Kim Lai in Portsmouth - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I LOVE THE FOOD!! Best Chinese food around Portsmouth!! I mean its has it potential to be a jade three.. but if that lady that takes all the delivery orders should be idk maybe ACTUALLY NICE ON the phone!!? Like shes always yelling for you to hurry up with your order and when if you were to get an item sized wrong SHE FREAKS OUT. Like never have i ever hear a more entitled person in my life. Especially on the phone.

I hate giving bad reviews to small businesses but the food here is really bad. I came in with already expecting normal cheap fast, Chinese food, but the food quality really was not good. The wonton soup was completely tasteless and had a strip of meat that was past its prime a as s tasted off. The dumplings were deep-fried instead of boiled or steamed or pan fried as you would normally expect. The best thing was the chicken and broccoli - that was an OK choice. Haven’t eaten tons of Chinese food before I would never go back to this place.

It got my cousin food poisoning and her husband was having an allergic reaction or They must had cross contamination and didn’t clean their dishes cause my cousin and her husband went to the hospital. This restaurant could have killed my cousin husband , lucky the hospital helped a lot and he is doing ok. If this restaurant had a 0 rating I would give it a 0. This restaurant shouldn’t existed, they should get sued. And how they said it’s not their problem but it sure is their problem to begin with. They are rude and ignorant. And p.s (SpongeBob reference) OH BROTHER THIS RESTAURANT STINKS!!!!!!

Just had dinner here. So yummy. I love the food here! Definitely coming back! Do yourself a service and come visit if you haven’t yet!

We eat here often. Always have great food, and plenty of it. Service is great, staff are always friendly.

I eat here often. The food is always good, the portions are large enough that I almost always take leftovers home, and the staff is very friendly. When I lived closer, I often ordered take out, and the quality was just as good as when eating in the restaurant. I highly recommend this restaurant.

This is my go-to for Chinese food in the Portsmouth area. Every meal I've had there has been perfect. The service is friendly and attentive, even when they are super busy. Everything is consistent and wonderful whether I dine in or do take-out.

First time going here greasy food hubby end up in hospital from eating there food my stomach was hurting like we got food poison he had allergic reaction worst place don't go there he almost died

Do not eat here unless you want your stomach hurting or coming out where you can’t breathe and you get red big blotches on your face and you have to take Benadryl this place should be shut down food is greesy my cousins husband had to go to the hospital due to having some type of allergic reaction and he isn’t allergic to peanuts they have something in the food that there not saying please I don’t recommend going here and won’t go again

Worst place ever don't go here at all you will end up in hospital with hives and stomach ache and pains don't change oils greasy food my hubby and I ate here he had go ER because this place is responsible for his allergy reaction I don't recommend at all

Chinese food here sucks greasy my wife and i got sick don't waste your time or your money I end up in hospital because this place Worst and never again

I've eaten here multiple times and never had a complaint. The food is awesome and prices are very reasonable. The dining area & bathroom are clean. Staff is always very polite.

I have been a regular at this Chinese restaurant for about two years now. What I can say is if you eat in the restaurant, the food is fresh and flavorful as I wrote in my previous review, but I have not had good luck with takeout for the last four visits. I noticed that takeout food is less than fresh. The food is overcooked. It’s dry and I noticed that the jumbo shrimp were not deveined. The spare ribs were dry. The chicken wings were overcooked and dry. The crab Rangoon was fine. The eggrolls were not good and I got a small lo mein that had nothing in it but noodles no vegetables no flavor nothing just lo mein. I will no longer order takeout from Kim Lai. This has happened more than once with different menu items. I will only eat in the restaurant from now on.

Was very delicious was around the area typed in Chinese food and this one was the closest one highly recommended

Worst Chinese I've ever had. We couldn't even eat the pork fried rice. The lobster in the seafood food delight was like chewing on a tire. Not to mention the seafood delight is 90% broccoli with one shriveled lobster tail and three shrimps. Even the dumplings had a chew to them, as if they had been previously frozen. Just gross.

Totally skimped all our dinner specials. 3 different combo plates and ordered other sides. And totally skimped me on rice and chicken. I always order from this place. And she says that they’ve been doing this for 20 Years which is a lie. Never coming back here again. Disrespectful. Spent over 70 dollars and barely any food.

