miss
(4)Janet P.
The food is very good and fresh but the service is RIDICULOUS! You help yourself but you still need a beverage or you check!! The tall blonde girl behind the bar is lazy as hell and moves like a snail. 2 people at the bar and I needed a drink for 15 minutes!! Got tired of waiting for them to pick up my amex card so I got out cash and left....really bad. Shame because the food is good...but yes pricey for the cheap ingredients I chose.
(3)Gayatri D.
I found chicken in my veggie stir fry. I chose to ignore it. Then a few bites later I found a chunk of beef. My mistake. I should've put in the white stick so it's cooked separately. But even then, do they really cook it all that close together that pieces of someone else's meat can land at the bottom of your bowl? Also, my husband and I were seated at a table for 2 in an empty area that accommodates about 20 people. They forgot they had a reservation for a large group and midway through our meal, they began rearranging the furniture, banging chairs down around us. They kept looking at us as we ate like WE were the problem and it was OUR fault they forgot they had a reservation. We offered to move, they said thanks and moved us to the other side of the restaurant. But by then we'd lost our appetites. Service at the Flat Top Grill on Washington St is much better.
(2)Dalia K.
I love, love, love this place! It is certainly my favorite and go-to restaurant in the city. Stir fry is one of my favorite dishes and I'm also a picky eater, which is what makes Flat Top a perfect place for me. It's like a huge salad bar with stir fry ingredients and raw meats that I can choose and are then cooked to order. They even have an unlimited option so you can change flavors and ingredients. There is also a student discount, so don't forget to bring your student IDs! My birthday is next week and since I've joined their email list (which you can do in the store), they emailed me a coupon for a free stir fry! What more can I ask for? I will certainly be visiting again very soon and I can't wait. The only downfall is that since everything is cooked to order after you spend time choosing your ingredients, the entire experience takes a while. Last time I went with my family, we were there for 2 hours because we all ordered the unlimited option. So you walk in, get in line at the food bar, choose your ingredients, wait for the food to be cooked, eat, and then repeat (if you want another bowl). It takes time. Overall still a great restaurant and idea, just plan accordingly regarding time.
(5)Tracey M.
First and foremost, if you're hungry, like I was, this is definitely the place to go. The stir fry bar has a great selection. I was pleasantly surprised to see calamari and white fish offered. Something I haven't seen at other stir fry places. The service was friendly and frequent, but not so much that it seemed bothersome. I also appreciated the service indulging me when I asked about other locations in the area . . . Which brings me to my last reason for liking Flat Top so much - atmosphere. I'm not sure if it's because of the time of day or something else, but this location seemed a lot more low key than the one in Naperville. It was nice not having to feel as though I needed to shout across the table in order for my dining companion to hear what I was saying or visa versa as I have at the Naperville location. At the end of the day, I look forward to many more visits to this FTG local.
(4)Linda N.
i've been wanting to try this place for awhile especially since my friend is always raving about this place. the whole make your own stir-fry idea is definitely interesting. its great for picky eaters. the location is great. lots of seating. service was awesome. as for the food...it was good. nothing to write home about but definitely solid. lots and lots to choose from including veggies, meats, and sauces. aside from the food bar there is also a bunch of other stuff you can add when you drop your stuff off like tofu, eggs, naan, etc. they even have a little card at your table that has popular combinations of ingredients to make certain dishes...which would have been more useful if they placed that at the food bar. as much as i like picking out my own stuff to eat sometimes its better to just have someone else do it for you. i think i actually prefer it that way. in any case, i'll be back. =)
(3)#NAME?
I've been waiting for this one to open, since it's now opened we decided to try it out-It's kind of hidden on Wabash b/c of construction, but when you walk in it's really nice- Very large compared to the one I used to go to on Belmont/Southport-Everything was the same, except I saw you now have to pay for shrimp, $2.99 for a skewer of 10- As usual nice servers, clean and prompt refill on drinks- Will be going here a couple times a month-
(4)Ray K.
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.
(4)Barbara B.
Delicious place for lunch, and the price is very reasonable, especially if you are a student (8.99 all you can eat, 7.99 for one bowl.) My favorite thing is all the veggies to choose from, fresh mushrooms, spinach, peppers, baby corn onions... ! They have a huge variety of sauces, all the ones I sampled were good. I especially liked the Thai Red Curry sauce. For the less creative they have some suggestions of sauces that taste well together. Just don't make my mistake of putting in one ladle of wasabi instead of one spoonful, that didn't work out so well! Other good things: the roti bread and the good selection of meats Negatives: on my first order they forgot my lettuce wraps, and then on the second order they mixed up me and my boyfriend's food. He got his noodles wrapped in moo shu wrap and I had my veggies (meant for moo shu) in soup. Not so good, but we just ate them anyways (we don't like complaining). Other negative, moo shu wrap was actually just a tortilla.
(3)L'Quita A.
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!!!
(5)Hoang L.
I know what I like, but I'm not a cook. I have no idea what goes well together and every single time, I mess it up. I either put too much sauce or too little sauce. They get a star for concept, but it just doesn't work for me. Plus, one of the waitress was impatient trying to get through while we were waiting to get seated and sort of pushed me aside. How rude. However, I do believe this is a great place for a date.
(2)Melanie S.
I always wonder why I don't eat at Flat Top more often. Then someone will suggest going there, and I think, "sure, why not?" and agree to go. Then I remember why. It's just really mediocre. On the numerous occasions I've gone, and I've been to pretty much every location, I try to be adventurous and concoct a different combination of ingredients. Despite whatever meat/vegetetables/sauce I create, it all ends up tasting pretty much the same. And quite often the fixins look like they have that "not so fresh feeling". The vegetables just look limp and tired, and the meat, particularly the beef, looks like unappetizing cuts of mystery parts that have been sitting on the grocery store shelf a little too long. I've given FTG many chances to wow me, or at the very least, not disappoint me. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)Stephanie H.
How much do I love Flat Top Grill? Let me count the ways... For me to rate something this high is a rarity. I recently got into triathlons so I adopt 'clean living' while training. This means that I avoid processed, over salted, high fat, and high calorie foods in general- which makes going out to eat almost impossible let alone enjoyable. The amazing thing about FTG is that you can eat as healthy OR as unhealthy as you want! I love their brown rice and I load it up with edamame, sprouts, corn, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, snap peas, and fish. Top it with some ginger or garlic water and let it grill. For a treat the asian sesame sauce is amazing and healthy. I understand that the whole 'make your own dinner' dining concept may not be embraced by everybody but if you don't like your food, you have no one to blame but yourself : )
(5)Brian L.
The service was great. The food was fresh. You get charged less if you only go up once ($13). The selection was fine, but I wish there were more veggies. Get the roti (awesome). Short review because it was just ho hum. Great place to go if you're by yourself, as there is a large amount of different seating options. Bring a mag, go to town.
(3)Matt P.
Mongolian BBQ like Stir Fry experience, minus waiting at the grill. Well priced for a downtown lunch.
(5)Tara M.
Okay, so I haven't been to a Flat Top before and have to say that I was a little confused with how it all works. Fortunately my coworker has and he gave me direction on what to do, but I have to honestly say if he hadn't been there, I'd have been lost! The hostess gave us our drink menus at our table and walked away, she didn't ask if we'd ever been there before. Okay, that said, it was VERY yummy! I really like the fact that I can have my rice or noodles however I want them and don't have to worry about telling someone to give me a meal, but with all these things I don't want. I definitely enjoyed the experience of it all... but this place was CRAZY at noon! Wow! Busy! And while my companion and I put our food up to be cooked at the same time, he had his nearly 20 minutes before I managed to get mine. That wasn't so good... and the main reason I have to say I can't go more than 3 stars.
(3)Terry C.
Surprisingly good! You pick your own ingredients & cooking style. So if it sucks - its kinda your fault! Well worth the price.
(4)S W.
