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Tiger Lily
Rating Details »
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
8 Westland Ave(between Edgerly Rd & Massachusetts Ave)
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-8881
- Nearest Transit:
-
Symphony (Green)
Massachusetts Ave (Orange)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
29 reviews for Tiger Lily
Had I not lived on Westland Ave. I probably would not have dared walked through one of the several doors to Tiger Lily. However- lucky me- I've been more times than I like to admit- and it was always out of convenience. After venturing out and ordering several overpriced menu options, I have now come to realize, the best food they have to offer is on the appetizer menu, and my entire meal consists of delicious small bites that I will elaborate on.
The Teriyaki Chicken On Skewers is (9 times out of 10) rich with flavor and tender. I skip the peanut sauce, but it adds a great protein to the mix. Then the Gyoza Steamed Pork Dumplings are to die for- paired with a delicious soy sauce. But if you only can choose one, I would definitely recommend the Crispy Spring Roll. I'm not at all a spring roll fan, but these are ridiculously good- and not a drop of the duck sauce is left.
But keep in mind this: the service is horrible. I've sat for my entire meal without receiving a water which I requested more than once- and it will be a rarity when your glass is refilled without asking. But what's great about horrible service is that you save on the tip! So it's up to you.
Word to the wise- come Symphony nights, the place is packed until around 8- and if you aren't an elderly couple you will basically be ignored by the service staff (because there is no way you will tip more than them). So I highly suggest arriving earlier or later.
Tiger Lily, we've had some rough times- but your spring rolls make it all worth it.
Tiger Lily. . .what has happened?
First time i came here I got the pad thai which I thought wasn't that bad, and tasted better when I drenched it in their chili oil (you have to ask for this, or they won't give it to you)
The 2nd time I ordered their Udon and Vermicelli dishes. . .very good, I ate up everything (again I used their chili oil. . . I love this stuff!) and left feeling full, satisfied, and the bill wasn't bad at all.
Ever since then each time I come, I leave disappointed. . .because the food and service is going downhill. The food is getting a lot more salty, the portions are slowly getting smaller, and its almost impossible to get any attention from the waitstaff during its peak hours. . . I think they employ 3 people to serve that entire place. . .and that's honestly not enough. I've been flagging random waiters down now to just take my order, and always resort to asking for my bill at the host desk.
The only thing that stays consistent is their alcohol. . .scorpion bowls are definitely worth it, and the pitchers of beer are not a bad deal. This place is popular to go drinking and get a bite to eat amongst the college students (mostly Northeastern and maybe some Berks and Symphony kids thrown in the mix there as well) because of its alcohol.
Aside from that, the decor is pretty cheesy, as its trying to convey a Malaysian island feel, but honestly comes away being tacky. . .the tv's are a nice touch because I love to have a casual night out with rowdy college kids and football games all around me (sarcasm). I prefer the bar area more so than the main dining room because its quieter and more comfortable, plus the service is a bit better.
You won't go wrong trying this place, but don't have high hopes, and try to avoid its peak hours (I recommend going probably around midnight on a friday or saturday, since this place is only open from 5-2 am) . It's also nice that its open so late, its good to have a place for a midnight meal so close by.
I like tiger lily, it's nothing special but still tasty. From all the descriptions below I'm assuming you guys just don't know what to order because everything I've tried has been good.
Try the beef with green bean! With coconut rice. Yum.
visit on wkends only! wen its busy n lively. Dimly lit. Huge entree portions. love the roti kanai app. Its really cheap if ur hungry. Prawns are not devained though. every1 looks to b a fan of the scorpion bowl drink! Good for college students..
It's hard to really complain about this place, honestly. I ordered chicken fried rice and was pleasantly surprised, and the scorpion bowls are tasty if a bit weak.
The fried rice was what I wanted, which is, admittedly, mediocre fried rice. Not a ton of flavor, just standard Asian influence and fried egg. It's what I like, even if nobody else does.
The scorpion bowls were good. The black one ("Long Island Iced Tea") was the best, although the orange ("mango," but actually grapefruit) was a close second.
I really can't complain. I don't like "good" Asian food because it sucks. This doesn't.
Food is blah.
Scorpion bowl is blah.
Service is blah.
They dont refill your drink. Yep. Thats just cheap.
Drunken college students everywhere. Unless its a Symphony night, then its overdressed white ladies from the suburbs holding on to their purses for dear life, while pretending to eat authentic ethnic food.
Waiters always smell like sigs. I hate that.
Avoid this place.
TIGER WWWWWIIIIWWWWWYYYYYY!
The food is horrible but the scorpion bowl is legendary. Perfect for a fun Monday night out.
Food is eh, not very spicy, not very exciting... your basic, drab, boston asian cuisine.
HOWEVER
Get a scorpion bowl (they have PLENTY to choose from) and you will be surprised. A note on local legend. Yes, they used to be very lax on carding, but, they are now pretty good at it sooooo don't expect a drink without ID (I have seen some people very shocked).
