Flat Top Grill
218 S Washington St, Naperville, IL, 60540
Flat Top Grill Menu
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Appetizers
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Create Your Own Stir Fry
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Desserts
Healthy Meal suggestions for Flat Top Grill
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Appetizers
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Create Your Own Stir Fry
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Desserts
Visit below restaurant in Naperville for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Naperville for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
218 S Washington St
Naperville, IL, 60540 - Phone (630) 428-8400
- Website https://www.flattopgrill.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : 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
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Amanda S.
I've been to this Flat Top twice now and neither time was a great experience. The first time I came at night and the bar area was a MESS! So many ingredients were mixed or even empty, it was nasty. This time I came during the afternoon so the place wasn't nearly as busy. The bar was clean and well stocked. It's obvious that during their busy times, like at night, they should have more people working to refill and clean the bar. Our food took a while and even when we got it the veggies were a little undercooked. Our waiter was extremely friendly but neglected us after we got our food. Flat Top is one of my favorite places to go but this location is just ehh.
(3)Kim W.
My family really likes this place. Nice variety of veggies and meats/non-meats. The seating is cozy and the noise level is conversation-friendly. My favorite sauce is their Chicago sauce.(not sure what's in it). They have taster cups to try the sauces before you use them. They used to have a Naperville Sauce that I miss. ;(. The reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is because once in a while the utensil handles used to get the items into your bowl are sticky. Flat Top is a 'Belly' member. (A frequent buyer program). You can have your bowl of food made into a hot & sour soup or lettuce wraps or mu-shu. My daughter loves their flavored lemonades. Yummy!
(4)Shreyas V.
Flat Top's quality has dropped off over the last year; it's gone from a 4.5 star to a 3.5 star dining experience in my eyes. Still, the food is pretty good and it's a solid place to go to with a group of friends in downtown Naperville. Things that haven't changed: This is a GREAT restaurant for groups that include people with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, etc). Everything is clearly labelled and you can have your food cooked separately from all the meat-containing meals, which is a wonderful system that I which more places had. Also, the rotis are AWESOME and unlimited - you can order as many as you want, and they'll bring them right to your table! :) Things that have changed: I believe the price has increased, especially for the coveted "second trip" that always drew people to this location. It's gone from an effectively all-you-can-eat experience to a one-trip wonder. A complaint that I constantly hear from my friends is that the servings of meat are now a lot less than they would get in the past (because the meat is no longer self-serve). Also, the new system of poking your stick through a ticket is idiotic to me. I don't get why they wouldn't just have different kinds of sticks, or a special marker on the stick, to indicate different kinds of meat. in the current system, you just get paper in your food, and it's kind of off-putting. Their desserts are quite good and so are their flavored lemonades. I'll probably be back here when I'm in Naperville, but I really hope they reverse the downward trend they've been on over the last year.
(4)LOIS B.
Not at all what I expected. This was not my first choice for lunch but I went along with the others. Had I not been with those others, I would have walked out. The system to get your food needs streamlining. It is the most convoluted, cockamamy system I have ever encountered. It involves ordering from your server AND paper and a lot of sticks in your food. I had no idea what to expect when my food actually arrived. Oh, and "Lois" became "Louis" and "Jim" became "J.M." You write your name on a stick and stick the stick through the paper you get from your server. After you select the items you want in your bowl, it gets cooked and delivered to your table. Word of advise, skip the potatoes, they don't get fully cooked. As you are about to release your bowl to the guy at the grill, there is another station with more sticks for the final add ins. I had never heard of Roti bread, but at that point, I figured "What the heck." It was actually rather tasty. So, you could actually end up with about 10 sticks in your bowl. See what I mean about the system? If you visit a second time, I am sure the system works better.
(3)David L.
Well I gave it two tries, and I think that's it for the flat top grill. It just isn't that good. I never came here before the change to being unable to choose your own meat, but I can say they currently aren't exactly generous with the meat. They say it's a half pound, but it sure doesn't seem like that. Both times I've been there's been veggies I didn't put in my bowl in the food I've been served, so there's definitely some cross-contamination going on. Plus, the experience is just...awkward. The servers seem to be so used to getting beat up by the customers over the changes that they don't seem to know what to say other than "have you been here recently?" The restaurant isn't really crowded, unlike the other Mongolian place across the street.
(2)Sowmya M.
I quite used to like Flat top grill till recently when I saw there was a change in the Menu. Most of the spices and sauces have been removed.The prices have been increased and the Quality of the Food decreased a lot. Now I prefer to visit other Mexican or Mongolian Grill places.
(3)Debra L.
Came here today with some suburban relatives. It was actually a good choice because there really is a little something for everyone. I was thrilled that they had so many veggie options. They also had quinoa and tempeh? Really? That was an awesome surprise. So I filled my little black bowl sky high with veggies, quinoa and the infamous tempeh and added the garlic black bean sauce to glue it all together. Someone in my party highly recommend this little piece of flat bread. Was it naan? I'm not sure but it was tasty. I, along with everyone else, enjoyed the individualized stir fry bowls. The service was quite attentive, if not overly attentive, but our server was super nice. I think if you're with people who have diverse tastes and diet preferences Flat Top is a good choice.
(4)Louise M.
Though it is a chain and yet another version of Mongolian BBQ that's not really Mongolian BBQ, Flat Top Grill is my favorite out of the bunch. I can't say that I don't even like the rest and will not eat there. However, Flat Top? I get excited coming here. This location in particular has a special sentimental value to me. My "adoptive" dad who was like my own father to me loved this place. We used to come here for Father's Day and we had fun stuffing ourselves with endless bowls of stir fry. We tried to come up with stupid names to be put on the stick to identify our bowls as well as coming up with weird concoction of sauce for the stir fry. We have used names like Wakamatsu, Mimi, Chuck, and Fern among others and got our server confused as Chuck didn't look like a Chuck (me.. Or maybe I did look like a Chuck?). He since has passed and we missed him dearly and this last visit we reminisced about good times when we had him around. I think he would be pissed with some of the changes that we just learned on this visit. Now, we have to order our proteins with the server for each bowl. We would not be able to put how much meat we wanted for the stir fry. I myself did not mind it, as it was kinda gross holding on to the tongs that had raw meat germs all over it. However, it was a pain in the ass as well to have to wait for the server each time. They also use pour bottles now for the sauce instead of the ladle. That was a good change I thought. The food has always tasted good to me because I know what I'm doing! LOL but no.. It's a testament that their sauces are great and it's hard to screw it up. They also added some extra forms of how you can turn your stir fry into. They added tacos and burritos and some other stuff I couldn't remember. The roti prata is still great and I could eat ten of them. It is always a fun family meal here for us. We would overindulge, then try to walk it off in downtown Naperville and ended up at Le Chocolat for desserts. The service has always been good and I do enjoy their brownie a la mode. Too bad dad wasn't with us but I think he was watching and calling my brother a wimp for not going for second bowl.
(4)Ryan A.
Flattop used to be good, now it's gone cheap. Whatever consulting group they hired to implement these changes should be fired. The server brings you a small portion of meat, and mooshu wraps are a thing of the past. Even worse they pass it off as trying to save you from cross contamination, I would believe them, except that everything is cooked on the same grill. For less money and an experience of what flat top used to be before they instituted all of the cost cutting measure just head across the street to their competition. There I was able to load up on all the meat I wanted, with a giant stack of flour wraps to make mooshu to my hearts content!
(1)Esther M.
Pros: A+ customer service, beautiful interior design, reasonable pricing, big portions of food Cons: the pork and chicken are both a bit dry I liked the restaurant itself however the food was so-so in my opinion.
(3)Sarah C.
I've been here twice. I'm glad I gave it a second try. The first time they had the meat sitting on the bar with all of the other ingredients and people were double dipping all over the place and scattering raw meat all over the bar. The second time the meat was kept behind the counter by the grill. It's not great quality food but it's fairly cheap, allergy friendly, and has lots of veggies.
(3)Brendan P.
Until our recent dinner at Flat Top Grill, it was the restaurant which we patronized most often. Our visit was after a break from going out, to start our family. When we were able to get away for a meal, we chose our favorite restaurant. The experience was deeply disappointing. Immediately, we noticed that proteins were no longer on the open bar. This may have been a decision to ensure small portions. The meat served with dinner was not only scarce, but it seemed to be low quality and tasted like it was unseasoned and boiled. The most disturbing part of the evening was the blatant disregard for sanitation standards. I observed an associate who was filling the bar. He picked up a dirty rag to wipe the bar down, still wearing the glove he was wearing to replenish vegetables. After replacing the rag under the bar, he immediately continued to refill the bar, still wearing the same glove. He then swept the floor and picked up the garbage from the floor. Incredibly, he then got containers of vegetables from the refrigerator, grabbed handfuls of vegetables and filled the bar, still wearing the same glove. The management seemed merely annoyed when I brought this episode to their attention. Our friends are as shocked as we were.
(1)Joshua K.
This one Employee was fucking amazing. Im sorry I forgot his name but its was still fucking amazing! DAKOTA I BELIEVE HE WAS A FUCKING GREAT WAITER
(5)Jim A.
Well it's over. I really did love this place. It was great, you came in sat down and the put your food into bowls and they cooked it, you ate it. Simple. Now that has all changed. They put the chicken or any other meet you order on for you. Sounds like no big deal. When I went in they told me the rules have changed and explained that you now tell the server what meat you want and the cook adds it. That is a terrible idea. The cook got my order wrong and it was terrible. I forsee this issue coming up time and time again. I will avoid this frustration and eating across the street. The thing that made flat top good was that you do everything but cook the food. You picked all the ingredients your self. Now you dont. Just like that, the rules have changed. The place I ate 5 to 6 times a month is no more.
(1)Dan B.
I have been here a few times and have had a few different experiences. The food is always great but the last few times I have began to notice something. Depending on where you are sat in the restaurant you have different experiences when it comes to ambiance. If you are seated at the front of the restaurant to about half way back you smell the stir fry and the smells at to the experience and get you excited to create your stir fry. From the middle of the restaurant to the back is a different experience.\ From this point on the smell of cleaning supplies starts to take over. I don't know if there is a cleaning closet near the seating area or if it the smell coming from the bathroom but it definitely hinders the experience. Your experience goes from the smell of great stir fry to the smell of lemon fresh pinesol. On the plus side the service has maintained a great level of service The hostesses are always friendly and the waitstaff is helpful. If you have not been their before the waiter/waitress will take the time to explain the process and give you suggestions as to what to create. The last thing I will say is I highly suggest adding the bread to your stir fry. It is a great addition to your meal and gives you many dining options. .
(3)Lucas W.
