Lai Yuen Chinese Cuisine

Sorry to report this place is out of business. No mistaking this, there is paper sheets taped to inside of windows and sealed like a drum. I’ll miss this upscale Chinese Restaurant.

listen… I had heard this place was good. I was GREATLY DUSAPPOINTED. I wanted the Norwegian Salmon Oriental-​they were out. ok, tuna was offered in it’s place. sure, I’m down. well… this tuna came and it was super rubbery and super fishy. I had to send it back. I just… I just could t eat it. it was NOT edible. Gortons fisherman frozen
fish tastes better than the stuff they served me. the reason I gave this place 2 stars was because their dim sum and egg rolls were fairly good. that’s it. oh and they serve chocolate fortune cookies… that’s a little different.

Found 4 small bugs in my chicken and vegetable takeout tonight. They apologized on the phone and handled the situation well. they came to pick up my food and gave me a refund … but I am still grossed out. Will be ordering from Panda Garden from now on.

Absolutely loved this place. The Chilean Sea Bass I ordered was the best I’ve had, the shrimp cocktail my friend got were huge and they give you chocolate fortune cookies at the end! …however. they don’t get 5 stars because their Zombie cocktail drink was pretty nasty. Besides that, truly excellent food and totally worth the extra $$

My bf has been raving about Lai Yuen for a while, so we finally found a parking spot out front and went in for dinner.
It’s one of those old fashioned Chinese restaurants that me and my family used to frequent when we were younger. The place wasn’t crowded for a Saturday night, so we were seated right away. I was a little surprised that the menu was so difficult to read — it’s in this crazy script and all over the page. Once we figured out the menu, it was fine, if not a little pricey for what you get.
I had the orange chicken, and my bf had sesame chicken and wonton eggdrop soup. The food was good and presented prettily on the plates. It was good for a Saturday night date night, but I couldn’t justify paying $ 70 for a regular night dinner.

Understaffed. Overrated. Overpriced.
Very bad staff, had to wait 20 minutes to get a drink, wait 20 minutes to get a check. Place had no one in there either. Food didn’t taste any better than a local Chinese restaurant, don’t recommend.

Very pricey, but well worth the price.
The location is convenient as it is directly over the Verrazano Bridge on 4^th Avenue and 101 Street, near Fort Hamilton army base.
Be forewarned, if you head to the bar, the standard drink is $ 10. However, they do not skimp on alcohol content.
The bar area is very fancy, so when I moved to the dining room, I was disappointed that it did not have the same level of style as did the bar. The dining room was also very loud, and I felt as if I had to shout my way through dinner.
However, the food and service made up for the loudness and lack of ambiance in the dining room. The wait staff was very attentive, and even wrapped up the appetizer before we began our meal.
The poo poo platter appetizer was a meal unto itself, and consisted of healthy portions of spare ribs, breaded shrimp, dumplings, and shrimp cakes.
My table ordered three meals: chicken and vegetables, mango beef, and a scallop dish. Their presentation was impressive and the food tasted every bit as good as their appearance.
The menu included non-​standard Chinese dishes, so if you are looking for simpler Chinese takeout-​style fare, you may want to look someplace else. There is also an extensive Japanese menu, which includes raw bar entrees.
Dinner for two, including tip (but no cocktails — we had them at the bar) was $ 111.00.
Valet parking — you will want to use that service as parking is not convenient in that area,

I went there because my co-​worker lived in the area and had been there before. Our entire group loved it. I had the wonton soup and the Singapore Mei fun. Wow! The soup was tasty and probably the best I’ve had in a long time. Not salty. The Mei fun was even better. The portion was huge and there was plenty of spice, shrimp, and pork to keep me happy. To top the meal off, we were given fortune cookies… chocolate fortune cookies. I don’t live in a cave but I never had that before. The cookies were tasty and fresh. I had 2 of them. The service was very good throughout and the inside of the place is very charming. To bad I don’t live closer. This is a winner!

This is one of my favs with excellent service and food. The wait staff stands in line outside the kitchen and dishes are served on a dining cart with the maitre d’ & at least 1 waiter. Love the wide fried noodles for the table and bananas flambé are always a must. Beautiful dining room with a large fish tank & paintings of orchids throughout.

If you are having a party or a lunch meeting and want to have Chinese Food in Bay Ridge, this is a nice place to go.
We had a small celebration here. The staff was attentive and personable. The place is clean and attractive. The food was delicious.
We were here in the late afternoon so the dinner menu is a bit pricey. The portions are large and we brought some home. *They do have lunch specials, so they are worth checking out for lunch.*

