May Wah Takeaways | Chinese

About May Wah Takeaways | Chinese

May Wah Takeaways has been part of the fabric of Māngere East since the early 1990s, when Jack Zhong and his wife founded the shop with a simple idea: cook honest Chinese food with proper wok fire, and serve the neighbourhood classics people actually crave. More than three decades on, the kitchen is still family-run, led by Jack, Sam and Linda, and still famous for that elusive 'wok hei' — the smoky breath of a well-seasoned wok working at full heat.

The menu is unusually broad for a suburban takeaway. On the Chinese side you'll find everything from loaded Special Fried Rice and Special Chow Mein — packed with prawns, chicken, pork, steak, BBQ pork and cashew nuts — to satay, fu yoong egg delicacies, sweet and sour favourites, Malaysian-style nasi and bami goreng, and hearty soups. On the European side, the fryers turn out fresh fish and chips, homemade spring rolls and curry rolls, paua, mussel and corn fritters, burgers, toasted sandwiches and hot dogs.

For households and gatherings, the combination deals do the heavy lifting: a special for two, and Family Specials built around chow mein, fried rice, nasi goreng, sweet and sour pork and won tons. As the family puts it, 'great food starts with great ingredients' — seasonal produce, traditional technique, and a pan that's never allowed to go quiet. Open seven days a week, May Wah remains the kind of local institution where the food is generous, the service is familiar, and the order is exactly how you like it.

May Wah Takeaways: Three Decades of Wok Hei and Fish & Chips in Māngere East

There's a particular sound that tells you the food at May Wah Takeaways is being done properly: the roar of a wok over a high flame. Chefs call it wok hei — the breath of the wok — and at this family shop on Graeme Avenue in Māngere East, it's practically the house trademark. For more than three decades, May Wah has been feeding the neighbourhood from the same corner, one smoking pan at a time.

A Family Kitchen, Decades Deep

May Wah was founded in 1993 by Jack Zhong and his wife, and it has grown from a local dream into a genuine Māngere East institution. Today the kitchen is guided by a family trio: Jack, the executive chef and, in the shop's own words, the architect of its signature wok hei; Sam Tan, the assistant head chef who bridges innovation with traditional mastery; and Linda Zhong, who keeps the whole operation running. Even the website is a family affair, maintained by nephew Jintan so the next generation of diners can find them online.

The family's philosophy is simple and stated plainly: great food starts with great ingredients. Seasonal produce, traditional technique, and a respect for the classics are what keep regulars coming back week after week.

The Chinese Half of the Menu

The heart of the menu is unapologetically Chinese takeaway, done with real fire. The two dishes that carry the house name are the Special Fried Rice and the Special Chow Mein — both loaded with prawns, chicken, pork, steak, BBQ pork and cashew nuts. Around them sits a deep bench of favourites: beef and chicken in black bean sauce, spring onion and ginger dishes, satay with sliced meat and vegetables, sweet and sour everything, lemon chicken and lemon fish, fluffy fu yoong egg delicacies, and Malaysian-style nasi and bami goreng.

Soups earn their own following, from won ton soup by the dozen to chicken and sweet corn, while the fried rice, fried noodle and chow mein lists cover every protein from plain vegetable to combination seafood.

The European Half of the Shop

What makes May Wah a true neighbourhood takeaway is the second half of the menu. The fryers turn out fresh fish and chips, homemade spring rolls and curry rolls, and a proud lineup of Kiwi fritter classics — paua, mussel, corn and potato. There are burgers with tomato, sauce and lettuce in every configuration from ham to steak, American hot dogs and seadogs, toasted sandwiches by the dozen combinations, and trays of deep-fried won tons, squid rings and chicken wings.

It's the kind of menu that solves the nightly problem of feeding a household with different cravings: one person's chow mein is another's cheeseburger, and everyone leaves happy.

Made for Sharing

May Wah makes gatherings easy with its combination deals. The special for two pairs special fried rice with chicken, mushroom and vegetables. The Family Special for four brings together egg fried rice, combination chow mein, sweet and sour pork and won tons. And the Family Special No.1 goes all the way: special chow mein, chicken fried rice, nasi goreng, sweet and sour pork, six deep-fried won tons and a plate of chips. It's a full table in one order.

Finding Your New Favourite

May Wah is open seven days a week — from 4pm on Mondays and from 11:30am the rest of the week, until 9:30pm every night. You can phone your order ahead on 09 278 6136, or browse the complete menu at maywah.nz before you decide. Whether you're after that wok-fired Chinese classic or a simple scoop of chips and a fritter, the answer in Māngere East has been the same for over thirty years: May Wah.