It's FlatTop, you know the food is going to be delicious and if not you really only have yourself to blame. If you've never been to a FlatTop, you have to go, take all the veggies, rice, meat and sauces you want, throw them in a bowl and they'll stir fry it up for you. It's delicious, and FlatTop's Roti bread is top notch. Also, FlatTop is infinitely better than Mongolian Grill which is basically across the street. But I've had better experiences at other FlatTops hence the 3 star rating. The first time I went to this FlatTop was late last year and when I went with my girlfriend we were seated right under an air conditioning vent which was blowing way too strongly. I don't mind the chill but she did and I overheard the people around us mention it was chilly as well. We asked to be reseated (FlatTop always has open seats, there's a line because the grill can only handle so much) but the waitress said she'd have to check with her manager. The manager then argued with us saying she refused to lower the air conditioning because she was warm by the front door and wanted the AC on and also initially refused to let us change tables making up dumb excuses. The waitress was rather apologetic, but the manager was way out of line. More recently, I went back and while the experience/service was good, I found the food options much more limiting than most FlatTops. They were missing a couple of my favorite sauces (no plum sauce, out of peanut sauce) and their veggie selection was smaller (no baby corn, no mixed cut up peppers). I still made a tasty dish, but was disappointed by the options.
(3)Odai J.
This place is amazing! I first came here roughly around 2011. I am not a fan of Asian food, but this place makes me think otherwise. Kristie was a server and she did a fantastic job. She even remembers my name every time I come in, mind you that my name isn't the easiest to pronounce or to remember! The food is delicious and the break is simply amazing. I like my food nice and simple. White rice, white and yellow noodles, corn, broccoli, a lot of Garlic water, smashed garlic, chicken and beef. It's simple and amazing. Kristie did get promoted to store manager and then general manager. She did leave not too long ago, which is pretty sad. I never had someone serve me as good as her. However, the stuff is amazing and will get you everything you ask. If you go on a weekend, expect to wait longer as they are always packed!
(5)Raj B.
I have been here a bunch of times in the past 2yrs and enjoyed the food every time. I used to be a big fan of BDs Grill before i tried this place and haven't gone back to BDs since. We were seated right away and our server was Ashly. She was fantastic and did a good job explaining us the sauces and filling up our drinks.I occasionally order the appetizers which are average, but the stir fry is what i always go there for. I like how they have a separate bowl for meat and sticks for eggs, paratha, tofu soups etc which saves a lot of room in the bowl for the veggies, rice and noodles. Also, they have a good number of sauces with spice indicators, so don't go easy on the sauces b'coz that's what gives the food the flavor. Pros: Stir fry, Paratha, signature cocktails, add-on sticks for eggs, tofu, shrimp. Cons: Appetizers, not a lot of beer options.
(4)Alyssa J P.
I figured I may as well start branching out from my usual dining locales in Naperville. Flat Top is sort of interesting, in that you can make your own stir fry. I liked the fact that I could chose what I put in my meal, plus there are a TON of vegan faux-meats here. I thought the dinner price was a little on the expensive side, especially given my minimal appetite and tiny little bowl of food. So it was a bit of a splurge. Honestly if they had a half-size for half the price, I'd be more likely to come back. Also, for a Saturday late afternoon (around 5ish), this place got crowded and FAST. If you don't like dining with a ton of families with small (read: loud) children, maybe eat somewhere else?
(3)Diana P.
Appetizers - 3 star. The chicken potsticker was ok. It was serve with sweet chili choice but not that good on my taste. Desserts - 3 star. A little pricey on the Cinnamon Fresh Fruit Roti. The fruit was not seasonal, I don't know if they check their food before serving or not because on what I saw, they didn't. They just serve the food and didn't care if whats on it. Okay place. Not that good but I think this place is okay.
(3)Ritu A.
I used to enjoy coming here for the food and the service. Not any more! They messed up 4 out of the six bowls we ordered with not even an offer to re do the bowls. The excuse was that they had a big order and the chef was new. Honestly this is the last time I will be coming here
(1)Tatiana B.
The food here is good, you just need to know what to combine all together! There is a variety of ingredients you may choose from ranging from different meats to different vegetables which definitely is a plus. But beware, if you don't choose wisely your food may turn out to be gross! As for the service here, it is ok. I'm not a fan of the service. They don't seem to check up on people often which is annoying. I never even got a refill on my water which totally annoyed me. Anyway, the food is good if you know what you're doing. The service can be better.
(4)Kelly W.
Great restaurant. My kids enjoyed enjoyed making their own stir fry bowls. Food was great and the service was awesome. Kevin was a great server and made our first experience awesome.
(5)Mona W.
I love how vegan and vegetarian-friendly this place is. You get to make your own bowl by walking the line and putting your own toppings on, and then when you put the white stick in, they cook it in a special pan that hasn't had meat in it. This is such a PLUS! I loved the blue stick roti bread and was told by friends to put a lot of sauce in the bowl. Good advice! I also added a good heap of the chopped garlic. Turned out great! Oh, I really love their peach iced tea, too. I think they have sweet and unsweet. Came on a Friday night at about 8:15 and had no wait. Service was prompt and our waitress was friendly. It was my husband's first time being there and he LOVED it. We'll definitely be going back.
(5)Matt G.
I'll preface this by saying that I was a big fan of the "other" stir-fry joint across the street before this one opened. When Flat Top came to town, I thought they'd put the other joint out of business. Thus far they are both living in relative harmony, but I'd give Flat Top the edge on quality and ambience. So if you haven't been, it's a build-your-own stir-fry place (a lot of hyphens involved here). You start by picking out your veggies, noodles, and/or rice. You can then sauce it up the way you like, it ranges from mild and low-calorie to some spicy curries that are loaded with fat (and flavor). Last, you can add a protein if you wish (they have steak, fish, pork, chicken, and usually some sort of fish of the day). It's a healthy alternative for lunch or dinner. My kids always enjoy coming here, because no matter what they always find something to eat. Granted, my son has been known to just take an enormous bowl of steak and have them grill it, but the point is that there are endless numbers of combinations. Service is decent. I've seen a lot of reviews ripping it. They seem to have read Yelp and made some changes. They have a full bar, including all the great Japanese beers which pair well with the food. It's also affordable. For my date and I the other night (with 2 drinks each) I think it came out to about $65 with tip. Overall I'm feeling generous with 4 stars. Sometimes the quality of food on the bar is a bit questionable. but it was all pretty good when cooked. Definitely a step up from the joint across the street.
(4)Michelle M.
Soo last week I tried bd's Mongolian Grill for the first time and I thought that was pretty good until I tried Flat Top with my husband and one of our friends this weekend. Ok, this is way better. Flat Top has a great selection of crisp colorful veggies to choose from and tons of sauces and best of all they have a wide variety of vegetarian proteins! Soy-based curry pakora, BBQ tempeh, quorn, veat, seitan and tofu were all awaiting my dining pleasure. The vegetarian/vegan-friendliness is what really impressed me about Flat Top! They will cook your food separately if you desire and the veg*n options are extensive enough that it's easier to list what you can't eat than what you can. Everything was really yummy and I only have one complaint: things like potatoes, sweet potatoes and tofu seem to be cut too thick- they didn't get cooked enough compared to the other ingredients. Also at one point they mixed up our friend's calamari with my bowl and I had to go make a new one but that was no big deal. Yummy, veggie friendly and a pretty good value! I will be back for sure. Also the roti bread is awesome.
(4)Jinna H.
Came with a friend of mine for her birthday celebration. Service was totally slow. It took 10 minutes to get Siracha and another lemonade for our table. I finished eating my food by the time our server came back. They also don't serve real siracha (it's one of the sauces they have in a siracha bottle, which really makes no sense). Food turned out okay for me, but not for my friend. Overall a depressing experience.
(2)Matthew K.
This was my first trip to a flat top and I really enjoyed it. It is rather pricey, but if you do the unlimited plus take a bowl home---lunch the next day---it really isn't that bad.
(4)Jan J.
My fiancé & I have enjoyed our numerous visits to Flat Top Grill in Naperville,and it was our number 1 go to place when we would go out for a nice dinner or special occasion. Our last visit was right after the "rules" changed. Our waiter was very informative explaining how Corporate decided to change things up a bit and we would now give our meat order to him and then go and pick our ingredients for our meal along with what sauce toppings we would like and any other sides to go with it. I think when you add your chosen ingredients and toppings the desired blend should enhance your eating experience. This left us both disappointed. I was less than happy with the new "rules" as the meat was seasoned to be way spicier than I would have enjoyed and it didn't mix well with the ingredients and sauce blends I chose. I had to pick out my vegies avoiding the meat and left 99% of the meat in the bowl. (Definitely a 360 degree change from the experience I knew) If the Corporate thinks changes like this are acceptable to the general audience then I will find a new place to enjoy my meal. If we are going to go again I will call first to find out if they have changed back to the old format. If not, then we will go elsewhere.
(1)Victor K.
CHANGES ARE BAD! I used to like eating here. I think I'll have to switch to BD's. I literally had 5 pieces of meat with the new process. Cook wasn't that good this time around either.
(2)Michael L.
Very good food! Tends to take a little time to prepare, but always fresh! Sauces are always good and a very nice selection! Can make it as spicey or as mild as you like!
(4)Candice G.
Downgrading to a 2. Not as big, fresh, or yummy as the Yorktown location. Also, it was obvi that our server wanted to get out of there, no 2nd round of drinks, no dessert, no going up for more (not that I needed it but based on principle). Then, the place is still open, new tables had just sat down in the front of the place and the servers all start gorging on the stir fry make up table... I'm fine with this, I was a server, they have to eat EXCEPT the employees had a total disregard for the sneeze guard... fully crawling under the sneeze guard with half their bodies totally being one with the ingredient buffet. One girl server was under the sneeze guard, I kid you not, for 5 minutes, picking through a bucket of ingredients inspecting every piece of anything she picked up, putting it back in, fishing around, armpits hitting other spoons, elbows in the buckets, hair touching the sneeze guard cieling, until she got her giant bowl of food... did I mention she was laughing and holding a convo with other servers while lodged inside the buffet? I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have her spit all over my food. The food was not as good as the Lombard one, the tofu was barely cooked, they didn't have all the sauces that their signs and menu's advertised, their veggie meat selection was poor and the "meat", was all in really gross, watery pools. I will prob not be back to this location. It's worth the trip to Lombard for better everything.
(2)Natalie F.
I have been going to Flat Top Grill for well over 10 years now. I started with the one in the Chicago off of LaSalle Street. Finally they put two in the burbs. Lombard and Naperville which are both close to where I live. I just went back again yesterday to the Naperville location. I think the food can only be bad if YOU create a bad combo. I have never managed to do so. I like the all you can eat for 10 bucks concept. I also like that it is a great place for us carb watchers. I def prefer them over Mongolian across the street. A little small inside and somewhat tight seating but other than that it is a nice place. The bathroom's could have been a little nicer and bigger for Naperville. :)
(4)George W.
We came in, got exactly what we thought we would get, and left. Flat Top is a bit of a dining experience - in our case, we were doing lunch. I had a "jones" for Flat Top. Go figure. You have a red bowl, and fill it with whatever you want. At the end of the line, there is a black bowl that you fill with your choice of tasty meat. Turn them in with a colored stick of your choice (I selected the flat bread). The food came out around 10 to 15 minutes after we selected our options. One minor gripe - the wasabi was in liquid form. That meant it mixed in with the rest of the stir fry, but that was okay. Our drinks were fine (soft drink for me, tea for my lady) and the soft drink got refilled just before I ran out. Nice service. It took a minute for the hostess to seat us - I think they do multiple duty. This is an area for improvement. Free parking is available in the lot behind the shop - if there is any available.
