May Jen Restaurant

They actually have real authentic Yangzhou fried rice (Yang chow fried rice on the menu). Given that it is suprisingly hard to find real authentiv Yangzhou fried rice, this alone deserves five star.

By far the best Chinese restaurant in the Buffalo area. Happy to see it's back after being close for so long. All though the food might be a little more expensive than other Chinese restaurants, the quality is so much better. Both in the quality of the food and the taste. Enjoy going there for takeout and dining in.

I love Asian food and this is the best in Buffalo !! I am an expert and highly recommend the hot and sour soup and the vegetarian Mooshu amongst may other fine dishes ! Nice people too!!

Recently started coming here for my Chinese food, and I'm sure glad I did. The food is the best I've had in all of Buffalo. I took some of my friends here and they all agreed it was the best they've had. Very good prices too. You can pretty much stuff yourself for under $10. Can't beat it!

I haven't been inside in years but takeout is always fabulous. Mom and I have been enjoying May Jen's eggrolls, wonton soup, and beef & broccoli for most of my life. I'm so happy it's back!

I’ve only had the wonton soup and beef with gravy (no veggies) but both times it was delicious! Tad pricey but still highly recommended.

The food is excellent and the owner Susan is so nice,welcomming.Always excellent service.I highly recommend this restaurant. Patty Schmidt.🥰

Great authentic Chinese food here, not the typical "yellow rice" etc. Servings are generous and always delivered hot to the table!

YUM! My husband and I have been searching for a great Chinese place and we lucked out with May Jen. We dined in for restaurant week and were very impressed with the food and service. Our waiter was very charming, funny, and sounded like he had the perfect soothing late night radio host voice. He was very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had about the menu, including offering some of his recommendations. My husband got the Hunan beef restaurant week special and it was so incredibly tender. Of course I stole a few bites! I had the General Tso dinner for one combo. The items I chose were Wonton soup, a pork egg roll, and vegetable fried rice. Everything was absolutely delicious. The chicken was lightly breaded, which made it so enjoyable. I've been disappointed with other Chinese places and the loads of breading they are putting on the chicken for General Tso. But this dinner was perfection. I would absolutely come back. It is a bit pricey, but the quality of the food makes the cost worth it.

Most expensive Chinese food in the area, but it’s worth it. The food is always hot, fresh, and ready at exactly the pick up time you were told. The tangerine chicken is so flavorful and the crab rangoons never disappoint. The dine in area of the restaurant is very clean as well.

This is a long overdue review for May Jen…. and had the experience not been so absolutely perfect, I probably would have forgotten our meal in late August of 2022. After a long search, and having been to Chinese restaurants from Portland, LA, San Francisco (RIP House of Nanking), and just about every other part of the US, May Jen has woo’d me… and it hasn’t been forgotten. In fact, we’ve already been back once. It’s in rotation now… Here’s why: May Jen has well-trained staff, a chef that has been cooking as a partner to the owner for over 49 years, is absolutely spotless, an owner that is delightful and surprising approachable, and finally… has the best tasting and well-prepared Chinese in the City. On our first trip, we ordered so many things that the owner, Miss Sue, came over to advise us that we probably preserved too much for two people. Our answer, “we love leftovers!” LOL Our favorite? Egg Foo Young. It was fluffy, it was delicate, it had the right gravy… it was a masterpiece. We ordered it with shrimp and they were plump, not dried out, and perfect. We also ordered Sesame Chicken, Harlic Chicken, a beef dish, House Fried Rice, and the most delicious chicken filled rolls. They were stuffed with well seasoned chicken and perfectly rolled by hand. They were also a value although I can’t remember their price. Our server? A smiling you lady with a great attitude. We could tell that she liked her job - and her boss. That kind of attitude is lacking in just about every establishment (restaurant or not) since at least pre-COVID, and more likely a lot longer than that. Well done Miss Sue! One final note on the food: If you are a fan of Char Sui, ask the server if they have any, it’s the best in Western NY by a landslide and if you are lucky, they may have some left… or, I may have gotten the last of it. :-) Finally, the establishment itself is appealing. It’s simple and well done. The focus is on the food…. And damn, it was good! We’ll be regulars. I hope you enjoy it too. Buffalo has a number of decent Asian offerings, I’d put May Jen against any of them.

