Mei Wei

I bombed this reservation for poor quality food a while ago and started going to Dover. But they are local so we when back for a second time. We had the best meal possible. They have returned to be a good choice. If you had a similar poor meal in the past try them I think you will be satisfied.

I don’t think a 2-​star rating is best, but the description for the 2-​star rating is right on. In fact, when my fiancée and I left the restaurant, that’s exactly what we said: «Meh, I’ve had better.»
We’re not trying to disparage, and we’d like to see this place improve because the décor is awesome and the service was perfect. The food, however, left a lot to be desired. In short, the entire meal was something that I could have gotten from a bag in the frozen food section of Market Basket. This is not necessarily true for the fried Gyoza, which I really liked (oh, and please don’t put them on a bed of shredded lettuce — put them on a nice, clean, intact leaf of lettuce. It would look nicer. The shredded lettuce was browning up and it detracted from the presentation).
I know how challenging it can be to keep food costs low and meet the needs of a not-​so-​picky student customer base. However, I would like to urge management to attempt to put its best foot forward. We love eating Americanized Pan-​Asian food, but we would probably never come back to Mei Wei more than once to see if it has improved on its more basic dishes. The only suggestion that I could make would be to focus on one type of cuisine. Just a focus. Since they’ve invested in a sushi bar, I’d say focus on the Japanese food and perhaps open a side business elsewhere for Chinese delivery or take out. The fine décor is suited to the fine type of Japanese food that it offers, but the breadth of the menu must lead to a great deal of confusion and cutting corners (i.e., stocking frozen items or using other shortcuts, which was clearly the case). Less is more in the restaurant industry. Keep your high-​selling staples, pitch the rest.
As for the food — the fried rice tasted like generic white rice sprinkled with some frozen veggies and soy sauce and then shaken up in a tupperware container after being microwaved. The General’s chicken was too uniform to be plausibly made fresh. I had a strong suspicion that it was frozen.
We’d love to see this place improve. It wasn’t horrendous — but we were not sufficiently convinced to return. The food quality is the weak link and it needs to improve. We wish you the best of luck in improving and we’ll be back at least one more time.

Good food and excellent service, but lacking atmosphere.

Excellent sushi. And the new «secret» Chinese menu is outstanding. Now I can satisfy my Chinatown cravings without the drive. Black Pepper Beef and Shanghai Green and the cold spicy noodles are the best.

I’ve eaten here a lot– great atmosphere, price and service. I haven’t tried the sushi, but I’ve ordered a lot of other items. Good good, quite mild– go for the spice.

Amazing, quaint and excellent food, fantastic sushi, great scorpion bowls, really great local treasure

Admittedly I’m no expert on Chinese cuisine, nor have I ever been flat out «wowed» by the food here, but what keeps me coming back (aside from living within walking distance!) is the exceptional service.
After just 2 take-​out visits, the woman whose usually up front (is it Lin? is she owner?) had memorized my cell number and knew me on sight. Pretty impressive.
Another occasion, I was surprised to find my go-​to credit card wasn’t in my wallet… while I was rummaging around for the backup, the same lady said, «It’s ok, don’t worry. You can come back and pay me tomorrow or next time.» I found the card, and while I was on my way to becoming a regular I was still quite touched by the generosity of spirit and willingness to potentially lose $ 42 tab like that! really classy and kind.
Finally, after about 9 months of dropping in fairly often, i was given «special» menu, apparently reserved for the Chinese students who come over from UNH. Whoot! I felt as though I had earned my own mug at Red Hook or Coat of Arms… Yes, I had definitely arrived.
one last note, while there’s definitely better sushi in the area, the maki rolls here are pretty solid. always fresh ingredients, decent price, and fairly creative. We’re partial to Manhattan roll and Four Seasons roll.

Ask for the authentic chinese menu developed by Jesse. Jesse is fluent speaking, reading and writing in mandarin. We ordered the Roasted clams, amazing! Black pepper beef and never until tonight, the Spicey Numbing noodles. These were rich in unique scheshuan pepper corn and other spices really left your mouth numb.

Never again. :(Found a nasty piece of something in my fried rice, and I’m not talking about the lettuce (who puts lettuce in fried rice?). Bland, terrible. The vegetable fried rice was seriously lacking in flavor, fried-​ness and vegetables. Would have rather eaten almost anything else. No thanks!

Your average Chinese place. Portions could be bigger for their prices. The typical scene here are college students just looking to drink some Scorpion Bowls.

I’ve only gone here for the lunch buffet and it’s always the same situation: not enough food. Sushi is gone, vegetable dishes are dwindling, and the crab rangoons are finished. The food quality and service is fine, no real complaints as far as chinese buffets go, but they simply don’t have enough options. Maybe the kitchen staff is slow, because I’ve never seen this place packed during lunch, so that’s not the issue. But after reading the comments about the meals I think I’ll try something new besides the sub-​par buffet.

