I read in Seattle Times that Shanghai Garden was closing (now closed). I decided to pay them a visit despite the fact that I have never ate there all these decades. I also waited until they are really closed to write this review (no need to write a 2 Stars review when they are already closing). Their food was rather bland and looked lifeless; in Chinese terms, that means no wok hei. The inside was filled with people who read the same Seattle Times article. The servers were very busy trying to keep up. We sat at a table that is normally used for themselves, looking at their statues of deities that have blessed with decades of business (despite meh food). The Food: Beef with Barleygreen Hand Shaven Chow Mein, $21 - 2 Stars We are big fans of hand shaven noodles (go to Spicy Talk). When I read about a barleygreen variant, I was totally - sign me up! These noodles are boiled and lightly stir-fried with minimum seasoning, oil, and flame in a way that I would have made at home. That is a low bar (no joke). These are pale, possibly seasoned with maybe salt only. It was a dull dish. The beef is separately cooked; those pieces have a touch more flame. House Special Barleygreen Hand Shaven Chow Mein, $22 - 2 Stars Same comment for this combination dish of shrimp, chicken, and squid - it is even more pale and lifeless than the beef version. Pork Steamed Dumplings or Xiao Long Bao, $15 - 2 Stars Though folks will argue the origins of XLB, Shanghai is one of the supposed origins. With a restaurant name that has Shanghai in it, I thought their XLB should be good. Wrong. The skin is thick, and they have the look of machine-made pinched tip. These are similar to ones that I can buy frozen in an Asian market. The only good thing is the inside does have broth. read more

See all

Good dinner! Very tasty, served promptly, the tea was hot and fresh too. Not very crowded. Good atmosphere. read more

Shanghai Garden - Sautéed chicken and vegetables - just the right amount. Not too much, not too little. - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The pork soup dumpling and crispy fish was not that great, I would say below average. I was a little disappointed at the taste. For what you get, I would say super pricey too ($14 for dumpling, $24 for fish). Went on a saturday night, it was a little busy, service was just ok. Stick to the popular menu items I guess, which seems to be the noodles. read more

We got the Shanghai noodles and the noodles were firmer than what I would have liked. I like Aldente noodles for Italian dishes but it doesn't seem to work for this Asian dish. The Crispy shrimp with strawberry sauce wasn't bad. But it had frozen strawberries on the side. Maybe it's just a garnish. The pork soup dumpling isn't bad either. The dipping sauce had too much rice vinegar and could have used more soy sauce. Overall it's mediocre. read more

See all

Not so sure about this place. Wasn't excellent but wasn't bad either. Just mediocre. Got the Shanghai noodles and I do like my pasta a little on the harder side than softer but when eating Chinese noodles. I feel they should be more soft. The shrimp in it however was cooked great. The dumplings we got were ok. Wish it had more soup inside them and the dipping sauce seemed to have more vinegar than soy sauce. We also got the crispy shrimp with strawberry sauce. The shrimp were crunchy and delicious. I wish it would have had more of a strawberry flavor. It appears like they use strawberry jam I stead of fresh strawberry's for the sauce. The strawberries in the dish were completely frozen and icy when we got them so that seemed weird to me. Just feel that strawberry sauce could have been much better if they utilized the strawberries they had. Over all mediocre at a decent price. Just expected more for being in china town I guess. read more

See all

Good food and service. The green barley noodles are a must. Loved the Moo Shoo pork and the Fried Tofu too.

My friend and I decided to come here for lunch. We haven't been here for years. I used to go to the one in Issaquah years ago. We ordered the hand shaven noodles, dumplings and Mongolian beef. The portions were so small it was like an individual portion. When the bill arrived the tip area was circled in red to make sure we saw it. Before tip, the total was over $70.00. We left hungry so we had a Korean rice dog at a nearby restaurant. If you like small portions of mediocre food with a big price tag, this place is for you. read more

I am visiting from Eugene. We asked at our hotel for the best Chinese food in Seattle. I would say they were right! Great traditional Chinese food with a focus on heathy eating. The handmade barley noodles and the General Tao's chicken are a must. Great service from the same family that has run it for generations. The restaurant has a cool pink interior and a nice big fish tank. read more

Shanghai Garden - General Tao's Chicken - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

We've passed by this restaurant many times as we have a few favorites that we tend to go to in the international district. We decided to give them a try. And we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered Mu Shu Chicken, the Sizzling platter triple delight, crispy chicken with sweet and sour garlic sauce, and the sautéed green beans with minced chicken. The crispy chicken had a nice crunch and a little bit of heat. I liked the flavor combinations. Green beans and chicken was also excellent. The Mu Shu had a more neutral flavor but good. The sizzling platter I think the sauce wasn't to our liking. Not bad, but least favorite of the four. But overall, everything was very fresh. We will be coming back to try the hand shaven noodles. read more