The food was so good the customer service was awesome the food was kind of pricey very delicious 😋🤤

Best Chinese I’ve had in buffalo. I got the seasame chicken and shrimp egg roll. And egg drop soup. Gf got the tangerine chicken and pork roll.

Absolutely delicious dine-in experience! The atmosphere is so nice, and the service was great. The general tso's chicken had amazing flavor, definitely will be coming back

Amazing best food I have had in a long time would highly recommend to anyone that loves Chinese food!!!!

Leo C. Gibbons Jr.

Great authentic Chinese food here, not the typical "yellow rice" etc. Servings are generous and always delivered hot to the table!

Sarah Malczewski

YUM! My husband and I have been searching for a great Chinese place and we lucked out with May Jen. We dined in for restaurant week and were very impressed with the food and service. Our waiter was very charming, funny, and sounded like he had the perfect soothing late night radio host voice. He was very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had about the menu, including offering some of his recommendations. My husband got the Hunan beef restaurant week special and it was so incredibly tender. Of course I stole a few bites! I had the General Tso dinner for one combo. The items I chose were Wonton soup, a pork egg roll, and vegetable fried rice. Everything was absolutely delicious. The chicken was lightly breaded, which made it so enjoyable. I've been disappointed with other Chinese places and the loads of breading they are putting on the chicken for General Tso. But this dinner was perfection. I would absolutely come back. It is a bit pricey, but the quality of the food makes the cost worth it.

J B

Most expensive Chinese food in the area, but it’s worth it. The food is always hot, fresh, and ready at exactly the pick up time you were told. The tangerine chicken is so flavorful and the crab rangoons never disappoint. The dine in area of the restaurant is very clean as well.

Glen Synoground

This is a long overdue review for May Jen…. and had the experience not been so absolutely perfect, I probably would have forgotten our meal in late August of 2022. After a long search, and having been to Chinese restaurants from Portland, LA, San Francisco (RIP House of Nanking), and just about every other part of the US, May Jen has woo’d me… and it hasn’t been forgotten. In fact, we’ve already been back once. It’s in rotation now… Here’s why: May Jen has well-trained staff, a chef that has been cooking as a partner to the owner for over 49 years, is absolutely spotless, an owner that is delightful and surprising approachable, and finally… has the best tasting and well-prepared Chinese in the City. On our first trip, we ordered so many things that the owner, Miss Sue, came over to advise us that we probably preserved too much for two people. Our answer, “we love leftovers!” LOL Our favorite? Egg Foo Young. It was fluffy, it was delicate, it had the right gravy… it was a masterpiece. We ordered it with shrimp and they were plump, not dried out, and perfect. We also ordered Sesame Chicken, Harlic Chicken, a beef dish, House Fried Rice, and the most delicious chicken filled rolls. They were stuffed with well seasoned chicken and perfectly rolled by hand. They were also a value although I can’t remember their price. Our server? A smiling you lady with a great attitude. We could tell that she liked her job - and her boss. That kind of attitude is lacking in just about every establishment (restaurant or not) since at least pre-COVID, and more likely a lot longer than that. Well done Miss Sue! One final note on the food: If you are a fan of Char Sui, ask the server if they have any, it’s the best in Western NY by a landslide and if you are lucky, they may have some left… or, I may have gotten the last of it. :-) Finally, the establishment itself is appealing. It’s simple and well done. The focus is on the food…. And damn, it was good! We’ll be regulars. I hope you enjoy it too. Buffalo has a number of decent Asian offerings, I’d put May Jen against any of them.

Gladys Santiago

The food was so good the customer service was awesome the food was kind of pricey very delicious 😋🤤

Eben Piazza

Best Chinese I’ve had in buffalo. I got the seasame chicken and shrimp egg roll. And egg drop soup. Gf got the tangerine chicken and pork roll.

Crystal Palka

Absolutely delicious dine-in experience! The atmosphere is so nice, and the service was great. The general tso's chicken had amazing flavor, definitely will be coming back

Oscar Grimes

Amazing best food I have had in a long time would highly recommend to anyone that loves Chinese food!!!!

We dined here on a Saturday night and had a fine meal. The atmosphere is pleasant, the staff is nice and cheerful. My hot-and-sour soup was heavenly, one of the best I have ever experienced. We shall return!

