Mai's Restaurant

Lauded Midtown Vietnamese restaurant Mai's is back. After a two-alarm fire gutted the decades-old eatery in early 2010, the owners reopened in April 2011 with a whole new look and a new menu.

Mai's originally opened in 1978, serving up tasty Vietnamese dishes like garlic beef and spring rolls. The renovated restaurant has a more contemporary look and feel, with accents such as mosaic tiles, warm wood-toned millwork, bamboo and stone.

The restaurant's new second story is open to the public for the first time, effectively doubling the occupancy space to 211. The second story accommodates late night overflow during Mai's peak business times and allows the clientele additional space for private meetings and banquets.

Mai's crowd typically triples once the sun goes down. In response, the owners have taken advantage of the redesign to add a new commercial-sized kitchen and a fully-stocked bar for a daily happy hour. There's also free Wi-fi now.

In addition to traditional favorites, the menu now features specialties like Vietnamese fish tacos and flan prepared with Mai's award-winning Vietnamese iced-coffee.