Lai Lai
| Address: | 4023 Carpenter Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA |
| Phone: | +1 734-677-0790 |
| Rating: | 3.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM Closed 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10:30PM 11AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 68
Reviews 9
A
A Private User
Every time we consider getting dim sum from Lai Lai, we have to weigh whether the good food is worth the horrible service. The answer is NO. The dim sum is better than Great Lakes, but the service is beyond terrible - bad attitude, snide remarks, deliberately ignoring the customer, and negligence. Our waitress threw down the food on the table without chopsticks or plates to eat off of, and ignored our signaling while she chatted with another waitress. I had to walk to the kitchen to ask for plates & chopsticks. They blasted Jingle Bell Rock (its June) from the intercom system, and even after we asked them to turn the volume down, they returned it to full blast after a few minutes. We were put off by the waitresses rude attitude, and left a minimal tip. However, a week later, we were craving dim sum again, and went back. The same waitresses were working, and as one handed us the check, she said pointedly, "You know, the gratuity is not included." That was the clincher for me, and I answered, "The size of the tip is in proportion to how good the service was." We will probably not return to this restaurant. Its a shame, because the cook does a great job. However, the food may not be worth the bad attitude and snide remarks.
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Zeil Shah
You enter this restaurant and the first thing you see is a newspaper article from 1990 saying that Lai Lai has the best Dim Sum in Ann Arbor, though technically it is located in Ypsilanti. Unfortunately, the restaurant did little to live up to its former reputation. The service was awkward, no one comes by to ask you if you need anything, or even to refresh your pot of tea. The table cloths (vinyl) are stained, and it makes you wonder whether anything has been updated in 20 years. Still you hold out hope, maybe the food is great, right? Wrong. The food is bland, the brown sauce seems to reappear in multiple dishes making you feel like youre eating the same flavors repeatedly...oh wait, you are. The stuffed tofu was inedible, and the crusty taro is tasteless. Dont go for the scallion pancakes either unless you want to be chewing for days, it tastes as though they took it straight out of the freezer and deep fried it. The only highlight of this visit was the spring roll, but that was probably frozen too and if I just wanted a spring roll, I could have gone to a Chinese restaurant. Definitely not worth the money, they need to taste their own food and work on revamping it.
A
A Private User
I remember going to Lai Lais back when I was in high school (late 80s/early 90s) and they had the most fantastic food there. The older woman who used to be there every day was always so friendly and remembered me by name. I never had a bad meal or bad service there (although I usually got carry out). There was a period of time, however, that I did not go back for a while... not because of any kind of bad service, but because I just didnt have the time. I decided one day to take my husband there for a treat and told him that this is probably the best Chinese food I have had. When I got there, I noticed there were no familiar faces and the feel of the place was just depressing. The waitress seemed a bit glum as well. I got my usual (Yang Chow fried rice) and was startled to find that it had changed and was now terrible :-/ My husbands food also left something to be desired. We have not been back since. I am suspecting it came under new ownership and its been run into the ground. Bad move :(
PE
Peter Hochgraf
Ordered 2 rolls for deliverly via Grub Hub. With tip it was quite expensive for delivery of just 2 rolls. The wait wasnt bad however. Oh but the food. While eating a roll I discovered a hair, wasnt horribly concerned as it was only one. But I soon kept finding more and more. After a quick look at a single roll discovered that the hairs had been cooked into the rice and were scattered throughout. Besides the hairs the sushi rolls were not really that great, Lots of rice and not much else gave them primarily a rice-vinegar flavor. The spicy Tuna wasnt really that spicy. They werent well cut either & I had to use my own knife to finish cutting some of the rolls apart. The few that were well cut easily fell apart upon picking up. The Tempura Shrimp was pretty soggy, which seemed to have soaked up some sauce & would have been better if they were crunchy. DO NOT EAT HERE.
KE
Kelsey Winter
My family has been a frequent customer of Lai Lai since moving to the area 3 years ago. Were normally very satisfied with our meals, but not tonight. I ordered chow mein using their online menu, which says chow mein is served with noodles. When my order arrived, I found the chow mein was not served with noodles. I called the restaurant and was treated to some of the worst customer service I have ever received. The "boss" told me it was my fault for not knowing that chow mein wasnt served with noodles even though it was listed that way on their menu and that they would exchange it for lo mein (which isnt listed on the online menu at all) but I would have to pay the difference. When I said I simply wanted a refund he told me, "Listen lady, its not our fault." Theyve now lost a regular customer.
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Jeannie Baker
We used to eat at Lai Lai frequently in the early 2000s. We always enjoyed going there...good service and great food. However, we went 2 times in the past 6 months and found the place to have changed dramatically. First of all...everything just looks unclean...from the tables, the teapot, the salt and pepper shakers, and condiments to the restrooms...dont even get me started on those. The menus felt greasy, the mirrors were dirty...just everything. The food was good, except for the stale fried wontons we regretably added to the eggdrop soup which ruined the flavor. Sad...used to be a great restaurant.
LU
Lu Tang
Please note that most of the reviews below are out of date because Lai Lai is now under new management and its run by completely different people. They serve pretty authentic Cantonese food. The steamed chicken (贵妃鸡) is my favorite and I dont think it can be found elsewhere around Ann Arbor area. If you are going for this make sure you call them in advance because it runs out very fast. The new menu is good in general. The couple are very friendly and provide great service but could be a bit slow during busy hours.
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E Smith
This place had the worst service I have ever got at a restaurant. The lady taking our orders could not understand a word of English. She had a terrible attitude too. Instead of smiling and friendly she was in a foul mood and snapped at everyone at the table. When the food came out she could not remember what anyone ordered and just started placing dishes randomly in front of people. This place is a joke. To top it off the food was not good either.
HE
Hey Ming
I ordered a take out of stir-fry Chinese broccoli with beef last night. i took a bite of the veggie with beef and immediately spat it out. The beef tasted like it was lumps of rotten flour dough. It had NO texture. I think they use too much baking soda to "tenderize" their beef for way too long. Or maybe the beef was just rotten. The veggies was overcooked. It was absolutely disgusting. That was the deal breaker for me.
