great spot, specifically for a late night bite. i don't think i would come for a regular dinner, but this hits the spot at 1am after drinking! my boyfriend and i stopped by after we bar-hopped a bit for a very late night bite, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the restaurant was quite busy. this one sweet older man was serving the entire restaurant, and i truly never seen someone move so fast before. he was the epitome of efficiency. the food here is decent. i would say that it would not be amazing per normal dinner standards (perhaps a 4/5?), it did really satisfy us at 1am after drinking. both of the dishes were flavorful, and we had no leftovers. the restaurant was rather crowded, traditional chinese style. prices were reasonable for philly though on the more expensive end, and i was very disappointed to find that they charged for tea even though we did not ask for tea. i did overhear the table next to us arguing about the tea charge, and they will remove the charge if you did not drink it. for dinner, i think chinatown has many other restaurants that are just as good if not better. but this is a solid spot for a late night since they close at 2am! read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - red cook hot beef noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I hadn't been here since the mid-80s and was hoping for a nostalgic meal, but the experience was a letdown. Unlike almost every other spot in the area, they charge extra for both rice and tea, which quickly inflated a $40 meal into a $50 check. The food itself was mediocre. I ordered the Three Cups Chicken -- a hard-to-find Taiwanese staple -- but it was dry and lacked the essential punch of basil, garlic, and hot pepper. Looking at the 'American Chinese' dishes on other tables, the food looked dated and unappealing. My advice: Update the menu to include all items and be transparent about pricing. In an era where diners are more educated than ever about authentic steamed fish and noodle soups, the old-school 'hidden' pricing feels out of touch." read more

very classic taiwanese beef noodle soup, definitely spicy! absolutely no complaints its just a good bowl of noodles :) portions are big too, nice family restaurant read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - beef noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We have been in search of bonesless spare ribs. Naturally we had look for them in China Town and landed here. We ordered carry-out of just bonesless spare ribs. Unfortunately, it was roast pork and not bonesless spare ribs. However, it was good. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Late night in Philly. China town was super busy. We ordered to go. Friendly staff. Food is ok. Wings were really small. Super fried but did not taste bad at all. I got seafood soup. Ok! Big portion. And filled with sea food, broccoli and snow please. Really fresh. Shrimp fried rice also pretty good. Could use more onions or peas. But still great. Steak with peppers was ok. Fresh. They gave us plenty spicy sauce. Utensils and napkins. I would come back. And try new items on the menu. read more

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Good clean family style Chinese restaurant. The service was great and the owners are the best. Food was large portions and very authentic. Would recommend! read more

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Our go to Chinese in Phillie. Friendly staff Fresh ingredients Solid quality Ho Sai Gai is our favorite and dependable. read more

Service suck very slow and they are vacuuming while we were there.. Food presentation is not appealing Fried fish definitely NOT fresh I have to spit it back out..... Taste like the fish been overnight few days... Fried rice veggie only taste like soy sauce Orange chicken.. No taste and I never see that way how they put orange like that... Bbq ribs definitely NOT fresh you can taste they overnight reheat.... Place and seating is clean Food definitely consider pricey This place is the worst then Chinese take out... If I can give no star I would.. Look at the pictures and if you don't believe me go try it yourself... I dont usually give negative that way but this place really need to work on their service and the food...... Sorry but not I won't come back... read more

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Too expensive for me anymore! And I've been going since the 1970s. I miss the way they were in the70s/80s. The fried wonton are good though, and the pepper steak. I hated spending 30 bucks for a lunch special and fried wonton for 1 person. read more

I think they need to update their closing hours because when we walked in here later on a weekend night (well before their posted closing hours) , the man running the place was telling us we didn't have a lot of time and that we needed to order soon before the kitchen closes. Service is typical of what you'd expect from one of these places. Not a lot of friendliness and very quick to drop things off, but I'm aware and used to this so it doesn't bother me. The food is also very much so what you'd expect for this type of place. Seems to cater more to tourists and potentially westernized-taste buds. I wouldn't necessarily not come here again, but the main reason we came here is because there wasn't a whole lot open past midnight. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Food is over priced. Service is not great, the older guy at front desk has very bad attitude. I got recommended to this place but regretted 100%. read more

