Mazalae Mongolian Restaurant

Visited Mazalae Mongolian Restaurant on a weekday. No queue, affordable prices, and generous portions perfect for sharing. We ordered five dishes: Khuushuur (beef pastry), Buuz (dumplings), Tsuivan (noodles stir-fry), Huitsaa (meatball soup), and Sharsan Uuhhriin Mah (beef stir-fry), plus milk tea for my friends. The atmosphere is comfortable with a lot of stuff and ornaments from Mongolia. Overall, a good experience of dining and friendly staffs, clean restrooms, easy parking, and a nice touch with Mongolian daily life playing on TV make the dining more appetizing.

We booked Mazalae for our daughter’s one year birthday party having been there before with delicious homemade food. Sarah the owner went above and beyond with some premade decorations and table set up for our guests in their party room. We were so impressed and paired with comforting noodles, soup, and dumplings it made the experience that much more special. Thank you to the Mazalae family, we will be back for future events and highly recommend for others! One tip will be calling to ensure the date and party room is available and also have an idea of menu items that you’d be ordering so the restaurant can prepare.

Hands down, this is the best Mongolian restaurant I have had. That said, it’s a very family run joint and if I answered correctly the atmosphere and service would be 2 or 3 stars. The problem is the food should be a 7 out of 5. Yea, it’s that good. It’s literally a talented Mongolian woman cooking in the back. No fancy line. This is like you went to a Thanksgiving dinner at the best cook in the entire extended family - and she prepared it all. My fiancée is a very good Mongolian cook and this was basically like eating her food. But somehow they have scaled it up. It feels fresh and not heavy. Service is slow but super polite. They are grateful you visit and it shows.

This place is such a hidden gem. Absolutely loved the food and will definitely be coming back. Amazing service and the mongolian milk tea was authentic. If you are in the area take a chance and you will fall in love.

This is my first time visiting here. Their authentic Mongolian food comes with great portion and full of flavor. It was really delicious. I highly recommended🎀

I was not expecting much when I got in… and I was very positively surprised. The atmosphere is very particular, but the owner is lovely and the food is spectacular. I will come back every chance I have!

Soooo delicious! Portions were huge for the price— we over-ordered, thinking we would split things, big mistake. Everything is made fresh, even the dough for the pastries and dumplings. A big bowl of soup on a cold day hits just right, omg! The service was amazing too. They brought out tea and a little crunchy/sweet snack while we waited, which was helpful since the food took awhile (because it is made fresh!) Shouldn’t have snacked too much though because we wanted to eat all the food we got. Well it was great the next day.

SHARSAN UUHRIIN MAH — Sizzling Beef with Rice This dish is incredibly satisfying! Stir-fried with bell peppers and onions, paired with potatoes and tender beef, the flavor is rich and aromatic. The beef is cooked just right—tender, juicy, and naturally flavorful, without any additives. Tastes healthy and delicious! Buuz — Mongolian Steamed Dumplings Thin skin and juicy filling! The dough is soft yet chewy, made with hot water, and the minced lamb inside is slightly chunky, seasoned with garlic for a bold and savory flavor. HONINII HAVIRGATAI SHOL — Lamb Rib Soup with Veggies and Mini Dumplings A comforting homemade-style soup made by slow-simmering lamb with potatoes, carrots, and celery. The broth is light, flavorful, and not gamey at all. The mini dumplings inside are soft and springy, adding texture to the soup. Stir-fried Noodles with Beef — A Taste of Home! This dish brings back memories of home! The stir-fried noodles with beef are seasoned simply, making it a healthy and tasty option. The aroma is irresistible—every bite feels like comfort food from back home. Tips for the Best Experience ✔ Unlimited refills of salty milk tea! The staff is super warm and friendly—just ask for more and they’re happy to serve. ✔ Big portions and affordable prices—perfect for those looking for a hearty meal. ✔ Family-owned restaurant with a cozy, welcoming vibe.

