BAI WEI (Sakura Mandarin)

This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend. It was new to me that they charge 50cents for rice, it doesn’t come with the entrees. Their eggplant dish and Japanese tofu dish was super good!! I highly recommend to try those and portions were good sized. I got three entrees to share and one rice to share w three people and I would say I left pretty full.

I'm addicted to duck, so if I'm in Philly and I'm not getting a cheesesteak, I'm definitely getting duck in Chinatown. This was the first restaurant that we stumbled across, and it had a ramp, so we went in and had some of the best Chinese food of my life. The shredded duck with steamed buns was everything I needed it to be. The pork belly dish was sweet and succulent. The Double Cooked Pork was tender, and the braised cabbage retained some crunch, which I adored. The only item I would consider "mid" was the truffle soup dumplings, but I think that was caused by user error. I couldn't fit the entire dumpling in my mouth at once, so I didn't get the whole bursting, filling the mouth with flavor. Because I cut mine it seemed fairly flavorless. This place is great. I totally recommend

A Gem in Philly's Chinatown 价格便宜，饭菜好吃 Tucked right at the corner of Chinatown, Bai Wei delivers an excellent dining experience. The space is spacious and clean, the service is friendly, and the prices are reasonable-but the real star is the food: authentic, flavorful, and downright delicious.

Delicious food and comfortable atmosphere. My girlfriend and I loved the visit here! Great place to experience Hunan style food. Wonderful flavors, great if you like spice. For vegetarians and vegans I can recommend the dry hot pot with fries.

Great friendly and efficient staff. Food came Out relatively fast. We had two kinds of soup dumplings, Dan Dan noodles, hot oil wontons, and shredded duck with pepper, scallion, and ginger. All were great.

Great atmosphere and nice people serving food. The dishes are great, fresh and very tasty. Some good vegetarian selections as well!

The place is really cute- got the soup dumplings and cheese wonton. the soup dumplings had a lot of soup but the wrapping was very dry. Do not suggest the cheese wontons. Service was okay, there is a card fee of 3%. Overall pretty okay place. A lot of competition with soup dumplings in Philly so this is okay. Loved dining in though.

My favorite comfort food in Philly! Every random dish is amazing! What a pity to discover such a nice restaurant at the time that almost leaving Philly.

Catering service review: I ordered catering from this spot and was beyond impressed! We got General Tso's Chicken, string beans, taro and sweet potato balls, shumai, beef fried dumplings, and scallion pancakes -- everything was delicious and beautifully packaged. The owner was incredibly helpful and communicative, guiding me through the menu to select the perfect combination of dishes. They were so professional and kind throughout the whole process. What really stood out was the extra care -- someone even helped carry everything to my car! Exceptional service and amazing food. I'll definitely be ordering from them again for future events!

Bai Wei, formerly Sakura Mandarin, offers classic Sichuan, Hunan, and Shanghai-style fare in a classy, modern environment without the hassle of fine dining attire. The interior features pristine white walls, soft lighting, red Chinese lanterns, and black tablecloth tables. * Shanghai Stir-Fried Udon with Chicken $14.00 This was easily the best dish that we had on the entire trip. The noodles were thick and bouncy, the chicken was soft, lean, and tender, and the mushrooms and bok choy were incredibly fresh. Furthermore, unlike other Shanghainese restaurants, their noodles weren't too salty or oily. * Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings (6) $8.50 * Steamed Crabmeat and Pork Soup Dumplings (6) $9.50 The soup dumplings were decent, with thin skin and juicy pork filling. Between the two, I definitely recommend the pork-- you don't really taste the crab much anyway. **10% off your order if you check in on Yelp!

Came here after many years and the flavors hit the spot. The loofah soup dumplings were a surprise hit.

Clean environment, cash only establishment. Many dishes are premade so they taste okay when it's hot but not very good when you order take away or if you have any leftovers. Great for group gathering since they have a private room, and the price is reasonable. This place is BYOB.

Classic Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The soup dumplings are solid, the chicken lo mein is classic and deserving of the "most popular take out dish," the trio dish of chicken, beef, and shrimp, and mapo tofu is classic. For around $70 this is well worth it to easily feed a family of four! Cheers!

