Design Your Own Stir-Fry At This Old-School Interactive Grill In New Jersey

Have you ever eaten at a Mongolian barbecue restaurant? No, it's not authentic Mongolian food - this interactive fusion cuisine actually dates back to Taiwan in the 1950s - but it's not hard to see why it caught on! This interactive style of dining has you assemble your own stir-fry out of the raw ingredients, then bring it to a massive grill where the expert cook will prepare it in front of your eyes! New Jersey used to be full of restaurants specializing in this style of dining, and you can often find it as a feature at Chinese buffets, but right now there's only one dedicated place for Mongolian barbecue in NJ. It's Garwood's Magic Grill, found in a suburban strip mall and still serving up the same great stir-frys for decades - exactly as you like them, with a few surprising twists!

Located in a Garwood strip mall, Magic Grill is easy to miss - but it has a devoted fanbase going back decades.

This old-school stir-fry joint offers all-you-can-eat options, a mainstay of Mongolian Barbecue from the cuisine's heyday.

If your option comes with an appetizer - or even if it doesn't - make sure to get the rice dumplings. This unique dim sum is made with sticky rice flecked with pork and mushrooms. I haven't found these dumplings anywhere else!

The highlight, of course, is when you go up to the buffet to build your own stir-fry!

The first step is to start with the meats - beef, pork, and chicken, all cut to the same thickness for uniform cooking.

Then, you'll add the vegetables of your choosing, plus noodles for some carbs, and the sauce combo you like for the right flavor and kick. The possibilities are limitless!

Now, all that's left is to take it up to the magic grill of the name, where expert chefs will stir-fry it in front of your eyes and serve it up steaming hot.

I personally like my stir-fry packed with beef and noodles, and heavy on the mild, soy sauce-based Mongolian sauce. But the best thing about places like Magic Grill is that everyone's ideal stir-fry is a little different - and here, it's all possible!

Have you eaten Mongolian barbecue in NJ before? Tell us about your trip to the Magic Grill or reminisce about your favorite long-gone restaurant in the comments section! Magic Grill also offers take-out options, so check out the official website to see all the offerings! If you'd like to try one of the buffets that offer build-your-own stir-fry as an option, check out Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet.