Mai's Deli — Restaurant in Appleton

I am not impressed with the restaurant as a first time customer. When you walk in they provide a big menu on the wall, this is a plus. However, there were no directions of buying and paying for your food before getting a seat. My guests and I sat ourselves down around 6pm on a Tuesday and waited a good 8-10 minutes before we were approached by an employee informing us that we needed to order, pay for our food, and notify the staff then that we wanted to eat in. We went to get back in line and ordered two orders or spring rolls, two bowls of pho, one combination rice platter that includes rice, two eggrolls one stuffed chicken wing and a soda and a Thai iced tea. The cashier notified us right away that they were out of eggrolls for the combination platter so we opted for one stuffed chicken wing in replace of it. Our total came to about $45.00. A waiter came out and notified us after we've ordered that they no longer have the Thai iced tea in stock for the day. We ended up trading it for a stuffed chicken wing because we really had no choice. He said we could get a Thai iced coffee or get a refund. We weren't going to wait weeks for a refund back on a card so we traded the drink for a stuffed chicken wing. We also did not get our would be appetizer order of spring rolls until after we have already received the entrees. Again, when it was brought out, we were notified after we've purchased our food that the spring rolls do not have the peanut sauce option for the day because they are out of stock, we had only two other sauce options. I enjoy my spring rolls with peanut sauce so I opted for no sauced and for them to be packed to go. It was disappointing to see how much food the restaurant did not have available for the day. There were no signs that they were out of any specific item for the day or were we told about unavailable items by the cashier. To fix the problem I think the restaurant needs to have clearer signs that point out what they have available and unavailable for the day instead of misleading customers in thinking they will get all the items that were paid for to only be told that items are out of stock for the day. Thr pho tasted good and so did the...

Solid place to grab a bite to eat! The menu is very inclusive for various diets. A carnivore, a vegetarian, and a pescetarian were all able to eat just fine. Even when busy the pace of the food from the kitchen flowed well.

Inside: Clean and cozy. There are a handful of tables up front and then just a bit past the counter there is additional seating. If you're sitting at the front just be prepared for the influx of people coming and going! I would say an average of 30 heads for capacity at tables, probably more with optimal group sizes.

5-6pm rush: It exists, which is a good thing. This place is popular and it deserves to be! We were able to grab a small table at the front after placing our order (small wait for the stuffed wings) and then we moved to the back once a table cleared out. There is probably plenty of space for most of the day but it's definitely possible for there to be a wait for seating (happened to two groups that came in behind us, who just ordered carryout instead).

Service: Staff was friendly behind the counter and enthusiastic to help answer questions or customize orders. The kitchen staff was in a good mood and the server was attentive and friendly.

Food: Dishes came out clean and well plated, the food looked like how it was advertised on the menu and was fresh. The stuffed wings can be piping hot when you bite in to them! The wings I had were a bit plain, but they came right off of the grill so I just gave them a splash of some sauces and they were good to go.

Location: They are right downtown so it's easily accessible to stop in and grab a bite. Parking in front is limited, if you're the lucky one of five or six you're fine, otherwise there's parking in back / on the side when you're approaching the restaurant. It is at a pretty janky intersection, so if you're not familiar with the area I would turn in sooner to hit the side / back parking. They are on the outskirts of the eastern drag of college, but makes for a fun night of walking up towards Lawrence campus (or vice versa) when it decides to not be...

I stopped in here between meetings to grab grabbed takeout. I walk in and the place is spare and tidy and chic and modern and perfect. I wanted to sit at one of their natural wood tables and splurp back a bowl of Pho while getting half of it all over my shirt and beard, but alas, I needed to get to the office.

So I stood there staring at the grid of their menu delights on the wall (see their website-via-laptop for what I mean), neatly organized by category: starters, fried rices, noodles dishes, curry dishes, pho, etc

Me: what am I gonna have? what am I gonna have? What am I gonna have?

The cheery young woman at the counter took my order:

-Egg rolls (two, as they’re ordered by the piece) -Fresh shrimp spring rolls (also two, they’re also ordered by the piece) and they came with a thick sauce that I think was peanut based. -Panang curry with chicken (it’s a medium spicy) -Udon noodles with chicken

Delish Delish Delish Delish

I ordinarily post pics but the takeout image wasn’t a reflection of how. good. the. food. is.

This takeout wasn’t worthy of being eaten at my desk at the office, either.

As I waited, I spotted the Iced Tea on the menu and ordered it in my second order. I wondered why I didn’t know about this style of Iced Tea sooner. Refreshing and tasty and I want to go back to get another one before I drive out of Appleton. Pic attached.

I hear the stuffed wings are a thing but it was more than I can deal with at my desk. Next time.

Go here when you’re in Appleton. Order more than you need (and then? and then? and then?). It’s all so good. The prices are...