(3)Sandra G.
Awesome brunch options ranging from omelets to french toast to pancakes. Since this usual-Mongolian grill style restaurant is an all-you-can-eat venue, breakfast follows this same credo. Loved that I could have a salty egg-white omelet to begin with, packed with all kinds of fresh vegetable goodness and then follow it up with a not-so-gluttonous portion of French toast to fend off my exorbitant sweet craving. Would have never pegged this place as a great breakfast/brunch option, but looks can be deceiving and sometimes, just sometimes we have to admit when we're wrong.
(4)Renae G.
I LOVE this Flat Top. I had only been to a FT for breakfast, so when my dad and I tried it for lunch we were newbies. We told the host this and he was super nice and took us through the whole process, and even checked back when we were in line putting our meals together. He was really nice and helpful without being annoying. Our waitress was fine and I can't believe the amount of food! I got the one bowl and ended up having 3 meals out of it! My fiancee and I are planning to go back this weekend. (Maybe the drunk host got fired?)
(5)Lee S.
I take my family to this place every week. The food is really, really good and healthy. The staff is extremely friendly and the manager always remembers us.
(5)Jon M.
This restaurant used to be one of my favorites. It seems to have gone down hill over the last couple months though. I have gone back twice, and both times was disappointing. The meat was grizzled and fatty, and they removed the chorizo, which was to die for. They also seemed to have raised their price.
(3)Kedar D.
Flat Top Grill is yet another chain that disproves the axiom that chain-restaurants must be bland and vegan-unfriendly. While the Mongolian grill set-up is fairly familiar, FTG spices things up by having unusual ingredients (such as seitan, BBQ tempeh, "Veat" chicken, and curry pakora) and well-balanced, thoughtful sauces (such as Vietnamese soy, which has a spicy kick, and Indian "vindahoo"). These features alone put FTG a cut above the competition but, to make things even better, FTG has cheap cocktails and a good bar area. The ambience is classy-modern, with a lot of red and black tones everywhere. This is a good place to take a date or to bring the family. The prices are reasonable for lunch, though maybe a bit on the high side for dinner ($10 for an unlimited lunch, $15 for dinner); however, if you're any kind of student, you get a $1 discount at lunch and $2 discount at dinner. Pretty much all of the sauces (except for one or two) are vegan, and all of the mockmeats are vegan, except for the Quorn. Everything that is vegan is labeled, which is extremely helpful, and this also puts the word "vegan" more into the mainstream, as FTG is a bustling, popular chain in the Chicagoland area; "vegetarian" is not used anywhere, as far as I could tell. I liked that no matter what combination of ingredients or sauces I used, I always came out with something really tasty. The cooking time seems a bit long (roughly 7-9 minutes per bowl), especially since I was the only person in the restaurant when I went in the late afternoon. I think it might be a calculated effort to slow down your eating, thereby making you consume less food; but that's a savvy business decision which leads to smaller waistlines, so I'm okay with it.
(4)Kevin K.
Flat Top Grill is a more versatile version of your strip mall Mongolian BBQ joint. The ingredients are fresh and plentiful. The sauces amazing. The extras are where they really excel though. You can add shrimp, roti, eggs, etc. to your bowl. You can also choose to have your bowl made into hot and sour soup, regular soup, mu shu style, etc. This makes for a seemingly unlimited set of choices! The staff is friendly and helpful and also very knowledgable about the selection. The only drawbacks are that things move a little slowly. This is not necessarily bad, unless you are in a bit of a rush. The other thing that I find troublesome is that they charge you to take home leftovers. It is a 5.95 charge, which I think is extreme. Yes, people can abuse the system, but most people were just not able to finish their bowl which they have paid for already.
(4)Tina N.
This place has really gone down hill. My two friends and I beat the rush today and walked into Flat Top to eat dinner. We waited about 3 minutes to be sat while the host, manager, and 2 workers were just talking by the buffet area. After the host finally sat us, she sat us in a corner where the only other groups in the place were sitting. It was very cramped. After receiving my bowl and eating a few bites, I found a long black hair mixed into my bowl.... I have red hair that I was wearing in a bun. I proceeded to tell our waiter who was very apologetic and offered me another free bowl to make a new one. I took her up on that and then ended up waiting another 20 minutes for my new, hairless bowl. I'm never one to be rude or complain because I work in the restaurant business and I hate most people, but this service was absolutely ridiculous and poorly run. If this place cares at all about costumer service and experience they will make some changes to their restaurant. All the manager said to me was "I don't know how that happened all our cooks have short hair." At least I got a free meal, and I will never be going back.
(1)Theresa C.
I put a used stick in my bowl, added three scoops of the red chili sauce and still had a great time. Yes, I was a Flat Top virgin and it showed. I was hesitant about a built your own bowl type of place. With the endless combos of flavors can come at a cost if you don't know what you're doing. Example: I added 3 scoops of the red chili sauce and thought I was reenacting a scene from Man v. Food. It tasted great but the burn in my mouth was probably not worth it. The next bowl I had was just right, I felt like Goldilocks. At first I have shunned the idea of putting together your own meal. But now I'm kinda liking it, it's great to put as many ingredients in the bowl as humanly possible without looking like an oinker. Hey they're vegetables and that's good for you, right? The roti bread was excellent but I probably will go with just one next time. They are a little too heavy for the lunchtime. My one complaint is it takes a long time to get the food to the table. So don't go if you're super hungry. Also the lunch prices are better than dinner. And if you want to try your hand at the different combos, spring for the all you can eat special (it's worth it if you don't like the creation you have made).
(4)Allison C.
This place is great! I love coming here. The idea of being able to pick out your own vegetables, meats and sauces is great! You get to create your own stir fry with however much food you want. Plus they have this flat bread they put on top of your order if you choose it is the best thing ever. It is out of this world! If you are looking for a different place to try some stiry fry or just a unique restaurant the this is the place. Just make sure if you go on a Friday or Saturday night that you make reservations first b/c they do fill up fast! This is a great place for large groups if you are looking to celebrate a birthday or anniversary OR just because!
(4)Glenn R.
Let me just say that I love this place. This is one of my favorite places for Asian style Stir Fry. The price is pretty cheap, and you can eat as much stir fry as your stomach can hold. Basically when you are seated, you are given an empty bowl and a wooden stick to write your name on. You then walk over to the Raw foods buffet and stuff your bowl with your choice of noodles, rice, vegetables, all sorts of raw meats, and your choice of sauces. You then place the bowl on the counter where you can add additional items to your bowl like Tofu, shrimp, Nan Indian bread (indicated by different colored sticks). For example, if you want to add Tofu to your bowl, you place a blue colored stick inside your bowl or if you want to add 2 Nan bread, you place 2 Yellow colored sticks in your bowl. The cooks will take your bowl and stir fry them for you, afterwards, your waiter will serve the bowl to you at your table...that simple. I have been to Flat Top Grill on several occasions and have tried different combinations of meats, vegetables and sauces until I finally found the right combination that works for me. My suggestion would be to first fill your bowl to the top, as cooking will significantly shrink the food. If you're a little bit on the spicier side, I suggest you add the Filipino Sausage. It has a hint of spice and sweetness and is my favorite meat. For the sauces, experience have shown that I should only stick with two types of sauces. For example, choose one of your favorite sauces (mine is Korean BBQ sauce) and the other sauce will compliment the flavor of the first sauce. In my case, I always get the Korean BBQ sauce with the Hot Chili sauce to add a little kick to the Korean sauce. And don't forget the Nan Indian Bread. This bread is DA BOMB !!! Make sure to indicate you want two Nan breads This place is great for people with big appetites and on the budget like me. For $14.99 Dinner and $9.99 Lunch, you have unlimited trips to the Buffet Bar, and you can also take home your leftovers. If you're a big "Left Over" eater like me, I suggest the first trip to the Buffet Bar you eat in, and the other trip you take to go, doggy bag....hahahaha Luv this place
(5)Amy N.
I've always wanted to try this place, so my sister and I went here yesterday. She said she loved it because she's been here before, so I was expecting to like it as well, but I wasn't that impressed. Things I didn't like: -When we first walked in, there was no hostess at the front, so we waited maybe 4-5 minutes for the hostess to come out. -The seating felt way too cramped and close together. I almost felt like I was a part of the family sitting next to us because they were that close. -The bowls to put what you want in your stir fry are way too small! Once I filled mine up enough I stopped because I didn't want it to overflow, but I looked around and it seemed like everyone was just piling mounds of food onto their bowl. This should be an obvious sign to just use bigger bowls. -I didn't think the service was that bad, but it wasn't that great either. I feel like I waited forever just to get my water. And I noticed that two of the people next to us, were waiting a long time for their food and when they saw that there were bowls ready to be served, they just got up themselves to get their food instead of waiting for a server. Things I did like: -I liked the variety of ingredients they had. I felt like there was enough variety to please everyone. -The little stick things of additional ingredients you want to add (like tofu, eggs, etc) that you put into your bowl before you give it to the cooks are really neat. There's one for if you have any allergies, so I thought that was helpful. (They cook your food in a separate wok if you have any allergies). When I got my food, I was a bit disappointed, but it was my own fault because I had put too much soy sauce into my bowl, so my stir fry turned out to be really salty and made everything not so enjoyable and I was left feeling unsatisfied. Lesson learned. I think I'd give it another try though, just not at this location.
(2)Joanna K.
I love coming to this place. The location of this Flat Top Grill is wonderful. It's in downtown Naperville, it's a great place to grab a bite before hitting town to party. This location is good for big groups because they do take reservations! That's always a plus! I like this place better than the Mongolian BD that is right across the street, because there's a bigger variety of veggies and sauces here. The veggies are always refilled with fresh ones. You are also able to customize your stir fry with different "sticks" Right before you're ready for the cook to prepare your dish, you may add these color sticks. The sticks may represent to add shrimp on the side, make stir fry into a mu shu wrap, flat bread on the side (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), make selections in a soup, allergies, add tofu, etc. You will not be disappointed! There's an unlimited option if you are that hungry for only a DOLLAR more! It is not bad. Also if you are a student, remember to bring your school ID to get a dollar off of your stir fry!
(5)Stefanie B.
