Lai Lai

Great service, clean and great food! Just moved to the area and we were very impressed! Huge menu with lots of choices! Very quick and service with a smile what else could you ask for?!?

This was very good food. Worth getting off the exit and driving 3.8 miles back to the south. I had the One Ton Soup and it was so good. Long time

This was a place of last resort as most Thai restaurants were closed by 9pm. I have seen this place a few times so it was time to check it out. Maybe the «Under New Management» sign was a deterrent. The question pops into my head…“Why are they under new management and is the new management better?” The place was empty and I always feel bad when we come to close to closing. It was 9:15 and they closed at 10pm. I ordered Szechuan chicken and my friend ordered Pad thai. I also ordered the pork spring roll an wonton soup. The food was not bad. It was good. Not the best but not the worse. The dish had a little spice to it and had a good taste. The Pad thai was good but also not the best. I think Pad thai is usually better at authentic Thai restaurants. This was not as flavorful. The waitress was ok. She did tell us not to rush. This place is good enough to visit again but I do have other places on the top of my list.

Also tried Lai Lai for the first time after discovering the kitchen and ownership connection to the old Great Lakes. The selections on the «house specialties» menu at the back of the menu (i.e. the traditional Cantonese menu) were all superb. The stand out was the first item on the seafood section: mixed seafood and fish and lotus root in XO sauce. XO sauce, if you don’t know, is a Southeast Asian inspired spicy sauce made with chilis dried shrimp, dried scallop, and cured ham. When done well it is excellent on its own. But this dish had texture: crispy fish, soft lotus, and fresh (uncooked) spring onions. Not all the more traditional dishes were to be found on the House Specialties portion of the menu, so look through the rest too. The fish maw and crab meat soup and the fried intestines appetizer are familiar dishes not found in most American Chinese restaurants, but both were well-​prepared (to international cantonese standards) and recommended. I think the only thing that could make it 5-​stars is much more of the same. :)

We came across an article in Ann Arbor’s Current magazine saying this place has changed owners and are serving up some great Chinese food. We decided to give it a shot as we haven’t found a Chinese place that we were crazy about that serves dishes other than your typical Americanized Chinese takeout.
Ambiance:
In a strip mall, very unassuming. Inside is a bit run down an can use an update, but we frequent places due to their food, not the surroundings.
Service:
Amazingly enough, the lady, I’m assuming one of the owners, was unusually friendly for a Chinese restaurant. She was willing to give her input on certain dishes even offering some information that she was from Southern China where they prefer rice noodles over the typical wheat noodles of Northern China…
Food:
— Beef with Rice Noodles in Soy Sauce — We’ve had this in different places throughout the country and had it as beef chow fun… as we were hoping, this tasted like all the other favorite places we’ve had this dish. It’s stir fried rice noodles with beef, green onions, and bean sprouts. The beef was super tender and the dish not super greasy.
— Fried Fish Filet with Spicy Salt — The fish was fried, crispy, however not super crispy, but it was flavorful and not greasy. It was topped with what they call a spicy salt, which was a mixture of sauteed garlic/​jalapeño/​red peppers in a tiny bit of sauce that was very savory and flavorful.
Price:
— We ordered from their House Specialties section, where the prices can range from 12.95−15.95 for a family style portion of food to $ 23 – 36.50 for whole poultry dishes like crispy chicken or Peking Duck. They do have lunch and dinner specials (Mon-​Sat) serving your typical takeout fare, with prices ranging from 6.25−7.95 for lunch and 8.95−9.95 for dinner.
We are definitely going back to try some of their other dishes!

I was in the mood for chinese after seeing a movie at Rave so we decided to pop over to Lai Lai after Unilocaling. The good news? Perfectly adequate. I had the sweet and sour chicken, she had the egg foo young. We both had the wonton soup. I don’t how you rate American-​Chinese food? There can a little variation but for the most part these dishes are standards. So the question goes to service which was again adequate. Our waitress served us Pepsi after we both ordered Coke, it would have been nice to be told that they served Pepsi products beforehand (also that they charge for refills). And the price was a little much for the value but the lunch specials looked excellent. Would I return for them? Yes!