Loved our meal in this beatiful restaurant! It is time to visit May Jen and eat out! Friendly service, 4 of us, each loved our meals. Noticed many meals going out. Time to eat-in!

General tso's chicken combo dinner , very good , will be back. Dinner included , vegetable fried rice and a pork egg roll

Hands down the best Chinese food in the Buffalo area. Fresh, quality ingredients, freshly and expertly prepared. We had the Ginger Garlic Chicken and pan fried Egg Foo Young. Both were awesome!

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Buffalo. I went there about 10 years ago when I moved to Buffalo from Brooklyn. I was heartbroken when they closed down a few years ago. Imagine my surprise when they reopen, and they were as good as ever! The restaurant is small but homey with a friendly staff, I especially enjoy chatting with the older gentleman. The food portion is ample, with sides. I can't recommend this place enough. I drive over 30 minutes to get my food. They have recently implemented a reward system that you signed up for using your email/phone number. I love how they incorporate a special Lenten menu with fish/seafood option for those who prefer those fare this time of the year.

Very welcoming and delicious food. I got the general tso chicken and it was freshly made. The chicken was soft and the sauce was really nice and not too spicy. The server and owner were very friendly. A nice lunch experience . Definitely coming back !

Don Haley

General tso's chicken combo dinner , very good , will be back. Dinner included , vegetable fried rice and a pork egg roll

Gregory Kulka

Hands down the best Chinese food in the Buffalo area. Fresh, quality ingredients, freshly and expertly prepared. We had the Ginger Garlic Chicken and pan fried Egg Foo Young. Both were awesome!

Leticia Rojas

Very welcoming and delicious food. I got the general tso chicken and it was freshly made. The chicken was soft and the sauce was really nice and not too spicy. The server and owner were very friendly. A nice lunch experience . Definitely coming back !

Jacky Delpe

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Buffalo. I went there about 10 years ago when I moved to Buffalo from Brooklyn. I was heartbroken when they closed down a few years ago. Imagine my surprise when they reopen, and they were as good as ever! The restaurant is small but homey with a friendly staff, I especially enjoy chatting with the older gentleman. The food portion is ample, with sides. I can't recommend this place enough. I drive over 30 minutes to get my food. They have recently implemented a reward system that you signed up for using your email/phone number. I love how they incorporate a special Lenten menu with fish/seafood option for those who prefer those fare this time of the year.

Food was great… owner/host acted like I was going to rob the place. Guy delivering my food (5 min after paying 110$ for 4 entrees with a small tip for carry out) protected my food as if I hadn’t paid. Very awkward experience in the restaurant

Charming little Chinese restaurant that’s been running since the 80s according to Tom, our server. Speaking of Tom, our friendly server was prompt and our food arrived quickly. I ordered the ginger garlic chicken with steamed rice and had the egg drop soup as part of their lunch menu. The food is saucy and very classic American Chinese food and we all enjoyed our dishes. I recommend this place for an easy lunch and I’d come back again. Did I mention we showed up a little before opening and they let us in and seated us anyway? Cool little place.

Very clean restaurant where you can dine inside or just have take out. Service was fast and owner was very friendly. If you order using the app Toast, you can accumulate points towards to obtain discount rewards. Egg foo young- Choice of protein.. Pattie’s were not greasy and decent amount of shrimp (my choice of protein). Would’ve like if the gravy was thinner and not so thick Singapore rice noodles- Throughly enjoyed the curry flavor, and appreciated the spiciness was at a level that was enjoyable to me. (You can choose spice level) Fried rice- typical fried rice

Excellent food and a lovely interior. It's more expensive than most other chinese places, though, I suppose since the interior dining experience is nicer.

Jonathan Higgins

Charming little Chinese restaurant that’s been running since the 80s according to Tom, our server. Speaking of Tom, our friendly server was prompt and our food arrived quickly. I ordered the ginger garlic chicken with steamed rice and had the egg drop soup as part of their lunch menu. The food is saucy and very classic American Chinese food and we all enjoyed our dishes. I recommend this place for an easy lunch and I’d come back again. Did I mention we showed up a little before opening and they let us in and seated us anyway? Cool little place.