I really liked flat top grill because you get to get up and move about and physically pick the food that you want to eat. Me and my boyfriend went here for dinner one night and left very satisfied not to mention full! Here it's a make your own stir fry bar that lets you pick the type of vegetables you want (which has anything from asparagus to zucchini), the sauce combination in which it'll be tossed in (sweet, spicy, savory) and the type of protein you want with it. They had chicken, fish, beef, pork, calamari, all types of different soy products I've never heard of before, and sausage. mmmm both mine and his favorite was the sausage. Too bad we waited until our last plate to figure that out. i wouldn't recommend the calamari. the stir fry takes quite a while on the flat top and calamari is just one of those things that tends to get overcooked. One of the nice things i thought was nice about the place is that they cater to those with food allergies like to peanuts and stuff. They also have each sauces nutritional value and sauce categorization up above the bar for those who may be on a diet or just interested in knowing. The thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that if you tried different combinations of sauces together you didn't really know how it would turn out until the finished plate came to your table. If you didn't like it it's like you wasted all that food and i hate wasting food. Luckily we had a really good server that night.. i forgot her name.. but she was very helpful when it came to picking the right combination. she actually went with us up to the bar and had us taste test a sauce she was talking about before we threw it in our bowl. She went on even to tell us that sometimes they have people standing at the bar just to help people pick their sauces. And don't worry you people out there who don't know how to maneuver chop sticks... yes, they have forks :) i like using them though Its kind of cool too how they have these little colored sticks at the end of the bar that you could put in your bowl to indicate if you wanted something specific. for instance, you could add shrimp to it, make your bowl into a soup, or just add pita bread (which was good), but i stuck mainly to just the stir fry. Needless to say our bellies were full by the end of dinner and had no room for desert.
(4)Tommy M.
Nice. Nice. Not thrilling, but nice. (name that movie and you score big points with me) I go to restaurants because I'm too lazy to make my own food, or they can make it better. While it's nice to totally customize your meal, it can be a lot of work, and the lines can be long. For that much effort, I can make my own stirfry. I will say this though, it's fun with groups, as the atmosphere and theme help initiate conversation. Maybe a good date place? I know that one of my friends loves taking first dates here. Let's call him Bob. So a quick story - we were there for a friend's bday. When you order, you write your name on a wooden stick that goes in the bowl. We thought it would be fun to write down fake names. The waitress definitely didn't get it, and really didn't play along. BORING! (Guess you had to be there)
(3)Brad C.
Hit this place the other day for dinner, love the atmosphere, we scored a raised table... pretty nice to be up a little higher and at level with your waitress. Our waitress, Jennifer P., was AWESOME and had about a dozen good sauce combination for us. Drinks (Mai Tai & the Bloody Mary) were good, came a little slow and went down real easy so we were waiting too long for the next. There were only a few tables full at the beginning so not sure why we were waiting for refills. One bowl and an appetizer work great, you don't need to hurt yourself with multiple bowls. If you do multiple bowls, make them small to try a variety. Why only 2 stars, nothing spectacular, over priced in my opinion. ($20 per person + drinks) The difference between BD's Mongolian and Flat Top, this is a better date atmosphere (If all-you-can-eat is date material) and it serves cocktails. If you have kids, go to BD's across the street. If it is just friends, guess this is good, I was just under-whelmed.
(2)Phil N.
It's all about the vindaloo and yellow curry. Be sure to get the paratha (or Pratha as they like to spell it) If you've never had it, it's indo-paki bread that's crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. It goes well with everythig from spicy dishes to maple syrup. Being a DIY place, it's all up to you how good you make it, but imo it beat's all other Mongolian BBQ's around.
(4)Tom S.
Went there for dinner tonight and besides the food being delicious, I have to comment on our hostess Haylee: she was extremely nice, genuine and helpful, even showing us her own personal favorite mixture of sauces, which I ended up going with and liked! She asked my daughter about school and helped her pick out her own stir-fry, and then came back to our table about halfway through our meal to see how we liked everything. When I asked her how long she had been hostessing there, she told me about two weeks - which I couldn't believe because she was like a seasoned vet! Please hire more people just like her - super nice and helpful! T.S.
(5)Lila G.
I have been to Flat Top three times and the first time was a total fail! It's hard to know what will taste good together. My second and third visit went much better! I love making my own stir fry! If you are a college student make sure to take your school ID, you will get a discount! The con I have about this place is that sometimes food tends to finsih quickly and the food station becomes empty, also many people are messy and start touching with their hands! I would recommended to go early!
(3)Steve S.
We used to go to the FlatTop in Lombard, but now this one is much closer. It's kind of tucked away in a myriad of shops on Washington St. but its well worth coming here over Lombard if you don't want the wait times that can be the norm up there! Amazingly this is the second time we've been able to find parking only steps from the front door. (Although I'm absolutely certain that wont happen in January or February)
(5)Michelle M.
Went there for lunch w/ my sister. This flat top is located in downtown Naperville right across the streets from a BDs Mongolian BBQ. Similar joints. Interesting. Pretty dead when we got there. Nice waiter. Got a couple of stirfry bowls. Filled mine to the brim with 'Veggie' Meats. I love those vegan meats. They are amazing! I'd love to be able to buy those @ a store. The staff was helpful in picking out which combo of sauces would work best w/ the stir-fry. Much appreciated. After eating one bowl, I was pretty stuffed, but I felt pressured to go back for more or to order a dessert. I know we weren't ordering apps or getting drinks, but I shouldn't feel pressured to do so. Not sure I'm gonna go back unless I'm about to throw down some moolah.
(4)Gail L.
We've been here a few more times, and I'm feeling much more positive about it. The ingredients are top notch, and everyone is always happy to help you build your bowls and sauce. The cooking time has improved somewhat, but at least when you get back your bowl, it tastes like your bowl, not like what someone else did right before you. The Roti is awesome.
(4)Dave P.
FT Grille, your ok. I don't see anything special, the food is ok. Service was ok, just average and average pricing. Sorry I was not that excited when I left.
(3)Johnny T.
While I thoroughly enjoyed my food (Indian bread was to die for!), I would go into detail over the food but, I'll use this review to rant my frustration over their leftover policy, which is a shame since their food alone is a 5. Its $12.99 for one trip (or one bowl) to the stir fry booth and $14.99 for unlimited trips. If you can't finish your bowl after making 2 or more trips up there, you get charged an extra $4.59 just for taking the food you couldn't finish, which would end up getting thrown out. Which means I have to pay $20 altogether per person for Asian food. The waitress tried putting a positive spin on it by saying that's it like getting an extra meal that you get to enjoy at home, but I didn't see it like that. I could see it making sense if they served filet mignon and lobster but, this is over Asian-type food which isn't expensive. My advice would be to get the one bowl offering and pile as much shit on the bowl as you can so you'll be full enough to have leftovers and won't get hit with the extra charge, don't give these scammers the satisfaction.
(3)Brian G.
It's good. It's pretty darn good. Is it the best, no - I have yet to find a grill / wok / stir fry place that I can call the best. This place is unique. We went with a couple of friends on a Saturday night. Went in around 5:30 and came out around 7:00. Not bad, good turn around on time. Did not feel rushed during the meal. Our server took her time with us and made us feel comfortable. Even though there was a huge group of people waiting for our seats, no one rushed us out. This is something that is not common in DT Naperville - especially on a Saturday afternoon. The mantra in DT Naperville is to push, push, push... get the patrons out to get more in... NOT here!! :-) Is it ok to take your time eating and hogging tables though - no. If you do, leave a good tip - appreciate your servers time. Back to Flat Top. The food combinations are pretty much endless - the only thing I could not find was water chestnuts. The staff is pretty good at making sauce recommendations - they really put a lot of effort in having you create and test your sauce before you load up and move on to the grill. The only problem I had was a comment from one of the servers - though in all fun I'm sure - about choosing teriyaki. She called it boring - and encouraged me to try something else... I'm not kinda a jerk when told what to do - it's not a common train. I grinned and just looked forward - non-verbal message to back-off (politely). They are though very specific about helping you choose a sauce. If you don't like that over the edge customer service, be careful though it's not really as bad as I'm making it out to be. My other point of hesitation - don't add shrimp to your meal. No flavor at all, just grilled... not even salt or some seasoning. It was bland and boring. I'm not certain if they are open to adding seasoning or even a bit of sauce to the shrimp while it cooks - for all I know, you probably could have. I didn't ask and as a result I had a stick of shrimp that tasted like cardboard. Probably my fault for not speaking up. I really enjoyed this place - it's a great afternoon / evening hangout. Give it a try.
(4)Katie C.
Excellent stir fry! Tortilla bread is super yummy! They also give student discounts!
(5)Xander S.
I've always liked make-your-own stirfry places like this, for the ultimate power to choose how your food came out. This allowed me to keep coming to this place, as I made crappy dish after crappy dish. Then, I learned to make healthier mixes. Then I learned to make TASTIER mixes. And then, Flat Top Grill became a much more enjoyable place! For the price, few places can match the quality or quantity. Learn the right sauce mixes, and your experiences here will be gold. That said, specific to this location, Naperville has several places like here, and perhaps because of it, forces them to improve the quality of the food. In this, I believe they succeeded, and I have frequented it the most.
(4)Staci B.
I love this place because you can eat healthy! If you have allergies or avoid wheat and gluten you can still have a fun dining experience. They display the macros so you actually know what you are eating and if you skip the rice, noodles and bread - focus on your lean protein, veggies, and smart sauce choices (ask them, they are super helpful) - you can have a pear margarita and not feel too guilty!
(5)Nelson S.
I use to kinda like this place but now I don't, not even a little bit. I can make better stir fry at home with better veggies and meat. I can't expect this place to have the best produce and meats but the offerings were that not great in my opinion. For example, the asparagus they had on the line was small and stringy, well, size doesn't really matter but the stringy and leaving a bad taste in the mouth, that's a double no-no. The meat was tough after it was cooked and served, tough meat might be good is some cases but again, not here. In one of my creations, I used noodles by the time it reached the table, the noodles were all chopped and smashed. To continue with the theme, a limp noodle is better than a chopped & smashed noodle. The service was good, the girl was very nice and accommodating, our drinks were never empty. They do have very good flavored ice teas, If this was an ice tea cafe, 5 stars all the way, but unfortunately I do not plan on coming back unless friends wanted to go. So I don't hate this place, just would come here on my own accord.
(2)Amir G.
So I went here again with my son this afternoon. I actually used to work at a Flottop Grill in Evanston so I know the whole concept...I guess I should say I knew the concept. Usually I would've given this place at least four stars but a few things made me iffy about it. First of all, when I take my 3 year old out to eat, wait staff always assumes that it's gonna be a bad table but my son is fairly well behaved and if my server doesn't have a stick up their ass the whole time I make sure I show my appreciation. This was one of those times where my son and I were basically ignored. It's cool, I thought, the 3 bowls of stir fry I'm gonna have will make up for it. NOPE! So they changed it now that you get this little tray type thing with a big bowl and a little bowl, so they don't have the bowls sitting at the raw food line anymore. This is awful if your server is not attentive because it took me about an hour to get two bowls. The other thing is the price. I remember it used to be $7.99 for lunch when I worked there and now it's $9.99! For a lunch buffet? No thank you! All in all, I will not be returning to Flattop Grill any time soon. Kind of upsets me, especially because they were a former employer.
(2)Chris B.
Mixed bag. The food was good, our server was good, but the host was slow, the place was kind of dirty, and the atmosphere was bad. We sat by the kitchen and they must have had the door open, because there was a bad draft, and some smells of trash blew out of the back. I would try another location, because the food was good, but I don't think I'll go back to Naperville.
