MUA Asian Cuisine — Restaurant in Suttons Bay Township

This place is ok if you are craving some "Nu Asian" while you are up north surrounded by fish and chips and generic hamburgers. The menu has typical Chinese/Thai fare. The prices are somewhat high (but not crazy for a tourist town like this). The quality of the food was varied; some of the items were fresh and delicious, but we agree with other reviewers that some of the portions were small (lacking much meat and small overall, even for lunch) and a bit stale. Overall it was average "Chinese food," however...

When we got our bill, like many others we noticed there was an automated 20% gratuity for our table of 2 with a $60 lunch tab. My guess is they regularly had a mix of bad tippers AND people who chose not to tip well because it was lower quality, high cost, AND some of the other issues we experienced.

Forcing gratuity is a bold act on its own, and we would have probably tipped 20% without hesitation just on the back of the gal being nice, but there were certainly many factors that might have made that scale lower. The sign said "seat yourself" and as we approached the window bench to enjoy lunch while looking over main street, the hostess called to us and insisted we sit at the wobbly two-top in the middle of the empty dining room. There was an 18 month old infant (the hostesses daughter?) roaming the restaurant freely the entire time; her 12 year old sister was the "bus girl/babysitter" but was pretty distracted from either job (and was putting fresh wrapped silverware on benches while she wiped tables and tried to keep the baby away); and they were out of most of their beverage options and the water glasses were pretty blurred and tasting fishy. It wasn't enough to get upset about at the time, but being forced to tip 20% on that was WILD. Get rid of mandatory gratuity if you ever want us to...

Throwing in my input as a Suttons Bay resident & neighboring business owner who gets MUA’s pad see u almost weekly. It’s crazy good, & has looked steady through this winter when I’m walking or driving by. Their website & menus are really clean, straight forward & up front — prices listed are in cash. Credit card fees add up, that’s really normal up here to incentivize patrons paying in cash. Leelanau has several businesses that ONLY accept cash. My morning coffee & breakfast sandwich comes to $20 before tip & honesty, I feel fine about it. I chose to live here. I choose to support local businesses. So, I feel quite fine about $20 for chicken pad see u from a local business in my town. Am I getting it daily? No. It’s special! And really delicious! And I don’t have to cook it! Twenty bucks is average, if not low, for a full meal per person in Leelanau County. Reading through these reviews makes me think a reality check is in order — remote yet desirable location & low competition have implications on costs, rent, access & shipping; so yes, prices. People who live here understand & expect it. Tourists who visit should also be aware & respectful of the rollercoaster ride that is the service industry here. Suttons Bay & Leelanau County loves this family, their business & their food & will continue supporting them — truly, regardless of their prices. It’s what we do.

And, so help me… if you are going to complain about 20% gratuity after being served a $100+ meal outside of your home, your review means nothing to me. That is the norm. That is the expectation. You are being served. If you want to decide the amount to tip for take out, pay in cash & you get to choose how much to add to...

Update: I've went back quite a few times and had a decent experience. However, these last 2 times are enough to make me not go back sadly. Ordered the gang peeanut curry and it was amazing. 2nd time I ordered it, it was so blow out spicy, I couldn't eat it. Ordered it a 3nd time and asked for mild and the same thing happened. This time around, I ordered the cashew chicken. A random favorite id get every once in a while when it was Hang On Expeess. It was always phenomenal. I am super disappointed to report that it was more like flavorless soup with veggies in it. Usually its a thicker sauce with lots of good flavor. The white rice had more flavor that the cashew vegetables and chicken. I want to love this place, as the staff is super friendly, but for the price and the lack of flavor and consistency, we will not return.

Food has been good but the menu and prices are extremely misleading. My entree was listed as orange (chicken, shrimp, or tofu) $15. When the girl rang me up it was $20 and some change. I told her the menu said $15 and she stated the chicken cost $3 extra. If it's listed as an entree and the price is $15, and you're charging $3 extra for chicken....what is the dish then if you don't add a protein? Literally just orange sauce for $15 and a little side a of rice? Doesn't make any sense. Just raise the menu price to alleviate confused customers. I am local and want to come back through out the winter but with all the sketchy reviews on tips and what not, I'm an skeptical to continue to come...