Margaret Kuo’s Wayne

My visit was so disappointing! My husband and I went on a Saturday night and we ate on the first floor as we wanted Chinese food. There were only 4 tables filled but our service was slow and it took an incredible amount of time for our food to come once we ordered. I ordered a shrimp dish and it came with nothing else except about 50 red hot peppers. There was no sauce whatsoever so there was no way to eat it with rice. I would have taken a picture of it (and wished that I had) but I had left my iPhone at home unfortunately. I have visited Margaret Kuo’s in Malvern and it has always been excellent. I will have to stay with that location.

I said back in March when we went to eat that I was going « Unilocal» and finally I am getting around to it. My son and I went for Sushi to celebrate his birthday. Are family has had a long relationship with Margaret Kuo’s restaurants as I am sure so many people have, but it had been a long time. I have been in so many sushi places they kind of blur together except for Margaret Kuo’s. First, the sushi was excellent, our waiter the best, the selections unlimited, the cocktails delicious, but you forget (or at least I had) how dining can take on such a feeling of elegance. You get an entire experience, it’s not just sushi, the restaurant makes a meal feel like an occasion. Go and enjoy.

My go to place for Sushi. Delicious. Great service.
I also held a graduation party at Margaret’s. Superb service. Wonderful to work with for party planning.
If you are lucky, you might run into Margaret while dinning b

Best on the Main Line
I have been going there since they opened, primarily for take out
It has always been delicious
The dining room downstairs is very well done in that there is real Chinese art work
The Japanese dining room I’d very pleasing to the eye as well
I have a lot of respect for Margaret
Once we had guest from Australia and one of them had grown up in Taiwan, she said it was the nicest Chinese restaurant she had been to in the states

Our dinner party included five Chinese nationals, and they judged the food as good to very good. I loved the spicy shredded beef and 3 pepper chicken. The sea bass (served whole) was outstanding. We ordered way too much and the meal came to $ 300 for the 8 of us that includes tip, but only a couple of us had any drinks other than water & tea.
We’ll be back.

Food is wonderful. We had a reservation upstairs. Celebrating my husbands birthday.
Two people in our group ordered sushi and it took awhile to be made. The presentation was beautiful. When that was served we were told the kitchen downstairs was slow.
Slow? It took an hour to get chicken lo mein and my sauted green beans and white rice. We arrived at 6 and left after 8. In that time it took nearly 90 minutes to get our food which all came at very different times. We felt bad for our waiter who was upset or too busy.
When the ‘manager’ said sorry and we said this was a unacceptable, she giggled. Yes folks she giggled.
We didn’t expect a free meal or anything but they literally brought us the check before asking if we wanted coffee or dessert. The sad part is we often patronize this place or get take out once or twice a year. Just remember customers matter. Please don’t giggle when we spend serious money on a celebratory dinner.

Good food. Classy dining room. Awkward experience.
My husband and I had a reservation this past Saturday and intended to eat downstairs in the Chinese section of the restaurant. They asked if we wanted to sit upstairs and declined. Firstly, because my husband is currently on crutches and stairs weren’t happening. Secondly, we wanted to eat Chinese food. A gentleman who was an owner or manager asked again commenting that the «young people generally want to eat upstairs.» Well, we wanted to eat downstairs and were dealing with a disability. Way to make us feel good about ourselves.
We were there with a gift card that had no expiration date on it. While waiting to be seated, I confirmed that the gift card was still valid. The owner/​manager said that gift cards expire after a year (even though it wasn’t noted), but he’d honor it. Then he asked me questions about how I got it. He also asked if I had traveled far. I have a Jersey phone number that I guess shows up when making an Opentable reservation. Maybe his intentions were to make small talk, but I felt like I was getting the third degree.
Once seated, we mostly had a lovely experience. Our server was professional and attentive. Since the gift card was honored, and for a generous amount, my husband and I decided to have a little fun with our order. We each ordered a wonton soup and a martini, and then planned to split three entrees: Mandarin Braised Duck, Kobe Beef Short Ribs and the Lamb Stew. They were out of Kobe beef so we decided on the Mandarin Steak with Spring Pancakes and an order of Dan Dan Noodles instead. I felt like a fat slob, when the owner/​manager came by asking if we were going to finish everything. That probably wasn’t his intention, but we also intended to bring home leftovers.
As far as the food goes, I really enjoyed everything with the exception of the Dan Dan Noodles. They had no spice or significant flavor like the ones I’ve had in Chinatown. Everything else was prepared to our liking and enjoyable. The atmosphere was also lovely. The room had a classic Chinese décor and we felt like we were truly out for a fine dining experience.
With all that being said, Chinatown is easily accessible for me to order from and get to. While I can’t think of a restaurant with as nice of a dining room, I have no trouble getting Chinese food that is delicious, in my price range and where the management doesn’t make me feel a little bad about myself.