(2)Neil G.
I really enjoy eating at Flat Top because I can get a large amount of food with out spending a large amount of money. I'm a vegetarian and it is difficult for me to find a place where there are lots of options I can eat, and lots of options that my friends who eat meat (or are vegans) will also enjoy, but Flat Top does it. The basic idea is that you create your own kind of stir fry from lots of different ingredients and ts and sauces. If you can fit it into your bowl they will fry it up for you. TIP #1 -- If you can go during lunch time, because the lunch prices are better than the dinner prices. TIP #2 -- Always toss a blue stick in your bowl at the end. Doing so will get you this really awesome bread. I often put two blue stick in my bowl.
(4)Shannon M.
I'd had a good deal of Mongolian bbq prior to eating here (BD's across the street for one, and the Genghis Grill chain and Zen Mongolian in Texas), but Flat Top offers some different options. You go through the same type of salad-bar assembly line, building your dish as you go (though Flat Top didn't have quite the array of vegetables that I'm used to from other places...and what?! No water chestnuts?!? Blasphemy!! And only green bell peppers, blehh.) Choose your sauces and proteins, yadda yadda. But here is where Flat Top diverges from the typical mongolian grill establishment. By planting one of an array of different colored sticks in your bowl of ingredients, you can change the course of your stir fry meal. A pink stick gets hot and sour soup poured over your cooked bowl of ingredients. Clear stick means it's served with mu shu pancakes. Green indicates the stir fry will come served atop a salad. And so on: it's like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book, realized in colored plastic stick form. I chose the roti prata (blue stick), which is an Indian flat bread that was crisped on the outside yet remained pliable -- hard to explain; it's not like naan, the only other Indian flat bread I'm used to, which is fluffier; this was thinner and eggier. Really yummy though. Service was exceedingly attentive, not only our waitress but also at the ingredient bar as well; though this may be a function of the fact that the restaurant only just opened, so everyone's still "on" and also making sure that people coming in know how the mongolian grill concept works. The flow of the restaurant seemed good, and I liked how you didn't have to stand at the grill and wait for your food to be cooked, unlike at other Mongolian bbq places; you put your name, or "another codeword" as the waitress put it, on a little wooden skewer that goes with your bowl, and they bring it back to your table when it's ready. Our waitress was very nice and very efficient, which is great, but i hope the staff will calm down a bit as the newness wears off, because as we were leaving no less than 5 people said goodbye to us, none of whom we'd interacted with. Polite, yes, but hardly necessary. I'll certainly make a return trip, though I hope they'll consider expanding their veggie selection (water chestnuts!!)
(4)andrea d.
The concept is awesome, just like Mongolian BBQ, but not as good. The bowls are not easy to carry and they just have too many add-ons. They do not have a big variety of veggies to choose from either. I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)Emily C.
For me in downtown Naperville, this is truly as good as it can get $13.99 all I can eat stir fry and they have a multitude of vegan options - heck they even know what vegan is! My son tried the Pomegranate Lemonade, and it was really delicious - not like most places with stale fountain drink taste. I absolutely loved all of the protein options, the multitude of veggies and veggie mixs, sauces (broken down by spicy, sweet, etc and marked V for vegan). The onlyy pitfall was that we had to wait 5 minutes or more at the front for the manager to come and seat us, for some reason the hostess is not allowed to seat people unless told she can - that was a bit odd. The fruit options were only pineapple, a little sparse on fruit but hey - how much fruit is really stir-fryable anyway?? I definitely will beback here, I found it far more enjoyable than BD's across the street.
(5)Amber K.
The second time I have been to flat top was at the Naperville location. It was pretty good! But I don't really see why it wouldn't be good because you make your own meal. Our waitress was super nice and the drinks were always full. She suggested a really great combination of sauces and even poured the right amount on my pile of food for me. I really like the vegan chicken (forgot what it's called) the texture was was perfect! I tried the steak and it was too tough. I love the feel of the place very cozy. I will deffinatly be back!!!! Ooooo 1 more thing kids 4 and under eat free!! Sweet deal when your 3 year old won't eat when you actully spend money on his food! ;-)
(4)Alanna K.
My friend and I went to flat top grill for our first time a couple of weeks ago. Our server was very friendly, and on top of things. The flavored iced teas and lemonades are super super good. And I had no problems with any of the ingredients at the buffet. Nothing up there was in gross condition. And I loved how you can make your stir fry into a soup, salad, lettuce wrap, or mu shu. Love the concept. Although I have to admit one of our favorite things there was this bread...I forgot what it's called..maybe ROTI? IDK...but it was pretty amazing. It's like a cross between a tortilla and pancake with a butter taste. YUM!
(4)kristen s.
i love the idea of being able to make my own concoctions of noodles. it was a bit expensive though for the fact you do all the work. ingredients were fresh and plentiful though.
(4)Susi D.
Yay yay yay! I was SO SO SO excited when I saw a Flat Top was opening in Naperville. We used to go to the Evanston one all the time. So this year for my birthday this is where we went. Packed up the kids and off we went. We made a reservation and were seated quickly. The manager was very helpful and was willing to assist us in getting the kids situated which was nice. The food was as good as i remember. The kids ate for free, extra-awesome. We wanted to save room for our beloved Chocolate Storm but alas we ate too much. Next time. The manager came back at some point to tell us he hoped we weren't worried about the mess (twin toddlers + rice = disaster on floor) because he sure wasn't. He said "you just gotta let kids be kids, and they're just messy... its ok!" That was nice because we of course WERE feeling bad about it!! The waitress was nice and introduced us to her brother (they are twins too) who was eating at the next table. The selection of stuff for stir-frying was extensive. lots of great sauces and options for preparation. I love how you just put everything in the bowl and go sit down and they bring it to you! And you can't beat an all-you-can eat situation. If you make something and you just don't like it you just go back up and try it again! Good stuff. My kids even liked it and attempted to eat with chopsticks. Too cute. Hooray for Flat Top Grill!!!
(5)Thelma W.
Wow, This place has really changed,you can not pick the amount of fish chicken or meat.If you want to season your selection good luck.The sauces are now in large pour bottles,good luck on measuring the amount you need, after all you will not know the amount of meat you will receive.No more mushu's, just a large burrito wrap ???.I was a big fan of this restaurant,dining several times a month.No more,to expensive for a bowl of mixed rice and salad mixtures where the griller decides the amount of meat you will get from a sheet of paper stuck on a stick.This idea of the waiter running around with wood sticks,pencils ,salad bowls, and paper meat orders is just ridiculous .We will not be back!!!!
(2)Derrick T.
It's FlatTop! The chain that has taken over the concept of create your own stir fry. If you're on Paleo, this is awesome. Veggies, meats, quick stir fry (that's probably not coconut oil, but I can deal with a little bit of that). If you're coming because you like the idea of making your own stir fry with fresh ingredients, also awesome. if you want spectacular food at a low low price, you'll be disappointed. It's not that the quality of their food is bad, but rather the way it's set up, there's not a lot of technique that's allowed in prepping the food. Which means your meats will be uniformly done to a medium well to well to over cooked... the veggies will all be cooked at the same time as well, etc. Service overall was fine, and we had no issues there. But like any chain, maintaining a high standard is tough, and this place just does A-OK. Verdict: An easy dinner that's reasonable for AYCE, will probably come back as necessary.
(3)Ashley A.
I came here when a friend suggested it as our lunch destination. The only thing I knew about this place, was where it was located. It is pretty similar to Mongolian BBQ in the sense that you go up and fill your bowl with different meats, sauces etc. I'm usually not a fan of places like this because I never know if I'm going to like the outcome. I just grabbed random stuff and hoped for the best. I do like that you don't have to stand around the wok/grill while your food is being cooked. You can be seated and your server brings it to you when it's done. My bowl was pretty tasty, thank goodness. I think I would come back and try it again, but I'm not racing back by any means any time soon. I went for lunch during the weekday so it wasn't too crowded. I just didn't think the ingredients and meat looked very fresh. They just opened so I assumed everything would be brand new. I just don't like seeing employees grab things from the buffet area willy nilly. The nice thing is that the waiter asked for my student ID to receive the student discount. I didn't know they had one, so I whipped out my ID and I received $1 off my bill. Hey, it's better than nothing!
(3)Eli H.
I used to look at Flat Top as an upscale Mongolian BBQ as their restaurant was always consistently cleaner which goes a long way when you've got a buffet of raw meat out in the wild. However, after last night's experience, I'd say Flat Top Grill is arguably worse, if not on the same level, of the blighted cleanliness wasteland that is Mongolian BBQ. First off, as a hostess, it seems like common courtesy to warn people or give them an option to wait before seating a table full of adults next to a gaggle of what was easily the worst behaved children I've ever had the pleasure of being near. If I would've been given the option of waiting an additional 30 minutes or sitting next to kids who quite literally were so unsupervised they were taking things off our table, it'd be a no brainer. So, just like all these create-your-own-stir-fry outfits, we headed up to the bar to craft our culinary creations. Everything that you'd actually want to eat was gone, leaving an odd melange of unwanted selections like cauliflower, corn, carrots, and other weird stuff. Similar story for the sauces. Want anything good? Too bad, it's gone, and the surrounding area is so sticky that it seems like the empty sauces were just poured straight on the floor. The meat, oh my, the meat. Looking at the array of meats during prime time resulted in the same feeling of revulsion that you get when you're staring down a barrel of a double shot of Jaegermeister- In that, you've gone this far, and you really have no choice but to do it, but you know the path you're on is going to lead to laying on the bathroom floor praying for sweet release from this mortal coil. From here it seems natural to notice that the meat tongs have migrated between every container, and subsequently have touched many surfaces you've also touched, so you decide to go wash your hands- But, surprise, the bathrooms are so filthy that you actually feel dirtier after using them... And you'll have a good thirty minutes to think about which bacterial source will be your undoing as you sit and wait for your food to be cooked. Hope you don't want a second bowl, either, as you've just extended your Flat Top misery by at least another hour. I could go on, but it comes down to this- My most recent visit to Flat Top was easily high on the list of the worst dining experiences I've had in my entire life. Much like Mongolian BBQ, avoid this restaurant at all costs, unless, I guess, you're just bored on a Sunday night and really just want to pee out your butt.
(1)Lauren B.
I love Flat Top. I could probably eat it almost daily for my entire life and be totally happy. But I sure hope I don't end up eating at this location again. It's incredibly cramped seating, a very awkward location for a restaurant. The service was mediocre at best...despite it not being busy, we couldn't here our waitress, she was so timid! And the food didn't taste nearly as good at it does at the Flat Top location in the Loop. In addition the self serve bar is awfully set up; it's smaller location calls for a smaller serving station, but it was cramped, busy, messy, and hard to navigate.
(3)Tom C.
Been coming here with my wife for a few years now and we love it. Most recently I was here last Sunday with my wife and mother in law around 1:30pm and we were seated right away. The food here is really good. Its a make-your-own bowl tyoe of place and they have a good selection of veggies and meats available. They recently added fajita beef and fajita chickent to the meat selection so I tried them both and I was not very impressed. I normally get the longanisa (filipino sausage) and chicken and I love those! There are not too many places to get longanisa outside of filipino restaurants so that is a huge plus for me. The noodles and rice are good as well. Along with the veggies and meat at the prep station/salad bar you can add shrimp, egg, tofu, and the unbelievably delicious roti bread. The service here is always on point. They are very nice and very attentive. Price wise they have one bowl for $9.99 (and you can pack as much as you want in there) or unlimited for an extra $4.99, plus you can box it up if you don't finish! So ultimately you pick your ingredients and your sauce and meat so this place us as good as you make it, but the options provided are great and it's a fantastic stir fry spot! And did I mention the roti bread?? Its delicious!!
(4)Jen K.
I love Flat Top Grill in general. That being said, this isn't my #1 location. It certainly isn't my last choice, but the place is really cramped in seating. Then it has a huge space for people to walk around, in the middle of the restaurant. Then the veggie/meat/sauce bar is so freaking close to the wall. Why? I've only gone here on nights that aren't super busy, but I have to imagine that it gets really crowded the way they have it set up. I've been here maybe 4 times. Two of those times, the hostesses made us wait, and then sat another couple that came in after us right away. It's really frustrating when they tell you it's going to be a half hour wait, and then they seat someone else as soon as they walk in the door. When I inquired about it, the hostess just apologized and said it would be at least another 15 minutes. I mean, I was smiley and friendly when we came in, so I'm not sure why she was singling us out and making us wait. This happened another time, but we didn't say anything to the hostess. Basically, I don't really have any REAL problems with this place, other than I dislike how close I have to sit by people and that the hostesses can't seat us correctly. I plan on going there this week, so hopefully they'll seat us in the correct order. Their food is delicious and I think they really, really do have something for everyone. I love trying new combinations of the food, no two experiences are ever the same!
(4)Michael M.
Mall Asian Food taste with Naperville snob appeal. The staff was friendly but unfortunately it didn't make up for the not-so-fresh vegetables and sodium infused sauces.
(1)Sabrina K.
SAWEEEEEEEET yum get blue stick. CLEAN, fresh, better than mongolian wooohoo love it oh and get the blue stick.
(5)Justin B.
Went to Flat Top Grill today (10/2/13) for lunch with a friend. Started off really great, It wasnt crowded so we were able to get seated as we walked in. The second half of my party was not familiar with the place, but had been to places like it, such as mongolian BBQ. Our Host was very nice and our waiter was very helpful! Rocky was his name and he introduced the "create your own stir-fry style" to my friend, while welcoming me back. He discussed options as well as different things customers could do with their meals (create soups, mushu, etc.), and writing down names. The different serving options at Flat Top are another reason why its so good, so many different meal options! When we went up to the counter to get are food, all of the ingredients were well stocked, as there was no one there for the lunch hour. As we approached the sauces area, Rocky was there with a helping hand. A quick side tangent on the sauces: People (generally) don't go to these restaurants enough to know what sauces go good with other sauces, or know what sauces go with others, with other combinations, etc. Especially when it is crowded and rushed! Generally anything you put on your stir-fry will generally taste good, but you could be missing out on some great tonsil titillations. GET HELP ON PAIRINGS FROM SOMEONE THAT WORKS THERE! It will be worth it. Once we placed our food to get cooked we sat down, talked, and it came out right away. We were offered more Boti Flat-bread, which is partly why I choose Flat Top over Mongolian, so that was a plus. The boti Flat-Bread is added on to the meal with a blue stick, GET the Boti! After we were done eating, I needed a box. We were offered a dessert dish, and they were kind of wanting to give it too us, not pressuring, but offering us different options like half portions and what not. Kinda didn't like that, but he understood that we didn't want any. We were on lunch-time, so it was $9.99 for a bowl of stir-fry, which was awesome. My friend said that she was very happy with her time, and that she liked it better than Mongolian BBQ. Go with Rocky as your waiter, he'll show you whats up! Another quick tip, I am not a drinker, but if you are? This place has a bar, so for those of you who are looking to get some drinks, Flat Top is another option. 4 Stars for the service and helpfulness in sauce picking, -1 for the pressuring of the dessert. Overall Great experience! Thanks!
(4)Joulie S.
This place is one of my favorites, I usually like both Mongolian Grill and this one. I love making my own plate...choosing your own ingredients for your own taste buds!!!! I like their choices, but wish their plates are a bit bigger. I love their bread that comes with it....well you can pretty much choose if you want a bread by sticking a blue stick? I don't know what it's made out of but it's to die for :-) Must try!
(4)Steve C.
Too bad I can't give fewer than one star. I have been to this Flat Top many times for several years and have always been happy with the food, however on our visit today I was extremely disappointed. Two of my family members requested to have eggs cooked with their meals. When they received their meals they were a soupy, uncooked mess. And I don't mean simply juicy - I mean that there were no signs whatsoever of cooked eggs! They brought the bowls to ask for the food to be cooked through and were told that is the way that eggs look when cooked in a wok and they were sent back to the table to eat the slop. Really?? Eggs should be liquid? I had to actually argue with management to get the food cooked. Customers should never have to argue with management and be told that they are wrong about what cooked food looks like. We are talking about eggs here, not something esoteric. I am still waiting for an apology from anyone there. Flat Top - you have my contact information....
(1)Raquel R.
This was the worst flat top grill I have ever visited. Very unclean near the food station. Our waitress brought us another tables food. When we finally received our food, I bit down on something so hard I nearly cracked my tooth. The manger was very accommodating allowing me to get another bowl of food and was also kind enough to take a percentage of the bill. All in all I was satisfied with how it was handled but will never be back to this location again.
(1)Brittany B.
I am very much a fan of Flat Top, but this specific location is one that I prefer to go to, even though it's a little bit farther than other locations. The staff is always very professional and friendly, and I feel like the staff always treats the guests like family or friends from the moment you walk in the door. Not only that, the food is always cooked so much better at this location.
(5)Paul W.
Better food, better price, more options than Mongolian. It's a place I'd take a date, unlike Mongolian where it's basically a zoo. Best stir fry in Naperville.
(5)Kevin P.
This place is pretty cool. Better than the place across the street. We have been here dozens of times and have never been disappointed. Ingredients are fresh and plenty of choices. I like adding the lettuce wraps. I change my sauces up all the time, always tastes great. Good quality meat. Staff is constantly cleaning so the place is always clean. I wish the spot was bigger. At times, especially at peak hours it can feel a little cramped. But totally worth it. Highly recommend trying the raspberry iced tea.
(4)Jojo F.
So, the husband and I went to 8am yoga today and we were both motivated for the prize at the end: Flat Top Breakfast. Imagine endless made to order omeletes, pancakes, french toast complimented with fruit, oatmeal....you get the picture. Well, we headed in at 10:30 and were quickly greeted and served. I had a small bowl of oats with coconut, strawberries and chocolate chips and made an amazing egg white omelet. Asparagus, black beans, garlic, onions, spinach, peppers and the best part? It was big enough to bring home for breakfast tomorrow. Take note: This is a great place for breakfast when you have the pickiest group 'cause everyone will walk out happy. Great service and fresh food.
(5)Trixie R.
My boyfriend and I went in there for lunch and our experience over all was a good one, the edamame appetizer really hit the spot, the lemon pepper seasoning that was included with it was delicious! For me personally I always enjoy creating a new dish here, I'm always excited to try new sauces and new combinations with my veggies. The Filipino sausage and the pita bread is what really sets Flat Top apart from other other competitors, if the sausage is only for a limited time it should stick around, it has a sweet tasting flavor which you wouldn't expect, but it's well worth it. The service was good, not too pushy and always checking back which is alway nice, but attentive enough to make sure our extra bread came out nice and warm. Over all we would be back to enjoy a dish or two!
(3)Michael B.
Recently visited here on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. Being that it was 6 o'clock, we fully expected a wait - imagine our surprise when we were seated right away with no waiting! Our waitress came over right away, and told us that we could go up and make our stir fry anytime and she would bring us our drinks. And that was right about the last time we saw her without having to flag her down. She seemed much more involved and attentive to the table of 9 high school kids that was sitting way on the other side of the restaurant. We barely saw her - my water glass was never refilled (I had to flag down a passing busboy), she never came back to check on us to see if we needed more drinks, and she never dropped off the bill (I had to speak with a manager). Also, the aforementioned party of 9 high school kids who seemed to be there because of homecoming weekend - yeah, two of the girls had no shoes on, and nobody seemed to care. Pretty sure that's a major health code violation. So, they get a 5 star rating for their food, because the food is always amazing, but they get marked down because of the service.
(3)Lauren G.
I agree with Kelsie below - I usually love Flat Top as well. Our server was horrendous on Labor Day. I mean, all I ask is that you keep my drink filled. Not that demanding. Both my husband & I had empty glasses for the majority of our meal, and had to flag down our server multiple times to get the check. At one point, I tried catching her attention - she looked at me and kept going! I saw her eating her dinner behind the bar, so that was clearly more important than serving paying customers. I hope that bowl of food was great, because she forfeited her tip from me for the "service" she gave to me. I literally never have been so mad to not tip at a restaurant. It took all I had not to write "A tip is earned, not deserved" on the tip line of the credit card slip. Instead, I just put an "X"! We honestly frequent Flat Top at least once per month. Rocky is by far the best server at the restaurant, and will definitely be calling ahead to make sure that he is working before ever returning to this location.
(1)Jennifer T.
You really can't go wrong here. It's really a great place to eat and be astonished at your own creation. You pick the stuff that goes in, someone cooks it on the way out! I'm normally not so enthusiastic about places where you have to cook your own food mainly because I think if I'm paying to be fed, the food should at least be prepared for me. However, Flat Top makes it fun to play with you food and it lets your be creative. They have a much wider range and much tastier sauce selection than any other place I know. Plus, you can turn your selections into noodles, rice or mix it all together and make it a soup (never tried that though). Their pita bread is quite delish so you must try it. The only complaint I had on my last visit is that the broccoli were kind of yellow-ish. Maybe it was about 8:30pm at the time but they could restock fresher veggies. Over all, good eating!!
(4)Jonathan H.
Horrible service is an understatement for what my family suffered. The hostess was terrible and left us waiting for an hour and a half when she said there was a twenty minute wait. They took other people over us when we had a smaller party and got our spot in line before them. Goodbye flattop hello Mongolian!!!
(1)John S.
Great spot to enjoy stir fry with friends. Service was attentive and help with sauce selection was great. Tried a new sauce Shi h was a bit hot but tasty. It started to get busy around 7 so you may want to get there early.
(4)Robert B.
Starting off, the food was delicious; however, the service has something to be desired. We waited 15 minutes for glasses of water and waited quite awhile to even get in the door. But the big thing was one of our party had mushrooms in his finished bowls when he didn't put them in and the manager told him it was only a few and he should be fine. Im sorry, but if something isn't up to a customers standards you don't tell them it's nothing; you fix it for them and have the cooks take care of it right away.