Very solid Chinese restaurant. The ambience had a homely feel to it. the service was quick and efficient. The food was very tasty. I had the ma po tofu and crispy and spicy fish. Both dishes were quite vibrant and bursting with flavor. The fish also had a great crisp to it, even with it being in a to-go container. I would definitely order from here again when I'm in Philadelphia.

My friend and I came to Bai Wei for dinner. Despite the restaurant being half occupied with patrons, the service was quite fast. We were promptly seated, and service remained fast during our visit. The food is likewise pretty good, with many menu items being dim sum items. I had a hot and sour soup along with some dumplings. The dumplings were moist and flavorful, while the hot and sour soup was savory and filling. Nevertheless, the food here seems to be on the greasy side, especially with the dishes my friend ordered. Overall, Bai Wei serves decent food paired with good service. It's a good place to eat at, but I wouldn't go out of my way to dine here.

Cash only, but the food was fresh and I really had no complaints except on the scallion pancakes, they were very greasy.

Went back tonight with a table of 9. Plenty of room on a Saturday night, nice round tables for groups, BYO, and they take Venmo. Gotta love it. In addition to the dishes I mentioned last time (all still really good), I'll add these were particularly delicious: - clams with crispy beans - beef in spicy chili sauce - eggplant with egg and pork My kids also went nuts for the shrimp shumai.

We went to this restaurant after hearing their soup dumplings were good and it did not disappoint. Service was a little slow at first but otherwise absolutely no problems whatsoever. The food was absolutely delicious. We got the tea tower for the table and it was just enough for three people. Made fresh. Soup dumplings and other sundries lived up to the hype. Lots of people in the community were there as well. Great place. Go.

If you want some expensive but authentic Chinese cuisine, make your way here. They serve dim sum like items such as scallion pancake and soup dumplings. Generally pretty well made. My favorite dishes include: chili oil cucumber (kinda expensive), pork dumplings, assorted mushroom plate, Japanese sizzling tofu. They have an interesting list of drinks like cheese foam ice tea. Highly recommended for a first date. The ambience isn't too loud and it's very simple, wouldn't be too long of a wait. Great for parties smaller than 6. Overall they're on the expensive end, you be surprised by the bill and you wonder what did you order for all this! Still it's Shanghai flair if you haven't had it yet it's a must try!

You need to try every item on the menu because it's so delicious. My favorite is the salt and pepper crab, mixed vegetables and scallion pancakes. The mural on the wall makes the customers feel as if they're in China, very cozy and welcoming vibe. The servers are always attentive and very patient with some of my vegan friends' requests. Highly recommend this place!

Bai Wei has nice aroma and atmosphere as you come inside and sit down at the table. Staff quick to. One over and assist with ordering your meal. There is large variety of classic dishes. They have very good dumpling mix of steamed and fried, it was a very tasty mix! Crumbled pork, noodle, cucumber dish, and other all tasty. Was good value and also there is lunch special. Thanks

I really enjoyed eating here! I found the service to be painfully slow but the food made up for it. The cucumber in chili oil was so delicious I could have ate myself sick with it. The spring rolls were perfectly crispy and flavorful. The dumplings were good, I prefer pan fried and these had a good crust on one side but super soft and chewy on the other. The pork filling was pretty good. I wasn't offered a refill on my water until after I asked for the check. They also don't accept card here so come prepared with cash or Venmo!

I used to like their food and I still do! But I found that the portion becomes smaller now! I love their tea, but I found in my visit I only only got help of the loose tea leaves I used to get! The tea became tasteless as a result! So I paid $6.00 just to drink water! I questioned the waitress and she admitted that they put in lesser loose tea leaves now and if I wanted more tea leaves , I coils request it next time! But what about this time! I am disappointed and felt cheated!

Every single time I go here it is always amazing. Very consistent and perfectly priced for the portions received. Would recommend if you're on the border of going.

