Mai-Lam Vietnamese Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Mixed Experience – Friendly Service, Disappointing Food

The service was great, and the staff was very kind and welcoming. However, the food left a lot to be desired.

I ordered the Cashew Chicken, which surprisingly came with fewer than two cashews — quite ironic for a dish named after the nut. The egg rolls had good flavor, but they arrived soggy and greasy, likely due to being sealed in a steamy Styrofoam to-go container.

For $16 (after tax and tip), I received two cups of rice and about one cup of chicken with overcooked veggies in a thick, heavy brown sauce. The Sweet and Sour dish had vegetables shown in the steam table, but none were included in the actual meal we received.

Perhaps we would have had better luck ordering one of the Thai or Vietnamese dishes, which I’ve heard better things about. Skip the $13.75+tax Linch Specials or try the other place...

I was milling about the skyway, looking for some lunch. I’d landed on getting some chain shop sandwich, but passing by Mai-Lam I made eye contact with the banh mi, and I knew it was game over.

The sandwich was PHENOMENAL! The bread had that great crusty - but not too crusty - exterior, with a pillowy inside. Juicy, flavorful pork, delicious viet mayo, and all the traditional accoutrements you’d expect. This was absolutely top-notch and will become a regular staple of my weekly lunch time meals.

To add, I was helped promptly by a very nice woman who had popped out from the back when she saw me standing there. I was handed my sandwich instantly and another incredibly nice woman rang me up. I was in and out in less than a minute. I cannot recommend...

Ordered for the 1st time. Got a call to verify the directions which was thoughtful and they sounded nice. Finding the place was a hassle. Paying for parking also was not ideal. But the service was friendly and area clean. Ordered egg rolls which were great. Spring rolls which were great as well, the peanut sauce was better then I anticipated. Chicken pho was decent, not spectacular. Sesame chicken was amazing, lovely flavor. Fried rice was delicious too. Food pretty good. Location takes away from a great experience...