Chaotic, ridiculous, insane, and delicious. You go through shouty silly lines, you plug sticks into piles of food to tell the kitchen what you want done to things, and you get nomerrific, if fusiony and silly stir fry at the end. Be as healthful or as not-that as you like. Allergies? There's a stick to communicate that. Yes, you have to know how to cook sorta, and be completely tickled to have someone else do the annoying part for you. I wiiiish there was one in Minneapolis. This is what would put Big Bowl out of business in a hot minute.
(5)Bettina S.
Okay, so I have loved Flat Top for years. We used to go there all the time when family from out of state came to town, and the true gluttons we are we would wait to eat all day so we could eat more when we got there! Although it's not the shining gem that it used to be, it's still quite delicious. It's a lot of fun cause you get to cook, well, kind of. You get to choose from a bunch of different vegetables, noodles or rice, about 30 different sauces, and about 5 proteins, then the chefs stir fry it for you and bring it to your table. And if you screw it up, like I did my first time, try, try again, for free! They also have an awesome all you can eat brunch, and it's the only restaurant where I can get chocolate coconut pancakes. You can get ANY kind of pancakes. Yes it's wonderful. You can get any scramble, omelet, etc. made to order. I really miss the days when it felt like only my family knew about Flat Top, but it's still tasty.
(3)Bridget D.
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.
(5)Kar M.
Welcome to the Loop, FTG! On September 21, the brilliant folks at Flat Top will open this gem for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We swung by their complementary practice lunch for a preview, and I was thrilled for several reasons. 1: TWO serving lines, y'all. Because one bummer about the other locations is the amount of time you have to stand in line waiting for people to craft their perfect meal. And then not wanting to hold up the line while you create YOUR perfect meal. I always wave for people to go around me; they never do... With two lines filled to the brim with identical fixins, they're making this whole "quick workday lunch @ FTG" thing a possibility. Good thinking, Loop location. 2: Lotttts of veggies. Enough to make me say, enough already. And many I've never seen at other FTGs. All this plus their brilliant faux meat options (Quorn, seitan, +2 others) plus meat-meats and calamari. 3: More colored stick options. Including one to add eggs to your stir fry--of course! (Oh and if you're new to this, ALWAYS use the roti prata bread stick. Always. 4: Tasty appetizers and desserts. I still find the concept of ordering appetizers at a AYCE place pretty silly, but they're good. The quesadilla appetizer inspired me to branch out from the usual Asian-influenced stir fry I normally create-- now it's all about Mexican-style veggies, Quorn, horseradish tofu + black bean sauce, lots of shredded cheddar with the roti prata bread. Heavenly. And should you save room, the signature brownie with homemade whipped cream is devine. 5: Flavored lemonades & teas. I cannot recommend highly enough the chipotle pineapple lemonade. Just enough bite to highlight how refreshing it is. Other flavors include pomegranate, mango, and desert pear. The grill remains under $9 for lunch, $3 for the flavored drinks. Student discounts plus a free meal on your birthday and for joining their email list. And rumor has it they're going to do breakfast every. day. of. the. week.
(5)Mike K.
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!!
(5)Felicia C.
Came here with a friend for dinner tonight. As always the ingredients are fresh and you have tons of options. Once you get your table, write your name on a stick then go out your stir fry together. At the end, you can add tofu, egg, roti, shrimp or make it into a soup, lettuce wrap, etc. the roti is always amazing. You can ask for a second and even a third serving if you'd like from your server. It's so good you'd want seconds, trust me. Lunch is $8.99 for single serving and $9.99 for all-you-can eat. Dinner is $12.99 and $14.99 for the same exact stuff as the lunch. Also, if you show a current student ID, you get $1 off.
(4)Phoebe T.
Flat Top Grill is a great place! Similar to places like Fire & Ice in Boston or The Real Chow Baby in Atlanta, you get to pick what goes into your dish. So you start with rice or noodles, and then you get to pick as many vegetables and meats that you want to go into your dish. My coworkers and I got the unlimited meals but I think just having one dish filled me up just fine. I really like how there's an entire board dedicated to what sauces you can use if you have certain allergies. Also, the food came out incredibly quick and the service was great. I'd come here again! Also, roti bread is free with each meal. I love roti bread!
(5)Charles S.
Very good compared to Genghis Grill. Better ingredients and cooking style.
(4)Bianca P.
I don't usually eat at restaurant chains, but I actually like flat top because its kind of fun to have control over your meal. However, at this particular Flat Top Grill, for some reason, I keep getting the same waiter, and he's no good. His name is Kenneth. I need to remember to ask to be seated in another waiter's area because Ken just ruins it for me. He always insists on pestering me and my guests about our drink orders and then seems to forget about us for the remainder of our meal.
(2)Jessica M.
I like this place because I love a create-your-own stirfry. However, this place gets really loud, the layout is awful, the hosts and hostesses are clueless, and their bowls/plates that hold all of your stirfry fixings are extremely awkward. We see/hear someone drop theirs at least once every time we come in. What's worse, we had a reservation for lunch and had to wait about 10 minutes. With limited time for lunch, it's just not acceptable to have to wait like that. Their manager or host or whomever the guy was seemed like he could care less. The bread is absolutely amazing, though. It's a must-try.
(3)Matt M.
In my recent trip to Chicago, I was informed by my friends to definitely try this place. The food was ok and the idea of a restaurant like this is cool, but maybe they over hyped it too much or maybe it was the abundance of sauces I could have used. I didn't know which one was good; they do have tasters but i don't think the line behind me would appreciate me trying each sauce. It's unlimited and if you're a student you get a dollar off which was appreciated. They also give you instructions on making famous dishes. Both my concoctions were just ok. If I went with someone who was an expert of their sauces and Mongolian BBQ, I believe it would have been much more enjoyable.
(3)Misoo M.
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!
(4)Saira K.
Oh, this place is lots of fun! I especially love the roti paratha! A delicious way to enjoy lots of veggies and healthy proteins like shrimp, chicken breast, fish and tofu. Be ready to be to be very, very full!
(4)Athena F.
Flat Top is a great place to eat. The place always looks clean, the waiters are pleasant, and I find the price reasonable. If you have never been there it works kind of like a buffet, except you pick out the raw food you want them to cook together into a fun dish. I am a little disappointed with the selection of choices but this is usually because they mix things together. Like water chestnuts and bamboo or corn and broccoli. I'd rather have them separated so I can pick and choose exactly what I want in my dish. They have a large selection of oils to put on your dish to make it cook with flavor. Your waiter will even help you put together a mixture if you ask. The only real problem I have with the place is that it can be a tight fit with seating. If the place is busy, you can get real friendly with your neighbors. Other than that, this place is a favorite of mine.
(4)Josh P.
When I moved to Chicago in 2002, Flat Top became our family's favorite restaurant when everyone would come to visit. We had great experiences at the locations in Evanston and off Belmont for years. I've since moved away, and Friday night the entire family arrived from Texas, New York, Arizona, and Chicago's Lakeview in town for a reunion. We had made reservations two weeks previous at the Wabash location in the loop and couldn't wait. It pains me to say that due to our experience, we will never go back to this Flat Top. First, they tried to cram our 7-person party at a 6 person table--the hostess seemed nervous about seating us, making me think they forgot about our reservation. As we are all adults, and therefore of an adult size--this table was not appropriate (in fact, there were only 6 place settings). So we asked for an appropriately sized table, one in which we would be able to use our elbows when eating. Unfortunately, this is where poor customer service and incompetent management came to light. As we we waited, and waited, and waited for a new table, we wondered what was taking so long as the restaurant was not crowded by any means. In fact there was a free 8 person table in the back. When we asked why we couldn't sit there, we were told it was for another reservation. Upon asking why their reservation was more important than our reservation, the manager informed us that "you rejected your table, and so have to wait for another." Aside from this insensitivity and unprofessionalism, it was just plain rude. The implication that it was our fault that they were trying to jam us into a small, inadequate table, was, suffice to say, shocking. Not only that, but not once did anyone say "I'm sorry." Furthermore, when we asked for an apology, the manager responded "I'm sorry you feel that way," the ultimate f-you. When we asked the manager to comp us something for the wait, she flat out said no, repeating the parroted go-to response of the evening "You rejected your table." Eventually, we did get two 3.99 appetizers for free, but only after we had been seated and it was the waitress who informed us. Wouldn't it have made more sense to give us something while we were waiting and while we were upset? I am giving a one star review because the waitress was excellent and so was the food, but what a disappointing visit that could have been easily overcome by a modicum of management skill. If you want a night out at a great restaurant, visit any other Flat Top and stay far away from this one. It'll be worth the taxi fare.