Good food in a pretty spacious and clean restaurant! We were pleasantly surprised by the good amount of spacing between the tables when we entered. We got soup dumplings (6 per order) and crispy and spicy fish fillet plus a side of rice. The soup dumplings were solid! The skin was average in thickness, and I was happy with it--it was not too thick, but strong enough that the dumplings all stayed intact / didn't stick to the steamer paper or rip. I appreciated the good amount of soup and the broth flavor. The filling was not dry or fatty and hit the spot! I also really liked the crispy and spicy fish fillet. It was similar to the preparation of fish and chips but had a good amount of spices and salt. I really liked the little pieces of onion, green pepper, and sweet-tasting garlic. One thing to note is it isn't actually hot-spicy, it's just flavorful-spicy. Overall very satisfying meal in a nice environment! Be sure to use the Yelp check-in for 10% off your order! Also, they only accept cash, venmo, and Alipay.

We stopped at Bai Wei this evening for dinner and left very full and happy for a reasonable price! The dining area is comfortably laid out, and the music selection is so fun! Service was spot on: very quick and friendly. We mostly stuck to Dim Sum options: wontons in chili oil, scallion pancakes, leek and meat dumplings, steamed crabmeat and pork soup dumplings, black truffle and pork soup dumplings, and pan fried spicy beef dumplings. If you're only going to get one thing from the dim sum menu, let it be the pan fried spicy beef dumplings. They take a bit longer than some of the other items, but they are so worth it. Next recommendation would definitely be the scallion pancakes. I would skip the truffle and pork soup dumplings next time; they were just underwhelming. We also ordered the chicken drunken noodles, which came out piping hot and were so flavorful! Everything is a bit less spicy here than I was expecting, so if you're wanting a spicy meal, maybe ask them to up the heat level. Overall, a great spot that we will definitely be returning to so we can sample more of their expansive menu!

It's been awhile since I dined at Bai Wei, but finally returned and had dinner the other night. Ordered some new and old things. Steamed shrimp and vegetable dumpling, Sesame chicken, and Drunken noodle with shrimp. Everything tasted great and hit the spot. Sesame chicken does not come with rice. This place is byo band cash/Venmo only!

Came here a couple weeks ago with a party of 8. There is a lot of seating for a late lunch. Service was slow for the amount of customers in the restaurant, but there was only ~2 waiters/waitresses. Regarding the food, it is on the pricier end of Chinese food, but the taste did not disappoint. The truffle fried rice was one of the most flavorful fried rices that I have had in a while. It doesn't look as pretty as their menu advertised it but it was plenty of food. Would definitely recommend trying it! They also give quite a lot of meat in their noodle soups. I got it during a gloomy/rainy day and it hit the spot... The sesame chicken was like a version of orange chicken with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. The crust was thin, so you really get to taste the chicken. They accept CASH or VENMO only!!!

Accepts cash. Please note that at the time, they did not accept credit card. Not sure if this will change in the future. Located inside Chinatown, I came here one weekend with family and decided to give this place a try. We ordered several dishes and the food here was really good. Very authentic. Decent place to take friends and family if you are in the area. Just be sure to remember to bring cash with you. Also, if you enjoy soup dumplings, they do offer it here. If you have tried various soup dumplings, you KNOW when you tasted a delicious soup dumpling. And I can admit that the soup dumplings here are worth the trip.

Came on Christmas, they were open for normal hours! Not crowded and we immediately were seated. This was my 2nd time and I had to get the truffle fried rice again. Also ordered soup dumplings, wontons in chili oil, and beef in chili oil. It's hard to tell in the photo but the beef comes with lots of veg and bean sprouts. My friend had never been there before and she loved everything. They also serve Kung fu tea!

My friends and I visited Philly for a weekend and were scouting some good eats in the heart of Chinatown. We were craving Taiwanese dishes for brunch and decided to try Bai Wei, recommended by another friend. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted and promptly seated. This was on a Saturday morning around 11am. The restaurant gets plenty of sunlight which I love and has a lot of seating available. We browsed the menu and finally decided on some steamed pork soup dumplings, fried pork soup dumplings, and Taiwanese beef noodle soup. When we started eating, I was taken back by how good everything tasted. It definitely hit all the right cravings we were looking for and we were really enjoying our time. The service was good and our servers checked to make sure we had enough water or if we wanted anything else like dessert. Overall, we had a great experience at Bai Wei and hope to visit again and try something new for next time!