Signature items

• Special Fried Rice
• Special Chow Mein
• Sweet & Sour Pork
• Deep Fried Won Tons
• Family Special No.1
• Fish & Chips

Menu

Satay

• Pork Satay — Sliced pork in satay sauce with vegetables
• Beef Satay — Sliced beef in satay sauce with vegetables
• Chicken Satay — Sliced chicken in satay sauce with vegetables
• Combination Satay — Sliced mixed meats in satay sauce with vegetables
• Prawn Satay — Prawns in satay sauce with vegetables

Soups

• Won Ton Soup (1 Doz) — A dozen won tons in clear broth
• Won Ton Noodles — Won tons with noodles in soup
• Chicken & Sweet Corn (Small) — Small bowl of chicken and sweet corn soup
• Chicken & Sweet Corn (Large) — Large bowl of chicken and sweet corn soup
• Beef & Sweet Corn — Beef and sweet corn soup
• Chicken & Noodles — Chicken noodle soup
• BBQ Pork & Noodles — BBQ pork noodle soup
• Combination Seafood — Seafood combination soup

Burgers

• Ham Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Egg Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Cheese Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Hawaiian Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Bacon Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Chicken Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Fish Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• Steak Burger — With tomato, sauce and lettuce
• American Hot Dog — Classic topped hot dog
• Seadog — Seafood-style hot dog

Chow Mein

• Vegetable Chow Mein — Noodles stir-fried with vegetables
• Chicken Chow Mein — Wok-tossed noodles with chicken
• Steak Chow Mein — Wok-tossed noodles with steak
• Pork Chow Mein — Wok-tossed noodles with pork
• BBQ Pork Chow Mein — Wok-tossed noodles with BBQ pork
• Combination Chow Mein — Noodles with mixed meats
• Prawn Chow Mein — Wok-tossed noodles with prawns
• Combination Seafood Chow Mein — Noodles with a seafood medley

Fried Rice

• Plain Fried Rice — Simple, golden egg fried rice
• Vegetable Fried Rice — Fried rice with vegetables
• Chicken Fried Rice — Fried rice with chicken
• Steak Fried Rice — Fried rice with steak
• Pork Fried Rice — Fried rice with pork
• BBQ Pork Fried Rice — Fried rice with BBQ pork
• Combination Fried Rice — Fried rice with mixed meats
• Prawn Fried Rice — Fried rice with prawns

Curry Dishes

• Vegetable Curry — Vegetables in curry sauce
• Chicken Curry & Veges — Chicken and vegetables in curry sauce
• Steak Curry & Veges — Steak and vegetables in curry sauce
• Pork Curry & Veges — Pork and vegetables in curry sauce
• BBQ Pork Curry & Veges — BBQ pork and vegetables in curry sauce
• Combination Curry & Veges — Mixed meats and vegetables in curry sauce
• Prawn Curry & Veges — Prawns and vegetables in curry sauce

Sweet & Sour

• Sweet & Sour Prawn — Prawns in tangy sweet and sour sauce
• Sweet & Sour Pork — The golden classic, pork in sweet and sour
• Sweet & Sour Fish — Fish in sweet and sour sauce
• Sweet & Sour Chicken — Chicken in sweet and sour sauce
• Sweet & Sour Won Ton — Crispy won tons with sweet and sour
• Lemon Chicken — Chicken in bright lemon sauce
• Lemon Fish — Fish in zesty lemon sauce

Fried Noodles

• Plain Fried Noodles — Golden egg noodles, simply done
• Chicken Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with chicken
• Steak Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with steak
• Pork Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with pork
• BBQ Pork Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with BBQ pork
• Combination Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with mixed meats
• Special Fried Noodles — Loaded with prawns, chicken, pork, steak, BBQ pork and cashews
• Prawn Fried Noodles — Fried noodles with prawns

Dishes On Rice

• Chicken Mushroom & Vege — Chicken, mushroom and vegetables over rice
• Chicken Pineapple & Vege — Chicken with sweet pineapple and veges on rice
• Steak Mushroom & Vege — Steak, mushroom and vegetables over rice
• Steak Pineapple & Vege — Steak with pineapple and veges on rice
• Steak Tomato & Vege — Steak with tomato and veges on rice
• BBQ Pork Mushroom & Vege — BBQ pork with mushroom and veges on rice
• BBQ Pork Pineapple & Vege — BBQ pork with pineapple and veges on rice
• Pork Mushroom & Vege — Pork with mushroom and veges on rice
• Pork Pineapple & Vege — Pork with pineapple and veges on rice
• Combination Meat with Vege — Mixed meats with vegetables over rice
• Prawn Mushroom & Vege — Prawns with mushroom and veges on rice
• Prawn Pineapple & Vege — Prawns with pineapple and veges on rice

Egg Delicacies

• Egg Fu Yoong — Fluffy Chinese-style egg omelette
• Chicken Fu Yoong — Chicken in a fluffy egg omelette
• Steak Fu Yoong — Steak in a fluffy egg omelette
• Pork Fu Yoong — Pork in a fluffy egg omelette
• BBQ Pork Fu Yoong — BBQ pork in a fluffy egg omelette
• Combination Fu Yoong — Mixed meats in a fluffy egg omelette
• Prawn Fu Yoong — Prawns in a fluffy egg omelette