(1)Carrie B.
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.
(3)Yu W.
Why don't we have it in LA! Love it! Healthy and tasty!!
(4)Adam R.
I loved it! My wife and I were staying at the Palmer House for a conference and decided to have dinner here one night. Neither one of us had been here before and we were both impressed. I'm a sucker for stir fry and really enjoyed customizing my meal. The veggies were fresh and the meat lean. Their were so many sauce choices it was almost overwhelming. I opted for a delicious peanut sauce. Shortly after leaving the bowls at the grill my meal was dropped off at the table. It can be a little pricey but in reality you can go overboard on the veggies and meat. My wife and I both took home another meal each from our left overs.
(4)Mary d.
Flat Top is one of my favorite restaurants. I love being able to pick everything that goes into my Stir-Fry and I love how friendly the staff is. My favorite part about the meal is the flat bread you can ask for. My friends and I usually order about four rounds of flat bread, we just can't get enough!
(4)Kate D.
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.
(4)Sree K.
Great stir fry! Make sure to add the Roti stick, such delicious bread. Affordable and easy if there's no wait. I even left a shopping bag there and I was worried it would get lost but they stored it safely for me for a couple days.
(4)Grace H.
It takes more than couple of visits until you know how you like to make it. I messed my dish up by adding too many flavors and making it so salty, the second time, my dish was tasteless, so I asked for chirasha sauce. So after few trys, I kinda know how much sauce is best and what fake meat tastes good for my taste buds. (I like their selection of veggie meat) The service was hit and miss. Sometimes the wait staff was very attentive and sometimes they were not.
(3)Rick L.
A very different restaurant experience which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We stumbled into the Flat Top grill after our hotel dining guide had us chasing a rabbit's trail to a restaurant that had moved. Always double check with Yelp*, lesson learned. I can see how the Flat Top grill could be a hard sell to some people. Instead of sitting down and looking at a menu there's a card with directions on it. There is a menu but that's mostly for drinks and side items. The directions show you that this is a create your own stir-fry joint. There's sticks you write your name on, bowls to take up and fill with the ingredients you want (one bowl for meat, the larger for veggies, noodles, rice, etc.) other sticks to put in your bowl at the grill stations for items that aren't out at the buffet. Now have you ever been to a buffet and come across a container of raw chicken? It was a little unsettling to me. It should be said that although you choose exactly what you put in your dish, this isn't exactly the place for picky eaters. If you take a seat by the grill you can watch the food being prepared (and why wouldn't you?) you'll notice that your stir-fry will be cooked MILLIMETERS away from the next persons food, using the same spatulas to flip the food around. I do not want to be eating my meal and find someones tofu chunk in it. They do make concessions for people with allergies, they have a separate grill but I don't have allergies. I just get weirded out. Maybe it's me, maybe I'm not mature enough for a place like the Flat Top grill. Perhaps I need that wall between me and the kitchen where I can imagine everything is being prepared to my highest standards. I guess I just don't like knowing. Ignorance is bliss. After all I would never visit a slaughterhouse but I loves me some steak. This is getting negative. This is NOT a negative review. Look up there what do you see? Three stars (A-OK). It's a unique experience, at least it was for me. The food is good. The price is right, unlimited stir-fry $10 for lunch $15 for dinner. Just tip the wait staff extra since there job is a little more complicated than most and don't bring your OCD date here.
(3)Therese C.
I love flat top!! It is a very cool set up-you get to pick out everything that goes into your dish and the service was excellent
(5)Bernard P.
Came here the other night and LOVED IT! Magda, the manager, was awesome and she really took care of us. There were 6 people in my party and we were all treated like royalty. Magda, you rock! I enjoyed her sense of humor and I truly appreciated her professionalism, so much so that I had to call her general manager as soon as I had the chance. I spoke to the general manager, Dave or David, I don't remember, but what I do remember was that he was so helpful and down to earth. The food is absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to go back to eat their delicious meats and veggies!!! David and Magda, you are what makes the Flat Top Grill a 5 star eating establishment!!! Great job!!!!
(5)Niki M.
I went in today with mom for a quick drink. We were greeted immediately by an employee, told we could sit wherever, and popped a squat at the bar. Our bartender was AMAZING. The drinks were quick. We could tell he was ending his shift - it was about that time in the afternoon - but he never rushed us or made us feel like we were bothering him. His fellow coworkers came up and even talked to us as well. It was such a friendly atmosphere! We didn't get any food, but I will for sure return to try it out. It looked AWESOME. But more importantly - the customer service, which I think has been lost in a lot of establishments around Chicago, was at its peak at Flat Top Grill.
(5)Ophelia P.
The waiter was genuinely friendly... but that was really all that was great about this place. The buffet table was a mess: several ingredients were out @ about 5:30pm, several didn't look fresh (including the peapods), and when cooked the baby corn and edamame did not soften. I ordered a glass of pinot noir and got a small glass of rather light flavor. My waiter tried to warn me about needing extra sauce on the dishes and after I got my meal he must have sensed my hesitation and brought me two he self-concocted based on a brief inquisition as to my preferences. They weren't bad but I did notice a slight BBQ flavor on my dish, probably from someone else food on the grill. There was one griller until right before 6pm and when a relief showed up he started cleaning up. I finished what I could and left the $$ I had in my wallet, including a 10% tip. I had missed the lunch buffet which ended at 5pm where a dish is about $9 dollars instead of the starting $12.95 minimum for a dinner plate. Probably will try to avoid this chain in the future. Also my sister has eaten their food a few times before and she says it is usually bland, probably not enough sauce...
(2)Brenda V.
Great concept.. but too many choices... I'm not a chef, so some of the combinations I "created" were not all that great..
(2)Yohance T.
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.
(3)Kenta Y.
Work right by it and go there every week or so. Pretty close to Mongolian Barbeque, but I like how they bring you your food and I feel the ingredients are more fresh. It can get crowded though so I suggest you go before noon.
(3)CJ S.
I love this place! This is a go to place no matter what the occasion. Were can you go wrong when you let people make their own creations. They can't say you messed up the order. The bread is a must. When I went the first time I didn't get the bread and my co-workers almost killed me. I tried it my second time and I say you must get it. Its not a red lobster biscuit or anything but its good. the decor is great. The food is what you make it, for the most part its just simple stir fry. My waiter is always great when I'm in the shrimp rolls are really good and the sauces they come with Dominick's and jewels don't sale I checked already. Great for groups, friends, families, and a really good place for a simple first date or whatever number date your on. Students get a discount with ID. I have to try the breakfast now. The crow here is also very mixed which is good. No one will feel out of place and the ingredients are always fresh.(Its a must)
(4)Mark C.
Great fresh food, good drinks, extremely nice staff, very chill place...
(5)Gardenia H.
On my Birthday Anniversary, I invited a close friend to share his Birthday Anniversary Free Stir-Fry Bowl at the Flat Top Grill together for the first time. The minute we walked in and sat down, Jason, our personal table attendant introduced us to discover the freshest Flat Top Grill buffet I had ever seen: noodles, rice, green beans, tofu, red and green peppers, fresh scallions, shoestring carrots, pineapple chunks, and much more...; then a variety of Asian fusion sauces with teriyaki, ginger garlic, peanut, plum, sweet and sour, you name it, the Flat Top Grill has it... Add chicken, pork, beef, calamari, and/or shrimp, if you want it, you can have it. Top it with Flat Top Bread and let the Chef Grill Master stir-fry for you, hot off the Flat Top Grill. You can have another stir-fry bowl, if you want "all you can eat". What a Great Birthday Anniversary for Brunch at the Flat Top Grill!