Here's the instructions on how to eat there. First, I would call 1-2 days prior to coming. Just let them know you plan on coming with x amount of people at this specific time. They will take note. Next, call on the day of. I just called them an hour after they opened and confirmed that my group of x amount of people will arrive at this time. They said they will see me then. Simple. When you arrive, they have free street parking in front of the restaurant. The restaurant is not huge, they do have some limited seating if it does get busy. The restaurant is family owned. The mom was serving us. I believe she helps with her husband and daughter in the back. All of the food is made fresh. It's like eating at someone's house with a nice home cooked meal. Portion sizes were generous. Prices are cheap for what you receive. This is my second time eating Mongolian food. First was at Arvin in Niles. You also get complimentary milk tea. Mongolian milk tea is more salty than ones in your typical Asian restaurant. Here is that we ordered: -khuushuur (beef pastry) 5 - kind of like an empanada with beef inside. It's juicy too so be careful when taking the first bite. It's very hot. -glass noodle stir fry 5 - kind of like japchae. Noodles are thin with a variety of ingredients. -dumpling soup 5 - heart soup. There is some bread that you can use to dip. As shown in the picture, a generous amount of dumplings, meat, and veggies. -tsuivan (noodles stir fry) 5 - this is another must when ordering Mongolian food here. Noodles are on the thicker side with slight chew. Well balanced with meat and veggies. -lamb rib soup 5 - one of the favorites. The meat is perfectly cooked. Noodles were chewy but not too much. Good soup for any occasion. -buuz (dumplings) 5 - skin is thicker. Meat inside is succulent and not dry. Very flavorful. This and the khuushuur are musts when coming here.

Great hospitality and good home cooked food. Great portion sizes good value, will return. You know that great feeling you get when you feel welcomed to a meal at a friendly auntie's home? That's how I felt with this experience was. The owner is so gracious and kind. We felt loved and welcomed. She walked us through the menu and helped us select a few key dishes that stand out for us first timers. (Not a first timer anymore and I'll be back for sure!). She served us hot steamy milk tea - Mongolian style which is a tad saltier side (goes well with cold weather and the food we had). The beef pastry (6 large dumplings) was excellent, freshly hand-made that day (they were making more as we were eating). The beef patty inside is moist, flavored with onion and the shell was nicely fried, good texture, not too greasy. Soup came out next which we shared amongst our table. It was definitely hot and steamy, a hint of dill, roasted potatoes meatballs. Heart warming for sure and the slippery glass noodles were fun to slurp. Flatbread came out and it was light and fluffy, a bit of crunch went really well with the soup. The dumplings came out and I was amazed at the plumpness and the serving size. Very happy, served with a dipping sauce on the side which brought out the beefy flavors of the dumpling. Really enjoyed our time there. It's a small shop, and it's like the owners family inviting you over for a meal cooked with love and care. I'll be back to try the noodle dish I saw another table have. Three tables were active while we were there on a rainy Friday lunch,and seems like the other table ordered exactly the same as we did. Parking on the street non-metered.

Wow super service! Delivery was fast and the food was so delicious. Live it! Will be ordering more in the future thank you.

Great place! Wide selection on the menu, everything was fresh. The dumpling was decent as well as the stir-fried noodles. Mongolian Beef needs a little more flavoring but the meat is great. I wouldn't say it is the most child-friendly way of eating but doable. Great experience overall!

Good home cooking Mongolian food. Having never been to Mongolia, nor eaten Mongolian good before, my experience here is exactly how I would describe it, good home cooking. The restaurant has nice heavy tables that seat about 20-30 people. We went for a weekday lunch and there were 2 other tables at the time. The waitress and owner was so kind and friendly and helped us decide what to order, telling us what the popular dishes were. We ordered the Buuz, Khuushuur, Huitsaa and Bin. Everything was delicious. The Buuz are steamed dumplings, 9 to an order. The had beef inside and the filling was similar to the Khuushuur filling too. The Khuushuur was their beef empanada, but the dough was not as flaky and crispy as an empanada but still tasty. The Huitsaa was not like any kind of stew I've tasted- it has meatballs and different kinds of veggies in it with also clear noodles. And it also had dill in it too. The Bin was their fried bread which is like the Khuushuur dough. The owner also gave us some of the milk tea to try- not as salty as I thought it would be, tasty and went well with the fried foods. A fantastic visit to this restaurant and we will be back to try some other things.

It's not often that I leave a review, but this incident has happened multiple times. If i could give a 0 star rating, I would. This is my family and I's fourth attempt in dining here. It's always a different day of the week that we have tried, so I know for a fact that they are not consistent with the schedule. Today specifically, we parked since it looked open, only for everyone to be staring at us, in confusion. The older lady told us that they're not open, and they're closed for an event. There's no sign whatsoever on the door, saying that they're closed for an event. That is it, we are most definitely not coming back here again.

