David’s Mai Lai Wah

Service was so poor I walked out and they weren’t even busy, it’s a Monday. I walked in and said Hello, the male worker looked right in my face, gave a dirty look and walked away. That rude service will kill your business no matter how good the food taste… After reading numerous reviews and after my experience, I would say STAY AWAY, Staff is racist against black people and I’m bi-​racial. Guess my complexion speaks for itself as my character

Went here last night. The service was a little slow and they were definitely understaffed, but that’s ok I don’t go out to a sit down restaurant when I’m in a rush. I got the roast pork noodle bowl. For 6.50, this was huge and delicious. It came with big sweet chunks of roast pork. Not thin slices, but chucks that were about as thick and as long as a small child’s hand. It was very delicious. You have the option of egg noodles or rice noodles. I went with the egg noodles and they were definitely the downfall of the dish. Excluding the noodles this is easily a 5 start noodle bowl, but the noodles are just like angel hair spaghetti… (egg noodles of course). I wished that the noodles were broad and flat… or if they had the option of shaved noodles that would be excellent.
I’d like to come back and try their other dishes.

The food is good. The service is alright. Coming in before the drunks are done clubbing would behoove ya.

I’m spoiled by NYC’s Chinatown. That being said, this is a perfectly serviceable joint for all of your late night/​drunk-​off-​your-​ass Chinese needs.
It doesn’t matter if it’s 2pm or 2am, this place is always jam packed with a wait of people running out the door. However, if you are a brave and/​or shameless person, here’s a tip: walk right past the line of people and sit yourself down. The staff won’t say anything and won’t care, although the line out the door might shoot daggers. I personally am not brave enough to do this, but my friends were; their unabashed walk and blatant disrespect for America’s cuing system not only made us some new friends, but also saved us an hour’s wait at 2am (to everyone waiting behind us: my apologies– I don’t condone this behavior unless pan fried noodles are on the line).
As for the food, it’s perfect for soaking up the alcohol in your stomach, but nothing excruciatingly memorable. We split a ton of dishes among 7 people, including the pan fried noodles with vegetables; egg rolls; fried and steamed dumplings; sweet and sour chicken; general tso’s chicken; and beef with broccoli.
My favorite was definitely the pan fried noodles; the veggies were very fresh and crisp, even smothered in a rich brown sauce. The egg rolls unfortunately were pretty flavorless, and the skins of the dumplings were thick and a little under cooked. Our chicken and broccoli dishes were good, but again, nothing exciting.
As for ambiance, there isn’t much, but you’ll probably have some late night entertainment. A huge fight broke out at a table behind us, while the drunk escapades of our neighbors were definitely amusing to watch. Leave the kids at home if you come any time after 10pm, but besides that, David’s gets the job done when all you want is some classic greasy Chinese food.

«Ughhhhh I went to David’s last night… whyyyy» is unfortunately the first thing that ran through my mind this morning, followed shortly by «I need a gatorade.» It was one of THOSE nights. Why so much regret? Well, for starters, eating salty and greasy food at 2am sounds good, but in reality always ends up making you feel a lot worse. Additionally, David’s really wasn’t worth the calories. I ordered some chicken dish with peanuts and while it definitely nailed the drunk food craving, my boyfriend and I both noticed a paucity of chicken. He ordered chicken wings that only appeared when we were finishing our entrée. Since our friend also got wings, we told the server to send them back. (Clearly the theme of the night is «where is the chicken!») Why would we still want an appetizer when we are finishing our entrée? Unfortunately our server threw somewhat of a fit and it was clear that he was not pleased with us. Regardless, he decided to charge us for the wings, because our $ 21 dollar check was certainly not just for one chicken dish and a side of rice. We begrudgingly paid it and left a paltry tip. This man did not even refill our waters and was a huge jerk regarding the wings situation. Unexpectedly, he ran over to our table and started berating us (in front of all of our friends) regarding his low tip. Like dude, are you serious? I worked as a waitress for years, and never once got salty with a customer regarding a tip, even those who stiffed me! The utter lack of professionalism and downright insulting behavior really put a sour taste in our mouths. Of note, a fight almost broke out while we were eating between patrons who were seated and some customers who ran in and started screaming at them. I have no idea what THAT was about, but I certainly did not want my life to be in danger while enjoying some chicken stir fry. Anyway, Davids was a let down, and I (hopefully) won’t be back.

