Lau Kee Restaurant

We've been enjoying home delivery from Lau Kee for many years. Yesterday we dined-in at their small yet busy Philly Chinatown location for the first time. Their food is excellent from delivery. It's even better right out of the kitchen. Unpretentious, with quick, responsive service.

My go-to comfort food restaurant! The eggplant with minced pork and braised tofu are my favorites. Very good and authentic flavor. I mostly order takeout, the storefront is kind of small, owners are friendly!

I fortuitously discovered this establishment on a whim, and I am exceedingly gratified by the serendipity of the encounter. It presents the most authentic Chinese cuisine I have savored in quite some time. Although I reside in New Jersey, I find it entirely worthwhile to traverse the bridge to indulge in their culinary delights. During my visit, I sampled an array of dishes, including fried rice, lo mein, garlic and salt baked chicken wings, General Tso's chicken, roast pork, and the illustrious Peking duck. The impeccable quality of both service and cuisine has indisputably established this venue as my new favorite.

Authentic Cantonese cuisine Ordered crispy crunchy roast duck 1/4 for 11$, it is crunch on the skin and juicy in the inside, it is cooked to perfection suiting canto style duck. 9.5/10 Shrimp dumplings 8* for 7.5$, tasty shrimp coated with bread cloth, dipped in sweet & sour sauce, you won't regret, trust the cat what you should order. 9/10 Meow~

The food was good (half peking duck with pancake and scallions) and filling. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed the food but the staff was rude to us, we were simply just confused and they started talking about us in Chinese assuming that I didn't know what they were saying. They got really quiet when I turned to look at them. Not super welcoming, good luck.

Went there for the first time asked for roasted duck with vegetables and rice pay $10 and watch them microwave it in front of me served it to me still cold still in complete shock like she did nothing new. This is what they do there. The microwave was literally right behind the cash register. I wouldn’t call that authentic Peking duck at all. It was majority of Bones and very little meat the sauce had bone fragments in it too, and it didn’t taste like the original Peking duck. I was very disappointed and would not return here. I’ll go across the street next time

We stopped in to buy a whole duck, uncut for Thanksgiving. The duck we got was sooo juicy and tender, not too salty, good amount of fat, right amount of crisp!

I've been going to this restaurant since the week they first opened years ago and this place is consistently perfect! The service is fast and friendly; I'm a regular from Northwest Philadelphia (Roxborough) and I always find that if I make a trip to Chinatown that it's a MUST to visit. I usually start off with a Wonton Soup and a Peking Duck Roll; which is to die for! Then I usually get one of my favourite entrees which is Orange Beef (crispy fried beef tossed in a sauce so delicious and flavourful that you'll get bites where you taste actual orange) or I'll get Shrimp, Squid, Scallops with Chinese Five Spice which is always fresh and seasoned to perfection while still remaining light and not overbearing. Other favourites include their Singapore Mei Fun, Roasted Duck Congee which is a winter necessity, and their General Taos Chicken, but to be fair anything you get here will inevitably blow you socks off.

I vowed to eat my way through Chinatown -- I have lofty goals! -- but our last restaurant was somewhat of a dud, and I realllllly like what we ordered at Lau Kee in July. So we compromised by returning and switching things up. Except for the soup. Their vegetable wonton is so good -- the broth is flavorful, the wontons delicate and tasty -- I may keep it on my "must have" list. My husband is not as big a fan of Chinese food as I am, but he has a thing for Mongolian Beef. While it wouldn't top my list, I suggested we order it. And it was great! Aiming for enough food to take home, we added eggplant with minced pork to our order. The server warned that it's very spicy. I asked that it be prepared less so, and it was perfect! As I pointed out, this is an informal five-table restaurant that does a lot of takeout. Most of their clientele is Asian. If you come through Philadelphia's Chinatown and can only hit one restaurant, make it this one. And if you contact me, I'll meet you!

Another stop on my quest to review the roast pork/roast duck bowls of Chinatown. Lau Kee had the typical view of ducks hanging in the window and was fairly crowded when i popped in on a weekday for lunch. I got a roast pork and roast duck rice bowl to go for about 12$. Card and cash are both accepted and service was nice and fast. I will note that despite going at a pretty busy, rush hour time for lunch, they did pop my food into the microwave right in front of me for about a minute... a little bit of a turn off. The food itself was good, but nothing special especially given the abundance of options in the area. I'd say overall not bad and I wouldnt say no to returning if I was invited by friends, but also wouldnt go out of my way to return.