First time coming here, and I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty the food was. It’s hard to find good (authentic) Chinese food in the Ann Arbor area, especially one that can you bring a date or your family to. Nice atmosphere, sit down tables, but not too crowded so you can have some personal space.
The gf and I ordered stir fry vegetables with tofu, eggplant pork casserole, and salt and pepper squid. The soft tofu with the fried exterior was bathed in a delicious sauce, and it came with a decent variety of vegetables. The eggplant was surprisingly well cooked (which is actually a hard thing to do) and again came with this amazing sauce that when mixed with rice really hit the spot. And the salt and pepper squid was fried to near perfection accompanied by this spicy sauce that I couldn’t get enough of. Great portions of food with affordable prices earns this place 4 stars. However, the eggplant and soft tofu both had napa cabbage at the bottom of the dishes which I didn’t mind, but was an obvious attempt to cut costs. For the area however, I can’t be too picky and will be back to try more of their dishes.

A friend — who I don’t really trust regarding food — told me this place was great. Well… it lived up to the hype! On my first visit, I stuck with the «American fare» and tried Pork with ginger and garlic sauce — which I used to like at Szechuan West when it was open. Just as good or better than I remembered. I also had the hot and sour soup, fried rice, and an eggroll. All very competent and good.
Today I went back and tried more of the traditional (Cantonese?) menu. I had beef with Chinese broccoli. It was fantastic. The beef was tender in a very flavorful sauce, and I love Chinese broccoli. It’s more like greens; nothing like traditional broccoli (see pic). I also had Wonton soup with Shrimp Wontons, which was very good. For an appetizer I had a pork spring roll. A tad greasy but it had that great flavor. Finally, I had mango pudding for dessert. I really liked it. It’s best described as a creamy-​gelatin with pieces of fresh mango mixed in. Yum!
I feel a little sorry for the low Unilocal average here. Since the place changed chefs/​management or whatever, it seems like reviews prior to the change date should be deleted, imo. Definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants in Washtenaw County!

Wow. Really impressed by the new management and new chef. When Great Lakes down the street closed, I was very sad. I had no good place to eat Chinese food in the Ypsi/​AA area. Now, the chef is at Lai Lai and this place is so good!!! Excellent food, reasonable prices and portions.
When I went here 4 years ago it sucked, like 1 star quality bad. Now it’s 5 star quality. My go-​to Chinese place in the area.

I have been without a go-​to Chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor since the others that I frequented closed or changed owners.
That all changed when I read that the ownership of Lai Lai changed to a former chef of one of my favorites.
Try the dumplings! Try the hot and sour soup! Try anything! I’ve yet to have a bad meal.

Price: 5 stars
Quantity of food: 5 stars
Quality of food: 3.5 stars
This place supposedly has the former head chef of Great Lakes. The food is not as good as Great Lakes was, yet. But I think things are on the upswing.

My husband is Chinese American, I used to live in Asia, and we are fairly discriminating when it comes to Chinese food. Lai Lai passed our test.
First let me say what it is not. It is not gloppy.
The spicy pork hops were spicy and crispy. The Chinese broccoli was fresh and crisp.
We like it. Hope you do too.

I came in for a late Sunday lunch so the place was very quiet. The service was warm and welcoming. The lunch specials looked perfect but were not available on Sunday so I ordered the vegetable lo mein and asked if they would make it spicy for me. it was quick, hot and perfect. Great stop for a neighborhood restaurant.

