May Mei Cantonese Restaurant

Authentic Chinese cuisine with Hong Kong-nese taste and dishes. Top choices include deep fried squid w spicy salt, mixed seafood with bean curd hot pot, salted fish with chicken fried rice, and preserved egg with pork porridge (congee), but there's a lot of good stuff here! They can get real busy though, and sometimes the food comes out one at a time.

Came here after new years so they ran out of a lot of the items. Price is very affordable compared to other restaurants around the area. Typical Cantonese casual food, not overly salty. A good place to grab a quick bite. Floor is pretty slippery so be aware.

We’ve been going to May Mei’s for years. Food quality is still very good. However, services have gone downhill and it really depends on who is helping you. I’ve recently went twice in a week with friends. Ended up with two very different experiences. Over lunch, the servers (two guys) were not very friendly and almost feel like we were not welcomed. Another visit late at night. The servers (ladies) were very nice and even though it was near closing time, they were still very prompt and friendly.

A great place for family gathering, and the food is great as well! Favorite is broccoli beef and Kung Pao chicken.

Won’t come back. The food didn’t taste as good as we expected, though it was acceptable. The worst part was the waiters’ attitude. We waited for 20 minutes and had to remind them. The waiters were calling out to each other over our heads, which made the atmosphere very unpleasant. We left a 10% tip because we were not satisfied. A waiter then came over and told me I had to tip at least 15%. He returned the bill and asked me to correct the tip before letting us leave. WTH.

Very good. Small restaurant in a big plaza. The food is really good, all are large portions too. Their fried fish plate is really popular and love the Mongolian beef, cooked to very soft and tender. The service is very fast and the staff are all very friendly. Would definitely come back again.

We were in the area so decided to get some groceries at Good Fortune market next door and try some take out here. Good Fortune was a bust with most of the shelves empty but the food from May Mei was pretty good. We had the fried fish filet and Singapore noodles and enjoyed both. Pretty good prices too. Really old restaurant but service was efficient.

Been coming here for nearly 20 years and the food is still so good. I’ve moved back home and found NEW things that I love at this restuarant. If you’re in the area and craving comfort canto food, don’t hesitate. Love their free soup that they offer in person. Love love love this place. ~30 something yo foodie

Love this place, except I never can decide on what to order... they have too many good choices. Today we got the beef brisket wonton noodle soup. As much as I like their food today I was sad we only got three wontons. It was still yummy yum yum. We also got the black bean chicken chow mein. It was all good even when we took it home. See my photos.

Quick service, reasonably priced, and great food. I tried the shredded pork pan fried rice vermicelli, it is more brown than rice vermicelli in most places, but it tastes good. Would love the egg a bit more charred, but it's not a deal breaker. And the brown sauce flavor is just a hint, so if you're expecting white sauce taste profile it's not a that far. If you're expecting just a good rice vermicelli, then this will satisfy. The portion quite big. Definitely will come back to try other offerings. The vibe is roundtable dining, so it's quite festive but not hectic. Perfect for family and group conversations.

We have come here to experience the delicious well prepared Hong Kong style food for over 10 years. The service is kind and swift but you need to b sure they understood what you want. Substituting is allowed too! Our favs: eggplant with roast pork, shrimp and mixed vegetables in a delicate sauce and shrimp wonton noodle soup. Highly recommend!

Today, I returned to this restaurant to try its clay pot rice. The restaurant was not full, and the service was attentive. I tried to hot pot rice, which was delicious. The server helped me to get the rice, chicken, and Chinese sausage out of the pot. The chicken was tasty, even without the soy sauce. The soy sauce added flavor to the rice. The sweet and sour pork was flavorful. The portion was big. The sweetness of the pineapple, added to the sour taste of the pork, makes the dish tasty.

Amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurant! Discovered this place randomly when I searched "Cantonese food" near me. I've been to this plaza multiple times for Yogurtland or Sinbala but didn't know of this until recently. Once I arrived, the waiters were all very friendly and greeted us. There is SOO much food selection which can get overwhelming, but the waiters are very patient and willing to explain what each item is. It really does feel like a cafe I see when I visit Hong Kong. The quality of the food is fair and for the price, it is worth. Their most famous dish is the clay pot rice (must try when you are here!) It does take ~30 minutes to cook so be prepared to wait a bit. The Chinese food here is amazing and as someone who's tried many Cantonese places myself, I highly recommend visiting and checking this place out.

