May Cafe

This place will be an upcoming go to for Tacoma locals. If you don't want to drive to Southcenter or Bellevue, this is the spot to go to when you need your hotpot fix!The place is spacious and modern, it's gives boba vibes with a restaurant twist. The people are very welcoming and nice, they are thorough with orders by reading it back to you.The hot pot alone makes me curious about the other menu items. The hotpot as-is is really filling, the add-ons aren't necessary. I ordered the creamy hot & sour with shabu beef. The quality of the meat was great and the broth was so flavorful. It does taste similar to the Thai soup, Tom ka. I dipped my baguette into the broth and that was money! I hear the broth is in house made, which I believe since their dipping sauce and chili oil are made by them. Both the sauce and oil are chef's f#*^ing kiss! Also, I was surprised by their complimentary tea. At other hotpot places, it's only lunch time when they give you tea. This place even gives you refills. Like I always say when I find gems, don't sleep on it!

I am so so glad a hot pot AND banh mi chao place has opened up in Tacoma. I have been waiting for this moment!The restaurant itself is very cute, lots of space but there isn't as much seating as I thought. The owners and staff are very sweet people from my conversation with them while ordering and as they were working around the restaurant. We got the banh mi chao with sausage/meatball/cha lua and also one with steak. They came with salad and a baguette on the side. I really enjoyed my plate with the various meats and I really liked the pate! It came out very hot so be careful. My boyfriend also enjoyed his steak. The bread was nice and light with a crisp as well. We also got the cheese and shrimp toast as well and this really amazed me. The shrimp toast was so big, like the pieces were huge. Normally shrimp toast is often a bit smaller, but here the bread was thick and they added so much topping on it. Shrimp toast is pretty simple dish for me but the way they made it large stood out to me haha. It was delicious. I would love to come back and try the hot pot and some of the drinks that they have :)

This place is pretty good. Came here on a Friday night with a party of 5 and got seated right away. We got to choose our seats. The inside itself has nice decorations on the wall but the decor overall does seem kinda unfinished. It's cozy though. I ordered the tomato hot pot with pork belly and instant noodles and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A lot of reviews mention the lack of meat but I got a lot of meat in mine. The broth was super flavorful and each ingredient tasted great. It also came with a black iced tea I think, and it was so good. Service was good too. Got checked up on a few times and everyone was pretty nice. I'd come again when I'm craving hotpot.

The food is good. They have a limited selection of hot pot, but it's actually better than I thought it would be. The portion is a bit smaller than boiling point, but flavor is there. My party said that the Bo Ne is very good as well especially the pate. Hot pot does come with tea so that's a plus. Haven't tried the banh mi yet, but will next time. The people here are nice as well. I recommend give this place a try.

The people (owners? that works there are super nice and accommodating. We were a group of 5 with 3 young kids thar are loud and running aroundBut they looked at us with big smiles and moved tables and chairs around to accommodate us! I got the egg coffee- so so so so so good is all I can say. It's good when it goes in and then a blast of good aroma afterwards too!! Highly recommendedWe got the banh mi drink combo which is only about $12. I don't know what is in the banh mi but it's so good- there is so much going on. Light crisp bread and just a bunch of texture and flavor inside- it's so good!! The sauce, the meats, the veggies ... one word to sum it up- yum!!Chicken wings and tater tots were delicious too and came with 2 big container of sauce (not pictured)Proportions here are generous and pricing is great. It's kind of small so plan accordingly if you have a big group.So excited to try their hot pot combo next time! Highly recommended!! The kids enjoyed their nuggets (not pictured) wings and tots! Husband got the phin black coffee he said it was really good too. Basically the whole fam is happy! So happy to stumble across here

SO happy a hot pot place opened up on the south end! They're having a great deal with their hot pots! You get a free oolong tea with cheese cream for $15.95 and it is delicious! Met the owner and he's super friendly and the service was great! Space is definitely limited but they're planning on expanding so that'll be great! We will definitely be coming back!

This place is a hidden gem!! Looks super sketch on the outside and area for sure but In my personal opinion, this place is better than boiling point. Taste, price point and portion. Got the creamy hot and sour soup ($16) with seafood and tiger brown sugar UBE ($7) BOTH sooooo good! The service was great. Very attentive and so kind. Would highly recommend it!!

What a gem! A cute establishment in an unassuming strip mall serving boba, rice dishes, sizzling plates, hot pot, and banh mi chao.We came for an early dinner so it wasn't crowded at all. Service was quick and attentive, they brought out our bowls and drinks in minutes. The hot pots each came with their own burner under the pot, so mind those metal handles!! Soup was incredibly flavorful and TBH I think I prefer these to the ones at Boiling Point. It's always an adventure to fish for items in the soup: notable finds included extra glass noodles, fish ball, tofu, and a block of taro. Sooooo good on a chilly day!Hot pot came with a chia-infused oolong tea, which was actually very tasty and boba-esque (but without the boba balls), I think this was promoted in an instagram post.I will be back.

I ordered from May Cafe once from DoorDash and was disappointed in the ramen as it tasted and looked like Shin Ramen but got dressed in a few vegetables and chicken. However, the chicken was terribly dry and the soup just tasted like Shin ramen. However, my drink that came with the order was good.Despite my disappointment, I wanted to come try their other options and my boyfriend and I were in Lakewood area. When we arrived in, we were greeted warmly by an employee who was busy helping a large group. We were told that we can have a seat anywhere and scan a QR code to order our food. However, the deals that they were offering was not on the QR menu so we just patiently waited until we could order up front. The same employee was very polite and friendly as she took our order and would be the one to deliver our drinks and food. I got the hot pot combo that came with a free drink while my partner got the banh mi combo that came with his choice of drink. The interior is a nice modern, cozy feel. It is definitely a cute spot to hang out with friends, family, or even co-workers as they have several accommodating seating styles. We really enjoyed their music as it was several American pop songs covered by one lady but her voice was very relaxing to listen to. Our drinks arrived first and we really enjoyed our drinks, it was refreshing and the perfect balance of sweet. Our food arrived not too long afterwards and we really enjoyed our food. I had ordered the mala hot pot with seafood and instant noodles which was the perfect amount of food. I did add more chili oil to my soup as I just love my food spicy. The chicken teriyaki banh mi was according to my boyfriend, one of the best ones he has tried so that is super high praise. Overall, I would suggest not ordering the ramen here as you can make the same bowl for a lot less and better. However, please do try their drinks, banh mis, and hotpot which were all fantastic!

We just had an AMAZING dining experience here! The food and service were top-notch! The owner whipped up the best drink I've ever had! Plus, the menu has many unique and delicious dishes you won't find anywhere else. We will surely come back again to try other dishes.!Don't miss out on this gem in Tacoma