I have been wanting to go here for years, but it’s tucked away in a little corner of what feels like the end of the world in Bay Ridge, across from Fort Hamilton army base; if you went any further you would be in the ocean, or worse yet Staten Island.
The is pretty outdated. They have a double sided fish tank, circular bar and tables with a lazy Susan.
We were greeted by a hostess who brought us to a «quiet» table because who isn’t looking for a romantic Chinese food dining experience? I guess if you are you have come to the right place because there is also a menu section for «couples» like the lovers delight (???)
Everything about this place confused me a little bit, but didnt deter me from liking it!
The irony of being given a quiet table here– the place was only about 25% full so I am pretty sure it would have been quiet anywhere we sat!
The menu was pretty expansive but poorly organized and lacked any descriptions. There were lots of things that I just hadn’t heard of and I have had my fair share of Chinese food. I don’t even think that it was ‘americanized’ per say, but possibly ‘italianized,’ like a dish with Broccoli Rabe, and another called Marco Polo Chicken. pretty odd.
I couldn’t even find my dish on there, but ordered it anyway. When my moo shu pork arrived it was the first time I ever had a waiter offer to make the pancakes for me tableside. Knowing they would do a better job than I could, they did and I was impressed that he made them using only spoons, so his hands never touched my food. He made me 4 pancakes, and if there were more shells, there was probably enough meat to fill double that amount.
Most entrees are over or near $ 20, but the portions are large so we both had leftovers.
I appreciated the hand wipes at the end of the meal, and they give chocolate fortune cookies, at the end.

I love lai yuen. I’ve been coming every two weeks and cant get enough of the décor, the great koi and the phenomenal staff. The chinese food will leave you begging for more!

This restaurant really seems to be confused in its identity. Very little harkens asian about their décor. Amateur Japanese cuisine at best. Chinese food seems to be their speciality but I don’t think it can compare to some other places. If you are looking for real chinese traditional food, this is not where you want to be. The service was however rather professional and cordial but not enough to draw us back given the other quality Asian restaurants. Less than ten blocks away –we’ll just stick to Take-​out!

Ordered several times in the past (orange beef was our fav) — used to be delicious, now just plain and blah. Will not order again, overpriced.

It was Chinesse New Year and I was greeted with «it’s new year. Half the staff didn’t come in.» I should have just left, then and there. It took forever to place our order– there were 2 of us. I was never served my entrée. When questioned I was told by the server: «I don’t know where it is». Great
It looks upscale and has great location. Why then do they tolerate rude swearing and behavior at the bar? Are time that tough?

The highest-​quality, ‘traditional Chinese’ menu you will find in Bay Ridge; combined with the most luxurious setting and best service. This is a place where wealthy older couples and families come on special occasions. You will also see some dazzling, well-​dressed single women and girls-​night-​out trios.
High-​end preparation of traditional favorites; as opposed to the more exotic/​regionally genuine (but lower-​priced) fare found at nearby Grand Sichuan House.
Flaws: the management seems not to know how highly-​prized the place is –I usually sit at the bar and can affirm that the managers do not know how to treat their bar staff to create either efficiency or ambiance. They seem to forget about the diners entirely, in the interest of browbeating their employees.
There’s also this ‘Tommy Velour’ type of turtleneck-​sweater, Paul Anka, piano-​lounge guy who can be a little intrusive. Not sure in what capacity he works there; sometimes he is a singer and sometimes a clerk?
One definite no-​no: please STOP bringing in the sloppy, t-​shirt and ballcap-​wearing, hip-​hop/​rap DJ on weekend nights! EPIC FAIL

I have always enjoyed Lai Yuen, sitting right in the shadow of the Verrazano Bridge in Bay Ridge.
There aren’t many types of Chinese restaurants around anymore like Lai Yuen. They have a large space with tons of seating, a bar, a large space downstairs and valet parking! I dare you to find a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn that has a valet!
It’s one of the only places i can remember that still carts your dishes out to you instead of holding the plates! Nice touch i’ve always liked!
Go here for lunch and you will get fast attentive service. Most of the Chinese dishes for lunch are under $ 12 with portions that are very large and will fill you up for sure.
Their grand mariner shrimp is killer and their free crispy noodles with duck sauce (which are made fresh in-​house) are worth the trip all by itself!
For my last visit i had the baby shrimp with cashew nuts and mixed vegetables and it filled me up quite well. My brother had the chicken and shrimp combo which i tasted and enjoyed.
They added a sushi station to keep up with current trends and their selection is pretty good for that, too. They have the typical 2 or 3 roll lunch specials and all that good stuff.
They have everything else you would expect for sushi but you come here for the big portions of Chinese food, friendly service (they might be the only Chinese restaurant in the area that has American workers), a nice open space and retro look for an overall good time.
You can also have your holiday/​office party here!

Very overpriced and what you get is the same kind of food you get from a cheap Chinese take-​out place. Service was good otherwise I’d give them 1 star.
Also, I’m pretty sure they put MSG into their food because my boyfriend and I had mysterious headaches after eating there. Went on here to see what others have said and confirmed my MSG suspicions.
Won’t be coming back.

Gonna make this short and sweet.
5 WORDS:
Overpriced and not worth it!!!
3 more words:
Save your dough!!!
The waiters are rude and pushy. They had me on the edge of getting up and kicking their ass!!! This place is a rip off. And like a few other people have said, you WILL feel the effects of the MSG for days after. Stay away!!!

It’s a pretty place, and is much more elegant than the vast majority of restaurants in Bay Ridge. As for the food, though, this is the cream of the crap when it comes to eating in Bay Ridge. My three piece filet mignon lacked any hint of taste, and the tuna here was rubber. There’s better Chinese food to be had in Bay Ridge, and there’s much better Chinese food to be had in Brooklyn.
I should add that the service here is mediocre at best.