Very reasonably priced dishes with a huge portion of food! Depending on the time you may have to wait. Service is like your typically Chinese restaurant. They just take you order and let you be haha.

Reliable comforting Cantonese food! Never disappoints, large servings and just like Hong Kong, this is in reference to both the food and service. Lunch specials range from $10 to $15, and there is also 2 pages worth of regular priced items to choose from. Clay pot rice is a little weak but let's face it, there aren't too many places that even want to spend the time to offer clay pot rice on their menu. So on that note, it's acceptable, don't expect much crispy rice at the bottom of the pot.

Went to a nearby Chinese restaurant and got my craving satisfied. Very traditional Hong Kong style restaurant, quick service with friendly staffs. The walnut shrimps are super crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Topped with honey glazed walnuts and mayonnaise sauce. Perfectly match. Their other items on the menu are also pretty good from previous visits. Quite decent quality with reasonable prices.

Was recommended by a friend, so a whole group of us went including her so she knew exactly what to order. The dish she was raving about was the rice hot pot which they have different options of but since it was pretty late in the evening they only had one serving left. This is an authentic place and the food reflects that. It's busy busy and the kitchen works like a well oiled machine. Portions are respectful and it's always a good idea to do family style and taste as many dishes as possible and also have enough to take home some leftovers. I can honestly say there wasn't a dish I didn't like. I was starving and ate like a champ. I especially loved this cartilage tender beef dish, it was absolutely delicious, Can't even remember what it was called cause I was in a food coma. also surprisingly the orange chicken was the best I've ever had and I even kind of laughed when they ordered it. Plenty of free parking in front and prices are reasonable.

This place is just alright.. What we ordered: Honey Walnut Shrimp - 6/10 - there was way too much mayo to my liking. I was basically scraping it off the edge of the plate Seafood Tofu Claypot 8/10 - pretty good! Very flavorful, but there isn't much variety of items inside (mushroom, tofu, some shrimp, some fish). Salt and Pepper Pork Chop 5/10 - Good portion but the meat is very fatty. It literally melts in your mouth and feels very tender, but it's because of how fatty the meat is. Seafood E-noodles 7/10 - the noodles were veryyy al dente - to the point where we were unsure if they were fully cooked. Nice, light flavor. Cons: - They charge $2 per person for rice - They also charge extra for credit card purchases (so bring cash!) - The waiters here were kind of mean to us because we weren't Cantonese speakers... - Service was minimal and slow. It was hard to flag down someone to order and our food came at really different times. It took an extra 15 minutes for our last dish to arrive I don't think I would actively come back on my own accord... there are a lot of other places that are better in my opinion.

During pandemic, we tried to dine here but they only served to go. We waited until recently, even though the to go table still prominently stay in the front door area, you can dine in comfortably inside. Service is great, friendly and helpful. Clean and very efficient. Foods come out fast. Taste great with good portion. The only thing missing is roast duck and roast pork. Will come here more often.

Hands down one of the best places to eat at in the 626 area -- like the definition of hole in the wall, community run restaurant. All the dishes always hit the spot. Highly recommend their clay pot rice (bao zai fan), watercress rice / kong xin cai (空心菜), herbal bone broth, and their rice porridge. They are quick overall and very popular!

Love this place for the men servers wearing neckties :) Classy AF considering it's in a strip mall!

Very reasonable priced restaurant in the area. Large portion food. Prompt service. You don't come here for atmospheres. I recommend to check out their daily house soup.

Came here for dinner with family from out of town. For a Chinese restaurant it's alright with modest prices - nothing terrible but nothing that stands out either. We ordered a few stone pots, fried pork, fried seafood, and veggie dish. Everything came out quickly and they serve a free soup appetizer which not many places do anymore. The stone pot was nice although I wish they crisped the rice on the bottom a bit more. The salted fried pork was pretty good and only had a few pieces that were overly fatty. The veggie dish was also pretty good but mostly everything else was on the bland side. The staff are all very friendly and are quick to refill the tea pot or come if you ask.

We came with a group of ladies, 5 of us. So we each ordered a dish to share. My favorite is Beef chow fun, it was perfect! Another's was the fried fish! Also excellent! The next was hot pot, she said it was the best she ever had! The last was fried tofu with shiitake mushrooms, carrots and snow peas in a brown gravy sauce. With the pot of steamed rice we enjoyed everything! The waiters were so attentive and kept our teapot refilled! An excellent evening with lively conversation, we were there to close the place down!!!

