Yee Li Restaurant

This restaurant is a RIPOFF I’m telling you. Went and order like 2 ribs of roast pork to go. When I got home and open the container all i got was like end of scrap from leftovers. Fucking charge me $ 15 for CRAP !!! I will never go back. People if you want to be RIPOFF then go there. If I can give them a no Star I Will.

Came here a handful of times. Usually order the three treasures rice.

This place was more busy for take out than dine in, so if you wanna get food quickly it might just be easier fyi. The pekking duck was amazing and a way bigger portion than I expected. They had a soft shell crab special that was really filling and by far cheaper than any place around that served crab! The service d was pretty good imo, but that might just be due to the few number of people seated to eat.

The service is horrible. first time going there with my relatives. We’ve waited over an hour for our food. After all that waiting only ONE dish came. then a few mins later the fish came. One of my relatives started to serve the fish and the fish was so RAW/​bloody/​pink/​soggy… We asked one of the waiters why’s the fish so raw and he lied straight to our faces saying it was cooked well and it isn’t raw… Bunch of BS -. — The chicken meat tasted very dry and the skin was very hard and dry… And they forgot to bring the noodle dish so that end up coming at the end when the majority of the people were already full.

Always packed here during the early afternoons. There are always the two regular guys at the counter taking your orders and managing everyone and everything. They often have a hostile or bitter like attitude. Maybe it’s just how they are but as a customer, I’ve been taken a back a few times because of their tone of voice. It’s a little scary.
Nonetheless, it’s good for take out and dine in. There selection of food has always been consistent. It’s decent traditional Chinese food, nothing extraordinary.

Home of my favorite «cha siu» over rice!
I’ve been eating at this place with the boys for at least 5 years now, no matter what occasion or circumstance: rainy days, sunny days, post basketball days, or any time I’m around really lol.
They’re posted up in that part of Chinatown that has a lot buzz! Vivi bubble tea, Mei la wai’s steamed pork buns, and Chinatown ice cream factory. So they’ve got some competition.
Cha Siu, Peking duck, and the roast pig are all hung right by the window begging you to come in and eat!
There’s tons of space in there so even on busy days the wait times were minimal.
Food: For years I’ve been getting their Cha siu over rice (about $ 5/​$ 6). They give about 2 cups of rice with ample Cha siu, so if THAT doesn’t fill you up, get my favorite appetizer the Salt & Pepper squid which you can probably share with 2 other people or 1 hungry person.
The best part about this is that you’ll be thoroughly satisfied and still have room for dessert! *cough chinatown ice cream factory*
Enjoy :)

Worst experience ever in Chinatown without even tasted the food.
On Saturday 9pm the restaurant had only 3 tables with clients. We got in craving for the duck we saw displayed on the window.
Once we came in, the waiter (old man) was really rude acting with very bad manners.
We asked to wait 5 min to get through the long menu and he was pissed off with no reason. We asked for water and he was pissed off again. We were ordering and his behaviour was really unprofessional and pushing us to order more than we wanted.
We finally left the restaurant.
No comments.

I have been here twice for large group gatherings. For the sole purpose of feeding a shitload of people it is a wonderful place. They serve Cantonese style dishes that, if you are familiar with modern Cantonese cuisine, are something of a throwback. But this style of Cantonese food is very typical in the USA; growing up in Silicon Valley, there are many such restaurants that I grew up eating at with my family on a regular basis.
But the food is just not really worth writing home about. It’s just alright, the dishes suit the eating format so it is great to have a bowl of rice and pick at everything. There is just no particular ‘wow’ factor and some of the best dishes are marred by greasiness. Even with the roasted meats, I felt that some tasted gamey and gristly like the roast duck.
I felt that I had an equally good or better experience at Congee Village (contrary to the name, that’s not all they have on the menu) or Ping’s — latter of which is categorically better and has a more modern reflection of Cantonese cuisine, but it’s also significantly more expensive.

Went there for lunch and it was packed… we waited a bit to get a table. I got a mixed BBQ meat over rice dish and my BF got a beef lo mein. Both were very good. The lean roast pork and the bbq spareribs were nicely seasoned and tender. Definitely made that same day, not leftover from the day before. The Lo Mein was very good… large dish… Lots of nice greens and beef.
I would say this place is good for Chinatown, easy to find and large menu… You can get something quick like a BBQ meat over rice, or something more exotic like a nice seafood entrée or steamed fish.

Your run of the mill Cantonese-​style restaurant located in the heart of Chinatown. I do take-​out lunch here 2 – 3 times a week since I work nearby and Yee Li tends to keep things consistent compared to other canton places that are really hit or misses. We’ve tried several of their dishes and they all come out tasting like what they should taste like.
However, their service is very lacking. One time they gave me the wrong order on accident and when I brought it back to them, they scolded me for taking the wrong order. Uh, hello you handed it to me. Whose fault is that? Seriously step up your game or else you’re going to lose a regular.

Back here again, becoming a regular. Can’t get enough of the roast pork wonton noodle soup. I have to order it as soon as I sit down. I’ll figure out the rest of the meal as I go along.

Yee Li is cool because it’s traditionally Chinese (I think you can book to have your wedding after party here etc etc) and because it has very good roast items.
Honestly, its not much different from the other Chinatown establishments. Cash only.

I came here several times in the past for family dinners and quick lunches because it’s right in the middle of Chinatown. Overall, it’s a decent restaurant that serves up your typical Chinese cuisines and Americanized Chinese foods. For family dinners, I usually settled for several types of Chinese styled vegetables, lobster Cantonese, sweet and sour pork chops, several types of steaks with young chow fried rice. These dishes would cost you around the $ 200-​$ 250 ballpark with tips included.
Service here is admirable. The servers usually would chat with you if you’re really close with them. Ambience and vibe are both on point. Would I come back? Sure.