I LOVE this place, i'm assuming the lady that is always there is the owner and she is the BEST. she is extremely welcoming & so motherly! all the food is made with love & she wants to make sure everybody is well fed. i've brought family & friends & they've loved it as well. the food is AMAZING, so tasty & authentic. 12/10.

It's my first time having authentic Mongolian food. Kind need to add / adjust to your taste with salt / flavor. Rich in broth. Very friendly owner and service - explain the whole thing about their homemade everything dishes. Yes - I recommend this place especially if you have not had real Mongolian food.

Pleasure to see the family owning and working together. My friends and I felt like we just visited some one's home and where we would be always welcomed.

I was so happy to spend my birthday here. All the food was hearty and comforting, and the host walked us through the whole menu with a lot of excellent recommendations. She was even thoughtful enough to give me a chocolate bar for my birthday! Awesome service, reasonable price, and solid food -- I'm especially fond of the buuz and the lamb spare rib soup. I was really impressed that they made everything from scratch in house. I'm thinking we'll be regulars soon enough!

We love carry-out from here. the Buuz( dumplings) are huge! they are packed with flavor and so much juice. I also really like the khuushuur. It's like a huge tasty empanada. This is comfort food at its finest.

I loooove this place. This was my first time having Mongolian food. I've been back so many times since, and I look forward to it every time. I wish more people knew about this place and its food. Run, don't walk!

Great service, even better food. The place is so cozy and feels like home, the food is super delicious but very affordable. Best way to order to share as the plates are quite big.

You are advertised on Yelp and Google that you are open and your phone doesn't have a message either to explain that you are not open! We traveled a distance to have Mongolian food only to be disappointed when we discovered it was closed! You lost us as customers because it very costly driving to closed businesses when you allow yourself to be advertised as opened

If you like asian food you must try Mazalae Great food great staff. Love hussur and buz.

Inconsistent and unreliable opening/service times. When you search online, it shows business is open but when you get there that are closed.

Food was great and homemade while we wait. Everyone was friendly and genuinely cared about how we liked the food. This is a very family friendly restaurant and feels like as if you walked into someone's house for dinner. Absolutely great ! Will return many many times !

What a blast!!! So delicious and I almost ended up in tears! NO DINNING IN, but I just ate them in my car in their back partying lot! The waitress is so friendly and nice! She saw us in the back and she waved her hands with big smiles that I missed a lot in these days!!! AUTHENTIC Mongolian food! I love Mongolian music, and I have done a lot research for their food too, so I say it with a strong confidence! Highly recommend their steam dumplings and buzz! If you like hot pot, go Mongolian hot pot! They have a fried crispy pancake that you can dip it in the soup, the flavor is well balanced. Love their milk tea too. It's not sweet, it taste a little salty. Yup, what a great experience

I hate to give bad reviews. I found this restaurant through Yelp and thought it looked interesting. Plus, it was close to home. First off, I tried to order multiple times through grubhub but they kept cancelling my order. I thought maybe the restaurant had closed. I was finally able to order through DoorDash one day. I did pick-up, and when I arrived there was a grubhub sign by their door. Are they using the service or not? However, my order was ready on time and the hostess was very nice. As for the food, it went a bit downhill. Maybe this place is better for dine-in only. I ordered the monpenadas, which I'm guessing is the Mongolian version of empanadas. They were flavorful but soggy from sitting in a puddle of grease. I also got the tsuivan, which was the homemade stir fried noodles. Again it was flavorful but the noodles were so hard and chewy that none of us could eat it. It hurt my jaw to chew even a few bites. We may give them another chance if we decide to dine in, but not going out of our way.

A delicious little spot for Mongolian food. The empanadas were delicious. If you have never tried Mongolian food, this place will give a great introduction without the hefty price tag that sometimes comes with "specialty" restaurants.

Similar to other negative reviews, this one is purely due to restaurant's unreliability when it comes to operating hours. We decided to try for a birthday gathering at noon on Saturday - posted hours online and on the door say it should've been open long before then. But alas, no one answers the phone, no indication on outgoing message that they're not open (even though they should be). We needed a last minute switch to an old reliable for emergency takeout.

Highly recommend this place to anyone who read this. I really love their Dumpling & Vegetable soup, Goulash, Huushuur.