Yes, Lai Lai is now run by some of the former Great Lake people, including a chef. I know them on sight; they know me. They have a lot of the Great Lake dishes (though no dim sum and no live seafood, and some other items aren’t there either). Take it from a long time Great Lake fan who even organized banquets there — this is a spinoff of Great Lake and a completely different restaurant from the old Lai Lai. Been there multiple times, and they’re consistent.
Totally worth going here now. I use the takeout menu, as it has the same organization as Great Lake so I can find stuff, and it has a few more of the Great Lake dishes on it. Some favorites:
Shrimp balls
Braised noodles with black mushroom
Shrimp with honey and walnuts
Fok Chow tofu
Beef tenderloin with black pepper
Mixed seafood with XO sauce (not a GL dish)
Any pan fried noodle
Anything with spicy salt
I have not tried the Americanized dishes, but they do seem to have a continuing clientele that likes them, along with the Chinese clientele that eats the real stuff.
Closed Tuesdays, which is weird and thus worth noting.

They should rename their restaurant to the «New Lai Lai» since they are not affiliated with the previous lai lai. This can also help filter out all the poor comments left for the previous owner.
For the longest time, I’ve avoided this place though it’s in a good location (opposite meijier, rave motion, ample free parking). I mean. Who would go to a restaurant with only ²⁄₅ stars.
Just like many of you, when I heard that the former great Lakes chef happen to be working in lai lai, I had to give them a chance. It is then I learnt that the place in under a new management. It felt so nostalgic when I was given a free bowl of boiled soup. I miss great Lakes soups.
For those who are new to lai lai and great Lakes, it’s a great restaurant. They serve both Chinese and American Chinese menu. I don’t think they have dim sum tho.

Someone told me that Lai Lai was under new management and the new owners were the former Great Lakes chef… did I run out of the house to go eat? No! As time passed, read an article on
, the profile reconfirmed the new ownership… did I run out of the house to go eat? No. I decided to wait, since a group of friends were going to meet up at Lai Lai for dinner… and waiting for the day to arrive was killing me.
Now, just a little background… I loved Great Lakes… back in college days, my buddies and I went to Great Lakes 2x to 3x a week… and when I heard they closed, it was a sad day… so I was beyond happy to hear that Lai Lai was under new management and that the new owners were former Great Lakes chef!
The menus were similar or same to the old menu from Great Lakes — they have to menus… depending on your race, they will either give you the American menu or Chinese menu… ask for the Chinese menu if you don’t get one. We ordered the following from the Chinese menu
— Shrimp Ball Dumplings
— Pan Fried Dumplings
— Eggplant with pork hot pot (casserole)
— salty fish with chicken and tofu hot pout
— green string beans with pork
— beef chow fun
— morning glory (veggie dish)
— honey glazed shrimp
As I dived into the dishes, old memories started flashing… I missed the food so much, it an honor to once again be able to enjoy them! With each bite of food, I was in heaven.
Now, I kept the rating to 4 stars because the service is slow… so don’t go here expecting quick service… they have two waitress and the host and all three work the tables… when we got there it was busy and we had to ask five times to the tea to get the tea… so don’t be surprised if there’s gap between first dish and when the next dish will arrive.
Overall, if you were a former fan of great lakes, then this place is a must place to visit. I know I’ll be back to try other dishes that I have missed. I’m happy to see this place under new management and doing so well. I’ll be back for sure.

Former chefs from Great Lakes Seafood Resturant are the current new management. This is a place where you can find authentic Chinese Cantonese food. It offers two types of menus: American or Chinese. Service is good and friendly.
This review is based on food ordered from the Chinese menu. Quality is consistent. The taste is great because they reminds us of home in Singapore!
— Chinese pork belly with taro root hot pot
— Sweet & sour fish
— Honey glazed walnut shrimp
— Diced chicken & salted fish w tofu in hot pot
— Pea tips
— Roast duck
— Fried crispy chicken
— Beef tenderloin with special sauce
— Any congee with fried crullers
— Shrimp & pork wontons w noddles
— Yong chow fried rice
— Salted fish & chicken fried rice
— Seafood pan fried rice noddles