(5)Dot G.
First of all, I have been to this flat top a few times and it has been great, but yesterday it was really really bad. As in gross. The food was cooked within an inch of its life (I could not distinguish the vegetables from each other) and tasted awful despite using the same mix of sauces I usually do. Despite using an allergy stick I ended up with some other food in mine. It was just awful. I will not go back.
(1)Lina V.
I don't know what else I could say about this place other than it being great! I came here for lunch with some friends and the servers there were really nice because some of us had never been there before. It was probably the best stir fry meal ever. For only under 10 dollars, it was great. I'd go back for sure.
(5)Heather J.
I would definitely go here again if I am ever back in Chicago. On our last day in Chicago my friend suggested we go here after walking around Millennium Park for a bit and before heading to Midway. It was luckily not very busy since it was still early on in the lunch time, probably around noon. We were seated quickly and greeted by our friendly server quickly. He gave us recommendations and explained the process to the newbies at the table. The food was tasty. I enjoyed the variety of veggies and meats available, and the sauces were quite good. We all did the all-you-can-eat because we wanted to taste multiple things. I liked the stuff I got both times I went up (even though I couldn't finish the second round). Overall, a good place.
(4)Meghan C.
So I'm at home making one of those stir-fry in a bag meals, and I am picking out the broccoli and peppers. I asked my friend Dave, "I wish there was a place where I could make my own stir-fry, so I wouldn't have to pick out what I didn't like." My friend Dave asked me if I had ever tried Flat Top, and I had no idea what he was talking about. I am so happy he brought me there! And when I saw they had student prices, I almost flipped! All you can eat is like $12. You write your name on a stick (I thought it was fun to use a name other than my own...I used the name Madge) and on the other side of the stick is your table number, and you put it in your bowl, so that after its cooked, they know who to give the food to. They have everything you could ever imagine for making your own stir-fry!! Rice noodles, or brown rice, or white rice? Peppers, veggies, and sauces galore! And you can choose which meats you would like to your mix. Then you can add a colored stick to your bowl for certain modifications. After it is sizzled and stirred, they bring it to your table. And I would highly recommend the lemonade with dessert pear. It was a great experience, and I hope to come in more often!
(5)Scott B.
My wife and I were in town for her birthday and were staying down the street at the Hotel Monaco. Flat Top Grill is one of our favorite restaurants and have eaten at 5 of their other locations. We were were happy to find one just down the street from our hotel. The service was nothing special, and the seating is very close together. The food was great as usual, so that more than made up for the other deficiencies.
(4)Jieyu L.
As an Asian, no comments on the stir-fry. Any way I have no expectation so no disappointment as well. BUT..BUT..BUT trust me, the flat bread is the best. The bread is probably the only reason I go there. Get the green stick. Get the bread. Done. But my friend said you can get the same bread packed in bags and frozen in refrigerators at supermarkets. Anyway, you cannot deny the bread is the highlight.
(3)Josh E.
Do not go here. This place is hideously overhyped - probably due to the novelty of it. We went there with a group of 10 for lunch on a Friday only to be told it was at least a half-hour wait.Wait a minute! We had a reservation for 10 but they "lost" the reservation. Wow. Now that's an excellent way of doing business. The food might actually taste good here, but I'll never know because I will NEVER go back. BTW-Miller's Pub was an excellent backup. Go there instead.
(1)Andrew B.
I usually don't review chains, but this is only a regional chain and has good food. Building your own stir fry could not get much better. The range of ingredients in the buffet spans from fruit to veggies to tofu. The secret to good stir fry is adding many ladles of oily sauce to your creation. I personally like to mix Korean BBQ with peanut sauce. The final step is selecting between pork, beef, chicken, and calamari as your meat. I have found beef to be far and away the best choice. One change they have made is giving each patron a "caddy" to hold their veggie and meat bowls separately. I found the "caddy" provided quite the wrist workout and does not fit on the buffet bar quite right. I almost lost control a couple of times. I also am not too fond of their lemonade. I believe it is the "light" variety. Here is my ultimate stir fry: Rice stick noodles (just a few, seriously no more than 10). Water chestnuts - 2x (double). Corn. Pineapple - 2x. Peapods. Mushrooms - 3x. Beef. 3 ladles of Korean BBQ and 2 ladles of peanut sauce. Blue stick for roti bread.
(4)Lucas B.
Cool concept and good, fast food. Went for Sunday brunch. You put your ingredients in a bowl and they mix them into eggs, egg-whites, pancakes, or french toast on a large iron slab. All ingredients were fresh and there were exhaustive options. Priced right at $9.99 for all you can eat.
(3)Onur U.
You know what you're getting when you walk in the door. A big bowl of veggies topped with a couple ladles of sauce, a small bowl of meat, all mixed up and cooked into oblivion on a hot grill. Is it just me, or does it all end up tasting the same no matter what sauce you put on it? The meat is always overcooked, but at least you can get an assortment of vegetables, something that can be hard in the Loop. I'm not surprised the place is so popular since there's something for everyone. It's not a bad idea to get a reservation, the place gets really crowded at noon. I recommend getting there by 11:30 if you don't want to wait a long time for your food, though it always takes longer than you'd expect. Also, it seems pretty affordable at 8.99 for a bowl of stir fry, but when you add in tax and tip it seems like a lot of money for what you're getting (overcooked meat, drowned in sauce, with a side of green beans).
(3)Luca C.
cheap and VERY GOOD, you pick what you want, selection is great, service is good too. They're not super fast in preparing it (like 10/15 minutes) but everything else was fine..
(5)Charlotte O.
Aaron S. and I have been here twice now and I really can't wait to go back again. The first time we were here it was for their practice run, and it was free, and I was amazed that they were giving away such awesome food for free. The most recent visit was just as delicious and fun as the first one. First off, I really loved how organized and clearly labeled everything on the buffet was. There was no guess work involved! My inner gem-a-phobe was also very happy seeing all the raw veggies and raw meats were nicely separated from each other The selection was mind boggling and seemed to allow for endless possibilities for stir fry goodness. They even have those options with the sticks, like get it made into a soup, or moo shoo, and that awesome bread. And the what? 20 different sauces or so? The waitstaff is also friendly, they offer suggestions, they bring re fills quickly, they check on your food when you are getting worried about it. I was only displeased with one thing I made and really it was my own fault for not realizing that korean bbq and plum sauce would not mix well and for not knowing that grilling the edamame really doesn't make for tasty edamame. Also they are kind of cramped in here but it wasn't bad really.
(4)Amy T.
Amazing concept, good food but poor execution. I love being able to create my own bowl at my leasure and they have tons of items to choose from. There is also a great variety of sauces and you can mix different combinations to create different flavors. Never the same dish! I only eat chicken but always end up with beef in my bowl because they do cook the dishes so close togther. They also tend to forget the additional items/sticks I request (egg, bread, etc). The servers are usually pleasant and the food is delicious overall.
(4)Ashley H.
Dunno why but I just dig this place, as a veggie lover :)
(4)Ashley H.
