Review The Genghis Khan Restaurant - Wellington

Delicious food, fresh and great quality ingredients...all at a decent price (about $20 USD) for all you can eat. Wonderful staff and very clean facilities. Will gladly return to gain another 5kgs 😅

Family and I enjoyed our meals. Have been to others around NZ and compared to these, I had to give this one 4 stars. The food is cooked with the help of sticks which cooks fine. But because the hot plate isn't fully cleaned after, you will end up with food that maybe is not entirely yours. The options were not as vast as in Auckland equivalents but again, was enjoyable enough to eat.

Nice Mongolian bbq restaurant where they cook your own selection of foods on a massive grill. Sauce and condiment station is plentiful so no excuses for not having seasoned food :P. Also free chicken corn soup which was not bad... Only note is that there could be more selection of food, especially carbs

First time eating in Genghis Khan and quite satisfied with the restaurant. Quick and nice service. Owner was very friendly and lovely. The cook will still cook your food even if it’s almost closing time. The bread was delicious.

Ngahuia was an amazing waitress for us. 100% recommend. The buffet was delicious and without breaking the bank. Calm and relaxed environment. Unique experience, definitely coming again.

Awesome value and tasty food. You can make what you prefer and those house made breads were the most delicious. Thank you

Who are the people putting one or two stars here? (I never put 5 because no one believes 5) but 1 or 2? No. This place does what it says on the tin. 20 years I've been coming here. I'll be coming 20 more if they keep going.

To those enjoying meat and the likes, this is the place to enjoy the BBQ especially and all you can eat. there are choices of beef, fish, chicken and also pork for those who eat them, with veggies and various delicious sauces. You will choose what you want, get the sauce, then give it to the cook who will cook it for you. During dinner, when it was packed, the queuing can be long. They also have soup and bread, if I'm not mistaken. Parking is a bit problematic as along the way there are many other restaurants and not enough parking spots in the area

As always, the staff were pleasant and a delight to deal with. The food was superb and delicious. The chicken and corn soup was on point as always, and our large party had a wonderful time. The prices for the drinks were surprisingly low and affordable. Well done!

Love this place ❤️ been going since the day it opened, great food, owners are super friendly Love the bread!

So much fun bringing your own wine and paying almost nothing to eat as much food as you want! It’s always great and I don’t think you could make a combination that you’re not happy with! The selection is delicious and I could recommend going with your mates or your mum!

Been 30 years since last visited. Hasn't changed a bit. Still great value for money.

Good Value, great food. Recommended

My extended family and I have been coming here since it opened. The food is always great, mostly cause you chose what you want in it yourself. $21 for all you can eat is a damn good price. Really friendly staff. Every time I've eaten here it was a good experience.

Hehe, apparently you're not a local if you haven't been to ghengis Khan. If this is true, I'm now a local after 5 years...<br/><br/>This ain't bad for all you can eat. I managed to get 3 refills, plus corn soup, and tuck into their complementary bread. (the bread ain't really the best texture, but I ate it anyway).<br/><br/>I like that you can mix and match whatever combination you want, and also add sauces after it's been cooked. I look forward to dining again in a group. I am belly full and happy on this Monday evening. Go Monday - no cues 😁.

It’s was a really bad experience in my life.i want with my girlfriend and my girlfriend had dinner but not me still I had to pay.the owner behaviour was grumpy.i will never go back there .

A great place to go as a big group. All you can eat noodles with a great range of meats, veges and seasoning/sauces. Reasonable price.<br/>You choose all your own ingredients and put them in your bowl, present it to your chef and have him cook it right in front of you. Return for seconds as many times as you like and try different combinations every time. Also free soup is available for anyone who pays for the all you can eat noodles.<br/>There is also the option for other meals that are not all you can eat, cooked in the kitchen out back.<br/>There is a full bar available and they make good cocktails.<br/>Really enjoyable experience and I look forward to going there again.

Genghis khan is a great place to take friends or family for a all you can eat meal for $20each. The experience of eating your own creation on a hot plate while watching the chefs cook it in front of your eyes is a experience like no other.

Decided to have dinner due to how close it was to where we were staying while in Wellington, from Auckland.<br/><br/>All food is uncooked. You are required to pick which options (vegetables, meat and sauces) you would like the chef to cook for you. The novelty of the experience would have been great, if not for the very limited number of food options and the chef only able to cook one meal at a time.<br/><br/>As you choose your own ingredients the flavour is very dependent on the on individual's choices. Unfortunately, the food is cooked only as much as required for it to be safe for consumption and not to any texture/taste standards.<br/><br/>Would have been great to have already cooked food choices available in addition to the Mongolian pre-cooked food bar as in other Genghis Khan restaurants. While the appeal is an R.L. Stein reminiscant choose-your-own dinner, the lack of ingredients available and the absence of any other variety of food type made what should have been an exciting novel dinner, a very stale experience.<br/><br/>Probably aimed more towards those looking for a light 'ethnic' meal before going out, as opposed to those hoping to experience an authentic Mongolian dinner.

Such a fun place to go for dinner! Have been there once, but definitely planning on going back! So many vegetable, meat and sauce options! with no doubt the most customizable meal you’ll have at a restaurant! amazing experience watching them cook it right in front of you within seconds! it’s definitely an experience!

Second time I've come here and it did not disappoint! There is always a lot to eat, and going during the week means that the restaurant is not too busy. The waitress is very attentive and always checked on us. Definitely going back!

Would like to see shrimp added to the selection.<br/>Needs way more vegetable options.<br/>Over priced appetizers. <br/>Cards in front of sauces were not correct and most in a bunch off to the side. Huge line waiting for the one chef to cook your bowl.<br/>Would likely not return. Have had way tastier Mongolian BBQ elsewhere.

We went here on Friday night for a work dinner. The tables were nice and the seats are comfortable. It's a byo so I got 7 wine glasses, 3 of them where dirty which was a bit unappealing. The experience of choosing your food and getting cooks to cook it for you is very cool. The only thing I have a problem with is the area where the food is. It's a bit cramped. The finishing sauces are right by the start of the line so there a bit hard to get to. Overall it is a nice place to eat. Check it out on your next adventure out

Came here last night with some friends, and we really enjoyed ourselves! This place is great for groups, and there's lots of seating different food choices available.

All you can eat, cheap, and a fun atmosphere - watching the chefs BBQ your creation on a giant cook plate - great for kids. It would be great if there was a little more variety in the vegetables - some interesting types of mushrooms fir Te tire etc as otherwise it's hard to come up with something different from what you can whip up at home. Friendly service although not always fast - the line to have you meal cooked can get very long at times.

I went here with my sister (she was nagging me) and for me this place's vibe felt wrong and off, like there was something else there. BUT ANYWAY... the food honestly wasn't that great, everything tasted similar. Also the interior choices were definitely not my thing either. I would recommend this to non-sensitive people who are optimistic about everything and love everything.

All you can eat BOOYAH! Any time there's an all you can eat, I get excited and I do my pre ritual of exercising hard and missing lunch in preparation for it.<br/><br/>The layout and ambience of the place is clean, well lit and overall, we felt a positive and great vibe. <br/><br/>Genghis Khan works like this:<br/><br/>1. Pick your vegetables<br/>2. Pick your meats<br/>3. Pick your sauces<br/>4. Hand your bowel to the chefs to stir fry your creation<br/>5. (Optional) Add sauces that after your creation is stir fried<br/>6. Enjoy your creation.<br/><br/>In terms of meat choices, you are given pork, chicken, beef, and lamb. Solid selection of different types of meats, however the meats are all thin slices that are more suitable for hot pots than BBQ in my opinion. <br/><br/>You get 6 six choices of veggies before getting around 7-8 different sauces to create your own BBQ stir fry. <br/><br/>The stir frying takes about 2-3 mins and you get a bowl of stir fried veggies and meat, which is kinda cool, but after a while of mixing and creating different combinations, we found that all the stir fry mixes kinda ended up tasting the same. Can't say we really enjoyed the food much.<br/><br/>Later on in the night, half of our group reported feeling sick in the stomach. Not entirely sure if Genghis Khan is too blame, but there may be correlation.<br/><br/>Showstopper: The chicken corn soup was fabulous. <br/><br/>Overall Grade: C+

