i randomly saw an instagram reel with almost no interactions talking about this place. i was drawn to it immediately, so i made sure to try it on its very first week. quite covert as there wasn't even a sign outside yet. the space used to be the beloved bar foreign national, which i know is sorely missed; however, i'm not mad about blue willow taking its place. it's a little dark inside, mostly lit in red and otherwise warmly. beautifully decorated full bar immediately to your right upon walking in. the surprisingly large space is full with tables, booths, and high-tops alike. we had a very lovely waitress. she was still learning the ropes and didn't even know they had a social media page (at the time it was an empty instagram), but she was an absolute gem. i've been back one other time and the waiter i had was also lovely and attentive. i believe the intent is for it to be served family-style, or at least that's what i've done both times i've gone. the first time i went, i tried the honey walnut prawn buns, the soft shell crab curry fried rice, and the crispy glazed eggplant. i will start by saying that the weakest dish was the fried rice, but it was by no means bad - i actually wish the curry was stronger! i'm also a sucker for honey walnut prawns, so the buns were a must-try. i really liked them, but they're a little pricey at $12 for two. finally, onto the crispy glazed eggplant. my favourite thing on the menu, period. lightly breaded with a sweet honeycrisp apple glaze with cumin and the perfect amount of sichuan chilli spice on the side for dipping. perfect sweet-spicy flavour. so good, i went back a week later. this time, i repeated the crispy glazed eggplant, but also tried the prawn & chive dumplings and the hot mala chicken. the dumplings were top tier. i think they're also one of the better-priced items on the menu; $15 for eight dumplings is actually great considering the current economy (lol). the hot mala chicken gave me that mouth-numbing feeling that red sichuan peppercorn gives you, which means it was perfect. i have yet to try the drinks, but my first waitress pointed out that not only were the cocktails great, but so were the mocktails. i will be back to check them out for sure! overall, i'm a fan. right now, the place is pretty quiet, but i hope to see it packed full soon. it deserves it. read more

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As others noted, it was a ghost town. Friends and i walked by a few weeks ago, could not tell if it was open, decided it wasnt, then opened the door and saw it was. Could use better signage and of course, a website helps (just learned they are waiting for the bar next door to open up for a website). The food and drinks were amazing. The eggplant was superb, though it kinda felt like we were the first patrons of the (very hot 81 degree) day and the oil had not fully heated up yet (instead of golden brown, it was pale, but still tasty). Malay chicken, S+P tofu, dumplings and crab fried rice. I might skip the rice next time as it tasted kinda fishy. I love dumplings- these were just ok- shell was kind of thick and sauce could've given more acidity. The meal was still fantastic. Drinks were superb- i can't recall the cute names but one was a spicy yuzu marg and the other a mezcal with papaya puree- yum! Friends drinks were great too. Apparently these are the LionHead folks and an attached bar coming soon. Can't wait o go back! read more

Absolutely delicious; love the range of vegetarian options and they were all so so good! The impossible/beyond Dan Dan noodles, the crispy eggplant with apple glaze, and the mushroom buns were really great, though to be fair the mushroom buns were a little logistically difficult to eat (if we were on an early-stage date, it might be embarrassing to struggle to find where to take a bite and have a very messy result... but it was our anniversary so we weren't concerned). We tried two of the cocktails; the Southern Rim unfortunately just tasted overwhelmingly like the mezcal and not enough like the coconut to me, but the If I Only Had a Sword was delicious and we ordered several. Highly recommend, especially for vegetarians tired of each menu category only having one option for us! read more

Great selection of vegetarian items and even a few vegan things. This spot also had really good portion sizing for price which I appreciated and everything is family style. Service was great and the vibes were kinda classy 1920's bar in Hong Kong? Highly recommend and definitely will be back to try more of the menu. The Dan Dan mian was my absolute favorite though so I'll probably get that again! read more