We like this place very much. It's kinda out of our way. We usually eat in but take out last nite. It wasn't good! The chicken fingers were thin, we got a pu pu platter for two and hardly any food and not good. The steamed dumplings had a weird taste to them. Alot of money spent! Very disappointing.

Excellent food. Monstrous portions. Super happy I stopped in.

We live out of state and anytime we drive through Portsmouth, NH, we make Kim Lai a priority for a lunch/dinner stop. Small location, but don't let that stop you. Menu selections are plentiful, flavor is amazing, presentation is simple and abundant. All the selections we have found are hot, and tasty and flavorful. They do an amazing job and always enjoy stopping by. Pricing is very reasonable. Service is efficient and the staff is very kind.

Can't believe I've eaten here forever without a review. Our new years go to. I can't remember anytime Kim Lai wasn't our must have for Chinese. Amazing food & service everytime and the lunch specials are a great deal for takeout

The best food ever. Very clean food.

** edit March29 2024 - I tried the egg drop soup again since it has been a while and it was much better. It's not the thick yellow kind you expect with most Chinese food places but is flavorful and very satisfying to eat.** Decent food, good appetizers. Love the kung pow chicken! Not a huge fan of the egg-drop soup, too bland and lite for my liking.

Best soup ever. The negative reviews are laughable. I’ve been eating here for like 12 years and the food is always good. The service is awesome. The generals chicken is always big chunks of chicken every time! It’s literally a days worth of food. So yummy. 😋 If the staff isn’t arguing in the kitchen is the food even good? 🤣🤦🏻 come for the entertainment!

Food is always hot & delicious & service is superb.

Well managed restaurant, good food. They have a long record of tasty Chinese food. Recommend!

Excellent food, attentive wait staff. Very neat and clean.

PSA: CHECK YOUR FOOD!! I have found short dark hairs stuck to my boneless spareribs and weaved into the beef lomein. Not once, but TWICE! Completely disgusted. Not to mention the delivery driver is SO rude when he delivers! Once he argued I didn’t tip when I clearly did on the receipt. Then he tried to get me to double tip! This time he delivered and when I opened the door, he didn’t say hello or wave or even crack a smile. I tipped cash this time and said thank you! He just turned around and walked away. I’m always polite regardless. So we won’t be ordering from here anymore!

I was shocked how good the food was. I really wasn't expecting it. Quality of the food was great (except the egg rolls) Very fresh Nice find!!

Ordered beef with scallions. Dish was overloaded with green peppers. Didn't order beef and peppers. Told waitress but she didn't care. Will never go back.

Decent food but not very accommodating for gluten free. Wasn’t very busy but server was not very attentive. She didn’t understand the menu and was difficult to understand so another staff member helped explain the options. Food portions were generous for lunch items we ordered. Prices were reasonable! Bathrooms are clean and my fortune came true…I was hungry after 1hour 😆 not exactly what you want when going out for lunch.

Great place to eat. Friendly staff. Always good food

Good food, everything is tasty, my favorite is dipping chicken teriyaki in some hot mustard. Have never had a bad experience. We started ordering from here years ago when Szechuan taste in Exeter became Szechuan not so tasty anymore. It's really one of the only places we go for this style of Chinese now.

I got delivery, which was quick. My order was correct and the food is very good. Portions are a good size too. Well worth the money.

