the pandemic has been rough for a lot of places but kai li totally revamped their entrance and interior. there's a huge protective screen and contactless ordering, credit card payments are done through a two way system now so employees and customers don't touch, and cash transactions are handled by putting the change in an envelope with the order. everyone is concerned with safety right now and a lot of people are still depending on restaurants to deliver while following the new protocol but kai li has really gone above and beyond. it's important to support restaurants owned by local residents, the best support we have is each other read more

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We've ordered from this place several times as there are no good Chinese restaurants around here. Food is average but they nickel and dime you like I've never seen before. On one occasion I ordered food for a small gathering I had over for dinner that cost almost $200. I asked for house duck sauce and when I got home I realized they had charged $1 per cup of duck sauce. Pretty disgusting! I have also ordered a chicken dish and requested that the chicken be white meat and not fried. They charge an additional two dollars. I've ordered this several times. Today they decided to charge an additional two dollars and then another additional three dollars. When I called to say that they overcharged me, the woman told me "let me explain to you. The chicken with the cornstarch is bigger so we have to put in more chicken." I know that chicken that is not breaded takes up less space and maybe they a little bit more. That's what the extra two dollars was for. They don't get to charge an additional two dollars on several occasions and then decide to add an additional three dollars for a total of a five dollar up charge without telling the customer what they're gonna do. They have also given us erroneous orders and we have to drive back to have the correct one made. They take wrong order back even though they can't give it to anybody else. Hopefully they don't give it to anybody else. I know that's typical of Chinese restaurants but it's really unnecessary. After today, I can't continue to support this restaurant. They are penny wise and dollar foolish and don't appreciate repeat customers. I guess we won't be having Chinese food for a while unless Setauket decides to bring in a decent Chinese food place. read more

Food is very consistent, they alway have a few nice board specials. Love the chicken or shrimp with basil special. May, who runs the front, is very gracious and accommodating. I alway feel like a valued customer read more

Excellent! Great Chinese Food! Dumplings, boneless spare ribs and egg rolls that make your mouth water!

I went to pay by debit card and was told there is a 4% additional charge. I thought a debit card was as good as cash. When I first went in, the cashier was making wontons. No gloves. She took my money and went back to making wontons. She did not wash her hands or put on gloves. Disgusted. read more

The food is always delicious at this place. It's a cute takeout place ticket into a strip mall. I especially like the steamed dumplings, egg foo young, sesame noodles, spare ribs. read more

Had tried Kai Li before, with a couple of classic dishes and a combo platter, and was unimpressed, finding that the food lacked in flavor and was on the greasy side. More recently, we gave them another shot for a pint of pork fried rice. Yes, it's as before. Lacking in flavor. There was no green matter in there (no peas or scallions, etc.), no scrambled egg bits or bean sprouts. Some of the pork was gristly. The rice itself was hard and greasy, with more than a few burnt pieces. I don't think we'll be back for more. read more

customers beware. if you order online you get hit with an online fee. if you pay with card, you get hit with a "cc fee." They also snuck in a third 1 dollar "convenience" fee. Not even sure wtf that is. When I questioned them, tey gave me two dollars and said "are we okay now?" Very shady business for incredibly mediocre food. read more

Marvin and I stopped by here for a quick lunch one time, they have really good lunch specials! The second time I tried this place out it was for dinner and I was disappointed in the pricing. The lunch deals were so good that I had a hard time paying the dinner price for a smaller portion of food. The food itself is your typical americanized chinese food, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is very fresh but the service was somewhat slow especially when I went there for lunch. I am not sure why is was so slow especially because I was the only customer there and all I had ordered was chicken with brocolli. Overall, I recommend to try out this place if you want to try out a new chinese food place, its not too bad! read more

Kai Li Chinese Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - East Setauket, New York

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Never had bad Chinese food...before today. We were in the area and wanted Chinese food fast. Saw this takeout place. Thought it must be good as so many people were coming in on a random Tuesday evening around 8pm. I was wrong. They were fast and friendly (it's why I give 2 stars instead of 1) We only ordered fried rice, steamed dumplings and fried wontons..but I didn't like ANY of them. Taste was off. We have many great Chinese food options near where we live. It's unfortunate, because this summer we will be in the Setauket area frequently. We won't be back. I'll drive to Pt Jeff or Stony Brook if I really want Chinese again when I'm stuck in the area. read more

Great food , fast service and friendly front desk. The owners are very pleasant. A friend from work recommended it and I like that they can customize your order if you have a special diet needs or just a picky eater at home. Food is flavorful and authentic , I'm a picky eater myself . I would recommend them. read more

Worst Chinese food I've had in a long time. Seemed like they reheated previously prepared chicken. Greasy and tasteless.

