david's mai lai wah

david mai lah wah, chinatown philadelphia has terrible customer service. i prefer to eat somewhere else. a little decency goes a long way....

we had what was possibly the worst chinese meal ever mai lai wah. from the gooey sweet and sour soup to the bland and cornstarch sauces on everything, it was a disaster. don't waste your appetite and money.

this place wasn't quite as awesome as sang kee peking duck around the corner, but it was not bad at all and is open well after sang kee has kicked everyone out. asked them to make chicken and eggplant with garlic sauce and they did, it was quite good. bbq/roast pork appetizer was good, despite being somewhat saltier and fattier than i'm used to. peking duck was good but like most chinese places it was a bit plain, didn't have sang kee's 5 spice sauce to make it "pop." you may see some lively characters there. it's not a bad second choice if sang kee is closed.

got the hong kong/american wonton. both hot and fresh loaded with home made wontons. then got singapore noodle and general taos and both where huge played that had to be wrapped. oh forgot the veggie spring roll...not quite the best it everythingelse superb. service was fast/friendly and my daughter says the after 12 crowd is the most entertaining:) great way to visit chinatown on a budget and get the trifecta! good food great service excellent location..bon appetite!

really good chinese food. although wait service is subpar at best, the food is delicious and it comes out very fast. if you're out for a good meal for a cheap price, this is the place to go!!

mai lai way-to-go. must-try dishes: 1. hongkong wanton soup --- broth is just right. not overly perfumed like the vietnamese pho. dumplings are tender but not falling apart. quiet tasty. 2. salt & pepper squid --- to die for. best eaten in the premises not to-go. it might be a bit spicy for the faint hearted. crunchy but not rubbery. perfecto! 3. roast pig --- just enough crispness of the skin and tenderness of the meat. again, not perfumey like the other hanging roast pig. not greasy either (one across the street is greasy). this is served cold though. 4. soy sauce chicken --- another cold dish but worth a venture. really delish. i am not quite sure what's in that soy sauce. 5. peking duck --- what more can i say it's peking duck. it's awesome. the awesomeness about it, is it doesn't have a funny smell of a duck lounging in the pond. mai la wah has a lot to offer. these are just a few. don't be a total ignoramus ordering 'ramen'.

for a late night meal. this place is good chinese food - nothing great or special - but so like those typical chinese places our parents took us to as kids (a real treat!). specializes in classic cantonese cuisine. best part it is open very late ... like 2 am, 3 am, who knows??? you can't go wrong with shrimp in lobster sauce and roast pork fried rice, or egg foo young, or buddha's delight.

mediocre, but it's all acceptable. our food came out at different times and i just ordered the egg drop soup ($3). because of my meager order, i didn't qualify for a fortune. that's cheap dining, huh?

don't waste your money! big disappointment; only the two of us but one dish came out cold and the other was 10 minutes later. supposed to be spicy, but not. service was slow and not friendly. bright flourescemt lights make it even worse.