One of the only places in Seattle I can get chicken chow mein the way I like it! Great prices, great food, great staff.

Best old school, east coast Chinese food in the city. Highlights - almond chicken, Mongolian beef, home made potstickers, wonton soup, sweet sour pork. It's not Jade Garden or din tai fung, it's in the old school American Chinese food category. So if you like that style, Gim wah is a must. read more

Gim Wah Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The best Mongolian beef in Seattle! It's a family thing. Mom, dad and daughter work there. Stuff drinks in the bar. Quality food freshly prepared. Quiet and relaxing in the dining room. I eat here every time I'm in Magnolia. read more

Surprisingly good food and prices! Hadn't been for awhile, and was pleasantly surprised. Had the Combo B dinner for $12.95....loved it. Ate in rustic retro bar 4:30pm. Strong Gin & Tonic. Old school Chinese like I'm used to from my childhood (Louie's in Ballard, Tai Tung, etc). Will be back! Combination B Dinner: Almond Fried Chicken, Pork Chow Mein, Pork Fried Rice, Spareribs, Soup, Rice, BarBQ Pork read more

Gim Wah Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I have been going here for over 30 years. The food is great. The bar is fun and the service is fine. Some people can't get over when years ago smoking was allowed in the bar and the whole restaurant was filled with smoke. Those days are over. It may be a dive, but the food is good! A favorite is Hong Kong style noodles! Excellent. Excellent Cocktails too! read more

Very grumpy lady bartending and serving here but the bbq pork with mustard was so good! Lady kept yelling at us to put our feet in because she couldn't reach the table (excuse me what?). She couldn't get through the asile and said something to my friend so my friend turned to face her and she said that she whipped her hair in her face (what is happening here lol). Said we were yelling and she couldn't hear, sorry you are a ruiner of fun it's literally a Saturday night and we are in the BAR. She also seemed annoyed at us when we would order more (don't you want us to order more??) Wine pours are nice though, massive goblet size So if you want to be yelled at and build character but also want to have good bbq pork and big wine pours this is your place!!! read more

Great low priced Chinese food, some of my favs are Almond Fried Chicken, Prawns with lobster sauce, any of the egg foo young, Mongolian beef, any chow mein maybe some chicken wings too. Honestly at these prices u can order half their menu and still be better than eating out at any Chinese restaurant. The star of this place is the bar. Low prices, great pours, always a good atmosphere for Magnolia neighborhood Chinese bar. read more

This is the worst food in Seattle. The chicken was old and cold. They also have terrible service. We were waited on by a grumpy old man who greeted us with "sit wherever you want I don't care". It's seems it's mostly a place where senior citizens of magnolia gather and drink beer. read more

LOVE THE GIM WAH!!! Is it authentic? No. Is it upscale and gourmet? No. It is your classic "Americana style Chinese cuisine". I guess you could also describe it as a "greasy spoon", as many of their menu offerings are without doubt on the greasy side. However, what they do, they do well. Their wonton soup is excellent. The appetizers, such as eggrolls, or barbecued pork, are all delicious; I particularly like their curry puffs. To the main dishes... Without doubt their best dish is Mongolian beef! YUM! This dish in particular I would say is the best in town! I've tried it at various other places and no one can compete with their Mongolian beef. We are also fans of their various chow meins and fried rices, especially the house fried rice, which has a bit of everything, including shrimp and Chinese sausage. The bar, which is on the other side of the restaurant, is always very popular and there is sometimes a bit of rowdiness going on. Not so much that it's really disturbing, but it can be a bit loud sometimes. But we don't mind, because we have a feeling it's the bar that keeps that place in business. And we want it to stay in business! FYI, there is only street parking, but it isn't difficult. Maybe a little challenging on the weekends, but on the whole not bad. So I say go to the Gim Wah! Order yourself some of that fabulous Mongolian beef and enjoy! read more

The food is ok, some is really great and other dishes not so great. Drinks are good and strong, excellent old school bar atmosphere. Bar staff rude and arrogant, almost as if we were ruining her evening by even being there. Take your chances I guess. read more