The only good thing about David’s is the salt & pepper shrimp. The service is the worst. I have been coming here for years and the service has been on a rapid decline. Hire some new servers! I can understand their frustration when dealing with late night drunks, but I came at 5pm and it was not busy. I had the only female waitress there and she was horrible. She was extremely rude and unpleasant. She wasn’t paying attention when taking our order then when the wrong food came out she was annoyed when we told her it was incorrect. No apology etc. Unfortunately, after years of patronizing this restaurant, I will not go back.

This is what you call a late night delight. You must order the Hong Kong wonton soup, pan fried dumplings, salt and peppered squid, and the beef chow fun. Trust me order these four delicious dish and you will go home happy.

Not gonna lie. This place is great for drunk eats and the food definitely hits the spot when it’s 2am and you’re hungry for some Chinese food. However, the service here is shoddy at best. I suppose the staff is used to dealing with the drunk crowds but they sure don’t try very hard and are super slow in seating you and with any requests. Try flagging a waiter down and they just shrug you off and ignore you. Not to mention, prices are a way high for the type of food you get. They truly capitalize on the drunk crowd and don’t try very hard for your business.

I used to love this place because a friend of my mom’s would always order food from here for me. I’ve always hear rumors about this place that the people that works here are racist, they only serve Americans. And I was there with my friends last time, we were standing there for a good 5 – 10 mins. The waitress obviously saw us but ignored us, so we left! Bad ass service ever! Idc how good your food is, but your service sucks! And you guys are Asian too!

I would like to apologize. I was one of those drunk girls here at 3am. I am very sorry.
But I had a great time and can’t say it won’t happen again! :)
Friends and I visited here after many drinks at a nearby club. We were not rowdy or obnoxious, plus my friends had been here many times before, so a table arrived for us seemingly out of nowhere and before many other people that were waiting. Luckily, they were all drunk too and didn’t notice we were sat first.
I thought all the food was so good. And I ate it for leftovers the next day, so I know that my memory isn’t simply blurry. The eggplant XO was the surprise for me. It was unfortunately something my friend ordered and let me have a few bites of. Otherwise I would have been happy to devour the whole plate. My friends love the shrimp with the mayo/​walnut sauce. I thought it was too sweet and a little gross, but it does seem to be a popular dish. If you enjoy it at other restaurants, you’ll love Davids too. Food came out very quickly and everything was hot and plentiful.
The hours here are ridiculous. I believe they’re open until 2 or 3 during the week and then 4 on the weekends. They accept credit cards and can get you in and out in a jiffy if you’d like. The restaurant is tiny, so there may be a wait during lunch and dinner rushes. But luckily it’s in the middle of china town and there are lots of other choices nearby. I will definitely come back here though.

We went to David’s twice. First night Peking duck, OMG the best ever, moist, greasy and crippy skin, we drooled, we moaned, we stuffed it in fluffy bao, we ate au naturel. We ate in a dozen paces in the next few days but none matched david’s duck.
The next night we went for their acclaimed salt and pepper squid. It was over fried and absolutely tasteless. Methinks stick with duck how awesome that you can walk from crib to David’s. And cheap
PS the whiskey sour and chablis were top notch in a retro way.

I wish I could give them zero stars!!! If you want roaches in your food or on your table and etc. Well this is the place for you! I’mma guy and I was about to scream when a roach popes out of the condiment holder! PLEASE EVERYONE DO NOT EAT HERE! I will not be coming back EVER!!!

Make no mistake, the service here leaves much to be desired. However, the food is tasty, and they’re open pretty late.
The old Chinese waiter who served us is your typical, stereotypical, surly Chinese waiter that you’ll see in Chinese restaurants across the country. However, the younger gentleman who was serving the table next to us, must have felt bad for our lack of service, and checked in on us, refilled our waters, and made sure that our order issue was resolved, after the first waiter refused to accept the fact that he forgot to put in our order of Salt and Pepper Chicken.
Try their salt and pepper chicken, the walnut shrimp, and their duck and roast pork dish. I’ll have to try their famous pork dumplings next time I visit.

