Mei Lin Sichuan & Vegetarian Restaurant — Restaurant in Helsinki sub-region

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Helsinki. Recently MeiLin increased their price a little bit but the portion also got bigger than before so it is ok for me. My friends and I visit MeiLin quite often and never had been disappointed with their food and hospitality.

The food is perfect (at least for my Asian taste). They have a lot of options for customers to choose from. In case you fancy some traditional Chinese Sichuan food you can easily find most of it there. On the other hand, if you want to have a safe choice for your peaceful day then you can also look for some familiar food right on the menu or ask their waiters for help. They have food that is suitable and loved by locals and travelers. Also, the first option on the dessert menu is something you should try.

MeiLin is not spacious. Their biggest table can seat around 10 adults but for more than 15 you may need to sit separately in 2 tables instead. Somehow, for a group of less than 4, they have a comfortable sofa near the big window which is nice and relaxing. You can easily book the table you want by calling them or via email and telling them that, this is a must-recommend way, especially on weekends and holidays when the restaurant can get super busy.

At some point, MeiLin can be crowded and their waiters often get carried away by a lot of multiple tasks. Me and my friend experienced it a few times when we waited so long to make an order and ask for our bills. Sometimes they forget this and that but when you kindly remind them, they serve you right away. If you don't have much time on your hands then you can also notice them and your food will be served as soon as possible.

Overall, it might not be a typical fine-dining restaurant in which courses are served in order. They have appetizers, main courses, and desserts but are served in their own Chinese style so you might get a little bit confused when your food all comes at the same time or vice versa. So if you are looking for something new than your normal food, you might consider giving MeiLin a try. It may be good or bad but it is...

The food was good, but the service was unwelcoming and not nice. When making the reservation, the waiter could not communicate in english, which resulted in our group splitting into two tables. Then, the waiter guy charged us extra for a bowl of rice out of his own will, while we paid over 300 euro and it was a lot of people. They said we ate too much rice. We never got charged for rice at this restaurant, it is also not in the menu.

Furthermore, they forgot to bring us a dish, and when we notified him, we got questioned and the waiter was unfriendly and annoying. Instead of apologizing for forgetting our dish, he was arguing that the dish is served already.

Lastly, when one of us told him to bring us more water and take away some empty plates, he was impatiently questioning again that all dishes we ordered have been served, since he misheard and misunderstood it. He thought we were blaming that new dishes are still not served, despite many dishes have been finished.

Overall, the food is as good as expected. But this waiter’s professionalism and attitude is questionable. We don’t think customers are supposed to be ‘god’, and waiters should have a pleasing attitude. NO. But one should have adequate level of EQ ,social skills. An annoying waiter like this only deserves 1...

UPDATE SUMMER 2018

Mei Lin is BACK, and EVEN BETTER THAN BEFORE! Reopened after a short closure due to water damage, the food is good again.

Delicious Sichuanese cuisine - spicy fish and pork and beef and lamb and dumplings in a many ways - this is now the best Chinese restaurant in Helsinki.

UPDATE SUMMER 2017

I used to like this restaurant and visited it at least once a week. They recently changed chefs - and the food is now inedible. Dishes that previously were full of flavour, were now just over-salty, over-MSG dishes. We could not even eat half the food. The waiter said that they were testing a new chef. In my opinion, the owners should test the chef before allowing them to cook for the public.

PREVIOUS REVIEW WINTER 2016

Delicious food in a nice, simple atmosphere. Food really depends on the chef - make sure to tell them you want original Chinese flavour! Recommend the double cooked pork, the 'saliva' chicken, fish flavour aubergine, and Beijing style pork...