J H

Very clean restaurant where you can dine inside or just have take out. Service was fast and owner was very friendly. If you order using the app Toast, you can accumulate points towards to obtain discount rewards. Egg foo young- Choice of protein.. Pattie’s were not greasy and decent amount of shrimp (my choice of protein). Would’ve like if the gravy was thinner and not so thick Singapore rice noodles- Throughly enjoyed the curry flavor, and appreciated the spiciness was at a level that was enjoyable to me. (You can choose spice level) Fried rice- typical fried rice

Gunlord

Excellent food and a lovely interior. It's more expensive than most other chinese places, though, I suppose since the interior dining experience is nicer.

It has been years since we have eaten here, so we decided to give it a try on a Friday night. Called 45 minutes before closing & thought it would still be enough time for take out. The male employee we talked to had to keep checking with the kitchen to see if they could make any of the dinner items requested. We felt like we were bothering him. Simple items ordered, lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls. Egg rolls tasted like they were fried in old oil and were greasy. I'm guessing that the deep fryer had already been turned off, so the oil might not have been hot enough. The lo mein & shrimp fried rice were bland at best. The stir-fried ginger garlic chicken was more flavorful, but the broccoli in the dish was completely undercooked, making it tough to chew. For the price, it was not the quality that we expected from a restaurant of this caliber. On the plus side, the owner is very nice and friendly. We may dine in and try again to see if the food is any better than take out.

Food is fine, but something changed. The food wasn't as flavorful the last 2 times I ate there. Not sure if they were rushing because they were busy, but it's just not as good. I'm not giving up on them yet though!

Not the same old May Jen unfortunately. I haven't been in quite a while, was really hoping for the same high quality ingredients but it's the same or worse than your neighborhood Chinese place. There are better higher quality options out there.

My husband & I stopped in last night because we wanted Chinese & saw that this place has great reviews. We got there around 8:10pm & they close at 9pm. My husband was really hungry & wanted to dine in. The waiter was willing to seat us & serve us, but what I believe to be the owner said "we close at 9pm & you won't be done in time to dine in" so we just did take out. We looked at the menus & noticed the prices were pretty high compared to the average Chinese restaurant, which is fine. But as I looked at the menu, I asked the owner questions about certain items & she would respond with "that's a very good item, but would take 30 minutes to make" as if making any item was an inconvenience. I just ordered 2 shrimp egg rolls & Crab Rangoon (comes with 6 bite size like pieces) & it was $17. Honestly, I won't be back here. Not just because of the prices, but I feel like the owner will serve customers when it's convenient for her.

I was a frequent customer until today. I wanted to send an email but didnt see a way. Ordered Chicken and vegetables with fried rice and Wonton soup. there were a few scraps of chicken and the veggies were soaking in a very very salty gravy. Very hard to eat so ate the Rice and Soup.I always see the owner when i eat in and she is a sweet woman always friendly to her customers. But this meal has left me with a bad taste to go back.

Prices are quite high; the majority of the dishes however, are quite good. I would recommend take-out but wouldn't recommend eating in as the owner / management are quite rude (as other reviewers have pointed out). Also, if your entree is sub-par and/or prepared improperly - don't expect a refund.

First time ., last time! Was recommended by a friend. Atmosphere felt like going behind the counter in an old bank. It was dead silent there and awkward seeing you could hear a pin drop and others could hear you even if you whispered. Food was ok, not great, our server wasn't that great ime enough though it was just one other table with an old man at it. Not too mention she didn't tell me the pop refills weren't free and I spent $9 just on pop. Between two of us, getting one person special we added boneless ribs and she had one glass of wine.. $100+ UNREAL!!!! WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!

Beware ordering from this place! If there is a problem with your delivery, they tell you to call Door Dash when the restaurant is the one that messed up. We were perfectly nice on the phone and the owner hung up on us. "The cook must have forgotten to do X," she said but still told us to call Door Dash and also told us we should be using the website to order instead of Door Dash. X was a pretty important component to the dish. Terrible customer service. This is the second issue I've had for this restaurant. We will not be back.

Updated Review: I can’t believe I am writing this review about the same restaurant. Had an amazing experience dining-in about a month ago but ordered takeout tonight and it may have been one of the worst take-out meals I have ever had. The chicken was dry and chewy - unfortunately tasted like it had been cooked/fried days ago and reheated. Lo-mein was flavorless. Rice was bland and over-cooked/mushy. The only positive of the night was the sweet and sour sauce. Unfortunately after today’s experience I don’t think we can justify going back. Previous 5-star Review (approximately 1 month ago): Absolutely delicious food and wonderful service! Vegetables were cooked to perfection and high quality! We had dinner and were able to sit outside on the outdoor patio which was so nice! Our server was very kind and attentive, and the owner came by and checked on us during our meal. Will most definitely make this a regular stop for dine-in and take out!