What a remarkable experience here at Margaret Kuo’s Wayne as we dined here on New Year’s Eve our son treated us to a dining experience we will never forget. We started off with Hot & Sour Soup, and beginning was accompaniments of marinated cucumbers & peanuts which are always a hit. We feasted on Imperial Shrimp, General Tsaos chicken, combination fried rice and garlic broccoli and the most outstanding dish of all was the Peking Duck. Everything from the food & service was excellent. It was wonderful to speak to Mr. Kuo and his staff here at Margaret Kuo’s Wayne.
If you are in the area you must try this remarkable establishment because it’s a experience of a lifetime. It’s highly recommended and you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for giving us a evening of memorable experience

LOVE THIS PLACE! The best and fresh sushi. The special rolls are amazing too! People are very nice and classy restaurant.

An extremely generic, but not bad, Asian restaurant. The ambiance is better than most, aside from the smooth jazz.

Sushi was good… traditional and fresh. Katsu crispy. Miso soup well balanced with lots of tofu.
Careful attention paid to the vegetables which were cooked perfectly. Attentive waiter, quiet location. Price a little high for sushi even on the main line.

Super slow, bad manner, four cards were given to the cashier, just swiped three cards and could not do it in four cards again! Tips were already added in the bill. Despite the bad quality, strongly recommend to not choose this one.
Me: «Hi, we have been waiting for our meals for 30 minutes.»
Waiter: «That table waited 1 hour, we’re still working one it.»

Summary: Good food & drinks selection, Nice Ambience, Overpriced
Went here on a casual Sunday evening to get a quick bite to eat before heading back home, and it was a decent experience. Parking was rather easy along the roadside and meters don’t run on Sundays, which was nice.
Upon going in, you’re told that if you will only eat Chinese food, you can stay downstairs, but if you’re going to mix Chinese and Japanese, you need to go upstairs. Found this to be a bit odd, but still, its fine since the manager took the time to walk us upstairs, etc.
Drinks were decent — overpriced for what they are, but still not bad overall. The food is a bit different.
I understand that this is essentially an institution in this area and folks come because it’s been here for a few decades. But it was average food, at best. Chinese food was far superior to the Japanese food, in my opinion as well as my companion’s. We got the scallion pancakes and spring rolls for apps (both quite good), as well as the vegetable gyoza. That’s where the good food stopped, though, since mains were all sushi, and were all quite forgettable. Not bad, but just run of the mill. Maybe we should go back and try the Chinese mains and see if they’re any better.
But the service wasn’t bad — our server had some difficulty with English, but still was able to get his points across, and we had a decent time. Guess we’re just going to have to try it again some time, downstairs.

By far my favorite sushi on the Main Line! Soo good! They have Tamari gluten free soy sauce to accommodate my gluten free needs!

Upscale Chinese dinning experience worth a try. The location is prime, right on the mainline in Wayne (parking can be tricky at peak hours). The décor and general atmosphere was very welcoming. The service was also very good. The food is above the rest in terms of quality and portion size. Try the mandarin braised duck or the imperial shrimp of you prefer something from the sea. The shrimp was huge.

