Cornell had great suggestions and recommendations for our meal. So pretty with flowers, warmth and Aloha! I enjoy local cuisine and specialties and this place had it. 2 different salmons, 5 ways to enjoy cod, high end menu, Asian menu, full bar and monthly specials. This August I lucked out and the special was a bison rib-eye. Amazing, yummy, soft, different from beef but nothing gamey and it came with sauteed peas, mushrooms and fancy greens. Again, AMAZING plate. They are also on OpenTable so you can be guaranteed a table. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - 8/2025 - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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We were getting hungry while at the casino and didn't want to worry about going out to find a place to eat, do decided to eat here. Haven't eaten at the casino since they remodeled. We got the Beef Noodle Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, Seafood Chow Mein and Seafood Fried Rice. Everything was pretty good, just all needed hot sauce. They have Sriracha and the Sambal rooster sauce; I wish they would carry chili oil. Service was excellent. Portions were good; we had leftovers. read more

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This restaurant is located in the Emerald Queen Casino. The restaurant was well decorated and clean. It's also at the end in the non smoking section which was less smokey which we really appreciated. Getting seated was a bit slow even though the restaurant was pretty empty but once we sat our waitress was wonderful. The portions were large for most items (not so much for the steak) and the food was really good! Our favorite dish by far was the General tso chicken. Huge portion that came with a large portion of rice. Definitely shareable as a meal. The appetizer was also very filling though a bit rich. We wished it came with more bread, there were only three thin crostinis. We left feeling full and satisfied. read more

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Service kind of slow, front of the house cashier today must be a new employee, haven't saw her before. check in table 1pm on a Monday. Waitor was an older man not too welcoming. The only bright spot for this restaurant is the food, it was delicious so compliment to the chefs. Inside the restaurant was clean and nice decor. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Strawberry cheese cake taste great. Appetizer calamari I always get this so good. - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

First of all, we eat here a lot. The food is always good, and the servers are outstanding. Having said that, the place is poorly managed. There are always empty tables, but they almost always make you wait. We were put on a wait list; 30 minutes later, after seeing several other people get seated, we inquired where we were on the list and all they told us was 'Oh, we'll seat you now'. Gee, thanks. The servers are always running their butts off, and telling us how short- handed they are. They are ALWAYS short-handed. Hire more people. Don't tell people they have to wait when you have dozens of empty tables. Next time we'll make a reservation! read more

Don't order the BBQ pork, it's flavorless! I sent the order back. The sweet and sour pork was good. Not soaking in grease and actually pleasant. This is a cafeteria type setting, it's loud. The lighting is nice. The service is friendly and very fast. I won't return though... the restaurant didn't meet my expectations. read more

Great service from Kim. Got the 2 eggs with crispy bacon and an add on 2 piece pancake. Delicious crispy bacon. Without asking, the server separated the pancake in 2 separate plates so we could share. So thoughtful! read more

Food is always great but service is very slow. If I had to guess, due to high turn around in employees. It seems like servers are constantly new. I have done reviews in the past and not much has changed except employees. read more

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Awesome experience in Puyalapabs today! Came by for breakfast and was served by Kim, who was exceptional and made us feel special! Ordered a meal that was a bit complicated and she handled it easily, coffee refills prompt and overall vibe was really relaxed and friendly. The breakfast menu was reasonably priced, a beautiful spot and good time. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Woven basket themed lights in the seating area - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Awful. The worst restaurant food I have ever eaten. The clam chowder was so sour, the pasta was straight oil, the shrimp in the pasta was overcooked, the shrimp noodles had the texture of dirt, the shrimp noodles were heavily salted, the fried rice was bland, the calamari was mushy. This was the first time I tried this restaurant and I will never be coming back. For $30 for a shrimp scampi that was the size of a child's plate, it was a true scam. I strongly recommend going to any other restaurant inside EQC. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Shrimp scampi - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Had dinner before a show, first time eating here. The cedar plank king salmon was incredible, service was excellent. I highly recommend eating here. read more

I'm giving 4 stars because the service and beautiful atmosphere deserves more than the current 3 star status. We've been to this location now twice in a week and enjoyed both lunches. The new casino and restaurants are just so lovely. Both my lunches were spot on, tasty, hot and fairly priced. I had the Cuban sandwich and herb crispy wedge fries, and the Chinese combo plate both delicious and hot which I appreciate. My hubby had the eggs Benedict ( good but hollandaise was only part not hot or even warm), and the club sandwich today that he said was OK, it was ALOT of bread and minimal meat/cheese sadly but fries hot/crispy. Had same server both times, pleasant and efficient service. Overall good experience and will return. read more