Magnolia's iconic Chinese restaurant and bar. Stepping into the Chinese restaurant is stepping back in yome. The Bar will take you right back to 1972, complete with the lighting and classic bartender. We even sa read more

Alan continues to cook up great Chinese food you can take out, eat in the bar with stiff drinks, or dining room at affordable prices

A dive bar and a Chinese restaurant, in one. The bartender was really nice and attentive. The bar was filled with regulars only The food was surprisingly good and the drinks pretty cheap. I would definitely go back read more

Ok, it was late in Magnolia and we were hungry. The Box Car was too packed. Highliner was unexpectedly closed. Let's try Chinese - and what a mistake that was. The bar was open and unfortunately for us - so was the kitchen. The General Tso's chicken wasn't even that - it was large chunks of untrimmed chicken thighs drenched in a brown gravy - I swear to god it was a mole. Chewy, fatty, mushy - good lord what a mess. No veggies, no rice - WTF? Stay away - like far away if you're looking for Chinese cuisine because this place is at the bottom of the barrel. read more

Great food at neighborhood restaurant and bar. Large menu, Chinese and some American food available. Very good price. Ate in the bar. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Perfect cocktails and good beer choices. Nice, low light lounge. Good dive bar 1970s 80s ambiance. So glad we found this place, definitely going back. Highly recommend the appetizer sampler and the pork egg foo young. read more

I'm a Queen Anne native & resident and venture over to Magnolia just to eat in the bar for affordable Chinese-American food and stiff cheap drinks, which is not offered in QA. The fixed dinners are a good value and the bartenders are friendly middle-aged+ non-hipsters! In the bar, they have TV for sports, TouchTunes juke box, and A/C. This is a neighborhood joint! Long live Gim Wah! read more

Seattle's oddest restaurant- the food is good- but do takeout. Don't eat there. The dining room is not especially welcoming or clean. The scene is in the bar, which is packed. Not sure what's going on here, but a bring business happens there. read more

My Father-in-law, Wife, and myself have been eating here regularly, at least as far back as mid to late 2005, and have never encountered the bad food or bad service the 1 & 2 star reviewers mentioned. On the contrary, we have ALWAYS gotten and continue to get food and service that meets or exceeds our expectations. read more

One of the best dive bars, ever. Some of the regulars can get quite annoying after they get sloshed, I've found the solution is to drink more until they no longer irritate you and maybe you'll get to the point where you're the irritating one if you're lucky :p Their pours are generous here, don't plan on driving after a few mixed drinks here. The music can be hit or miss depending on the crowd, wide variety indeed. I've only tried the BBQ pork, perfect remedy for balancing the alcohol ;) read more

I'd say you can't go wrong with any restaurant that has a "Fine Dining" award on the wall. Except it is from 1978. And yellowed from what I can only surmise as an army of chain-smoking boozehounds that still appear to be packed into the bar, sans smokes. Except for the 6 I passed on the way in and I am pretty sure one even had an oxygen tank! I am so coming back to hang out in this bar one night. Quite possibly the sweetest bar ever. Mirrors, packed with folks that looked near death and like they hadn't moved since turning 21. In 1945. I had some Fried Rice. It was exactly as I expected. Slightly greasy, slightly wrong... but good. In a bad way. read more

Gim Wah Restaurant - "Fine Dining". Says so right here. - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Terribly disappointed in the service and quality of food. We were the only customers in the restaurant area but, the bar was lively. That alone screams volumes! The interior is dated and dingy. There was no music and since we were the only people inside, all you could hear was the loud and inappropriate conversations from the bar. Our server seemed to have an attitude-like we were bothering her by entering the place and expecting her to give us a table. She was pushy for us to order and cut my son off as he was talking. Our soup was cold, the fried shrimp batter was still wet inside and pork fried rice was crunchy. Honestly, it tasted like they just reheated old rice, microwaved the sauces , and slopped it all on a plate. There was nothing fresh at all about anything here- my children were throwing up within the hour. Spent $60 on the worst food I've ever eaten. Will not be back. I do not encourage anyone to come here. This place earned 1 star rather than zero simply because we did drink our cokes and liked that they came in a Seahawks glass. read more

Magnolia staple. Get the chicken hot pot, Mongolian beef and the pot stickers. Also, they have great drinks.

