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Chao Bistro and Bar
Categories: Restaurants Asian Fusion Restaurants Sushi Bars Asian Fusion, Sushi Bars [Edit]
1200 Pike St(between 12th Ave & 13th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98122
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
(206) 324-1010
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 4 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Tori B. said: "great service very friendly chef good fish" read more »
80 reviews for Chao Bistro and Bar
Review Highlights
"Can't wait to go back and try their happy hour."
(in 26 reviews)
"...the breakfast foods (chicken fried steak, hawaiian sweet..."
(in 5 reviews)
"We ordered the roasted corn and kalbi tacos."
(in 6 reviews)
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80 reviews in English
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Review from Dylan B.
Santa Ana, CA
10/4/2011
The catalyst for the eSports BarCraft scene worldwide, Chao is a bit of a nerd subculture destination, and is worth checking out.
I came up here during PAX weekend, which coincided with MLG Raleigh. There's informal "bistro" seating, and another area actually in the bar proper. It was daytime when my friend and I arrived, and we were planning on going out for food later that evening. Drinks then, and small plates from the Starcraft menu, were in order. The gyoza and stir fried edamame were both tasty, and the drinks well priced to attract adult nerds.
While I was there, the place was relatively quiet. There were about 20 guys in the bistro, laptops out, taking in the SC community. In the bar, there was a steady flow of PAX attendees coming in to check out the place that started BarCraft.
This place is special because of what it started, but it's pretty good for what it is, too. I can't speak to the "bistro" part of the menu, but if you're into StarCraft at all, the nerd socializing is well worth the trip! -
Review from Scout's H.
WA
1/30/2012 8 photos
Wow! What a disappointment. I saw recent reviews, but we had a http://restaurant.com certificate so thought, "How bad could it be?!" I often see deals out there for restaurants that are trying to recover bad reviews or have changed management&want a second chance. Obviously this was not the case.
1st clue: We arrive 8:30 PM on a Saturday night (1/28/12) in Seattle in the packed Capitol Hill neighborhood. It took 30 min. to find parking.We walk past loaded restaurants and bars and thought, "Uh-oh," maybe we should have made reservations.Uhhh...no! Hardly a person in the place! The bar had 2-3 people. The bartender waved to just find a table wherever. We chose the back room which had 3-4 booths&handfuls of perfectly empty tables.Two of the booths were occupied.We chose a booth and seated ourselves.It appeared we had one waitress who EVENTUALLY found us. We shivered while overhead fans on high (in rainy SEATTLE with it in the 30's outside??) made the empty room more than drafty.
2nd Clue: Begin bad service! Ten minutes to order drinks.Five minutes to come back to say they were, "Out of Bloody Mary mix." Really a bar out of mix? Thinking that boded ill for their bar freshness, I ordered water.My husband had lemonade w/which he was satisfied, but I thought was watered down.
Add another 10 min. in this empty restaurant to take our order. We decided on their small plates.We have some $ to burn so we hit almost 3/4 of the dishes that were printed on their old printed, ink-blotched paper menu which is CONSIDERABLY smaller than their menu they claimed on http://restaurant.com: http://www.restaurant....
3rd Clue: This is where more excuses begin:
"Oh, we are out of the seaweed salad. Yeah, we've been meaning to take it off the menu." Uhhhh, then why didn't you and why didn't you #$ print another menu?? "Oh, we are all out of the vegetable spring rolls." You'll recall they were out of Bloody Mary mix too? None of these ingredients are rare or precious right?None required a modicum of difficulty to prepare except for perhaps having fresh vegetables, right? Sigh...Add 10-15 min.&dishes start to come in.
Wasabi Cesar Salad: Just meh.Wasabi from powder gave dressing gritty texture, but croutons were nice and crispy. Approx $8.I'm ballparking these prices since I lost the receipt & Chao's website is defunct. Go there &get ads.