I was badly craving Cantonese food and Lau Kee has been on my list for a while. It did not disappoint! The crispy pan fried noodles were delicious, perfect bit of fried texture on the bottom, and the sauce is just as I remembered in my childhood. I'm happy they have a veg version, although the seafood version is not to be missed if you love seafood. The duck left a bit to be desired, as only 2 pieces had meat on it ,and the rest were mostly bone and skin. The roast pork was perfect. The Hong Kong wonton soup was exactly what the doctor ordered. Everything hit the spot and all of my cravings. I can't wait to come back the next time I am missing Canto food.. which is now that I'm writing this review. So comforting, authentic, and delicious. Their service is great too, so fast - and the younger staff members spoke very fluent English if that matters to you. They do take credit, but it is a 3.. or 3.5.. 3 something % fee

Arrived here for dinner on a cold Friday around 6pm. The restaurant is small, holding 5 tables and about 20 people. We were asked to wait a few minutes while one table finished. No problem. We got the steamed dumplings to start, beef wonton soup, and a seafood noodle dish. The dumplings were good and the soup was perfect for the cold night. The broth was quite salty and the beef had fat chunks that I didn't expect. My husband was meh on the seafood noodle dish. Being in Chinatown, street parking is available but can be difficult to find. We just walked from our hotel a couple blocks away.

Uneven results for lunch as my favorite place was closed so I took a chance here. Results: My pork chops were terribly salty. And beef chow fun was dry and had no flavor. The Singapore Mei Fun was very good.

We had the shrimp dumpling soup, the fried pork dumplings, the roast duck and the pan fried noodles with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. All were delicious. The service was speedy and friendly. Despite the restaurant being very small, there was a table available upon our arrival. We were bd back.

This was 52 bucks for this order. This isn worth the price even with inflation. This was also a pick up order. I thought it was a whole duck but looks like a half a duck. With tortillas. Not worth it, no way. I bought duck recently in New York 3 times the amount For 40 bucks.

Such a disappointment! After reading the great reviews, my boyfriend and I decided to order from here, as both of us were sick and wanted good soup and Chinese spareribs. I will say the dumplings in the soup we're tasty. They were light and nicely filled with with pork/shrimp. The broth was okay. Not the best nor the worst. Onto the ribs, if you can even call them "ribs". The absolute worst ever! Covered in a heavy, cloyingly sweet sauce and chopped into "bites". Certainly, not what I would call Chinese spareribs! My bf, took one bite and said they were disgusting and threw them immediately in the trash. What a waste of money! Never again!!

This might be a controversial opinion but I wholeheartedly believe that Lau Kee serves some of the BEST duck dishes in the entirety of Philly. And surprisingly enough, it's not even the pecking duck that I'm talking about but the Hong Kong style duck which you can find in their appetizer menu. Even if I order take out, it is never once disappointed. And pair it with the congee and you get the most comforting meal. The duck is so so so juicy but they don't just give you the fatty pieces, you get a good mix (which is hard considering duck is majority fat). And the service has always been quick. It's a small little unsuspecting restaurant but it's definitely among my favorites in Chinatown.

Found this place via Yelp. Got beef with green veggies and pan fried noodles. So tasty! The meal was huge and I ate it for lunch the next day. Noodles were great and the broth the beef with green veggies came in was very flavorful. I had my order to go and they did a wonderful job packing everything for me. Highly recommend this place.

We came here specifically for the roast duck. And boy it was not disappoint! Definitely one of the best roast ducks I had in the U.S. The perfect combination between crispiness and flavour.

This restaurant is really unassuming, in spite of the ducks hanging in the window. You'll walk in and maybe wonder if they seat customers at the tables or if they're only a takeout business. My family had Peking duck, eggplant with ginger sauce, spare ribs, and Hong Kong style wonton soup with vegetables. The ribs and duck were chopped down from whole and had bones in them, so a little challenging to pick around the bones to the meat. If none of that bothers you, eat here. The food is really excellent.

Authentic Hongkong style wonton soup and roasted duck! My go to comfort food spot when I want some barbecue pork chop as well. Also they got rapid service, really got nothing to complain about.

Super delicious. The duck is amazing. We ordered just the quarter to try it. I also got the Vegetable pan fried noodles. The sauce was so savory and the noodles were of perfect texture. Fiancé got the General Tao's Chicken--this being a very authentically Chinese restaurant, I questioned that choice. He gave me a taste--it was okay. Nothing more to say. I gave him some of my noodles to compensate. If you go to a duck place--order duck. The complimentary jasmine tea they serve at every table was amazing. So aromatic. Ambience is pretty hole in the wall (I often prefer this as I have great luck with locations like this) but very comfortable. The ducks and chickens hanging in the window definitely add to the authenticity of its vibe. Service is amazing. So attentive and quick. They speak Mandarin Chinese so bonus points for being able to 练习一下。

The food was amazing! This is our go to chinese restaurant in Philly. Also, we had a male asian american waiter, don't know his name unfortunately, who was knowledgeable and very helpful as well

They sold me leftover fried dough sticks (you tiao). When I opened the bag, it looked like someone had already bitten into them! The sticks were neither fresh nor warm, and they were extremely dry and hard. If they were fresh made on the same day, the sticks would be like this. I was disgusted by the experience. I will never go there again, and I definitely don't recommend it to anyone!