After an afternoon of shopping in Portsmouth, I stopped by Kim Lai Chinese Restaurant for take-out. At the cashier station, I placed my order for the Luncheon Special #11 – Fried Shrimp, Shrimp Chow Mein, & Pork Fried Rice. That’s my favorite. Before 3:30 PM, the price is $10.95. After that, it’s $11.95. I missed the luncheon price deadline by about 3 minutes due to someone placing an order ahead of me. With NH Meals Tax of 8.5%, the total was $11.97. This restaurant puts the chow mein noodles underneath. I asked to have them packed separately. It’s not normally done, but where I am a repeat customer, the kitchen agreed to do that. It was about a 20-minute wait for my order. At home, I enjoyed my food. Portions of the Shrimp Chow Mein and Pork Fried Rice were generous. I had three dinners on those items. There were just two Fried Shrimp. They had been cooked on a skewer, so that were straightened. The best part of the meal was the Shrimp Chow Mein. It was absolutely loaded with the tiny shrimp. There were well over 30 of them in the order. The base was a light sauce. The food was tasty. Not one of the three parts of the meal was overly salty. The soy sauce was used moderately. I liked the taste and crispiness of the noodles. Everything in the order was satisfactory. This is exactly what I have come to expect of Kim Lai. Although the prices on the food here are a bit higher than some other places, one does get one’s money’s worth at Kim Lai. For the quantity, quality, and value at Kim Lai, my rating remains at 4.75. I highly recommend Kim Lai. If you found this review useful, please click the THUMBS UP to indicate HELPFUL.

Best best Chinese food And the service is always fast and friendly I think they could do better for atmosphere but it's definitely not a deterrent. Highly recommend this place,!

Went with group of seven on Thanksgiving. Food was great. But two of us had to wait much longer for our meals than the others even though we all ordered at the same time. Also 3 of us asked for separate checks but got one check. It took awhile to straighten it out.

Unquestionably, this is my all-time favorite restaurant, boasting exceptional service and genuinely kind, hospitable staff, Especially Billy. My family and I have been loyal patrons since my infancy, and we've yet to find any establishment that matches its excellence. An unparalleled dining experience with a resounding 100/10 rating - a visit here is sure to exceed your expectations.

Excellent food, fresh ingredients. Been here many times and have enjoyed our meals. Crispy beef is especially good. Extensive menu and nice selection of lunch specials. The restaurant is popular and it's easy to understand why.

We are very pleased every time we have had dinner inside or have done take out. Never a bad meal. The food and drinks are delicious! We find the staff and owner to be very friendly and professional. I would highly recommend Kim Lai for great food, drink and there super atmosphere!!

Ordered in a pinch at the end of the night. Not only were they accommodating despite me ordering close to close, but the food was fresh and with a generous quality and super tasty. Exceeded my expectations!!

Never gotten a bad meal here. Their dumplings with ginger dipping sauce are delicious beyond belief!

I have eaten here many times over the past 8 years. This was the WORST meal I've ever had here !!! Had my favorite, Shrimp & Lobster Sauce with egg roll. The Lobster sauce was barely warm & very salty. The Shrimp tasted Slimy. The egg roll was so over cooked, I sent it back. The "new one" ( not sure it was new !!!) was just as bad. I didn't eat it. YOU'VE JUST LOST A LOYAL CUSTOMER !!!

First time ordering Chinese delivery since moving to Portsmouth from NYC (where Chinese delivery is a religion). Great food from Kim Lai (I'm a huge General Tso fan and love to try different takes on it - this one was a little more spicy than I'm used to, but still quite good) and it was still hot, a little slow (but might not be for Portsmouth), and there was a TON of food. Excited to find quality Chinese delivery!!

Good food, whole family enjoyed our dinner.

Best food of its kind in the area. Never disappointed.

Food is always very good here. Service is good and atmosphere is as you would expect. Floor plan is a little odd. We prefer it sit behind the wall in the bar area, which is not like us, but it's best here.

******Peanut Allergy Experience ****** The Food is great love the chicken wings, but Something happened when we got take out…. My son who has a peanut allergy had some Chicken Lo mein instantly he felt something was off luckily his reaction was mild but when I called the restaurant to confirm there was no peanut oil used they said only vegetable oil, so then I asked if there was any type of nut in the lo mein and they said there is a peanut sauce on it……. I have never dealt with this anywhere else and didn’t think to ask when ordering, it does not say it anywhere on the menu. I gave the review 4 stars because I really like the food, service and prices. I just don’t want to have anyone else experience what we did if possible, So if adding to the menu contains peanut sauce helps keep someone safe I think it would be a wise decision to keep people informed

Best General Tsos chicken that I have ever had, excellent!!

Food is fresh, hot and plentiful!

Very good Chinese food. Never had a bad dish and they are very reasonable priced!

Cheapest good chinese food in town.