Yee Li, (2^nd wifee lol) hit the spot for a recent seafood craving.
Had intended on going to Royal Seafood on Mott but their kitchen had already closed at 9:30 PM. Which worked out fine because I had some delicious seafood for around 40 bucks which is the same amount I spent on a small pizza and salad the other day at Cultura. Yeah yeah yeah apples to oranges or rather lychees to tomatoes haha but food vs food it’s kinda a no brainer.
Got the lobsta wif scallion n ginger which was better cooked and more tender than the lobsta I had at Bouley ($$$$ french) a few days ago. Wanted to throw in another seafood dish in the mix so I chose the mayo shrimp with candied walnuts n brocolli. Does this dish scream out superfoods or what?! Well the mayo and battered shrimps negate the superfood value… slightly or a tad more but that’s all I will admit to. Hey, still worth it!
I feel like this restaurant likely offers and prepares consistent traditional style Chinese food. Consistency can be so comforting as I’ve stated in my Domino’s Pizza review, even though I got a wtf typa compliment from a fellow Unilocaler who felt otherwise about my star amt/​comfort value ratio rating system.
Getting back to this review and what my gist is basically, I liked the seafood and Id come back. Cash only but there is a Bofa one short block away so it’s ok, relax. Then just enjoy!!!

Perfect sit down place in the heart of china town.
If you are looking to have a real china town sit down dinning experience this is your jam.
My girlfriend and I were seated at a large round table with 4 other customers.
We ordered the Soft shell crabs $ 12.95 which were deep friend and very tasty. They had a nice hint of spice served on a bed of shredded onion/​lettuce which we also ate and enjoyed haha. There were also some deep friend slices of garlic which added a great flavour to the dish.
Also shared the Shrimp conge bowl which was $ 5. I have had better but with the addition of some soy sauce it was enjoyable and had a generous amount of quarter sized shrimp.
Hot tea was also included and served at the table which goes well with all the food even on a hot day. Seems like a really good lunch place to pop into.
I also noticed a few older men drinking some whiskey they brought in and the staff turned a blind eye which is good to keep in mind if you were thinking of bringing in some wine maybe.
I will be going back for sure.

I was looking forward to get a goos Peking Duck. Peking duck house is full of tourists and overpriced. So I decided tp try this smaller place.
Duck was not bad but cold and not outstanding.
I also tried Oxtail following the suggestion of a side table chinese couple. It was very good.
Maybe they have much better dishes that I don’t know… they must written in Chinese hanged on the walls.

As a Cantonese restaurant I was surprised they would spell it’s supposed English name as Yee Li which if you pronounce it in English means «Second Wife» or «Mistress» which is what I end up calling this restaurant.
Their BBQ/​Hanging stuff is above average like most Unilocalers have concluded but cooked food and portion is average. Price is slightly higher than most other places but seating and atmosphere for the eight times I’ve been here for dinner have been quite pleasant.
Certainly not my first choice but if you’re around the area, in the mood for BBQ/​Congee/​Noodles and NY Noodletown is packed, this is a great second choice.

I have mixed feelings from this place.
I must admit it’s a bit big compared to some other Chinese restaurants I’ve been to.
I came here a few times a few years back but decided to eat lunch with the mother here today.
we both got the soy sauce chicken with fat pork chop. the waiter told us it be 9.5 each as if we couldn’t afford it. my mother and I both felt offended that they told us in a nasty attitude. that took away a star right there. that wasn’t appropriate if you ask me. the pork chop was indeed fat just the way I like it. (fat pork chop always tasted better to me for some reason). the soy sauce chicken was ok. felt like they didn’t care when they were chopping it as it was huge pieces of chicken. I’m a big chicken skin lover (if there’s no feathers on the skin) but this place was meh ok which is why I kinda took away another star.
will I come back?! perhaps — I don’t know how yet.
PS — eating in and dining out has 2 different prices.

One of my go to take out spots for my BBQ meat needs as well as what I like to call Chinese soul food dishes.
My favs:
— Soy sauce chicken
— Roast duck
— Roast pig
— Congee w/​pork and thousand year egg
— Wonton noodle soup

A friend of mine chose this place as her birthday dinner. Such an odd choice for a native Chinatown-​person!
However! This spot is an authentic Cantonese-​style restaurant. You see ducks, chicken, barbecue pork, chicken wings, marinated squids, and etc. hanging behind the glass window. The butchers are busy cutting meats for take-​out orders. On the other side, you see different fish, crabs, and lobsters just chilling in the tank. Very classic look of a Chinese restaurant!
It seems like they like to advertise the Peking Duck on buns because a lot of their customers are tourist. The duck was pretty good and it was not as fatty as I expected to be, therefore, it is a plus to me! My party ordered various Cantonese dishes such as the Chinese Watercress with bean curd, Fried Flounder, Fried Tofu, Salt & Pepper Squid, and Fried Shrimp with mayo & caramelized walnuts. All dishes were good and I would recommend them.
The staff members were very funny people who try to make fun of younger generation Chinese kids like us in a friendly way! They were very friendly and did not hesitate to strike up conversation with us. The staff does not really speak English very well but understand it enough to get your orders.
Anyone can agree that this place needs a bit of a face-​lift but I really loved that they were able to preserve that traditional, old-​fashion look at the same time. Overall, it’s a great spot for food!