4. Restaurants

Shanghai Garden

524 6th Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104
  • (206) 625-1688
  • Store is closed

Shanghai Garden Menu

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  • Rob M.

    Great spot and love the food! Big portions so they were perfect for sharing. The tofu dishes were excellent and the shrimp plate was very generous as well. Service was decent. Not great but the waitress answered our questions politely and the food came out fast.

    (4)

  • David L.

    Great food! I liked everything but the hot and sour soup which was just not quite the way I prefer (a little more sour than hot, and not as much variety of vegetables in it as other places). I was lucky enough to try this place on Chinese New Year right by the windows so we could see the short but colorful parade in Chinatown. I had the Barleygreen hand-shaven noodles with beef. The beef was *perfect*. Very nice sized chunks that were not over or under-cooked. I can't really rate the barleygreen noodles other than to say how great they tasted. This was my first experience with them. I will definitely return!

    (4)

  • Rosa O.

    Consistently my favorite Chinese place in Seattle. I've been coming here for years and it's still just incredibly tasty. Favorite: crispy tofu in black bean sauce. My family loves it so much we've had to order a second plate for the four of us because we devour it so quickly. Other favorites are the barleygreen noodles, the mu shu vegetables, the spinach/carrot dumplings, and pretty much anything else you could dream up. Quick service, amazing food.

    (5)

  • Ray L.

    This place is so unnatural. The waiters and waitresses if you try to communicate in their native tongue, they will completely ignore you. Its worst enough to alienate your own people just to cater to from what I see, white people. The food in general is trash. Mostly microwaved. I can make food from my place without paying three times as much as their crappy place. I hear from people or reviews that they take like 10 dollars from the bill and say you didn't pay the right amount including tip. Ironicly tipping is optional. They don't deserve tipa from their shitty negative attitude and msg food to the max. Tipping is the owner's way of saying we don't want to pay you as much as you work which is underserving. Swindling us the customers over everything that is wrong with the place. I rate this 1/5. Or if I could 0/100. This is from my experience and from others review. Let's go over this again. They kiss white people's ass while ignoring others and hating certain people. I will never ever come back to this place again even if this is the last place open in the world. I rather die.

    (1)

  • Katherine C.

    Went here based on the article I read in the Seattle Met that listed this place for best noodles. We tried the hand shaved, green, barley noodles. The noodles tasted good but not great. The dish was bland...it didn't pop. We got the steamed dumplings and they were great!! We also got an awesome dish that was not in the magazine. It was the pea vines with mushroom and bean curd sheet. This dish totally rocked!! Really made it worth the effort to come here. The Spicy Beef dish we ordered was not spicy. We had to add spice. The lady server was very nice and recommended the pea vines. That dish was really good!

    (3)

  • Ellen L.

    Shanghai Garden used to have the best Chinese food ever, but has been steadily on the decline for the past few years in terms of food quality/quantity and price (way too expensive for what they serve you). If you DO end up going here, however, get the hot and sour soup for sure and the sweet & sour prawns. The soup has never stopped being delicious. All in all, not really the most authentic Chinese restaurant but is a good place to go if you want fusion done right.

    (3)

  • Blane C.

    OMB! (Oh My Buddha) I will have a hard time eating Chinese Cuisine when I return to NYC! First of all,I have never experienced Hand Shaven Noodles at a Chinese Restaurant. To break my virginity, I opted for the "House Special Barleygreen Hand Shaven Chow Mein (Shrimp, Chicken, & Squid) options. My other first time experience is "Dry Sauteed String Beans (With Chicken) I'm telling you that I literally INHALED my selections and could not wait for the next day to make another order, Holla! When you get it right, you get it right!

    (5)

  • Jesse C.

    Not sure why everyone raves about this place so much. I found the green buckwheat noodles to not taste very much like buckwheat and the sauce they came in was unremarkable as well. I went in again today thinking I would give them another chance and was told that they wouldn't sub tofu for meat and that if I wanted to add tofu to the 'Assorted Vegetables' lunch special, it would cost $2 more. A two dollar surcharge on top of $8 lunch special seemed exorbitant to me so I left and went somewhere that has more vegetarian options.

    (2)

  • Ayla W.

    Ordered the beef and green barley noodles - my boyfriend wasn't kidding when he said they made the best around! We also got this red bean fried pastry which was super good. Service was quick and friendly, food was delicious, I'd definitely come back and try some of the other great looking items on the menu.

    (4)

  • Anthony G.

    Our family favorite in Seattle's International District. The dining room is pretty standard "Chinese Restaurant", right down to the kid-magnet aquarium. Service is efficient and it's been friendly every time we've eaten there (at least 5 times) Our favorites: Hot and Sour Soup, Crispy Shrimp (Plum or Mango sauce), Dry-Sauteed String Beans, Hand-Shaven Noodle Chow Mein (Vegetable is my favorite), and Shredded Beef in Garlic Sauce. Don't know what to say about the bad reviews--we've had consistently good experiences here. Recommended!

    (4)

  • Clayton J.

    Honestly, we should have bounced after they said no lunch special on Saturday. The service was horrible and the food was mediocre. We stopped because of the reviews and I quickly realized that this was the same place from Factoria and near 3-4 other Asian eateries, it was always the worst. The server was really sharp and borderline rude to use, but all of the white people were greeted with smiles and laughter and top shelf service. Forget the fact that kids were jumping up and down on chairs and running around tables, I guess our dark complexion was not the atmosphere they wanted to promote here. Total fail, overpriced, average at best and an unwelcome atmosphere. I won't make that mistake again. A shame when the Chinese food is better in Bothel than Chinatown.

    (1)

  • Opal D.

    Came here on a friend's recommendation and found it to be just OK. They have brown rice as an option, which I appreciate.

    (3)

  • Reggie S.

    My friends & I stopped by here after a Seahawks game and it was slightly busy. We ordered hot & sour soup, honey walnut prawns, & the house special fried rice. Our soup came about 5 minutes after we ordered it and it was pretty delicious. In about 15 minutes, our fried rice & prawns came out. I would rate the rice & prawns average. I am giving them a 4 for their quick service on a busy evening. I would came back here after a sports game again.

    (4)

  • Rick S.

    Bottom LIne - I only come here for the pan-fried pork dumplings and house special hand shaved noodles. I think the other dishes are just okay and not worth any special mention. Came with a friend on Monday, 31 May 2010 for dinner. It was just the two of us, and we ordered the following: Pan Fried Pork Dumplings - This is the main reason why I come here. These are fantastic. The skin isn't too thick but not thin like shanghai dumplings, either. The pork and juices on the inside are so very tasty. My friend never had these before and he LOVED them. Schezuan Pork - We wanted a dish to eat with rice, so we blindly ordered this... it wasn't that good. Actually, we didn't eat much of this dish. It just seemed a little too reminiscent of China Express at your local Safeway. Wouldn't order this again. House Special Hand Shaven Noodles - This dish is another reason why I keep coming back (and sometimes get takeout). I've tried a few of their other hand shaven noodle dishes, but this one has the best sauce and flavour. I LOVE this dish. The noodles are on the thicker side, and I really like that consistency. My friend insisted on paying, so I have no clue what our final total was after tax and tip, but I'd guestimate it was somewhere around $35. Check out the my uploaded photos.

    (3)

  • Rich X.

    Pros; This place is probably one of the more authentic shanghai restaurants around. Their ingredients are fairly good and fresh. Cons: The seasoning kind of varies, sometimes good and sometimes off a bit. The service kind of sucks but it does create that real Chinese restaurant feel though lol. The food is fairly pricey for the portion and taste though. I'd come back though yep yep

    (3)

  • Amy G.

    This is a solid Chinese restaurant. I had the Mongolian Beef & Pork Fried Rice. Both were great and almost better as leftovers! My husband had shaved noodles and some sort of beef. He really enjoyed this but I think liked the dumplings (6 per order) the most. They mentioned that the dumplings would take 15 minutes extra and asked if we wanted them to bring out the food as it was ready even though the dumplings were technically an appetizer. I thought this was really smart considering it was fairly late and we readily agreed. There was a lot of awesome family-style dining going on here like any legitimate Chinese restaurant. The service was prompt and the staff was friendly. Prices were reasonable. We spent $40 (pre-tip) for all 4 items. We'll be going back!

    (4)

  • Estela E.

    We ordered kung pao triple delight and chicken garlic and ginger. The dishes were tasteless and too sweet that you don't need to order dessert anymore. Expensive so i wouldn't recommend this restaurant, too embarrassing.

    (1)

  • David M.

    This used to be my favorite Chinese restaurant but it has declined in the past year. we had stopped going because of the poor quality but gave it one last chance a few days ago. The General Tso's chicken tasted like it was soaked in vinegar, the moo shoo pork was bland, had hardly any flavor and the pancakes were stale. The crispy beef was terrible, the meat was grisly and it tasted like it had been sitting for days.. This is very sad because its been a favorite for so many years but now its overpriced and bad food.

    (2)

  • Jenny B.

    Delicious. We had Szechuan chicken in garlic sauce and chicken chow mien with hand shaven noodles. We do not eat Chinese cuisine very often. This place was exceptional. The chicken, vegetables and noodles were all very fresh and tasty. Service was good but with little personality which was fine. We stopped by around 1 on a Saturday afternoon. We were able to sit down right away but it was busy. The decor was simple and very pink. Lastly the restrooms were clean.

    (5)

  • Daren D.

    Swung by for some lunch to try out those barley noodles: chicken barley noodles, please. I head back to the office and have at it... Interesting! It was initially somewhere along bland to subtle flavor... then I got some of that juice below mixed in (that's what she said). Pretty good! Nice and simple, it seemed.

    (4)

  • Lisa G.

    Chinese I find myself returning to again and again! Their flavors are truly world-class.

    (5)

  • Jean Y.

    A lot of my Chinese friends have sworn off Shanghai Garden as being overly Americanized. Indeed, it is very Americanized. The lunch specials and most items on the menu appeal to a non-Chinese audience. Shanghai Garden fails terribly at certain dishes. For example, there is nothing Shanghai about their xiao long bao, which are too large and too thick-skinned to be classified as xiao long bao. Over time, I've found comfort in their hand shaven noodles, whether in soup or stir-fried. There aren't too many places in the ID for lovers of hand-shaven noodles. However, the noodles are the only thing I order here.

    (2)

  • Tom B.

    Another great Chinese place in the ID. Very nice people, very industrious. No bar, but they do offer bottles of Tsingtao (China's own Budweiser). We got here at different times, given the gnarly traffic on the 90. This matters to the experience of dining at Shanghai Garden because they were really cool about tying up a table with one person for about 20 minutes. One person who during that time ordered nothing more than a beer and a plate of crispy scallops. I have to say, though, getting off the road and sitting down to a hot crispy scallop that just landed on the table seconds before my elbow, that's a decent way to start a Friday night. Pretty good scallop. Made me feel better about not being able to get there earlier. Given that the table was tied up for half an hour before the orders really started, they can be forgiven for kind of losing track of our being there. It took quite a while to be able to order beers and foods. That's fine, though, because the glasses hit the table in seemingly a matter of seconds. And the food hit the table in an unbelievably short period of time. And speaking of the food, yeah, that's the good stuff. They do offer a full multi-page menu of Americanized dishes, but they also offer a bunch of different stuff that seems tied more to some traditional culinary thinking. At a somewhat uninformed glance, these included a bunch of selections of bean curd, pea vine, and barleygreen noodle dishes. The barleygreen noodles are noted as being hand-shaven, and, best of all, "high nutrition" in the menu. I ate about half a plate of that high nutrition, and, while I don't know yet that I might feel like a new man at this point, I do know I'll be eating more plates of it in my life. Good stuff? Yeah, this really is the good stuff.

    (4)

  • Mikiko T.

    After reading about the infamous green hand-shaved noodles on Seattle Magazine, we had to give this place a try. We ordered green noodles with chicken, and orange peel chicken. Right away, we noticed that the price is higher than other Chinese places we have been to in the International District. The meal was good, but not mind-blowing. The service was really good!

    (3)

  • Sin-Yaw W.

    Disclaimer: I am a Chinese. We have a different standard on Chinese restaurants. The review is mostly written for my fellow Chinese. Don't expect real ShangHai dishes here. This is really a standard Chinese restaurant that is reasonable in pretty much everything, but not good at any. You want to a quick fix to noodle, fried rice, or other comfort foods. This is a fine choice. If you expect a high-quality or even standard ShangHai feast, you will be disappointed. For my non-Chinese friends, you will be quite pleased with this one. It has pretty good "Americanized Chinese" dishes.

    (3)

  • Vivian L.

    I cook Shanghainese food at home everyday. I think I have the right to give a bad review on this place. It is really an American style Chinese food restaurant. Do not go if you are Chinese, you will not like it.

    (1)

  • Robert S.

    I have to agree with every on this one... go for the hand-shaved noodles. Whoa they are good. Food comes out fast here. Everything was yummy! Would eat here again.

    (4)

  • Christina G.

    Too bad we can't rate them with negative stars. We were unfortunate enough to be recommended this restaurant by the concierge at our hotel. Upon entering, we were assaulted by three Cantonese-speaking women who enjoyed insulting every patron in the restaurant. Mid-way through our meal, I made it clear I could speak and understand what they were saying. It did not prevent them from insulting the overweight, the elderly, the mixed race couple, the poor child throwing rice all over the floor. Needless to say, this was the most unpleasant experience...ever. And to top it off -- the food was inedible! How could this restaurant get 4 stars? The dishes were garlic-heavy, the hot and sour soup peppery, the vegetables and seafood stale and old. Even my four year old would not eat his rice complaining it tasted weird!! I don't take the time to write a review unless it's really bad or really good. This place is one of the worst I've been.

    (1)

  • gretchen m.

    We stopped by on the later side of a weeknight and enjoyed a good meal. The service was fast, the shanghai dumplings were tasty as was the beef with mushrooms in black bean sauce. We ordered chicken with sweet and sour garlic sauce and were surpised to find sliced jalepenos in it (or a similar large undercooked green hot pepper with seeds). That dish was disappointing as was the bland vegetable fried rice. The other disappointment was that we had to ask for soy and red sambal type sauce as it was not on the tables. I might go back there as everyone says their noodles are so good, it would be worth a try. If you care about decor, which I don't, close your eyes.

    (3)

  • Kristine H.

    We had to grab something quick before a concert downtown + my companion left the food decision to me. I opted for the I.D. because of its proximity and when I found a parking spot right in front of Shanghai Garden, I joked it was a sign. I had been there before so I remembered the food to be solid. I also have never had an outright bad dish there so I thought it was a safe bet. And it usually is, I've just found the last few times I've been, they have been inconsistent with spice levels + service. To explain, there was nothing wrong with our hand-shaved noodles, the chicken was cooked through and the flavour was fine. Our fried tofu + pork dish though was oversauced + on the bland side. We were midway through our meal when we realised that we were eating with such gusto because we were hungry rather than because the food was great. And we've all been there, right? Eating your entrées for sustenance rather than flavour? Anyway, they are always busy so they must be doing some dishes right. I need to find out what those are so as to avoid our last visit. We were just out of the field of vision of the wait staff, sitting on the east side of the restaurant against the windows. Because of this we had to wave down our server a few times for water refills and our check. One final thing and this cost them a star. In the women's bathroom, the handicapped stall was filled with extra chairs stacked higher than they should have been. There is no way that someone with limited mobility could access the toilet without difficulty. Find somewhere else to store those, they shouldn't be in there next to a toilet. It made me question whether or not the chair surfaces were clean in the dining area hence my removal of one star.

    (3)

  • Ane P.

    Oh wow have times changed. The negative things have improved, and the great things have maintained their greatness. I forgot about just how much I loved the sweet chili shrimp, as there have been so many other restaurants in the ID that have distracted me. Well, I've been back a few times in the past couple of weeks, and their service is so much better than before! The servers are extra friendly (even letting us in after they had locked the doors for the night), and the service is the fastest that I can think of in the whole city. Honestly. This place is faster than McDonalds. We've been order the sweet chili shrimp (of course..and it's good as ever), spicy cucumbers, chicken & corn soup, and whatever else looks good for the night. Those three are the staples. From the moment you tell them your selections, there is probably a two to three minute wait until the plate is delivered to your table. I can't wrap my mind around this! I'm thinking of finding the most complicated meal on the menu, to see if it will be the same! Oh, and here's what else. I noticed the other night that a homeless man came in asking for something to eat...one of the servers went back and prepared a meal, and allowed him to dine in the warmth of the restaurant (it was pouring buckets). I love that.

    (5)

  • Rebecca S.

    As much as I love the food at Shanghai Garden, I'm just really sick of their abrasive service that comes with their delicious, overpriced Chinese food. I frequent Shanghai Garden for lunch but in the past several months, they hired all new waitresses who are just incredibly rude. I went there yesterday for lunch and upon entering, we were barked at, "HOW MANY", we said two and were told to "WAIT THERE" while they cleaned a table for us. After the table was clean, we were yelled at and told to "GO SIT AT WINDOW" and so we took a seat. We waited a few minutes for tea and menus, and when the waitress came by with them, she slammed them on the table and stormed off. We ordered shortly and received our food quickly, but when we needed to pay and leave, nobody would come by so that we could request the check, despite many attempts of making eye contact. When we finally received the check, we put the credit card in and set it on the table and the waitress came back and took the payment, however it took fifteen more minutes to run the card and return it to us and when she returned it, she shoved in our faces without a word or even a thank you. It's not very fun going to a restaurant when it feels like everyone that works there hates you, and unfortunately, this has been the typical experience since the turnover in staff and I'm done hoping that they're just having off days. Another incident that left a bad taste in my mouth was a few weeks ago when I ordered takeout. I was on my way to pick up my food when I got in a three car collision. While I was waiting for the cops to arrive, I remembered my Chinese food that I would be unable to pick-up and just as I was about to call them and apologize, they called me and started yelling, "WHERE ARE YOU? WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU. WE HAVE YOUR FOOD. COME GET IT!" I apologized profusely and explained that I was in an accident and wouldn't be able to make it before they close because I was waiting for the cops to arrive, and they yelled, "YOU GOT IN ACCIDENT? WHY DON'T YOU CALL? WE ARE WAITING. SEND SOMEONE ELSE TO PICK UP!" Despite my frequent cravings for Shanghai Garden's crispy tofu with cabbage and Chinese eggplant, I don't think I'll be coming back to Shanghai Garden ever again.

