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I enjoyed the house special fried rice very much, but the kung po chicken iwas odd, the chicken was chopped too small and slimy.

The staff at Wai Lee are great - the reviewer below who talked about the attentive order-takers is really right. They always get my order right, whether I'm doing take out, eat-in or delivery. The quality of food is more than what you would typically expect from a NY Chinese place. The portions are enormous, the food quality is very high, and I've never been disappointed by my meal there. And the prices are totally ridiculous - I can get a HUGE box of vegetable lo mein and a wonton soup for around $6, and I get at least two meals out of that (sometimes three). I'm a regular, and plan to stay that way.

Tried most Chinese places on the upper west side. This is hands down the best, fast delivery and really awsome traditional food. I GIVE 2 THUMBS UP! Plus free sodas!

Dude it's NYC, it's Chinese takeout for god sakes. If you can't afford to take your date out on a proper meal--light bulb should be going off in your head at this point--this is what you expect for paying less than $10/dish. Poor guy's trying to earn a living and your buzzer is broken. Everyone has the same gripes about all delivery boys but at the same time no one complained, quite as exhaustively as you do, because we know we're getting ourselves into. If you complain about everything on the menu including bamboo, I can't for the life of me understand why you're ordering..chinese food?? Easy phone order. Efficient 30 min. delivery. Satisfying food. Great lunch special value-even over Hunan and Empire. Large menu selection. Recommended! (No tax charged.)

When the delivery man shouted "Chinese food! Open the door!" into my cell phone (the building's intercom system is dead-- maybe this guy's been here before), I felt like he must be bring us something so special and urgently delicious that anything less than my running down five flights of stairs would have been irresponsible to him, me, and my date. His curt bow of thanks reinforced my feeling that this would be a no-nonsense meal; the MSG-laden fumes emanating from the plastic bag told me that we could be expect to be pummeled by fists of flavor. Wai Lee was rated 4/5 for value on Menupages yet only $/$$$$ for price, and had a solid 18 reviews. (Note: many reviews doesn't necessitate popularity. The notorious Saigon Grill has been reviewed 127 times, mostly due to its dodgy treatment of deliverypeople). So here’s my attempt quantify and come to a verdict. Plusses + Guy who answers phone speaks great English. Just as important, he's a terrific listener. His laser-like focus on your every order is undeterred by pots and pans crashing in the background. He makes you feel like you are the only person in his world. He's a Chinese Bill Clinton. + Free can of Coke. I don't even like Coke, but come on people, it's free. Too bad I forgot that Coke + rice = tsunami for your stomach. + "Bean curd" not euphemistically, Americanistically referred to as "tofu," which sounds like a martial art performed only with the tips of the feet. Minuses - No chopsticks. Though I rarely use these ancient implements, their absence was disappointing on a spiritual level, kind of like going to the East Village and not seeing any mohawks. Also, how much does bamboo even cost? I recently saw a PBS special on bamboo (I've had many lonely Saturday nights), showing how bamboo grows so quickly and plentifully in Southeast Asia that the field rats feeding off it and breed at algorithmic rates--you can actually hear them break the sound barrier when they mate en masse-- can't quite keep up with the newly-sprouting shoots of bamboo. - No fortune cookie. I'm all about cutting back the frills in today's economy, but again, how costly could this flour-water-sugar treat be? I saw an episode of NOVA on fortune cookies the other night and--just kidding. Thus not knowing my fortune, I cannot say whether it's in my future to order from Wai Lee again, whether or not my hearing ever comes back.

Wai Lee is the best source for Chinese food in Morningside Heights, especially if you happen to be a poor student who is inclined to load up on take-out every week. Compared to the neighborhood's other Chinese places, Wai Lee has the lowest prices and gigantic portions. I am a vegetarian, so I cannot say whether or not the other reviews are correct about the quality of the dishes with meat. I can fully endorse, however, any one of Wai Lee's vegetable dishes. The broccoli and bean curd dish is very delicious- the broccoli is cooked properly (not mushy or wilted) and the whole meal is gigantic (delicious rice, by the way). Of course, Wai Lee is not attempting culinary excellence of any caliber. With that said, it is still the best Chinese place around.

I ordered from there recently and i wasn't sure what to expect since some of the reviews weren't good. But I ordered the B B Q Rib combination platter and it was sooooo good. The ribs were juicy and not dry like some places, the rice was good too. I definitely recommend the ribs.