CJ’s Stir It Up

Great Mongolian BBQ spot with a great selection of protein, noodles and sauces. Super friendly staff, nicely priced and clean.

Happy to have a restaurant of this kind here in the desert.
Great selection. Great chefs.
I loved the early bird special! They did away with it! I dislike when things change after your hooked!
Overall, we like the ambiance, location, food, drinks and service!

In an assuming mini mall next to a Ralphs, comes CJ’s roaring into the town of La Quinta, and they mean business! Hailing from nearby Indio, it’s modern, and may I say, hip. Especially, in the land of Grandmas and Golfers.
Now, I’ve haven’t done a Mongolian review for quite some time. I was at one time the (self-​proclaimed) Mongolian King. Alas, I have found Shabu Shabu, and I prefer. Still, I haven’t (totally) forgot about my first love.
Happy Hour:
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* 5pm-​8pm, 20% all alcohol. Saddle up!
Positives:
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1. Fair price: $ 13.49 for AYCE
2. Rare find: Shrimp are available extra for $ 3.95 per bowl.
3. All the normal items PLUS the semi hard-​to-​find tofu
4. Some unique flavors/​sauces available
Negatives:
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1) No *free* stereotypical won tons
2) No *free* sesame seed pocket bread
3) Rice was brought way early, so was cold by the time the food came around
4) Small bowls, instead of a plate, are available one-​at-​a-​time for fill-​up
Improvements:
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I’m with Nancy D, the small halogen bulb lighting is hard on the eyes with it’s spot light in-​the-​eye effect. Replace!
Conclusion
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Feels modern, not traditional. Service was good. I like.

Incredibly delicious!!! Make sure to pile it on and really get into the sauces. The veggies are always fresh and the meats come out tender, especially the pork. Such a great place for a fun lunch or dinner!

So, my good friend invited me to CJ Stir and I am not going to lie I was not down because I was in the mood for Waba Grill.
CJ Stir did not disappoint one bit. We walked in and paid 10 bucks and was giving a bowl to fill up with meats and veggies for the cook to get down. I am Not going to lie I stuff my bowl with nothing but meat. I added lamb, pork, chicken and a little beef. I made it rain in the meat section and top it all with the house sauce. My bowl was so full of meat that I needed a fish net to prevent it from spilling out.
I handed my bowl the the two chiefs and they went to work like Rihanna was there. Work work work work work! Lol I ask if they could add more sauce to the meat since I am a beast on the flavor.
The two cooks told me just watch your going to love it!
They never lied
My only complaint is the amount of brown rice they provided with my meal. I was extremely shocked to see that they put last rice and meat on my entrée. So make sure to check your tray before you walk away and request more rice
You boy!

They make the process simple especially by recommending combinations on the board for customers who are a bit new to Mongolian grills. Love that they offer an all you can eat option but I always find myself satisfied with the single lunch bowl. I also like that it is a sit down unlike most Mongolian places, it definitely gives it a different atmosphere. Employees are kind and helpful and it makes for an enjoyable and relatively quick bite. Definitely worth the money and is super fun at the same time coming up with different combinations!

I’m giving a favorable review, I really am.
It was my first time, so it was a bit confusing at first, but I followed the lead of everyone else and had fun putting together my own bowl. It was very tasty, and of course all you can eat. And that’s what I did.
I was very surprised to find lamb as an option, and I ate a lot of it. Very cool to offer this.
I’m not sure I’m going back though. Yes, it’s all you can eat, but I get all I can eat from one entrée anywhere else, and there certainly are better options out there that cost less. I’m not the type who finds value in portion size, so one plate of chow fun expertly crafted, instead of randomly apportioned by me, is cheaper and tastes better.
I really did enjoy it though.

So glad to have found this vegan-​friendly gem! The staff was knowledgeable about the vegan options and provided great service overall. All of the veggies were fresh and the whole place was very clean. There wasn’t any of the gross cross-​over with bits of meat/​other people’s selections ending up in my food. It was seriously good food and a great experience for a reasonable price.

Dinner menu was very simple, all you can eat for $ 13.95. After the waitress explains what we have to do, the fun begins.
Just pile any thing you want in the bowl, choose your sauce and turn it over to the cook, go back to your table & your food will come to you when it’s ready. The sauce combination was very nice even curry. I’m partial to curry but I enjoyed it here.
The staff, cooks & waitresses were good & friendly. We all enjoyed the experience.

All-​you-​can-​eat (AYCE Lunch/​Dinner) is a good deal… ONLY if you can clear 2 or more plates. Since the meal-​building, starter bowls are very tiny — there is one way to increase the cooked plate size, by following these simple steps:
1) Add sauces and flavoring FIRST
2) Go down to meat section and get only the bite-​sized, meat «chips» at the bottom of the tray. The full-​sized, frozen shavings take-​up way too much room in the small bowl. Saturating the meat (s) in the oil/​flavorings reduces the size of the meat fragments before cooking and also tenderizes it, so it don’t have the consistency of leather, when seared on the grill
3) Add your vegetables. Then, compress contents of the bowl tightly down, with your fist. You need to maximize bowl space, because the product cooks-​down by half!!!
4) Add the noodles LAST. Your bowl should have a generous heap of food rising clearly above the bowl rim
5) Send it to the cooker
Following these steps above will ensure your cooked creation plate doesn’t end-​up looking like a 6oz side dish. This is especially handy if opting for the one-​trip-​only Lunch Bowl ($ 9.95). The food is fresher than going to the market and buying your own.