Bai Wei (Chinatown, Philadelphia) Second time coming to Bai Wei but first time eating family style!! Some of a dishes were a bit saltier for my liking but overall good and quality was amazing. Definitely a place to come back to if I want traditional chinese dishes.

Strange! I don't know why all the dishes are almost black or dark in color. Perhaps the kitchen hygiene is not good. Additionally, the tastes are too salty, making us hard to enjoy. The portions of the dishes are very small. It was supposed to be a gathering at school, but everyone ended up not being full. Don't try it, everyone. Never！！！

Came back and it was even better! For six people, we ordered: -steamed pork soup dumplings x2: fabulous -fried pork soup dumplings x2: fabulous -black truffle soup dumplings: table fave (but not mine personally) -wonton soup x2: these were tiny bowls with fresh floating wontons, which were delish...realized after, the pork dumpling chicken broth soup I was looking for is on the first/appetizer page, not the soup page! But I'm not upset...This was still very tasty -shrimp shumai: I didn't try, but they were large and popular! -pork dumplings in chili oil: not actually spicy! Just good chili flavor -cucumbers in chili oil: also not spicy! Added really nice balance and freshness to the table -dry pot mushrooms: table fave (but not mine personally) -edamame: this was also a great add to the table, tasty and clean and green -eggplant with egg and pork: fabulous. Omg, this dish knocked it out of the park. Umami burst from the seams. Texture contrast of the steamed eggplant and crumbly pork...this is a MUST order dish. Even non eggplant lovers were blown away by it! Six stars. -fried rice with beef: good carbs too have on the table, just as good as last time. Nice also to have something to catch all the soup broth, too! -scallion pancakes: fabulous -spicy pork soup dumplings: I didn't try but they got really great table reviews! We ate up nearly every last bite, save for a small take home container...and basically the entire plate of edamame. (Not cause it wasn't great - it just came out last!) A LOT of repeat winners from last time, plus a few new additions (that eggplant was just AMAZING). Everything "fabulous" will be on the list next time (plus one of the wonton/dumpling soups!). FYIs include no cash (Venmo), and even with a reservation you'll probably wait. I think it's worth it. Once you get your order in, dishes are quick to come out as they're ready, and they'll just keep on coming in waves, which is awesome! For all that food, our bill came to about $30/person. 10/10 will be back again!

This place is cash only but has an ATM. Service is hit or miss. Recommended dishes: Truffle soup dumplings Truffle fried rice Braised pork belly Taiwanese Noodles Dishes to skip: Pan fried dumplings

My boyfriend was craving soup dumplings so we stopped by Bai Wei. It was easy to find and very spacious. We came for a very late lunch so we had the place to ourselves and very quick/good service. We had an order each of the scallion pancakes, steamed pork soup dumplings, pork wontons in chili oil, and pan fried dumplings. We were also given a couple sauces (one soy + vinegar, the other sweet). Everything was SO delicious! Would definitely recommend!

Restaurants is very modern inside so I was little hesitated before but want to try new place so I try..... menu is very mix feeling. I don't know what say some of them looks good on picture some are not. I wanted try dim sum but not many choice here .order seafood noodle. Oh mo I will never order this. Luck of taste and just warm soup. Seafood looks good very fresh and many pieces! But noodle itself oh no! You know they don't have condiments so I can't make any taste at all... baked bao is quite good. But no condiment ask server to bring spicy chili oil. And spicy beef woo really luck of taste... I don't know what wrong... may be some ingredients put in will be better taste my opinion... any way I don't think back here. Chinatown has many choice!