A wonderful hole in the wall in Chinatown specializing in roast duck and roast pork. They did not disappoint with the rich spices and flavors. The wonton in chili oil was a surprise hit as well. Priced at a really low price point, it's affordable and good quality food with no frills. The service was brusque but friendly and attentive. Will definitely come back! Definitely try this spot if you're in the area. My only critique is I wish the skin on the duck and pork were crispier.

Im sitting here now writing a review in the restaurant. Go here, food is legit. Service is great. Its my first time in philly and didnt expect this. A+ cheers

Great food clean establishment peaking duck and roasted duck are fantastic. Will be going back soon. Service is great too.

I'm in Philly for a family member's hospital stay and we decided to go for Chinese food, specifically Peking Duck. We also ordered beef chow fun and string beans here. Really good, flavorful Chinese food and the only area for improvement might be the pancakes for the duck, which were slightly chalky and brittle as opposed to being tender and pliable. The duck itself was amazing. It's a tiny little place and it gets easily filled up with very loud groups of people, but the food is worth it.

Very authentic and delicious! A small space but food is brought out quickly and steaming! If there is a wait, it won't be long. They keep chili oil, vinegar and soy on the table, which was nice as I'm always asking for it at other restaurants. Hot mustard, which we asked for, was delicious! Many people arriving for takeout as well as duck for dine in. NO alcohol served and not sure about the BYOB aspect. Very impressive operation though, and we'll be back.

They make the best Peking duck. Crispy skin, layer of succulent fat, tender, moist meat. Hot and sour soup with pork was so delicious. No fake thickeners, just flavor. Fried scallion pancake was a tiny bit greasy, but that's how you want it.

Whenever I want to gauge the authenticity of a Cantonese restaurant, especially as it pertains to noodle dishes, I'll always order the Singapore fried rice noodle and the beef chow fun. This place delivers the good at a very good price point, slightly less expensive than other Cantonese eateries in Chinatown. Pretty good portions, 4 persons ate well from only 2 noodle entrees, though we supplemented with some veggies (could also supplement with appetizers, soup or dessert). The Singapore curry noodle flavors were strong, the beef chow fun, a little less so. Both dishes could have benefitted with about 20% more meat and veggies. That would have garnered this place 5 stars. Like so many other establishments, take out only for now, though the dining area was pretty typical basic Chinatown noodle house. Efficient friendly service. Could easily be my go-to place for a quick and inexpensive Canto-fix.

We took a cab to this little mom & pop eatery on Sunday night and have some tasty peking duck with tortilla like wrappers and an outstanding garlic eggplant with pork dish!

Best Roast pork w/ rice in Chinatown imho. Regardless, this place is in my top 5 for Chinese bbq, classic stirfrys and casual dining.

The food is simply delicious. The service is really fast, great to order for take out. There are some spaces in the restaurant to eat in. The duck/pork rice dish is tasty. The yellow curry shrimp is also so good. I will definitely be a regular.

So good! I can't wait to eat here again. The food tastes just as good as it looks. I've been dreaming about the fried squid ever since I had it here lol. Hands down, best crispy squid dish I've had. It's just so crispy and soft at the same time-- you need to just try it. The roast pork is cooked to absolute perfection. The meat is juicy, flavorful, and the skin is nice and crunchy. The peking duck was divine. The skin was so crispy! 10/10

A hearty place to eat with reasonable prices ~ The honey roasted pork is to die for, very flavorful and the touch of sweetness is chefs kiss. 5/5 Peking rolls were a 4/5 flavor was good but I thought the wrapping paper used was a little thick Wonton in chili oil was a 3/5 flavor was kind of bland but the wontons themself were pretty good Small wonton soup 5/5 the broth was delicious and the wontons were cooked perfectly