6 Shrimp Roll with Lumpia Wrappers: Great spicy sweet orange sauce.Crispy fried wrap.Nice juicy shrimp.This was a winner. $6
2 Pork Tacos: Nice sauce, but pork was greasy, fatty chunks of lukewarm meat on a barely warmed corn tortilla. I liked sauce, but my husband hated these. The http://restaurant.com menu said it came with pickled onion and cabbage, cilantro, and red pepper salsa, but I didn't see any evidence of those ingredients. At $4 for each tiny mini mediocre taco, it was a bit much. They were spicy and thus began an empty water glass for 30 minutes that was never refilled. I guzzled hub's water. His was not refilled either. $8 for two tiny tacos.
Wok Seared Edamame: These were delicious. Spicy Oyster sauce. Yummy. Lick your fingers good. But no water still...$5
2 Kobe Sliders with Beecher's Cheese: Cheese on menu, but charged us extra $1 for cheese which was weird. Melty, plasticy cheap American-style cheese than seemed almost like nacho from a can. I would be shocked if it actually came from Beechers.Caramelized onions that were strangely flavorless. The menu said garlic oili, but I didn't taste any. The actual slider meat? Burnt, dry &acrid on dry bun. Did I mention dry and still no water? Approx $8. Based on these, I would stay far away from ALL burgers on the menu.
Sweet potato Fries: Crispy on outside w/ delicate tempura &soft inside.Yum! Served w/ketchup.$3
Water: Never refilled despite spicy food. Getting check: Took forever!! We were clearly forgotten about and started to time how long it took to sit with empty plates&water glasses sat.Waay to long!
4th Clue: Décor: Paint scrapped along one wall.Old UFC fights played on multiple screens.Graffiti all over bathroom&mismatched toilet seat too small for toilet so that I refused to sit on it because my legs would have touched the commode. No toilet seat covers.See pics
Summary:
*PLUSSES* Shrimp rolls, Wok-Seared Edamame, and Sweet Potato Fries
*CONS* Sliders (Gross), Tacos (Too expensive & too small for something worse than Taco Bell), & Wasabi Cesaer Salad (Blah and expensive)! Bad Service. Not unfriendly, just poorly trained and maybe problems with kitchen. Who knows! Out of multiple dishes on menu which seems to be a reoccurring problem based on other Yelp reviews. The menu was small enough as it was & not as advertised on http://restaurant.com. Chilly, drafty décor, needs some attention on walls, and bathrooms really need attention.Would I come back? Not on your life which is probably why they were a barren wasteland on a rainy Seattle night. Ugh! -
Review from Kevin C.
Seattle, WA
11/23/2011
Fun bar, that's for sure. A few things lacking pulling it from a 4.5 to a 3.
1 - On my first visit I was hoping to try the 1 tofu dish on the menu, but it wasn't available. I hear other patrons lamenting about the unavailability of other items on the menu too.
2 - Bathrooms could use a little attention. Not bad by any means, but definitely the weak link compared to the rest of the venue.
3 - Great # of TVs. It would be hard to find a spot here where you couldn't see the game.
4 - Well stocked bar, plenty of SC2 themed beverages (and food).
5 - Nice decor. I'm just now noticing the incredible mural. Aside from that the though the environment has that modern asian fusion decor that you see everywhere. I'm fine with that.
Cool place, and I'll definitely be back, often (especially as it's walking distance from work). I just hope there's something for a veg to eat next time.
I mean, where else are you going to go in Seattle to watch SC2? -
Review from Charlotte C.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 11/17/2011
Alright, I wrote a fantastic review of Chaos a few months back, but I have to update this as things seem to be going south again. The last two times I have stopped in, Chaos has been out of half the menu (no pork, no sushi, etc), and the food they do have has tasted off.
Apparently they are under new management, and whoeve hired that management needs to reevaluate that decision. Chaos was climbing out of the bad reputation it had and its pretty much heading back in that direction.
On top of the limited menu available, last time I was there they were out of a couple kinds of beer.
The service has been progressively worse. Servers used to know me and be friendly, quick to bring out more drinks and just overall helpful. Now? The service is slow, drinks are hardly offered and its overall not great.