Got food today (5/29/2020) and saw the new setup. The entrance is completely covered with a glass wall and you talk to them with a speaker and microphone so there's no contact. Food is still great and chicken broccoli here is still the best. It's nice to be able to come here again read more

Kai Li Chinese Kitchen - New credit card two way terminal - Chinese Near Me - East Setauket, New York

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Ordered from here once and was pleasantly surprised. The delivery minimum was $20 but it really wasn't hard to meet that minimum with a couple of entrees and an appetizer. Delivery was prompt and actually we called a few minutes before closing and they still took our order My friend ordered the sesame chicken and she raved about it. I had the mixed Chinese veggies with brown sauce on the side and we split pan-fried dumplings. The dumplings were some of the best I've had, and it's not hard to mess up steamed veggies. I'd definitely order from here again. read more

seriously don't understand how this place has more than 1 star. The majority of their business comes from unsuspecting freshman at stony brook who don't know better, see a menu under their and order from Kai Li. The food is AWFUL, you question the origin of the "chicken" and "beef" they give you. it is super greasy, texture is off. the egg drop soup tasted like dishwasher soap and had a grey color. the sesame chicken had weird hard, dark pieces in each bite the boneless spare ribs were 80% fat. if you're craving chinese food, order from anicent ginger in saint james. soooo much better read more

Every time I'm back home on Long Island I make sure to get Chinese takeout from this small family owned Chinese kitchen that I've been going to for the past 25 years! I ALWAYS order the same thing...roast pork egg roll, boneless spare ribs, Chinese chicken wings, roast pork fried rice, and chicken & broccoli NY Chinese food can really do no wrong read more

Kai Li Chinese Kitchen - Lunch specials w/ pork friend rice: Boneless spare ribs fried chicken wings garlic chicken w/ veggies & roast pork egg roll - Chinese Near Me - East Setauket, New York

I've tried this place out twice now so I can say for sure, I'm not a fan. The first time I ate here we ordered combination dinners. I ordered chicken and broccoli. My fiancé ordered General Tso's chicken. They both came with fried rice and an egg roll. My chicken and broccoli was ok. The rice was more like Mexican yellow rice with pork and egg. I love Mexican yellow rice but not with Chinese food. It was weird. The egg roll was a total miss for me. I didn't eat it. The second time (last night) we ordered a full size order of General Tso's chicken because my fiancé really liked it the first time with white rice (we learned our lesson), steamed dumplings, and egg drop soup. The soup was good, the chicken ok. I'd eat it again if my fiancé really wanted it, but I could take it or leave it. And, the steamed dumplings were gross, flavorless and mushy. My biggest problem however comes from them posting different prices online verses what they actually charge. Our order ended up being $8.65 + tax more than we expected, about 40% more! PLEASE UPDATE YOUR ONLINE PRICING, IT'S DISHONEST!:( read more

F#%* this place. Food was completely bland and extremely greasy. I was also charged twice after they took my order over the phone and paid with credit card to only have to pay again when I got there to pick up the food. Literally held my food hostage until they ran my card again. They refused a refund and told me to call my cc company after showing them the double charge they had just put on my card. Never again will I be going here. read more

Used to give this place about 3.5 stars.. I usually pick the order up, but ordered delivery two times in the last few weeks. First delivery the lady took over an hour and a half and shows up with cold food and an attitude. Few weeks later, same delivery lady.. Nearly shatters my window knocking like a lunatic and has another abrasive as hell attitude. I'll pass on Kai Li kitchen now. read more

Fast, friendly service and excellent covid precautions. One of the best American Chinese places in the area. Compared to the other places nearby the food is much lighter on the salt and oil, which is much appreciated. The house made duck sauce is worth the extra few cents. Our go-to for a quick take out dinner. read more

Really good fresh food I just ordered shrimp with lobster sauce that was the best I ever ate I would come back read more

Ordered from here for a big event was delicious and cheap, beef wonton was a favorite

Really nice owners. Great food at a cheap price. In particular i like the boneless spare ribs and the general tso's chicken.

Monday, September 15, 2014 Back again. After a afternoon fishing off the dock at Stony Brook Harbor, you would think I would want fresh fish for dinner. Snapper blue fishing was, ok. On the way home, I developed a taste for Chinese food. Fried chicken jumbo wings over a bed of white rice and Chinese vegetable (Vegetable Delight). If your mouth is watering then do what I did, call KAI - LI Kitchen 207 Main Street (25A), Setauket. Let it be told, they have the best jumbo fried chicken wings in the county. Thanks to my taste buds. Chicken wings won out over the fresh fish for dinner tonight. I always get enough for lunch or dinner the following day. Ken. T read more

I rarely write reviews, but I can not say enough good things about this place. I have come to Kai Li for the past 10 years, so often that my family has made 'Chinese Food Tuesday' from Kai Li. Every time we order from there, the service is wonderful- fast and friendly. Gina and Steve are both so nice and personable. Once I forgot cash and didn't have a credit card with me, and they told me to take the food and just repay them back later in the week. Of course, I kept my word but it was refreshing to see such kind, trusting people. They do occasionally get your order wrong but if they mess up, just call them and tell them what happened. I ordered Beef with broccoli and they gave me chicken, and when I came back for the food- they corrected my order and gave me in addition, a free wonton soup! Aside from service, the food is amazing. It is always fresh and savory. These are my personal favorites- Orange chicken, Beef with broccoli, and stir fried veggies szechuan style. For anyone who wants affordable, quality chinese food, check out Kai Li's! read more

Consistent, quality ingredients, very quick service, generous portions, same owners for 25 years.