Type of venue: Chinese casual Venue Access: Good; located in large commercial/dining strip lot but parking lot is very crowded at almost all times of the day. Time of day good for: Lunch/dinner Wait time: 5 min wait for party of 4 on a Saturday night around 7pm. Service: Good; wait staff is fast but you may struggle to get their attention What was ordered: Salt & Pepper pork chop; Black bean fish; saute'd shredded chicken with eggplant Does it taste good: Yes; flavors are strong Any grievance: No Price/Performance: Good; used to be cheaper but prices have risen since covid, still a decent amount of food for the price Did I get a stomachache after eating here? No Would revisit? Yes Additional Notes: Cash only

This restaurant is very rude! I inquired about my order and was told to be quiet and stop talking! I've been here 45 minutes waiting for my order. Bad decision on my part ordering from here! I won't be back! If I could give a lower score I would!

Traditional Cantonese Food ! We have been to this restaurant since they opened and still good ! Consistent in food quality, ingredients and services ! Happy and fulfilled every visit !

May Mei is a local Arcadia gem, and I'm glad I returned with friends for their signature clay pot rice. Seating wasn't too difficult on a weekday afternoon, and the staff were friendly and present. In addition to the clay pot rice, we ordered salt and pepper pork / ribs and the string beans. We started with a complimentary soup - yummy! Imagine a sweet yet savory soup, the traditional, homecooked Cantonese style dried vegetable & pork broth soup with carrots. Ooh so yummy! The string beans were a good appetizer, and we picked at it like chips. Could be crispier and lighter on the salt but overall yum! The salt and pepper pork was perfect though a tad bit too salty as well. The real treat was the clay pot rice, and that - with half soy sauce - was perfect. The pork, sliced sausage, and vegetables were the perfect assortment of textures and tastes. And the best part? Scraping the clay pot in the end for the burnt rice. Overall outside of the heavy hands on the salt shaker, would easily add this to my monthly list of restaurants to visit - and with more friends, of course.

may mei is one of my favorite restaurants in arcadia! the food here is great and i've always thoroughly enjoyed all dishes every time i've come here! i would suggest the clay pot rice, fried flounder, singapore chow fun, and especially the clam with basil sauce! would definitely come back!note: cash only

Am making May Mei Restaurant my weekly or monthly rotation for sure, and if I lived in the area I'd seriously eat here everyday! I mean the menu does have something like 238 items to choose from and incredible lunch specials at a good value (from: 11am - 4pm)! Weekdays only for lunch specials. While the restaurant is known for "clay pot rice", their stir fried and braised items, noodles, soups, etc are just stellar; you really can't go wrong ordering from here. The meals comes with a hot soup (fire soup) and that alone is amazing! I was blown away at how fantastic the food was with perfection in "wok smoke" and flavor! Even left overs taste amazing! What you won't find are BBQ roast meats or live seafood served "whole" ; although, there are seafood items on the menu. This restaurant serves great Cantonese family style comfort food and am obsessed with this place!

One of our reliable go to Chinese restaurant in Arcadia. Fave: sweet & sour fish, pan fried noodle, Mongolian, Kung pao, chix corn soup!

My to go Hong Kong food if I'm in town. The best clay pot rice I have found. They are always busy, but the waiters are still attentive and friendly.

THE FOOD AT MAY MEI IS A HEALTH RISK. Ordered the seafood soup (海鮮豆腐湯) and fried fish (炸魚) . What I got was basically a bowl of MSG and a plate of MSG. Took a few bites and instantly regretted it. As the dustball worked its way through my gullet, I could feel my mucosa dry up like a pretzel. Woke up the next day with persistent piercing headaches. I am certain the owner would not even touch this garbage. This establishment is an embarrassment.

Easily a big 5 stars forMay Mei's servings of its Fish Fillets w/Bed of Various Vegetables, Beef w/Soft Tofu, Shrimp w/Salt and Pepper in the Shells, Shrimp Scrambled Egg, Sweet & Sour Pork, and Steamed Fish -- all so yummy and generous in their servings. We always start with their Crab Meat Fish Maw or House Soup -- both are so rich and perfect prelude to great traditional Cantonese dinner. We love the dishes listed above but usually try out one new dish from May Mei's extensive menu of over 230 items. You can't go wrong with the ones listed to start. Oh, for veggies we like the sautéed Baby Bok Choy or Beef Broccoli in oyster sauce. I always get great service there -- even during their busy dinner hours, I usually do not have to wait long for them to take my order and bring out the tea and first course of soup. I especially appreciate the great service from the waitress with the smart-looking tie. So great large servings and yummy traditional Cantonese dishes at reasonable price served by dedicated staff -- equates to 5 stars for me!