Dinner was a disaster! I stopped by the restaurant and ordered my meal stating that my daughter was allergic to bell peppers. When we got home it appeared as if I had asked them to put extra bell peppers! There were so many peppers in two of the entrees that the entire kitchen smelled of them. I tried to put together a meal that my daughter could eat but the smell really got to her, and no one slept due to her being sick all night. Thank God that the allergy wasn't one that would kill her! Customers beware if you have an allergy!

I think this was my first time ever trying a Mongolian restaurant and it was great! Did a take out for goulash and the milk tea dumpling soup (I was very curious about the milk tea soup). Personally enjoyed the dumplings more than the goulash. The owners are very kind too.

Love the dumplings which is flavorful and spot on. The ambience is a hole in the wall mom and pop ethnic resto with a warm welcoming Mongolian hospitality of the lady owner! The lamb soup is ok. Will be back to taste the rest of the food in the menu...

This place may have been charming in the past, but several of the features listed on Yelp are no longer here. First, they do not have a bar. Second, the outside space shown in the pictures no longer exists. Third, the menu they gave us (on a Friday night) is far more limited that what is suggested on Yelp. There were on only two couples eating when we arrived. The food on their tables looked good. But the atmosphere was one where tables were not even set for dinner and the wait staff was mostly missing; it looked like no one had prepared the restaurant for dinner. Wish we could have stayed, but whatever charm this place must have had in the past seem to have been lost.

My go to place for potato salad! The staff is very friendly and welcoming. Sometimes they have a pop store that sells goods from Mongolia in the back if you are lucky.

Was looking AND WOW this restaurant really blew this out the park customer service was really good too!!

There are not many Mongolian restaurants in Chicago area. So, I could not wait to try this place. I ordered mantuun buuz which is dumplings. I also got a Mongolian beef and a potato salad to go. Unfortunately, I had an horrible experience. For the dumplings, dough was far too dry. Potatoes were hard and uncooked for the salad. My friend's Mongolian beef was extremely salty, so she could not eat it. I contacted with them right away. They said that they were aware of the situation and apologized. Good thing was that they offered me a free dinner. However, I tried to use that offer in few weeks later but it was a hoax. Overall, It was an experience that I should not have done.

The first time my friend and I tried to go here, we checked their hours online and the lettering on their door. They both read 11:00 am opening time every day. We got there after 11 am and the door was locked. We hung around for a while knocking and calling the restaurant on the phone. No answer, so we left and ate at Lai Thai a few blocks away. We later found out that they are closed on Tuesdays. They should note that on their door at the very least. Rave reviews from two different people led me to try again with my family tonight. We ordered 2 soups (Hot Pot Beef Stew and Dumpling with Vegetables). We also ordered pineapple chicken and mongolian beef. The Hot Pot Beef Stew was our favorite dish of the 4. The meat dishes were served with potatoes and a type of pickled vegetable slaw that was very tasty. The waitress was friendly, but very inexperienced. We had to ask for water, plates, bowls, serving spoons, etc. The restaurant was quite loud, but probably due to the large birthday party that took up half of the restaurant. I'd like to give them a try at lunchtime for their $10 specials, but I'll double check the hours next time.

We have ordered take out from Mazalae several times. Their Buuz dumplings are delicious- we literally order several dozen and eat them over a few days. The milk tea with dumplings and Mongolian beef are delicious too. Everything is so flavorful.

This is one of the very few real Mongolian restaurants in chicago area. I've been there number of times. We had buuz (steamed bigger dumplings) khuushuur (fried big flat dumplings) potato salad, cabbage salad. They were all very delicious. One more thing that I really like is the restaurant decoration. Lot of beautiful arts. Definitely recommend you to try out this place.

This place is a hidden gem! My girlfriend and I recently discovered this place, and we went there last Sunday. We ordered the Mongolian Hot Pot, and the soup is like... a soup from heaven with beef, meatball, noodles and vegetables. I saw the pictures from yelp and wasn't impressed at all until I finally got a chance to taste it... We absolutely love it! The Mongyoza is very tasty to our East Asian stomachs, and we love that as well. We also tried the Mongolian milk tea, it's salty and warm, and very different from Chinese/Hong Kong/ Japanese milk tea. We definitely love this place and can't wait to come again!