Drove out of our way to get there, and they were closed. Their hours said they were open, and we double checked Google. Very disappointed.

I have been eating at Gim Wah for 25 years. Our last visit, a month ago was the best ever. The almond chicken was the best. Perfect white chicken, lightly breaded, sprinkled with sliced almonds was delicious. The bar-be-que pork was moist and served with just the right kind of condiments. Pan fried fresh green beans were perfect. The bar is the bar. The regulars are harmless and enjoying a very strong pour drink. Dining room is clean, and the service is good. For all of you that avoid the Gim Wah because of the bar, get over it. The food is what you go for and the food is great. read more

I went in there this past Thursday and was very disappointed. Ordered the fried rice orange chicken and garlic chicken and you need a chainsaw to cut the chicken. The chicken was so dry you couldn't even chew through it. The fried rice was OK a little bland but OK. On a positive note the drinks are crazy strong. Definitely taking this place off my list. read more

Waited the quoted 30 and then 20 MORE minutes for my takeout. Prices are good, but the General Tso's chicken had much to be desired as it really needed a boost on sweetness. I ordered an extra rice which never came as well... I will say that I do want to try the "legendary" lounge drinks though... read more

Okay, I have to admit, I've been eating here about 3 times a year since they opened in 1875. Well, okay maybe not that long ago, but it feels like it. It is the ONLY Chinese restaurant in Magnolia. And yes, it is outdated compared to more trendy "nouvelle- Chinois" cuisine. In short, gourmet, it is not. The one thing this place does possess that most others in the city lack, is a history of being an integral part of a community. And in Magnolia's case, the only Asian place for soaking up booze late night in the entire zip code. Amongst a host of other usual suspects, they offer: Moo Shu Pork, Moo Gu Gai Pan, Mongolian Beef, Chow Mein, Garlic Prawns, Sweet & Sour pork -prawns -chicken, Beef with Oyster Sauce, etc. In short, the food ranges from okay-good, depending on who you are and what you're used to per Chinese cuisine. I don't love this place for the food, but I like it. I do love this place because, like a member of the family, I'm compelled in wishing them the best and supporting their efforts. Besides, let's admit it, when you have a craving for Chinese food and you don't want to drive half a city away, 3 star American-style Chinese food will do just fine. read more

This is where I go when I want to find a piece of the MidWest in Seattle or I am looking to get my drunk on and not run into anybody I know. The bar at this place is amazing. It is tiny and full of locals. If you sit at the wrong table, someone will stare you down until you give them their table that they have been drinking at for about 20 years. I love it here. There are mirror walls, a jukebox and TV. This is no frills, no scene and no yuppieness bar in Magnolia which makes it the best place to hangout on a evening in the winter time. Truly a local dive. I have not eaten here except for about 20 years ago so I can not report on the food. But I do go to the bar and get my Gim Wah on. read more

great food and service. Perfect for the family. the owner is the acutal chef which created a family style restaurant ambience. I will defintly return for the great food. read more

Awful, horrible, yucky food. The bar is the main attraction. read more

I can completely agree with Kelly W's assessment. Smoke was blowing in from the window, forcing my pregnant wife and I to switch tables. Pretty annoying. The food: Subpar by any standards, I actually felt a little ripped off when the food came. I will not be going back again. I enjoy chinese food and figured I would give this place a shot and thought, "how bad could they be?" Well... bad. read more

I randomly tried this place when I was visiting a friend that just moved into the neighborhood. It looks like an old school restaurant from the outside and it is. It reminds me of the classic Chinese American places that had a bar with tiki glasses and the like. They actually have a dedicated side that would be a perfect hipster bar if it were in Brooklyn. The food isn't authentic Chinese but it is authentic American Chinese food so give it a try! read more