    (2)

  • Gary M.

    Barley green noodles are very good. Staff is very friendly

    (4)

  • Ashley A.

    Went here on a recommendation from a colleague about how amazing the food is here. My husband and I enjoyed our dinner we shared the spicy beef and the General Tso's chicken but I would say the highlight of our meal were the dumplings we had for the appetizer. The portion is large enough to share for a group of 4+ and they were very tasty! As far as the entrees, I didn't feel the price matched up with the quality of the food or the portion size. Service was quick but forgettable. The highlight of the evening was watching two of the fish in the fish tank get into a fight. It made for some great conversation! I would go back if I was in the area but otherwise I probably won't be going out of the way to eat here.

    (3)

  • Joshua B.

    Was out one night at the bars in Pioneer Square and my friends and I started getting hungry and Chinese food sounded awesome. So we headed up to the International District and stumbled upon Shanghai Garden. The place was very busy but we didn't have to wait very long to get a table. The hostess and the waitress were very personable and friendly. Looking at the menu they had a lot of really good dishes to choose from such as different noodle dishes, rice dishes, high nutrition dishes, chicken, pork, beef, seafood, casseroles, veggie dishes, soups and bean curd dishes. So if you come here you better come with an empty stomach. My friends and I all picked a dish that sounded good. We ended up ordering the house fried rice with shrimp, chicken and beef ($8.25), chicken with barley green hand shaven chow mein ($7.50), crispy chicken with orange flavoring ($11.50), and beef with broccoli ($10.95). For the starters we also ordered big bowls of hot and sour soup ($6.95). The food looked and smelled amazing when they brought it to the table. I don't know if it was the alcohol from our binging prior to coming here but the food was incredibly delicious. Each dish was extremely good and left an imprint on my taste buds making me want more. If you leave this place hungry then there is something absolutely wrong with you. If I am ever in the area again I will be coming here without any hesitation.

    (4)

  • Richard R.

    I'm new to the Seattle ID. I've been to a couple of restaurants in this area, but so far, I've found Shanghai Gardens to be the best. Get there early, it fills up FAST. Highly recommended!!

    (5)

  • Cinnatea L.

    Been to this restaurant no less than twenty times. Always consistent. Always tasty. Always quick and friendly service. I love it when someplace you like to eat is consistently amazing. Their food is so goooooood! Sweet Chili Shrimp, Barley Green Hand Shaven Noodles, Pork Mushu, Fish with Yellow Leeks, Sugar Pea Vines, and Salt and Pepper Shrimp are all of our favorites. Yummy yumm yumm!

    (5)

  • Luca T.

    I don't like anything about this place from the environment to the food. Cantonese cuisine is one of the most antique and sophisticated in the world, but this restaurant has nothing to do with this tradition.

    (2)

  • Monica S.

    3 stars for food. 1 star for service. Never again for Christmas. I don't know if I'll be back at all. We went for Christmas dinner, as we have done many years in the past. Knowing it would be crowded at peak hours, we came a little later - 8:30 - and it was still packed. Unlike years past there was no one staffing the door. We had to hunt down a rather unpleasant woman to get a number from her and to add our name to a list. It took a little more than a half hour to finally be seated. Not a long wait and not unexpected, but not a great place to wait to that long. Once seated we ordered the dish we came for - Pepper Salted Shrimp - and 2 other dishes (String Beans and Happy Rolls). They were out of the Dry Sauteed String Beans so we ordered the Assorted Veggies instead. The kitchen was slow and when the dishes finally came out they arrived more than 10 minutes apart. We kept waiting for our shrimp and when they did not arrive, we tried to flag down a server. We were in such a spot that it was nearly impossible to do so. Our server did not once come back to check on things or refill tea or water and of course we were unable to complain we did not receive our food. Instead the next time we saw our server she was handing us our bill - with the shrimp on it (about 30-40 minutes after receiving our last dish). We informed her we did not receive that dish and she snatched the bill away from us mumbling something incomprehensible. When she came back the bill had been changed and the dish was gone, but we told her we wanted our food. She snapped that the kitchen was closed and after a moment added a half-hearted 'sorry' and walked away. The food we received was mediocre, not particularly authentic and was really not of the quality it had been in years past. The service was pathetic. It had never been great, but this was just unacceptable. Even as busy as the place was, it was not so crowded or hectic that it was OK to be treated as rudely we were. It was clear to me that we were not valued customers; rather we were obstacles standing between the servers and quitting time. It's a shame. The place used to be a favorite. Now I'll probably avoid it. There are so many places that are WAY better. I see no reason to patronize an establishment that does not care about customers. PS - For truly delicious pepper salted shrimp ELSEWHERE I recommend the Red Crane inside the Hollywood Casino in Shoreline ( yelp.com/biz/club-hollyw… ) but the service is hit or miss and the atmosphere is not so great. The food there is typically pretty good and fairly inexpensive for the quality.

    (2)

  • Jennifer P.

    Went here with my mom after taking her to doctor's appt. We particularly enjoyed the Barleygreen Housemade chowmein (with homemade noodles), Pork dumplings, and I also enjoyed the Hot and Sour soup. Lunch specials are pretty good deal at $8-9/choice.

    (4)

  • Bernardo R.

    OK, not the most trendy place on earth but man you HAVE to try those hand shaved noodles!!!

    (4)

  • Jocelyn E.

    After having been to the Shanghai Garden in we though we'd try out the restaurant in the ID. A lot closer than Issy, and given its counterpart, we thought it was be great food. So one lazy Sunday afternoon, we decided to try the take out. This was the worst Chinese food I've ever had. I want to say it also ranks pretty high as far as worst service in an Asian restaurant. First of all, the girl who picked up the phone couldn't speak Chinese. Not to be completely racist and the such, but I've always been a firm believer that authentic restaurants have people who speak that language (along with cooks who aren't Mexican). The menu is slightly different from the Issy restaurant too; if you're looking for spring rolls (I think they may even be called egg rolls), don't bother here. We were told to show up in 25 minutes. We got to the restaurant and after wrestling my way to the counter, the lady promptly turned around to ignore me. A lot of "excuse me" and hand waving at staff for about 10 minutes finally got me some help (I had seriously contemplated jumping over the counter and helping myself at this point). A very angry and annoyed chick took my money and after I signed the credit card receipt, turned around and walked away. Once again, there I was trying to get someone else to help me. Finally, I get someone's attention. It turns out our food wasn't ready. And it wasn't close to ready. At this point, it had been over 45 minutes since I called. When the food was finally ready it turns out that my dumpling order was somehow "mixed up in the kitchen" and I had gotten these chicken dumplings with cornmeal skin. The lady at the counter made a big fuss about how "these are much better, they cost more." They cost around $1 more. I just took the order because I wanted to get home to eat. Let me tell you, if I had tried one of those chicken cornmeal dumplings, I would've insisted on getting my money back! The food was at best sub-par. The Hot & Sour soup was sweet and not either of what the name implies. The rice cakes were undercooked, the sweet & sour pork did not taste anything like the Issaquah store, and the chicken/cornmeal dumplings should be taken off the menu and never sold again. To top if off, it wasn't cheap at all. Maybe we just went on an off-day, but I'm willing to cut my losses and never go back again. Next time, I'm going to the Issaquah store. The drive from Seattle is well worth the cost, food, and service!

    (1)

  • Becky G.

    The Original Shanghai Garden Restaurant is in Issaquah and that is one of my favorite restaurants. So I was expecting to be a little disappointed but I was not! The decor inside and out is very similar to the Issaquah location, it made me happy immediately, My favorite dish is the barley green noodles with chicken. I often order one plate for dinner and one order to take home, it's that good! They could use a little more flavor, thou We also got the hot and sour soup, yum! It was very hot and very sour. Delicious! And the garlic beef, also full of flavor and good. They are very fast after you order, you get your food in 5 minutes. And it's piping hot! They give you a pot of hot tea and fortune cookies with your check. Its a good price and fast, pleasant service. I'll be back.

    (4)

  • Juli M.

    The pea vines and the hand-shaven barleygreen noodles are every bit as phenomenal as you've heard. Having finally ventured beyond just those two items on the menu, I must say I'm thrilled. Their tofu in black bean sauce was phenomenal, and uncannily close to Thai food, with the heavy use of basil and the sweet black bean sauce. This is, surprisingly, a good thing. One can't say enough good things about them. It really boils down to: Order the hand-shaven noodles. Order the pea vines. Eat. Repeat as necessary.

    (4)

  • Jim C.

    Wonderful food at a good price. What's not to like?

    (5)

  • Juan and Claudia V.

    Its ok and edible and my wife had been craving Chinese food for months. This was the perfect time to go prior to Sounder game and based on Yelp we decided for this restaurant. We ordered the Chow mein, beef soup (w/handmade noodles), and the scallops. I'll sum it up by saying the chinese food within Q-West Stadium is better and I'm not joking. I coming from L.A. and experiencing the Chinatown and Chinese food in L.A. this sucks. The food is bland and the noodles are overwhelmingly thick. Purpose of them is to fill you up and make you forget that food is supposed to taste good. I love Scallops and they were meh. I just believe the rating of overall a 4 or 5 that is given here is too much. Service was ok and the food came out quick. Maybe too quick like if they probably had it ready and all they did was to put in a microwave.

    (2)

  • Jake K.

    Hands down the best Chinese restaurant in the city. We just got back from eating dinner there tonight and were talking about how we need to come here more often. Just remember looks can be deceiving. This place looks like any of the other Chinese restaurants in the International District. But then they bring out the shaved noodles, ah the shaved noodles, then you suddenly realize why the Shanghai Garden is such a great place. This is what they're known for- home made shaved noodles. I can't say it enough if there is one thing to get it is the SHAVED NOODLES! That's not to say the rest of the menu is anything less than amazing. Grab a mu-shu dish and they'll make you your first one. Just watch that spicy mustard I got a little crazy with it tonight... In addition to the amazing noodles, this place is reasonably priced, has large family sized portions, friendly employees, fast service, great location, and did I mention the shaved noodles... We'll definitely be going back so maybe we'll see you there...

    (4)

  • J K.

    One of the better restaurants in the ID. Delicious.

    (4)

  • May N.

    Good Chinese food at a reasonable price. I really love their high nutrition barley green hand-shaven noodles (quite a mouthful, I know). I usually go there for lunch with my coworkers but it is best to avoid the place between noon and 1PM since it is always absolutely packed so there is a long wait. Once you sit down, however, they take your order quickly and your food arrives right away. I definitely recommend this place for lunch.

    (4)

  • Tami F.

    The consistently bestest and freshest Chinese food in the I.D. and great for takeout. Here's the best things the menu, in my experience: CORN STEAMED DUMPLINGS - or really, any of the steamed dumplings. But the corn are somehow more special, perhaps due to the yellow dumplin' dough. P.S. Filled with pork. HOT & SOUR SOUP - the best in Seattle. Really great if you're sick. Get someone else to drive you. HIGHLY NUTRITIONAL BARLEYGREEN HAND-SHAVEN NOODLES CHOW MEIN. Really, that's what they're called. Some little scrammies are combined with the delish dense noodles (and they're highly nutritional, remember?) along with some other chinese-ish bean sprouts. Not actually sure what they are. Just trust me, these are ossum! With meat or without.

    (5)

  • Gareth D.

    I used to go here all the time with my parents, and everybody that I have taken here loves this place. The crispy shrimp in sweet chili sauce, hand shave noodles with chicken (which are quite unique) and pan fried pork dumplings are true winners. They offer brown rice, which is great, though I'm old fashioned in that I always did prefer a single heaping rice bowl for the table, rather than the individual tea-cups of rice. ugh, getting hungry. While the decor isn't amazing, it's always been cleaner than other old-time ID establishments.

    (5)

  • Russell H.

    Okay, I had read several reviews about the amazing hand shaven barley noodles at Shanghi Gardens, so I took the wife there for lunch. The noodles were green, bland and doughy. No exciting flavors to be found. What am I missing here?? I don't get it. Thankfully, I also ordered the Moo Sho pork and was able to combine the two and dump the remaining plum sauce on them. If you want a taste sensation go to Lee's Asian cuisine on California street in West Seattle. Order the 7 Flavor Beef! That's what I'm talking about!

    (1)

  • Eric P.

    Went here for a friend's birthday dinner. They did ok for taking care of a table of 12 people. We got a good spread of food thrown on the large rotating platter in the middle of our table, ranging from noodles to an assortment of beef dishes. Pretty standard Chinese food... maybe explains the abundance of white people, and lacking of any Asians actually eating here. Pretty good experience and food, though most likely won't return any time soon.

    (3)

  • Kerstin B.

    I have two friends visiting from Germany who wanted to see Chinatown and have Chinese for lunch. I had eaten at Shanghai Garden before and chose this restaurant because of a good past experience. The place was packed with business people having lunch but we were nonetheless seated quickly. Swift and friendly service; good food; affordable price. Perfect place for a casual lunch with friends.

    (4)

  • Bunneh L.

    After not having access to Asian food for a week, I was having some serious cravings. Shanghai Garden did not disappoint. They had your typical Chinese lunch specials for $6.95 (snore), but I wanted to venture out and try something new and exciting. So I ordered the homemade green mung bean noodles with chicken (not to be confused with their homemade hand-shaved green barley noodles). I had no idea what they would be like, but I pictured thin, clear vermicelli with a greenish tint. I was wrong. They were clear (not green at all), but really wide. They were accompanied by stir-fried chicken and julienned cucumbers in a super garlicky sauce. It was good, but (a) it was a tad TOO garlicky, if there is such a thing; and (b) I kind of got sick of it after I had eaten half the dish. It's probably a dish best shared with someone else so you can order other items from the menu. The waitress was super gruff, even for a Chinese restaurant. I thought she was going to yell at me because I asked so many questions about the menu. Still, I'll go back for the food. Maybe with a Chinese speaker next time. UPDATE: I went back and ordered off their lunch specials menu. The Szechuan chicken and beef and the Szechuan shrimp were OK. Too sweet and syrupy actually. And their Shanghai soup dumplings disappointed. But only because I've been lucky enough to experience the BEST soup dumlings ever (at Joe's Shanghai in NYC). Nothing will ever compare. Wah.

    (4)

  • Angie Q.

    This is the only Chinese restaurant my parents will venture to while they are in Seattle (they are Shanghainese). Obviously the food is lacking compared to the real deal, but it's pretty good. The xiao long bao is not authentic nor are they good (they can't be pork soup dumplings without the soup)! The waiter made me feel a bit uncomfortable though..

    (3)

  • Tom L.

    Food is good but service can be curt and bordering on rude. I asked for some water and the waitress looked at me like I was asking her to wash my car.

    (2)

  • b r.

    Family style is the only way to go here. The top things to get are: House special hand shaven noodles Pea vines with mushrooms Crispy shrimp in the sweet chili sauce House special fried rice Barleywheat dumplings with the pepper sauce It's a bit pricey, it takes forever to get more water, but it's great. The lunch menu looks good and decently priced, but have never been for it.

    (4)

  • Melinda C.

    So-so. The hand-shaven noodles were great but the steamed dumplings (xiao long bao) were disappointing. The wrappers were far too thick and although the pork flavor okay, the dumplings were not juicy enough. The sizzling chicken platter was okay - fairly standard but decent taste to it. Overall, service was surly and food just okay. I will come back for the noodles but perhaps not as much for the other entrees which seem to be a bit pricier compared to other restaurants in the I.D.

    (3)

  • Dave A.

    I ordered the Mongolian beef once, it was very good. I love their hot & sour soup, it's excellent. However, once a few months ago I ordered their hand shaven barley green noodles beef chow mein. I haven't ordered anything since other than a cup of their hot & sour soup here & there. We will go with a group of 10 people from work. We will end up with 8 orders of "beef barley green noodles chow mein". Very good stuff. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the service is very random. If you go with 10 people, some people will get their food in 5 minutes, some people will get it in 45 minutes. We've had everyone finished eating, and 1 or 2 people still haven't gotten their food. Hit or miss on service. Oh, and Dave Matthews sat at a table behind us once, so that was cool. He looked very tired.

    (4)

  • Ryan P.

    Went here the other night and it was my first time checking out yet another new place in the ID. The menu has the usual items you'd expect for a place like this, but the prices do seem a little higher than some other places in the ID. But, if you are looking for a quick meal, this is a good spot as our food came out quickly and piping hot. Now, even though our two entrées + veg cost upwards of $30 (for 2), this was easily enough for another meal for both of us. So, if you think of it in that respect, it's not a bad deal and there would be worse ways to spend your money.

    (4)

  • Rita R.

    I'm going to preface this by saying that my hands are only now thawing out enough to type this review. While the food at Shanghai Garden II is good/okayish, it's not spectacular. I got the Shanghai steamed dumplings, and the hand shaven chow mein with pork. Nothing wrong with either, but nothing mind-blowing. James got the crispy beef with sweet and sour garlic sauce. He didn't care for it as he was eating it, too strong of a "_____" taste, that he couldn't quite put his finger on. My guess is too much garlic, but I only tried a small bite, so I couldn't say for sure. Average food, perhaps slightly better than average due to the noodles being housemade, but mostly average. Now, here's where the major star reduction comes in. When we got there it wasn't all that crowded. Even on a Friday evening we got there ahead of the main dinner rush, and yet got seated at a table RIGHT next to the front door. Through the entire meal we got a freezing cold blast every time someone walked in. Not only did I not get to take my coat off to eat, I actually had to zip it up. I resorted to trying to keep my hands warm on the tea pot. There was absolutely NO reason why we couldn't have been seated in any one of the open tables on the opposite end of the restaurant, away from the door. In conclusion, okay food, less than stellar service.

