A recent postcard I picked up off of eBay:
This is one of the new bright lights for dining out, if you happen to be in the Windsor area. Tourists are treated to the finest in Chinese atmosphere and fine food. Your host Chuck Gan will be more than pleased to show you an evening you’ll long remember. Fully licensed.
A big thanks goes out to Ric, who dug up a little information on the place. The Mai-Mai was located at 754 Ouellette Avenue.
Image from Google Streetview
Above is 754 Ouellette Avenue today. Better known as Woody’s Outhouse, the building bears little resemblance to the 1970’s version. I’m so glad Streetview is fianlly live for Windsor.
The Mai-Mai was opened by Joe Gan, who had a long history as a Windsor Restaurateur, having operated the Mandarin on Ouellette and the Windsor Castle Cafe on Chatham St.
It looks like the Mai-Mai operated from about 1968 through 1986. The Gan family also rand the Chinee Villa on Tecumseh Rd. E.
Anyone out there with any memories of the place?
Crescent Lanes first opened on Ottawa Street in 1944 at 1055 Ottawa Street, opposite Lanspeary…
Above is a photo of the home of Mr & Mrs Oswald Janisse, located at…
in 1917 two Greek brothers Gus & Harry Lukos purchased a one story building on…
Photo from Google Streetview A long time reader sent me an email the other week…
An unremarkable end to a part of Windsor's history. The large vacant house at 841…
One for the lost Windsor files, is this house that once belonged to Joseph Reaume…
View Comments
In the early 60s, we ate at Gan's on Pitt a lot of Sundays, but I remember it burning down earlier than mid 70s. Maybe not. I think that's why we moved over to Mai Mai - same family. They called their fried won-tons "krep-lahch" which are Jewish perogies - go figure! Windsor had a plethora of Chinese restaurants, some of which you wonder did anyone ever go into other than last-call survivors. How about Ing's on Goyeau and Wyandotte? That place was another world on a Saturday at 3 am with the hookers all ordering from Column B. Then it just disappeared. Last time I looked it was some type of Cuban product store. The Rickshaw on Ouellette south of Giles in the apartment building has lasted a good 30 or more years!
I ate at the Rickshaw about 15 years ago - food was just ok - the place smelled like deep fried everything. It was weird, but still looked the same as it has for years.
What is the oldest, and still operating Chinese Restaurant in Windsor anymore? Does anyone know?? House of Lee on Pelissier? Is that still open?
As a kid, loved the little fountain with the goldfish.
I remember eating at the Mai Mai in 1967 or 1968 as a young teenager. Also, I remember going to Windsor Recreational Bowling because my boyfriend at the time was a pinsetter. It was run by a Greek family, if I'm not mistaken.
You know what really pisses me off is all the rest of ouellette has flowers and streetscaping but between wyandotte and elliot it looks like a no mans land the city does'nt even plant flowers in all those nice planters all thats in there is dead rats garbage and dog shit idon't understand this city
My girlfriend and I ate at the Mai Mai every weekend back in the mid 70s.never once did we have chinese food there. they had the best veal cutlets and tomato sauce anywhere.now after being married for 36 years we sure would like to get that recipe.I can remember parking in the back because I got kicked out of Mrs Gervais parking spot of Gervais Furs who shared the same parking lot.
I worked at Ing's delivering food, city wide... shifts started at 3 p.m. and ended at 3 a.m. After a couple years of it, I knew every inch of the city.
Eddie Ing owned Ings... and he also owned Ruby's, which was popular with Chinese people because it served more authentic Chinese food.
I'll never forget driving a van full of chinese food to some Walker Road hall for Chinese Businessman's Banquet... with giant vats of sweet and sour sauce spilling all over the van floor as I turned around corners.
Eddie told me he also owned a restaurant at what I knew as Gateway convenience store and lunch bar, which was located on the northeast corner of Drouillard and Whelpton
Flying Tiger restaurant has been around a very long time, too.