I hope that they are just going through a bad month or two, and step up to their usual service, but right now I really can't recommend it.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/5/2011
I love this place! They have one of the best happy hours that I have found in Seattle. Well drinks… Read more »
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Review from Lesley D.
8/9/2011 3 photos
The happy hour(s) from 4-7 got me in the door, but the amazing food kept me in there! If you have never had Gobo chips ($2 on happy hour) you MUST try them! They remind me of the best little crunchy part of a french fry and they were a match made in heaven with my $2.50 PBR tall boy! The pork quesadilla was only so/so, but the chicken katsu was truly amazing! I'm going to have to make this one of my go to happy hour spots on the hill.
Pros:
Long happy hour (4-7)
PBR and Vitamin R tall boys
Gobo Chips
Good for groups
Nice servers
Cons:
Capitol Hill parking
Bathroom was a little rough -
Review from Kristine H.
Seattle, WA
7/27/2011 1 photo
I agree with someone's review. I haven't had much with places that extol "Asian fusion." I know when it's been done well, it can be quite good. I first experienced their food at a Yelp EE and liked what I sampled. And my first visit was a good one though I found some of my items lukewarm when they hit the table. Some of my favourites were the orange glazed tofu (I requested my sauce on the side) and the wasabi pea salad (mmm, bacon!). I could have skipped the quesadilla (too salty) and the crab cakes (a little too much lemongrass)...
Open for dinner every night from 16:00 to 23:00, that dinner service is bookended by a pair of happy hours: one from 16:00 to 19:00 and another from23:00 until close. They also offer breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 16:00. A friend of mine loves their chicken fried steak for ten bucks and adds an egg to his healthful breakfast for only a dollar more. Maybe I'll make it for brunch one day. If I do, I'll be sure to park several blocks away... everything on their brunch menu looks like it's high in calorie! -
Review from Chris A.
5/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place is alright. Been here for drinks a couple times in the bar - have not had any of the food.
I think I've come here mainly based on location, to be completely honest. Sometimes it's nice to come and find a seat right away, as opposed to Tavern Law for example, where you'd be lucky to find standing room on a Friday night. I guess that's why Tavern Law is awesome and Chao Bistro isn't. Service is decent and it looks like they stock some decent liquor as well. Ambience is pretty cold and not a great place to get the warm and fuzzies.
on a separate note, my friend and I watched the most bizarre street brawl whilst sitting at the window looking onto the street. Someone had apparently taken the sign outside and all I saw was some grungy hipsters, a couple gay dudes, some bar staff and a gal all throwing punches, yelling and rolling around in the street. It even went inside the bar for a second then moved back outside. We watched in drunken amusement then went home. -
Review from Melissa N.
Seattle, WA
7/9/2011
I've been here twice and as nerdy as this sounds, I initially found this place reading http://reddit.com and saw the owner posted a Starcraft themed menu. For those who don't know what that is, it's a computer game. I'm actually quite into SC and even got my boyfriend into it (that should probably be the other way around, but it isn't..).
We found out that they show SC replays on Sunday and Wednesday evenings so we decided to check it out! We were like "what kind of bar shows STARCRAFT REPLAYS?!?! LET'S GO!!" We caught the end of their happy hour as well. It's okay pricing for HH. But it's very nice that they have so many tv's to show these replays! The place was super packed when we arrived, too. It's nice to see a different kind of environment once in awhile, especially for bars. Their food wasn't too bad, but it took a long time since there was only one server with a ton of people.
I'd go again to watch the replays and catch the HH! Hopefully they get more servers during these times, too -
Review from Michael S.
Seattle, WA
7/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I wanted to like Chao, but it's really difficult to want to go back especially after the service, or lack thereof at the last visit.
I had always wondered why this place wasn't that busy, so I decided to visit it once during happy hour. The food was actually pretty good, and the portions where decent as well for happy hour food at really good prices. The service was actually really good, so it was a place I definitely thought I'd visit again.
The second visit, again for happy hour, the food portions were a bit smaller, so I imagine we got normal portions during out first visit. The service was ok, but not as great as the first time.