Okay. I've been to this Flat Top Grill a couple of times and I have to say that I have yet to be impressed. The first time I went was with a group of friends during the lunch hour, which I DEFINITELY do not recommend. The place was so crowded that we had to wait in line just to get to the buffet line for a carry out order! I think we spent about 15 minutes waiting before we were finally able to gather some food. Then, of course, we had to wait another 20-30 minutes to wait for our food to be cooked. Paying for the meal was a nightmare as well. The second time, I went with a friend during the early-dinner hour and the place was nearly empty--a much better time to go. However, I agree with other reviewers in that the staff is wishy-washy. Sometimes the wait staff just disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Very spooky... My 2-star review, however is mostly for the food. Yes, yes. I realize that at this restaurant, I MAKE my own meal by choosing which carbs, veggies, meats, and sauces I want, so if the meal sucks, I'm probably mostly to blame. However, as another reviewer noted, all my food ends up tasting the same: rather bland and really greasy. And the price may be inexpensive by Chicago standards, but I still feel like I've gotten cheated out of a good meal. I'd almost rather load up on the rice and veggies, take everything back to my apartment, and cook it myself. At least then, I would know it would have some flavor. It's very possible that I'm just not getting the right carb/veggie/meat/sauce ratio when a gather my food up into the bowls, but I'm not particularly eager to try it again. I've read over some of the other reviews and it sounds like the breakfast at this Flat Top is pretty good--and I LOVE me some breakfast food--so maybe I'll try it again, but in the A.M. Until then, my 2-star review stands.
(2)Jennifer C.
I wish I could give this 3.5 stars but obviously I can't. The food was actually pretty good, I just didn't like the lack of guidance. At the tables there was a card with sauce combination suggestions but this was not at the sauce bar, there wasn't even a sign or a person saying how many spoonfuls of sauce they suggest. My stir fry was good, but I put too little sauce in it. Which I guess was my own fault but I didn't have any idea what the standard was. I had a chicken stirfry and the bread (which was very good) and my hubby had a chicken and beef stirfry which he enjoyed. It was a good lunch experience, but the check did take really long to come (my hubby had to live and go back to work and I was by myself waiting for the check). However, since my hubby works very close and it is semi-nutricious we will probably be back.
(3)Joanne W.
I'm really suprised at all the 4 and 5 star reviews of this place. People really love FTG including my good friend...which is how we came to dine at this establishement. We wanted to catch a quick bite before seeing In The Heights. Have you seen it? It's fantastic. There is something for everyone and sort of a little west side story-ish. I thought the music was top notch and... Oh wait, this is supposed to be a review of FTG.... So my friend was craving FTG. When I found out it was a make-your-own stir fry deal...I didn't really get the hype. I mean, can't you just...MAKE YOUR OWN STIR FRY? Then I remembered...she doesn't cook. Which is sort of a good thing...trust me. It was OK. Meh. I've expereienced better is pretty accurate. People really seem to go ape shit over the roti. I thought it was just OK. I thought it was really greasy and would have preferred naan to be honest. I went the sweet & spicy route...using the recipe from the menu. I loaded up on veggies and asked my server to bring me a bowl of rice after my stir fry arrived b/c I didn't want my rice cooked with everything else. I'm a rebel. They had a good variety of veggies and faux meat for the vegetarians. I got some chicken and I'm not going to lie....I was pretty hesitant to slop up a ladle of it into a bowl. It looked like a hotbed of bacteria. I realize it was marinating in soy...but it just did not look appetizing to me. Raw meat bar = not a good idea, in my opinion. Why not just have a colored stick to put in your bowl of veggies/sauce to indicate what sort of meat (if any) you want added? Yellow for chicken, red for beef, etc...that seems a little more sanitary to me....and probably a better way to moderate portions....thus saving the establishment some money in the long run. Are you listening to me FTG? I didn't get salmonella and the show was fabulous. All in all it was a great night. Would I go back to FTG? Perhaps after I receive my lifetime gift certificates for the awesome money saving suggestion I stated above. I'll be checking my mail box FTG. Thank you.
(2)Conly D.
Always been a big fan of Flat Top. I typically visit the Evanston location, however. A colleague and I tried the Wabash location around 1115AM on a Wednesday and it was the perfect time. We got in just before the lunch rush trickled in. The food was, as always, very fresh and the restaurant was clean. The service was great and prompt. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because of the seating. While it was almost empty when we got there, it filled up fairly quickly and we were seated in the "buffet" area. When it did get packed in there, were were boxed in.
(4)Allyson D.
I went to this location with my coworker last week, and they must have been training a new 'chef,' because there were constant issues at our table and the adjacent one. They left the sticks in the bowl when it was presented to me, leaving me with just sauteed vegetables - no delicious naan bread, no lettuce for the wraps. I was given the wrong type of mojito as well. Our server was awesome and apologetic. Wasn't his fault, but the grill chefs need to get their act together. However, the food WAS delicious, and affordable with the student discount - and we loved the flatbread. I will definitely give it another chance.
(3)Michael A.
It was my first time going to Flat Top Grill and it was excellent. It was a bit busy so my girlfriend and I had to wait a few minutes but that was okay. They could use some benches though, the only other place to sit while waiting is at the bar. When we were seated, the server was very helpful. He explained everything to us and we immediately started putting food into bowls for grilling. It took about 10 minutes for the food to be ready but that's only because there were a bunch of people waiting too. The food was delicious. I don't need to say anymore about it. Cheap, delicious, and free refills on Coke = such a great night and a great place to eat. I will definitely be going back again.
(5)Jenn S.
When did lunch get so complicated? I've been to a flat top grill before, but I swear that it was nothing like this. For starters, my coworker made a reservation earlier in the day. When we showed up, the guy said, "nope I don't see it here." "Well I called about an hour and a half ago." "Oh right I remember. I just didn't write it down." *shrugs shoulders and grins like his smile is going to fix anything* We sit down at a table and there's this double bowl contraption thing. I'm not sure if this is standard but I kept glancing at this thing and the stir fry bar trying to figure out how all of this was going to work. It didn't. As I stood at the stir fry bar trying to follow the directions on the board and in the "recipe" pamphlet, my hand started to ache a little. I tried to put the bowl thing down but, behold, the counter is too small. Our waiter told us that they were going to be getting a new counter soon...because nobody thought of this earlier?? By the time I got to the end of the bar line, I had had enough and really didn't want to start adding on bread or tofu. When we got our food, I really wasn't disappointed it since I made it. I mean lets be honest here, if you put together a bad mixture, that's your fault. My dish was good and an adequate portion. Will I go back again? Not as long as they have those short counters.
(3)Mike S.
Great food. A little messy tonight. They could have used a clean up at the food bar. Do not like the caddy that they started using. Do like that they take the shrimp off the skewer for you. Food is great. How does a place that has a bar not keep olives in stock. That is crazy.
(4)Robyn T.
Flat Top has finally made its way to the Loop increasing affordable dining options open in the neighborhood night and on weekends significantly- yeah! Also good news? They serve breakfast everyday. That's right folks you can stop in on your way to work for some delicious make your own pancakes (with gummy worms right?) or that egg scramble with a side of roti you've been craving. You'll of course be joined by a host of tourists from the nearby hotels, but if you don't want to brave the lines at some South Loop brunch destinations this is a solid choice. There were still some kinks that needed to be worked out after only 2 weeks in service but overall things were good. Totally random fact in this new restaurant space too? They have nice bathroom. Yes, random I know, but in comparison to its North Avenue sister location (they have a onesie bathroom) it was nice to 1 - not have to wait and 2 - be able to wash & dry my hands without having to touch anything else. Yes its these little things in life that make me oh so happy :)
(3)Tiff H.
Good gosh...someone roll me out of here. I love the concept of Mongolian BBQ--grab a lot of stuff, put it in a bowl with a meat of your choice, and then it'll be cooked with a meat of your choice. Please keep in mind that the three stars are for the food only. The service at this location was the worst when I came. I was seated and it took 10 minutes for someone to come by with a glass of water for me. When my companion got there....granted, he was a bit loud and obnoxious, but it took another 10 minutes for the waiter to come by. Also, when our glasses were empty, I had to get up twice and tell other employees we needed refills. I mean....really...I was dining with a waiter and I've waited on tables a huge chunk of my life...there were plenty of waiters for the place and since they had to take no orders or really clear dishes, I didn't get what the wait was for. So just keep in mind the following when visiting a Flat Top: 1) You should really take Flat Top's sauce recipe recommendations...if your meal sucks, you have no one to blame but yourself. 2) The Roti bread is phenomenal. $13 was what I spent to leave completely stuffed...I ordered the unlimited refill bowl.