    (3)

  • Megan L.

    My boyfriend had a desire to eat dumplings so we yelped around and decided on Shanghai Garden. It's a typical Chinese restaurant with typical bad Chinese service and delicious food. We ordered dumplings and crispy beef. I must say writing about the crispy beef dish makes my mouth water. It was so tasty, my chopsticks found themselves picking at the tiniest scraps. After we finished eating, we had a hard time getting the bill because all the staff were eating their lunch together! Geez, so typical of a Chinese restaurant (I've seen them do this in L.A. too). But if this is what I must tolerate to eat that crispy beef again, then I shall!

    (4)

  • Garann M.

    I'm addicted to Shanghai Garden's hand-shaved barleygreen noodles. Maybe it's just the novelty of eating something bright green, I don't know, but I always get the veggie chow mein with green noodles and it's always delicious. Additionally, the service is very quick and I enjoy reading the paper wrappers on the chop sticks (something about "your nice Chinese food"). Beyond the hand-shaved noodles, it seems to be pretty generic, but most of the other entrees on the menu are at least good. The only exception I've experienced is the strawberry beef, which tastes like a plate full of sweet, extra crispy bacon.

    (4)

  • Stan F.

    I love the chili shrimp, the people working there, the way that the cooks and staff eat their own food at one of the tables at night, the barley green noodles, the szechuan eggplant and some of their soups really make us happy!

    (5)

  • Kiran C.

    Surprisingly good lunch menu. I was always put off by this place. It has a lot of americanized food and americans eating in it often. The key to eating here though is being selective on the menu. The hand shaved noodles are ok but nothing amazing. The kung pao chicken from the lunch menu is really substantial in terms of meat. It has barely any silly celery or other fillers in it. They only thing is that it is a bit sweet. Still the lunch specials here are ok to try surprisingly. Otherwise, I would say that they have amazing dinner dishes if you know what to order. I went with some experts and we ordered an amazing tofu dish, a tasty stir fried boneless chicken dish, and a pork dish that you roll into rice flour wraps was perfect. Other people were looking over our shoulders since we were enjoying our food so much. Order smart here and you will be happy otherwise you will end up with oil and sugar...

    (3)

  • Vincent C.

    There are a few foods that the argument could be made that I am slightly obsessed with. This rotates like a season beer tap and the current special is noodles. After being listed a place of possible noodle joints, I settled here. At 7 on a Sunday night, every seat was sat in; a good sign for the food to come but not so good for my empty gullet. Just as I had decided which of the tropical fish I was to consume out of the tank in the waiting area, seats had opened up and that option was off the table. The wait was also torture having to watching this table eat their beef and broccoli sizzling thing. In fact, the sizzling thing look so amazing that my desire for noodles was washed away and that was selected as my main course. In addition, we ordered some hand shaven beef noodles and fried tofu. All were unbelievably delicious: cooked perfectly, nice and saucy and loaded with flavor. My only issue is that appetizer of fried tofu came out right at the same time as the meal - so I had to figure out how to shovel three things in my mouth with the unfortunate limitation of only have two arms.

    (5)

  • N-P H.

    uh...no. Good customer service, however, the food left little to be desired. We had the famous green barley hand shaven noodles...bland, and unexciting. Also ordered the salt and pepper fish, and pea-vines with mushrooms and bean curd...all of which were mediocre. The Xiao Long Bao's were terrible. The dough was thick and tough, the filling, again was bland. We're not coming back.

    (1)

  • Eugene O.

    Daily lunch specials (which include rice and soup) are abundant here, and including everything from the tasty black bean chicken to Szechuan beef. For around $8, I'll take it! Lunchtime is busy as a bee, so you might not want to set your lunch meetings here since they're getting customers in and out. Come around 2 p.m. after the rush, and you're gonna be fine. BTW - The green barley noodles still rock.

    (4)

  • Ron B.

    We were hungry coming out of the Seahawks game and wandered into the International district looking for a quick meal. Saw a "Zagat rated" sign in the window and decided to give it a try. Another key was that the place was packed. We saw some reviews about the hand cut noodles so we decided to share a hand cut green noodle soup and hand cut noodle chow mein. I also ordered the veggie dumpling appetizer. Turns out that this was a LOT of food. We both loved the Dumplings and Green noodle soup which would have been more than enough for dinner for the two of us. The hand cut noodle chow mein was OK, but even though we asked for no egg (we're vegans) it come out with egg. We were tired and hungry so picked around it. It was good but the green noodles are the best. The place was packed but service was excellent and the food came out quickly.

    (4)

  • Erik M.

    When I worked a few blocks away from the ID a few years ago, Shanghai Garden was an occasional lunch destination. My most recent visit was more out of necessity, as we were looking for some sushi before an early afternoon Sounders game but we couldn't find any places that opened until after the game. Anyway, not much has changed about Shanghai Garden that I can recall. Their menu runs the gamut from the pedestrian American style dishes (General Tso's Chicken) to creative (Shrimp in Strawberry Sauce) to exotic (Fried Jellyfish). Most dishes are served family style to share, and one entree per adult will likely leave you with plenty of leftovers even if you steer clear of any appetizers or rice. The dishes are freshly prepared and come out piping hot. Even when it's busy, the service has been quick and attentive, and the kitchen manages to crank out the food in good time, although it might come out in shifts or in an illogical order - our dumpling appetizer came out as we were finishing our first round of entrees. I'm not really qualified to speak to the authenticity of Shanghai Garden's cuisine, but it has always scratched my itch for Chinese food, even if it wasn't what I was in the mood for to begin with.

    (3)

  • Delilah R.

    I consider this place to be a little under average and don't fully understand why it gets so much push. I've had many experiences here, mostly because the restaurant is literally right across the street from my former employer and my coworkers always ordered food for lunch from Shanghai. At one point, I had a friend meet me here for dinner b/c it was so convenient. Not five minutes after we ordered four different dishes, they were sitting right in front of us. To us it was worrisome to have our food that quickly. Was it just sitting under a lamp somewhere? Or maybe there was a lamp rubbed and it just suddenly appeared? Either way, unnatural. Bad service and slow to get you anything but the food that you ordered. I've picked up countless to go orders, only to have to come back for missing sauces and even entrees. At some point, it became automatic to have an itemized list with me in hand, bag check and then leave. It sucks that anyone would have to go through such efforts just to ensure they get what they've paid for. Alas, my old work peeps have stopped dining here. It doesn't seem to be a trend though. This place is insanely crowded during the lunch hour and it's an adventure just getting in the front door. If you decide to make the journey, I tip my hat.

    (2)

  • Julie S.

    Had the homemade noodles, green and plain, with pork / tofu. Also the strawberry beef. Nothing special. The homemade noodles weren't a big deal.

    (2)

  • L. L.

    Everyone talks about their noodles and they are wonderful. It is the only place in the ID that my friends will eat. I have tried many dishes and never been disappointed. The place is clean, and the service is good for a Chinese restaurant. Their English could be a bit better...but, the quality of the food and how long you have to wait is more important.

    (4)

  • Danny S.

    The food is excellent. I have many dishes on the menu and I haven't been disappointed. The only thing holding back getting 5 stars is the service. There is plenty of room for improvement there. I do highly recommend you going in spite of the service. the food is excellent.

    (4)

  • H L.

    Their barley green noodles are hand made and hand cut - very good. Their other dishes are authentic and tasty as well. This place is probably one the best in Chinatown, Seattle. We went today and the service was faster than normal. I think the cook had one ear pressed against the door to listen to what we were ordering to get right on it (probably curses when the customers change their mind). Anyway, their wok is definitely very hot - a sign of a good Chinese restaurant. Every time we go here, the parking is the worst part of it, but we like to come back again and again.

    (4)

  • Todd B.

    I don't even know what this place looks like. We got takeout. I thought you should know. We had vegetable hand-shaven noodles and crispy tofu with cabbage. Both dishes were excellent and left me wishing I had cow stomachs so I could continue to eat, long into the night, even if I would not exactly describe the tofu as crispy. We asked for enough rice for two people and received enough rice for two people, their families, including in-laws, and their pets, living and dead. If you order "vegetarian" you will get no egg, so if you don't mind egg, ask for "vegetable". You're very welcome.

    (4)

  • Nina W.

    Yeah. I really didn't think this place was so fabulous. My first real experience eating in the ID and I was forced to spend it here because of a birthday dinner. I had read the reviews. I knew what was in store, but to witness what a lot of people have said firsthand was a little bit sad and disturbing. The restaurant was clean enough. The service was probably some of the most abrupt non friendly non caring I have ever experienced. Now, I've eaten at a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in the past, and the staff at most of the places I've tried are very nonchalant and don't baby you at all. But the service here? It was just crap. We politely asked them to split tickets at the very beginning while placing our order (three separate orders),for our group of twelve. When the bill arrived later, it was not split up at all. If we wanted anything extra (i.e. forks, a straw for the baby to drink through), we had to chase our waitress down and she had this way of throwing her hands up in the air and saying "ONE MINUTE PLEASE!" I also witnessed her having a furious argument with another diner who was not satisfied with one part of their meal. The food was seriously, seriously mediocre. I have had better Asian food in the north end, and I was sad because I was expecting to be at least a little wowed. I ordered pepper scallops and they were cloyingly salty as well as peppery. And at 19.95 for a dish, a small portion, and not so fresh and tender tasting. Very dissapointed. There were very very few things on the menu that were not fried and covered in some kinda sweet syrupy sauce. I did, however, enjoy the sweet chili shrimp. They were actually the only dish ordered besides the hand shaven noodles that were tolerable, not over spiced, and actually delicious, but i'd say, don't call them hand shaven if they arent thin, because the noodles were more like fettucini in thickness, and I guess I was just expecting different. We ordered a wide variety of different dishes. Dumplings= disappointing. Garlic S&S Chicken- Enough garlic to kill Edward Cullen and his unborn sparkle in the sunlight Dhamphyr baby. Everything I tasted was salty, salty, salty, and msg headache abounded. I felt disgusting for about 5 hours afterward. I want to go back to the ID and stuff myself with Chinese food again, really, really soon, but not here. Never again, if I can help it. In a nutshell, way overpriced, way mediocre, and crap service. I don't know why some of my family likes it here.

    (2)

  • lee k.

    We had Mother's Day dinner at ths ID Restaurant. We had the usual dishes we always ordered: Seafood Casserole, Shanghai Barley Green hand shaved noodle, with chicken and another just w mushroom and vegi; General Tsao's Chicken, Sesame Beef, Tofu w special sauce, Pea Vine. Sweet and Sour spicy fish (tended to be a little sweet.) All consistantly good. Food: 4 Service: 4 Overall: 4

    (4)

  • Tall C.

    Un unh...nope...nein...nyet and every other language there is for no. I came because it was the busiest looking chinese restaurant in the area and I was staying at American Hotel for Xmas (and the Niner-Seahawk gm). When I say busy, i mean all the servers and counter register folks were running around like an earthquake just happened and customers were steadily streaming in. I just wanted to get some steam veggies to digest before my trip back home. I had been eating just straight up meats and bread the whole time in Seattle. I got the Bok Choy/mushroom combo since I grew up on it. When I took it back to the hotel, i did the customary thing I do with all restaurant food...sift thru it to look for FOD...and yep, I found a few cooked fruit flys or gnats between every other Choy leaf.....bleeaagghh! Hardcore nature survivalists say that bugs are extremely nutritious for the human body. ...i think i'll wait for the apocalypse while I still have options before i do the bug chowdown.

    (1)

  • Joelle C.

    Great Chinese food! We came in for lunch on a Sunday for the steamed dumplings, barley green noodles and Sezchaun beef. The flavor was fantasic; portions were huge. We took home nearly half of the food and had leftovers the next day.

    (4)

  • Jennifer O.

    I used to eat here a lot. I looove their dumplings with the potsticker sauce that has jalapenos in it. So good. I brought so many people here, all of my visiting family, many friends. They have great lunch specials. The problem was one day I went here with my friend for lunch, we ate and everything was going fine until I scooped some food onto my plate and there was a bug in it. Ugh. I understand that it's hard to not have bugs around food. When I told the waitress she looked at me like 'so what?' and did not do anything about it. No apology and I still paid for the food. It makes me think this happens often? Anyway, I won't be recommending this restaurant anymore, which is sad because it really was a good place.

    (2)

  • The-Hoa H.

    Shanghai garden is a bit nicer than your average chinese joint in chinatown. Inside is cleaner and service is a bit friendlier. I also enjoyed their selection of music throughout my meal. Tea is on the house although our tea came out cold. I got the general tso's chicken which was served with a small flower. How adorable. If only the food was really all that great. It's alright, good enough to hit the spot but nothing special. Something about the food and drinks here seem.....stale and old. The chicken was chewy and dry on the inside. The rice was semi hard and barely warm. The tea was cold....Not sure how fresh everything really was. The price came out to about 16 bucks for that dish alone....wow

    (3)

  • Lily S.

    Ya know, I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food...but Shanghai Garden isn't that bad and they offer brown rice as an option, so can't beat that! I've only gone there twice and both times I've a) liked my meal, b) haven't gotten sick from it, and c) haven't walked away feeling the effects of msg. I'm thinking that there might not BE msg in their food, which is great, but then again, I've never asked. That being said, it's not a bad place to chow and everything is reasonably priced, so I say go!

    (4)

  • Candice B.

    My expectation of Shanghai Garden was pretty low, considering that there is not a big population of people from Shanghai in Seattle, and Lonely Planet calls out its handmade barley noodles as its specialty. Any Shanghainess restaurant specializing in noodle is highly suspicious. Nevertheless, we were hungry and decided to give it a try. We ordered the hand made noodles with mustard green and pork, and Shanghai dumplings. The noodles themselves were good and chewy, but the broth was really bland and lacked sufficient mustard greens for flavor. The dumplings weren't terrible, but didn't have a lot of soup inside and the vinegar on the side had a hint of Worcestershire sauce (the Chinese version) in it that ruins the pure vinegar taste. Overall, it's more like another Chinese restaurant in America and doesn't really offer any Shanghainess specialities or authenticity.

    (3)

  • Stephen W.

    Super fast food service and a solid menu. The hand-shaven noodles are really the standout menu item here.

    (3)

  • Jewelry W.

    Service: No one taking care of us, slow responsiveness, poor food service and they even forgot to give us back the takeout box! Food: The served tofu tasted very weird. You should never try tofu there.

    (1)

  • Jennifer C.

    Wow! I'm genuinely surprised to see so many negative Yelp reviews on Shanghai Garden! I ate there for the first time today, and I was impressed. I'm sometimes less-than-eager to try new Chinese places as I've had more bad Chinese food than bad food of any other cuisine...but I'd heard good things about the Garden. Our party of four thoroughly enjoyed the pan-fried pork dumplings (made even better with the accompanying sauce), Szechuan Chicken (a little more sweet and less hot than I'd expected), and the Pan-Fried Bean Curd with Chef's Special Sauce. I don't know what the Chef puts in the sauce, but it sure does make tofu taste good! As I'd heard that Shanghai Garden's specialty is its "Barleygreen Hand-Shaven Noodles", we ordered up a plate and were not disappointed by the beautiful and hearty emerald noodles cooked al dente and tasting slightly herbal or grassy. Definitely a dish I'll be craving! The only minor miss of the meal was, for me, the Hot & Sour Soup. Usually I'm a huge fan, but Shanghai Garden's version was a bit too heavy on the black pepper taste and the broth lacked the richness I wanted. Excellent and speedy service makes up for the soup demerits, however, as we were very nicely attended to. Whereas the prices (particularly for seafood dishes) are a little bit higher than comparable restaurants, I still recommend Shanghai Garden as a place to check out in the ID.

    (4)

  • Beau S.

    One of my go-to Chinatown spots for out of towners, it is a great neutral spot if you have not been to many places in the area. The hand shaven noodles are great and unique. The portions and price are good too. So for you people that LOVE PF Chang's well this is great place to get out of that box and start your baby steps towards a lot of great asian food in this neighborhood. Oh yes the service is lightning fast!

    (4)

  • Stephanie C.

    Ok, so this is where NOT to go on my Seattle list. We were visiting from NYC, where Chinatown is full of lots of options. My mom insists on visitng Chinatown in every city - or in this case, "the International District". I researched thorougly Seattle's chinatown eateries and saw a great variety of Asian fare: Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai, etc- I sought out some highly rated Chinese places too (notably, Red Lantern for a nice, new place, and Mike's Noodle House for a hole in the wall with good food)- but NEITHER of these perfectly fine choices were ok for my Dad. The former, too empty, the latter, too dingy, and so we settled on Shanghai Garden Restaurant. Disclaimer: We approached a local and asked here where to eat and she was even less than enthused about Shanghai Garden. But where the people are, my Dad is- even if it's people who don't really know Chinese food!!! Now, I apologize in advance if I seem base but can I just kindly preface something here. THERE ARE NO ASIANS IN THE RESTAURANT! They have General Tso's here... nuff said. Not to mention i.e. "Crispy Shrimp w/ Strawberry Sauce"- WHAT IS THAT. I mean, I happen to salivate over Latin food but I don't go anywhere unless I was recommended by a Latin friend... just saying. And I would not recommend this joint. First sign is that they have healthy option here- good for the waistline, bad for authenticity. Chinese people don't eat brown rice - "high nutrition brown rice" mind you. Firstly, they ran out of the regular veg xiao Long Bao so I went for the Barley Green version. I had never experienced this before but it had no flavor (and I am in fact a huge believer in healthy being tasty)- but I guess it was fun to eat and pretty to look at (very green). But even so, the XLB here isn't even called Xiao Long Bao.. it's called "pot stickers". RED FLAG! The XLB in "barely green" wasn't as bad as the "hand shaven noodle" I got later-- it was just tough and doughy and not at all like the wonderful handmade XLBs I had in Shanghai . I then ordered the barley green hand shaven noodle- house special chow mein, with chicken. UGH BLAND BLAND BLAND. My mom was trying to defend this place by saying Shangahinese food is bland, corn-starch-esque and not spicy (which is what I see as the opposite of bland) and she has a has a point but this had like zero salt. No pepper, no seasoning, no spicy, no nothing! My tastebuds were screaming to be woken up and through the whole massive bowl I tasted nothing. I tasted: 1. Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup Gritty Chicken 2. Hard Barely Green Noodles- the noodles were the best part of the dish as I actually don't mind the noodles being al dente 3. Canned veggies- or tasted canned 4. Water- the kind with no taste And they said this is the best thing on the menu! My mom got the Sizzling Chicken Platter. Which we thought would be over a sizzling platter. Guess it was but the platter was just a platter- no burner underneath and no sizzle! We felt cheated. The chicken had some taste to it, thankfully. Some. It was sauced fine (I don't like Chinese BBQ so I guess it's not fair for me to eleaborate- I tell you it wasn't overly sweet though but that's good for me). The veggies were nothing special, standard. Dad had the Sauteed Shrimp With Vegetables - which I know sounds simple; that's not the issue- it just wasn't good. It was laced with corn starch and had no flavor, surprise surprise. I admit, I'm a heat freak. So the fact that nothing tasted remotely spicy did docked a lot of stars. But more so, there was no salty either-- no pepper-- no Sriacha-- no Soy, etc. My Dad made a huge mistake and were all mad at him for it. Do not come here! Not worth $15-20 per person, a crime for Chinatown.