Went today for a late lunch! Food and service were AMAZING! The husband and wife duo who run this place are both amazing people. Will definitely revisit soon. read more

I was having a bad night and wanted some good comfort food. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of giving this place a second chance. The first time wasn't great, but this time was terrible. First, I ordered a chicken wonton soup. Wontons are usually made with pork, and I don't eat pork, so I wanted to take advantage of the fact that they have chicken wontons. Instead of being four or five delicately wrapped wontons in the soup like I am used to, they were two grotesquely large wontons, each one stuffed with one large lump of ground chicken. There wasn't any fungus or anything that is usually in the wontons to give them flavor and texture. For my entree, I ordered a chow mein, something I had eaten my entire life all over the world whether it's Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, or Hong Kong, and it was always the fried mein (yellow egg noodles). The "chow mein" here has no noodles at all. It's just bean sprouts, celery, and onions. The egg roll was similarly just cabbage inside, no fungus, no vermicelli, no shrimp, none of the things that give it flavor and texture. I spoke to the waiter, an older Chinese gentleman who is very nice and friendly, about the "chow mein" and he gave me a little Chinese-American history lesson about how the Chinese here couldn't get noodles a hundred years ago and so this "chow mein" doesn't actually have any noodles. The chow mein that I want is on their Chinese language menu. Another thing is that despite the name of the restaurant being Ho Sai Gai which is Cantonese, the restaurant is actually Taiwanese, and their specialties are actually Taiwanese dishes like beef noodle soup which not even on the menu at all. What? Deception is not good business practice. If I go to a seemingly Cantonese restaurant, it's because I want Cantonese food. If they want to cater to Chinese-Americans like me who read English instead of Chinese, why would certain items be only on the Chinese language menu? If their specialties are Taiwanese dishes, why isn't that advertised? Had I known that the chow mein I wanted was on the Chinese language menu, I would have asked for that. Had I known that their specialties are Taiwanese dishes like beef noodle soup, I would have ordered that. Another thing is that I hate onions. I spent a lot of time trying to pick out the onion strips from the "chow mein" but it was very difficult to find all the onion strips among the bean sprouts in the clear sauce. I eventually just gave up and asked for a doggie bag. Unfortunately, between the bad food and the onions I had consumed, I felt ill that night. I was up all night feeling nauseous and threw up in the morning. Then I had diarrhea for four days. The whole experience was so bad that I will never give this place a third chance. read more

Have t been in a while . It fell off a bit. Customer service was good. Food was average. Have

We came here for a late lunch before traveling to the airport for a flight back home. While service was kind and portions reasonable in size, the place is worn out and the food nothing special. It's like taking a trip back to a mediocre Cantonese restaurant in the 1980s. And the dining room probably hasn't been updated since the that era. We started with a large, house special wonton soup that was shared among 3 adults. It cost $20 and they charged extra for a 3rd wonton. The eggroll I got was $4.25 and was meh. Then for entrees we got Mu Shu Pork which was adequate and Orange Chicken that sucked- the breading wasn't crisp and the sauce bland; worse than Panda Express. Entrees too ran about $20 when other places in the area are considerably less expensive. By the time we paid for everything (including what appeared to be a charge for white rice and tea; but the check was in Mandarin so I couldn't read it) the bill came to $100. I won't be coming here again. read more