(3)Sarah R.
I have been coming here a lot over the years. With my sister, family and friends. I really enjoy their food and that they have something for everybody even me a vegetarian. I love filling my bowl with all the yummy stuff. However they always forget to give me my bread. The service was horrible the waiter Anthony M. never got our sodas right and didnt care to check on us at all how rude.
(3)Jeanie P.
2.5 stars This is a great group place to come to. Never having been here, I thought I would be so overwhelmed by all these colorful sticks and order etc. But it's quite straight forward. 1. write your name down on wooden stick. Stick it in your bowl at the end. 2. Go to the veggie buffet thingy. Pack your bowl with veggies and ~3 ladles of sauce (try to follow similar flavors to avoid an inedible product.) 3. use small bowl for meat. Stack it on top of your veggie bowl. 4. Add sticks for eggs, roti, shrimp (extra $), lettuce wrap, mushu wraps, hot and sour soup etc etc 5. Leave your bowl at the grill, and they will bring it to your table! Some standouts: ROTI! OMG sooooo good. You can add this by putting a stick at the end before the grill. I also like using the thai sauces (pad thai, peanut, red curry etc). LOVE the cilantro too. Other sticks can be added to get your whole meal wrapped into lettuce wraps or mushu wraps. I think the problem here is that you make it yourself, so if it tastes kinda bad.. you can only blame yourself!! This is a problem especially for those new to Flat Top b/c we don't know what we're doing! I think the rule of thumb is just to stick to similar flavors. (They also have sauce combo recommendations on their menus.) Also, I'm not a HUGE fan of mongolian grill style (b/c I feel like I can make it at home...and stir fry is something I make when I'm lazy). But this place was a good place for overall group satisfaction, but I don't think I would go out of my way to come back here. One complaint is that this location has like NOOO temperature control. It was like uncomfortably hot in here the whole time.
(3)C H.
I had a pretty sub-par experience, and here's why: Service: -Service was generally slow and it was definitely not crowded Food: -Great selection of ingredients, sauces and "extras" like colored sticks to indicate (mostly free) extras to go with your meal -Drinks were overpriced for the kind of restaurant Problems: -I made a stir fry with chicken and my friend made his with beef. The food came back with the meats mixed up and so I ended up with what tasted like hamburger helper, Asian style. This wouldn't have been such a disaster if the hamburgery beef wasn't the quality and consistency of late-night diner, back of the grill greasy meat. Apparently the chicken was fine. But it really ruined the experience for me, because not only was the service slow, the meat mixed up, the meat low-quality/greasy and basically disgusting, but for $10 I can stroll down the street to Noodles and Co. where I have yet to have a negative experience and I can spend less on more food and get reasonably priced drinks. Also, the service is wonderful at Noodles and Co. Also, when we told our waiter about the mixup he didn't want to acknowledge what was going on and we were just politely telling him for reference that he might want to mention it to the cook to be a little more careful. Then, he proceeds to get the manager and apparently told her we were causing a problem and she comes up to us and says, "So, what's the problem?". We didn't even ask for management and only were trying to tell our reluctantly acknowledging wait what had happened. And when she came it seemed like she was less interested in apologizing or finding out what happened than it looked like she was ready to tell us that if we wanted our money back we wouldn't be getting it. Which we had no intention of asking for, though it did cross my mind. To be fair, at the very end, they offered to let all of us share one dessert to make up for the general trouble, but after waiting so long for everything and having to deal with the mixup and the subpar reactions we got from the staff we just wanted to leave. I could have made another bowl but when I'm paying $10 to make my own meal and did indeed spend a lot of time peicing together something that would have been good with the chicken I selected, I didn't feel like doing that again and making my party wait. The other thing is that they charge $5 for you to take home your leftovers, and at $10 a meal that's a ripoff for the quality and quantity of ingredients. -Verdict: Miserably disappointing (slightly irritating/aggravating) and a rip-off unless you don't get the beef, don't mind paying 50% of the price of your meal to get leftovers you already paid for, realllly enjoy creating your own meal, don't mind your noodles half mixed up with your sauce/ingredients, and don't mind overpriced basic drinks. Also, service might be slow. Do yourself a favor and please take yourself right over to Noodles and Company and save a lot of time, money and possible grief. Note: I would've given and want to give one star but I like the concept and would like to think that the rest of the staff is much better- giving the benefit of a doubt, if you will.
(2)Mags F.
The Loop is in desperate need of restaurants open past business hours, so we're happy to welcome Flat Top to the neighborhood. Service is good, they're always helpful in explaining the process if we have newbies with us. The roti bread is amazing. I also really like how all the nurtition facts for the different sauces are posted on the huge chalkboard. A loaded up dinner bowl usually means left overs for lunch! They now offer breakfast so I'm looking forward to trying that as well.
(4)Marion B.
Brunch at the Flat Top? Who knew??? I'm in a graduate program that meets on Saturdays, and our "lunch" break is at 10:30...we didn't realize how much this would really affect us until we tried here for lunch. We were instead greeted with a delicious brunch menu, and we were still allowed to pick our own stuff. I had french toast with melty heath bars and reese's cups on it. (Don't judge me.) Other options were omelettes, which came quickly and deliciously, pancakes (those too.) Something else that's got to be said: We were greeted with smiles, offered a student discount and didn't need to prove our student status (I'm nearly 33...this sort of thing means a lot to me at my age), and were fed and back at school by 11:30. Bravo, Flat Top. Bravo.
(5)Abhay S.
Love Flat Top Grill! The first time I tried to come here, the line was out the door so I decided to make some reservations this time around. I called around 10:30 and got a table for 3 for 90 minutes later. No sweat. I arrived, they seated me, I ate some good grub, and had some great service along the way. My clients loved it as well. Highly recommended and will be returning soon! Keep up the good work.
(5)John H.
Nice fun place where you take you bowl and fill it up. Then they cook it.
(3)Rohit A.
It's a nice crowded, noisy, atmospheric place. The food style is really cool and unique. The flavors and cooking are great. However, they do mess up orders a lot. I didn't ask for egg yet I got some while my friend did ask for egg and they missed it on both his bowls. Overall a good experience. The staff were friendly and helpful.
(4)Tammy H.
I didn't expect Flat Top Grill to be a make-your-own-stir-fry type of establishment, but was pleasantly surprised that it was. You get the all you can eat option, but really don't need it if you know how to pack a bowl (of rice/noodles and veggies and meat....). And the waiters are cool enough to make jokes with you about it and not try to get you to get the more expensive all you can eat option so they get a bigger tip. Everything is clearly marked and they are very helpful with any allergies that you may have. They really try to make the entire process fool proof, but I guess there are still fools out there. I put practically everything but mushrooms into my bowl of rice and mixed a few sauces and it was awesome.
(5)Cecile B.
Wow! A hidden gem in the big city. We ate here for a graduation lunch last month. There is something for everyone. The menu is whatever you make of it - soup/noodles/spicy/not so spicy/teriyaki/thai/chicken.... whatever your flavor literally! Just put all your likings in a bowl and they will grill it up for you or make it into a soup. And the best part is the lunch pricing is super reasonable at $10! I enjoyed our lunch so much that we returned for a second visit during our week long stay. Only wish they extended their locations to the west coast. Tip: Add flat bread (blue stick) to whatever you order. You won't be disappointed in the soft melt-in-your-mouth airy pita like bread.
(5)Madeline S.
Flat Top, oh Flat Top. Talk about wishy-washy, you never know how your experience will go. Depending on the time of day, location, and employees, you can leave either very happy or very angry. My last visit to Flat Top was just that- my LAST visit. Trying to impress my visiting little brother, I took him here thinking he'd really enjoy it...er, wrong! Service was horrible, as expected. But what was most frustrating was the food- it wasn't cooked! It must have been on the grill for a minute tops, all of the veggies and meat-substitutes (I'm vegetarian) were still cold and all of it was sopping in some kind of liquid. Honestly, I felt so sick and it really was unappetizing. I ended up eating only the rice, while my brother's food was also uncooked, he had the optimism to go back and give it another shot and was again disappointed. I was so upset and frustrated by the food, tourists, and service I vowed never to go back. I'm giving two stars because the very first time I ate here (at the Southport location) it was actually very good. It all went downhill from there though. It's also expensive, even for a single-serving...