It's been said before, but I will say it again. Don't go here to eat. Do go here to drink and enjoy some top notch Asian-Americana (I believe I just made that word up). I've been here a few times with groups and the same waitress was rude, almost angry - at a group that probably represented the biggest source of income for that day. There was even a roach climbing up the wall once. The bar however is a different story. It's a true dive bar, not some hipster joint with a painstakingly handcrafted dive aesthetic. (not that I don't enjoy those places too). The drinks at the Gim Wah lounge are super stiff and the bartenders are genuinely nice people, real human beings. Wearing sweatpants. I love the lounge. Anthony Bourdain says that a good way to measure the cleanliness of a restaurant's kitchen is to check out the bathroom. If they take the time to keep the bathroom clean, then the kitchen is probably clean as well. If there's any truth to that, then Gim Wah probably hasn't cleaned their kitchen since the early 70s. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go here or that you shouldn't check out the bathrooms. Indeed this place has charm, just don't eat the food or touch the walls in the restrooms. read more

Great "junky" chinese food, is what I call it. Stuff to recommend: pork chow mein with soft noodles, Mandarin chicken, mongolian beef, almond chicken, and pork fried rice. Avoid the bar, it still reeks of cigarette smoke and gross people. :) read more

Classic dive bar! Stiff drinks, cheap prices, friendly bar tender and prob same 5 people at the bar every night. Looking to escape the sea of baby strollers, dog walkers, and Starbucks in Magnolia this is your spot. read more

Gim Wah Restaurant - Home made potstickers. - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I used to eat here a lot when I was younger, but the dining room has slowly emptied and the bar (along with it's smell) has completely taken over. The food is still pretty good, but I wouldn't suggest doing anything but take out, which can take a long time to get for some reason. The whole place smells like smoke and stale beer since the slightly sketchy clientele smoke right outside the front door under an air vent which is actually illegal here in Seattle. I don't think I would ever walk in their alone. read more

If you're seeking an inexpensive, stiff drink - this is your place! If, however, you're seeking good (or even average) Chinese food - skip this place! read more

Wasn't feeling good & desired a large wonton soup to eat in my bed. I hit the jackpot! Tender noodles. Large chunks of sweet pork. Tasty broth. Just what the doctor ordered! read more

I didn't try the food here, but I hung out in the bar for a bit. It seems like people are really protective over this place, you either love it or hate it. I love checking out new places and this was another adventure. The bartender was really nice and served up nice stiff drinks. The people in the bar were rude, drunk and older. They continued to get louder as the night progressed but none of them bothered us much. It was a place my boyfriend and I have been wanting to check out, and we finally did. Not sure when or if we will be back. El Ranchon next door is really great!!! read more

I really wanted to like Gim Wah. I grew up on places like this. So: ambience, good. It's your basic Chinese American restaurant décor -- looks like you're walking into 1965. For me, this is a plus. Prices, good. Cheaper than Pandasia in Interbay. Comparable to the place on Thorndyke that recently changed its name, but a lot more space. And yes, the bar is more popular than the main room, so not crowded at all, and very quiet. Menu, decent. I noticed that there was only shellfish, no actual fish, on the seafood menu, and that a lot of the menu items were deep-fried -- more than I'd expected. No real vegetable-heavy dishes (e.g., chicken with broccoli) other than the actual vegetarian dishes. However, I discovered that when they don't mention vegetables in the description of the dish, that really means no vegetables -- zero. So the General Tso's chicken really is just chicken in "spicy and sour" sauce. They weren't kidding about the sour, either. Not the way I usually get it but that's OK. It was a large serving (a plus) and the chicken to breading ratio was very favorable (read: large pieces of chicken with not too much breading), more so than at other places. But I still was surprised not to see a solitary piece of broccoli in the whole thing. I may come back, but if I do I will be sure to order something that explicitly has vegetables in it. As it was, it was a bit of a shock! read more