This is one of my preferred places to go in Chinatown. The owner is exceptional and very kind. Always remembers when I come in and make sure to take care of me anybody I am with. Regarding the food, the food is just about always on point. One of my favorite dishes is the mango chicken combination platter. Many of the other popular fair is quite similar in quality of flavor. I am a fan of the hot sour soup opposed to the usual wonton . But a general, if you happen to be out late at night, make an effort to stop in and enjoy yourself. And of course, please use the menu listed online as a guideline to what you can expect. The price is listed are old and completely different. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Updated Hours Directly From The Owner - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It was past midnight when my friends and I wanted something to eat, but thank God our hotel was within walking distance of Chinatown and Ho Sai Gai stays open until 4 AM on Saturdays. We walked in right before a late-night rush (presumably of people on their way to/from clubbing) and were seated immediately. Their service was fast and friendly, and our server answered all of our questions with a smile. As for the food, the Spicy Hunan Wings were bussin' and had a nice kick to them without the spiciness being overpowering. I also enjoyed my honey coconut pineapple shrimp; however, for its high price point I feel like it could've come with a side of rice and the shrimp could have been de-tailed before being cooked. It was a messy process taking the tail off of shrimp with such a heavy coating of sauce, but they were delicious nonetheless and a side of rice wasn't that much extra ($2-$3 I believe). All in all, Ho Sai Gai was a pretty solid place to grab a late-night meal. read more

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Reliable late night Chinese food with a massive menu. The soups and the egg foo young are awesome. Reasonably big portions. Really nice/funny server. read more

A solid choice and must-try restaurant in Chinatown! Granted this was my first time in Phillys Chinatown and we chose this place based on the delicious sounding menu. We tried a couple of things from the lunch menu which were offered during a generous timeframe from 11-4pm. We squeezed our order in at 3:57 and they were gracious enough to let us order off the lunch menu. We ordered the bean curd with eggs and tomatoes, rice noodles with shrimp and chicken, and chicken with eggplant basil sauce. Each one came with a delicious fried rice, soup and an eggroll. The dishes were very reasonable and everything tasted delicious and authentic. Nothing was too salty or oily. Everything felt fresh and light. Great generous portions! The owners were friendly and chatty and gave my daughters some extra chocolate. It was cozy and traditional decor that reminded me of Cantonese restaurants from my childhood - - it was cute, clean and the bathroom was impeccable! I was fascinated by all of the beautiful phrases and sayings that were framed carefully on the wall. I would definitely go back to this restaurant in a heartbeat next time I'm in town. read more

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Although I love their egg drop / wonton soup, we found our dinner bland. I had chicken/eggplant in basil sauce and it had no taste. It didn't come with rice so I had to order that separately. My wife had pork chow fun and it was also bland. We both dumped lots of soy sauce in. So we were disappointed. The owners were very nice though. read more

Unfortunately Lobster had ammonia taster Roast pork dry Rice perfect So disappointing Was great last two years read more

I visited within the past week and my experience was honestly awful. So bad that i downloaded yelp just to make this review. I got seated and received the typical cup of water and "complimentary" tea. LIE. While we got I got my cut of the bill I questioned why I was charged extra when I only got my meal and water, I was then told the tea that they served us without asking was also an expense. Prior to that I ordered my expensive meal and was charged $10 extra for rice. On top of that, every time the water boy passed us he made comments about how thirsty we were and COMPLAINING that we drink too much on a hot festival day. Our server also commented on how I ate too much. So DO NOT fall for their scams and little cheeky ways to charge you extra. The food is definitely not worth it either. Do not fall for this scheme. And to Ho Sai Gai Restaurant-- DO BETTER. I will never return again. read more

Food was really good. A good find in China town has we hung out the weekend in Philly service was good and nice decor ans ambiance. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Mongolian Beef - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Very very friendly staff! Very great food. I was expecting the worse because I've never had good Chinese in Philly but this is absolutely amazing. I had the shrimp fried rice read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Spicy shrimp fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I say hold onto your wallet cause they try to pick it... 1595 for a entree and then $3 extra dollars for the white rice is he absolutely kidding himself just trying to take advantage of people, I was born at night but it wasn't last night so you could keep your food. You could keep your back headed way to try to earn an extra three dollars and have a nice life and we will be fine at all the other establishments in Chinatown except for yours. read more

One of the worst Taiwanese beef noodles ever, and the lo mein rice might as well be pork fried rice. I'm from Los Angeles. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - One of the worst Taiwanese beef noodles ever, and the lo mein rice might as well be pork fried rice. I'm from Los Angeles. - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have been going to this restaurant for about 30 years but have not been for past several years I stopped in today for lunch and the food was absolutely tasteless. Also , they now use the tiny shrimp in their dishes I always loved the big shrimp It's obvious they are cutting corners and have a different chef It's a shame that it has to this Same owners that have always been here but completely different experience read more