(2)Cerene P.
Still getting use to working downtown again and our lunch adventure for the week was.....Flat TopGrill. I was soooooooooooo geeked bc i've had the Flat Top on washington (near harpo studios) and it was FAB!!! This location...Booooooo :( Okay, it was a Friday afternoon, around 2. You would think the lunch crowd is gone and no problem right??? Wrong! We walked in, my friends have never experienced Flat Top so they didn't kno what the heck to do. After standing around for a few minutes, someone decides to ask us if we needed help....um yesssss. So they explain how it works and we get to putting our stir fry lunches together. The selection of veggies and meats were diverse and fresh. The food took foreverrrrrrr. We got it to go and we waited aproximately 45 minutes!!! Thats a long time especially if you only have 60 for lunch. Then we had the hardest time paying. Seriously... so do you want my money or is the food on the house. The entire experience was so irritating. With so many great spots downtown, I can honestly say i will not be stopping by this flat top again.
(2)david g.
Best flat top yet! They have two lines, so things move quickly, and the food comes to our table instantly!! At Southport, we often wait 20 minutes for our food if we put the little white stick in it, but here, it comes out 5-10 minutes later, at the same time as everyone else's food! super veggie friendly, lots of their veggies are local, the food is good, endless options, what more could you want??
(5)Annie K.
went here last week. the choices were great, as was the roti. however when we finally got our food it was surprisingly mediocre. as we were walking out, i saw other people eating piping hot steamy noodles and i realized our meal was so mediocre because it was cold! it all made sense. our food had probably been forgotten, which is why we waited so long. i understand this can happen, but it just really peeved me that our waitress had just served us our cold food instead of letting us know what happened. deceitful!
(1)peggy m.
I have always had good experiences at the North Ave and Evanston Flat Tops so I was excited when one sprung up in the Loop, but after I visit there, I am always left flat (no pun intended.) The Wabash location is dreary (although there are more lights than previously) and not inviting. The servers have always been pleasant but after ordering, it is difficult to find them again. The veggies and fruit aren't always fresh and the silverware is too light and bent. That said, it is an efficient operation and a great concept--one greatly needed downtown. I just wish that it was a better dining experience and that special requests were easier to do and that there were salt and pepper shakers on the tables. I wouldn't mind if the prices were raised a bit if it made for a more attractive place and time!
(3)Scott M.
I've been here a few times with my wife and it's an interesting experience. The meat choices seem dried out and bland and the fish looks like it was defrosted. The best part of the experience was the bread and the steak quesadillas starter were excellent! It is a little pricey though- for just one bowl of food is like $12 not including a drink. If you pay $14.95 you get unlimited which seems odd, two bucks more and you basically have the buffet. They should just get rid of the nickel and dime tactics and charge a flat fee for everything . The service was also good if a little on the slow side but our waitress was very nice and friendly.
(3)Adam J.
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.
(1)Lauren K.
What a concept. There are so many combination possibilities at this easy, build-your-own stir fry. The idea is interesting, with different sticks and tricks to label your meal so that you get exactly what you want. The service was good, the food was good, Flat Top is a good spot for a quick lunch!
(3)Keziah C.
Went here after church today and was highly upset that they no longer serve the "Apple Crisp", What??? UNACCEPTABLE!!!!! You would have received 4 stars if you didn't eliminate my favorite dessert! ;-( I was looking forward to it today.
(3)Tina N.
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!
(4)Meredith D.
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!!
(5)Aaron S.
A nice twist in the breakfast buffet. You pick your own ingredients and then they cook your omelet and or pancakes or french toast. The food was good and came out relatively fast. The coffee was only average.
(4)Abby M.
I went here at lunch today with Erin M. and really enjoyed it! We got there at 11:30 - which I highly recommend, because 20 minutes later all the tables were full - and got started. For me, the toughest decision was what sauce I wanted. The little pamphlet they leave in the middle of the table helps - a lot. I actually passed mine back to the 2 guys behind me that didn't have a clue as to what they were doing. I just like the idea of loading my bowl with veggies - tons of veggies and I loved the Yukon Gold potatoes I put in - along with whatever sauce I'm in the mood for (today was spicy). Add the meat at the end and get it delivered with roti - delicious! If you can, get 2 roti, b/c it's amazing. I do have to say anything that is bread like will always rank quite high with me. Our server was on top of our drinks and nice - we never felt rushed. I do have to warn you - you will SMELL when you leave. And it will be STRONG and it will STICK. I had to put some perfume in my hair today because the smell was making me nauseous! Definitely a good place in the Loop for a quick lunch - and very reasonable. A huge bowl of whatever you want for under $10 (pre-tax and tip). I will be back...without a jacket!
(4)Nick O.
This was a great overall experience. fast service and great super fresh food and endless possibilities of flavor.definitely a must try. I wish there was one closer to me so I could eat there more often.
(4)J K.
Think salad bar except its stir fry. You pick from a couple of dozen fresh veggies, maybe a dozen or so sauces (mix your own or take the house recommended combinations) and add chicken and/or beef, and/or pork and/or shrimp (add $ for the later.) then drop it off at the counter and let the chefs do the cooking. It a fun experience. One caveat... There are a lot of people and hence a lot of bowls of food that can be confusing for the chefs. About twice a day someone gets the wrong dish served back to them. I was one of the two the day I was there. Our server Anna was super and took care of the situation immediately. I had to recreate my dish, but as soon as I was ready the chefs pushed my order to the top of the queue, and got my meal out right away, The manager even no charged my meal, which wasn't necessary but a stand up gesture. The Flat Top Grill aims to please, and you'll have a unique experience there. It's also close to Millennium Park so it makes a great dinner stop after a summer's evening concert.
(4)Maddy K.
thank goodness for food options beyond subway in the loop!!! flat top is fantastic - well price and definitely good value for the price - great selection of toppings to choose from which makes the experience of making your own meal more fun. our waiter was one of the best we've ever had who explained how thigns are done and the flat top way very well and made us comfortable with the entire process and made some really great recoomendations on the sauces as well!! a must try!
(5)Ron S.
The reason this Flat Top gets 3 stars and not 4 is because the service sucks. I have been here multiple times and my interactions with the staff have always been delayed and awkward.
(3)Roy F.
I could eat stir-fry 3-5X per week, and Flat Top does it right. Great selection of starch, veggies, sauces, and proteins. Atmosphere was nice for a date night, a little dark for a night out with the family. Wait staff was extra friendly and helpful.
(5)Adam P.
Our waiter was surprisingly attentive. As for the food, if it is bad, it is your own fault, as Flat Top Grill offers a wide range of items that you can mix and match according to your own taste. Basically, it is a make-your-own stir fry place. They offer a student discount on their meals and unlimited food for only two dollars extra. In essence, the place is a buffet. However, unlike the typical buffet which is full of fried and baked starches, this place offers fresh vegetables and meats. Yum!
(5)Terry M.
I love this place. Great idea to list calories and sodium on the wall for each sauce. Choosing your ingredients allows healthy options and creativity. Add the bread option, it's delicious.
(4)daynia S.
Just ok.
(3)Mike C.
I like Flat Top Grill a lot and was very excited when they opened one in the Loop. However, this restaurant needs a lot of help. I've been here three times and each time it gets worse. The last time I went was the capper. I realize the new "tiered bracket" that is used to pick your dinner is for health reasons, but can't you make the counter big enough to actually put the bracket down? It's clumbsy and akward and my girlfriend almost dropped it twice trying to balance it. Our waiter took our drink order, then got lost. To be fair, he seemed to also be the only person working the bar as well. But when it takes 15 minutes to get a check, that's ridiculous. We also had to wait to get a table and went we were seated, we saw the back of the restaurant had empty tables. Maybe staffing is an issue here as well. All in all, I'll still got to Flat tops, just not this location.
