Vietnamese Restaurants in Seattle

Seattle is a good destination for authentic Vietnamese food.

Over the years, Vietnamese immigrants have made an impact on American cuisine, especially on the West Coast and quite prominently in Seattle, where there are many good Vietnamese restaurants.

Tamarind Tree Restaurant

Located in south Seattle, Tamarind Tree features what it calls "provincial" Vietnamese cuisine. Their menu is wide enough to offer many choices but not so wide as to overwhelm.

Try the turmeric coconut rice cake with shrimp, and the shitake satay. If you're dining with a date and you both like meat, have the seven-course beef dinner. Red beans in heavy cream make a very satisfying dessert if your main meal has been light; alternatively, spend the big bucks and try the cognac red banana cake served in coconut milk.

Tamarind Tree

1036 South Jackson St., Suite A

Seattle, Washington 98104

206-860-1404

tamarindtreerestaurant.com

Than Brothers

Than Brothers was around before the pho craze hit Seattle, and it's still around today, serving up hot bowls of the pungent, sour soup and its signature complimentary cream puffs. When you walk into Than Brothers, you're almost certain to get a table immediately, and, once you sit down, you can be eating your meal in less than two minutes. In the kitchen, the broth and noodles are already simmering and ready to serve. The vegetables come on a side plate, and adding the meat to the broth only takes a few seconds; it cooks in the bowl before your eyes.

Pho is all they do at Than Brothers---except for beverages and their locally famous homemade cream puffs---but they do it as well or better than most of the other shops in town, and they've earned the loyalty of many locals.

At well under $10, the prices are low for the amount of food you get---and the portions are very large. If you're an average eater, go for the small bowl, which holds about a quart of pho. You get one free cream puff per person, and you can order more.

Than Brothers Restaurant

7714 Aurora Ave. N (main office)

Seattle, WA 98103

206-527-5973

thanbrothers.com

Monsoon

This is a very upscale restaurant for Capitol Hill, and the style of the menu borders on snobbish, but the food itself is delicious. Although the chefs are natives of Saigon, Monsoon follows the current trend toward fusion cuisine, tweaking traditional Vietnamese dishes with fresh local foods.

Their imperial rolls make a good appetizer, and the rockfish is one of the more quintessentially Vietnamese main entrees. You'll have the best experience here if diners share dishes.

Monsoon has a dim sum brunch on the weekends that is not to be missed. Reservations recommended. The place is fairly expensive.

Monsoon

615 19th Ave. E

Seattle, Washington 98112

206-325-2111

monsoonrestaurants.com

References

• Tamarind Tree
• Than Brothers
• Monsoon