This place is under new management and new cooks (I loathed the old Lai Lai — was VILE!) So, they now have the best cooks from the former Great Lake Chinese on Carpenter, and that means tasty.
Important:
_​_​_​_​Use the paper menu located by the register, it has the updated items_​_​_​
_​_​_​_​OR ask for the «Chinese» menu
If you order any of the standard 1950s American-​Chinese dishes (almond chicken, sweet and sour, moo-​goo-​gai-​pan, etc.), you will probably be very disappointed.
But, if you order off of the Chinese menu, you’ll probably leave quite happy.
On to the food:
— Shrimp* with honey and walnuts. This sounds weird, but it is AWESOME. Very rich, so share with at least 4 other people. I am actually allergic to shrimp, so I order this with scallops instead-​and it’s amazing. My shrimp-​eating friends love the shrimp version so…
— Braised noodles with mushrooms. Serious comfort food, it’s gooood.
— Rice noodles with beef and chinese vegetable. Wide rice noodles, gravy, Gai Lan, and a bit of green onion.
— Beef with ginger and green onion. They put a nice charcoal-​like sear on the beef. Mmm.
— Sichuan pork and pickle soup. This can be a tad bit salty for some, but it’s a classic clear soup with shreds of pork and chopped garlicky pickled mustard greens. I always have to order this.
— Fried potstickers — nice thin noodles and tasty pork meatball. More comfort food!
— Gai Lan (chinese broccoli) with Oyster sauce. Just what it says: simple steamed green vegetable with salty-​savory lashings of oyster sauce and a bit of sesame oil.
— Pea tips with garlic. I always love these, but sometimes they can be a bit tough… which some folks don’t like. It helps to order them in late winter/​early spring?
The décor has been freshened up — new warm coral paint, and other small touches. Sometimes the service can be a bit perfunctory, but competent.

I haven’t been here in a few years and am almost not sure if this was the same place as it was about 5years ago? I thought it had been a diner style restaurant and had a sushi theme, rather than a full scale restaurant. Anyhow, nice little place with good food. We had the shrimp balls and spring rolls for appetizers and they were both great! I had attempted to order a few other things (shrimp toast and shrimp spring rolls) but they were out of them, or no longer served those items. Service was prompt and server was friendly. For dinner we had the shrimp pad thai. quite good in flavor. even better tasting the next day (leftovers).
They included a carry out menu that seems to have other items avail that were not on the main menu. I would def like to go back to try their hot pots… I don’t see those too often in places around here.

It’s a takeout Chinese restaurant in Michigan. So, if you’re expecting top notch authentic Chinese cuisine, then you’re powerful stupid.
Lai Lai is very close to my home, so I stop by every once in awhile and have had it delivered once. If you’re familiar with the area, then you may be aware that Hong Kong Restarant (on Ellsworth Rd), Asia City (Washtenaw Ave), and King Shing (on Carpenter Rd) are close by. And, quite frankly, they’re all comparable in taste and price. The General Tso’s chicken at Lai Lai is pretty decent. It’s a bit sweet and thick, if that’s your thing. I often tell them (and other places) to go light on the sauce, because they drown the sumbitch. But ya know what? Their mongolian beef isn’t great (go to King Shing for that one). But that’s pretty much how it is at Chinese takeout restaurants in white suburbia, isn’t it? Overall, the food is salty and fatty and sometimes sweet. Some things taste pretty good, whereas some others taste awful.
Notably, their fried rice that comes with lunch and dinner combos is chicken fried rice. A lot of places do pork fried rice. Really, it’s a personal preference. I’d prefer vegetable fried rice since the meats in fried rice often taste cheap, but whatever. The egg rolls are chicken egg rolls. It uses the same chicken as in the fried rice, so it’s not my favorite, but I do enjoy it when I eat it.
Regarding customer service, I’ve eaten there once, gotten takeout a few times, and delivery once. I thought they have always been very nice. I ESPECIALLY thought the gentleman who delivered my food the other day was very nice. Also, it took about 40 – 45 minutes to get my food, which I think is expected — notably, I live in the back of a giant apt complex, so it typically takes people a little extra time to find my place, even with GPS.
I get Lai Lai because it’s really close to where I live and because they’re close enough to deliver when I’m drunk. You should do the same.