    (2)

  • Holly C.

    This is now my go to place for Chinese food. Why? Well come on down and let me tell ya! The girls working the floor have always been friendly and welcoming. Their hand shaved chow mein has so much flavor and full of pillowy goodness. (I call them pillow noodles, once you try, you'll understand) I have yet to try a chicken dish there that I didn't like, especially the crispy chicken in sweet chili sauce. Plus it's right across from Oasis Bubble Tea AND Uwajimaya.

    (5)

  • R D.

    As I'm not a huge fan of the International District restaurants in general, I was pleasantly surprised that Shanghai Garden turned out to be a safe haven for delicious food. While I don't come here for the ambiance, as a Sounders season ticket holder - well, a girl's gotta find SOMEWHERE to let traffic die down and grab a decent meal after the game, right? The food is superb. As good as it gets for Chinese in Seattle in my opinion. I also have a very sensitive stomach, and had no issues here - which was a HUGE plus. Recommendations: -House Special Barleygreen Hand Shaven Noodle (my favorite menu item! Won't disappoint!) -Mu shu pork -Shrimp with Snow Peas -Orange flavor chicken -Mongolian beef

    (4)

  • Andrew R.

    Shanghai Garden has really excellent Shanghainese food. Top picks are the sauteed pea vines, the shrimp with chili sauce and the green buckwheat hand shaved noodles. The pea vines are actually the best I have ever tried. The pork dumplings, both steamed and fried, are also really good. see the full review of the dumplings at dumplinghunter.wordpress…

    (5)

  • Bill K.

    This is the place to go for hand shaved noodles. Consistently good food. I was here five years ago and sought it out again. Still good food and plenty of it. Good service as well.

    (5)

  • Megan R.

    Shanghai has become one of my favorite places to eat in the ID. Their lunch specials are the way to go - you get rice, a hot and sour or egg drop soup and the main course. I could probably live on their hot and sour soup, probably some of the best I've ever had in Seattle. It meets the delicate balance of hot and sour perfectly. The orange beef is by far my favorite entree on the lunch menu. Not too greasy and not overly orangy. The General Tso's is also delicious. Notes: -Great place for groups, have large tables -Never a wait during the week, especially if you arrive before 11:30am -The hand shaven noodles are not part of the lunch combo -Hot and Sour soup is like crack -Great service and fast

    (3)

  • Jamie J.

    Fun family place! If you're in the ID, stopping buy is worth it. I had my birthday celebration with my family here - it's a good meeting place, with easy street parking, and oriented for family style dining. Overall, my experience was pretty good. The service was just OK, and the decor on that same plane. Nothing to really review on that note. The food was fun, and interesting. They had many different options, which I really couldn't differentiate, so we just kind of picked random dishes. They have a big lazy Susan in the middle, so it was easy to share. My favorite dish, which was humorous, was green pasta and egg on top. It was really good! The other hit of the night was the tofu (bean curd on the menu). Super good! A fun place to go with a group. Good Price. OK service. Fun menu. one more stop along the ID adventure...

    (3)

  • J.J. B.

    Pretty mediocre Chinese food, especially for the Int'l District. The service is extremely fast and efficient during lunch time on weekdays because they are well prepared for huge lunch rushes. This place fills up with large groups during lunch hour because there are many large, round tables that are perfect for the family style options. There is nothing unique about the menu, but if you are not too picky about your traditional American-Chinese dishes, you will leave happy.

    (3)

  • Angela S.

    5 stars for the hand shaven noodles--I know they sound a little bizarre (shaven?!) but they're reaaalllllyyyyy good. 3-4 stars for everything else. For an average of 4 stars. Super fast service. Super tasty noodles, and everything else was just pretty okay, I would say, from what my coworkers were saying. I'll definitely go back for the noodles. :)

    (4)

  • Matthew B.

    I go here all the time for their hand shaven noodles with beef. They're really, really good. If you come for lunch, it's easily two lunches worth of food. The service is prompt and good. We haven't been super impressed with the dishes other than hand shaven...

    (4)

  • Matt R.

    This place serves excellent Chinese food. We waited less than 5 minutes for a table on a Friday night at 7:30 without a reservation. We ordered Mongolian Beef (about $12) and Crispy Orange Chicken (also about $12) with brown rice (two at $2 a cup). Had 2 beers and the total was just over $40 We ordered the beef and it came out in less than 3 minutes. We swear this place is faster than McDonald's. The chicken came out about 10 minutes later. The food was excellent. The beef was tender and had just the right amount of heat. The chicken was breaded and crunchy and had a great orange flavor- and a ton (like an absurd amount) of garlic. Very happy with the meal- the service was fine. Would absolutely go there again. Might try the green noodles next time or one of the sizzling platters. Everything on the tables around us looked good.

    (5)

  • Chris B.

    A friend suggested we go to Shanghai Garden and that it is one of her favorites in the ID. I am up for anything, well almost anything. So off we went. The Restaurant is an non discript place with not much flair so I was hoping for more substance. We ordered the hand shaved noodles with chicken, a green bean dish with chicken also and deep friend scallops in a spice sauce. ( I can not remember the exact names or numbers of the dishes, sorry.) All three dishes were prepared quickly and were piping hot. I were really tasty and fresh. The noodles were by far the best, but overall the meal was really tasty and there were plenty of leftovers, along with the brown steamed rice. Side note the only thing that didn't transfer very well into leftovers were the deep friend scallops just because of the breading. But all in all good stuff.

    (4)

  • Eli W.

    Shanghai Garden has two things going for them, hand shaved noodles and pretty friendly service. Aside from those two attributes, it is just like any other Chinese restaurant you find in the greater Seattle area. The food was alright, however it was almost of poor enough quality to question why you are paying for the stuff, almost. When we went we had a sweet and sour beef dish, hand shaved fried noodles, steamed dumplings, and a sweet and sour fish dish. If you are going to this restaurant I would recommend sticking to the dishes with the hand shaved noodles as they are definitely tasty. Such dishes as the fried shaved noodles and the beef noodle soup with hand shaved noodles would be good. Just wanted to add in that I was raised eating homemade Chinese food, however I am definitely not a snob and can appreciate some Americanized Chinese food (Panda Express anyone?), however Shanghai Garden does not score high in either categories. I can never resist deep fried ice cream.

    (2)

  • Curtis C.

    There are only so many Shanghainese joints in Seattle to fulfill the craving for xiaolongbao. This is the one that i know of on the Seattle side of the water. I would say that this place is pretty Americanized. Dont get me wrong, its decent but i think they have sold out to cater to a larger audience. The servers are decent but i had to call them over more than a couple times for the same item (napkins) to be delivered to me, which they fogot. The potstickers and xiaolongbao that we got were decent but not amazing. The Shanghai noodles were good but on the oily side. The plus for them is that they do fill you up so you dont have to get that many dishes to do that. Parking blows since its in the middle of the ID. I would recommend Din Tai Fung for their Shanghai eats any day but if you are in Seattle and have a craving, this is your place.

    (3)

  • Stephen B.

    I have now given up on this place. The barley green noodle beef soup was watery, flavorless and the meat unchewable. It was once memorable. The other dishes were from a food court in a mall that has JC Penny as the anchor. And they have the audacity to charge $5 for a Tsingtao. Not surprisingly it was nearly empty.

    (2)

  • Jill S.

    If this review was purely based on flavor and quality of the food, I'd give it a 5. But I've been to Shanghai Garden many times over the years and had the opportunity to come here about a week ago. The food is still very good--I ordered all my favorites: hand-shaved noodles, pea vines, tofu in chef's special sauce, cranberry prawns, dry fried string beans. The service was great--but the portions were small, significantly smaller than what I remember. In fact, I'd have to say that the size of the orders have been reduced by about 30%. Unfortunately, the prices have stayed the same. I'm just not used to spending $100+ for a Chinese meal for 4. If you've got a craving for good Chinese food, and are willing to spend the money, then Shanghai Garden is your spot. But there are a lot of other "completely adequate" places to go to that'll set you back about half as much.

    (3)

  • Chericka A.

    My family and I visited this establishment twice within a week. For the most part the food is decent. The service however will leave a bad taste in your mouth. When I say no mushrooms I mean no mushrooms. Both times I clearly stated no mushrooms in anything and yet I found myself plucking them out. The waitress on the first visit seemed genuinely apologetic and offered to get a new dish made. I opted to pick them out. The second visit introduced us to a waitress who obviously doesn't need a job because there's no way her attitude earns her a living wage in tips. Again I asked for no mushrooms. I ordered the brown vegetable fried rice with chicken which by the way is the reason i visited twice in one week. She rolled her eyes and said she couldn't get that made. I told her I ordered it a few days earlier. She then snapped at me that the vegetable dish had eggs and more vegetables than the chicken fried rice. No kidding? Maybe that's why I'm ordering it this way. "I'd like the extra veggies minus the mushrooms add chicken, please." I didn't say that but she rolled her eyes at me anyway. Then we ordered the snow peas and beef from the regular menu. She said we needed to order from the lunch special. What? Why did we get the whole menu? So we listened and when we got the soup that goes with it first it was full of mushrooms. We asked if there was soup without mushrooms and she brought back egg drop soup that had no taste whatsoever. Then she brought out the snow peas and beef FULL OF MUSHROOMS and it was the size of a kids dish. Not enough to feed two adults and a child. My son was very hungry and started picking out the mushrooms when she came back to the table and I pointed it out to her. She again snapped at me and told me I should have told her no mushrooms when she brought the dish to the table. What?! No. How you serve is to write down no mushrooms and read it when placing the order and then check the order before serving. My sweet unassuming husband thought maybe there was a language barrier but I'm calling BS on that. It's more like a common sense/lack of customer appreciation barrier. She offered nothing for the trouble and we didn't tip her.

    (3)

  • Katie A.

    I rolled in here expecting the hand shaved noodles I've had at other restaurants in the past. These were fine, but they just weren't what I had in mind, ie: the noods at Szcheuan Noodle in Greenwood. The barley green noodles with beef is pretty good, but I think when I go back, I'll try something else. I don't know if these are more authentic than what I've had in the past, but I just didn't find them quite as delicious... There are a million things on the menu here. You could probably eat here everyday for 3 years and never have the same thing. The service is prompt and the pricing is a bit more than I expected it to be. I'll be back, but I'll be gettin' hand shaved somewhere else...? ... err... you know what I mean.

    (3)

  • Aaron F.

    Everything I look for in a Chinese restaurant. I'd been craving high-quality mandarin Chinese for years since moving to Seattle, and while I was skeptical when I heard about Shanghai Garden, it's the real deal. I find most Chinese restaurants in Seattle to be the extremes of either street food style (basic stir fries) or Americanized (deep fried mystery meat with sweet sauce); this was a perfect cross of the two. Everything exceeded our expectations, from the flavor of the dishes to the high-quality ingredients. The orange chicken was crispy but neither deep fried nor too sweet, and was made with thick pieces of white meat. The moo-shoo pork brought out the flavor of each ingredient, and we liked that the waitress rolled them up for us. The garlic string beans were cooked just right and absolutely covered in fresh garlic. The barley green noodles are unbelievable. Who knew so much flavor could be in a noodle? We had the beef barley noodle, and also a barleygreen steamed dumpling with shrimp and chicken. Honestly, this meal was heaven, and I'm already craving my return. Enjoy!

    (5)

  • Bruce K.

    This place was recommended to us by a friend. We LOVE Chinese food and have been to almost all restaurants in the ID. I checked the reviews on Yelp and almost everyone raved about the home made green noodles. We ordered food to go. The place was an absolute madhouse with people waiting at the door and a line at the register with nobody heping anyone. Finally somebody showed up and a lot of the people were standing in line to put their names down. We ordered many dishes including the Green Noodles with Beef. HORRIBLE! Thick, tasteless noodles. The General Tso chicken was nothing more than chicken cooked in some red sauce. The price of $ 90.00 was absurd. Do yourself a favor & skip this place! There is a lot better food available for a lot less.

    (2)

  • Gil R.

    Chinese cuisine can be difficult to share an opinion on. Quite frankly, no one knows what truly "good" Chinese food can be, really? I suppose the same could be said about all cuisines. But Chinese, in particular, is difficult to gauge amongst folks. Everyone SWEARS by their favorites, and sticks to those guns til the end of time. The irony behind it is, much like "ultra-patriotism", these people have never ventured outside of the realm of their own. They never brave their way into a new venue or place. And when they do, it's judged purely on the merits of their local/home favorite. Being practically raised in Chinatown/International District, I can safely say I know my restaurants, joints and eateries in the area. My father was a chef at the old Hong Kong Restaurant, when it was still around way back in the day. I had jobs throughout my teen years. And I still visit frequently from my place on First Hill, which is a nice walk down! But enough about me and all of that. Shanghai Garden, this review is about! And I'll admit, I had my reservations about coming here after over 10 years of avoiding it from a prior experience. Decor is quite nice. It's a smaller venue, but the tablecloths, wall decor, windows, all of it was quite nice. It was a good break from the eyesores of random painted walls at various establishments. After first looking over the menu, I noticed that they have a much more condensed selection versus other traditional Chinese places. This can be a blessing or a curse. But in this case, there is a solid selection under each of the catagories. A few foul choices. A few pork selections, etc. Then my eyes glanced over at the price column, "oof" said my wallet. Not terrible, but at an average of $15 a dish, my expectations went up on the quality and quantity expected. Ordering the Braised Pork and Green Onion, Crispy Chicken and Sweet Chile Sauce and a dish which was a Beef with Ginger and Green Onion (the latter is not the actual name of the dish on the menu, I cannot recall it's actual name), we waited in anticipation. The beef came out first. And, well, it was a tiniest serving of Chinese food I've ever seen. Seriously. Tiny. It was like getting HALF a beef teriyaki serving from Toshio's Teriyaki on Rainier Ave. And for $9 dollars. Yeeesh! The dish was good, however. Nothing $9 good, but good. I wished there was more to enjoy, really. Came off more like a lame appetizer. Next came the other two dishes. The pork was actually quite impressive. Larger slices of pork, braised and in a light-brown sauce with steamed lengths of green onion cooked in. SImple and delicious. Consistency and texture can be a problem with pork dishes. But Shanghai Garden nailed it almost perfectly. Not the fanciest dish, but it certainly got the job done. Oh yeah, and the portion, solid. Not generous, but solid. Lastly, which was recommended to me, the Crispy Chicken. Within the first few minutes, it was a solid dish. Not too spicy for my girlfriend who had joined me for dinner this evening, and was nicely sweetened. The portion was solid as well. Not as grand as many other places, but certainly better than the beef. Now AFTER the first few minutes, it simply became a congealed mess. Now don't get me wrong, as it was still okay to eat. But the crispiness was quickly lost. That crispiness, for me, was the best part of the dish. With that gone, I was left disappointed in it. When the bill came, my girlfriend and I both looked immediately at each other, shaking our heads. It simply was an "okay" experience for us. But certainly not worth what the bill read. You can take this review for what it's worth. Perhaps, like I stated in the beginning, I have different taste in Chinese cuisine and different expectations. However, I've been all around the Puget Sound to various Chinese places. A LOT of them. And Shanghai Garden, while it carries a nice, warm atmosphere and some nifty recipes for their dishes. I'd much rather go to places that will truly satisfy me and my wallet, such as Sea Garden or Ho Ho Seafood.

    (3)

  • Jeff B.

    I had planned on stopping by the Green Village which is right next door but they were closed for the whole month, so I stopped by here for lunch. My waiter was busy running the place by himself and was in the weeds, but he was hustling and had a smile on his face so good for him. I wanted to try one of the lunch specials but they did not come with fried rice, which is something i crave when having lunch combinations. I decided to skip the sit down lunch and ordered some hand shaved noodle chicken chow mein to go. After running errands and finishing some things I decided to heat up the chow mein. It was excellent heated up in fact it tasted like it came right from the wok. The noodles were great the sauce was tasty and i will return again.

    (3)

  • Tommy K.

    It blows me away that this place only has a cumulative 3.5 stars. This place is what I like to call a real Chinatown restaurant -- the decor is an afterthought, the service is efficient but also unceremonious (as in, they get the job done with no fanfare), the food comes out when it comes out (there's no slow paced, three-course meals going on here), and the food is incredibly good. As so many others have already noted, the hand-shaven noodles are the real highlight. They've got this bite that's quite addictive. For several years, I used to go to whatever restaurant happened to be near where I parked but for the last year, this is the only place my wife and I go to.

    (5)

  • DeAnne E.