I love nearly everything on their menu... and by this point I've nearly had everything on the menu! I usually visit with a friend or two, but finally attended with a small crowd this weekend. After another excellent experience, I wanted to get a review in. Bai Wei offers a selection of Szechuan and Dim Sum. While the dumpling and dim sum selection is limited, what they have is amazing. Of course I'm going to tell you to get the crab and pork soup dumplings! On the Szechuan side, you have all sorts of dry pot, stir fry, and pepper based dishes. My top recommendation is the Lamb (or Beef) Cilantro. It was a hit for our group of six this weekend. A dish I was surprised I loved so much was their assorted mushrooms. The cumin dry pot is tasty and not as spicy as I suspected it would be and the eggplant is another solid order, especially for vegetarians. Service is polite and quick. Since Bai Wei is also a BYO, they won't rush you out as you relax to finish whatever it is that we brought. Worth noting, they only accept cash or venmo!

I think the soup dumplings here are much better than Dim Sum Garden! Definitely an underrated spot! The service is quick and the restaurant seems clean.

We've passed Bai Wei/Sakura hundreds of times and never wanted to check it out. This last weekend though, we decided to give it a shot. Sadly, our preconceived notions of the restaurant was confirmed. Subpar food at high prices. We ordered the marinated duck, the House Special Spicy bowl and the mushroom dry pot. The food was bland and the portions were on the smaller side for the prices they were charging. I was also annoyed that there were no variety in the mushroom dry pot. There was only one type of mushrooms stir fried, and not the quality kind. On top of that, you have to pay for rice?!?!? Never have I eaten in a restaurant in Chinatown where I have to pay for rice. Rice is FREE when you buy dinner from a restaurant! Do yourself a favor and skip this place. There are plenty of better options not far from Bai Wei.

Bad experience. The food had a weird taste, especially some meats and tofu, which I suspect weren't very fresh. So I tried to eat vegetables, but it was even worse that i found dirts in vegetable and mushrooms, very disgusting, I couldn't finish my meal and left.

Came here for Saturday dinner. When we were done, this place was packed. Ordered the soup dumplings with black truffle. Love it! A lot of soup inside! Also love the seafood tofu soup. Very fresh and a lot of seafood too! The spicy chicken was just okay. Not the usual Chinese style, but more Americanized... The chicken had too much flour on the outside that you can barely taste the chicken...

Tldr: Good food sullied by below average service and a loud and disruptive college party in their event space. Get takeout and enjoy at home. Came here for dinner on a Friday and was able to grab a table for 2 with no issue. We were originally seated around the back, maybe 10 feet from an event space hosting some sort of college party. People went in and out of the space constantly; each time the door opened (about every 20 seconds), the music erupted out interrupting any sort of conversation. Taking a look inside, we see people standing on the tables. After about 10-15 minutes of waiting for a server, someone came over and we moved to another table. Still, no relief from the music and people were constantly running from the event space through the main dining area outside and back in. Long story short, for this to be pleasant for anyone, the event space needs to be completely separate from the regular dining area. Very much diminishes the experience; embarrassing to bring others to this restaurant in this environment. Sesame Chicken: White meat chicken with crispy garlic slices, ginger pieces and crisp broccoli pieces, this was a great dish. The chicken pieces were not too heavily breaded and cooked well. The sauce was plentiful, yet not overbearing. Recommend this dish. Double Cooked Pork Belly: The pork was seasoned well and went well with the crisp/fresh cabbage pieces. Not a ton of fat throughout the dish, which I appreciated. I tasted some of this, but did not order; this would be my go-to if I go back. Very tasty. Pan-Fried Soup Dumplings: Very tasty appetizers. Good amount of meat inside each dumpling. There could have been a bit more soup in each, but these were overall very nicely done, and I enjoyed them. Value: 3/5 Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 4/5 Service: 2/5 Atmosphere: 1/5

I was very excited about their soup dumpling and I didn't know what other dishes they have but I wanted to try something new. I got the pork soup dumplings, the duck beer, and the double braised pork belly. I have to say everything was pretty good, especially the duck beer. The dish was unique as I haven't seen it in many places and I love duck and the beer taste was not strong as all.

