Our favorite Seattle-area Asian restaurants, a running list.
The Pacific Northwest + Cilantro + Lime, a love affair…
When you think of cold, moody towns with a global mosaic of culture and an historic music scene, Seattle typically comes to mind. And while those who have called the emerald city home before the late-90s typically bemoan the influx of software engineers and other tech-bros, you might also think of Seattle under its more modern visage, the tech hub of the PNW. The city has (mostly) traded in its worn jeans, Sleater-Kinney t-shirts, and oversized flannel for $200 denim, button-up shirts, and Patagonia puffy vests (seriously, do they pull all the white-male managers aside and assign this outfit?). For all the unwanted whitewashing and gentrification that most would say is ruining Seattle, there still exists an incredible food culture to satisfy any palate. Each neighborhood has its own unique vibe that has persisted in some ways and evolved in others.
The Seattle area is where we (the writers) currently call home (more specifically, the town of Woodinville, because wine). Though the pandemic has made it harder, we continue our obsession with eating our way through the city and surrounding suburbs. One of our favorite things about Seattle is the incredible variety of Asian food — Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, Korean — the list goes on, and honestly, the best food in the world probably comes from the continent of Asia (Sorry, Grandma. Sorry, France). This post will serve as a list of some of our favorite spots we think you’ll enjoy, and we’ll continue to update it as we go.
May Kitchen
Where: Vashon Island
What: Thai
How much: $$
May Kitchen on the sleepy (and likely stoned) Vashon Island is arguably the best Thai restaurant around. May Chaloey, owner and chef, wanted to created a space where diners are temporarily transported to Thailand, and she is succeeding. Almost everything inside the place is imported from Thailand, from the furniture to the decor to the plates. And while the restaurant is named for her, it also provides a fun play on words as the Thai word for mother is pronounced mae.
To get there requires a ferry ride that you can catch from the Fauntleroy terminal in West Seattle. You’ll likely need a car, as well, since it’s not walking distance from the terminal (though we’d imagine you can call a rideshare once you arrive). To avoid absolute disappointment also requires some planning; make reservations and check the ferry schedules ahead of time. This place is not unknown to locals. We recommend making a day of it if time permits, since there’s also cider tastings, wine tastings, and random local shops to keep you busy throughout the day. You could also just sit on the beach and look around the Puget Sounds, too, because she pretty.
The food.
We’ve eaten there twice, and both times ordered the highly-recommended fried watercress, yum phak boong, served with coconut lime and chili dipping sauce. It’s a damn delight, with crunchy rice flour on the outside, crisp watercress on the inside, and drizzled with coconut milk. With the dipping sauce, the flavor is sweet on first bite, with a slow heat in the throat. Don’t miss out on that.
We also recommend the papia phak sot (vegetables rolled in rice wraps with chili sauce), and the som tum (fresh papaya salad) appetizers (and hey, they’re all vegan, too).
Since Joel is obsessed with phad thai, we’ve also ordered that both times. And while Joel will happily eat the entire range of phad thai (except this absolutely awful place we tried in Chicago), this is not the typical, over-sauced “did they put ketchup in that?” dish of noodles. The phad thai at May’s Kitchen is truly special. To start out, they finish the dish on a cart, tableside, specific to your liking. The noodles are perfectly cooked and the sauce basically ruins phad thai anywhere else; the flavor balances perfectly between sweet palm sugar, the sour tamarind, and umami fish sauce. Among the other ingredients, the server added banana blossoms, then the perfect amount of chili for your desired heat, before topping with crushed peanuts and sprouts. We’ve never had phad thai that was so clean, fresh, and delightful. It kind of ruined the oily, over-sweet phad thai that Joel usually gets elsewhere (even though it didn’t stop him from ordering it every time we get Thai since).
Other main dish recommendations at May’s include the Kaow Phad Sapparod (a Thai-style fried rice with yellow curry powder), Gaeng Massaman (a Massaman yellow curry traditionally served with beef, though you can request this vegan, too), and Phad Pak Ruammit (prawns and shiitake mushrooms in an incredible garlic sauce). Don’t forget a side of rice with your curry - it doesn’t come with it - we recommend the red jasmine rice.
Samurai Noodle
Where: International District
What: Ramen (Japanese)
How much: $
If you find yourself in Seattle, head over to the International District, in the southern part of downtown near the King Street station. That’s where we find some of the best Asian shops, bakeries, restaurants, grocery stories, etc., in the entire city. The biggest, and probably most well-known, is the indoor grocery/mall Uwajimaya. Outside of the incredible variety of grocery items, fresh produce, a giant fish market, some amazing Japanese skin products, kitchen ware, so many teapots I have to hide my credit cards every time we walk inside….there’s also a bunch of restaurants. This is where you’ll find the best location of the ramen chain, Samurai Noodle. You’ll be served at this small noodle shop by friendly staff or you can get a bowl of ramen for take away. We highly recommend trying the Super Shouyu Tonkatsu Ramen — the broth is rich and super porky (is that a real descriptor?), and it’s loaded with everyone you want in a bowl of ramen. Their Vegan Miso Ramen is also amazing, with a white-miso-broth and rice noodles. And their Mushroom Ramen typically comes with a chicken/pork broth, but can be ordered vegan as well. Either way, this ramen will hit the spot on one of our many cold rainy days in the PNW.
Japonessa Sushi Cocina
Where: Downtown Seattle or Bellevue
What: Sushi with Latin influence
How much: $$$
Okay. Let’s get this out of the way. If you’re looking for a truly authentic or omakase experience (which you can do at Japonessa), this isn’t what you’re looking for. While some may turn their noses up to the idea of a roll that’s deep fried or topped with mango — you know what? It’s fucking great! We love Japonessa for three reasons: the sushi is consistently good with really high quality ingredients, the restaurant has a dark and relaxing atmosphere and some great cocktails, and it’s in a great location down the street from Pike Place Market and across Union street from the Seattle Art Museum. In short, this is a great date spot after going to the museum or after a show at Benaroya Hall. The menu changes from time to time, but the rolls are often sweet, spicy, and balanced. The drinks are also on point.
We always order the Matador — spicy yellowtail inside with seared filet mignon outside, plus a spicy ponzu sauce. We also love the Union — shrimp tempura inside, spicy tuna outside with chili aioli and tempura crisps. They always have a great selection of sashimi as well — we’re partial to any kind of Toro or Otoro (tuna belly), any way we can get it, and they usually have a few different kinds, and Joel always orders anything with Tamago (that sweet egg omelette yumminess).
For cocktails, you can’t go wrong with their version of the Manhattan, the Sundress Manhattan, which contains spicy plum sake and St. Germaine alongside the traditional whisky. They’ve also got a Yuzu Margarita that’s delish. And if you don’t drink alcohol, there’s a great list of zero proof cocktails as well.
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Stay tuned for future updates as we add to this list (we’ve got a massive backlog since there are obviously way more than THREE Asian restaurants we like).
