Wai Cafe

Came here with my daughter (7) one night last month and had an awesome time. Place is quaint, especially on a weekday night, good place to have a conversation and light music in the background. My picky Lil eater loves their homemade garlic bread. I always order the baked chicken tenders and the pasta Alfredo is pretty good too. Good vibes and good food, a tad* on the bland side, but it’s a health conscious menu that me and my little one both enjoyed!
So yeah… we’ll be back!

I spontaneously walked into this restaurant when I was on a date six years ago. I do not remember the date — but I remember the grilled tuna steak!
There was a very great vibe from this place as I walked by, it was incredibly warm and inviting. Small intimate environment and a nice menu from what I remember.
I went for the simple but tried and true — house salad with ginger dressing followed by their Japanese grilled tuna (rare of course). When the food is more memorable than the date that could mean one of two things, the date was VERY bad or the food was VERY good. In this case, I am sure it was the latter. The ginger dressing was one of the best I have had anywhere (that is not saying much because I would buy this in bulk if I could) but trust me, it is good. And the tuna was very fresh, had great flavor and was very juicy!
I had to write a review for this place, because I am still craving their tuna. I suppose I will have to go back…

how can they not be on seamless?!

Wai was new when I first started going there (and I think they were on 1^st ave back then). When I discovered it I stopped going to allot of the places I once frequented because the food is so good.

Just wanted to note their new location is at 182 Avenue B between 11^th and 12^th.
Their menu has changed a bit but they still have my favorites such as the Wai Fettucine with artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and mushrooms in a cream sauce and the Wai Salad with tofu, avocado, chickpeas, shredded carrots and of course their unbeatable carrot dressing.

Pretty cool place, during the week a group of us stopped by for lunch. I wasnt really hungry but they ordered salmon, soups, burger and I had a caesar salad being I just had breakfast. Everybody seemed to enjoy there food and the prices were ok. So not a bad place thats quiet and they have a garden out back so when the weather breaks that might seem interesting.

This is quite the little stop shop. We were waiting for the person who was suppose to check us in to the rented apartment across the street. And while we were waiting we popped into wai café for a drink.
We stopped at the right place, Dos XX all the way. We ordered two beers they served them up in wine type glasses.
The place is small, but cozy. I really liked the emptyness. Some locals popped in and they seemed to not care.
I did hear them say,” oh the air is working again!” very excited, as if they heat had kept them away. This was in August right about the 3^rd week when temperatures drop.

This place is definitely great! A friend and I were traveling in Manhattan, and my New Yorker friend was showing us around. Gorgeous day and we wanted a well priced place with good food for cheap by NYC standards, and outdoor seating.
Well, we found it! We didn’t think much of it at first as the outdoor seating is not on the street, but the «Garden is open» sign pulled us through the door.
We got baba ghanoush for an appetizer and each got something different: lentil soup, crepes, blackened chicken, and we were all satisfied, especially with the baba ghanoush which was delicious and plentiful. We could have only wished for more pita.
The garden was empty except for us and extremely quiet, we could barely believe we were still on 1^st ave! It was pretty and just what we needed. The prices were quite reasonable, we were all very happy. And our new yorker friend who is a vegetarian stated how usually he just looks for the only thing he can eat and chooses that, but at this place he spent quite awhile paining over the menu from all the options. And I, a fan of spicy meat, was very happy with the blackened chicken, which wasn’t that «blackened = burned» bogusity that many places have.
The baba ghanoush also came with a hot sauce that, while not identical to, reminded me of sauces that came with the dish in parts of the middle east. Best I’ve had in restaurant in the US!

Brunch. Mimosas. Awesome.
I’ve never gone for anything but brunch, so it’s all I can review about, but it’s definitely a great hangover place. Never obnoxiously busy, mimosas are made with freshly squeezed oranges, and they’re not stingy on the champagne.
Also, the brunch food (pancakes, waffles, eggs) are mainly organic products and served with fresh fruit. I’m usually here or at Lodge in Wburg every Saturday morning.
GO HERE. GET DRUNK. & START YOUR WEEKEND OFF RIGHT. :D

9 or 10 years ago Wai Café was my go to delivery place. I loved their carrot ginger dressing on the salad, their dumplings were good and their Meiji Soba was addictive. I’m not sure what happened, but the last few times I’ve ordered from there the food has not been nearly up to its old quality. The salad dressing is still good, but the Meiji Soba has gone from being spicy and fresh to mushy and sweet.

This place is a great find for simple fresh fare. I wouldn’t expect anything to terribly overly creative or complicated. If you re looking for a healthy lunch or dinner, you will find it here. I’ve only eaten at the restaurant a few times, and its small and relaxed. You can get a bottle of wine for around 20 dollars. I consistently get takeout from there, and they are very friendly about my need for diet friendly food, and the carrot ginger dressing is goood. Yeah.