(3)Amie F.
Our server Haylee was attentive but the service was so slow you'd think the place was packed. Its just lunch & it took too long to receive our food. Won't come back again. Note, yelp asked me to finish this review, no idea why it didn't post, it's from spring 2013
(2)Senthil V.
Been to Chicago thrice to visit family and been here all 3 times. But I could tell for sure that my appetite has grown smaller progressively. Anyway, This place is great in terms of spread. It's similar to Mongolian grill concept but not even close in terms of the spread. The roti that they have along with the very many options grabs the spotlight straight away. Started with a mix of veggies and egg, in soup style, then some tofu n veggies for brown rice and tried another round for similar choices with noodles, Long Island Iced tea, wow .....am growing hungry again. Flat top Grill rocks. Must-be restaurant if u r around Naperville-Aurora area.
(5)Mark W.
Wow... This place has gone downhill. Slow, dirty and unprofessional. It seems that Flat Top Grill (at least in Naperville) has jumped the shark. Time to move on.
(1)Kathryn W.
Long ago when Flat Top opened on North Avenue and my husband and I lived in the city, we went there and really enjoyed it. Didn't go that often because it was so crowded, but remembered how yummy it was. So fast forward to 2014 and we finally managed to get to the Flat Top Naperville location with our 13 and 9 year old sons. I was glad to see that it didn't seem overly crowded when we walked in and we were seated immediately. Here are the things that went well for us at Flat Top. My husband and I and our 13 year old thought our stir fries turned out delicious. Husband and son took the advice of the sauce guy who was guiding people at the ingredient bar and liked what they got. The roti bread was something new for us (don't think they had that back in the last century when we had last visited Flat Top) and I could have eaten about 20 pieces of it. The things that left me a little annoyed by the experience: We were thinking this was going to be a relatively inexpensive evening and got a few surprises when we got the check. They don't have a beer list with all of their selections on it, the waitress has to recite them for you. So I ordered a Sapporo. And was surprised when a giant 22 oz can arrived at my table. At Sushi House they ask you if you want a large or small one and I only want one 12 oz beer thank you very much. So I have this giant beer that I don't find out until we get the check cost us $9. If I had been made aware of this from the waitress, I would have just picked a Miller Lite and been done with it. Also, the stir fry is priced at $12.99, and an additional $4 makes it "unlimited." I felt the menu was a little unclear about how many times you got to go up for that initial $12.99 price and since the bowls they give you are so VERY small I thought maybe you got to go up twice for that price. The last time we'd gone forever ago it was one price and you went up as much as you wanted, end of story. When the waitress asked us if we wanted to go again, we said yes and she brought more bowls, never mentioning that it would be another $4 for each of us. Next time we go we will pile our bowls super high and just go up once. Because it really does take a long time to get your food, and you have a lot of time to start feeling full. Even my 13 year old, who is 6'2" could not finish his second bowl. The 9 year old was starting to despair that we were never going to get our food. I felt the meat area could have been cleaner. Another reviewer mentioned slimy meat spoons and that was our experience, too. That's pretty unsanitary, when I cook chicken at home I'm diligent about washing my hands and the chicken spoon left me a bit queasy. Two surprising nice things: the 13 year old had finished his first bowl and went up before the rest of us for bowl 2, but they brought all of our food out at the same time. Don't know if they saw his table number up there all alone and put it to the side until the rest of us came up or what but I was glad they kept us on the same "schedule." Also they only charged us the $4.99 kids price for our nine year old (it's 10 and under) which amazed me because, like his older brother, he's really tall and looks older. So that kind of cancelled out the extra $12 for our second trips up. So we would go back, but probably do things a little differently next time to make our money go a little further.
(3)Being M.
Worst place for dinner ever. Dont know how someone can make the food taste so bad. Also worst customer service. Stay away and save your money.
(1)Jo M.
I love the variety of sauces and vegan choices. It's very rare to be able to go out to eat with friends and family and have actual vegan choices available. Usually I have to try to extract all animal based products from current choices to make it vegan. That being said, the quality of service and product in Naperville has taken a turn for the worse. When they first opened servers were attentive, the food on the bar was fresh and appetizing, refilled frequently, and very appealing. There was a hostess to seat you, a manager on duty to handle problems, table bussers that also attended the food bar. Now, the servers seat you, replenish the bowls and even the food sometimes on the bar and I haven't seen a manager in ages. Maybe people don't tip as much because they have to get their own food, so the servers have lowered their "attentiveness standards", but this is where a manager on duty would step in an check on people while they are dining. I understand everyone is making cut backs and trying to save money where ever they can, but in a service industry, you can only make so many cuts before you have damaged the underlying reason for people to frequent your establishment. Whatever the case, they need to return to their former business model, or I fear that all the good will they have built in the past, will slowly fade as people like me return less and less until they just go out of business.
(4)Kelsie S.
Let me start by saying that I love Flat Top. I've never had a problem with it in my hometown. However, the service at this particular location was some of the worst I've ever received. When we first arrived, my boyfriend and I were sat uncomfortably close to another couple. We had to move the table to get to our seats and not invade their personal space. There were plenty of other tables open that would have been a more logical choice. Then, it took ten minutes for anyone to even acknowledge we were there. The waitress who approached us wasn't even assigned to our table. She said the other waiter would be over in a bit. He never showed. We were ignored until it was time for the check, when the first waitress miraculously appeared again. While all this was happening, the manager was sitting at the bar with two of the waitresses, talking about going out that night. It seemed far from professional for the manager to be talking about her night plans with her employees, all within earshot of the customers. But after visiting this restaurant and experiencing it's service, we were not too surprised by it. PS. While sitting here writing this review, another couple was sat awkwardly close to us. The girl just almost knocked over the table trying to get out and not hit my boyfriend. Did I mention there are plenty of open tables?
(1)Alvina C.
I love the concept of this place---pick what you want to eat (all the ingredients--down to the spices) and have someone else make it for you!!! I went one evening with my family and being that I have some picky eaters in the group--this was the perfect choice. Our waitress was very attentive and the manager was also very nice. Lots of different fixings to choose from. The veggies were all very fresh and there was a huge selection. They also have a very good variety of sauces--so with almost whatever combination you choose, you can't mess it up. I love the roti that you can get with your stirfry--so soft , warm, and fresh! Would definitely visit again.
(5)Melanie C.
Good thing I have been here before! I usually have a pleasant experience, but the last time, was less than stellar. My boyfriend and I were sat in the back of the restaurant with all children. There are 4 tables grouped in the way back. 3 of the 4 all had small children. We made a comment to our waitress about it, and she chose not to respond. The restaurant was fairly empty. It was not the only table available. The floor was also very sticky. All the children that come in there must get sat back there. Our shoes were stuck to the floor throughout our entire meal. A new perk was a person to help you make customs sauce combinations. That was a nice new feature. I love this place, so I'll be back, I'll just be a bit more vocal next time.
(3)Edwin H.
This place is awesome. I'm here almost once a week now with the girlfriend or friends. The food is always amazing, the people are nice, and the atmosphere is great.
(5)Taylor M.
I had a really hard time deciding on how many stars to give Flat Top. Don't get me wrong... I loved the food... it was fantastic and our server was amazing. All the employees were friendly. The first issue I had was when we went up to fill our bowls a lot of ingredients were empty and there was no one nearby to ask to refill them. When we got the food, two dishes were missing the tofu requested and one of those two was also missing the bread. I mentioned it to the server and she put the order in, but by the time we got the tofu we had already finished the majority of our dishes. When we went up for seconds, they ran out of blue sticks, so we waited around for a while to ask someone. Then we were told not to worry about the blue stick- they would just bring our table bread. We did not get the bread again. The mishaps seemed to have to do with the kitchen staff. Everyone else was amazing and I really enjoyed the food. It was just frustrating to run into so many problems. I am hoping this was an off day. I hope the kitchen staff improves because I am already craving the food again!
(3)Robby V.
I have been to the restaurant chain before although it was my first time going here. After reading other reviews (thank you fellow yelpers) I decided to get one trip and pile the food on. I got the chicken as my meat and piled it high into the tiny dish they give you as well. The "chef" decided to put the bowl of uncooked chicken into the bowl of "fresh" veggies so that he knew which meat went with which veggie dish. The meat was falling out of the bowl onto the side of my veggie bowl and all over the counter. Raw chicken on the counter - this grossed me out. I continued to watch them cook my food keeping a close eye on where the chicken had fallen out onto the counter. At no point did they clean up the mess. They brushed the chicken onto the floor and continue to put various clean bowls and dishes onto the same dirty, salmonella filled spot. In the fifteen minutes I waited and watched them cook my food, they continued to put other food items on that smeared counter. That was the worst of more unsanitary things to come. I won't go in detail I think you get the point. I notified the host and left. They won't be seeing me in there again. Beware the unsanitary practices of flat top!
(1)Mike C.
I had read the reviews and I was a little nervous, but the person I went with is a Vegan. I have been to one of the Flat Tops downtown Chicago, so that is probably another reason why I did not suggest somewhere else. I went here last week and I was pleasantly surprised. When we first arrived, there was nobody waiting to seat us. However, before my friend could finish checking in with her Belly app, we were being directed to a table. I felt like it was very efficient. Our waiter was named Matt, and he is the reason that I am writing this review. He was the exact opposite of the negative reviews. He was very attentive and had a great personality. He brought out hot water for my tea, when needed. He was available when needed, and he did not hide in a corner and use his phone. I think he might have been disappointed that we had both been to Flat Tops before, because he could not give us the lowdown. However, he had a good sense of humor, so I assume that is just another opportunity that he can make the experience memorable. The gentleman by the area where you drop the bowls was making sure that our orders were placed and was helpful. The lady who brought us our food was polite. The area where the food is kept was clean, but it did get dirty when a group of high school guys came in. They were messy and did not really care, but the employees did clean up the mess. It was not instantaneous, but I think that might be unrealistic. It was not messy for too long. The seating is very close and not very intimate. They do try to space out the people so that it is not completely full in your section. Unfortunately, it is harder to have a personal conversation, when you have another party literally right next to you. Tip- If you are there with someone who does not eat as much, you might want to get your next bowl ready as soon as your first bowl is done. My date only had one bowl and I felt guilty when I went up for my third bowl.
(4)Lincoln D.