Chicken fried rice with extra mixed veggies didn’t really have mixed veggies, but was tasty. Chicken pad thai with extra mixed veggies came as shrimp pad thai without mixed veggies, but…was tasty. I’d come back.

A hidden gem, hot tea, plump rangooons and tasty wings for a cold snowy day. Staff is pleasant and quick. We have a new favorite place! And what a cute serving tray!

Take out! Food was the best I have had in a very long time..give the cook a raise..a definite keeper!

My five-star review for this place includes a courteous and polite gentleman that answered the phone to take my order My order being delivered in a very timely manner, the delivery driver very respectful and polite as well and going above and beyond to bring it to my truck at the local truck stop. I ordered about $35 worth of food and it was all excellent if I'm ever in the area again I will definitely call

First time visit, got luncheon specials that were very good. Going back to try other dishes.

Stopped by on a whim. Staff was super friendly. Food was fantastic and very reasonably priced. Highly recommend!!

For years, I loved this place! But the quality seems to have plummeted. Pad Thai noodles were very undercooked and had the chicken inside of it tasted like something was wrong with it. I threw away the whole container- what a waste. I asked for it to be spicy, and it was not- it had an odd pink color and a rotten shrimp smell (I also specified no shrimp) . The other dish was pretty standard but again the chicken tasted canned or old. PFR had barely any flavor. Crab rangoons used to be tender and flaky, now they use cheap, tough wonton skins. I'm so disappointed that their food has become so low quality, and sorry that I had to leave a bad review. The people are really nice, so that's at least something - but the food is a colossal disappointment and a huge waste of money.

This was our first visit Fantastic food - great customer service We will be back

We love this place! We happened to go because we were at the fish store in the same lot, and needed lunch. I'm so glad we did! The service was literally incredible (our server noticed we dropped utensils and brought us new ones immediately without us even having to say anything, one of the staff also helped me box my food without me having to ask because I was worried I would spill it) and the food was very good! Pepper steak was not chewy at all, everything was hot and fresh. The restaurant was VERY clean and shiny and bright, and the atmosphere was very calm. Will absolutely be coming again next time we make the trip out :)

I have had multiple dishes from here and they have all been fantastic. Highly recommend the pork fried rice, fried dumplings, and beef with broccoli. The portions are great for the price, I always have enough for lunch and (sometimes) dinner the next day. Ordered delivery tonight and the food was packaged very carefully so that no sauce would spill out, the driver was very nice, and it arrived a lot quicker than I expected. All in all a great experience every time

Was dinning there and was hit in the face with the smell of bleach before I got my food. I lost my appetite right then the smell made my appetizer taste like chemicals. I will be dining somewhere else from here on out.

The food was good, it was just NOT worth the price. All the food we had just tasted like they forgot to season it. By far the most expensive Chinese food I’ve ever had and ranked in the bottom for taste. I will say though, their egg rolls are the best I’ve ever had.

Amazing Chinese food! Great prices! Great people! Would highly recommend!

Great food and fast delivery! Tip your drivers-that work hard for you.

Love their chicken with broccoli

Food is ALWAYS great and arrived to table quickly. Staff are pleasant The prices are very good and servings are good! Yummy! Highly Recommended!!!

My credit card was declined. The woman on the phone was very nasty and hung up on me.

Amazing food! We had a miscommunication with delivery, but the restaurant made it right and the food arrived earlier than the expected time. Hot and delicious and exactly what we ordered. Thank you so much!

The food there lately has improved 100 fold, it is now without question the best Chinese food in the Seacoast area. The new owner is very friendly and so is everyone else and the takeout orders come out perfect

I wish I still lived near Kim Lai. It's my favorite Chinese restaurant in USA. Absolutely the best Moo Goo Gai Pan, and the best pork fried rice for the money. Original review from 5 years ago: I eat here about once a week for lunch. The food tastes great, the service is very good, and the lunch specials are priced very well. Dinner prices are way too high though. Lunch specials run about $8 before tip. Expect to pay $20-25 for the same meal at dinner. They do give a larger amount of food at dinner... but the lunch portion is plenty. I would prefer to get the lunch portion at dinner time and save the money.

Something special is going on in that kitchen. Just wow. 11/10 don’t change what your doing Kim!

