Ginger Stir Fry & Grill

I have so many good memories of this place I cannot pretend to be unbiased in its favor. Yes. Once upon a time, not that long ago, I was younh and carefree and I dated a wonderful girl who loved this restaurant. After I would pick her up from her house, she would snuggle ino my arm and say, quite playfully, «Feed me, Ginger.» And I would drive downtown to the upwardly trending Second Street to stop at this noodle shop. I would always let her go first as she would load her bowl up with such delights not normally found at such places as water chestnuts, bok choy, kale, shrimp, and scallops. I would go for more standard beef and chicken fare along with mushrooms, spinach, etc. Then, then the sauce and the spices! You could mix and match! Finally, we’d bring our bowls around the corner to be weighed, and to order rice to be mixed in. Then it was cooked on a circular shaped grilling surface. Then she would sit across from me and happily eat as she talked with me. I miss those days of just a few years past. I miss it all. I’ve walked through the door a couple times since we split up, but I cannot do it. It was a place in time. And time has flowed on. But only I remain. Unbent. Unbroken. «Two vast and trunkless legs of stone…»

The idea is very awesome and the food was great, healthy-​tasting, but a little expensive. The cook and the cashier were both friendly. The place needs some spiffiness, but other than that, it was a yummy, new experience.
My boyfriend had a good idea that they should probably have some popular recipes up on a board or small pieces of paper/​cards to give people some guidance.

If you have a bad meal here, it’s your own fault. Mine has never turned out the same twice, but it has always been good. The atmosphere is lacking, but the food makes up for it. One of my favorite lunch spots downtown.

Nothing too impressive. It is a good concept but the food is lacking in taste. And for $ 11 I’ve could have gone to Mandarin.

Like Paul said, it’s getting better all the time (it couldn’t get much worse).
Place was cleaner this time, and the food was fresh.

Honestly not that impressed. I expected a lot more from what my friends had told me. Good prices though.

Ginger one of the gems of Macon. HotPlates Restaurant Group has the city of Macon one of my favorite cities to dine. That is saying a lot coming from a foodie from Brooklyn N.Y. and Manhattan.
Thanks you guys.
Btw. The new salad bar is awesome also.

Love this place. I can’t say anything bad about it b/​c you make your own bowl so if its gross its your OWN fault lol Huge bowl of food. and super yummy if you know what goes with what.

Let’s be honest; the layout is awkward, the food unimpressive, the chairs uncomfortable, and the prices probably too high for what it offers. I picked out a variety of vegetables and meats for the chefs to cook up, but really it came out to be very unimpressive. You might be able to save your dish if you slather it in tons of sauce, but do you really want to go to a restaurant to eat a bunch of sauce?
To improve, Ginger should get a better buffet line and clearer instructions about how to use the buffet and how to make a good meal. They should also look a bit more at the foods presentation, maybe replacing the paper baskets with real dishes. To be fair, I did visit about a year ago, so they might have changed some things, but I really can’t say I’ve wanted to give it a second try.

Good idea but not the best lay out. I find the prep bar is so damn low i have to bend over and try to grab items in back. Just not enough room to fill bowl. Some of the raw items have looked a bit old. The process is not clear to anyone that has never been there. You just kind of walk in and guess on what to do. Rice should be added on every dish for the prices you pay per oz.

Hands down the best hibachi grill in middle Georgia! Everything’s fresh and such a great variety. Drive all the way up from Perry at least twice a month.

The hubby and I came here last week for the first time– it’s decently priced (both of us got pretty decent sized noodle dishes for $ 8-​$ 10) and they have a good assortment of sauces, veggies and meats (including tofu– yay for this veg). The end results came out a little greasy, but as usual with these types of places it’s hard to determine whether that was our own fault for the sauces we put on, or the cooks who added additional oil when they were stir frying. VERY casual atmosphere, pretty clean… all in all ok, but probably not somewhere I’m going to plan on going to again.

Fresh ingredients, great variety, and tasty sauces – I’ve never had a bad meal here. I really love the Honey Soy Sauce, but there is a sauce for every preference. The service is very fast, but the prices are a bit steep compared to similar stir-​fry places. Two meals with soft drinks usually cost around $ 25.00.
In the evening, I’ve never had trouble finding parking right by the door, which is unusual for more populated parts of downtown. The location is great and the atmosphere is laid back.

Both times I have eaten here I ended up getting sick afterwards. I think the sauces are left out too long and it just did not agree with me. The concept is good. Some of the veggies don’t look that fresh and neither does the meat. I feel like you cannot really complain if the food does not taste good since you made it, but I was not happy with either of my outings.

Gingers is one of the few hidden gems in the city of Macon imo. The food is extremely tasty and very affordable. It has the feel of a Mongolian grill, with the speed and appeal of your average Chinese restaurant. The décor and ambiance could use a lot of work, but when it comes down to it the food is cooked right, and the limited staff is very friendly and eager to answer questions!

Came back and experience was definitely better. My food was cooked totally evenly this time. The selection of food is still pretty paltry though. There just isn’t enough greens. I need spinach, y’all. It’s good. I don’t like kale. Gimme some spinach.

It has the sense of Mongolian BBQ, but has differences that make it not as good or tasty. Most Mongolian BBQ places, even the ones at the food court are a pay for bowl type of deal. Here, it’s priced by weight.
Here are some good aspects of this restaurant: relatively quick service, tastes options as far as ingredients, sauces. They even have dry spices you can add to your bowl to increase the combinations of flavors!
Cons: there was no hostess to greet us at the door. For a new-​comer, we didn’t know what to do! Grab a table first? Or grab a bowl and start piling on the food? I had a bunch of things in my hands when I walked in so, it wasn’t conducive for me to grab 2 of their different bowls to start the process. Oh yeah, TWO bowls. Since they are weighed, you are charged a different fee for meats and proteins as you are for the noodles and veggies… guess that makes sense, but makes it more cumbersome if your hands are already full and have to fill your bowls before being seated.
Now for the cooking part: the cook really needs to understand that different foods have different cooking times. Shrimp and fish are included as meat options and you definitely do not want to over cook those! I had quite a bit of fish in my bowl… but after everything was done, I think I found maybe one piece of fish that was still relatively intact. All others flaked off and became part of the dish. The meat was cut into bite sized pieces and laid on top of ice. Normally they are VERY thinly sliced and still frozen. We were concerned that some of the meats may not be good anymore since the chicken looked a little slimy. They offer rice noodles (the pad Thai type) — which require minimal cooking. Otherwise, they become mush. Mine was nearly mush. And I noticed, instead of the long sticks all Mongolian BBQ places use, the cooks here use spatulas — the same kind you see a short order cook use at some grill/​griddle restaurant. The guy literally started chopping my noodles up as he was cooking them!
When he was done he scooped everything up and placed them into a white and red checkered paper rectangle — the type you use for hamburgers. Now, mine did not soak up all the sauce and start flaking off… all my sauce was absorbed into the noodles while they were being over cooked. My partners edamame tasted spoiled. At least they had chopsticks.
Would I come here again? Maybe. I’ll definitely give them a second try. I mean, it wasn’t horrible. It would have been nice to know grilled naan bread was available before we paid for our food. The girl at the register seemed preoccupied with promoting a $ 0.50 bowl of rice. Who eats rice and noodles at the same time?!

I was really excited to try Ginger. I went on my lunch break so it was around 1:30. They were out of some ingredients which was kind of strange so early in the day but maybe it was because some noon lunchers were especially hungry that day. My friend had already been there once before so he knew he process so he went right to work. Me on the other hand is another story…
My first complaint is that I felt rushed trying to figure out the process then decide what I wanted to put together. ANXIETY LOL I didnt want to hold up the line. Secondly It was awkward reaching over other food and trying not to drop food into the other food. Which I did sorry OCD peeps. A tray would be a nice addition. Also I kind of guessed on the sauce and how much to add it would be nice if they gave you a estimate of how much to use like they do with the seasoning.
Taste…since I tossed some stuff together myself it was ewww. The rice I added was all mixed in with the soggy noodles and the sauce didnt mix in evenly. It was heavy in some spots and nonexistent in other places. I was super hungry so I was very bummed. I will try it again because I like to give places two chances. Hopefully I can choose some better ingredients and sauce.

Fancy? No. Authentic Asian cuisine? No. Tasty? Yes.
This mix between a salad bar and hibachi grill allows you to customize your dish just as you want it… with lots of different options. The food is steaming hot and fresh.
Two complaints… the place is all hard surfaces and terribly noisy. A bit of soft sound absorbing surfaces would greatly help you to hear when they call your name to pick up your food. Secondly the lights look awesome… but are not the best to actually eat under. Everything is a red/​orange color.
A good addition to Downtown Macon though.

This place is really different. When the style was explained to me. I attributed it to a buffet. It has the makings of one, but with this you are choosing different additives to your bowl. I liked that part. The veggies look and taste fresh, so does the meat. As a first timer I will definitely make my way back here. I have had similar dishes at Japanese Steakhouses or other restaurants that are similar to this, but the taste here is so much different. I recommend trying this place out!