From out of town and really wanted to try this place. I know with COVID, hours are changing for many places but Yelp showed they are open until 10:30 pm on Saturday so placed an order through GrubHub at 8 pm. My order was never accepted and they did not answer when GrubHub called to follow up at 8:35 pm. I called just to see if hours were listed or in the off chance they were still open and was told by woman who answered that they just closed. If hours change, they should update them with their delivery partners too.

Grate place good food good everything I like this. Please I wood recommend to all my friends

Super friendly service, food was super delicious too. Would recommend their Khushuur, Tsuivan and Mongolian beef... literally every dish is amazing, good portions and kind people. Thank you!

Came here on a Sunday night and got seated right away. Received recommendations to get the empanadas, dumplings, and clear noodles. All the food tasted bland to me. Needs some type of sauce to make it better. Server was nice. There was no toilet paper in the women's washroom so I had to take my daughter to the men's washroom. Turns out there were no paper towels in men's restroom. Go figure.

Great food, meatball soup and potato salad were delicious. Fast and friendly service

Good service and delicious food. I will visit again when I back to Chicago. I tried the Tsuivan and the Buuz. They are outstanding. I like Mongolian Buuz more than Chinese Bao Zi because more meat is inside, bigger size, and feels very "solid."

Vegetables with a dumpling is a perfect taste, it's super delicious. Really like this place.

Flavor right, authentic Mongolian. Ask for the milk tea and buuz or huushuur, if you want to taste real Mongolian comfort food. Buuz, are handmade, little packets of beef and wonderful seasonings much like a pot sticker, except they are steamed. Huushuur is a deep fried version of this dilectable treat. My husband's favoright is Tsuivan, the hand made noodles put together with beef and vegetables (another true Mongolian favoright.) Happy eatings!!

Really great food and a kind, welcoming staff. The Huushuur (Monpenadas), Carrot Salad, and Clear Noodle Stir Fry are incredible!!! The little potatoes in the stir fry are so flavorful I could eat a whole plate of them. Excellent comfort food and amazing flavors here, I highly recommend it!

Mazalae's authentic Mongolian menu is short yet from the heart. If it's comfort food you're seeking, you'll feel right at home here with their dumplings and beef stew. Despite the restaurant's small size - - maybe 30 seats - - Mazalae has a wine and spirits bar. Animal lovers will appreciate the fact that the restaurant's name -Mazalae - refers to an endangered species of bear in Mongolia. The restaurant's lunch special is only $10. Definitely worth a visit.

The food is not bad. I liked their potato salad and milk soup with dumplings. It took a while to get our order. I think we waited for more than half hour. I believe the reason for a long wait is because they cook everything from scratch. They have good lunch specials on weekdays until 4 pm. They include either Mongolian milk tea or bottled water, a small appetizer, and a main dish for $8.50. Next time, I will order the food ahead as a carry out. Overall, I am glad that there is a Mongolian restaurant nearby.

Great service at this new Mongolian restaurant. I learned it's named after a endangered bear. The food was tasty perfect for chicago weather. I tried a few items Mongolian beef "of corse" Mongoyoza .... and Mongolian hot pot.

What a hidden gem of Morton Grove! The town has a lot of restaurants, and this one is unique for its wonderful hot pot, noodle dishes, and dumplings. You get more than you pay for at Mazalae. For example, we chatted with the chef about the spices used in the beef hot pot and ended up talking about family, the town, etc. What a delightful experience. Highly recommended.

I went to this place very randomly. But the food was so great that I decided to write a review although I rarely do that. It is as authentic as it gets. Very tasty.

Really f***ing good. I had the buuz, hand-made noodle stir fry, and the veggie dumpling soup. Authentic, good sh*t!

To my knowledge, this is the only Mongolian restaurant in the Chicago area. I'm not disappointed with the food, its authentic but (of course) not comparable to home cooked Mongolian food. I go here to get my comfort food fix. Everyone is really nice here and service is fast. Brought few of american friends and they always enjoy the "Monpenada" and the Mongolian beef. These are safe choices if it is your first time eating here.

First time here, and the server was quite rude. We had to call him back 4 times to get the proper utensils and sauces that all the tables had. The beef had no flavor, and was very chewy, almost as if raw. Wouldn't come here again unless I was told that another dish sold here was their best. Expensive as well, for he beef was 12.50 per plate. I also asked for a new cup as the one I had at dirt on it. He cleaned the cup and gave me back the dirty cup, with the dirt still on there