Update 2023/02/01: We came here for lunch to celebrate my birthday and my aunts birthdays, it has been 3 years since we were last here. The food was delicious! I stuffed my face and tummy with yummy food! Service was excellent and fast. 2020 review Food was good and reasonably price, Service was friendly and nice.

Tasty Cantonese dishes. My parents born in Guangzhou (Canton) dines at this eatery specifically for clay pot rice. We also love the sweet and sour fish, eggplant and black pepper chicken. Well be back

This restaurant is in back of a strip mall. The food is delicious. The clay pot is their specialty and takes 30 minutes to make. So order that dish first or call ahead and have them make it. By the time you get to the restaurant, the clay pot will be done and served. They have large servings at this restaurant. 2 orders is more than enough for 4. Parking in the parking lot.

I just moved to the neighborhood and they are my go to place to eat out with friends when they visit. I haven't been able to go to another place because I really like any dish they have served. I'm in love with the fried squid with spicy salt I can't stop ordering it, it's just right. The Mongolian beef, chow mein, wonton soup, and green beans are all great as well. The servers are very nice and the food comes out quick. The portions are big and family friendly to share the prices are right.

Come for the claypot rice!! Service was quick and food tasted great. We loved everything that we ordered. Lots of people order take out but there were just as many people dining in for dinner.

L.A. has no shortage of Chinese goods. But this one is different. Two brothers long time chef decided to open their own HK eatery, everything good quality like no expenses to spare. Great taste traditional HK dishes, less greasy and less salt. Hot pot rice and seafood are especially delicious. A truly new generation of healthy eats from two veteran cookers who just want to serve you like their own families.

Came here for lunch with family. Foods were good. Service is ok. The place is small but it's nice.

As usual of Chinese restaurants, poor service. Took forever to serve water. Demanded more tips after paying the bill. I said ok. Then called my credit card company and did a charge back. These Asian miscreants give Asians like myself a bad name in America.

My first opportunity to try May Mei Restaurant is when I had a sleepover at my friend home and her family ordered a lot of entrees for her birthday dinner. I was so impressed by the many delicious food selected. I was so excited about the #116 beef brisket with dried bean sticks hot pot. I remember during my childhood my mom used to cook with dried bean sticks. One of my favorite ingredient. Hong Kong style cooking. The takeout was fast and ready for pickup. The people are friendly. This restaurant is in a small shopping center. A hole in a wall place for a great meal. I live in Los Angeles and depend on Metro transportation. Since my bff live close to May Mei Restaurant, I ask her to order takeout on Saturday and bring to church on Sunday so I can have beef brisket for the week. Nice portions. Good flavor. Well, we had another sleepover this past weekend and we were able to eat lunch at May Mei Restaurant. We got there before the rush of customers. They do a lot of takeaways orders. We ordered #72 deep fried fish fillets with spicy salt, #202 Singapore style fried rice noodles and # 197 chicken chow mein Hong Kong style crispy noodles. We also ordered takeaway. I ordered my usual #116 beef brisket hot pot. Bff sister ordered #197 chicken chow mein for dinner. Not sure what else she ordered. We had a wonderful culinary experience. Highly recommend this restaurant.

This review has been long overdue! May Mei's is as good as it gets when it comes to Cantonese home cooking with daily soup specials and Canto speaking waiters that knows you (by faces at least). Their claypot rice is still the best along with most of their dishes: Taste, Portion & Value! Pork chop is crispy and perfectly seasoned - all kids fav (their batter is the secret) Morning glory is crunchy and fresh, not overly salty which can easily go there Seafood Tofu just as expected (I'm personally not a fan of this dish and wish we can pick choose what we want in there LOL) Daily soup - really can go wrong. Taste of home!