We came for dinner tonight despite the snow and it was reasonably busy, although the manager let us know that over 130 patrons cancelled between the Dragon’s Lair and the Akari Room! Ambiance and service were great and the food was delicious.
We had the following:
1. Jellyfish: Decent although a bit too much sesame oil was used as a dressing. The extra chopped scallions was a nice touch, though.
2. Sauteed Chinese squash with edamame: Solid in a savory while wine garlic sauce.
3. Asparagus, lily root, and lotus: Very good with plenty of garlic and tender, crispy lotus root slices
4. Sauteed crabmeat-​stuffed tofu, snow pea shoots, and seafood: One of my favorite dishes! The tofu is filled with crabmeat and the delicate snow pea shoots are very savory and tender. There is also plenty of fish maw and lobster as well. A must-​try.
5. Spicy grilled lamb chops: Very solid although I would have preferred them to be a little more well-​done (very rare).
6. Braised short ribs with Shanghai cabbage: One of my favorite dishes for sure. Tender, juicy, and savory with a met-​in-​your mouth texture over fresh greens. It’s fatty but so delicious! Definitely order.
7. Tong-​bu pork belly with snow pea shoots: This was the best dish of the night and served with bao. The pork belly was fatty but so flavorful and melted like butter in your mouth. Wrap it in the bao!
8. Spicy stir-​fried shredded beef with peppers: Tender and flavorful beef shreds with plenty of peppers. Very solid
9. 8 Treasure rice pudding: A traditional Chinese New Year dessert. Solid.
10. Glutinous rice dumpling dessert soup: Just okay. The sesame-​filled dumplings were very good but the soup was overly sweet.
11. Hazelnut cake: Okay, as well. The cake was very dense and the filling wasn’t fluffy and a bit too sweet.
Overall, great authentic Chinese food and one of the only places to order a truly amazing pork belly! Stick with the main courses, as dessert is just okay. You can’t beat the ambiance, though!

Ms Kuo knows her food! I head to her other Frazier restaurant more regularly, but if I am
craving an upscale experience, we head here. There is nothing on the menu that isn’t well-​executed.

Living right down the road, I’ve visited Margaraet Kuo’s a number of times– usually for take-​out; a few times I’ve had dinner downstairs and I tried the upstairs japanese cuisine «Akari room» for the first time this weekend.
The sushi upstairs was some of the best I’ve ever had. Tasted amazing, perfect temperature, looked great– just everything about it was perfect. A little pricey, but so worth it.
The food downstairs is also very good. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s amazing but it’s definitely the quality you would expect from an upscale Chinese place.
Service on the other hand is typically horrendous to the point of being comedic. There was one time I brought my mom here for her birthday dinner and our server was awesome, but every other time it’s been pitiful. On my first visit here we had the privilege of listening to a full blown screaming match between servers and cooks in the kitchen, complete with one infuriated cook storming out the building through the dining room.
The tradition continued on the last visit upstairs. We were greeted by an older gentleman who was very nice and took us right to the table. That’s where the positives ended. When we ordered a bottle of wine from our server, he simply placed the bottle on the table and walked away without opening or pouring it. A second server a few minutes later finally walked over and remarked «oh I guess you want this opened». When I asked this server about the types of sushi included on two entrees, she was entirely unable to explain either to me. At the end of the meal, the first server returned and literally just threw the check on the table while walking by.
Despite the horrible service, the food (especially the sushi) still makes Margaret Kuo’s a restaurant more than deserving of a visit.

Wow this is GOOD Chinese Food! I haven’t had the pleasure of dining in yet, but I will do it soon. I got takeout today from what is IMHO the best Chinese food I’ve had since moving to the area.
You can get average chinese food anywhere, but you won’t find any of that here. This is really good food!
The staff was very nice (I met one of the owners I think) and he was very attentive as well. I’ll be back again soon for sure.
Highly recommend Margaret Kuo’s if you are nearby, you won’t be disappointed.

Absolutely worthy to try. We drove 30 mins from central philadelphia to here, and we all think the dishes are worthy for the traveling.
I do want to highlight 3 dishes.
I found the dishes are different between Chinese menu and the English menu in the consideration of different preferences of taste. I think if you order from the English menu, you would lose the chance to try the best dishes there. Of course it would be hard for non-​Chinese people to understand the Chinese menu, so I do suggest you to try these 3 things.
1. Peking Duck
Secret Chinese recipe of roasted duck.
Chef cuts the duck skin and the meat into small pieces separately, and you put them on the Chinese pancake. You combine them based on your preference. (I usually put 4 pieces of meat and 2 pieces of skin) You also put sliced cucumber, scallion, and sweet sauce. Then… roll the pancake up… Bite!..
Even though this dish is not as good as a Peking duck you can get in China, it s absolutely the best one in the Great Philadelphia area (maybe even the best in America).
Believe me. Peking is my hometown :)
2. Peking Duck Bone Soup
This soup is not on the menu, but the waiter would ask you what would you like to do with the duck bone (if you order the Peking Duck).
You could request to make a soup. The soup is made with tofu and Chinese cabbage. It s very light but flavored!
3. Lu-​Rou Rice
A very traditional Taiwanese dish.
I uploaded a picture of this dish. For the size of it, it s good to share for two.
And.Please dont order Sushi because it wont meet your expectations. It s absolutely a Chinese restaurant !!!
And.Trust me!!! Order the things I listed