After a trip to the local Hong Kong bakery, the owner recommended if I wanted relatively cheap roast meat type dishes I should visit Lau Kee (which is across the street). This was my first trip to Philly's Chinatown, so I was hoping for a good dinner experience. As soon as I saw the store front I had a good feeling about it. The restaurant is fairly small, witha window featuring roast meats hanging in and a chef stationed there to serve them up. It's the type of set up I grew up going to and it always brings me a certain level of comfort. Inside, the space has clearly been renovated (or the business is relatively new). The tiles are very new and clean. The glass where the roast meats are looks new. Even the sign outside looks relatively new (meaning no more than 10 years old tops). The interior has enough seating for maybe 10 or so people tops, and that's exactly what I was hoping for. I was originally just going to get a roast pork rice maybe with some vegetables. However, when I looked at their (fairly extensive) menu I noticed they had beef with bitter melon on rice! This is one of my favorite dishes. My Grandma used to make it for me so I always consider it a treat when a restaurant serves it up (not all of them do). I also ordered a plate of roast pork to try out. Service was great. Tea on the table very quickly, nice glass of ice water and extra napkins were on the table all before my food arrived. I worked on my laptop a bit and no one said a thing to me (granted, I was the only one eating in that night). My food came *fast*, like within 10 minutes. I was impressed. Interestingly, they cut the bitter melon into much smaller slivers than I'm used to. The beef was also in smaller pieces than I normally see, but it worked out because it made eating the dish with a spoon much easier. After all, you want a bit of rice, bitter melon and beef in each bite and that's what I got. In terms of quality, I'd put this one level below where I usually get it in NYC's Chinatown. However, I can't argue the flavor was on point and the tenderness was perfect on both the beef and bitter melon. The roast pork was good, but it was a particular style I've had before that isn't really my favorite. I prefer the style used in places like Big Wong or Deluxe Market in New York City's Chinatown. This one is more fragrant with a healthy dose of Five Spice in the mix. It's *good* mind you, it's just not the kind I grew up with. One note if you're eating in: the bathroom was *remarkably* clean. I know this seems like an odd thing to point out, but in my experience a lot of smaller eateries in NYC's Chinatown have a hard time keeping their bathrooms clean. These folks did a fantastic job of it! I really enjoyed my visit to Lau Kee and would happily visit again the next time I'm in town.

If you're looking for some good Chinese food, this is a pretty good choice. They have all the typical Chinese food options. We ordered the string beans, beef chow fun, moo shu pork, and 1/2 roast duck. String beans were fried well and crispy on the outside - probably the best thing we ordered. The beef chow fun was just alright - didn't have as much flavor as what I'm used to but still cooked pretty well. Moo shu pork tasted just like every other moo shu pork I've had (which I guess is a good thing). The duck was also pretty good. Skin was a little fatty but so much flavor in it. Yum!

We ordered roast pig, salt baked squid, and eggplant with garlic. The pig was kind of fatty. The squid had a light batter and it needed a little more salt. The red and green peppers were just that - peppers - and should have been jalapeño/ hot peppers. The eggplant had good flavor but some of the sauce was a little on the thick side. Rice and tea are complimentary. Service was good.

i've ordered from Lau Kee several times over the course of a year. at first they were my favorite spot for Chinese BBQ for the flavor, the quality, the value. the rice platters with meat, rice, and veggies for around $10 are an incredible value. unfortunately, i've noticed a gradual drop in quality at this spot. the last 3 times i've ordered food here, i've received inedible cuts of meat that are either tough, grisly, bone-y, or fatty. today, for example, i ordered a pork rice platter, and the cut of BBQ pork received was almost entirely fat. in a past order, when i ordered duck, i received a cut that was all bone and almost no meat. when they are good, they are REALLY good, but sadly, i no longer want to take my chances.

Even though this restaurant been here for a while, we never really tried it until last week, the foods are delicious. Roasted duck and beef chow fun weren't in the picture but they were amazing. Definitely coming back. Can't bring your while crew though, they only have like 4/5 small tables. Pretty small, but always good for take out.

really amazing service, duck, and overall ambiance. restaurant is nice and cool unlike some of the other establishments on this street.

Definitely a hidden gem, very glad a friend introduced me to this place. My favorite wontons with chili oil in the city, I LOVE these. Roast duck is incredibly flavorful, we had both the roast duck congee and roast duck wonton soup. I'm not even a big congee fan and I can't wait to have that again. Very lovely floral jasmine tea served when you dine in. Not my favorite beef and tripe with chili sauce but that's just a personal preference. Great attention to detail, this place deserves more hype! Small interior, but people were picking up take out orders the entire time which is always a good sign. I forgot to take pictures I will add next time I visit. Looking forward to trying even more menu items in the future!!

Who doesn't love Cantonese food? This place makes an excellent Singapore Noodle. I always ask for extra curry and they did it perfectly. Their beef chow fun is weaker than the other dish. It was okayed but not the best.