    I love coming here with my co-workers. One of them speaks Chinese so we always let her order...she always knows what to get. This is the place to go for family style presentation. We always order the pea vine dish. Good stuff. It's always busy during the 12 o' clock lunch hour. It's good to get here at least 5 minutes before noon to beat the rush of people.

    (4)

  • Lindi C.

    So, last night decided that it would be fun to go to the I.D. to try to find a good place to eat. So, I grabbed my dining partner and we drove around on our scooters and finally just stopped at a place that had a lot of people in it. To my surprise, when I got to the door there was a "They Love Us On Yelp!" sticker. Who would've known!? Maybe I have a sixth sense. The decor was typical of a Chinese food restaurant. Aquarium to your left. Framed picture of food and other random things to your right. Exactly what I was expecting. We were seated promptly and given tea right away. After we ordered, the food came out so fast! It was like they KNEW I was coming. I ordered the Vegetable Shanghai Chow Mein, which had tons of yummy veggies in it: watercress, carrots, onions, shiitake mushrooms, etc. We also shared the General Tso's chicken. The portions were huge as usual. But, we didn't have a problem finishing off the chicken! The only thing that bugged me were the chopsticks. I don't mind them usually, but the noodles were so slippery. I didn't want to be weird and ask for a fork even it seemed like everyone else was eating with forks - even the table of elderly Asians! But, hey, it was great practice. Maybe they could tell I needed to sharpen my chopstick eating skills and therefore forced me to eat slippery noodles with them. Who knows? I actually had fun trying to and I'm sure everyone got a kick out of watching me struggle.

    (4)

  • Dale W.

    Can get busy here but worth the wait. My favorites are the hand shaved noodles and the hot and sour soup. Also a great place to get takeout if you're not able to eat in the restaurant.

    (4)

  • Seth D.

    Huh. Not impressed. No disrespect to La Raza, but I prefer my Cantonese food to be cooked by Chinese chefs, not by our friends from south of the border... I think there's a reason I've only ever seen Anglos up in here!

    (2)

  • Thigh C.

    My friend is always craving for an Asian food and he invited us to this place. He keeps telling us to try this restaurant and this time, my friend forced us. Happy now Luke? The restaurant is a typical Chinese Restaurant- crowded and noisy. Sometimes it's a positive sign that it's a good Chinese restaurant haha. Another good thing about it? It says on the menu that they don't use MSG. Ok...? I'll figure it out if it's yummy or not ha! Our friend ordered the "green barley noodles" and he keeps bragging about it. Let me tell you, I like anything with egg. Well, not when it's baked like cake, etc. But this one, it's green barley noodles with scrambled eggs. It's really good. Green noodles and eggs is just like explosion in my mouth. Ok, that's exaggerated. Now, I'm starting to believe my friend has a sophisticated taste bud ha! Yes, I'm going back again.

    (4)

  • Lilly T.

    I came here for dinner one afternoon and was annoyed when I left. The service pretty much sucked. It took awhile to get drinks and the waitress even forgot one of our orders! We waited 30 minutes and just ended up canceling it. It was the dish we were most looking forward to, too! We ordered a stir-fry pork dish with ginger and it tasted like something I could personally make at home. The eggplant was decent though..not very many complaints there. Food here is not good nor authentic. It's really overpriced for mediocre Chinese food. I wouldn't come back.

    (1)

  • MN F.

    The food was over-seasoned, leaving us parched for hours afterward. We had the crispy shrimp and shanghai rice noodle discs (forgot actual name) stirfried with chicken, squid and shrimp. Also I believe that a proper Chinese restaurant should either provide free white rice or at least if they charge ($1.50) a bowl it should be more than 2 scoops. There are too many other nearby options to come back here for another go.

    (2)

  • Jeff F.

    The waitress said, "I don't know" and stood indifferent after I politely asked for a popular recommendation. Shanghai Garden in China Town is hands down the winner of my Worst Customer Service Award. The Food: * The Hand Shaven Noodles are recommended. Tasty & very fast out of the kitchen. * The fried rice and dumplings are very forgettable. * The portions are fair and the quality is so-so: everything looks like they were rushed to cook and dumped on the plates. The Setting: * This restaurant is on a popular corner in China Town, I often walk by on my Uwajimaya visits. * Is this, as others claimed, "American Chinese food?" From what I've seen it is interesting that all of the other nearby restaurants seem to have either a diverse customer base or even a mostly Chinese customer base, however Shanghai Garden is the only spot filled with the Caucasian demographic. Chinese food, in China Town, without Chinese customers? Something is fishy. The Service: * On all of my visits the service has been aloof and not concerned at all for customer satisfaction. * It feels like... take the order, dump the plate, and find the waitress for anything else. I rarely leave a restaurant without tipping; however I have made the exception during one of my visits. So-so food and horrible service. If this was a real garden, my dog would poop all over it.

    (1)

  • Tony R.

    This place has really high quality food. It's a little pricier than other places in the International District but amazing. When you go here you have to get BEEF BARLEYGREEN CHOW MEIN -I crave this every week and have to have it at least once a month. The chef also makes beef/chicken using Cranberry and Strawberry, which is interesting but I suggest the the Garlic Ginger Chicken, it goes well with the Chow mein.

    (5)

  • Karl S.

    My goodness. This is a good Chinese restaurant. Hand shaven barley noodles are awesome. The dry fried garlic string beans are delish. Food was plentiful and served quickly.

    (5)

  • C C.

    We tried to eat here serveral times, but it is always too crowded. Lunchtime is very busy, so you might want to wait until the Amazon crowd is done. Come around 1:30-2 p.m. We fianlly ate here after lunch, which is more expenses $10-16 pp. We had pork fried rice, which was good, but lacking lot of veggies. The other dish wad the dry fried green beans, so good!!!! Service was fine. I'll go back to try the hand shaved noodles everyone talks about soon!

    (4)

  • Ninja S.

    Site of the first annual ninja peking duck feed. I found their duck service surprisingly average. I got a lot of "what is the stupid whiteboy talking about" when I asked them how they served it. Stupid whiteboy! You'll get it and like it. Hey alright. Cool. It showed up and the crispy fatty skin was served on the sides of a center of piled duck meat. The rice pancakes, hoisin, scallions, and such were also in attendance. This did call to mind how I have had it previously. It was served in three courses: Step 0) Bring the duck out to be seen by the table. Am I not supposed to know about this because I'm white? Oh. Sorry. Step 1) Serve the skin with the mushu pancakes. Make your lovely little ducky burritos. Step 2) Serve the meat with other stuff Optional Step 3) Serve the duck soup made from the bones. They really didn't follow the standard, as I know it, duck protocol. In fact, they gave me dirty looks. I guess the invading army of heathens and jews in the place on xmas day means that you can not care, and I guess that's fine. It was an absolute madhouse and you're doing a lot of covers. I dig it. Three star duck. Five star duck price. The hand shaved noodles seem to be the big deal about this place. I had a post-duck bite and they were pretty tasty. I really didn't see them as being anything than a pretty fairly average place to have a meal. Between the noodles and the duck, I was waivering between three and four stars. However, I was fortunate and there was an easy tie breaker. My warm beer. Three it is.

    (3)

  • Tracy K.

    This is my favorite Chinese restaurant. It's food is delicious, it's service is excellent and after two years of regular dining, I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal here. I especially make sure to bring out of town visitors here and each time I do, they fall in love with the food. The prices are really reasonable, I can't speak highly enough about this restaurant.

    (4)

  • Kara D.

    Wow... The perfect menu: Sweet chili shrimp Hot & sour soup Pan fried dumplings House special fried rice Kung Pao chicken There was no way we could order the hand shaven noodles but that is on the agenda for next time. I'm a very light eater so there were a few leftover moments after this amazing dinner served with superb service. Great chinese comfort food!

    (5)

  • Kate N.

    Love this place! I didn't think I liked Chinese food but their dishes are very well seasoned and not heavy/ oily/ sauce laden as I remember this type of cuisine. MUST TRY: Chicken w/ Hand Shaven Chow Mein & the Chicken & Broccoli!

    (4)

  • Tap Sum B.

    You walk in and they seat you right away. As soon as you sit down, they take your order. As soon as you order, the food comes out within 2 minutes. Madness? Think they have the food in heaps in the back like Panda Express? No, the place is just super busy and run well. I would have to say this is the best Chinese food in Seattle. The best Hot and Sour soup I've ever had (outside of Victoria B.C.). The shrimp in chili sauce is one of my favorite dishes of all time.

    (5)

  • Jena E.

    Everybody who works at Amazon eats here because it's a block away from the shuttle stop. I was encouraged to try the hand-shaved barley green noodles with three types of meat. Normally I don't like to mix my animals but I tried it. The noodles were very thick, chewy, and chewy, like spaetzle. On one hand, I love that about them. On the other hand, it was a lot of carbs to ingest in one sitting. I left all bloated and bug-eyed like a Troll doll. The entrees were $11-16 bucks if I remember right, and the environment was nothing too special. Neon pink. Glass aquarium. Fortune cookies on a black cheque tray. Pretty much lunch.

    (3)

  • Cameron B.

    A solid place in the International District to go with a few of your coworkers for some good family style dining. This place can get pretty crowded around noon on a weekday, but usually it is not more than a 10 min wait for a table due to the fast turn around from the staff and very speedy cooking time. My coworkers and I usually order the hand shaven noodles and and entree each. The last time we ordered the orange peel beef, General Tso's chicken, and the garlic pork. They all did not disappoint. The only real problems with this place is that they have seemed to have raised the prices, but it's not too bad still, and I always end up WAY too full after going here. My fault. This is 1 block away from the International District Transit Tunnel (Link, Metro)

    (3)

  • Helen L.

    I find it pretty unique that they serve hand shaven barely green noodles. We tried the beef barely green noodles and the noodles tasted like chow fun but thicker. It definitely tasted healthier. The beef is good though the dish portion is not big. We also ordered the crispy beef in cranberry sauce which is quite different. Who would have thought that cranberry sauce and beef would go together? This beef dish reminds me of orange chicken from panda express both texture wise and sweet and sour wise. I felt the dishes were pretty expensive for the portion but i do like the uniqueness of the food they serve. I can't say I've ever seen a Chinese place serve barely green noodles. We'll probably be back the next time we find ourselves in Seattle.

    (4)

  • Tamara J.

    I love this place. Great hot and sour soup. A good "neighborhood" find. It's very casual but good chinese food.

    (4)

  • Becky W.

    Three words: Hand Shaven Noodles. We had the house special which includes a mix of seafood with these heavenly noodles. I could eat them everyday. This place gets slammed at lunch, for good reason. The only disappointing part of the meal was the message in my fortune cookie.

    (4)

  • Amy L.

    I'm not a big Chinese fan, but Shanghai Garden hits the spot. They have really good Kung Pao Chicken and I love that they offer Brown rice. I don't really like tea and the tea they serve there is just a great way to start the meal off. The food is priced right, tastes good, and comes out super fast!!

    (4)

  • UW U.

    Yummy!!! Stopped in here before a sounders game, it was packed. Even so, service was quick and food was delicious. It was like going to a cheaper Din Tai Fung. Give it a try!!

    (5)

  • Steve O.

    What a suprise when my wife said she would be a hour late getting home. Even a bigger surprise when she walked through the door with take out from shanghai. Im a lucky man on many levels!!! We had 3 dishes, and they are our favorites. The hand shaven noodles, with spinach...just the right texture to the noodles, and the spinach was good as always. We had the grape chicken, which is awesome, flavorful bites in each piece. The last dish she brought home, and my personal favorite...crispy shrimp in sweet chilli sauce...my tastebuds are still saying thank you. The sauce is incredible, and each bite i just want to savor for the longest time. We dont make it down to the ID alot anymore, but use to hit shanghai at least once a month. The staff is hard working, and the food is ready in a short time. But it was nice to have takeout, and enjoy the food with my wife and son at home.

    (5)

  • Judith F.

    Been going here for years usually for lunch combined with shopping at Uwaygimaya's in the I-District. The positives:Hand-shaven noodles are deliclious whether stir-fried or in soup. They have a slightly chewy texture which sets them apart from ordinary noodles. They come in green or white. Also the brown fried rice with sweet corn is another favorite. Try the Asian mushrooms rolled in tofu sheets. Comes in a clay casserole dish. Their sauteed green beans are well-done even if the beans are rather overly large. Their portions are in line with the menu prices. A decent value overall. I give 3 stars because it's not like Vancouver where you can get really delicious and authentic Chinese food. This is more a sterilized version of Chinese food, not strong flavors, benign, and inoffensive. Nice to come with a group so all can share the dishes. Negatives: Beer available; no drinkable wine. the tables are very close together; the service is rather slap dash, but not ever rude.

    (3)

  • Jeff M.

    The food is consistently good, but the service is just too quick. All of your dishes will arrive within 3-5 minutes after ordering. Not exactly a place to come and relax, but for nights that you ok with that, this is the place to go for Chinese. Quck TakeOut too. Highlights are the hand-shaven noodles and the hot and sour soup

    (3)

  • Tricia C.

    When I lived near Seattle University, I frequently went here to get takeout, particularly their hand-shaved noodles. Every dish I ordered there was tasty and delicious. Each dish would completely fill a styrofoam box. After I moved, I hadn't gone there in over a year. Recently I ordered from there when my parents & sister were in town. I ordered only a couple of dishes, considering the portion sizes there. Well, when we got our order I was in shock.. the portions had shrank down to 1/2 the size! I couldn't believe it. You could get more from a side dish at Panda Express (yes, I said it.. I'm not ashamed, I love their Orange Chicken!). I gave them 2 stars just because of the portion size. The dishes are really not worth the money, no matter how good the food is. A funny little side note: if you google Shanghai Garden Restaurant Seattle and go to the link connected to the restaurant, a German dog breeder's website comes up. I guess that's useful if you want to order dogs in Germany and not Chinese food!

    (2)

  • Joe B.

    I'm disappointed to read the negative reviews because i LOVE this place! The hot and sour soup is to die for... and their hand shaven barley noodles are delicious! I have never had poor service, bad food, or negative experience here! I really recommend this place to everyone. If you had a bad experience, try again.. it sometimes happens in food service....

    (5)

  • Greg B.

    We had pork with hand shaved noodles, sautéed pea vines and hot & sour soup. It was good as usual.

    (4)

  • Cindy C.

    This place was one of our staple to-go places when we are too lazy to make dinner. Our favorite dishes were the knife-cut noodles (the non-barley ones), the string beans and the Happy rolls (beancurd skins with stuff inside). I've also been here a couple of times with large groups of people with varied food tastes and it's always been pretty successfull since they have lots of varieties.

    (4)

  • Sarah S.

    I've had a wicked hard time convincing my friends that "hand shaven barley green noodles" are pretty much the most delicious things EVER- so I watched with a smug smile as mine arrived (with beef) along with the sesame chicken, ordered by a friend. She took one bite of a green noodle and realized she'd made a huge mistake with that sesame chicken (which was good, but not as good as those noodles.) I never thought I'd crave something described as "hand shaved" and "barley green" but seriously? I dream about them. I want them every day. Also ordered the Shanghai dumplings as an appetizer, which took an extra 15 minutes to make, so our entrees came first. Fine by me, they were delicious and worth the wait. Also recommend the fried rice with chicken, but do not recommend the bean curd, which is just not my thing.

    (4)

  • Leslie P.

    My husband came here once with his friend and no one offered to seat him for so long. Each waiter just looked at him and walked by....WEIRD!! Surprisingly another "white" family walked in and were promptly greeted (yes we're Chinese). My husband was so pissed he just walked out. He took me to Chinatown a couple weeks later and somehow I decided to try this place because it looks decent and clean. My husband was skeptical but decided to give them a second chance. Everything was okay so we sat down and ordered. We ordered hot and sour soup, kung pao beef and a fried tofu with vegetables. Overall, not authentic Chinese food but it wasn't too bad. I find the prices are too high and not worth it to come again. The kung pao beef was average and the hot and sour soup was VERY SOUR. The only thing I liked was the fried tofu but I could get that anywhere else. I would not come back again because service is not especially good, food is just average and it's too expensive. The only thing I would say is good is that the portions are still reasonable.

    (2)

  • Z Z.

    Hot tea. Hand shaved barley green noodles. Corn pot stickers. Fortune cookie. Total= $15 Totally yum, cheap and clean. No rats or freaky grease stains on the walls. The perfect solution for what to eat and where to go when you just lost your job, it's raining and the whole world feels like it's one big vacuous, pathetic fast food vortex.

    (3)

  • Suma K.

    I've eaten here probably hundreds of times, but I can't remember anything I ordered. Clearly nothing memorable. I did try the hand-shaven noodles that everyone raves about, but again nothing really spectacular. It pretty much becomes the Amazon cafeteria during weekday lunch hours, and I have many co-workers who order take out from this place regularly. The good thing is that the menu is extensive enough that vegetarians have plenty of options and don't have to resort to stir fry or fried rice (like at some of the other places in the area). And for that I suppose I am grateful.

    (3)

  • Micha M.

    This is one of may favored restaurants in all of Seattle. When we lived there, we used to drive in from West Seattle to pick up a to go order of the hand-shaved green barley noodles. yum! We visited on a recent trip back to S-town and were in no way disappointed. 3 people for a late lunch. We had (of course) the hand-shaved green barley noodles, General Tso's (maybe called something else in their version?) chicken and a chow mein with a seafood variety. All of it was delicious. We finished almost all of our order, leaving stuffed and happy.

    (5)

  • Jordan M.

    RULES! A few of my favorite items: Mu shu pork Vegetable hand shaven barley green noodles chow mein Hot and sour soup (amazing!) All of their meat dishes are quality too. The service is fast. The place can get crowded because it is so good but I do not think the wait is ever too long.

    (5)

  • a r.