See all

A very pleasant surprise during a rainy day! We happened to find this place when looking for some hot soup on a cold day. We ordered the soup dumplings, braised beef shredded noodles and mixed veggies. The food was great on a cold day! Service was attentive and food was tasty read more

See all

This place not look like much, but it's the best place you'll find hand shaven noodles ! I've been going for years ! You never know till you give it a try ! read more

No wait and fast service. But food is just ok for this longtime establishment. (Use to come here often decade+ ago.) Food & Prices Soup & casserole Hot & Sour Soup was a bit bland in flavor but still good $15 4* Shanghai Pastries & Appetizers Pepper Salted Squid use to have a lot more of the garlicky peppery spicy bits on top infusing the whole dish $15 3.5* Veg & Bean Curd Szechuan Eggplant in Hot Garlic Sauce was a bit too mushy $17 3* Barley Green Hand Shaven Noodles Braised Beef Barley Green Hand Shaven Noodle love the noodles in stir fry but it didn't hold up as chewy at all in the soup. Soup itself had decent flavor $18 3* Fried Rice Shrimp Fried rice uses fresh rice so the dish was soft. Younger waitress said they always use fresh rice. I asked not cold rice? She said that's when doing it at home. I beg to differ. $17 1* Service Um, ok I guess Located -diagonally across the street from Uwajimaya -at Weller & 6th Av read more

See all

An instant classic. ID district is a great place. I love supporting any business down there. Shanghai Garden is out family's go to weekend dinner spot. I'm looking forward to dining in again once Covid settles. I'm not expert in Chinese food but the food here is good. Deep fried bean curds, pork fried rice, sweet and sour garlic chicken and a cup of green tea is my comfort food. read more

I was so grateful to see that this place survived the pandemic! My husband and I ate here on our first date and it quickly became a staple in our weekly rotation (we lived in the apartments on top of Uwajimaya at the time). We decided to bring our kiddo down to Seattle for a family date and, since we have been spoiled by the Chinese food in the international district, it's impossible to find something we like where we live now, so we pounced on the opportunity. The owner of the restaurant actually remembered us which had us tickled pink. And we were all in food bliss. Even my 4-year-old loved it! We got barley-green hand-shaved noodles, house special fried rice, moo shoo pork, and garlic ginger chicken - pretty much the exact dishes we would always order. It was so good I wanted to cry! The garlic ginger chicken is incomparable to anything else I have tried, they make the best moo shoo, and those noodles are amazing!! It's nice to see that they care about their restaurant. When we went in, someone was repairing chairs and they had a cute fish tank that my kiddo was thrilled to sit next to. My husband and I had huge smiles on our face all day and we can't wait to go back. It was nice to be reminded of our happy days living in Seattle and to show our little person our favorite restaurant! read more

I've been going here for years and it is a great place to go with friends or family! The food is delicious and the vibe is great. The service is fast as well. read more

Came here to this restaurant during our Pacific Northwest Tour of June of 2018... In that time... I have never thought about eating lunch at the Shanghai Garden in the Seattle Chinatown area!!! Until Our tour guide took us around the Seattle Chinatown area and then drop us off to go explore the Seattle Chinatown... And from there we were looking around for a good Chinese Restaurant to eat at... While walking all around at the Seattle Chinatown area we happened to discover the Shanghai Garden Restaurant... So from there we have decided to go and have lunch at the Shanghai Garden Chinese Restaurant!!! And the 3 items that we ordered from the menu was the Beef fried rice, Chicken fried rice, Pork fried rice and all of the fried rice that we ate came out really good it's because we were all very hungry from all that walking that we did through the Seattle Chinatown area!!!! Now that we ate here for the 1st time.... All I can say is that, If your vacation and walking around at the Seattle Chinatown area and looking around at which Chinese Restaurant to go and eat lunch or dinner... Go to the Shanghai Garden Chinese Restaurant!!! It's a nice place to eat at and to enjoy yourself while on vacation!!! read more

See all

This has been my favorite place to go in the international district since I was a little kid! Last night my dad and I went back together for the first time since he worked downtown. The food here is amazing! You gotta start off with the hot and sour soup. No other soup can compete with it in Seattle. Go try it for yourself and prove me wrong. We also had the Mooshu Chicken and the String beans. Both were tasty dishes and I hope next time you go to the area you give Shanghai Garden a try! read more