Wonderful service, clean restaurant, amazing duck. Honestly, everything on the menu was fire.

Since Lau Kee temporarily closed during COVID, we've been impatiently waiting for it to reopen. As of last Wednesday, this place has finally reopened its doors for business and we cannot be happier! Lau Kee is our favorite restaurant in Chinatown, it has all your Cantonese food essentials -- roast pork, roast duck, congee, wonton soup noodle, and other delicious main dishes. Some of our faves are their thousand year egg and pork congee, roasted duck/roasted pork rice platters, wontons in chili oil, salt and pepper spare ribs, Peking spare ribs, beef chow fun. But seriously, everything here is fresh and delicious. You really can't go wrong with Lau Kee. No matter what you can find something here that will suit whatever mood you are in.

It was 8:30 and sang kee was closed, so we decided to try another place for peking duck. We got the whole peking duck for takeout. Give it was late, I shouldn't have that high expectations - it tasted like it was sitting for a bit but it satisfied the craving, the flavor was good, it didnt have bones (good or bad - personal preference). Would it have been earlier, maybe it would've been better. Food is 4 stars but we paid for the whole duck and it looks like they forgot to give us the other half of the duck based on other review photos. We didnt realize till we got home, so $ down the drain and 3 stars it is.

Price is pretty decent for most of the dishes we ordered! I thought the taste and quality were perfect, but I do wish there was more pork in the twice cooked pork belly dish and more stuff in the Singapore noodles (because noodles?). Other than that, all was great! They also had all of this prepared very quickly. I would love to come eat in person if they're opened for indoor dining! Their haw fun truly hits the spot.

Solid hole in the wall place with lightning fast service and delicious for dirt cheap. This place's specialty is Peking Duck but there are loads of options like any Chinese restaurant. I ordered the noodle soup with duck and vegetables which was terrific except for the fact that the pieces of duck I got were mostly bone and had relatively little meat. Overall definitely recommend this place especially if you're staying close by. It's currently take-out only which is not a problem because they had my dish ready in a couple minutes despite me not calling ahead. Would definitely go back here again and maybe get a different duck dish.

This restaurant has been open for about a year. We typically go to M kee or Ting Wong, so we were excited to try a new place. Overall great value for the food. We ordered several dishes, and overall the food was good. The chinese style spaghetti (in soup) was probably the best dish. The fried noodle dishes were pretty typical, but I found the rice noodles (ho fun) to be not as smooth as it could be. The wontons in the wonton noodle soup were also not as good as others that we've had. Good food, solid delivery. Didn't have the wow factor I would have expected given the other reviews.

Lau Kee is your traditional family-owned chinese restaurant. From the outside you can see their display of different roasted cuts of meat. Dine in or take out, the meats are always delicious. I recommend you get their Roast pork, it is very unique compared to the other similar stores in Chinatown. The staff is very friendly and attentive as well. If you're looking for a quick and tasty meal in the Chinatown area, Lau Kee is the place to go.

I had rock bottom expectations for the place when we first walked in and it smelled like cigarette smoke. We ordered half a duck since it was $15 for a promotion and also an order of beef noodle soup. Both dishes exceeded expectation. The duck especially. The skin was nice and crispy to contrast to juicy and tender duck meat. Thinly sliced green onions give the wrap a nice crunch and bite. Beef noodle soup was pretty standard. Fun fact: I meant to order the spicy beef ramen but said beef noodle soup by accident. Oh well no regrets I'll just go back and order the spicy beef Ramen next time. Can't wait!

The Best Roast Duck Restaurant in Philadelphia's Chinatown Roast duck is not greasy and not too salty

Ordered vegetable lo mein and asked for a few shrimp thrown in. Also ordered a vegetable spring roll. About $14 total. Very happy with this meal. Basic, uncomplicated lo mein done right. Not too salty, not too greasy, but nicely flavorful. There must have been 10 to 12 shrimp, more than I expected. I think they had been lightly breaded and fried too - a nice way to do it. Plenty of food for the price. Also, friendly and quick service. After a couple days of work on the road, I needed comfort food and satisfaction. 100% I can kick back and rest now! I'll come back when I'm here again.

We had the Peking duck, congee, and wonton soup - all very good, affordable, and solid. Would definitely go back. The waitress was straightforward but very nice and gave attention to details. The atmosphere is somewhat grey and when it gets crowded, hard to know where to place yourself.

Great Take-Out. Nice large portions, great flavor, not fast food at all. The mushu pork and green beans were excellent. Not too spicy but great flavor. Highly recommend.

This place makes the best duck I've tried, whether roasted or Peking style. Order a side of the scallion pancakes while there.