(1)Zack C.
All restaurants should operate like Flat Top Grill does.
(5)Sean W.
Great Service by far the best stir fry create your own meal concept and there alcoholic drinks were reasonably priced and I have no complaints what so ever the wonderful servers there were very helpful and its great if your a student cause they offer a discount of there low prices for a stir fry. You can do one dish or unlimited best deal in Chicago and you can even take your leftovers home which for some places i have been for stir fry you cant when you do the unlimited option.
(5)Nicole C.
I'm not a huge fan of Flat Top Grill period because I think that everything starts to taste the same. I'm pretty sure that they use the same utensils to mix everyone's meals, so you get a little bit of everything. But, I did grab lunch here a couple of weeks ago with a friend and we had a really nice experience. The staff was very friendly, we were in and out in under and hour, and the food was pretty good. I must admit that the fried (?) bread -- similar to Indian naan -- is to die for!!! I'll be back just for that. Oh, and this location is open for breakfast on weekends, which I'm very curious about...
(3)Lenora C.
I had been passing this place for ages and was wondering what the food was like.. I thought it was a upscale place with upscale prices until I saw college students coming out. I check on the site to see their prices. Its all you can eat for like $11.. I could not ask for better prices and you can make your own stir fry. You do have experiment with the combonations though.. some of them just dont go together.. They have alot of good sauces and meat and veggie options.. They even tell you the things you can eat if you have certain alleriges.. Thumbs way up for that one! Me and my crew had a great time here and experience great service. We loved our waiter. He was so nice, attentive, and funny.. I for the life of me cant remember his name (although, its simple).. We all had unlimited bowls and flavored teas because they were out of lemonade.. =( I have to say the additions are good.. Egg, Roti Prata, tofu, shrimp ($2.99 extra), and seasonings before its popped on the hot grill... Me and the crew will be going back soon for another night on the town!
(4)Jennifer H.
Flat Top is chainy, inexpesinve, and way better than any of the mongolian barbeque places I've been to in St. Louis. 1) Tons of options. 2) Everything was fresh. 3) Great veggie and vegan options. 4) Fast, friendly service. 5) You have the option to have unlimited servings or just one (which was plenty). I came for lunch, but they also serve breakfast. I would recommend this place to anyone who is downtown and looking for a quick, tasty lunch.
(4)Dan J.
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!
(4)Misty D.
This is a place that the food and the wait staff are both yummy! I have never been to a restaurant that has such an abundance of studly male servers. Not that really matters much, but they were also polite, attentive, helpful, and fast. Regardless of their appearance, the service here was great. Flat top is a mostly help yourself kind of place. It is create your own stir fry. There are two bars that help to cut down on congestion. You fill a bow with your choice of different kinds of noodles or rice (or none), then select add your veggies, select your sauce (there is a nice server waiting to help you try different combinations), and pick your meat. Then you put it in line to be cooked. There are some final things you can add, I highly recommend the flat bread!! It was all very tastey!! The décor was nice, modern but they used nice warm colors and darker woods. Tables are set a little back so you are not disturbed by the people getting their food. Also, there are coat hooks along the wall so you do not have to be burdened by your coat and can still keep an eye on it. This will really come in handy during the Chicago winter! I highly recommend this restaurant, and I also recommend that you get a reservation. We went early and it was a little busy. By the time we left it was packed and there was a line to be seated.
(5)Laurel S.
I gave it four stars mainly because of its convenient location in the Loop. But I like the ambience of some of the other older locations better, like Oak Park. Also, one time I went and the waiter told me they ran out of bread?! ,,,,mmm. I don't know about that one, but she ended up bringing me bread right afterwards on a seperate plate but my food was kind of cold. Blah. I can't say if that was bad waitressing or if somebody's slipping with the stock in the kitchen. On any account, the food is normally hot and delish. The service is mediocre. The location is great. A variety of pastas and rices with various sauces along with the sauted veggies of your choice. Tasty, healthy, and all you can eat. They have a menu item called the bottomless bowl or something like that. That's the best choice for the $$. Drinks are also tasty.
(4)Kate S.
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.
(2)Heather L.
I've been to FTG multiple times by Harpo studios, and in the downtown location. It's cheap for breakfast or lunch. It suffices. I can get my veggies and my boyfriend, the bottomless pit, can eat to his heart's content. Well let me tell you about my last trip to FTG. I had family in for the weekend, and they were staying pretty close by. It was cold (of course) so we made our way to FTG - I knew everyone could get what they wanted and it would be reasonable. Our waitress was so incredibly horrible that I don't think I'll ever go back. She was rude, she never brought us drinks, she didn't even know who ordered what. Every time she auctioned drinks off and we waited FOURTY FIVE MINUTES to get our check. Then, because we were a group of six (SIX!) they automatically added in an 18% gratuity. Trying to avoid a scene, we just left. It was horrible. I'm unimpressed. I'll keep going to the one by Harpo. At least there I know my server will actually serve me.
(1)Paul B.
I'm a fan of any Mongolian BBQ type place but what sets Flat Top apart is the fact that they don't freeze their meats. Believe it or not it makes a pretty big difference. Definitely gets busy after 12 like any place in the Loop but I haven't waited more than 10 minutes. Flat Top did 'lose' one of my coworkers orders on the grill but they rectified it by taking it off our tab. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is the amount of time it takes to get your food. It can be very hard to squeeze a trip to Flat Top in within an hour
(4)Paul N.
I love this place... I've been to other stir-fry places where they only give you a little bit of meat and let you choose from only a few types of sauces... At Flat Top, they have a bunch of different sauces (at least 10) and let you add as much meat as you want. This place is definitely worth the money.
(5)Shirelle T.
I absolutely love this place! The service is good even during those busy lunch hours. I like the decor, very modern nothing too explosive, pretty simple. My favorite drink to order is Desert Pear Lemonade- I can give the drink 5*****s on it's on. I love the idea that I can make any type of Stir-Fry my taste buds desire. There's more than chicken, beef, and pork for the meat selection -my favorites are the white fish and the Filipino Sausage, for hygiene reasons and to keep from getting sick, I suggest that once when you are done in the meat section you should wash your hands. Most of the time the meat serving spoons have a lot of "juices" on the handle and that might cause Salmonella. The only problem that I have with this place is that the rices are like popcorn balls, all stuck together. I'm a rice person so that's one of the things that messed up my Stir-Fry experience but I just use the yellow noodles instead. Anyway, I would definitely recommend going to Flat Top Grill. I've been to only two, the one on Wabash and the one on Washington and both are very good.
(5)Marki L.
I love stir-fry and I love open kitchens. Flat Top is the best of both worlds with a selection that can lead to thousands of combinations. It is an excellent spot for a girls night house. I do not have a favorite because I change my sauces and vegetables every time I go . The drinks are great if you are a fruity drink drinker.
(4)Dennis L.
I really enjoy stir fry concepts, and Flat Top does a pretty good job. This specific location was surprisingly impressive. The selection on the two "buffet" lines was great. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We never saw the bottoms of our glass as well. Overall a great experience at this location.
(4)J K.
Food in The Loop is great during the week or after theater, but can be oddly scarce at 9pm on a Saturday night or when looking for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Yes, the State & Lake restaurant in TheWit Hotel is wonderful, but it's pricy for every meal. Fortunately we discovered a true gem: The Flat Top Grill ( flattopgrill.com ). The Flat Top grill is a Mongolian barbeque like many that have sprung up over the last few years with one big difference: they serve breakfast! Omelets, pancakes, French toast and scrambles made buffet style for $10 all-you-can eat. I was impressed and more than a bit surprised I hadn't seen other restaurants do this, and delighted that this one did! When my wheat-allergic daughter produced her own bread they made it up into French toast for her at once. Great food at the right price! Thanks Cas, we had a GREAT time!
(5)