Thanks for an excellent night on Sunday! We had a staff party and really enjoyed the buffet, staff, and the decor. We were really impressed at the end when we ordered 1 of every dessert - all terrific! The smoking Chocolate is such a unique idea and the batter on the fried ice cream was to die for!<br/><br/>Thanks again for the great night - I would highly recommend this place for a group as you get more than a meal, you get a family run business that treats you well and you get to interact with the chef's and try a large variety of food.

We arrived to a table that was too small for our group, while there was a bigger table next to ours that was empty the whole time we were there. We waited in line for about 30 minutes to reach the the buffet and when we got to the front you were only allowed to take 1 bowl so when you were done with your first you had to line up again. I put the down to poor design and lack of chefs during peek time. When one of the wait staff brought a new tray of meat out he dropped some on my shoe. Decor was out dated. Only thing I enjoyed was the bread

Genghis khan is good for a huge group who wanted to eat slowly while chatting.. Noodles are flavourful, taste like a usual stir-fry, (combination of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oil) but i think you'll leave the place with satisfaction and full tummy at least.. There would be choices of vegetables, cold meat, sauces and they will cook the them for you..(stir-fry). Its unlimited, you can come back whenever you want. The soup is also free.. The breAd they served is delish.. Atmosphere is very nice!

We ate at ghengis khan for the first time last night. I was very impressed, I'm not sure why it receives bad reviews??? I can understand that if it was busy you would have to wait for a bit to get your food, but really isn't that the same at every restaurant? The food was yummy, the service was great. The staff were very nice and it was a great price. I will definitely be taking my family back there again.

Absolutely loved this place! The atmosphere was amazing, food was outstanding and the service was just absolutely on to it, especially the waiter serving us!!! A beautiful restaurant and loved watching our food being cooked! Also very child-friendly! Will definitely be back here again!!!

Not sure what some of these other reviewers are talking about - I always have a wonderful time at the Genghis Khan! It is a restaurant I always take people to who are visiting from out of town and its a hit every time! From the beautiful restaurant, to the fresh food, delectable bread, to the experience of watching it being cooked in minutes on the hotplate! A really fun experience all round, and I also enjoy the BYO option and options for big tables. We usually arrive early and usually end up staying late! Can't wait to go back!

I am never going back.<br/><br/>Rude, rowdy tables - could not hear myself over the wolf whistles and "show us your t**s" being yelled across the room - and when I mentioned this to the owner was told not to come on a Friday or Saturday night if it bothered me then approached the large table of boys and announced that we (three young ladies) wanted them kicked out, not what we had said at all!<br/><br/>Appalled. Will be ensuring I tell people of my experience. Would give no stars if I could.

Dirty, condensation dripping from windows, overcrowded with long wait queues, confused our booking time and had to make us wait for half an hour until another table was cleared (not ideal for a 13 year olds birthday dinner) <br/><br/>The soup was luke warm and the food trays were running low, meaning you had more noodles then anything else.

Fantastic experience! Lovely, lovely restaurant. Don't understand what the other reviewers are on about! It's a perfect, cheap and beautiful place. Had such a great time! The food was great... Loved the bread they had given us. I loved being able to mix sauces and things... Making what I wanted to eat. There was a bit of a wait, but that didn't really bother me. Staff were all friendly and very enthusiastic... No doubt I will be coming here again!!

I can understand why people find the Genghis Khan experience appealing, especially since the food is cooked right in front of you. But I was disappointed with the wait times of the long queues (as others below have pointed out) since at times there was only one chef cooking and he had to periodically stop to clean the bbq. Much of the food appeared to be old too. I will say that the staff were enthusiastic. But on the whole I found it to be average.