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The service was good but drinks and food horrible. The old-fashioned almost tasted like it was made with soda water and so weak. The Food I would say was buffet food served in a plate. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Supposedly a bourbon old-fashioned. - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Honestly this salad was 10/10 so bomb. Wouldn't changed a thing about it my boyfriend got a burger and it was good, good quality, but this salad!!!! ‍ read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Chicken Cesar salad w/onion and tomato added - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

For Father's Day my dad wanted to go to the casino and I thought we could eat there as well. Looking at the options we decided on this cafe as the menu got a bit of everything. I quickly made the reservation and we headed toward EQC. Upon arriving the restaurant is very nice, clean and the staff were friendly. It wasn't busy as I thought it would be and we were able to get started with our orders. Food were decent I like the fact that the menu had a bit of everything; appetizers we started with calamari for our main dish - dad ordered the ribeye steak, brother had the Kobe beef burger, mom had the seafood chowmein and I had the shrimp scampi and we ordered and extra entree of the short ribs. The portions are definitely shareable with that much food. The total cost wasn't bad either everything came out to around $150 for a family of 4 and with enough leftovers to take home. Some down side was our server did forget some of our requests a couple of times, never refilled water even after we asked quite a few times, along with extra napkins, and some extra plates so we can share. Not only that I have to say was my dad finished eating his steak so my brother was finishing it off; I guess the server didn't see that my brother was eating from it and just took the dish away without saying anything in the lines if we're still working on it. Weird. Overall - great place to enjoy since it had a bit of everything, the price point was nice, and the food was decent just a bit on the salty side for my likings but parents were happy and they would like to go back read more

This restaurant is actually quite nice! Nice ambiance, cloth table cloths, good food, and good service. I've only had a wait on one occasion. The food is generally consistent and comes out fairly quickly. The prices are quite reasonable for a casino, too. It has a nice mix of American and Asian choices. Appetizers, soups & salads, burgers & sandwiches, some pastas, meats dishes, and Chinese dishes. (They also have breakfast, but I was there during lunch). The Chinese lunch special is only $13.00 and it's a really large portion. Definitely recommend checking this out if you're in the casino, or even in the area for that matter. read more

The wait list is longer than any other restaurant in Seattle area. They have so many empty tables but they make people wait. Also we have waited another 35 minutes to order our food! Horrible customer service. Their foods not really great also. don't worth the wait.. read more

We had a great server today. Very attentive and intuitive- hard to find those kind of people lately. Delicious food, cooked perfectly. Zero complaints about our meal or the service. read more

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Was my first time coming here. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. It is a a definite must try.

We approach the café and they tell us it's a 30 minute wait if you show your Emerald Queen club card and your family member has the veteran club card you receive priority seating. Our wait then turned to 15 min, but we received a text after only waiting five that our table was ready. Our server was very friendly, attentive and intelligent. The food was delicious and it was honestly a great deal to serve five of us. With my fathers military discount it was under $70 and the we even had leftovers. read more

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This is the best restaurant at the Emerald Queen in my opinion. I had the onion beef and the mushroom appetizer. Both were large portions and delicious! The service was great and quick for our party of four. I ate there 2 times while I was there for the week. It's a must try if you're visiting the casino. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Beef - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

We didn't have a reservation but requested a booth. Our wait was five minutes or less at 12:30pm on a Saturday. Our food came out quickly and was hot. Husband really enjoyed his steak and eggs and my panini was really good. It's a quiet place and very comfortable. Our server was very polite and professional. The hostess was a delight. We I'll be back! read more

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I had the clam chowder and it was just ok I have definitely had better in the Pacific NW.There were a lot of options on the menu. I chose the clubhouse sandwich with fries. The fries were cold so I sent them back. The replacement fries never came back to the table. My brother was done eating and wanted to leave. We waited a long time for our food so it was a long time to sit. My clubhouse sandwich was ordinary. My brothers Kobe burger was just average. The service was very slow. I walked to the front and asked for the manager. She offered free dessert and we waited some more and took it to go. read more