Ambiance: Service: Great, no complaints. Timely, responsive. Only slightly odd thing was being served warm water in paper cups. Food: Overall, excellent! - Steamed vegetable dumplings: In general, I feel like fried dumplings can't go wrong, but steamed dumplings can be more fickle to get the perfect textures, so I was a bit hesitant to order this one. However, these were excellent; the filling was savory and delicious, and the texture was the perfect balance of chewy and soft, and I also enjoyed the shapes/pattern! - Eggplant with preserved egg and hot spicy pepper: I had not had much preserved egg before nor this particular combination of ingredients in a dish, but I was very pleased with the results. The eggplant was well-cooked and flavored, and the long peppers were enjoyable alongside. The deviled egg was sliced into smaller pieces, and added nice savory touches to the dish. It was also served with a larger wooden mortar, and I hadn't realized that maybe we were supposed to mash the three items together. However, it was still delicious without doing that and something I'll try for next time. - Mapo tofu without pork: Ordered some white rice on the side with the dish. The mapo tofu was quite good, although a bit different from other Sichuan-style mapo tofu I have had. It was less numbing spicy compared to others and the sauce was a bit thinner, nonetheless still good. Had an enjoyable and tasty experience; excited to return!

The dumplings were nothing special but were good nonetheless but the real deal is their stewed meat dishes. My family got the stewed beef shank and it was really delicious. My only issue is the portion of meat was kinda small for the price and I wish there was more of it.

Food ok and not worth priced. Service quick but I wish they were friendlier. Good fruit tea

Went there for lunch with my family. The restaurant is nice and clean, seats between tables are spacious. Our favorite dishes are steam eggplant sprinkled with salted egg yolk on top (1st time had it), thin slice of fish (chewy texture), and the pork intestines with mild spicy (I have tried this dish in many different places and it just had this weird taste, like not clean enough). Father in law loves their pan fried pork dumplings (三煎包). Forgot to take pictures of those delicious dishes...will definitely take them and share the next time we go back.

This is my favorite dim sum spot in Philadelphia. It's always spotlessly clean and bright. There are so many veggie options on the menu that I dare say it's the most vegetarian friendly restaurant in Chinatown - particularly recommend the succulent eggplant, the mushroom sizzle pot (perfectly tender with several different kinds of mushrooms), the veggie dumplings (the BEST! Steam emanating from them each time), the cucumbers in chili oil, and mapo tofu veggie. The service is fairly good - always very attentive unless it's very busy (usually on Fridays, Saturday nights)

The restaurant was closing in 30 minutes but still accommodated us, letting us enjoy our food even though they were trying to close up, never rushing us. So much fun and also so much delicious food had. Thank you Bai Wei for being so great to us!!

Took care of us tonight. We had mere minutes to catch a train but possibly enough time for a quick bite. The soup dumplings are so good, but we didn't have time tonight. They got us a couple of soups (won ton and hot and sour) and we ate and ran. Only cash or Venmo on this night. Not sure if that's common.

great chinese dishes, authenticity is definitely there. service on the so-so side, as it took a while for us to get our check and also packaging for leftovers. water was not refilled a single time throughout our meal.

Everything was great... service, Good abioance, prices were extremely reasonable. the food was Amazing!!! We will be back.

Why was the food all so good?? Such a pleasant surprise, paying a visit after my friends raved about this place for a couple months. Ordered the following items via family style: Japanese sizzling tofu with shrimp, braised pork belly, mushrooms, basil chicken, and a stir-fried pot (custom). For the customized stir-fried pot, there's sheets where you check off which ingredients you want in your bowl of stir-fry (kinda like how you order at an AYCE sushi restaurant or a dimsum restaurant). All the dishes did NOT disappoint. Full of flavor and left us all so full! The meats were all tender, especially the braised pork belly! Definitely recommend coming here for some Chinese food! Service was pleasant and quick as well!

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia. You can always trust the flavor of their Sichuan and Hunan style dishes. Still remember how I burst in tears when I hand Xiang style fresh chicken several years ago.

The soup dumplings and the dumpling sauce were delicious! The scallion pancakes had a good flavor but were a bit too doughy. The shrimp and vegetables in the drunken noodles dish were very tasty however the actual noodles tasted a bit like packaging/plastic. Overall it was a great meal after some happy hour drinks! I would come back for the soup dumplings! The service was quick and the environment is comfortable.

Fresh delicious food full of flavor. Friendly staff that didn't rush you. It's venmo or cash but there is an atm there