I went to Tai Lake Restaurant and ordered the half Peking duck. Right away, it came out with bao buns instead of the traditional thin pancakes. That completely changes the dish. Bao buns are thick, filling, and you hit a wall after a couple bites. If I had known that, I would not have ordered it. That should absolutely be communicated upfront. The duck itself was mediocre at best. Greasy, fatty, nothing special. I'd honestly give it a 6 out of 10 and that might even be generous. Servers were fine, attentive enough, no complaints there. My bill came to $34.55 and I still tipped 20% because I'm not petty about service when people do their job. Where this place really lost me was the manager. It wasn't even 5:30 PM. No dinner rush. The restaurant had multiple empty tables. I was sitting at a two person table by myself, literally just waiting for my Uber that was 7 minutes away. The manager comes over and tells me to go wait outside. I said no. It was cold, I had bags with me, and I had just paid and finished eating. There was zero reason to rush me out like that. He doubled down and insisted he needed the table. And I'm going to be real, that was just bad hospitality. I work in hospitality. You do not treat a paying customer like they are in the way, especially when the restaurant is clearly not even busy. It wasn't about table turnover, it was just rude, unnecessary, and honestly condescending. Acting like I was inconveniencing him for sitting there quietly after paying my bill was wild. That interaction completely soured the experience. Food was mid. Service from the staff was fine. But the management attitude is exactly why I would not come back and would not recommend it to anyone expecting basic respect with their meal. read more

Best of the best for Cantonese food! Every dish here I've tried is good! I keep going back because this is the best Cantonese food spot in Chinatown! Cooked oysters here are definitely delicious and a show stopper! All their dishes here are good and their service here is great as well please just go and eat here! read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This place has great Cantonese food! I came here for a friend's birthday and the food was elaborate and delicious! Wonderful experience read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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it is like the best Chinese place you can ever go and try out immediately they close very late. It's the best place to go. Try it out please immediately customer service XL. You don't pay that much for small things. Please try it out. read more

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I got invited to a banquet that took place on the second floor so not the main dining room. Everything that came out was delicious! So many things were new to me like jellyfish and duck tongue, but I tried everything and enjoyed it all! The highlights were the lobster stir-fry, salt and pepper ribs, and sweet and sour fish. I loved the upstairs room, there is wonderful a karaoke setup and dedicated servers. I will definitely be back for another (less elaborate) meal soon! read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Is the food good here? Yes. Would I go out of my way to come back? No. The food here was good, but there are many places that are the same, if not better. One dish that was very enjoyable was the pea greens. The space itself was a bit dated and the service was average. I read more

Sauteed squid and pan fried pork dumplings, squid on the greasier side and dumplings only came with four to an order and were basic. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is my uncle's favorite restaurant in Chinatown, so when we came to visit, he took us here. We ordered the crab and fish maw soup, steamed fish, sautéed pea leaves, seafood clay pot (abalone, scallops, shrimp and sea cucumber), house lobster, and house crab. That was a lot of food for 4 people! In terms of quality and flavor, I thought the food was pretty good. My only negative feedback is that the crab in the fish maw soup had a freezer taste and smell. Everything else was good. Our server was very pleasant and the restaurant was very clean. Complimentary dessert was provided at the end of our meal. read more

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Service here was okay. The food was excellent. I came here with a large group of 40 people with a set menu and everything that came to the table was delicious. It took a long time to get ice water, but besides that, the food tasted great and arrived at the table very hot. I would recommend this restaurant and would come back. read more

