Yangming, Bryn Mawr
Conestoga & Haverford Roads
(1051 Conestoga Road)
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
610-527-3200
Quick Take: Yangming’s 15+ year reign at the corner of Conestoga and Haverford in Bryn Mawr speaks enough to its popularity and consistency. Serving elegant, well-prepared traditional Chinese cuisine, Yangming is a great place for eat-in or take-out. It’ll cost a bit more than the corner take-out shop, but the quality is well worth it.
[Official Website]
Feel free to view reader comments or add your own review.
December 28, 2007 @ 8:48 am
# Ed Kessler Says:
December 25th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
CHRISTMAS AT YANGMING (Bryn Mawr): To honor the ancient Jewish tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Day (Christians permitted if dogs steal your Turkey) I made reservations at Yangming. Since we were taking my 97 year old mother and 85 year old aunt we needed a place that not only was open on Christmas but took reservations so they woul not have to stand in line. It also had to be on, or near, the lower Main Line.
I would have rather eaten at Sang Kee, one of my favorites, but they wern’t taking reservations on Christmas day, and they have a very small waiting area.
Well Yangming is a beautiful place– sort of like George’s but with Chinese food. Prices about the same, also NOT a BYOB. They, however do offer a decent selection of wines by the glass for $5.50.
What about the food? The food is OK– not worth the 24 Zagat rating but OK. Keep in mind that you are only suppose to rate those restaurants which you have eaten at in the past year. This means those people who tried it and didn’t like it should stop rating it after a year but those who keep going back will keep rating it year in and year out. This sometimes produces a high rating within a small group of loyal customers. Back to their food.
Their won-ton soup was good — not as good as LaSaigon in Paoli or Sang Kee in Wynnewood but good. My sister said the pork dumplings were good, my wife had an excellent shrimp and avocado salad and I had a wonderful Satay Lamb.
The Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls were OK but nothing special.
For out Entrees we had Woc-Tossed Mustard Coconut Shrimp and Shrimp with Honey Walnuts. Both had lots very good shrimp but the sauces were a bit lacking. We also had Spicy, Crispy Orange Beef. In this case the sauce was excellent but the beef was just OK. My aunt had Sweet and Sour Chicken which was a good version of this tired old dish.
We didn’t stay for dessert but they had a selection of European and Chinese desserts.
The prices are higher than most other Chinese restaurants with most entrees ranging from $14 to $29. It is however a beautiful place to eat.
I would consider going back next Christmas.
# Ed Kessler Says:
December 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I think the readers of this blog, for the most part, are too young for this place. I’m 67 and I think I might be too young!
# Marshall Says:
December 26th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Hey, I’m 35 and I like Yangming.
# Ed Kessler Says:
December 26th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Any more Yangming fans out there? Why have you hiden your feelings– you shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying a place for seniors.
# Papadick Says:
December 27th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Ed – you are so so wrong on this one. Our nieces & nephews – all in their late teens and early twenties – love going to Yang Ming. In fact it is their favorite place to dine when they visit. And we always see young families enjoying very good food.
# Ed Kessler Says:
December 27th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
PAPADICK SAYS: You may well be right but why has no one commented on Yangming till now. This should be a two way street. If you eat in a reasturant and like it let us know so we can try it. On the other hand if don’t like it let us know why. Tell us which are the good items and what are the bad. If you order the right dishes, sometimes you can get a very good meal at a just OK restaurant. On the other hand, some otherwise good restaurants seem to get some dishes wrong. If we share this information we can all eat better.
Next time you eat at Yangming try their wonderful Sate Lamb as an appetizer. Then have them make Orange Beef using their nice shrimp instead of the just OK beef they normally use.
Enjoy!
January 2, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
My wife and I have eaten at Yang Ming many times and have never been disappointed. The food is always good and service exemplary. We never eat the “Chinese” food, but prefer the western dishes. The filet, the lamb, and sea bass are always well done and seasoned in a way that is different from the usual western restaurants, with a subtle Asian flair. And the seafood soup for 2 is a must. Try it, you’ll like it.