Oh, Tiger Lily. Sadly, I have to give 2 stars, because the quality of the food here has plummetted in the past couple of years. Smaller portions, too.
My friends and I used to go here after a long day for a delicious bowl of kari mee- dark, lovely broth with complex flavour and all the right porportions of ingredients, nice big clean shrimp, always fresh and always more food than we could eat. Now unfortunately it's another story. The last time I ordered kari mee it was just a small bowl, yellow turmeric type curry broth without much flavour, un-appetizing looking shrimps, kind of soggy. I still ate it because I was hungry and it wasn't inedible, but it was nowhere near as good as it used to be. The mee goreng seems to have suffered the same fate.
I wish they would cut it out and go back to what they used to be! There is no place in the area that is open so late, and Malaysian food on top of that. Too bad they're no good any more.
Just a note: A hot pepper ClipArt next to an entree generally denotes that a dish is going to be spicy. So, when bf and I ordered one "Hot" item and one non-hot item, we weren't expecting Bland and Blander. We were both hungry, so the Bland plate got eaten, as it was the lesser of two evils.
This place was vacant, so it was a nice quiet spot, but now I know why: bad food. Also, they don't have free refills on Cokes. :(
Shoulda gone to the Thai place next door.
Depends on the night, but if it's a symphony night, it usually gets pretty crowded (with adults dressed up in nice clothing). Service can get really, really slow. Food is a tad overpriced for what you get. Late nights get the college crowd and you can get your fill of scorpion bowls and flaming shots at the bar.
The food... eh. I don't know, I find it to be average. I've had better Malaysian food elsewhere, for cheaper prices, too. I think the only reason this place is still in business is because college kids are lazy and this place is close by, and the symphony crowd comes whenever there's a concert.
Regardless, I'll probably be back here because I am one of the lazy people who don't like to walk far for food.
I love this place. I especially like eating in the bar area.
I am allergic to shrimp so sadly I am restricted from eating MOST of the menu options... but the things I can eat are spectacular. Crispy pork with a plum dipping sauce (and a little flaming cucumber dish as a garnish). The veggie fried rice is REALLY flavorful and delicious, or try the coconut rice. Mild and sweet. They have scorpion bowls. I like the black ones. If it's your birthday the bartender will make you a yummy flaming shot of some sort. Nice place. Take a walk along the reflection pool at the Christian Science Center afterwards.
The place has the best decor. It's so quiet and peaceful feeling, haha. But the lighting puts me to sleep. The food there is cooked half assed once it's passed midnight---They just microwave everything they pre-made. That's probably why the food comes out so quick...
The pricing is eh. The coconut shrimp (omg, i love that shit) is like $17 and there's like 10 pieces of fried shrimp covered in a mountain of worthless, tasteless fried coconut shavings. I love the curry chicken and potatoes, can't go wrong with that. And the beef Ren-dang is worth trying before midnight, because once it's passed midnight, they microwave that shit, & nobody likes their beef microwaved. lol
Food is great I have no complains.
The only thing that kinda bothered be at the time I used to go ... was all the under aged Northeastern kids who got away drinking with fake NJ Id's!
It was a drag going here after work and trying to grab a late dinner or a drink with your co-workers. Just to find out that it's under-aged Northeastern Univ night! yayyy.. BAH...
The food is great and the drinks are awesome.. but they ruined it for me when the over packed kids and there scummy attitudes. I have not been there in almost 3 years.
Heart-sickness
CC
Eh, not exactly the best restaurant in town, but decent enough to grab a bite to eat before hitting the Huntington Theatre, Symphony or the MFA. Dinner for two was reasonable at $48 (including tip) for satisfying portions. Although they tout themselves as Malaysian cuisine, it was more of a fusion of chinese, indonesian, thai, and malaysian. I also found it humorous that all of the waiters were white except for this older asian lady whom I'm assuming did most of the cooking.
I'm lukewarm on this restaurant. If I had to go back, I would, but I definitely won't dream about it tonight.
Call me a sourpuss but I just don't get why people like this place. The inside is tacky, noisy with the college flock, and utterly charmless. The food is mediocre, simplistic, and inconsistently prepared. If this is the only time you're going to have Malaysian food, do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. Service is spotty but spunky and courteous. The Scorpion bowls are saccharin sweet and weak.
There are so many better places that offer much better food and are good with groups - but none of them are open as late. I suppose that's how they manage to stay in business.
I only ever come here for the drinks. The food is a total waste of money. It's not just overpriced, it's just throwing your money down the drain cuz sometimes, the food is just so bad that it's practically inedible. I'm always around for the scorpion bowls though, which like everyone says, is great, but besides that, there's really no other reason to come here.
I don't get the fascination of this place. Even if you go just for a scorpion bowl, I've still had better at the Cactus Club, or even Fire and Ice. Try it if you wish, don't go back again if you don't like it. Service is terribly slow.
I've been here twice- once to catch up with a friend, and the other time for a show after party/birthday party. Needless to say, on the second occasion many a scorpion bowl was consumed.