Tai Lake was recommended by our Airbnb host, and he was spot on. It's what one expects from a reputable Chinese seafood place, from the tanks containing live seafood to the free dessert (usually some type of sweet bean soup) served at the end of the meal. We ordered the stuffed bean curd, eggplant and pepper with black bean sauce & the salted egg yolk prawns. Both were served piping hot and were off-the-charts delicious! I haven't been able to find salted egg yolk preparation in forever, and was so happy that this place had it. Actually, just the salted egg yolk lobster was listed on the menu, but when asked, our server confirmed they could easily substitute with prawns. Gonna head back to Tai Lake next time we're in Philly for more yummy seafood. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My family and I have been going to tai lake for dinner, since my childhood. We love ordering various dishes and enjoying it together. Tonight, we ordered onchoy, ginger scallion lobster, fillet flounder with corn, egg fried rice, and fillet steak cantonese style. Everything was flavorful and delicious! The flounder with corn was a tad too salty, but everything else was seasoned perfectly. The egg fried rice was super basic, but it was a hit for the toddlers in the party tonight. We really enjoyed the fillet steak and actually ordered a second order of it. Service was nice and attentive. Our servers came over and were talking to the toddlers as well. I loved the red bean soup that came for dessert too! read more

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Family's favorite place to take our grandparents for special events. Mayo shrimp aka honey walnut shrimp is my go-to read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Was recommended by a family member to visit this authentic Cantonese restaurant that has been around since 1988. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! The flavors were definitely on point and the dishes were all flavorful. The food was also relatively cheap, so a great value while in the city. Our server was also great and on top of things. Would 100% recommend if you want some great Cantonese food! Apps: Black Bean Oysters and Cold App Combo (came with jellyfish, cold cut meat, and crispy pork intestines) Entrees: Sautéed Clams, Lobster Sticky Rice, Black Pepper Short Ribs, Braised Lamb Casserole, Snow Pea Leaves, and Seafood Casserole read more

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This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Philly! Coming from California where there's an abundance of Chinese food, I can say this restaurant serves really authentic and yummy Chinese food. Whenever I miss those authentic Cantonese flavors, I will be coming back to this restaurant! We asked the waiter for recommendations from the menu and he told us that they're known for seafood dishes. They have multiple tanks of different kinds of live seafood at the entrance of their restaurant so you can bet on them to serve you the freshest seafood! Most of their live seafood don't really have a set price. It's calculated by market price (by pound). The service here is really quick. They bring out the food really fast and it comes out piping hot. The waiters do not check up on you to see how the food is but that is typical service at a Chinese restaurants. They offer bowls of white rice at no extra charge to go along with your food. FILLET GROUPER AND BEAN CURD - 3/5 The first dish that came out was the fillet grouper and bean curd. The grouper (fish) in this dish is fried before they mixed it into a clay pot with some sauce. The grouper is already deboned which made it very easy and pleasant to eat. To my surprise, there is a layer of Napa cabbage on the bottom of the pot which is a nice way to incorporate some veggies. The flavors in this dish wasn't too great. I've had better but it was decent. I wish it had more sauce. I would probably try something else from their menu next time. I forgot to take photos of the other dishes because they all looked and smelled so good LOL SNOW PEA LEAVES WITH GARLIC - 5/5 This was delicious! The snow pea leaves weren't too tough, you could tell they used good quality young snow pea leaves to make this dish. It was stir fried with some garlic and had the perfect amount of seasoning. A classic veggie dish to go with the rest of your meal. CRAB AND DRIED SCALLOP FRIED RICE - 5/5 Out of the 3 items that we ordered, my favorite is their crab and dried scallop fried rice. This fried rice tasted super authentic and had all the flavor notes that you would look for in a fried rice. It was seasoned perfectly where it would make your mouth water. There is umami flavors from the dried scallops and they use real crab in their fried rice! None of that imitation stuff. The rice wasn't stuck together and had the perfect texture. I would come back just for this dish. At the end of your meal, they even bring you a free dessert! 3 dishes from their menu was enough variety to feed 2 hungry adults plus some leftovers to take home. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Fillet Grouper & Bean Curd - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As soon as we went in, four men yelled, take out instead of sitting us at a table, which we wanted to eat inside we've never been there. We were basically bullied into takeout. The food was horrible. Some crunchy stuff inside we couldn't figure out what it was and they were very racist. Literally pushing us out the door. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - House fried rice shrimp only two - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Favorite post-night out restaurant with my family during undergrad. Hours changed a lot but back in the day they would be open late past 12am. Delicious family style meals. Really hits the spot each time. A classic philadelphia chinatown eatery read more