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Tucked away near Melrose market is this fantastic new Chinese spot that opened up about 2 months ago! So excited to have a place like this open up near me. This was my second time dining here and I am so in love with the food. It's nice not having to travel all the way to the International District for good Chinese food. So far I've tried the shrimp and chive dumplings, spicy Kai choy (seasonal veg), honey walnut shrimp buns, and the sweet and spicy pork ribs. And I've got my eye on the tenderloin beef dish and crab fried rice for next time... Everything is so fresh and the sauces have really unique profiles, the pork ribs had a citrusy spicy flavor and the Kai choy soaked it all up underneath making for a really delicious combo. The honey walnut shrimp buns were delicious, the crunchy sweet and soft combo was amazing and they are a great starter. All of the food is plated beautifully and comes out so quick. Can't wait to bring friends and family here soon The ambiance is great, I love the low lighting, the music is very fun, lots of seating throughout and the bartender/server Martin is so kind and helpful! They are more of an evening spot right now and open up at 4pm everyday. Can't wait to try the whole menu eventually!! read more

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The most exciting thing about this restaurant is that it will eventually close. This is by far one of the worst restaurants of 2026. We arrived around 5 PM on a Wednesday and it was a ghost town. The entire time we were there, nobody even opened the door to look inside. The vibes are a bit retro and very red. I get that they were going for an Asian theme, but it felt more like a horror set. As for service, it was okay. I inquired if the dishes we ordered had any nuts as my cousin has a severe nut allergy and that was met with a snarky response, "there's only two things on the menu and it's clearly marked as nuts". We looked at the menu again and it was not specifically marked as "nuts" but had peanuts in their description. I didn't appreciate that as the allergy is serious and I didn't know since none of the dishes we ordered had it. A little kindness goes along way and this guy had none of that. As for the food, it was definitely the worst part. We ordered two dumplings, the shrimp and chives and the pork. The wrappers were very thick and the flavor profile sort of sour. The mala chicken was probably the best item we ordered, but very one dimensional. It had the numbing feel, but lacked other flavor. We also ordered the Dan Dan, and it was was the same flat flavor profile as the chicken. Overall, everything was very flat, numbing, and lack flavor. In fact, my cousin and I had a bite of each one and then gave up. Sadly, I went home and had Taco Bell afterwards. It tasted much better. read more

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My partner and I stopped by this evening to try Blue Willow out after seeing their menu on one of our walks. We got the prawn dumplings which had a thick wrapping which we liked and it had a lot of filling. We also got their garlic fried rice which was good. Lots of garlic, but I wish the rice had more flavor to it. We also got their garlic fried thrice cooked pork belly which my partner liked, but I thought it was way too salty. Thankfully we had some rice which helped, but I did have to chug water afterwards. Overall food was okay. Would I go back, sure but I'd want to try the buns and noodles next time. The service was good, one person serving 4-5 tables. It wasn't too busy and I liked the red theme they had in the restaurant which made a fun vibe. read more

We were blown away by the food, the service, and the cleanliness of the space. Everything is so flavorful and delicious. The cocktails are also really good (on the pricier side, but at least good). Definitely a spot to come back to! Also, plenty of vegan options! read more

Blue Willow Seattle - Mushroom buns - Szechuan Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is new and I loved it. I went there two times this week. The co owner was great and so was the bartender/server. Service amazing and the food was delicious. Try all the dumplings and bao buns you won't regret it. I'm sure once word gets out about how great this place is it'll be difficult to get a reservation so I'd visit asap. read more

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This place is a little jewel box of great food. We wandered into it after drinks at the 6 Arms. It was great. I highly recommend the crab fried rice. As I left at 7 it was getting busy. My recommendation is to go now because this place is about to be discovered. read more

Came in during their soft opening; we've eaten at their sister restaurant before and I'm happy to report the quality of food is just as good! Excellent Sichuan flavors with each dish executed perfectly. Dining is family style so the more people you can bring with you, the better. read more

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A wonderful new find on Capitol Hill. The food is fantastic and worth the cost. My taste buds were thrilled by the wide range of flavors we had in this family style meal. It was difficult to pick a favorite. Service was fantastic too. If you're looking for great Sichuan on Cap Hill, this is the choice. read more

Best ever! Drink menu was limited. Hard to find. Nice bartender. The places is a bit dark.

Was so delicious and the service was amazing! The atmosphere of the restaurant was super unique in the best way! My favorite part (other than the food) was the beautiful old Chinese mural with gold plating! read more

This was a great mistake. Food was terrible. Though service was fine. Highly 70 dollars per person without drinks and none of the items were palatable. One star from me read more

The food was to die for, it had so much flavor!! The ambiance it's self was super and unique and it had alot of Chinese culture. The service was very nice and family friendly. all around I would say it's a top tier restaurant. read more