I went because my childhood favorite in China Town Imperial closed after 40yrs..Ho Sai Gai has been around a little longer and I was soooo Disappointed. First Flag It was Empty but ok it's a Wednesday. Secondly there was No food .smells. Ordered Egg Foo Young it had ZERO Flavor and the Egg was web like plastic... The Gravy had jelled by the time I tried to use it my order was Take Out... the craziest thing was when I tried to heat it up IT DID NOT Melt!!! I was done anyway.. I Paid for Overpriced Plastic Flavored Egg Foo Young Please choose wisely read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Egg Foo Yuck - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The food was great. Tried few new things and exceeded the expectations. The service was excellent. Our server was friendly and approachable. You could see he was happy seen people enjoying the food. The restaurant was clean, quiet and decorated with beautiful wood carved art and other traditional pieces. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Beef soup, minced pork over rice, dumplings, Taiwan rice ball soup. - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Absolutely everything tastes so good and fresh. Highly recommend this place the owner was so welcoming and nice. The ambiance is laid back and a very clean place. The prices are amazing as well. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - House special lo mein, salt & pepper wings, fried dumplings and wonton soup - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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It was a clean establishment and they did welcome me when I entered, but the food wasn't good or hot and the portions was small and we had dinner portions not lunch...The waiter was rushing us to order and he wasn't attentive, I asked for brown sauce and he told me wouldn't be gravy and it was and then I told him an he took it back n just gave me less gravy read more

Ok, so sometimes you can go back in time & rediscover that your memories were all true. My first visit to this Philadelphia Chinatown icon was in the late 1970's when it was the go-to location when my co-workers & I went out to eat, which means this beautiful corner establishment is awash in memories for me. And, the waitress has been serving diners for more than 35 years so just perhaps back in the past according to one of my dining partners she may have waited on me when we were both so much younger. I have a sneaky feeling that she was just as caring, helpful, & smiling the same pretty smile back then too. I will admit that nostalgia pushed the potential yet nonexistent 3 1/2 stars into the fourth star for me (I really was hoping to walk away with gongs sounding saying that I again had found five star perfection but that just wasn't the case.). The challenge for well established restaurants located in a "Chinatown" setting is to be creative with their menu's and especially in a city filled with tourists to go beyond the extensive everyday menu's of almost every Chinese corner location in America. So, one in our group said "everything looked the same. The restaurant has not paid attention to creating an exciting dining area." There were questions asking me if the Red Buddha at the door had been there 40 years ago and I am pretty sure he had been. In fact, other than being sparkling clean and bright there was nothing to note about the interior other than the one annoying television locked into an upper wall location (I always scream that "ethnic-oriented" restaurants should play music that takes diners' minds to the locations where the menu items would be enjoyed daily. Listening to Philadelphia television news just wasn't my kind of out to eat acoustical comfort melodies.). Back to the menu since that matters. There are numerous options with some very appealing soups for two but the group I was with were into the 'dinner combination' thing and that's what we went for. We truly appreciated that the waitress instantly transformed one of the party's meal choices from a stand alone to a combination even though it was not one of the listed combination choices; this provided the diner with soup and an egg roll. The famous and traditional large 'margarita' glass filled with fried noodles arrived at the table. One in our group said it was "like eating good peanuts" as she devoured handful after handful. I found the 'duck sauce' on the bland side but others disagreed but after adding the mustard, which another YELP review had suggested, I was happy and crunched along with the group. Soups arrived quickly and this soup lover was very happy with the silky slightly sweet version of Hot and Sour soup that was placed before me. The texture was comforting and the ingredients had all who had picked hot and sour smiling away. Comments about the soup continued even after crossing the bridge into the NJ. The Wonton soup diners enjoyed theirs but I sensed a tinge of jealousy over our choice. Since we were all Dinner combinations that meant everyone received an egg roll and fried rice with our chosen entrees. There was more than enough to eat. EGG ROLLS were surprisingly good. I am not a fan of these and usually avoid combination dinners with egg rolls because they usually represent the bottom tray of egg rolls in the kitchen however my egg roll's stuffing was very tasty and I slowed to savor it. The wrapping had been fried perfectly without the all too often discovered hint of overused oil. I looked around ... every egg roll vanished from the plates. Here's my problem with the fried rice. It was dark in tone and probably too much soy sauce. Not as eggy as most (I am not a big fan of the eggy fried rice.) but I want color and brightness. This was the kitchen's opportunity to really make the plate colorful with some fresh diced red or green peppers or some visible onions each plate had this dark side of the plate but the garlic was a nice added touch making it taste good. No one apparently objected to eating with the "dark side" because all the rice vanished too. My beef with scallions was very tasty but ... yea, yea ... there was one of the those carefully positioned red stars indicating heat in the dish. I chose it because I like spicy done well. My dish was as mild as mild can be but I decided to consume it because it was good. After I was wondering ... would this have been excellent if there was heat? I think yes but not some heat added afterwards but during the cooking process. Finally, one of the group who was disappointed after because they had hoped to find some really special dinner choice that would be presented in a very special manner indicative of the chef's skills. There were no specials at all just the menu items, which may have been the menu items 40 years ago when I first went there because their menu represents what the average American expects. Good food not great! read more