We had food catered from Kai Li kitchen. The food was great with generous portion sizes! I especially like the beef wonton. The owners were very nice and accommodating for our event. read more

Wow this place has been remodeled to protect customers from covid 19. Their employees are wearing masks and the food delivered through door separating kitchen and customers. I feel safe to visit there for take out definitely. Highly recommend this place if you're tired of home cooking by now.. read more

Thrilled that Kai Li opened up again! It is our go-to take out Chinese restaurant. They have made it entirely non-contact, and I felt safe picking up my food. All of our dishes were fabulous tonight! Moo shu vegetables, broccoli with tofu, veggie delight with tofu, and lo mein--one more delicious than the others. The vegetables are fresh and cooked to perfection. Sauces are flavorful, and not too oily. Prices are quite reasonable. The owners are helpful, and easy to understand over the phone. We highly recommend Kai Li!! read more

I had a takeout from there the other day, and was fairly impressed. The food arrived very quickly, and the price was OK. The entire family enjoyed the food, so that's great! read more

As far as your local crappy Chinese take-out places go--and yes, this is Long Island, where there's one in every other strip mall, so what I'm about to say means something--it does not get better than Kai Li. It simply doesn't. This is the pinnacle. Pay the extra dollar for white meat chicken and you'll get a meal just as good as Eastern Pavilion for half the price. The orange chicken is legitimately--and not just "for the course"--great. If you go anywhere else in the area, you're just being stupid. read more

What can I say? When you have so many choices for Chinese food... This place is a fave of my husband... Me not so much... I prefer another place but it seems that these little Chinese fast food restaurants change hands so frequently you can't count on a consistent meal... That being said, I don't hate the food. I think it's expensive for what you're getting. Again, I went in for a quick lunch special and walked out spending $13!?!?!? I'm puzzled, I bought steamed chicken and chicken and broccoli for my hubs... Well now that I say that maybe it wasn't too bad... And of course I'll be back because the hubs loves it!!! I'll add a star for him. read more

Awful food, made me sick. Everything looked normal at first, but the meat was slimy and full of gristle, the rice was hard, vegetables were as if they weren't washed. Worst dumplings I've ever had, undercooked inside, overcooked outside, and terribly inauthentic. I wouldn't give their food to a dog. Service was slow and rude. It's like they don't care that they are feeding people. Again, their food literally made me sick. read more

Ate here yesterday after reading a few positive reviews. I'm gonna make this short and honest the food is good and better than your typical little hole in the wall. Had the general Tao with white meat and some steamed veggies. Chinese restaurants use cheaper chicken so the white meat isn't the best quality and kind of chewy. I like my general on the sweeter side and there's was more salty then normal. Bottom line is you get a lot of food for the money and it's ok here. The lady at the the counter is super nice and I told her I'd give her a good review if the food was good. read more

My girlfriend & I had just moved into the area and decided to find a local Chinese delivery place. Read good reviews on this place and I have to say we are very disappointed. Food wasn't even that good, and service was awful. A girl answered the phone and gave me a nasty attitude for absolutely no reason and then proceeded to get my order wrong. Once it was delivered I called back and the girl who answered prior was rude once again and made me feel like it was my fault that the order was wrong. Terrible service, they lost 2 customers. read more

Excellent Chinese food and overall nice service. The prices are reasonable. The decor is very simple and nothing special but the food is good. I would recommend this restaurant for mid-week take out. Enjoy! read more

4stars my ass! The food was gross. The chicken was hard the rice was greasy. The beef in the lo mein was terrible. First time there and won't be going back ... read more

On the spur of the moment I decided to bring home take-out Chinese food. My go-to place had closed so I decided to give this a try. On the plus side, the food was very good. However, when I walked into the storefront I saw a large poster on the wall saying that with a $20 order I would get a free soup, a $25 order got something else etc. When I asked about this I was told It only applied to people who had the coupon from the local ad sheet. I don't read the flyers that get sent to me, I certainly don't clip coupons and carry them around with me "just in case." They shouldn't advertise it on the wall and then not honor it when someone inquires. I spent $45 dollars there and feel like they didn't care about me as a customer. read more

The only reason I continue to go here is because it's close. The food is not great and often overcooked.

I work in the area and I've ordered from them more than once. I'm not sure how their other food is but I ordered General Tso's Chicken combo platter and instead of getting the chicken the way I am used to it being in a brown spicy sauce and little crispy it was soft, chewy and covered in this red jelly like slime. The rice and dumplings were ok. Don't think I'll take the chance and order from them a 3rd time. read more