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The food was just so-so. The soup had a strong fishy smell. The roast duck was dry and black. It was really bad. I won't come back next time. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - roast duck was dry and black. - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This place was packed with people and that means it's good, and it was. We had a small wait for a table. Food was rolling out to tables left and right. Quick service once you ordered. Very good food. I would come back when I'm back in Philly. No nonsense service but the food is good. Huge menu. read more

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Been going to this place since I was a kid over 30 year now for me. Always good food. And service is fast fast. Order the food and it comes out in a blink of an eye lol. It's that fast. I always get the walnut shrimp and the shrimp fried rice. Food is delicious and the price is very affordable you can just order any thing without even looking at the price. read more

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Overall - food was good, service was actually really nice and friendly here, and my friends and I were happy to come here late in a Thursday after the Phillies game for dinner. I'd come back for sure! read more

Wow this place is great! We went late on a Tuesday and we were only one of 3 parties there. The tables are along the two walls- large tables against the left was and smaller tables along the right wall. Each table is divided by a floor to ceiling plywood wall- so you sort of feel like you are in a booth. As other have said, the service is sort of abrupt but it's also efficient. I went with my sister-in-law who grew up in Beijing so much of the conversation with the staff was by her (in Cantonese) which I don't understand and that was fine by me- we had a great meal! We had her two favorite dishes- the snow pea greens where stir fried, bright green, and very flavorful. The combo bean curd, eggplant, and pepper had a great brown sauce and both the bean curd and the pepper were stuffed with shrimp balls. The Steamed "large mouth bass"- the waiter said this one was not "striped bass" but was "large mouth bass" but it wasn't clear what type of fish it actually was because the Cantonese did not translate to that, per my sis in law from Beijing - but I would for sure order a whole steamed fish again. When we asked for the check, they brought us "dessert" which was green beans in a sweetish soup. The beans were small like lentils and I am guessing they were cooked in sweetened water with some corn starch- perfect end to the dinner! read more

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Horrible manager, incredibly unprofessional! I ordered a beer and fried dumplings, the manager asked if I was going to pay cash, I told him I only have $11, he said I can't order food, I asked if I can order another beer with cash, he said 'no'- by an accident, the dumpling order came, the manager told the waiter not to serve me. The treatment I receive was horrible , completely unprofessional, the manager's attitude was greedy and plain disgusting. There was no service mentality nor integrity of the place. The only reason I went there was my favorite seafood place 'Jade's seafood' around the corner of 10th and Race was closed until 4 pm. I highly recommend Jade's, the food is always excellent, great service and professional. Never make a fuss over how much you spend but to serve the customers. read more

The food was pretty good. There was blotching too spectacular about the service and it was pretty noisy but i'd definitely go back for the food. read more

Excellent , my first time going there the staff was attentive well portioned out dishes the place looked clean and other patrons were ordering big dishes for the table family style, I tried the house fried rice and it was a hit. Party of three. We had the lo mein and some garlic chicken read more

Delicious and fresh seafood restaurant, my favorite were the steamed oysters with gingers and onions and the fried lobster typhoon shelter style, you can get generic American Chinese foods there as well if that's what are into, they serve alcoholic beverages and cocktails, ask your server for details! read more