    I have been here three times, and really liked the food each time. We went with a student from HK who speaks Mandarin. He says the shaved noodles are traditional but he thinks these are not really shaved but made in a factory. Apparently shaved noodles are made from a big block of flour and water and then the noodles are thinly scraped off the block with a special tool. Anyway, this is our new favorite in the ID. Our absolute must haves are the dry Sauteed Green Beans and Chicken (heavy on the green beans, sauteed with chicken pounded out and cut up very small. It is mainly a bean dish). We went in one day and a table near the kitchen was a foot deep in beans, so we know they get them fresh. The other is Bean Curd in Special Sauce. We talked to the waiter and he says this is a big favorite there. He actually remembered us AND what we ordered between two of our visits, BTW. The tofu is so soft and creamy it is unlike anything I've been served. It has a crispy sweet and savory thin fried crust, and is in a very tasty brown sauce. This is So Good! We had the Garlic and Ginger Chicken too. It is small bites of sauteed chicken with whole garlic cloves and large pieces of ginger. This is really good and savory, too. Our friend the waiter says a lot of people order the fried shrimp with sweet chili sauce, but we were afraid it would be too spicy. Maybe next time! As we were about to leave, the staff began to set a large table and gather for their own dinnertime. The HK student says this would not happen in an HK restaurant, but I like it. I like that they are taking good care of their employees, while still managing service. The employees seem to like the food very much. =========== UPDATE: Went back again with a group of seven, no reservations ahead of time, on Mother's Day. One thing that is not so great is the charge for a bowl of rice. We were charged 10.50 just for a small rice bowl per person. Next time, we will get fried rice instead, which will: l give us the same amount of rice, taste better, and cost less. We got the Sizzling Beef this time, which comes on an elevated pan with a burner underneath. It is bubbling hot, and keeps bubbling (and slightly burning after awhile!) while the flame is on underneath. It was a little on the expensive side at $17, but was tasty with a rich brown sauce that tasted like it might have 5 spice powder in it. We also got the Shrimp in Sweet Chili Sauce, but I think they gave us the chicken instead! No matter, it was very tasty. Not spicy, but flavorful. It was in the same category as General Tso's chicken or Orange chicken or Sweet and Sour Chicken; that is, fried bits with a sweet sauce on it. I think this place has a lot of round-eye food, and certainly a lot of round-eye patrons. BUT there is a lot of more authentic Chinese food on the menu if you look for it, especially in the back! There are plenty of non-caucasian people eating there, too.

    (4)

  • Hanafi L.

    Nothing new and unique to add to the glowing reviews already given. HOWEVER, it should be noted that this place is indeed GOOD, Very Good. Now that you've heard it from me, you can feel confident that the truth has indeed been spoken.

    (4)

  • Kalindi T.

    I am giving Shanghai Gardens the all-star rock star review. They are so dependably delicious. The hand-shaved noodle chow mien can't be beat, not with a stick, not with nothin'! It is Shanghai style (imagine that) so it is not your traditional Mandarin Chinese food (though if you must, they do have a few classic American favorites too). The must haves (and almost everything I list is vegetarian, though almost everything I list can be made with whatever protein you could want). To start try the Black Moss and enoki mushroom soup - looks like something out of the black lagoon, but it is delicious! Then for din din (or lunch) my top faves are the vegetarian hand shaved chow mien (they'll try and get you to order the barley green noodles - but I get that in the Barley Green Noodle soup). The Sugar Pea Vines (yep the vines) with Black Mushroom and Bean Curd Sheet, and of course the Mushroom Bean Curd Sheet Roll (The Happy Roll is the meat version). This should fill you up, but if you're hankerin' for something fried, the Sesame Chicken rocks. Enjoy and don't forget to say Shea Shea (thank you)!

    (5)

  • Erin B.

    Three words...Barley Green Noodles! This place is so awesome, that my good friend held her wedding shower here. Every time that I go, I make a day of it with friends, visiting Uwajimya and hanging out in the international district. When you order your food, it is served in a family like setting, where everyone shares their amazing choices. They are also very quick to bring you your order. The only reason that this isn't receiving a 5, is the service. Drink your water slowly folks, because often, that is the only glass that you are getting!

    (4)

  • CK Dexter H.

    The menu is a minefield of ill conceived and downright nasty dishes, Beef in Strawberry sauce? And the Barley Green Hand Shaved Noodles are hugely over-rated. All proteins are deep-fried prior to service then wok tossed on pick-up. Not good. Don't get excited, this place is stupid.

    (1)

  • Aaron E.

    I am surprised by the less than stellar reviews for Shanghai Garden. I have eaten there several times, and always found it to be excellent. Hand made chow mein noodles, fresh pea sprouts. Everything we have had there has been delicious. I mean, it is no Wild Ginger, but for traditional Chinese fair, it is pretty darn good.

    (5)

  • Andrea S.

    This place was a find! It is small and the food's good. The one thing was the steamed dumplings were overly starchy and thick. Ran in there one rainy day and was thoroughly sated by the time we left.

    (4)

  • Brian F.

    Pretty good American-style Chinese food, not crazy delicious but it also has never really disappointed me and is consistent which is always good to know. Its a little bit on the pricier side, usually around $10-14 for your standard family-style dish. The handshaven (barley or regular) noodles here are really good, I would say that is the really standout aspect of this restaurant, so you will definitely want to get some *-mein or something else noodley. I tried the barley green potstickers once, but the wrapper was like double thick and did not work great. Overall its a good place if you have a hankering for some orange beef or chow mein.

    (3)

  • Bin T.

    The restaurant name is absolutely *misleading*. With "Shanghai" you would think they serve the mildly-seasoned savory dishes native to the eastern provinces of China, just as you would expect spicy food when a restaurant has "Szechuan" in its name. However, this turns out to be just another Americanized "Chinese" restaurant. When I got disappointed with the menu and asked the waitress if they do have any authentic Shanghai food, she answered they just serve generalized Szechuan/Hunan/whatever food, and the best match for Shanghai she could recommend was fried rice cake. What a joke! BTW, the waitress I spoke to doesn't speak Mandarin. I wouldn't expect staff in a Shanghai-named restaurant to actually speak Shanghainese, but when they don't speak Mandarin either, you know this restaurant is more targeted at American eaters.

    (1)

  • Noelle H.

    Oh Shanghai Gardens, why do I love you so? You make me so happy, it is silly sometimes. Since the day local friends brought me here a few years ago when I moved to the area I have never tired of the simple, scrumptious happiness that SG has given me. Shanghai can get crowded during the usual dinner rush times and if you are in a hurry for lunch, very much so. But they are efficient at seating you and a little politeness to the wait staff (who do the seating, no hostess desk here) will go a long way. We come early in the evening, around 5:30-6, and get seated right away. On a typical visit I will order the following for the table: *Hand Shaved White Noodle with Chicken (barely green is nice too) *Sauteed Pea Vines (Don't miss these! Amazing, simple, delicious. I love them.I get them plain, love them without anything else on them.) *Dry Sauteed Garlic Green Beans (must love garlic) *Salt and Pepper Scallops (Wow. Must also love garlic and be prepared for the white pepper in the coating. Heaven.) *Vegetable (Barley Green) or Corn Dumpling and the perennial favorite *Orange Chicken (or Orange Beef depending on the people I am with) *High Nutrition Fried Brown Rice (not sure about the high nutrition, but it is so good I reject a need for a disclaimer on this one) *Peking Duck (for special occasions, and if you can see how they prepare it by peeking (hahaha) around the counter.They do it so deftly and with great care, but you have to be sitting where you can see them.)These are flat, thinly done pancake style. *A cold Tsing Tsao beer or two The food comes out fast and in no particular order. Always hot. Always delicious. Generous amounts. Very generous amounts. The Wait staff are efficient and there to get your food and bring it out to the table, no theatrics, no nonsense, but they are not unfriendly. We live very close by, so after a few years of eating here they are used to us and even know our orders before we sit. Sometimes we can even get a smile out of them. And a couple extra candies for my son, who always seems to elicit a wink from the cashier. They like kids. Although I have tried to sample many things, I always come back to the above menu because it is so, so good. I don't love shrimp here, I agree with that review. But there is pride and dedication in this place, and they bring good food at a reasonable price (it is not cheap, but it is reasonable. This is not mall Chinese food here folks.) and it makes me very, very happy to eat it and to share it with people. SG is one of the bright culinary parts of Seattle/Chinatown, (and as residents of the neighborhood, we have tried almost everywhere around these parts). It has seen us return many times over the years, and we will for many more to come I expect. I hope you will enjoy it as well. Beware: It could be habit forming

    (4)

  • Peter N.

    I wish I could give SG another star. The hand-shaved noodle soup was wonderful though the broth could have had more flavor. But the noodles are fantastic. My disappointment comes from the eternal quest for soup dumplings in Seattle. I had high hopes. I asked if the Shanghai dumplings were soup dumplings. I was a little suspicious because you have the option of boiled or fried and I can't see how you could fry a soup dumpling. But the waiter said "yes" and said it would take 15 minutes (a good sign). Alas. Not a soup dumpling. A pretty good, though dense, dumpling. But soup. Well that requires broth. That does not mean a slightly moist center filled with meat. An OK dumpling but what a disappointment. A fine place but if you're into these wonderful "soupy buns" you'll have to go elsewhere. Peter

    (3)

  • Shawn M.

    Disclaimer: I came to Shanghai garden for one thing and one thing only, 'Shanghai Dumplings' (aka 'Xiaolongbao' or 'Soup Dumplings'). Before I arrived I called them and asked if they had it and they said yes they did, and I was VERY happy and excited to bite into one of the most amazing dumplings on the planet, and much to my dismay what I received was so far from a "real" Shanghai (soup) Dumpling that I wanted to cry! The skin was thick and chewy, nothing like the heavenly delicate and thin skin on a real Shanghai Dumpling and even more insulting was the moment I gently bit into the first dumpling.. if you've ever had a real Shanghai Dumpling you know what I was expecting, a flow of heavenly soup broth into my mouth and ecstasy, instead what I got was.. nothing, no broth at all! ..only a chunk of barely moist pork. Unfortunately, not only was this disappointing, but I felt like it was cheated, these were not Shanghai Dumplings. If you can't get to China, or New York, or Malaysia where I had mine, watch Anthony Bourdain on YouTube eating and describing these heavenly dumplings: Bourdain: "I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, I would have a very, very hard time finding anything more perfectly constructed than these.. ..if you measure this one food item against any single dish that any chef anywhere in the world makes, this is as good" youtube.com/watch?v=Senv… *Keep in mind that the rest of the menu might be wonderful, but if you eat the Shanghai Dumplings know that you aren't eating anything close to the real thing

    (2)

  • Jean K.

    So last night we drove around the international district looking for a place to eat dinner. We were hungry and in need of parking. mr. slippers is a little bit conservative food wise and also does not like seafood, so to be on the safe side we didnt go to the ones that were named like "seafood palace" and the like. we found this place busy and filled with, curiously, barely any asian people. as mr. slippers is not asian, it looked like a safe bet. the food came out so fast i barely had to make fun of the plant leaf resting on the top of his head at the end of the meal (we sat by the door). the crispy orange chicken was just that, and the hand shaven noodles were very good. the crowd was very strange though, which made it all the more interesting. id say between 3 and 4 stars.

    (3)

  • Aaron B.

    Service is slow but the food is good. A bit pricey.

    (4)

  • Michael L.

    After tireless searching of a Chinese restaraunt with an aquarium in the foyer, I finally found Shanghai Garden! This place is so good it makes my face hurt. and I have a very tough face. The service is mediocre, usually, but that is not a big deal because the food is so good it makes your shins hurt,. The hot and sour soup is an absolute must, and beats out any other hot soup in the city, and maybe even any sour soup as well. I always get the mu shu pork and, if I'm feeling saucy (I usually am), I'll get the chili shrimp or shrimp with pea vines. Sometimes, after eating at Shanghai Garden I feel like this guy, right before he falls down: youtube.com/watch?v=m-Mb… . Have you ever blown it completely on a first date? That won't be a problem here. Call her Carla when her name is Jane, comment on her muffin top, hell, you can even pronounce library "libarry" and it won't matter. The quality of the food will put to rest any question about your exceptional judgement, and she'll proabably be thrilled that someone with such impeccable taste allowed her to have a date with you. I have never ordered anything on this menu that wasn't absolutely top notch in terms of taste. None of that P.F. Chang's stuff that looks and feels like the plastic fake food they put in the display window at the mall food court. That stuff isn't worth spending a gift certificate you found on the ground on. I often bring people to Shanghai Garden and find out later they did the same thing with their friends. It's a hit, and one of those places that you keep coming back to because it is AUTHENTIC. Plus, the prices are pretty dang reasonable. It might hurt you, but it's like a massage kind of hurt. Ahhhhhh yeeeah baby. Hurt me again and again.

    (5)

  • Corvi Z.

    I must, as everyone else, praise the barley-green noodles. Thick, chewy, handmade noodles, pale green. I wish I had a picture to post. The rest of the menu items range from "fine but unremarkable" to "universe-ending awesome." The menu includes some Chinese restaurant standards (general tso, etc) as well as more unusual stuff - bamboo fungus, pea vines, jellyfish, strawberry sauce on meat. A lot of their dishes focus on vegetables or beancurd in various forms, good for vegetarians. The only flaw in the food is that it is sometimes a little bland. They don't use much garlic or onion. Often very crowded; try to arrive at or before 5 for dinner to be seated without a wait. The waiters are helpful and friendly but don't have much English.

    (5)

  • Mandy C.

    My favorite Chinese restaurant in the city. Hands down. Their House Special Hand Shaven Chow Mein = to die for. So good. Shrimp, squid, wilted greens, noodley goodness. SO good. And FAST. Fastest service you will ever encounter. Appetizers take much longer than the food for some reason (which they warn you about). I can't explain why though.. Just stick to the main dishes. Mongolian beef is good (avoid the red chilies!), the shrimp in strawberry or mango sauce is good, but a bit pricey..their fried rice is really good. Go for the food. Really. Try the noodles, you won't be sorry you did. :D SO yummy.

    (5)

  • nathaniel t.

    I was starting to become a loyal customer here - I went about 5 times in the last week. They take a little while to prepare the food, but the service had been ok, and the food was pretty good. However, I had the worst experience today. I went in, and got a menu as usual, and quickly found what I wanted. Then I waited to be asked what I wanted to order. And waited. Then I just started staring at the waiters. At first, one was just hand-holding one group over the menu (that arrived after me). Eventually, they were finished helping them, so they went and sat down with the other workers. They sat there for several minutes doing nothing, while I stared at them. Then they finally got up when another person entered, and served them. All the while they passed me several times and looked me directly in the eye - so it's not like they just didn't see me. After they served two groups that came before me, I had enough - it was obvious I wasn't going to get any service and I was hungry, so I walked out. They just lost a consistent source of income today.

    (2)

  • Sarah B.

    Full disclosure: I have only been here one time. That being said it was a solidly positive experience and meal. I came here with a couple of co-workers one of which has eaten here a few times before. We shared the house special buckweat noodles, brown fried rice and the Szechuan chicken. The two stand outs were the noodles and fried rice. The noodles had squid and chicken mixed throughout along with bits of egg and they were absolutely delicious. I am still thinking about them! Don't be turned off by the bright green color it bears no meaning to what they actually taste like. I am not usually a fan of fried rice but this dish was different. The unusual take with brown rice and shrimp, chicken and beef along with nice chuncks of scrampled egg was so good. It was perfectly greasy while still giving the illusion of being healthy. I mean it is brown rice right?!! Lunch service was super fast and they were moving people through with no problem. They do have a lunch special menu where certain dishes come with hot and sour soup and a bowl of rice for a reduced price. It looked like a pretty good deal. I can't wait to go back and try some other items on the menu...along with the fried rice and buckweat noodles of course!

    (4)

  • Timmmaahh W.

    Since they raised their prices, not worth the cost. I can go two doors down to Green Village and get better food for cheaper prices. I mean $9 is not a lunch special it's gouging.

    (2)

  • lux l.

    I usually go to the Shanghai Garden in Factoria. I was around Chinatown and saw there was a Shanghai there and decided to give it a try. I should not have done that. I ordered my usual, the house special fried rice and Seafood hand shaven noodles. The order came out to be over fried and very oily for the noodles. If you are in the Factoria area, should give that a try rather than the one in Chinatown.

    (1)

  • Bryce S.

    Lots of superlatives from Yelpers. For me: best sauteed pea shoots. ever. They're tender and they seem to take out the more fibrous, less palatable parts of the plant. If you're vegetarian and never had pea shoots or pea vines, GO. Thumbs up for the barleygreen noodles, too. This place delivers consistently good food (I've been here at least 5 times).

    (4)

  • Spencer G.

    With three stellar Yelp reviews I was happy to try Shanghai Garden, but I had a bad experience all around. The food seemed to be of decent quality, but not particularly fresh, distinctive or memorable. Worse, several of our dishes had a chemical/astringent/dishwashing detergent overtone, which was very offputting. The shrimp also tasted metallic. We started with a good-not-great chicken & corn soup, followed by average potstickers. We then had a bland and chemically-tasting Triple Delight, a decent but not-worth-repeating crispy chicken in garlic-chilli sauce (the garlice tasted like pre-cut from Trader Joes or something), and a very offputting house special barleygreen noodles. These noodles are bright green. I don't have a problem with this per se (althought it is not very appetizing), but the mix of flavors was bland and chemically and not harmonious. I have had wonderful hand shaved noodles at Seven Stars Pepper, and I don't know why anyone would eat here when SSP is an option. As an aftermath, we put our leftovers in the car for 2 hours while we saw a show, as I often do with Asian food. But when we got back to the car, it smelled spoiled. The whole thing left a gross feel to me. Since the other Yelp reviewers have been here multiple times, perhaps we hit a bad night. But I would never go back to this restaurant...just thinking about it puts that taste back in my mouth.

    (2)

  • Mason M.

    Their noodles are the bomb. Trust.

    (4)

  • Izzy H.

    Shaved noodles + hot and sour soup. Everything else is moot. But, damn. Those noodles are the stuffs dreams are made of. And they reheat so very, very well for the perfect late night snack.

    (4)

  • Jay Y.

