Midday Mahj
about us
Who we are
Midday Mahj hosts friendly mahjong afternoons and lessons at local restaurants. It was started by Elise, who learned the game from her mother.
how it started
meet Elise
Elise learned mahjong from her mother growing up. She still plays every week, at home and down the Shore, and she has been teaching for years.
Those weekly games are what inspired Midday Mahj. We wanted more people to have a regular table like hers, with good company and someone patient to show them how.
why afternoons
why the afternoon
The middle of the day is a good time for a game. There’s no evening traffic, the room is bright, and everyone is home in time for dinner. Some of our afternoons are on weekdays and some are on weekends.
Every event stands on its own, at a different restaurant or on a different day, so you can come as often as you like, and nobody needs to commit to a season.
the table promise
what you can count on
Wherever you play with us, you can count on this:
- New players can always start with a lesson.
- If you come on your own, we’ll find you a table.
- We’ll explain things as many times as you need.
- Nobody rushes you.
- The food and the company matter as much as the game.
a little history
mahjong in America
Mahjong came to America from China in the 1920s and caught on fast. Over the next decade, American players (most of them women) shaped it into a game of their own, and in 1937 a group of women in New York founded the National Mah Jongg League to set the rules.
Every spring the League publishes a new card of winning hands, so every year the game is a little bit new again. For generations, especially in Jewish communities, the weekly game has been a place to make friends and catch up. The League still gives the proceeds from its card to charity.
We’re proud to be part of that tradition, and everyone is welcome at our tables.
our teachers
our instructors
We’ll introduce our instructors here soon.
Love to teach? Teach with us.
what’s next
we’re always excited to expand
We’re starting in Plymouth Meeting, and Ventnor is next. If you’d like Midday Mahj in your town, as a player, a restaurant or a teacher, let us know. We add a new town once enough people there have signed up.
Bring us to your town