January 4, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
Yang Ming is most certainly not “a place for seniors.” In fact, I (a 32-year-old) find more of a younger crowd whenever we dine at Yang Ming, which is frequently and for many, many years now. We go on Friday and Saturday nights, though – no early bird senior specials for us folks who have to work during the week.
January 16, 2008 @ 9:49 am
My wife and I had dinner with our 21 year old Niece last evening (Wednesday) at a full house at Yang Ming. The crowd was certainly NOT dominated by retirees.
Our experience began as we neared the entryway steps and we took in the many savory aromas spewing from the kitchen. Appetizers were delightful and the entrees were as expected. If there was a disappointment it would have to be the Cappuccino – but this is NOT an Italian restaurant.
I can only surmise that the comments about the older crowd came from a visit on Christmas day – and the younger folks were at home enjoying their families. The folks going out for dinner on that day probably had no local family to visit – so obviously the crowd may have a few wrinkles. Not all bad at that.
January 25, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Yang Ming is a great dining facility. Sesame chicken is a must. Wonton Soup and rice are always amazing as well! Service is exemplary also. Yang ming is a great place in the mainline area as well.
January 25, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
RE: Lexie Says: Thank you for providing a short but useful review of Yangming which actually focuses in on the food. Next time I’m there I will try the Sesame Chicken.
I have tried their Wonton Soup and I agree that is better than most. However, if you are a serious Wonton Soup person and like to eat in the Bryn Mawr area, try the Thin Skin Wonton Soup (not the regular) at Beijing Inn near the movie theater.
If you are willing to travel a few miles to the west for what I think might be the best Wonton Soup on the Main Line, try LaSaigon in the Paoli Shopping Center. Their Wontons are thin and delicate, they almost melt in your mouth. Add to that the best Coconut Shrimp I have ever tasted and you have what is posssibly the best meal ever served in a suburban shopping center.
April 27, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
My boyfriend and I have gone to Yang Ming twice in the past month and a half, our second time being last weekend. The shrimp with broccoli and five spice duck special were both fresh tasting and well executed. Last weekend we ordered the crap and shrimp fried rice (tasted good for what it was but I am not sure I’d order it again) and a beef dish which again was fresh and flavorful.
Entree portions are definitely sufficient, but not huge (this is coming from a big eater). The only semi- disappointments were the appetizers – we have had the lobster and korean dumplings (specials), spring rolls and the veal ravioli. Everything tasted pretty good, but nothing wowed. In addition, the appetizer portions are rather small.
Regardless, we were really impressed with Yang Ming and we plan to go back regularly (by the way – we are both 32).
July 19, 2008 @ 7:28 am
Never beeb dissapointed here. Wanton Soup, Sesame Chicken, and Lamb are all amazing along with the pork fried rice of course. A little pricey but still very great!
November 5, 2008 @ 6:10 am
I’ve been here a few times, always thought it was okay but not great – basically better then average Chinese.
November 26, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
All I can say is that they have pricey food but it’s good. I would give this place 4 1/2 silver spoons. Sometimes it takes them longer than I want to bring my food but it’s always exalent! The things I would say to get are pork fried rice,sesame chicken and toaltly get the wanton soup.If your on a budget I wouldn’t go there.It’s good if you have a lot of money.If you can eat a lot and have a lot of money than you should go to yang ming.
November 28, 2008 @ 9:37 am
Kayla & Lexie, your comment about cost is right on, but rating a chinese restaurant on Sesame Chicken, pork fried rice and wonton soup, especially a Yang Ming is not very revealing. You can go to Chueng Sing on Lancaster Ave and get that. I agree w/Marc, it’s better than average IMO.