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Great service, great food, nice atmosphere and a clean restaurant. What more can you ask for from a place in Chinatown?

Great food and the seasoned male server was very kind to our family. Talkings to the kids and making sure we are all all and satisfied. Very attentive. Rare gem in downtown for Taiwanese/Chinese food. Kids ate a lot and were asking to come back again. That makes happy parents. read more

Ho Sai Gai Restaurant - Great Chinese/Taiwanese food! And the seasoned male server was very kind to our family. We will be back when in town again. - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Very fast service, cozy ambience, okay food. Absolutely loved the egg rolls. The wonton in the wonton soup was delicious but the fried rice was plain and over seasoned. The entrees were okay, but not something I would seek out again. We did not consume the leftovers. read more

Food is good and it's open late which I appreciate in a city where everything closes so early, which I still don't understand in the country's 6th largest city. But, it is what it is. . Prices however are not worth it. I ordered a small lo mein and small broccoli in garlic sauce. Portions are extremely small. You actually get more in a single serving at Panda Express, Or better yet, go to Sampan on 13th for much better quality than Panda Express and servings cooked to order that are more than double that of Ho Sai Gai for a little under the same price. read more

Ordered 2 dishes but was charged higher price than what is in their menu. I feel cheated. Food was so so also. I miss what it use be be a long time ago. read more

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I ordered take-out due to the whole COVID restriction. My family and I just arrived at our hotel nearby and were hungry from our long trip. The only restaurant decently open was this so we decided to order. We ordered our usual Chinese dishes. We got the crispy chow mein, orange chicken, beef soup and their combination fried rice which all came out to $66. I personally think the prices are a bit steep for the amount of food they gave. The sauce for the crispy noodles weren't enough. The orange chicken was pretty good. The beef noodles were decent. And fried rice was well... you can't mess that up. The service was great however! Lady said the little wonton noodle toppers that are usually placed on top of congee were on the house, LOL. I MEAN... thanks? There was no other purpose but to eat them like a snack I guess. Parking's on a narrow, crowded street. Be careful for other cars passing by or you can say goodbye to your side mirror! read more

Made my yearly trek here before the Car Show. Food is always great, the owners are wonderful. My children have grown up going here with me from my youngest who probably was 3 the first time is now 21. He loves it as well. I have noticed the changes over the years but that is the sign of the times. No more noodles with duck sauce and hot mustard. The duck sauce and mustard is now the fake stuff in packets. The hot tea is now $3 extra and of course the cost of lunch has went up. But overall this is still the best place in Chinatown and again the owners are lovely people. The Mrs. is still waiting tables. Best food !! read more

Excellent service! Food is always fresh. Just be aware there is a surcharge if you use a credit card vs cash.