Genghis Grill- Something I've Been Waiting for

Restaurant: Genghis Grill
1531 Highway 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478
Buffet or a-la-carte: Hybrid
Date of visit: 2/5/14

Photo Credit: http://images2.backpage.com/imager/u/medium/64356692/8.jpg

UPDATE: 4/4/14

Apparently some of the sauces have alcohol in it. The ones that do have alcohol are: 3G, Chili Garlic, Honey Soy, Ginger Citrus, Szechuan, Khan Pao, and Khanzu. Please spread news about this.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Background:

Salam/hey guys! Now you must be thinking that I must be some crazy guy when I write up about Genghis Grill. The truth is that this particular location is the first one in ALL of the USA to serve halal meat. This halal food availability reflects on the diversity that is widespread in the Houston area, and the large presence of Muslims in Sugar Land. Last year, I said that Kublai Khan was the halal Genghis Grill. Now, it's all changed. Genghis Grill finally has halal food within its restaurant. I was introduced to the concept of the Mongolian stir fry when I went out with friends while I was in high school at the 290 and FM 1960 location. My friends taught me how it was done. I had wondered that one day, a halal version of this would come, as I had to put up with seafood and vegetables. That wondering came true with Kublai Khan, and then eventually it came to where it all started, but at a different location. I found out about this from a friend, who is also a huge foodie. The time to try came when my engineering class was canceled because my professor went to a conference. I also had to visit the doctor for a checkup. After I went to the gym, I drove to the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

Genghis Grill is located on the strip mall at Highway 6 and Fluor Daniel Drive (ironically where I used to live when I first moved to Houston). Inside, it looks like a bar, but in reality there are booths and tables as a normal restaurant has. I was asked what I wanted to drink, and then they helped me fill out a card. In that card, you write your name, your table number, and the starch you want. After doing that, I was ready to munch!

Let's Eat!

There is no particular menu for Genghis Grill. You make your own food and you give it to the people to cook! The order goes: meat, seasoning, vegetables, and sauce. There are three halal choices available. They are: steak, curry chicken, and regular chicken breast. I went for two trips. In the first trip, I took all three meats along with vegetables (so many I could not remember), crab, scallops, and eggs as my meats, garlic seasoning, garlic sauce, and udon noodles as my starch. In the second trip. I took the regular chicken and steak, vegetables, eggs, their signature sauce, and fried rice as my starch. To drink, I got a glass of water. The waiting time for the food to come is around 13 minutes. I paid a total of $15.14 (tax included). Compared to Kublai Khan, it's a more expensive. While you pay an extra $3 for unlimited bowls at Kublai Khan, you pay a whooping $5. The waiting time is around 10-15 minutes for the food to come.



Menu:
As I mentioned earlier, there is no particular menu. You decide what you want in your food. There are cards that have popular food items and instructions on how to make them.

Good of them to post this

First Bowl

Second Bowl

The Verdict:
I called Genghis Grill "crap" in the Kublai Khan review because the shrimp wasn't good (at the 290 and FM 1960 ). Now, I take that back. The food here was great. Everything had flavor. Even the rice did. The only gaffe was that the beef on the second bowl was chewy. Nevertheless, the chicken and the vegetables made up for it. What I liked about here was that when you have rice, they put it in the same bowl as your other stuff. In Kublai Khan, the rice comes separately in a bowl and you need a separate place to put everything in. There should be a balance between the meat and the starch, like the udon noodles were. The food was washed down with a glass of water. Overall, two thumbs up.
The service was good too. I was able to get a hold of the waitress that helped me and asked her about how they managed to get halal food. This particular branch of Genghis Grill is franchised, unlike the other locations that are corporate. The francishee is Indian, and he was able to have a contract with the suppliers and supply the halal meat. They were also really helpful in telling me how to get the food. I also liked that they labeled halal and that they cooked the food separately when the person says it is halal.



Conclusion:
Genghis Grill and Kublai Khan are pretty much on the same level. Depending where you are, you can enjoy any place. If you want endless, then Kublai Khan is the cheaper option, but if you want more choices, then Genghis Grill is the place.



Grading:
Service: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Waiting Time: 10/10
Total: 28/30 = 93.3% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Genghis Grill
1531 Highway 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478
Phone: (281) 277-0233
Website: http://www.genghisgrill.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genghisgrill
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GenghisGrill
Instagram: genghisgrill
Timings: Mon-Thu & Sun: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed