The Mongolorian closes; South East Asian barbecue joint DZÔ! BBQ will take its place

One of the most highly anticipated restaurants of 2023 has closed a little more than a year after it opened. The Mongolorian opened to much fanfare last May, but the sizzle of Mongolian barbecue soon fizzled and the restaurant served its last stir-fry on Sunday.

Now, one of the original partners in the project, Hoi Nguyen, has taken over the space at 2217 E. Colonial Drive and will soon reopen it as DZÔ! BBQ. “Dzô!” is a common Vietnamese utterance when toasting so you can bet DZÔ! will serve plenty of beer and wine (and possibly cocktails) to go along with the bevy of South East Asian-style barbecue dishes.

“We’ll combine all the best aspects of real South East Asian barbecue, from skewered meats to Vietnamese-style lemongrass spare ribs to Laotian sausage,” says Nguyen. “It’s the sort of food we’ve enjoyed at family backyard barbecues since childhood.”

Nguyen estimates interior and exterior updates will take about a month and is aiming to open the restaurant “by the end of September or early October.”

While the menu is still in development, “small plates and shareables” is what they’re going for. Nguyen — who also opened K-Mex concept Side Chik next door to his Korean fried chicken joint, Chi-Kin, last week — says he’s excited to rebrand the location into an original concept and promises “a flavorful and fun experience for all.”

The Mongolorian experienced its fair share of hurdles on its road to existence so, perhaps for DZÔ! BBQ, this is the way.

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This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2024.