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There were a mix up at the reservation desk. When we checked in we're told it would be 1 hr wait which was fine since we can play for a little until they call us. We never got the text/call. When we check after 1.5 hrs it sounded like they forgot all about us. The hostess ask the the Young Sup/Lead and from her body language she could care less. It was Unprofessional but we waited that long and were hungry. Good thing our server was really nice and pleasant. We ordered the "Casino Dinner" which consisted of Pot Stickers, BBQ Pork, Almond Breaded Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Pork, Deep Fried Prawns and Special Fried Rice. It was delicious. Complete meal for sure. read more

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This place is one of my all-time fave places in Tacoma. Great place to eat and I had one of my best meals here and that was on Christmas Eve! They had a special menu that featured a 3 course meal with a pomegranate goat cheese salad, duck breast and a trio of desserts. Not only was it amazingly delicious it was only $40! I didn't expect it to be so good. I have eaten here many times and highly recommend. Some of their asian/chinese dishes are not that great and why I am not giving this place a 5. However the special fried rice is spot on and i order that a lot. The bbq pork and hot pots are not as good. But the lobster in ginger sauce wow so so yummy!! Steaks and salmon a plus!!! And i love their potato au gratin - i am right now drooling lol Great place to bring family amd friends and also enjoy the casino. You have to check it out! Plus senior citizens get a discount so bring loved ones to this and get that special recognition. So worth it!!! read more

We went here for date night on a Sunday. The wait for a table was not bad at all. Sat down and played for about 5 mins before we got a message that our table was ready. We ordered Beef Wellington, Fried Rice and Fried Chicken. Beef we'll was cooked perfectly. Medium rare. Flavor was about 6/10. I added salt a few times. I would actually get the Beef Wellington again. Fried chicken and fried rice were both good. 7/10. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Beef Wellington with Potatoes Au Gratin & Seasoned Veggies. 6/10. I would get it again. - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Ordered take out. Once home the orange chicken had no orange sauce. Chicken was dry and tough. Promptly called restaurant and person took my info and said manager would call me back. Never did. I sent two emails to their customer contact. Never heard back. Pretty much the end of my dining at this place. Customer service sucks. And so does the food. read more

Kind of wanted to gatekeep this location but figured it isn't really fair. We have eaten here twice, the service was attentive and the food was really good. The sauce with the ravioli was rich but the balsamic caviar really added the acidity you look for to balance it out, I also liked the crunch of the vegetables to add some texture. My daughter loved her prime rib. The chocolate torte is good for someone looking for something that isn't overwhelmingly sweet. Loved it here! read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Chocolate no flour torte - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Ordered take out last nite june 26th ... first off they said ready in 20min abd it was actually ready in 40min.. we got home and there was pineapple mixed in the chili chicken and no sauce on sweet n sour pork ruin the dishes. And the seafood chow mein serving should have been for at least 3 people but was only enough for 1 1/2 ... I called spoke to a manager(Romel), and he said he would make it right by remaking my order I will see if they keep their word... ill go in ..in next couple days.. I'll update review if they "make it right" read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Mixed pineapple in chili chicken and no sweet n sour on pork... btw the pineapple should've been in sweet n sour sauce - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Tremendous value for dinner, and you can't beat the location. Service was impeccable. Casual but upscale atmosphere. read more

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This was a nice surprise deep inside the casino. I'd say it was fairly traditional Chinese food in a very attractive dining space. There was no wait when I went on a Thursday evening. Service was polite and fast. I shared the special casino dinner for 2. All of the dishes were tasty, and could have fed a 3rd person fairly comfortably. I've not had a lot of meals in casinos but I'd happily return to this one now that I know WHERE in the casino it is. (it felt hard to find) There's a free parking garage that is monitored by security so that's a nice little bonus. read more

What can I say. I originally give this Restaurant a good review about a year ago, but somehow I listed it under International Buffet when the casino was reopened after reconstruction and grand opening. However, when we went back a few months later I ordered the steamed fish which was very good last time we visited and to my dismay it was very, very salty. I don't normally complain but it was really unreasonably salty. So our server was very apologetic and the manager came over. He offered to take it off the check but we said that's okay, we'll take it home and make soup out of it. The manager gave us complimentary ice cream. We just wanted him to be aware of the amount of salt put on the steamed fish. We went back again last night. We figured give them another chance. There was 5 of us in our party. This time we had the Imperial Pork Chop, again very salty, another item was crispy garlic chicken, also very salty. However, the fish and chips was good. The chicken and dumpling soup was full of msg. The crab vegetable salad was also very good, but kinda hard to go wrong with iceberg lettuce and avocado. I don't know what the hang up is with salt in their cooking in this establishment. So we're gonna give up with this Restaurant. The two stars is actually for our awesome server. read more