This review is long overdue. May Mei serves delicious food on a consistent basis so we eat here often. Tonight we ordered glazed walnut shrimps, assorted preserved meats in clay pot, black mushrooms and mustard greens and their delicious beef with green beans. Soup and almond jello desserts are complimentary. The workers are friendly, nice, and attentive. They always provide us with good service and refilled our drinks often. They've been in business for a long time and seem to have a lot of regulars. Give this place a try. I think you might find it to be even better than Sam Woo.

May Mei always hits the spot perfectly. This is pretty basic Cantonese food but you can still taste the chef's skill and "wok hay" in every bite.

I have been there a couple of times I've tried their fried pork chops and the shrimp fried rice everything seems to be very fresh and good!

Pre COVID-19, I came here to eat with some friends. I haven't been back here since the reopening of restaurants though. There are so many restaurants everywhere... it's unbelievable! For a foodie like me, it's actually a good thing to have many different choices, but it can be overwhelming to choose LOL. May Mei is known for their clay pots. I usually get their chicken and mushroom clay pot and wonton egg noodles. Very delicious and tasty authentic Cantonese foods. I may have to pay them a visit in the near future to reminisce on my favorites. If I remember, their staff was okay. Can't expect too much from a Chinese restaurant when it comes to service. If you're lucky, you may get some great service otherwise just enjoy your meal. Happy May Mei'ing!

December 2022 - Party of 4, Saturday around 11am, no wait! Food/Pricing - $83 total with tax, ordered noodle soup, fried noodles, 2 veggie dishes, and meat. Plenty plenty of leftovers! Portions are generous and food is very yum. Service/Ambiance - Quick and friendly service! Just fyi, they charge 3% for credit card use. Other than that, we'll be back! Parking - Located in a plaza with a grocery store. Usually not too difficult to find parking in the lot.

I frequent this restaurant almost weekly. Mostly for take out, I've eaten inside the restaurant. There are at least 2 cooks at this restaurant. One of them I feel is way better than the other. So the food quality is very inconsistent. If you happen to have the good cook for your order, it will be the most amazing authentic Hong Kong style chinese food you'll ever taste. It is really that good! If you're unlucky and have your order cooked by the other cook(s), you'll end up with a lot less tasty meal. For example, I would often order a beef with scallion dish. If the good chef prepares it, it'll have lot of "wok" flavoring, very dry, tender, not a whole lot of excess cooking oil. If you get the bad chef, you will get something very wet, beef coated with some batter, chewy, fried and loaded with lots of cooking oil. Just from looking at this dish, I know how all my other dishes will turn out. I hope this place can get a little more consistent and have everybody cook exactly the same way. Overall the food is still good, that's why I still come to this place weekly to order my family's favorites.

Food is not bad. I love the free daily soup that comes with the meal during lunchtime. The service is okay, although not the best. The inside of the restaurant has this old-style Hong Kong Chinese restaurant from the 79s.

If you life good Hong Kong style food....come here! Quick service! Still one of my local favorites!

This Cantonese food restaurant was highly recommended by a friend. The food was amazing! The Cold Jelly Fish appetizer, the Orange Flavored Chicken, Kung Pow Beef, Kung Pow Shrimp and Braised String Beans were all cooked to perfection. The four of us devoured everything and would happily return again.

Very fast service even during busy periods. Friendly and courteous service. We ordered 1. Mixed seafood with vegetables - fresh and delicious, with scallops, prawns, octopus, squid, fish on top of Chinese vegetables, 2. Beef Lo Mein with clear soup - tastes just like back home cooked, and 3. Shrimp Yee Mein with western broccoli and nothing else for my son's preference. Portions were large, enough to take home leftovers for another meal. Had two cold desserts - almond tofu jelly, and mango pudding, both not overly sweet, and just the right ending to a delicious filling dinner. Highly recommend going here; see you soon.

Local and very convenient for me when I did not have time to cook! Their minced meat over rice, never disappoint. Their 乾炒牛河 is yummy too.

Mostly take out during Covid but the food is great. Authentic Cantonese restaurants are getting rarer and rarer as they are replaced by Hot Pot joints and other Chinese cuisine like Sichaun and Hunan styles. Basically if you are a local, this should be on your rotation of Chinese restaurants for dining out. Even if you are semi local it's worth the trek to eat here once in a while

This restaurant is in the Arcadia supermarket plaza. It's a Cantonese style sit down restaurant that's very similar to Sam Woo BBQ. We ordered the chicken chow fun and the minced beef rice dish. They are probably short staffed like other places. So be patient as it will take some time to get your to-go food.