    Shanghai Garden got great Chinese food, but what left a bigger impression on me is its clean environment and polite staff. As a Houston Chinatown regular, I had no standard for cleanliness or politeness, but I was pleasantly surprised to not only see how well kept this establishment was but also how nice the people were. Even though my family came in late after 10:30 PM, the staff still welcomed us warmly and attended to our every need. We were the last party of the day but the staff did not rush us at all. Heck, I felt that I was at home! Let's talk about food now: 1) Hot-and-sour soup: I don't care what you get from the extensive menu, but whatever you get, this soup is a must-order! Comes in a large portion, this soup is a true testament to the harmony of the spicy and sour tastes and makes all the other hot-and-sour soups you had in the past taste like water. Beware if you are not into heavy flavor, because this soup will blow up your taste bud. 2) Xiaolongbao (Steamed pork dumpling): Sadly, nothing worth mentioning. Pretty mediocre. 3) Hand-shaved noodle: Another great choice, this small portion stir-fried noodle has an unique, almost crunchy texture that only a Chinese hand-shave technique can offer! Cooked with just enough spices without overwhelming the spotlight on the noodle, this noodle plate is a highly recommended dish. Overall, great service, clean environment, and delicious food: Shanghai Garden is a great restaurant that you should not miss if you are in the Seattle Chinatown especially if you are seeking late-night authentic Chinese food!

    (5)

  • Linh T.

    The service there was so bad! I was with my friends, planning to go find a new restaurant in chinatown to try. We passed by a this restaurant and thought we should try there. We told them we had eight people in our party (we're teenagers) they gave us a rude glance and didn't even let us choose where we want to sit. Then the whole table of employees, sitting next to us started to judge us and keep saying that they better put an eye on us or we'll mess with their business. I was going to order something but their rude attitude made me mad. We decided to leave after them not giving us service for 5 mins. While we were leaving the employees there started yelling out in Cantonese "get out of here! Stop messing with us!". They didn't just say it once, but repeated 3 to 4 times! I will never recommend anyone to come here ever!

    (1)

  • Emily K.

    My parents actually introduced me to this lovely little chain of Chinese food restaurants. To be honest, the overall rating for the restaurant is 3 stars. Everything than one particular dish is okay. And service is alright. Very similar to a lot of other Chinese food joints around the ID except it seems to be not as authentic and maybe a bit more Americanized if that makes sense to anyone? If I could give 10 stars, I would to the hand shaven noodles. I AM A NOODLE FIEND! And I often crave these hand shaven noodles. It's a lot different than the normal noodle dish. The texture of the noodle itself is thick and chewy and so unique and absolutely superb! It comes with prawns and eggs and the eggs are extra fluffy it makes for a great contrast with the thickness of the noodles! A winner every time!

    (4)

  • Joe H.

    I don't know... this place was just alright. SUPER FAST and okay-friendly service. Food literally came out within 2-3 minutes of ordering. I was shocked lol. I ordered General Tso chicken off the lunch menu (I know I know - I should give them another try, right?) and it was just okay for me. It came with hot and sour soup. Their food had WAY too much garlic in it though. They took credit cards

    (2)

  • Ellre V.

    This is the only place I go to for Chinese food when I'm in Seattle. The house special hand shaven barley green noodles definitely live up to the hype - wide, tender, chewy, GREEN, delicious, and just perfect. I crave these noodles all the way from California constantly. I am a vegetarian and quite the habitual dinner once I find something I like, so I rarely order other dishes outside my usual vegetable dumplings and the barley green vegetable chow mein. I can therefore, at least, say that the aforementioned dishes are consistently cooked well. Service is ok. And you are served free hot tea from the start.

    (3)

  • Kelly Y.

    For the worst service ever here, I would rather to give 0 star if I could. Also, if you are looking for such American style Chinese food, go to Panda and save your money. If you are looking for authentic Chinese, trust me, go to others. More, it's NOT a Shanghai cuisine restaurant.

    (1)

  • Amy S.

    I've known about this place for years. Why why why didn't I try it sooner? It was so so good that I would totally be willing to eat here 2-3 times every week. It is now my go to Chinese restaurant. To start, I had the dumplings. I thought they were really good and the dipping sauce was the best I've ever had. Then, I had the barleygreen hand shaven noodles and regretted partially filling up on the dumplings! I'm not usually the type to order noodles at Chinese places but people rave about the noodles here so I though I should try them. I thought the noodles were really good, very flavorful and a little oily. Like the oil was a definitely plus and made them taste even better. I'm not using the term "oily" here like one might usually use it to complain. I also loved that they were green! The portion sizes were on the larger side. I ate until I was stuffed (and wished I could eat more) and still had leftovers enough for lunch the next day. My only regret is that I didn't also try the house special hand shaven noodles (they aren't green).

    (5)

  • P A.

    Food is consistently good, service is awesome. Its my go to place for a few years now.

    (4)

  • Jenci S.

    If I could give 0 star I would.this place has the worst service in chinatown if you are young and asian. They literally insulted us right after we sat down at the table. We just walked out because we are not ready to spend money for overrprice food and tips for these rude ladies. She acted like we didn't have enough money to pay which we did. They were super judgemental. They cursed us out as we walked out.. they didn't know we are all trilingual...

    (1)

  • Clara H.

    As a Chinese who's been living in States for few years, I totally get that some Chinese restaurant targets at American population and make Americanized Chinese food, some of them are still good enough to make a decent dining experience. We are visiting Seattle and residing in the international district area, this restaurant is like less than 5 mins walk away. Was looking for non-pricey and simple food for dinner, found out that the two places we went previously were closed, in the end we chose to come here for dinner. I was worried that this place might be kind of pricey, which turned out to be true, so we decided to order less, well I guess the amount offends the place: one chicken cooked with bean curds and white rice(sorry just don't feel like paying $9 for a sour and hot soup which is something I always order when I go to a Chinese restaurant). The food was okay, speaking from someone who tends to tolerate Panda Express as part of the college campus food well, but what really pissed me off and gave this rate(could have gone negative if the option is available) is the rude service we got. We were sitting next to the kitchen and cashier desk, when we were eating we heard the waitresses insulting us in Cantonese saying that we only ordered one entree but wanted to get enough rice. I know the place is fancier than some Chinese places where you can get a huge amount of white rice for free or $1, but a tiny bowl of white rice for $2 is just ridiculous, even you can ask for more later(at the expense of getting insulted by someone you are paying your money to). They appeared to be really nice and welcoming, joking around with other people(non-Chinese), but when we hand them the payment with tips, even we really don't feel like the service deserve any tips, the cashier simply reply thank you in Chinese with no emotion and wouldn't even look at us. I might have sounded mean and sensitive here, but this is the worst service attitude I've ever got since I came to the States. Wouldn't recommend the place to any authentic Chinese food lover, small group of diners(less than 3), and anyone who's not ready to spend a ton in this over-priced place. If you are visiting Seattle's international district, there are tons of better Chinese restaurants you can choose from.

    (1)

  • Alley P.

    Their handmade noodles are amazing. Would definitively recommend! I went here right after getting off the Bolt Bus. It's very close to the bus station, so it's great for if you're traveling via public transit--not sure about parking for people driving though.

    (4)

  • Daylee G.

    Mediocre service and food. General Tso's is one of my favorite dishes, and their version of it tastes old, frozen and reheated. Their chicken is heavily breaded and not fresh. The sauce was too sweet and thick. Just not a pleasant experience. If it had been cheaper (I paid $13 for the dinner portion, and the rice is extra... Yes, seriously.), they could have gotten an extra star. Servers weren't rude, just inattentive and unfriendly. I also had to wait about 10 minutes after I finished eating to get the check, during which time the servers walked by my table several times. I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Linda M.

    This place is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Seattle. Some of my favorite dishes are the happy roll, happy family, and the salt and pepper calamari. They are one of the cleaner restaurants in Chinatown. The parking is always a pain. The service could be better. The food is 4 stars. The service is 3 stars.

    (4)

  • Cynthia X.

    Don't go here, just don't. It's not very good at all, and it's not really Shanghainese food. Their house specialty is the shaven noodles - from the Western part of China! We wanted to order the rice cake, but they ran out, so none of that for us. We also asked about another item on the menu, but they also ran out. So, for 3 people, we ordered a tofu, cabbage clay pot soup - It was large, but it wasn't very good - filled with a lot of fish balls (which I'm sure were frozen and cheap) We also ordered Guo Ta Tofu. Their version was super sweet, and does not taste like any of the Guo Ta Tofu I've ever had (and in a bad way!) My favorite was probably the pan fried pork dumplings - that was actually very tasty! Maybe if I come again, I'll only get this. Finally, we ordered a third dish (I think some sort of fish) - but it wasn't very memorable.

    (2)

  • Yang X.

    I've been there twice. The first time I didn't like the restaurant because of the service, and I thought the food was pricey. But as a native Shanghai, I thought I should go there again. But... Well, I still liked their Xiao Long Bao, but the other dishes were not authentic Shanghai food. They were more like American-style. And the price was still high.

    (2)

  • Ana B.

    Landed here because all the ramen noodle places we tried to go to were packed and I was murderously hungry. Ordered General Tso chicken, Szechwan beef and chicken fried rice. The rice and beef were decent but the Tso chicken was a lump of goopy and sweet chicken. I've definitely had better at the mall. Also, they had a couple employees cleaning a pile of vegetables (some kind of greens) in the middle of the dinning room. Weird.

    (3)

  • Brian G.

    We've had this place recommended to us several times & have eaten here twice now. The food is fine. The service is quick. The lunch menu is a good deal. We did really enjoy the hand-shaven noodles. They had a special of hand-shaven pumpkin noodles. It was good. We also got a spicy beef dish that had no real kick (unless you ate the peppers). I wondered if the peppers were added after the beef was cooked as there was no kick in the meat at all. Again, service is quick & the place is clean. So, it's not bad- but, we've had better.

    (2)

  • Hao Vi D.

    Bad service, overpriced, pretty sure foods was not cooked and it was microwaved. As a Chinese person, I speak Cantonese to them they don't understand. This restaurant is not legit as a Chinese restaurant. They were very rude, ordered shanghai dumpling and it came after all foods were finished eating. Shanghai dumpling always come serve first in any Chinese restaurant. The Shanghai dumpling taste like fake, not even an actual shanghai dumpling. They should be lucky I gave a star, since I have to give 1 star

    (1)

  • Jess W.

    Huge menu, lots of choices for a large crowd. I'd assume some of the dishes are better than others, but such a large menu makes it really tough to tell. Our plates were: 'a bit bland', 'decent', and 'a bit hot, in certain spots'. Serving size didn't have a clear correlation either: I got a huge pile of food, the second dish was a bit small and the noodle bowl was a bit large. My dish was the same price as the smallest dish on the table. How does that work? Prices might be good if you hit the lunch menu. For dinner, they seemed a bit high. Mainly because I'm not sure if the quality matches them. Also it seems silly to charge an extra $2 for a tiny cup of white rice. I'm always skeptical when rice is not automatically served with a $13 plate. Service wasn't noticeably bad, but nothing special. I had to basically flag the server down to get a take-out box for the half of a plate I had left. No offer for dessert or anything, just quickly setting the check down and running away. .. so we went across the street and got bubble tea. Not a bad place, but the prices and average flavors put this in the realm of pf changs. Not exactly what I'm looking for when I roll out to the ID.

    (3)

  • Jon C.

    This is probably the worse chinese restruant I ever ate at. Shit service, pretty sure the food was microwave. The waitress were rude and racist. Whatever you do dont eat here.

    (1)

  • Rosalind B.

    Went here for lunch today and I can still taste their House Special Fried Rice Cake in my mouth ...and that's a very good thing. Best noodle dish EVER! We had good service and the atmosphere was pleasant. Will go back!

    (4)

  • Allen U.

    "Shanghai ed" to China--at least half way--on both sides of the lake (in Issaquah too)--try the Shanghai Dumplings pan fried ( not steamed) @ $7.95 --Crispy Chicken with sweet and sour garlic sauce @ $12.95--and one of their special (server says everything is a speciality) --House Special Hand Shaven Chow mein with chicken @ $9.50 or House Special Barley Green Hand Shaven Chow Mein featured in Seattle Magazine @ $12.50--House Special Fried Rice with beef @ $10.95 and for a vegetable try the Dry Sauteed Chinese String Long Beans with chicken @ $9.95 all great --al Insider tip --you gotta like garlic or you'r not going to like this place--

    (4)

  • Danny N.

    Food was pretty decent. Like an authentic version of panda express. Which, dont get me wrong, is pretty fantastic. However, if you could crack any smile on the face of the waitresses, it may get another star from me from the high price the food costs. I may be back when I feel the crave for true authentic panda, I mean, Shanghai dishes. Until then.

    (3)

  • Anna J.

    One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area. They're not cheap, but I wouldn't say they're overpriced either - just know that you'll likely be spending $15-20/person. Favorite dishes: honey walnut shrimp, spicy eggplant, and chow mein with hand shaved noodles!! They also have a pretty good fried rice, although that's not one of my favorite Chinese dishes so I rarely order it. We have experience with takeout, dinners for 2-4, and a huge group (about 35 people). We've never had less than good service. Our food has always come reasonably fast, and the wait staff has been very pleasant. Our large group experience was actually for our wedding rehearsal dinner! We wanted something casual and all the upscale pizza places in the area were either too small or way overpriced. It definitely wasn't a traditional rehearsal dinner - we didn't do speeches and were spread over their three largest tables. But it was a really fun experience! Everyone loved the food and before and after it arrived, people jumped around to sit in different seats and chat. I made the reservation about a month in advance, which was great; when I walked in, I handed our waitress a list of the dishes and quantities we wanted and everything was at the tables within 20 minutes. Overall, I recommend Shanghai Garden! :)

    (4)

  • Lulu M.

    First of all when I walked in the door the waitress asked me what I was therefore.and I reply brightly what do you think ? I'm here to eat.well the food came up greasy nasty I would never go back there again.

    (1)

  • Hai L.

    Bamboo shot appetizer and mu shu pork are good choices. The pickled vegetable and pork hand shaven noodle soup was a real disappointment, the soup is flavorless.

    (3)

  • Dembe N.

    It is a very simple place. Have had several meals that were not too bad. Priced competitively seems clean but do jot know what is going on in the back and again we are nit sure what is like behind the scene in all eateries :) Overall food is not bad.

    (4)

  • Renee M.

    Hands down my favorite Chinese food in Seattle. Hand-shaven barley green noodles, divine eggplant (rich enough without pork) strawberry sauce to go with the popcorn shrimp and the Moo Shu is perfect. Go with a big party. Sit at a round table.

    (5)

  • Whit R.

    I had a meeting over in the "international district" down near Pioneer Square, so naturally I inquired about a good Chinese restaurant nearby. I was directed to Shanghai Garden. My lunch was good but not great. I found it to be average in nearly every way, really - average taste, average ingredients, average portion size, average spice. The only thing not average was the price but hey, I'm from the east coast. By this point in my trip (day 3), I was pretty used to the Seattle cost of living (a "good" lunch price is in the $9-12 ballpark). They do serve complimentary green tea with your meal, which is nice. This is a pretty cool part of town, too. I guess you're not supposed to say "China Town" anymore, so this is known as the "international district" now. There's a cool entrance arch right up the road from here that's neat to see, if you're in to the oriental motif. I enjoyed my lunch, but I probably won't be back.

    (3)

  • Stacy S.

    The food is very good here, I would give the food a 5* but the service and price ruin it. We heard great things about Shanghai Garden and it took us a long time to find parking and make our way into the small unassuming place. While we could see that the staff was just sitting down for lunch in the corner of the restaurant they still told us to come in and sit down. The attitude of the waitress was brisk and unfriendly. The menu is not explanatory at all so we had a number of questions. For example; what comes with the spicy shrimp? Just shrimp? vegetables? rice? No dishes come with rice and they charge $3 for a small serving of brown rice. No, we couldn't order a large side of rice. (there were 7 of us) Although we couldn't understand the verbal exchange between the waitress and the rest of the staff we can understand body language and she proceeded to be condescending, negative, and rude about us to other staff. The food was delicious, really, and it came out lightning fast from the kitchen. But, it was expensive with having to order rice etc, and who wants to be treated like that?

    (2)

  • Timothy B.

    Crispy shrimps, hand shaved noodle, their pancake wraps w plum sauce. The best!

    (5)

  • Stacey N.

    We love coming here as a family with my grandparents who live in the South End and are orig. from Hong Kong. We did a birthday party for my grandma and it was great.

    (5)

  • Bob Z.

    The entrance is a bit odd. You sort of have thread your way through the aquarium maze to get to the seating area. Lightning fast service. I'm trying to think of some place that didn't have "Golden Arches" where I got faster service, but nothing comes to mind. It was almost like I got someone else's order who came in five minutes before me, but there was nobody else waiting for food at the time. Hopefully they can keep the pace when the dining room is full, but YMMV. There is a ton of stuff on the menu from hand-shaved green noodles so the Americanized Chinese Restaurant favorites. The Yelp survey says "Beer & Wine Only", "Full Bar", "No" and "Not Sure" but I think Shanghai Garden goes with a fifth option" "Beer Only." And it's one beer only. I've just stopped by here once, and as I said earlier, the service was great. The food was very good as well. I'm going to need to stop by here again and try more of their menu.

    (4)

  • Katy H.

    Quick service and decent Chinese food. I can't say I was blown away by anything but I certainly ate everything that was on my plate. I also loved that they have large round tables for groups that are bigger than 4. My friends and I were looking to stuff our faces after New Years and Chinese food seemed to fit the bill. We ordered a ton of food and had a great time.

    (3)

  • Shauna H.

    For some reason, the first time I came here was like a total revalation. I was so into everything I ate - the barleygreen noodles, the shrimp and pea vines, everything. I came here for low-stress Christmas day meals and waxed poetic about it to anyone asking for a Chinese restaurant recommendation. After my last few trips there, I realize the initial excitement has waned and it's just OK. The barleygreen noodles are still good if a little bland, but the rest of the stuff I've ordered hasn't been outstanding. Decent green beans (way better at Din Tai Fung), fried rice full of cabbage which I'm not into - does anyone really like hot cabbage? - everything pretty greasy and no great flavors. I might be spoiled by living so close to Regent on the hill, which is everything I want Chinese food to be and more. As others have stated, it's OK, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it again.

