EVERETT – On a recent Saturday, my friend and I arrived about half an hour before Chang’s Mongolian Grill opened for dinner. After we turned off the engine and realized we had a wait, we looked around and counted 12 other cars filled with people waiting for the doors to be unlocked.

I commented to my friend that I hadn’t ever waited in my car for a restaurant to open, much less been toward the end of the line while waiting in the parking lot.

The Saturday we visited, the dinner crowd was an interesting mix of large families with small children, baby boomers and the younger set dressed in their date clothes for homecoming.

Part of Chang’s attraction is the price. Adult lunches cost $7.49, while adult dinners are $11.49. If children are under 10, they pay half price, while seniors get a $1 discount. By the way, soft drinks, hot-and-sour or egg-flower soup and dessert – a scoop of ice cream with a fortune cookie – are included in the price.

For my friend, who recommended visiting Chang’s because it’s been one of his favorites since it opened about six years ago, there are two reasons to eat at Chang’s: It’s all you can eat, and the selection of food to fill your bowl is better than most.

Because it was my first visit to Chang’s, I followed my friend’s lead once the hostess lead us to a table, and we ordered soft drinks and hot-and-sour soup. Chang’s also serves draft beer by the pitcher ($8) or by the mug ($2.75) plus bottled beer imported from China, Germany, Japan and Mexico ($3.25) or wine for $4 a glass or $13 a bottle.

My friend recommended filling two bowls: one with veggies and one with meat. I selected shaved pork, and my dinner companion chose shaved beef. The other meat selections are chicken, turkey, lamb, salmon, pollock, squid and imitation crab. Here’s where I discovered my only complaint: There wasn’t any tofu or eggplant for vegetarians. The different vegetable choices line two buffet tables and they include cilantro, celery, carrots, onions, bean sprouts all our favorites for an Asian-style dish.

I heaped my second bowl as much as possible and stepped in front of the sauces. I recommend that you follow the instructions hanging over the sauces. I tried my own concoction on my first time through the line and didn’t get the flavors as tasty as the suggested combinations, which I followed on my second time through.

The cook poured everything from my bowls onto the waist-high, cook top and expertly moved my dinner forward on the grill until the veggies were al dente.

By the way, there’s cold pasta in the buffet line, or skip the pasta and enjoy the steamed rice that’s served to your table.

My friend and I enjoyed both our trips through the line, watching the cooks work their magic and munching our freshly cooked meals. When we finished, the crowd waiting its turn had moved from the parking lot to the waiting area inside the front door.

Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.

Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.