Food was pricey with small portions and wasn’t unique in flavor

Stopped in tonight for dinner - that was a mistake. I know food prices are up in general but the price you pay for what we received was way off. I had the Pad Tai - very bland - lacked any real flavor. I got it with chicken and maybe had 2 oz of chicken in the dish. My wife had sweet and sour chicken - way overcooked - coating was super thick with overcooked and dried out chicken inside. The waiter seemed like he didn't know what he was doing and in over his head with 5 tables with dinners. Never came back to ask how our meals were, never refilled our water, like nothing. When we asked for takeout containers for leftovers he brought two small ones that didn't fit the food and nothing to hold the sweet and sour sauce. Do yourself a favor and dine elsewhere.

Just got our order delivered. Got chicken cashew and they forgot the cashews. Worker on the phone was unwilling to make the order right and scolded us for using a delivery service. Congrats you just lost two long time regular customers by being rude and refusing to make the order right.

I was starving coming home from a roadtrip and ordered delivery. A big piece of plastic wrap was cooked into my food! I pulled it out of my throat realizing what it was and vomited right away! 🤮

melinda Wright

I was starving coming home from a roadtrip and ordered delivery. A big piece of plastic wrap was cooked into my food! I pulled it out of my throat realizing what it was and vomited right away! 🤮

I got takeout yesterday . For years i have thought May Jen was a great restaurant with great food . THe best Chinese in the area . Unfortunately yesterdays food was very bad . Either chef has changed or just had a bad day ???? Eggrolls were soo over cooked and had no taste ! Sesame noodles also tasteless. Chicken/ Broccoli had no flavor. Even the fortune cookies were old and stale ! one good dish was Crispy prawns . It was delicious . Dont know if i will return after years of enjoying all of MayYen dishes

My husband and I ordered from this restaurant for the first time after looking at reviews on a Facebook post. We ordered shrimp, egg foo yong fried chicken wings, vegetable fried rice and two shrimp eggrolls .We picked up and my husband went into retrieve our order. He stated everything inside was nice and clean. When we got home we realized the food was so salty. Everything. We could barely eat it... I know we both have high blood pressure form the one bite we took. We couldn't even finish the food. We won't go back.

frank

I got takeout yesterday . For years i have thought May Jen was a great restaurant with great food . THe best Chinese in the area . Unfortunately yesterdays food was very bad . Either chef has changed or just had a bad day ???? Eggrolls were soo over cooked and had no taste ! Sesame noodles also tasteless. Chicken/ Broccoli had no flavor. Even the fortune cookies were old and stale ! one good dish was Crispy prawns . It was delicious . Dont know if i will return after years of enjoying all of MayYen dishes

Laura Slaughter

My husband and I ordered from this restaurant for the first time after looking at reviews on a Facebook post. We ordered shrimp, egg foo yong fried chicken wings, vegetable fried rice and two shrimp eggrolls .We picked up and my husband went into retrieve our order. He stated everything inside was nice and clean. When we got home we realized the food was so salty. Everything. We could barely eat it... I know we both have high blood pressure form the one bite we took. We couldn't even finish the food. We won't go back.

P.J. Robert

First time ., last time! Was recommended by a friend. Atmosphere felt like going behind the counter in an old bank. It was dead silent there and awkward seeing you could hear a pin drop and others could hear you even if you whispered. Food was ok, not great, our server wasn't that great ime enough though it was just one other table with an old man at it. Not too mention she didn't tell me the pop refills weren't free and I spent $9 just on pop. Between two of us, getting one person special we added boneless ribs and she had one glass of wine.. $100+ UNREAL!!!! WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!

Hope

Beware ordering from this place! If there is a problem with your delivery, they tell you to call Door Dash when the restaurant is the one that messed up. We were perfectly nice on the phone and the owner hung up on us. "The cook must have forgotten to do X," she said but still told us to call Door Dash and also told us we should be using the website to order instead of Door Dash. X was a pretty important component to the dish. Terrible customer service. This is the second issue I've had for this restaurant. We will not be back.