O Mai
(212) 633-0550
158 9th Ave
(at 20th Street)
New York,
NY
10001
40.7444
-74.0028
Neighborhoods: Midtown, Chelsea
What People Are Saying About O Mai
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
Diners sit elbow-to-elbow at paper-draped tables, sipping from wine glasses and straining to speak over high-decibel mood music that bounces between the brick walls. Ill-informed servers are often rushed, and parties are rarely served at the same time.
The Food
Fans of Nam may experience deja vu--the menu's virtually the same here, and the creative, casual Vietnamese dishes are attracting crowds. Start with cucumber and cilantro stuffed tuna rolls, sizzling wok-seared sirloin and watercress salad or monkfish with peanuts, mint and peppers. Soups, such as creamy pumpkin curry or fish broth with shrimp dumplings, are excellent. Both the chili-lime glazed snapper and steamed bass over ginger-scallion noodles are reliably good. Some familiar dishes, such as chili-lemongrass chicken and roast duck, are humdrum. Creamy chocolate mousse with orange marmalade, and chilled coconut cream topped with tapioca sauce are nice finishes.
User Reviews
noak11
November 22, 2008
My Vietnamese friend took us last night. He claims it to be one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city. He was not lying. The appetizers were the best part. We had crispy spring rolls, grilled prawns, and a lemongrass beef roll. Then we had another order of crispy spring rolls. We learned that the greens that come with are not a garnish, but you should wrap the spring rolls in the lettuce and ginger provided and dip the entire thing. It was amazing. We ordered 3 entrees and shared them and they were good, but the crispy spring rolls were delicious enough to die for. The place is hard to find, since there is no sign, and the front door doesn't close automatically, so if you sit by the door you will have to get up constantly to close it. The service was fine, nothing amazing. The wine selection is small, so we ordered liquor. They don't have a cocktail menu, just a full bar. Martinis were $11, sparkling wine was $7. Prices are decent. I will definitely come back.
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nathalie508
November 10, 2008
I've traveled extensively in Vietnam and love the food. O Mai and its sister restaurant, Nam, in SoHo, are to my mind the best Vietnamese places in the city. I've been to O Mai probably 15 times since it opened and have never found the hostess or wait staff to be rude; I don't know what these other reviewers are talking about. The food's great and very well prices. Try the spicy beef salad, and definitely get the shrimp ravioli. The green papaya salad is really good too, not your ordinary green papaya salad at all. The Hanoi style pork is fantastic, but ask for extra vermicelli. Also love the red snapper, I think they call it tamarind-glazed crispy red snapper or something. I've taken loads of people there and they've all thought it was great (but the dishes I mentioned are, to my mind, the best on the menu). The curried vegetables you can get as a side dish are really good too. I usually go with one other person, and we order maybe three appetizers, the pork or the fish, and maybe the curried vegetables, and that's plenty of food at a really good price.
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scorpgirl
May 12, 2008
Great duck, really good summer rolls. Loved the coffee. We didn't have dessert, but it looked good. Don't go here for the pho. It's also very crammed seating.
read full reviewThe Details on O Mai
What to Drink:
Stick to cocktails--the short wine list is overpriced and under-inspired. But the tiny bar along the back wall specializes in potent drinks with Asian twists, such as sweet-and-sour tamarind margaritas ($10).
