My worst nightmare is the pretentious dinner where the plating is exquisite but the portions are pathetic and you are still hungry when you leave. Eating out in the International District is a busy family’s dream come true: you get big servings of yummy food for cheap. The one thing these restaurants skimp on is ambiance, which is fine with me. I have hungry kids and a Seattle mortgage — I’m paying for a full belly, not for pretty decor.
In my 15 years of pigging out in the ID, I’ve seen the neighborhood shift. There are still lots of little mom and pop shops, now neighbors with trendy newcomers like the 85°C Taiwanese bakery chain and Iron Chef Morimoto’s Momosan Seattle. I’m always a little suspicious of places in the ID with an “excellent” food safety rating. My heart belongs to restaurants that look a little run down on the outside and are packed with old people on the inside. That’s a sure sign the food is legit!
Dough Zone Dumpling House
This is a good place to start if you’re new to eating in the ID. Business lunches take place here. It is modern and reassuringly clean — and the food is authentically tasty. Dough Zone is a Seattle-area chain that specializes in dumplings. You can even buy frozen pre-made dumplings to take home (a life saver on a busy weeknight). While Din Tai Fung is the gold standard for the xiao long bao (soup dumplings), Dough Zone is a little less expensive and almost as good.
Hood Famous Bakeshop Cafe + Bar
The swanky new Publix building is a triple threat, home Dough Zone, Momosan and the Filipino-inspired Hood Famous Bakeshop. Stepping inside Hood Famous Cafe + Bar is like entering a parallel universe; you might see people without kids out on a day date, or a hipster deliberately reading a book. (What is this, Capital Hill?) The ID location offers coffee and cocktails, but we’re all about the mini cheesecakes ($6.25 each). Purple ube, coconut pandan, mango calamansi, white chocolate guava and Vietnamese coffee cheesecake? You won’t find these flavors anywhere else.
Saigon Deli
I debated long and hard about whether to put Saigon Deli on this list. The place is seriously sketchy, as in burglar bars on the windows and used needles in the parking lot. Well-heeled Vietnamese ladies squish into the tiny shop right next to people who haven’t showered recently. We’re all there for the same reason: a delicious and filling $4 bánh mì. Put in your sandwich order through the tiny service window; everything else is laid out on the counter on Saran-wrapped foam trays. We always pick up fresh spring rolls, glutinous rice cakes, flan and wide rice noodles with chả. Saigon Deli is take-out only, and that’s probably best because it’s not a place you want to linger, especially not with kids. Take your feast home to enjoy!
Dochi
When the Japanese mochi doughnut stand opened last August, you were looking at a two hour line for fried rings shaped like a baby teether. Now that wait is down to a kid-friendly two minutes. Dochi doughnuts ($3 each, or 6 for $16) are made from rice flour, which gives them that chewy texture. Toppings include intriguing pairings like matcha Oreos, strawberry Pocky and taro pebbles. They’re easy to break apart and share, no fighting over who gets what. Note Dochi’s weird hours (Thursday-Friday 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., weekends noon-6 p.m.) and time your visit accordingly.
Northwest Tofu
In Taiwan we start every morning with fresh soy milk and fried dough. Breakfast of the champions, I know, but it’s tradition. I have searched for the perfect soy milk in Seattle for years; most of it is cloyingly sweet or oddly thick. The soy milk at Northwest Tofu is the real deal and it’s made fresh daily. Ask for a half-gallon of the lightly sweetened soy milk to go ($3, cash only).
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot
Despite 11 years of being married to me, my husband had somehow never been to hot pot. So when the waiter set down the basin of broth on our table, my husband welcomed our guest to “dig in.” No, no! The whole point of this tasty and fun Asian tradition is to cook trays of thin-sliced meat and veggies at the table yourself. Hot pot is great for cold days, for sharing with a group, and the novelty of experience just might entice your picky eaters to try something new. Bonus: Little Sheep has free garage parking for customers. Get there right when they open to snag a spot.
Bambu Desserts & Drinks
Bambu went through a renovation in January and now their menu is heavy on the chè (a Vietnamese dessert drink filled with chunky jelly bits). Ask for their roasted milk tea with boba — it’s not posted on the menu anymore, but they’ll make it for you. Bambu’s version is the classic drink at its best.
Ton Kiang Barbeque Noodle House
I love this place! The juiciest meat you can get for your money in the ID. Buy barbeque pork, roast duck, roast chicken and roast pork by the pound; the woman at the front counter is fast and friendly. You pick up house-made zong zi (sticky rice dumplings) here too. The eating area is small, dingy and doubles as storage, and it’s always filled with elderly Chinese people eating. (A mark of excellent quality and value.) Huge portions, great prices, authentic food: Ton Kiang hits the spot every time.
This story ran on ParentMap
here.