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My family chose this restaurant to have a nice sit down dinner inside. All the tables were separated by wooden dividers and spaced out too. Our waitress was ok. She was rude in the beginning when my mom tried to order food. But, then she was more pleasant later on in the evening. We didn't expect much, since service isn't great at any chinatown. Anyway, we were all craving Cantonese food. So, we ordered a number of dishes here. Here's a breakdown of what we ordered: Salt and Pepper Fried Squid (3/5): This was pretty good. The batter was a bit heavy. I've had lighter and crispier fried squid. This could've also used a bit more seasoning as well. Stir fried clams with ginger scallion sauce (4/5): This tasted fresh and the sauce was tasty, although I'd prefer a bit more punchy flavor. I think black bean sauce would've been yummy. Fish and tofu claypot (2/5): the tofu, bean curd, and veggies in this dish were homey and delicious. But, the fish piece I had didn't seem fresh. My sis and mom didn't mind the fish in this dish. Lamb clay pot (3/5): This was also a comforting and homey dish. It was a bit better than the fish clay pot dish. Steamed striped bass (4/5): My mom and I love steamed fish. This striped bass was swimming in their fish tank prior to being steamed, seasoned, and brought to our table. As was expected of fresh fish, the texture was great. The soy sauce and scallion sauce on top was nice. But, it wasn't as aromatic or as umami as other steamed fish I've had before. At the end of our dinner, we were served warm sago desserts. It was nice. Overall, this was an ok spot to have Cantonese style food. We didn't try everything on their menu. So, there may have been other menu items that had more pronounced flavors to them. read more

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Very disappointed with this restaurant. The chicken was extremely bad -- dry, tasteless, and nearly inedible. We barely touched the whole plate. On top of that, the service was rude and unprofessional. Definitely not coming back. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Located in chinatown, the place was packed. We ordered a few dishes, everything was delicious especially the fried rice and the beef with vegetables. Not too bad for prices either. It was different than i've ever had but very good. i'd definitely come back read more

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Customer service is vital in this industry. Unfortunately I didn't get to try this amazing place that fans raved about. Due to the man that answered the phone when I called to place my order. He was RUDE and hung up before I could ask a question about their menu. #Disappointed read more

classic seafood/southern chinese restaurant, fast, efficient, and professional service. ya gotta go for the og when you come here get a mix of salt and pepper style things (pork chops, shrimp, squid etc.), a seafood casserole of some sort, stir fried noodles, crispy griddled noodles, bi feng tang style clams/crab (minced pork + peppers stir fried with seafood), stir fried veggies (water spinach, gai lan, whatever is fresh, you can ask the server), and maybe a plate of those little shrimp they have out front which are sooooo crushable with a cold beer (heineken is $3.50 lmaooo) $32 pp after tax and tip for 3 people with leftovers enough for another meal. on fri-sun, they do get busy around 6, but they are open until midnight if you need a late night snack read more

Our go to for authentic Chinese food in Chinatown. My family and friends have been coming here for years. So all the staffs there know us really well. They are down to earth people. Most of their dishes are delicious and flavorful. Especially their walnut shrimp with mayonnaise sauce and crab fried rice is a must! hands down the best in Philly! We had them every time we eat here. My others favorite go to dishes are stirred fried snow peas leaves with garlic, and the steamed live shrimp, so fresh, juicy, sweet and delicious. This place is perfect for groups and family dinner. Tip: pay them CASH! they won't charge you taxes. read more

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I usually have a stellar experience here since I ordered the classics that my family always go for : Lobster ginger scallion, fish maw soup, snow pea leaf stir fry, steamed fresh fish with soy sauce and scallions, salted fish fried rice, etc. However today I tried something new and was very disappointed. Chicken tofu casserole with salted fish was weird ! Tofu isn't fried and just mushy, chicken was dry since they use chicken breast, salted fish didn't go well in a watery casserole at all. Salted baked squid was undercooked and had a gritty texture from uncooked starch. Also bland. This review is just for these 2 items. Their menu is HUGE and I will update as I order better stuff read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Weird taste - chicken tofu casserole with salted fish. Dry chicken. Flavors and textures didn't work for me - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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My husband called order for take out. Asking for soy sauce, red vinegar and jalapeños. Wasn't told they did not have it on the phone. By the time he picked them up. The server said they don't have nothing and "vinegar is not good for your food" I called the restaurant and spoke to another staff. They seemed to confuse when I said I was told no soy sauce. My husband returned to the store again. Now they said they have everything. The owner was rude and unprofessional to my husband. My husband is also a restaurant manager. There is no way he did not know what he asked for. I order food from this restaurant for take out most likely every week. Very disappointed and will never order again! read more