One of the worst places I have ever eaten.<br/><br/>Went with a large group and had the "All you can eat" BBQ option. The queues for the food were horrendous. The cooking took too long as earlier in the night they only had one chef on the BBQ grill, and even with one extra chef, as more people began to spill into the restaurant, it was still slow.<br/><br/>The meat was terrible, and the broccoli was old, and I can't say much for the other vegetables.<br/>I did however, really enjoy the large range of sauces to achieve the flavour of the dish you want, but this is lost when it is cooked in the juices of everyone else's dish.<br/><br/>Only good for a large group who have next to no money, and want to line their stomach with s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g before they have a long night on the town.

As an aficionado of sitting down to eat my meal, I was quite disappointed with Genghis Kahn's overwhelming desire to make me stand in line for about half an hour. I must admit that the place was almost packed to capacity, but when fifty people are eating at the same time, and it takes between 45 and 90 seconds to cook each order, you'll find yourself standing in a lengthy queue winding itself almost comically through the restaurant. At least you're kept suitably active, as you frantically attempt to dodge the other customers and staff who are manoeuvring around you on their way to the bathroom or bar.<br/><br/>At least Disneyland has the common courtesy to place signs warning you of the estimated wait time. Though I doubt that even Disney's most vomit-inducing roller coaster could make you want to hurl as much as the slop on offer at this shoddy food establishment.<br/><br/>When you line up to eat at McDonalds, you're guaranteed to receive a pleasantly average burger. This was not the case at Genghis Kahn, and I found myself drenching each bowl with cooking wine in the vain hope that it would leave me sufficiently inebriated to not suffer the dry, unpalatable meat, and flecks of crusted grill grease from previous patron's orders.<br/><br/>The price of the meal was shocking for what was offered - and we dined with a discount. $24 for an 'all you can eat' (all you can be bothered standing in line for) meal, and a single scoop of gunky ice cream. Trust me when I say that the cheap, gaudy, pseudo-Mongolian decor was not indicative of their prices.<br/><br/>Save yourself the hassle and just go to a soup kitchen if you're finding yourself desperate enough to consider enduring the squalor of this restaurant. The lines there are shorter, the food is edible, and the prices are reasonable.

Great restaurant for a good feed. ya cant really moan about the taste of the food cause you made it! A really enjoyable dinner at a great price AAA+++

had the all you can eat bbq option, pretty limited options.<br/>meat isnt that nice. good value for big groups wanting a cheap byo option i guess

very disappointing experience!<br/><br/>we were expecting the same or even better quality as the lower hutt, but, nothing like it at all.<br/><br/>very limited choices of everything. In fact there were less than a dozen choices of everything. <br/><br/>over all experience....ok;)

This Genghis Khan is a let down from the one i have been to in Rotorua. <br/>there is very little selection of food and sauces and the meat looks like crap and is frozen.<br/>If you didnt know any better this place would be fine and enjoyable, the deserts were great and the price was right for the quality of the meat.<br/>if youve got nothing else to do you may as well try it

Very good food and a different experience. Enjoyable.

I went as a group we loved the environment and the food was great my dessert was really nice but a few of my friends desserts weren't so nice, over all tho a good experience

buffet option was great; though the first time, getting the right combination of sauce mix might be tricky. but otherwise, enjoyable place if u have an empty stomach to fill.

This restaurant is exactly as classy as "all-you-can-eat" implies. If you go expecting fine dining and five-star service you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for something very casual with very cheap cork-age on the BYO, you'll probably quite enjoy it. Mongolian barbecue is a novelty and an effective way of making sure very hungry people can stuff themselves to the eyeballs if that's what they want. Kids will like it.<br/><br/>Try the "Mix sauce" on your buffet stir-fry choices - it's really very nice.

We went as a group and most people went with the BBQ buffet option. Those who ordered things off the menu waited for almost an hour for the food to arrive! Very poor service. The food at the BBQ buffet was worse than that of a food court but a lot pricier! Will not go to this restaurant again.