    (3)

  • H K.

    Great service from a family run business. I had the vegetable dumplings (so good), the green beans (nice and crispy) and the shrimp chow mein (noodles perfectly chewy). Everything was perfect and served hot and quickly.

    (4)

  • Candice D.

    Went there with my family for lunch, the ladies are giving attitude to us , really bad services, and the food is just soso. Won't come anymore !

    (2)

  • James L.

    Horrible Chinese food ever since the owner change. The food is not what you would expect at a typical shanghainese restaurant. It's more like a Cantonese way of cooking shanghai food. Mostly tourists people go there.

    (2)

  • Cynthia L.

    I was thinking about hand-shaven noodles today. Don't worry, everything's fine, I just hadn't thought about them in a while. So on that vein, my mind wandered to Shanghai Garden Deuce (II). This place totally reminds me of the American-Chinese restaurant I worked in as a kid, complete with the fish tank, spinning lazy susans in the center of the 8-tops, and I SWEAR they have the exact same tables, curtains, and chairs. Even the colors are the same...maybe I worked here instead of 60 miles away? Hand-shaven noodles. Logs of noodle "dough" that get "shavings" taken off the log via sharp knife and then fried. Chewy, yet soft (you can get 'em in green or regular), [the noodles] soak up the sauce--not dissimilar to how the smoke ring embeds into a piece of good BBQ. It comes with your choice of veg, meat, or tofu. I also get the Cranberry Chicken. The WHA-AT?! Yes, the Cranberry Chicken. I think it's canned whole cranberry sauce stir-fried with chicken cubes. They even have Strawberry Chicken (haven't had it). An old friend introduced it to me years ago and I'm not sure if I really like it, or if I just order for the sake of nostalgia. Either way, it gets ordered each time. And you all know that I can't live without pea vines. My fella calls them "CPea" vines. What a punny guy :D All this and some brown rice to go is pretty expensive for what it is. But comfort American-Chinese food has no price limit apparently. It's cool. You've got something special going on there Shanghai.

    (4)

  • Michelle G.

    Living in the I.D. for a couple years gave me a chance to try nearly every restaurant there, and I have to say Shanghai Garden is the only memorable one. The hand-shaven noodles are delicious, and their dishes include a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Shanghai Garden can definitely cater to those greasy Chinese food cravings while still offering healthy options. Despite language barriers they can still do a good job catering to my finicky vegan friends. This place is usually packed Friday and Saturday evenings, but is worth the wait.

    (4)

  • Something Like a Phenomenon S.

    We ordered our usual, hand-shaven barleygreen noodles w/shrimp and sauteed pea vines w/black mushrooms and bean curd sheets, and our order was delivered to the table in literally less than 5 minutes. It was scary, like they telepathically knew we were coming and what we were going to order. . . On a snarkier note: Lindi M, not all Asians eat with chopstocks. Duh.

    (4)

  • LuAnne W.

    I ate here on New Year's day with 6 other friends. Service was good, friendly and prompt. I had never had "hand shaved noodles" before and I wanted to try them. We all ordered different things and shared. Hands down the Szechwan green beans received the rave reviews. I think the fact that two staff members had just used a nearby vacant table to snap and clean a whole box of fresh green beans added to the whole idea of freshness. The noodles.. they were good. Reminded me of my great grandmother's noodles. after investigatin (google) how "hand shaved" noodles are done.. I'd have to agree with another reviewer.. these noodles looked a little too uniform to be hand shaved.. but they were good. The noodles we had didn't look like the pictures posted on this sight. they did look a bit more like Fettuccini . sorry! However, there wasn't a noodle left in sight when we finished. I would go back. I think the restaurant deserves a couple of tries.

    (3)

  • Gretchen B.

    We eat here all the time and love it. We try so many restaurants in the ID and always end up here and based on how busy it always is, so does the rest of Seattle! The food is always delicious and the service is always fast and efficient. The food is always hot too. I am addicted to the barley green noodles, the perfect comfort food. We also love the mu shu here with lots of mushrooms, perfect pancakes and great sauce. The shrimp and pea vines are also amazing. The food is fairly simple, but always fresh and delicious.

    (4)

  • Ivan M.

    hand shaved noodles, fish head soup (order in advance), dumplings of all kinds, mushu, and chicken w/wine and garlic! just thinking of those things makes me wanna go there for dinner TONITE! oof! I LUV IT!

    (4)

  • Lawrence L.

    I don't understand why people like this place but I guess my tastes are different. I got dragged into this place for lunch today due to a group outing. The lunch specials are uninteresting and expensive. The food isn't super bad, but I would prefer a number of places nearby over this one, including the food court at Uwajimaya. The selection is about the same anyways... boring. Also they messed up my order and gave me a veggie meal. Their decor is cheap chinese joint, but their prices are way high for that. $8 for a lunch special? WTF Go next door.

    (1)

  • Lulu B.

    I lived in Seattle years ago, and I loved to eat here with friends. To this day, I obsess about the barley hand shaven noodles. I talk about them to my husband and actually dream about them. Also, the salt and pepper pork dish is one of the best I've ever had.

    (4)

  • g h.

    Yeah, I remember how I used to love this restaurant, when I lived in Seattle many years ago. They do have the best hot and sour soup ever!!! Definitely try it. I got the house special hand shaven barleygreen noodles and asked for the same sauce as the regular flour noodles. She said they were the same but I'm not sure. It was still good though. We also got the sweet chili chicken. Very good too. Used to get the sweet chili shrimp, also very good. The steamed dumplings are fantastic. The sauce really adds to it. Man, I wish I could go there again...

    (5)

  • Roxanne B.

    I visited this restaurant once years ago, and tonight decided to see if it was as great as I remembered. Absolutely great food and great service. I adore the barleygreen noodles, but really all of the hand shaven noodles are amazing. I was surprised by how much I like the crispy orange beef, and the shrimp in lobster sauce were a big hit with my friends. Rarely do I go to a restaurant and find that it is better than I remembered.

    (5)

  • j s.

    the best hand shaven chicken chow mein! Place is clean and staff were friendly. We were there around 11am so it was not crowded yet. Service was fast too.

    (4)

  • Bing B.

    This place USED to be sooooo good. I recently took friends there after not going in over a year. Of course I raved about all my favorite dishes only to be sadly disappointed by smaller portions and lower quality food. The hand shaven noodles were not the succulent slabs of doughy heaven that I was accustomed to but more like machine rolled fettuccine. The shrimp, which used to be big and plump were obviously of a much lower quality and flavorless. I could list everything that was not up to standard but I'll leave it at that. I will not be going back. It's funny to see so many folks raving about the place. You obviously don't know what it used to be. Bummed...but there are plenty of better places to eat with more reasonable prices.

    (2)

  • Piao Piao L.

    Probably the best standard chinese food in Seattle. By standard I mean basically not tied to any specific region. It's the kind of place I can always count on to get a good meal. I wouldn't say it's very authentic, but they do what they do about as well as they can. The place almost always draws a nice crowd, and most of the people leave with a very satisfied look on their faces. It's american-chinese food, but done in a good way. I've never been blown away by anything on their menu, so I can't go beyond 3 stars, but by the same token I've never left without a full stomach. Consistently good. I do like the "sizzling" dishes.

    (3)

  • Aaron B.

    I discovered the Shanghai Garden mostly by chance. Some relatives were visiting from out of town, and we decided that Chinese food sounded good. We drove around the International District for a while, and eventually decided on this place based mostly on the open parking space directly across the street. The restaurant itself looks pretty unassuming at first glance. The tightly packed tables, fish tank, and cheap artwork on the walls look mostly like every other mediocre Chinese restaurant out there. The service was about as expected as well, attentive, but not overly friendly. What really made it stand out was the food. The menu has all the standard Chinese restaurant fare, with the various beef, pork, and chicken stir frys, sweet and sour meat, soups, etc, but for some reason, all the food is just BETTER here than anywhere else. I can honestly say that this is the only Chinese place I've ever been where the stir frys tasted great, and, even more notably, weren't swimming in a huge puddle of grease. Even the beef and vegetables was refreshingly grease free, and not cooked to death like it is most everywhere else. The sweet and sour beef and pork were both excellent, not overcooked, and reasonably grease-free. However, the highlight of the meal was (as others have mentioned) the hot and sour soup. I realize that it's pretty much a staple at every Chinese restaurant, but this was without a doubt the best version of it I've ever had - definitely a must if you're here. If I had to come up with one minor gripe, it would be that when the menu says garlic, it means GARLIC. It was a little ridiculous when, two hours after eating 1/4 plate of garlic chicken, a friend asked why my dorm room smelled like garlic (you guys think I'm joking:). I also thought it was a little weird that drink prices didn't include refills, but whatever. Overall, the Shanghai Garden was a great find. The food was a solid five stars, and prices weren't out of line for the type of restaurant. I'll definitely be back here again.

    (5)

  • robert w.

    Although I grew up in NYC, famous for chinese food, this is one of the best chinese restaurants I have ever been too. The food is always fresh and never as heavy and greasy as other chinese restaurants. I especially recommend the hand shaven noodles, mu shu dishes, and sugar pea vines. Food is always good here and the service is good as well. I always take out of town guests to Shanghai Garden and they are always happy and very impressed with the food!!!

    (5)

  • Russell L.

    Yeah, like others have said, the wait staff are pretty nonchalant like they just don't give a damn. But the food is pretty amazing albeit a bit pricey for the size of the portions. I dig the hand shaven barleygreen chow mein and the pea vines though.

    (3)

  • Aaron B.

    This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Seattle. This place has the best hand shaven noodles in town. The barley noodles are green and a bit of a novelty but I prefer the flour noodles because the sauce is much better. The szechuan bean curd (tofu) is excellent, nice sweet and sour sauce, fried tofu and broccoli. This place is extremely busy at lunch time during the week. Expect to wait a while if you have a large party. This place is better than Snappy Dragon, Black Pearl, or Tai Ho in Kenmore. Hot and Sour soup is good but Tai Ho's is better. Sauces are rich without being syrupy and the meat quality is high.

    (5)

  • G B.

    Perfect adequation between quality, price and service. You will not die and find yourself in heaven, but you will go home a very content customer.

    (5)

  • Giovanna L.

    Hand shaved noodles (or "shaven" as they say) certainly sounded good, and we entered the restaurant with anticipation. The interior looks exactly as you would expect: completely nondescript. We laughingly commented on the music- watered down instrumental versions of songs that were plenty wet to begin with. Little did we know that the music was a perfect harbinger of the food to come: BLAND. The barley noodles in the house special chow mien were a lovely color, but thick, doughy and BLAND (even though we asked to have the dish spicy). There was plenty of scrambled egg mixed in, and we both thought this might be a passable breakfast dish, or great for kids (and there were plenty in the house) with their affinity for bland. The second dish- Szechuan meat of your choice with hot garlic sauce) fared no better. Though it was noted as spicy on the menu and we asked them to ramp it up, it was not only BLAND in terms of spices, but cloyingly sweet and so thickened with cornstarch that a spoon on it plopped on the plate held its shape without spreading. Then the saddest dish of all arrived: Shanghai steamed dumplings. Granted, we have tasted stellar dumplings in Shanghai itself- light, fragrant, delicious. But these? Dense, heavy, like eating half dried glue. When the highlight of the meal is the generic hot tea and the bottle of beer, you know the low point will be getting the check. $58 with tip. God, how we wished we had gone home and had a pb&j.

    (2)

  • Karen H.

    This restaurant is AMAZING!!!!! It is sooooo delicious!!! I went there for my 27th birthday because it is so good. They are very fast bringing out your food. I usually get the General Tsao's chicken, mongolian beef, and the chow mein. SOOOO good!

    (5)

  • Thaddeus G.

    Since I'm vegetarian, I can only review the handful of vegetarian dishes that I get when I'm there, so here goes. VEGGIE FRIED RICE: Ossum. And getting it with brown rice instead of white will not turn you into a hippie. VEGGIE POTSTICKERS: Ossum. PEA VINE: The one steamed green thing that you will actually have seconds of. That's the truth. I crap you negative. WATER: Not exactly "mountain fresh". Get the GREEN TEA or the JASMINE TEA instead. Both ossum.

    (4)

  • Bubble P.

    As a family, we've been going there regularly for twenty years, and been delighted each and every time. Service is prompt and polite, even when the place is packed. Best Hot & Sour Soup I've had in the ID. Love the shrimp with pea vine and hand-shaved noodle dishes. The lunch is a steal! Go with at least one other person and share dishes.

    (5)

  • Bounce B.

    I was introduced to Shanghai at its Factoria (rhymes with Snacktoria) strip-mall location and have since been to the International District shop. Both sites have those amazing hand-shaved barleygreen noodles and the yummy brown rice, which -- although I'm not overly fond of cereals -- are excellent reasons to go there. Everything else is just fine, too (except the General Tso's: don't order that). And -- bonus -- in the International District you can pop across the street and walk it off at Uwajimaya.

    (4)

  • Meg T.

    I seem to be a creature of habit...when I find something I like at a restaurant, I tend to order it over and over! At Shanghai Garden, I love their Chicken Chow Mein with Hand-Shaved Noodles. Those noodles are to die for! I've never had them anywhere else, and I've talked to other people who are Chinese food aficionadoes, and they've never heard of them. I also love the string beans with pork---mmmm, yummy!

    (5)

  • Zach R.

    Just a quick a note, I went there with two friends, we all ordered beef noodle. None of us like it. Noodle is not fresh and beef tastes like it's from can. If you want authentic beef noodle, don't come here.

    (1)

  • Spencer R.

    Got three dishes: rice cake soup, szechuan style shredded pork , and shanghai style dumplings , and all were pretty subpar. They weren't disgusting per se, but I really only felt like having a few bites of any of them. The entire staff is cantonese-speaking, and apparently don't know very much about Shanghai food. Overall a pretty Americanized taste, and not done especially well even for that. I felt like it was pretty over priced ($37 with tip and tax for the 3 dishes). There are much cheaper and tastier options around. The service was fast and friendly, however.

    (2)

  • Mark C.

    We ordered three dishes: Kung pao chicken, shanghai chow mein, and pan fried dumplings. The chow mein was by far the best dish, I would eat it again. The kung pao chicken had to real flavor and was not nearly spicy enough even though it had red chili peppers mixed in. They could have have added a couple more ingredients, it was just chicken with sauce, nothing else! The dumplings tasted pretty good although they were larger than I am used to making them semi-awkward to handle and eat. All dishes were nicely portioned. now a couple things that irritated me: Although we didn't order it, we were brought tea with our water...and charged $3.00 for it !! Also, our bill came out to $35.15 so I paid $ 40.00 in cash, and waited for change...and waited, and waited, finally I called a waitress over and requested our change. She brought it out shortly thereafter. Hey, I decide how much to tip... not them!!

    (2)

  • Longtail B.

    The food wasn't too bad tasting, but not remarkable. However, about two hours after lunch I was on my knees worshiping the porcelain god at work. I was stuck at work till 8pm sick as a dog till I could finally leave the restroom long enough to make it home without ruining my roomate's car. NEVER AGAIN.

    (1)

  • ian l.

    This is one of my favorite resturants in the ID.

    (4)

  • Thuha N.

    After having soup dumplings in NY at Joe's and craving them, I was happy to find Shanghai Gardens. The dumplings are not quite the same, but are an adequate substitute. I also highly recommend the house special barley green noodles and general tso's chicken. They have great lunch specials as well. Dinner and lunch? Yes, I am here at least once a week. It is a nice change from regular Chinese food. If anyone out there knows where I can get great soup dumplings like at Joe's in NY, please send me a comment.

    (4)

  • Laural B.

    My old roommate and I went on a quest, throughout Seattle and the Eastside, for the best Peking Duck in Seattle, and we found it at Shanghai Garden. After this we had it at least once every six months. Superb, as is the pan fried bean curd, and any of the fruit flavored beef, chicken, or shrimp dishes. Actually anything. My favorite Chinese restaurant.

    (5)

  • Steve S.

    this is my favorite chinese place in seattle. the peking duck is really very tasty. as is the pan fried bean curd, and any of the fruit flavored beef, chicken, or shrimp dishes. actually, i can't thing of a bad dish i've had here. call ahead and make a reservation and have the peking duck. seriously,

    (5)

  • Justin C.

    This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Seattle. All the dishes are good but there's one I order every time: House Special Barley-green Chow Mein. Their hand shaved noodles are just amazing and I just can't resist. I also really like the Pan Fried Bean Curd. The dishes come out fast and can start to resemble each other (the General Tso's, Sesame Beef type dishes) so don't go expecting the best Chinese food (or most authentic) in the world. But they are consistently good, and did I mention those noodles.

    (4)

  • Robyn H.

    The barleygreen noodles are fabulous and certainly not the most expensive item on the menu. With so many places to choose from in the International District, this restaurant rates high with my Asian friends as well as with me....and its all about me anyway.

    (4)

  • Lagwana E.

    I don't know what is so special about this place. Yes, there were a lot of people eating today and it was a Monday night, but out of the 40 or so people jammed in there there were about 4 Chinese people eating. That included my significant other. He was disappointed in the food. Not the worst food ever, but nothing to write home about. I thought the shaved noodles were all right. But, I really wanted rice noodles, which they don't even have on the menu. Maybe we are just used to Cantonese cooking, but this place just seemed bleh. Another odd thing is that the people who work there were speaking Cantonese, which is odd for a Shanghai-style restaurant. We are never coming back.

    (2)

  • les U.

    ate there with an out of town guest, had chicken, beef, and veggie dishes, all great. had noodles. Easy to get to and park.

    (5)

  • megan d.

    medi-core chinse food that still better than alot of places....bummer, but i like the decor. i just wish the food had more flavor.

    (3)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch, Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Shanghai Garden

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