Food was excellent drinks was great , we like how the food freshly prepared and warm in served. They gave us so much food for our Money, I will go there again

Cashew chicken was tasty and plenty of chicken and cashews but the rest of it was mostly celery, three pieces of carrot and not even any evidence of onion or broccoli. Whatever happened to Chinese vegetables like mini corn, snow peas, and water chestnuts? Celery is a cheap filler.

I wish I could write a positive review, but I just can't. We sat for one hour at the restaurant while we watched all the take-outs leave within minutes. The waitstaff did apologize for the food being late, but only half-hearted. The food was less than inspiring, but it is plentiful. The waitstaff asked how the meal was and shrugged off our comment about the food being just OK. She laughed as if she knew the answer to the question. This is too bad, because we have gone to Kim Lai for years. Sadly, I will look elsewhere.

For a small strip mall location this little place puts out a good meal. I was immediately impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant and the prompt service. Nicely done with linen napkins, even at lunch, and water and hot tea service upon arrival. It was so nice to have such great service and food.

First time I ordered with this restaurant and the food,taste,and service was great! I will definitely be ordering again!!

The food is always excellent and the prices are just right in this cozy little place. Their Mai Tai recipe is most excellent!

Best Chinese fried rice with hug portions and tasty sauce.

Great hidden gem! Food is excellent and the prices are very reasonable. We stop here every time we are in town.

Delicious Dragon and Phoenix - Large shrimp and General Tso chicken. Very good value.

The dude literally laughed at me when I asked for a special instruction they have done before. Terrible customer service, but I guess this is common with these kinds of places.

Quick delivery, AND the general tso's chicken is *actual* chicken breast, not the usual garbage of 99% breading and a tiny bit of gross chicken in the middle. Probably the best I've ever had from a chinese takeout place!

Hot fast and good. Egg rolls were fantastic very fresh. The hottest mustard ever 😋 duck sauce was a bit thin but tasty. Beef and broccoli was okay just didn't hit the flavor I'm used to. House special fried rice was spectacular, loaded with ingredients and alot of it. Pricing was reasonable too. Definitely will return for more.

Having recently tried the meals here more than several times, I have raised my opinion of this restaurant. One needs to realize the “luncheon specials” range from just “OK- to good” - 3-4 star range! My opinion: an order was “Husan 3 delight”(beef, chicken and shrimp served and spicy brown sauce and vegetable) was 4 star. The meal should’ve been more tasty but sauce was flat and had an overload of cut broccoli, no real other vegetable. Canton Suggestions are very good -“Four Happiness” meal is very tasty, and a 5 star-excellent treat! Rice must be order separately, which I think adds to the meal.

THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHERE ITS AT!! the portions were huge , it was delivered hot , the flavor was ON POINT! hands down best Chinese I’ve had in a very long time.

best ive had in a long time definately recommend

Very good food. Reasonable price

Great food! The wait staff did mess up our orders, but it was taken care of in the end.

Food was good.But the waiters kept trying to flirt with me I think the name of the worker was Alvin

Most delicious food I have ever had; the food was fairly priced as well. Definitely returning to this amazing establishment. The waiter named Alex is very nice and handsome. 10/10

Just went here for lunch, delicious food.

I love Chinese food, I have tried a lot of places on the seacoast area and nothing is as good as this place! Portions are large and food presentation is awesome and they deliver! Friendly fast service!

Best Chinese food in Portsmouth NH

The food was amazing. You definitely get your monies worth. What I ordered cost a little over $12 including the tax and I had enough food for two meals. Love this place.

Simply the best! Food is fresh and hot, service is great.

High quality, good portion sizes and fast delivery. Crispy scallion pancakes! They will deliver to the TA truck stop. They are everything a driver looks for in good Chinese food!

The Best Chinese food in the United States Five Stars *****

1st time customers, don't know if we will come back but .. Friendly staff, quick service. Food looked well plated. Lo mein was salty, fingers were soggy from grease and the fried rice had no taste.

I've been there many times. Great, fresh food, super clean restaurant, friendly, helpful staff. It's a comfortable environment to have a good meal. I recommend it to everyone.