Cuisine: Vietnamese
Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking
Location: St Paul, MN
Address: 394 University Ave. St. Paul 651.290.2585
Hours: Mon-Thur 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12pm-8pm
Links: Google Map
Atmosphere: The atmosphere at Mai Village is reason enough alone to visit. Set inside a brand-new $4 Million building in the heart of Frogtown, the entrance into the dining area of Mai Village is most impressive; a carved wooden bridge set over a beautiful koi pond.
Mai Village is also home to a large, wooden pagoda set in the middle of the restaurant ( Panels were carved in Vietnam and shipped over). All tables and chairs are also carved from wood. There are several large round tables (seats 9) that have a revolving glass lazy-Susan in the middle. Perfect for a bigger group!
Menu: Appetizers include spring rolls, egg rolls, chicken wings, wontons, shrimp, etc. There are also several soups, including a variety of Pho.
Entrees include Vietnamese-style chow-mein, lo-mein, fried rice, and a variety of shrimp, beef, pork and chicken dishes. Vietnamese specialties include meat and noodle salads.
Price guide: Appetizers $4-7, Soups $4-7 (depending on size), Entrees $8-12, Meat & Noodle Salads $7
What I ordered: To start off, I ordered the spring rolls. I thought the spring rolls were a little small for the price I paid, but they were filled with both pork and shrimp and were delicious. Their hoisan peanut sauce is the best I've had anywhere and they gave us two full cups of it.
My main dish was the sauteed chicken noodle salad. it was a layered salad, lettuce and mint leaves on the bottom, then rice noodle, then the chicken. The chicken was spicy and delicious, reminded me of the lemon-grass chicken I had at Orchid Restaurant. The salad came with a light, thin dressing, but the salad was so flavorful I did not use it.
My companion ordered the beef and fried potatoes. The potatoes were thin and fried to a nice, crispy brown. There was more beef than I was expecting, sliced thin and very tender. The sauce was almost like a thin gravy. Very tasty!
Service: The service was very good. There were plenty of wait staff available during the dinner hours. Probably no need to make reservations, they have a vast amount of seating.
Overall Impression: The restaurant is beautiful and the food was pretty good, but a little pricey. Nice place to come if you have a larger group because you can be easily accommodated.
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