We remember going here 2 years ago and remember a different experience. This time around, when we first walked in, it seemed a free for all. No hostess at the stand, we stood there waiting for someone while people behind us just came in and sat themselves. Finally, someone came. We were seated in a little corner seat, between another couple and a party. We felt cramped and had to ask people to move to just so we could get to the food. We put in our drink orders and then we went to get the food. When we got back to the table, our drinks were STILL not there! We were in line getting our stir fry for at least 10 minutes! And then it took ANOTHER 3-4 minutes for her to bring the drinks over! After we sat down, we waited for our stir fry to come for what seemed a long time! We didn't think anything of it because there were a lot of bowls to be cooked so it was kinda of understandable. But then, when the place had died down a little bit, we went back for seconds. There were only 2 more orders on the counter when we put ours down so we figured it wouldn't take long. We waited just as long the second time around. At one point we were sitting there without food or drinks! This time though, we started getting upset because this was ridiculous! The cooks were standing around talking to each other, no food was being brought over to anyone and when we looked at the bar, there were at least 3 servers (including ours) behind the bar DRINKING! Taking shots and trying out beers! Finally we walked over to the kitchen area to see what the deal was with our food since it had been past 20 minutes waiting. On the way back, the manager stopped us and asked us if everything was okay. We explained to him that we were waiting for our food (again) and he went on to explain that "things had to be made in a certain order and that it takes 15 minutes to cook". I didn't buy that at all because it shouldn't take that long for our food to be ready. No sorry or nothing. So then our waitress came and by this time I could tell she was feeling a little buzzed, you could just see her in her eyes and her speech. Whatever, I don't care whether or not you drink at work, but don't let the service suffer, or at least don't do it blatantly out in the open in front of customers! Especially ones that have been waiting forever for food and drinks! By the end of the night we couldn't get out of there fast enough. It was very disappointing because we remember it being a lot better. I can live with slow service when the nights are busy, but this was slow not just because it was busy, but people were just standing around talking with each other and drinking! That is unacceptable! I am not sure whether this is happening at just this location, but I'm pretty sure I will NOT be going back to any Flat Top grille after tonight's experience.
(1)Susan B.
I always hear great things about Flat Top Grill so I am still puzzled by why my experience stunk. I went here with my mom because we both haven't tried it before and I was excited to try something new. I've been to "create your own" type of places so that was nothing new. For starters, we are seated and the place is pretty dead (late afternoon on a weekday). We are seated in the front section of the restaurant. We get all settled and before we order our server asked if it was OK if they moved us because they had a large party coming in. Uhh, ok...no biggie. They were going to give us free dessert because of this. So we order and we both get the dishes were you go up and pick out all your stuff. OK, I do have to say I was a bit turned off by the meat just sitting with all of the other veggies/sauces. I've been to Stir Crazy and Big Bowl and they don't do this. They keep the meat portions separate usually in the kitchen. Since I wasn't sure how long the chicken was sitting out, I didn't get it. I just got all veggies and sauce with rice. I do have to say that my food turned out awful. It was the most bland stir fry I ever had, I couldn't even finish it. Maybe I did something wrong by not putting enough sauce? Plus, I am finding parts of my mom's dish in my food. She got beans (I dislike beans very much) and there were beans all up in my food. I find that extremely ironic because they have a HUGE chalk board on the wall with suggestions if you are allergic to certain things. Thanks for the suggestions yet you still cook the food too close to one another that all the food still runs together anyways. The only saving grace of this place was the dessert that we received on the house. I can't remember what it as called but it was basically a pastry that had cinnamon sugar and was folded almost like a burrito. It was stuffed with berries. It was pretty tasty. Now that I've been here I do have to say that I prefer my stir-fry to be cooked in a wok, not on a flat top grill surface.
(1)Ben B.
I normally LOVE flat top, but on the last visit, the calamari was really fishy, and the floors were more sticky than a movie theater. Gross. This was really far from the norm, I always have had good luck there in the past. I always add some roti!
(3)Sandy S.
Love to come here with my kids. We enjoy making our own stir fry. It has taken us several times eating here to perfect our dishes/sauce combos though. I have noticed a huge slip in the past few years with 1) service and 2) cleanliness. Pains me to say it, but there it is. Treated my MIL here and I was embarrassed! Dirty tables, dirty food bar, empty food bowls in the food station and couldn't get the server for soy sauce or the check. Last two times have been better. Our favorite server, Christy, is gone :(. She helped us with sauce combos and told us you can put two blue sticks in for two pieces of bread. Since she's been gone, service hasn't been the same. Wake up, FT!!! We love you but we don't like dirty or poor service!!!
(4)Jillian H.
I love the concept of build your own stir fry. All the fun of making a stir fry without having to buy and chop all the ingredients. The veggie and meat selections are set up similar to a salad bar. You can choose a base of rice or noodles. You add your ingredients, sauce and extras and then proceed to the stir fry station. When your food is ready a servicer brings your creation to the table. The roti bread is delicious! The service can be a bit slow at times but otherwise a decent lunch spot.
(3)Sean B.
Disaster. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, as it usually is when you pick all your own ingredients and spices and cooking styles. Here are the problems: When we got there the hostess was sporting a beer, and blamed it on the manager, who may have been drinking on the job. And thus not managing. We were told 20 minutes, went outside, came back and the place was empty, then we were still asked to wait. Then after we sat down no service. None. We finally caught a bus boy/bartender who agreed to take our drink order, at which point the other bartender was overheard saying "fine you take them," rather annoyingly. Then when our drinks came out, it was a third waitstaff person who introduced herself as our true waitress. The diving rod bowl and sauce holder are weird, and the layout of different ingredients three deep in the preparation area is weird, awkward, requires go-go-gadget arms. Engineering fail. Then we literally waited 30 minutes for our bowls to get cooked. 5 minutes across the street at B&D Mongolian I might add. This meant lots of need for drink refills and no waitress. Finally after getting a second partial bowl, and finishing, we lingered for some 15 minutes to get our bill. No one anywhere. We finally estimated with a paltry tip and put cash on the table and walked out. Needs work on its systems. Lots of potential in the food, but the waits and non-service were ridiculous.
(2)D S.
Pretty good and inexpensive. Just ok
(3)Alison V.
I adore this place for three main reasons. 1) Free meal on your birthday when you sign up with their club online (free to join). 2) A strange little patty that if my memory serves me correctly is called BBQ pakora. It's a vegetarian meat substituted with vegetables formed into a patty. When its stir-fried with sauces and other veggies it becomes the most amazing flavor explosion. 3) Roti. That stuff is amazing. I have at least 3 whenever I go to FTG. I also love the vegetarian-friendliness of the dining experience... several meat substitutes, sauces that are labelled, and dedicated woks to cook in. Fantastic!
(5)Brandy W.
The rating is exactly what I felt, "Meh. I've experienced better." As in... across the street at the less formal BD Mongolian! The best thing about the whole experience were those fatty fatty fattylicious tortilla things they put on my meal when I added the blue stick. Thanks fellow yelpers... wouldn't have added that blue stick had it not been for your great taste. As for the service. Oh. Sheesh. The chick that served us would not leave us alone. I honestly felt weird as she stood over the sauces forcing me into drinking them when I already told her I knew which one I wanted. I guess it was okay that she also joined me at the stick area and again when I was putting veggies into my bowl. I get the concept. It's not that hard. Put a bunch 'o' crap in a bowl, pour sauce on top, and the guy in the hat cooks it for you. Well, apparently she thought I had "stupid" written on my forehead or something. Maybe it's because I said it was my first time there. Not my first time at Mongolian BBQ though! Since I'm a vegetarian, I appreciated that they cooked my food in a separate wok, but it lost all of the char flavor that comes with actually being on the grill. Over at BD's they literally scrub clean an area for me and section it off with very large dividers. My food tastes great and it's meat-free. Also, BD's allows all-you-can-eat salad bar and usually has a cheap drink special like $1 Miller Lites. They also don't stare me down and practically sit on my lap during my meal selection. My final piece of unhappiness: At BD's, they charge me $2 less for being a vegetarian because I'm not eating the meat. At Flat Top, the price is equivalent. What? I hate it when I have to pay the same for less (expensive) food. Basically, I liked two things about this place: those tortillas, and the asparagus. BD's doesn't have asparagus. Other than that, I will trade a dish at Flat Top for BD's any day. So what if every single table around us at BD's are high school students on first dates and I practically need ear plugs because of the loudness. At least the food is good, the waiters aren't invasive, and I don't have to pay more.
(2)Beth D.
Just got home from a horrible experience at the Naperville Flat Top Grill. 1)There was no host or hostess to greet us so we waited for a few minutes for a waitress to see we were there and to seat us. 2) We waited at least 10 minutes after seated before a waitress showed up at our table...and we almost walked out to go across the street to a competitor 3) Our drink orders took another 10 minutes 4) Our waitress then became the bartender and we saw her only once more and that was to give us the check. Kind of a messy meal and we needed napkins and there was noone to come to our table to check on us so my husband had to get up and go to another table and grap napkins. 5) Waitress at the table next to us kicked a glass that was on the floor into the base of our table...the glass shattered hitting my legs...and there was no apology or visit from the manager Honestly it seemed there was a) no Host/Hostess b) no Manager c) no Bartender and instead the wait staff was responsible for everything. We will never go back to this Flat Top...and honestly....I don't think I will go back to any Flat Top. I will be interested to see how the Business Owner responds to this review.
(1)John S.
First off I must say that I was shocked when I first saw they were opening a Flat Top right across the street from BD's in Naperville. I mean really two stir fry's in the same block is just nuts. Much to my surprise when I went here on saturday night there was actually a wait to get a table although a much shorter wait then BD's. Maybe they were smarter then I was giving them credit for because they can cash in on all the overflow from BDs. First off the selection at this location is very small. Size of the buffet aside the food here is very fresh though and taste much better then other Flat Top locations I have been at. I was surprised that wen I put two rotti stix in my bowel they actually gave me two pieces of Rotti. This is the first location that has done that :) The service was very friendly at this location and did a good job keeping my drink refilled. The $14.99 unlimited bowels is a great deal for when I'm hungry. The $12.99 single bowel would be plenty for most nights however. Over all a great Flat Top location, I look forward to coming back again soon.
(4)Annamarie G.
Love Flat tops! Always a great selection of veggies, meats, sauces. Very clean. They offer several exotic beers and YUMMY mixed drinks. The desserts are wonderful and freshly made. This one however lacks in the service department. The food, always great. The wait staff, not so much :(
(3)Yvonne M.
Love this place! Have been there several times and each time, I'm happy leaving. The atmosphere is fun! The servers are all very pleasant and the food is marvelous!! In addition, I feel like this is a good value. One sauce that is the BEST is the Thai Peanut Sauce... Also, the bread that they give is out of this world!!!
(4)Barb C.
We were Christmas shopping in Naperville and decided to stop at Flat Top. We usually eat at the Lombard location. Our experience was disappointing. Service was so-so. When we went up to the food counter, there were no bowls and we had to wait several minutes to get a server's attention. Most of the food dishes needed refilling and some items required waiting to be refilled. One customer asked for baby corn and was told it would be about a five minute wait. She was on her lunch break and couldn't wait. Originally we planned on getting the "all you could eat" for a dollar more but didn't think the long wait and limited food on the buffet line was worth it. The counters had food dropped from previous diners and only once did I see someone cleaning up during our hour stay. Our visit was around 1:30 pm, and the restaurant was not that busy. when we do go back to Flat Top, it will be the Lombard location.
(2)Jenny M.
I came here a couple of weeks ago for a Mom's Night Out dinner. Their dinner option is just as delish as their brunch! I loved being able to customize my dinner (I'm so Sally). I can totally see why they were busy on a Tues. night. BD Mongolian Grill better watch out!
(4)