Came here for my birthday dinner! Quick service, hot food, and great orange chicken! I loved the tea and the atmosphere was amazing, authentic Chinese spot that reminds me of when I'd go out to Lily's as a kid! So happy to have found good orange chicken again read more

Fantastic food. We popped into Seattle for a quick visit. It's been hard to find good Chinese food locally so we decided to try a random spot near where we were. Shanghai Garden is delicious! Their sizzling chicken dish was a hit with my youngest son. The overall winner was the hand shaven barley green noodles. Soft with a nice flavor and salt level. Winner, winner! The service was attentive and they were friendly. Ambiance was nice, we enjoyed a quiet lunch and loved their beautiful fish tank. read more

See all

I've been coming here forever and it's always incredible. I love the location, the ambience and the service is impressive. Their hand shaven noodles are THE BEST food I've ever had!! read more

This is our family's go-to Chinese restaurant! The barley green noodles are infamous but we also LOVE the sliced fish in house special sauce, and peavines! The staff are so kind and the service is always fast. read more

Been coming here for years and it never disappoints. The barley green hand-shaven noodles are the best noodles in the city!

I will admit we ventured into Shanghai Garden last night because the shall-remain-nameless place nearby had a 45 minute wait. So - on to Shanghai Garden! The staff were super helpful seating our table of EIGHT. We ordered eight dishes and shared all but one of them. I can report Shanghai Garden is uniformly GOOD! We tried the Mu Shu Chicken, the Shrimp and Pea Vine, the House Special Shave Noodle, the Crispy Beef and a beef soup. I like restaurants that bring out food as soon as it's ready - none of this waiting for the appetizers to be finished before bringing out the next dish. Shanghai Garden gets this right! Again, the staff was attentive and no-nonsense. I think we erred by not ordering any spicy dishes. I will have to seek some out next time I return. I'm a fan of Shanghai Garden. read more

See all

This was an option only because we were hungry on Christmas Eve. The restaurant was packed so we thought it would be good; maybe the customers didn't know any better or didn't have any options either haha. It took a long time to get acknowledged so we can be seated as well. Here is what we ordered: 1) Szechuan Beef in Hot Garlic Sauce - Nothing about this was Szechuan at all! It was just stir-fried with a standard sauce that wasn't that good. 2) House Special Fried Rice - I liked this dish much more but I feel it would be hard to mess this up. I don't think I can recommend this to anyone, especially tourists. I'm sure there are better options if you keep walking around. read more

Shanghai Garden - House Special Fried Rice - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

This is really great Chinese food! I would rate it almost as good as my beloved Shan Dong in Portland. While visiting, our friends took us here and it was so very tasty! While the ambiance is a bit meh, they have a cute aquarium, efficient, friendly service and great food stuffs, so who cares? We started with the sweet and spicy cucumber salad, which was refreshing and terrific. If you are not a fan of sweet things, you might wanna skip, however. For dinner we split four dishes: Shrimp Chow Mein with Shaved Noodles: I haven't loved chow mein in the past, but this was totally excellent. The tasty noodles and sauce, plus nice chunks of egg and shrimp. Sesame Beef: This was crispy, sweet and fantastic. Chicken with Garlic and Garlic: Soooo good! Chicken in a super great sauce with roasted garlic, ginger and a heavy dose of anise. It was double plus good. Pork Rib Meat with Veggies: This was not amazing, but good enough. They have somewhat decent fortunes in the cookies, can't recommend it enough, very flavorful food! read more

Two words: pea vines! I didn't even know this was a thing, but my date had been here before and suggested we order them. Sooooo good. They were green and hearty, perfectly seasoned and a great accompaniment to our main order of house noodles. They make their noodles here, and you can taste it in the freshness. Ours arrived quickly and were filled with chicken, shrimp, and veggies. I was surprised that just a dish of noodles and a side of pea vines were enough to fill us up, but we actually ended up with leftovers. Sadly, I was so hungry I forgot to take pics. I guess this gives me an excuse to go back soon and get more of those tasty pea vines. read more

I have to admit, this place turned out to be an unexpected surprise. We walked in for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon pretty much out of desperation because we needed to eat and all the places we wanted to go to had long lines. So, when we stumbled in on this place and only ONE other table was occupied...well, that set of a worry. And, no Asians...so what were we going to get? Well, we ordered a plate of spring rolls and the Braised Beef Hand Shaven Noodle Soup. The bowl that arrived was HUGE! And, OMG...that broth! And, those noodles. And...oh, the beef! So much flavor I just wanted to suck the juices out before swallowing. I ate past the point where I was full, but I just didn't want to stop! The prices were very reasonable and now I want to come back some other time to try more dishes. The service was pretty danged slow considering there were only two occupied tables in the restaurant, but I did see chef taking a nap with his head on the table so maybe it'd already been a long day... In any case, we will come back. If you judge the book by the cover, you'll miss out. Go in and try something. You probably won't be disappointed! read more