February 17, 2009 @ 7:05 am
I have to agree. You don’t go to Yang Ming for Sesame Chicken any more than you go to a fancy steak house and get a hamburger. Yang Ming is not your run-of-the-mill chinese takeout. They have excellent filet mignon, lamb, and a number of other wonderful treats. It is a western restaurant an Asian flair, not a chinese restaurant. Don’t get the pork fried rice. Eat outside the box.
November 9, 2009 @ 7:17 am
First of all I am an associate pastor, and my wife is an business owner.We eat out pretty regularly from Morimoto downtown
to tao in Manhattan, and I can confidently say this was one of if not the most unauthentic chinese resturaunts we ever experienced, and my wife is asian. The food is take out level at exorbitent prices and from other review i can say
good service will be a toss up. The first red flag was the linguine with i think marinara sauce on the menu, and some assorted mexican dishes, i should have trusted my instincts and got up and left. Our waiter practically threw our plates at us, took our orders with an attitude, and basically showed us that serving us was very painful to him. My wife was extremely offended and upset, our children seemed uncomfortable, We have two at Shipely, and two at Episcopal and i would say they are pretty well adjusted children, and i hated seeing them put in that situation,feeling unwanted there. I being a minister usually try to down play people with bad attitudes, at which my wife wanted to kick me in my head for not supporting her, but she is right no establishment should have anybody working for them that exhibits this kind of behavior. My children also experienced cramps, and i felt a little queezy after the meal, maybe the food maybe not, but it was as unauthentic as is Bryn mawr is far from China. I recognize Bryn mawr as an upscale community with great shops and food,but this place is an black eye to the community. Suffer the ride and congestion and find a place in china town if you want to get the best for your money.
December 27, 2009 @ 10:10 am
We are Chinese American and have eaten throughout Taiwan, NYC, and San Fran. Yang Ming is in the same league as PF Chang’s: chinese food for people who don’t understand Chinese food. If you like a little meat with your sugar and salt, this is the place for you. So the food is tasty for most palates. But seriously, if you have any health issues whatsoever (heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc.), please be careful about eating here. Understand the proportion of salt and sugar they are putting in this “food”. Poor by any standard and absolutely atrocious at their pricepoint. The demographic dynamic that allows Yang Ming to prosper is that there are very few Asian Americans on the Main Line.
March 1, 2010 @ 9:36 am
Saddly, Yang Ming is not as good as it used to be.
For example, the steamed (or pan fried) dumplings USED to be out of this world!! Now they are terrible. They used to be plump, filled with about a golf-ball amount of tastily seasoned pork, contained within a thin, delicate skin. Now the stuffing is about the size of perhaps two (little) hazelnuts with so so so much thick dough all around. When I would point this out numerous times throughout the years, their comment was now you get 8 instead of 6!
Many of their other dishes have started adding less interesting vegetables…normal mushrooms versus shitake mushrooms, for example. At least they have yet to use celery in their dishes.
July 11, 2011 @ 7:45 am
We have eaten here MANY times over the years and ordered takeout MANY times, it has always been totally excellent. Last week we ordered lamb, sesame chicken, sweet & sour pork, fried rice, 4 flavor beef, veal with black bean sauce, shrimp with honey walnuts and yellow fin tuna.
It ALL SUCKED, we were shocked, I don’t know what happened, but Yang Ming is permanently off our list and we have been going there almost back to when it was the Conestoga Wagon.
July 11, 2011 @ 8:51 am
If you have been there that many times and it has always been totally excellent, how could one bad visit knock it off your list permanently?
April 23, 2014 @ 7:50 pm
I think Yang Ming is very good. I’ve gone there for quite a few years, and have never noticed that the crowd is particularly old. My daughter who is 28, loves it. The Sesame Chicken is particularly good and so is the filet mignon. I like the Chinese pancakes & dumplings as appetizers. Yang Ming is better than okay, and the restaurant is a fun place to hang out with friends or family. I’ve been there on Christmas and it is pretty crowded but I would go back again. I find the staff to be pleasant and accommodating.