Staff is great and the food is always good !!

There are a lot of great vegan dishes here, notably the cheap-​as-​hell bucketful of vegetable lo mein and the vegetable bean curd (I ask for mine with rice and general tso’s sauce; it makes a huge difference). The drinks are fun and not too pricey. Of course, most people go for the scorpion bowls, but check the menu and there are plenty of other options, all equally alcoholic. The vegetable sushi is also cheap and way better than your average pre-​packaged stuff.
Only downsides: the service is hit or miss, and sometimes during their lunch rush, they’re not very careful with cleaning their kitchen, and I’ve gotten take out more than once that’s had little bits of meat in it, but dinner has always been great. I definitely recommend it.

All UNH students must come here for a three-​item combo platter with a portion size that can’t be beat for around $ 10. The walking distance from most dorms and apartments is a definite plus if you’re looking to add in a good olé scorpion bowl or two.
The food here is pretty standard fare, but by my standards, the standard Americanized Chinese food is a-​okay. To be honest, three years ago I found the quality of the food a bit better, but it’s still pretty good and I wouldn’t complain. I would never go in here all stuffy with the expectation of fabulous service, but it can get a while to get your check and wrap everything up.
All in all, Mei Wei is and should be a college staple. Takeout and late closing time really cater to their audience, and it is working!

For those who are not familiar with Durham/​UNH, Mei Wei is not a bad place…
First of all they have a Chinese buffet for lunch each weekday (not sure about weekends). The buffet food is probably a ²⁄₅ stars, but comes with a cheap price tag. Food off the dinner menu is closer to a ³⁄₅ stars.
One of the main attractions of Mei Wei are the Scorpion Bowls. Bring a date and get a Scorpion Bowl for two. Load up on a few of these and you will be lucky to find your way home…
New signs on the wall read: «Scorpion Bowls are not souvenirs. Those caught stealing will be prosecuted!». So as you polish off that second bowl and the montage of alcohol you just consumed is beginning to hit you, think twice about walking out with a Scorpion Bowl in hand.

Spicy Tuna rolls and a $ 6 two person Scorpion bowl will really hit the spot. They renovated the entire place recently, and it looks great. Friday nights this place is packed so get there early!
Anne F need to try this place out again, where is she eating on Main St. LOL

Honestly, that lunch special… it can’t be beat. 2 rolls and soup for $ 6.70! That’s cheap! The sushi tastes fresh. I usually get a spicy tuna roll and a sweet potato roll, plus the miso soup. Perfect amount of food.
The last time I went there, they accidentally gave me a Philly roll instead of my spicy roll. They made me a new 6, were extremely apologetic, and I went home STUFFED.
It looks like Matt K. got his panties in a twist over the credit card machine. As a semi-​new waitress, I realize it’s hard to make everything go smoothly sometimes. PS, you’re handing over that exact information that you were so against giving when you pay with a credit card anyway…
I’m down with Mei Wei.

Ordered to go, called around 5pm but asked if they could have it ready around 8. Was no problem and was ready at 8 like I asked.
LOCATION: Right near main street in durham, great to walk to if your UNH student.
DECOR: Nicely decorated, small building. Clean.
FOOD: Sushi is tasty. Average size rolls, not too big, not too small. Good prices, cheaper than average. Still good quality though. Small variety.

I’ve been to the Mei Wei 4 times now and I really like it for the sushi selection. It’s great to have someplace that is local, kid friendly and affordable. There is something for everyone on the menu.
Since it’s located in a college town there is a lot of energy and activity at the small bar. I’ll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

Mei Wei,
Your food is sub-​par, your atmosphere is lacking and your service is questionable at best.
Now its story time… last weekend my friends & I went to this little Chinese food joint for dinner. We were quickly seated and our food arrived quickly (because apparently it was under heat lamps out back.) We ate our meal, chatted and waited for the check. Once the check arrived our waitress explained to us that they could only accept cash. We all had confused looks on our faces… there was a Visa/​Mastercard sign on the door. The waitress explained to us that the credit card machine was broken and that if we really wanted to use our credit cards, she would simply write all our names and credit card numbers down on a piece of paper.
ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?! There is no way in hell you are writing down my name and credit card information on a piece of paper!!!
My friends and I explained that there was no way that would allow our credit card information to be stolen that easily and that due to the fact that they advertise at their entrance that they accept credit cards that is what we planned to pay with. The fine fellows who run Mei Wei said we could go next door to use a off-​brand ATM machine that included a $ 2.50 surcharge.
This place is a joke and does not care about their customers. I am never going here again and will continue to tell all who will listen to not step foot inside that hellhole of a Chinese Restaurant.