Last updated: August 17, 2026

In the Weeds

by TM Petaccia

Chinese restaurants typically fall into one of two categories: quick takeout spots and high end “Hong Kong” fine dining. Lam’s Kitchen is neither. It’s more like The Cheesecake Factory, down to its encyclopedic menu.

Located at the Plantation Market Shopping Center at Weddington and McKee in Matthews, Lam’s primarily offers Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisine (a more international version of relatively delicate Cantonese, drawing on many influences), plus a good deal of bold and spicy Sichuan dishes, dim sum, and live seafood, not to mention familiar Chinese-American standards.

Back to the menu. It’s vast, divided into twelve sections listing nearly 170 dishes, including lunch specials. It’s easy to succumb to sensory overload at first glance, but if you take a deep breath, fight the urge to rush through it, and take some time to explore, you’ll find a menu that rewards curiosity, offering both the comfort of familiar favorites and the thrill of discovering something entirely new. A lot of somethings.

For the above reason, this is a restaurant genuinely geared for friend gatherings, family nights out, and co-worker get-togethers. The more who come with you, the more dishes you can sample. While this could make for a nice casual date night, or solo excursion, you can miss the full culinary adventure this place offers. Unless you and your date come really hungry, or have a craving for one or two particular dishes (after you’ve group-explored a bit).

For starters, on the familiar end, the scallion pancakes are light and clean, and don’t have that oily touch you sadly find in most places. A little more adventurous are the fried tofu skins stuffed with shrimp paste and a whole shrimp. Coming from a long-time tofu skeptic, these square boxes provide tasty bites as one settles in for the dishes ahead. Another appetizer, beef tripe with mala (a blend of Sichuan peppercorn and chili) gives you that slight numbing Sichuan fans enjoy along with a slightly springy, but still tender, and mildly beefy bite of the tripe.

Moving down the menu, you’ll find a nice selection of rice noodle chow fun dishes, including a very satisfying beef chow fun, and a just as tasty mushroom version. Other noodle dishes include a variety of lo mein options as well as pan-fried noodle selections.

Soup dishes range from the very familiar wonton and hot and sour to the more obscure pork belly (which the menu delightfully calls “pork stomach”) and mustard greens and a very flavorful beef brisket noodle. More soup choices include nice roast duck noodle and a mixed vegetable, among others.

If claypot dishes are your thing, Lam’s does not disappoint. A recent seafood pot with scallops, squid, and shrimp (the menu calls them “prawns,” but definitely shrimp) drew a series of “Mmmmmms” around the table. Another visit was notable for the beef brisket with daikon radish pot.

The menu lists a “Vegetable and Tofu” section, but be aware it’s not necessary a vegetarian/vegan section. Dishes there include a delectable green bean with minced pork, and the fiery Sichuan classic mapo tofu with pork.

On the main dish side, again you’ll find both the familiar and exotic. You’ll see takeout standards such as a selection of fried rice dishes, General Tso’s Chicken, sesame chicken, beef & broccoli, and kung pao shrimp (once more listed as “prawns”).

Other standouts include a buttery tender braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, whole flounder with preserved chili, and squid in black bean sauce.

All of the above just scratches the surface of the menu. After several visits, I still have a way to go, but each dish sampled gives enough reason to keep coming back and explore some more.

The beverage menu is very tight with an acceptable list of domestic and Asian imported beers, plus a short, but respectable list of wines and sakes. There are some house alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails, as well as tea, coffee, and soft drinks.

Service is friendly and efficient, although sometimes lags. The space was a former pizza place and it still has a bit of that vibe. If you are looking for Asian kitsch decor, you won’t find it here, but it is well-spaced and comfortable, although some chairs and tables do show a bit of wear and tear.

Lam’s Kitchen is certainly worth the drive, about 30 minutes from Uptown. Whether you’re seeking Chinese comfort food or embarking on a food safari with friends, the vast menu and consistently solid execution make it worth the trip and several trips thereafter.

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