The black bowl really wasn't as strong as it's reputation. My friends think it has gotten weaker lately, but I very much enjoyed the red bowl (pineapple and coconut). The edamame and Dim Sum platters were great after a couple of $15 (woo- expensive!) scorpion bowls, and when I went (sober) with my friend everything was fairly decent as well. There's a lot of variety on the menu and a pretty extensive beer and wine list. This is a great place for any sort of celebration. It can get expensive if your aim is insobriety but it's tons o' fun!!
I went here just the other night before seeing a play. I was overall very displeased with the service and the food. My friend and I sat down and ordered our food and I ordered a mango chicken dish and she ordered a noodle dish.
After our order was placed, the waiter disappeared. We waited about 15 minutes and then the waiter came back and informed us that the kitchen was out of ketchup so they couldn't make my mango dish. First of all, KETCHUP? In Asian food? That disgusted me & I was thankful to change my order.
The only time we saw our waiter again was when he delivered our mediocre, overpriced food. No refills on our water or sodas.
I was shocked by the lack of service and inauthentic ingredients. I would not recommend Tiger Lily and I will not go back.
4 stars just for scorpion bowls! they are amazing. very strong, very big, delicous and not too expensive. ask for the "brown bowl" is much stronger than the rest.
food is crap though, never been happy with a meal. but its ok, just go drink.
Black Scorpion Bowls = Blackout Drunk! Enough said. This is the stuff that great nights are made of.
this used to be THE place for underage drinking
it is a college place for sure, the food is good, and the drinks are fun
they have cracked down on the underage drinking, so much so that they wouldn't let my friend in because his license was out of state and he didn't have another pic id, i know that this is the norm at most bars but usually if you don't have another id they will scan it and make sure its legit, or will let you go as long as you have a credit card with your name on it, but they wouldn't give him a wrist band, but it was fine because i just went down to the bar and ordered a drink and brought it back for him..no biggie..
its open late and the portions are big, especially the fried rice, great for dividing in half for a fourth meal or something..
ew ew ew ew. worst thai food i've ever had.. bland, smells weird, no spices... even the simplest pad thai is AWFUL. i'm giving it 1 star for the scorpion bowl because it got me slightly buzzed enough to forget about the food in front of me.
just don't go here. there are way too many other decent thai/asian places around the area that are so much better. i've always had great food at pho and i on huntington and thai basil on mass ave, and both are less than a 5 minute walk from tigerlily.
also, if tiger lily is ever crowded its with underage college students sucking down those sugary scorpion bowls... soon to puke after. BEWARE.
This place has good food, but it never quite reaches great. I mean some things are really good, but, frankly, I've had better (thai). I find the dishes to be pretty hit or miss, some are awesome but then others are just...way too bland. The scorpion bowls are alright -- NOT for the diabetic -- they are so so sugary. I've tried all but one. They're just too sugary and not strong enough. haha and i've had bigger (scorpion bowls). Aw now it sounds like I'm totally bashing the place. No, this place is totally decent -- you're in the area, you're hungry, and you wanna sit down, you'll walk out full and have had a good time with friends. (They never push you to eat fast and leave)
The night I went it was pretty quiet. Then again, it was already 1 AM. The place is open until 2 AM, which is a godsend. The food came out quickly and tasted quite good. The menu's a bit eclectic, which is typical for Malaysian food. The seafood Tom Yum noodle soup I got definitely could've been spicier, but the flavor was all there. And I think it was well worth the $9. The prices are definitely that of a sitdown restaurant though, so expect to spend at least $10/person.
so so.
the dim sum platter was a bit greasy for my taste.
the seafood soup had no seafood!
the fired icecream isn't so bad. but there is not enough icecream for me (or for my other 4 friends who helped devour 3 of them).
the saving grace, the scorpian bowls!
Tiger Lily is VERY mediocre. The only fun thing about this place is the previously mentioned scorpion bowl. Even those are only fun because they're a big bucket of alcohol. We got "Orange" and it was basically orange and mango juice with Everclear grain alcohol in it. Thats why previous reviewers got "blackout drunk" (which i guess is fun for them??). The food does not do much for soaking up those booze. The fried rice was terrible and the chicken tasted like MSG. The waitress was also super awkward and made the experience altogether no fun. I would say a definite no.
This place never ceases to amuse me. The atmosphere all depends on what's going on in the neighborhood that evening. If there's a show at the BSO or the Huntington Theater, expect an older, conservative crowd. If there's no shows, it's a young student crowd, probably from Northeastern and/or Berklee. I like to go and be surprised and it is especially amusing to watch the two crowds meet. The food here is decent, but nothing super exceptional. IMO, the appetizers are the best part of the meal: really nice dumplings and crab rangoon. The entrees are just your generic rice and meat things. For drinks they have massive scorpion bowls which appear to be much enjoyed by the college kids. I haven't tried one yet. In short, this is a good place to check out if you happen to be in the area, for example, before a show. Reasonably priced and decent quality, however, I would not go here just for the food.