The service was great! We had an excellent waitress and she did a fantastic job. The food however was not great. The prices are too high for the quality of the food. Prime rib and steak options were at best a 5/10 but were 35 and 30 dollars. We could have came on a bad night or our food just sat out too long before we were served but out of 6 people only 2 of the people in our party said they enjoyed their meals. Unfortunately it is not a place I will go back to since the prices were so high for average tasting food. read more

Convenient place to eat inside the casino. Sometimes it takes a while for them to seat you. Once you are seated, it can take a while to serve you. Be careful with dining in too late, as a lot of the items on the menu won't be available. I like the fact that you can use casino points. Sometimes our dinners end up being free. read more

SO GOOD! Food was delicious, service was good. We had the casino dinner for two, I highly recommend

Was told the wait would be 45 minutes to one hour. Checked with them at one hour and they said it would be another 30 plus minutes. Told them to forget it. Our experience at the new Emerald Queen Casino was not good and this was just the topper. We won't try this Cafe again because we won't be back to the new Emerald Queen Casino again. The old Emerald Queen Casino wasn't that good. This one looks nice but a pig in a suit is still a pig. read more

Have eaten here a few times. The food is always good and service superb. Highly recommended. read more

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Less than a week ago (on a Saturday) we took a trip the the casino and restaurant. The dining area appeared clean but it was quite obvious the wait staff was not organized. We went in for dinner and had some appetizers that were over cooked and smelled like old oil. We ordered our entrées and they finally arrived after a 30 minute wait. I had ordered the honey walnut chicken and my husband ordered the seafood. Both entrées came with rice. I took my first bite and the chicken was so over cooked I couldn't chew it, the temp of the food was COLD, not edible. The rice was cold to the touch, and my husband's food was cold and over cooked. We were able to talk to the manager but he was speechless after he felt the bottom of the plates. I'm not sure if this was a kitchen issue or our server! She got at least two other tables orders wrong around us. Poor training and lack of knowledge for whom ever is at fault. We will never return and I hope you reconsider spending your money on frozen food dinners at a nice establishment. read more

I had the luncheon special Kung Pao chicken and it was tasty. Good price and very nice looking establishment. read more

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Today (Thursday - July 1st at 2:45pm) I came to place a to go order. I was next in line to order and a lady working walked over placing 2 people in front of me saying they had been there but waiting in the wrong spot to place a to go order. Though I had been waiting in the correct place to place my order. Those 2 guests took 15 minutes to place their order. The lady behind me was also commenting how weird is was that they placed them in front of us and how long they were taking to order. I myself had once gone to the other podium to place a to go order and the tall male manager told me to get in the back of the to go order line. So that was strike one. You need to be consistent either place people who don't know what their doing in front of the line or in back of the line. I order my sweet and sour chicken and was not given my players card discount though I used my card to pay. I paid the difference though there wouldn't have been a different had they given my discount. At this time I tip cash after I placed my order. after waiting an hour for my food I talk to a manager about not receiving the discount and he offers me a piece of cheesecake. The food is for my husband and he doesn't eat sweets and I'm eating keto. I wait a few more minutes outside the restaurant and see a lady picking up a huge order, I see her order number is 510. My order number was 504. I ask her if she waited over an hour for her food and she said "not at all." At this point I leave. So I'm out my $25 food credit, cash tip and the difference I was charged. Needless to say I will not be going back. You would think places that you spend a ton of money at would care a little more about keeping you around. Maybe if I hadn't had all of these issues in the same day it wouldn't have been such a big deal. The front of the restaurant really needs better policies and procedures so it runs smoothly and doesn't make customers upset. I have worked in food and beverage at MGM Grand, Caesar Palace, Palazzo and Snoqualmie casino. Had anyone ever had an experience like I did at EQC today I would have been embarrassed. I would have made it right before they threw in the towel and left. read more

Puyalapabs Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Tacoma, Washington