The food may be a bit questionable (although not terrible), but where else are you going to get piping hot Chinese food at 3am on a weeknight?

I would give zero star if I could but there is no such thing. Anyway, I was looking for a place that sells congee and it was late hours so all the vietnamese places were closed. I knew in my heart I should’ve went to my regular chinese store instead of here. I know its chinatown and that I cannot expect good service here, so I’ll give them a pass on that because that means I don’t have to give 20% tips either. Food takes long as hell when it’s not even busy. I ordered steam dumplings, chicken congee with fried dough, and shrimp in cream sauce with walnut. None of it were anything better than the food from chinese food store.
ALSO, There were four people, they weren’t white and looked a little young, and they asked for a table of four and the waitress said «no table» when clearly there were 5 empty tables ! Couple of minutes later, four people came in and its the opposite of them and the waitress sat them down. I just thought this was very interesting…

The best price in Ctown. Five stars for serving crack and having exceptional bad service.
I go to David’s Mai Lai Wah a lot cos it’s cheap and unlike some of the reviewers, I go there sober. And every time I am there, I order nothing but «Roast Duck and Pork over Rice» cos that shit is crack. Salt and Pepper chicken is good too but it’s not crack good. Ever since the first time I tried «RDP over Rice», I have been hooked to it. I don’t even look at the menu anymore. You know, the menu, the thing that sometimes takes them 15mins to give to you.
That brings us to service. Exceptional. When it comes to bad service, David’s Mai Lai Wah is the best at it. You need water? Well you better like tea cos water takes 20mins to get to you. And nope, you can’t get the waiters’ attention but when you do, expect them to look you in the eye and walk away. If that happens, don’t be mad they are just giving you more time to bond with your friends and some privacy as you eat your food.
After you are done eating, they give you 30 more mins to talk to your friends as you wait for the check and another 30 more mins when waiting for the change.
TL;DR. David’s Mai Lai Wah gets 5 stars cos they give you a shit ton of time to bond with your friends and serve dope «RDP over Rice».

Wow. Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet.
This is a late night Philly staple! Anyone that has ever gone out drinking/​clubbing in the city should have some experience here… Either eating here or skipping it BC of the long lines at 2am.
I’ve eaten here sober and drunk. Both times are equally delicious. But I go in with realistic expectations… This is Chinatown, this is Asian food… You’re not getting great customer service BC the staff have to deal with disgruntled customers all the way to 4am.
I stick to what they are good at… Quick Asian meals. Rice platters, noodle soups, and some stir fries/​fried food.
Eggplant on garlic sauce is bomb, salt and pepper wings are good but I prefer the salt and pepper pork chops. Get some rice and your set.
I try to avoid this place after 2am BC it may get a bit dangerous.; drunk guys with egos, jealous boyfriends, and straight beer muscle guys.
I tend to go before last call so i avoid the really drunk people.
But with the explosion of amazing Chinatown eateries, David’s is not on my radar for post drinking food.

Ok I’ve been forced to come here a few times since my last review. As long as you wait until you’re properly seated and ignore the service, the food is pretty good for a post 2am meal.
Note: there is a menu that they sometimes won’t give you, it’s only one sheet and has all the rice dishes on it. Those entrees are huge and are only around $ 6. I usually order the beef stew or curry beef over rice from there.

I don’t get how this place is usually full. Maybe it’s cuz it’s open so late all the time but… the food we tried were NOT good.
We had a salt and pepper seafood delight, and a classic stir-​fried pork/​peppers dish. The former was greasy, under-​flavored, and puny. The second one just tasted nothing like it should.
The atmosphere was a bit rowdy at night, and service was negligible. Don’t think we would come back even when desperate at night.

So I decided to give this place another chance. Everyone raves about it. Ordered it correctly, SALT N PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS. STILL A FAILURE! The wings were bland! No flavor. Nothing… Seems like fried chicken wings and threw slices of pepper on the side. No salt no pepper flavor. It was no different from me ordering the wrong plain wings.
I’m extremely dissapointed in this place because I really want to like it. But it’s just not gonna happen.