The food taste good but the potion can be a small beside from that the service is good. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Ordered Cold Jelly Fish Head but the potion is small - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Had a huge business dinner here and the food always hits the spot!! We had waves of never ending food and we were completely stuffed by the end of the day!!! Everything was absolutely delicious and affordable. Some of favorite dishes were the lobster, fried rice, stir fried vegetables, fresh shrimp and so much more. One of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown for sure! read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

3.5 stars - Service is what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant - not sure if it's because I speak Cantonese, the servers were actually quite friendly. This is definitely my go-to for authentic Cantonese food! They have water tanks with live seafood, so you know the seafood you get are fresh. We ordered the boiled live shrimp and it was absolutely amazing. The portion sizes are huge - would recommend sampling different things. We often order takeout from them too through Chowbus, but I think the portion size is bigger when you dine in. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Staff was friendly. Plenty of diners. Fresh seafood. Good portions. What more can you ask for? This will be my go-to Chinese restaurant next time we are in Philly. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Peking duck - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Can't believe I came here for the first time today. It is so awesome! I will come back more often! Unfortunately my husband and kids are not big on seafood and so they dropped me off and went for pizza. I ordered the swimming shrimp, a veggie stir fry and a clam dish. The shrimp is fresh. The veggie stir fry is like what my mom would make. And the clam could be more fresh but I like the sauce w meat and the savory, as my other two dishes are light. I had an amazing time by myself. This definitely beats taking my family here that I have to peel the shrimp for the kids and force them to eat. read more

*3.5 Stars* Eating here is not for the fainthearted. You'll have to look past the service here - listen, you're not at a five star Michelin restaurant, you're here to eat family style authentic Chinese food. I've been coming to Tai Lake since I was a little girl and this is my family's go-to spot for family dinners or get together! Here are my go-to orders that I know are tasty and authentic in flavor: fish maw & crabmeat soup, Cantonese steamed scallops with vermicelli noodles (off the menu but if you ask, they'll make it for you), Peking duck, sweet & sour filet flounder, shrimp mayonnaise, Hong Kong style lobster (with minced beef), lobster fried sticky rice, snow pea leaves with garlic, salt and pepper calamari, and salt baked soft shell crab. All of these dishes are packed with flavor and reminds me of the meal I had in Hong Kong when I was a child. Not everything on the menu is great (e.g. their fried dumplings, lo mein, spring rolls, etc) but there are dishes (e.g. the ones I've listed) that are delightful. Weekends can get busy, so try calling in to reserve a table. I took a few stars off because when I stray from my go-to's, I end up pretty disappointed. read more

Tai Lake Restaurant - Lobster fried sticky rice, walnut shrimp mayonnaise, Peking duck, fried soft shell crab, snowpea leaves with garlic. - Chinese Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Yeah Tai Lake was probably my favorite Chinese restaurant that I tried in Philly's Chinatown. Came here for dinner for a family gathering and were seated upstairs. The food here was surprisingly good, and they had a lot of cool dishes that I've never tried before like Seafood Pockets. Idk what to call them exactly but they were damn good, fried and stuffed with creamy seafood filling. Imagine a cross between a KFC apple pie and a Marie Calender's chicken pot pie (but seafood). The service was top tier, but that might've been because my family knew the workers here. Looking back, I would recommend Tai Lake. They have really tasty Cantonese Seafood, a nice venue, and friendly service. read more