I can’t believe Wai doesn’t have more stellar reviews! We normally order Wai to go or get it delivered, but recently on a weekend night sat in their nice garden in the back. WE WERE THE ONLY ONES DINING THAT NIGHT! This place should have more people in it, but we suspect most get their orders to go. I dont know why, since their garden is soo nice!
I invariably order the Wai Salad, at $ 7.50 it’s an awesome deal. Lettuce, probably half an avocado sliced, tons of tofu and about a cup of chickpeas. I always get it with the carrot-​ginger dressing too, which is similar to Dojo’s. The Wai Salad is so huge that when we get it to go, it comes in 2 separate containers. I usually save the second one for lunch the following day, score! It is very filling with all that protein and fiber.
They have lots of weekly specials, and we recently enjoyed the Cajun Tofu at $ 4, four huge triangle slices of bean curd encrusted with the same cajun spice concoction that my boyfriend says dresses the Cajun Chicken, a staple on the menu. It comes with a dairy-​free lemon-​garlic sauce.
There is a lot here, and I would compare the offerings – value, quality and quantity — to that of 7a. Lots of Italian-​style pasta, chicken, a few Asian dishes on the menu. I really recommend this place. The people are so nice. However when we dined in, the service was not the greatest. It’s like they’re not used to having people in there.

If you’re looking for a place to dine midday with no hustle or bustle, this is it.
I went there for a nice long solo lunch today and seriously lingered for way longer than anticipated. Did I mention I didn’t have a book or a magazine to keep me busy? I was just staring out the window. …And I loved every minute of it. And there was absolutely no pressure to leave or pay or order anything else. I happened to be feeling a little under the weather today, so just staring out the window happened to be just what the doctor ordered.
The doctor also ordered an egg white scramble with potatoes (were they home fries? …honestly not sure what home fries are exactly; sorry.). But I needed something relatively healthy and this was it– accompanied by a glass of the most delicious and soothing glass of hot apple cider I could have imagined. I don’t know if it’s standard, but it even had a cinammon stick in it. This little surprise made me very happy.
I would absolutely come back for a nice healthy lunch or light dinner. OH, and great prices too. Lunch was 6 and change. Come here to chill out, linger and relax after a long day.

Wai Café, I really want to like you. I really do. But I just can’t bring myself to. My mom and my aunt swear by you, but you’re really not for me. The place is always empty and they often don’t have music playing. Awkwardddd. The food (and beer/​wine!) are cheap, so that’s a plus but that’s it. The dumplings are BADD. But the Wai salad is good. The Carrot Ginger dressing is the BEST. I could drink it. But other than that, meh.

(I am re-​posting my review b/​c SOMEONE thought that they would be cute by hacking into my account and delete some of my reviews. Unilocal HQ retrieved them)
Jun 24, ²⁰⁰⁸⁄₃ Stars
Ok, I am being nice with my gracing Wai Café with a 3 star review and I will tell you why. 1) They deliver ** 2) The carrot salad dressing was tasty * ((that’s it)) My girlfriend phoned in an order sometime after 930 AM. She waltzed into my room to announce that she was going to order in and gave me the menu to look at. I ordered the chicken crepes with some sort of sauce and I decided on the salad instead of the fries as the side. I forgot what my friend ordered but she did order the fries and they were the worst tasting mashed of crap that I have ever had… (seriously) So, the crepes were soggy and not what I would call a crêpe. But, I did dig my salad… I didn’t finish the crepes. I did try my friends fries and that was a joke… I ended up meeting up with a friend to grab some real food… I was hungry and disappointed by this Wai Café…

Good crepes. Good salad. Good dumplings. Bad pad thai. Bad, bad pad thai. Pad thai is grounded. Pad thai is not going to the movies later with its friends. Pad thai you sit and think about what you’ve done.

I’ve only ever tried their crepes (mushroom and swiss to be exact), but their crepes are amazing and come drizzled with this refreshing basily dressing thing that is just scrumptious.
I did have a couple of bites once of their fettucini and found it incredibly rich. Too rich in fact to finish eating. It kind of made me feel icky.

I always find it weird when I come across a place advertising their free wifi but inside they don’t look like the kind of joint that one would sit in with a laptop. It’s a restaurant, not a café. Still, there are outlets, there are signs proclaiming the wifi in big, capital letters, might as well take advantage if you need to.

Back in the summer of 2005, I had the unique opportunity to eat the leftovers off several Wai Café plates.
Wai Fettucini, stupendous!
Rosemary Chicken Salad, superb!
The service was magnificent. And not just because I was waitressing.
But because the plates were always cleared at the end of the night. And I didn’t have to eat too much of the boring chicken dishes.

After receiving a nasty letter from the IRS, I’m currently very interested in what «cheap» is. In fact, it can’t really be cheap enough. If they wanted to give me food for free, I would gladly take it. But, like all things, I do have standards. I won’t put an old sock in my mouth or eat a piece of chalk.
So I was pleasantly surprised to be recommended to try Wai Café after a late Sunday night out. The food is well priced and is what it is. It’s edible, tasty, and you actually feel like you paid for what you get. It’s now wow worthy nor will it blow your socks off but when you’re wandering around the East Village, beggers can’t be choosy.
The chicken burger isn’t what I expected and I actually ate the side of veggies that came with it (my mom would be proud). The mashed potatoes are nice, creamy and buttery. The chicken pad thai doesn’t taste like pad thai but it’s not bad either. And the ginger-​carrot house dressing on salads is one of the best salad dressings I’ve had in awhile.
What makes the place is a nice, small garden in the back. There are four or five tables right in an alleyway behind the building. You look up and ponder how annoying your jokes are irritating the people who live above the restaurant. On a pleasant summer night, the spot is perfect.