These guys re-opened for takeouts!! Yay! We got a bunch of things, including General Tso's Chicken (aka "sugar chicken") and Hot and Sour Soup (yum), for leftovers and such. We called to order, paid over the phone (tips, too!), and then just picked it up. Their pickup table is at the front of the restaurant, by the door, so it was all pretty easy and it felt pretty safe. Oh, and there a lot of parking on the street now, with dedicated 3 min pickup spot in the front. Also, yum. read more

Shanghai Garden - General Tso's chicken, spicy cucumbers, hand-shaven chow mein, pea vines, string beans and brown rice. Oh, and Hot and Sour soup. - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Seriously the best Chinese food in seattle! Everything has so much flavor and the service is always super speedy. My faves are the kung pao chicken and hot and sour soup! I hope they deliver in the future, but takeout is always incredible too. read more

Really excited to see a good sized vegetarian section. Loved that the items are very traditionally Chinese. Staff was super nice. We're now repeat customers. read more

Shanghai Garden - Vegetarian hand shaven noodles - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

The food was great ! The service was good and the place is nice and clean. I Would Definitely recommend this place.

Wow!!! I love the Barley Green Noodles with Shrimp at Shanghai Garden!! The noodles have such a nice taste and texture. It goes really well with the egg and the shrimp. It's not oily and it's not a heavy dish. This is definitely my go to order! I'm obsessed with this place! read more

Shanghai Garden - Barley green noodles with shrimp! Absolutely delicious! - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service is quick and friendly. Food is freshly made and super tasty. Unfortunately did not take photos. Recommend their Chicken Hand Shaven Chow Mein. Shrimp fried rice is good and their House special platter. We visited twice in our 3 day visit to Seattle. read more

We love this place! we have been coming for years and the food is delish. the workers are amazing and are super upbeat. They have a super cool fish tank and lots of seating for big parties. read more

Anything with the green barley noodles is amazing !!!! Food so fresh and delicious !! Wish I could buy the Krispy Orange chicken sauce in a bottle !!! Service was great too !! Ladies all very polite . Ambiance is not bad ...very oriental !! read more

Great service and the food is amazing! My husband and I enjoyed it very much. Ordered the crispy orange chicken and Kung pao beef!! Also Ordered two sides of rice. read more

Shanghai Garden - Shanghainese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

this is the best Chinese food that I've found in all of the Seattle area in my 35 years of living here. They used to be in Issaquah, which I hope and wish they'll return to you one day. It is much closer to where I live. But, we still make the drive, which is 30 to 40 minutes away because it's worth it. We haven't had everything on the menu, we have had has been exceptional and the service is usually very good, perhaps not so speedy when it's really busy, but it's worth the wait . read more

My husband and I met a friend here for dinner. Was surprised at the $20 noodle dishes on the menu, but figured they would be good and plentiful. Between the three of us we ordered the House Special Barley Green noodles ($21), Moo Shoo Chicken ($20) and Spicy Eggplant ($20) with a bowl of brown rice ($4). The food was average but the servings were on the small side. We had to go to Dicks afterwords because we were still hungry. read more

This place is outstanding!! I got a bunch of things, Kung Pao chicken, Chicken with broccoli, ma po tofu, dry sauteed string bean and house combo fried rice and hand shaven noodles. Yum!! I am pretty picky about my chinese food and it is amazing!! All the sauces are on point, not too sweet, or too much spice. The vegetables have a slight crunch and are well cooked. My favorite is the ma po tofu, sooo good. It's like a warm hug on your plate!! The other favorite if you are allowed to have one is the hand shaven noodles. The house special hand-shaven chow mein is probably their signature dish, and it is awesome! There's a nice chewy (but not too chewy) texture to the noodles, and the egg mixed in gives it a filling fullness. If you're here, you should order this for sure!! The portions are very large for the price and it is definitely a value! They also make great leftovers! Rarely does food taste good the second time around, but this is one of those places. Each dish is around $12-$15 and the seafood ranges a bit higher depending on MP. You definitely will not be disappointed with this place! It is a family run establishment that cares about the quality of the food, the excellence of the service and the enjoyment of their patrons!! Enjoy and you're welcome! read more

See all

The food is very good and very tasty the service was awesome,the waitress so friendly and nice high recommended .