Le Lai Eastern Restaurant — Restaurant in McAllen

The Interior was well-worn... paint shipping booth fabric splitting; past needing a face lift! We should have taken that as a sign to not stay to eat.

We had been here a few years ago and enjoyed it... but it had seemed that everything that had previously made a good dining experience was gone. The menu had also changed, and it too was a red flag that this place was void of attention to, or desire to convey even a standard dining experience. The food came out hot (this is the one redeeming factor)... we ordered the Chicken Pad Thai and what came out was a soggy mess of overcooked rice noodles drenched in some sort of tomatoes sauce with maybe 8 small, dried overcooked pieces of what I'm guessing was at some point chicken, there were maybe 6 pieces of bell and red peppers that were not fresh (the red pepper pieces were actually so old, they were slimey). It was the worst meal I have had in McAllen and a slap in the face to the great cuisine of Thailand.

After waiting for a waiter, in the near-empty resturant, to clear the dishes and bring a check... we discovered a sign at the bar... to 'Pay Here'.

I very rarely take the time to leave a bad review, being in the food industry, I know every location has an off day; but on this occasion, the experience was so offputting, I felt that others must be warned. As for the Pad Thai, we mentioned it to the girl who processed our payment (at the bar), saying that it was most disappointing and tasted like a tomatoe sauce... she replied, 'oh it is... they make it with Ketchup and some herbs'. That says it all, and that's how it tasted!

Shame on anyone claiming to be a 'chef' for letting food of that quality leave...

Food is average at best. Service is also average.

But Be warned. There is a sign that clearly states there is a convenience fee on card transactions on the front door and the menu clearly states there is an 18% tip on parties of six or more. The issue for me, was when my bill came (party of 2), it came with the card transaction fee and 18% tip included...I was paying cash and was told the fees couldn't be removed, only refunded. Person at the register said the manager set the system up this way. Craziest thing I've seen. Check your tickets and make sure you aren't being ripped off here.

If you're the manager and reading this you should be ashamed of yourself.

Edit for restaurant response Thank you for having the courage to respond. You are clearly tone deaf. And thank you for validating my concerns about your establishment.

My issue/concern was that the charges in question were applied to my bill by default, before I offered payment (including the 18% tip on a table of two). Your claim that the "system won't allow it" is beyond ridiculous. The establishment is in charge of the Point of Sale System, not the other way around.

I was in fact given a refund on the spot...the problem is that I had to ask for it.

I have concerns that other customers that are not checking the charges on their own bills are...

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE THINKING OF DINING HERE: I took my grandmother and sister here for a lunch. It was great until I saw a baby roach crawl on my napkin on my table. I called our waitress over and showed her while it was running under our plates. My grandmother killed the bug and the waitress didn't do anything other than say sorry. We told her to tell the manager and the workers in the back as concern for other people's food and she really didnt seem to care that much. She said that they were already aware as if this was a reoccuring problem that has yet to be resolved. I'm lucky it was not in my food but after reading some of the 1 star reviews, it seems to be "normal" at this place. We still had to pay 56 dollars and we got no apology from management whatsoever. I am not the type to expect free food when things like this happen but I mean the manager could have AT LEAST apologized. I guess it is Gods way of saying I should stay in and cook food myself. I am sad that this happened because the food was good while it lasted. I wouldn't eat here unless you want customer service that puts money over the happiness and health of the customer. This is the fourth review in the past 3 years that involve roaches and I do not think that this should be overlooked. Its...