Every time my family and I come here we have a great experience. The servers are very knowledgable and if it is your first time dining with them, they guide you through their simple process.
The veggies are always fresh and they have a ton of options, and the end result is the
. They also offer options for those who don’t particular like bbq (kids) like chicken tenders and fries.
I am so glad we have a quality mongolian bbq place here in the desert!

I have eaten at similar type of restaurant for over 28 years this is a little different setup and ok

The first time we came here was to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The deal was 20% of the bill to be donated to the foundation.
I’ve eaten at Mongolian restaurants before but this place was so clean, the meat, vegetables and other items were so fresh and the service is quick. The meat slices are not paper thin like a lot of other places. There are plenty of vegetables choices and oils/​sauces. The staff kept the food bar area clean around the containers and the floor.
And the guys cooking are so on top of it. They do a wonderful job getting to all the bowls of food waiting to be cooked. And even if the bowl line is long you can be assured your food will still be cooked properly and not rushed.
If you like all you can eat, quick service, friendly staff definitely try this place out.
We’ll definitely come back for all the reasons above and because this place supports community fundraisers.
So we were here yesterday, great service Crystal, and again tonight, great service tonight Emma. We brought two new folks with us who enjoyed the food very much.

Pretty standard for a Mongolian BBQ joint. My group of five all went with the single bowl (for $ 8.95) and it was more than enough. Everyone piles their bowls incredibly high with noodles to make the most of their bowl (don’t be ashamed, it is the thing to do).
They will bring you rice, so you don’t have to go with the noodles. Brown rice is available for $ 1.95 extra.
Word of wisdom — put your sauce on before piling on the noodles.

This is your typical mongolian grill concept place. Nothing fancy, not too big, line-​up of food is towards the back wall, with the grill right next to it.
The offerings of food is standard, but the serving area was a mess — especially the sauces. The way the sauce area is laid out was not well thought out, as there are 3 rows of sauces, which means there’s a whole lot of spilling and cross contamination going on, and peoples food falling into other sauces.
But the biggest issue was that it takes forever for them to cook and get you the food. Normally I’m accustomed to just standing and waiting until the food is done, but here they know it’ll be a while so they give you a number so that you can go back to your seat and wait til its done. Turnover is slow, so if you’re planning on getting multiple bowls, I’d suggest making and turning in your second one as soon as you receive your first one.
Service was okay. Overall, just very meh. And more expensive than other places, but that’s probably bc of the location.

Still no bread as promised ?
might be outlet last visit here for places to go, good food but you can get this style mist anywhere lord of Asian here in the valley. long food wait is not worth the wait. Sorry…

I’m not so fond of the lighting in this place, I feel like these spot lights are way too intense. I like to sit in the booths but you have to keep moving to avoid being beamed up. It’s not a warm and hang out décor, more a fast food eat and turn the table feeling. I don’t usually like the buffet type serve yourself but I really do like the choice of vegetables and meats and experimenting with the sauce combination. I love the lamb.
The young servers have been so friendly and enthusiastic and I haven’t experienced the long waits but my timing was early between 5 – 6. Great place to get your veggies, just stay away from the house sauce (MSG).

First time eating at this place, after bookmarking this place and staring at it over and over again. I finally decided to try this place. Very good selection of building your own bowl with selections of meats, sauces and healthy vegetables. Very friendly and attentive staff. Will be back.
For those who live in Indio, according to their Facebook page, they opening another location in Indio, this fall in the Indio Town Center.

Came in for lunch on a weekday. Located in a large strip center, the parking wasn’t any issue.
I was seated at a booth which I requested by the matradee. My waitress greated me and explained in detail what options there were. Choices were order a bowl of selection of ingredients or go for the you can eat option. I chose the bowl option and selected lamb, beef and a variety of fresh veggies, tofu, noodles, mixture of sauce and brown rice at no extra charge. Was glad I didn’t opt for the All you could eat option because the bowl was plenty of food — filling and reasonably priced. The service from all the employees was friendly and attentive.
I would definitely return here again in the future!

Fresh veggies & yummy meats like Lamb, Beef, Chicken, Pork… My favorite is the Lamb! YUMMY!
I’ve seen people fill their bowls with meat & veggies (no noodles)… That’s great for the carb conscious… or if I’m in a no-​carb mood… Haha
Dinner is mandatory all you can eat (AYCE)…Shrimp is an add on for $ 4.95… They now serve Thai Ice Tea with Boba! It’s yummy!
There’s a good Early Bird Special from 2pm till 4pm…
I’ve tried the green tea Mochi ice cream… Came out squishy & the Mochi had a weird texture… (Update: I just heard today that they had a bad batch & had to send many boxes back… I knew something was off)
It’s not a full service restaurant as you assemble your own food & give it to the cooks at the grill… so, they’re a buffet & when tipping your «server», consider using the acceptable Buffet Tip percentage… Sorry that I had to expand upon that but the first time I heard them call themselves a «Server», I was a little confused as they’re not full service… this note is to help others who might have had the same initial reaction. :-)
Other than that initial confusion, everything else is good…