Special Dishes

• Special Fried Rice — With prawns, chicken, pork, steak, BBQ pork and cashew nuts
• Special Chow Mein — Packed with prawns, chicken, pork, steak, BBQ pork and cashews
• Beef & Black Bean Sauce — Tender beef in savoury black bean sauce
• Chicken & Black Bean Sauce — Chicken wok-tossed in black bean sauce
• Beef Spring Onion & Ginger — Classic beef with fragrant ginger and spring onion
• Chicken Spring Onion & Ginger — Chicken stir-fried with spring onion and ginger
• Chicken, Pork or Beef with Assorted Veges & Cashew Nuts — Your choice of meat with mixed veges and crunchy cashews
• Extra Meat — Add-on to boost any dish
• Cashew Nuts — Extra cashews, add-on
• Extra Prawns — Extra prawns, add-on

Deep Fried Food

• Chips — Golden hot chips
• Fish — Battered fish, fried fresh
• Fish Cake — Crispy fried fish cakes
• Oysters — Fried oysters
• Scallops — Fried scallops
• Hot Dog — Battered hot dog
• Sausage — Battered sausage
• Deep Fried Won Tons (1 Doz) — A dozen crispy homemade won tons
• Deep Fried Won Ton (½ Doz) — Half dozen crispy homemade won tons
• Deep Fried Chicken Wing — Crispy fried chicken wings
• Deep Fried Mussel — Fried mussels
• Home Made Spring Roll — House-made classic spring rolls
• Home Made Curry Roll — House-made curry-flavoured rolls
• Banana Fritter — Sweet banana in golden batter
• Pineapple Fritter — Battered pineapple, fried golden
• Crab Stick — Fried crab sticks
• Donuts — Freshly fried donuts
• Paua Fritter — Golden-fried paua fritter
• Mussel Fritter — Golden-fried mussel fritter
• Corn Fritter — Golden sweetcorn fritters
• Potato Fritter — Crispy battered potato
• Squid Ring (Half Dozen) — Six crispy fried squid rings
• Chicken Nuggets (Half Dozen) — Six fried chicken nuggets
• Whole Chicken — A whole bird from the fryer

Malaysian Curry

• Nasi Goreng — Fried rice with combination meats and vegetables
• Bami Goreng — Fried noodles with combination meats and vegetables

Toasted Sandwiches

• Sweet Corn — Toasted with sweet corn filling
• Mushroom — Toasted with mushroom filling
• Cheese & Onion — Classic cheese and onion, toasted
• Egg & Cheese — Egg and cheese between hot toast
• Ham — Toasted ham sandwich
• Chicken & Cheese — Chicken and cheese, toasted hot
• Steak — Toasted steak sandwich
• Steak Mushroom — Steak and mushroom, toasted golden
• Ham, Egg & Cheese — Triple filling, pressed and toasted

Signature Collections

• Special for 2 People — Special fried rice plus chicken, mushroom and vegetables
• Family Special — For four: egg fried rice, combination chow mein, sweet & sour pork, 4 won tons
• Family Special No.1 — Special chow mein, chicken fried rice, nasi goreng, sweet & sour pork, won tons and chips

Frequently asked questions

Where is May Wah Takeaways located?

At 2 Graeme Avenue, Māngere East, Auckland 2024 — a local fixture on the same spot for over three decades.

What are the opening hours?

Open 7 days: Monday from 4pm to 9:30pm, and Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30am to 9:30pm.

Can I order ahead by phone?

Yes, phone 09 278 6136 to place your order, or view the full menu online at maywah.nz.

What's the best way to feed a group?

The combination deals are built for it: a special for two, a Family Special for four, and the bigger Family Special No.1 with chow mein, fried rice, nasi goreng, sweet & sour pork, won tons and chips.

What is the kitchen known for?

Its signature wok hei in the Chinese dishes, plus the European takeaway classics — fresh fish and chips, homemade spring and curry rolls, burgers and fritters.

Who runs May Wah?

The shop was founded in 1993 by Jack Zhong and his wife, and is led today by Jack, Sam and Linda, with the next generation helping run its digital side.

Does the menu cover dishes other than Chinese food?

Yes — alongside Chinese mains there are burgers, toasted sandwiches, hot dogs, fish and chips, fritters, donuts and other deep-fried favourites.

Tips

• {"body":"Phone your order ahead on 09 278 6136 so it's hot and ready when you arrive.","title":"Beat the evening rush"}
• {"body":"Mondays open later at 4pm; the rest of the week service starts at 11:30am, running until 9:30pm nightly.","title":"Mind Monday hours"}
• {"body":"Family Special No.1 covers chow mein, chicken fried rice, nasi goreng, sweet & sour pork, won tons and a plate of chips.","title":"Feed the whole crew in one order"}
• {"body":"The full menu, from Special Dishes to Egg Delicacies, is listed online at maywah.nz.","title":"Browse before you go"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Family specials feed 2 to 4 people; burgers, chips and donuts keep the kids happy"}