The last time I went was for dinner on a Friday evening. It started out pretty well, and the food was ok, but it did seem to take quite a while to arrive. As we finished with dinner the service pretty much disappeared. Our sever began to serve a group in the other room and never came back to the table or acknowledged us when she was at the bar picking up drinks. The other server serving the tables around us didn't acknowledge us and after finally pestering him he finally brought out the check, this process took at LEAST 15 minutes if not 20 minutes, this was after we'd been sitting for a while after finishing dinner and began to actually stare at the staff and flag them to get their attention. Then he never came to pick up the check, which I wanted to pay with credit card. I finally put some cash down and left.
I can deal with slow service, but here I realized I didn't exist anymore in the eyes of the employees at the restaurant. I was very close to walking out without paying if I wouldn't have had cash and I can say I've never done that before. After that experience I won't be returning again. -
Review from Jovana F.
Seattle, WA
I had 2 ok experiences here and 2 not so good ones.
first time- the bartender was great, he made me great perfect manhattans. the food was good. the sushi chef was sitting in the parking lot rather than in the kitchen so I couldn't try any of the sushi (about 1/2 of the HH menu)
second time- the bartender argued with me when i explained i didnt want my manhattan on ice and then handed me a glass that wasnt even half full, which had an insect in it. She made me a new drink which was as empty. She didnt ask how the food was and it took at least 20 minutes to get her attention for the check (we were the only customers in there)
third time- was ok. the stand in bartender made decent drinks and good reccomendations
fourth time- they were out of chicken & burgers! no wings, no chicken skewers, no grilled chicken, no burger. About half of their menu. ordered two orders of calimari, a fish taco, tempura platter. first order of calimari- delicious! second kind of soggy ??? both were served over wilted leaves... not so delicious. the fish tacos- terrible. the pickled cabbage on top tasted like straight vinegar. the tempura was very greasy and unlike any tempura ive ever had. -
Review from Blake T.
Seattle, WA
7/21/2011
Chao Bistro is a pretty awesome place. The food is good and at happy hour a meal comes pretty cheap. The service is always great. The servers and bartenders go out of their way to remember your name.
Wok Seared edamame and banchan wings are soooo tasty! -
Review from Hugo F.
Seattle, WA
7/19/2011
Food is ok, nothing great. Service is really bad. My wife asked for chicken teriyaki tacos, they brought them without teriyaki sauce, didn't say anything until we asked the waitress and she replied they ran out of sauce... They messed up the check and again, no apologies.
Go somewhere else to eat, you won't be missing anything. -
Review from Kerrie L.
Seattle, WA
1/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stop #2 of our whirlwind one-night Seattle Cap Hill adventure, the pre-Linda's / Scott K's even more whirlwindy par-tay, Chao was on the way down the hill so we stopped in.
Yech.
As you may have already read, the menu is *eclectic* (read: "hey, we have all these leftovers from the store last week...why don't we put all that on the menu?"). To illustrate, we tried to get the edamame, but they were out...so we settled for...the hummus. And by "hummus," I mean the extra can of cat food they had in the back masked with tons of garlic. Dammit, I was reuniting with a bunch of people that night.
Furthermore, the place was cold inside and the server rushed us as if some minor celebrity were waiting at the door and we were the only table even remotely close to being done. Only the place was empty. EMPTY.
Even if we still lived in Seattle, this would not be on my list of places to revisit. May I reiterate: yech. -
Review from Yumiko K.
4/2/2011
Not too bad, not too bad!
I appreciate how unassuming Chao Bistro is. It looks sort of "Belltown-ish", but it is super down-to-earth. I liked their miso soup. I'm a stickler for miso soup. I must admit it was a bit pricey for its size, but it was pretty good. The grilled veggie was very tasty. Banchan tacos (salmon) were quite delicious as well. Their deep-fried tofu with orange sauce wasn't too bad. I wasn't big on their sweet orange sauce, but I did enjoy the texture of deep-fried tofu.
The unagi and avocado roll wasn't the best, but not the worst either. (I'm also a stickler for sushi in case you were wondering...)
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and service there. The staff/owner seemed to be genuinely excited about their expansion/new menu (more banchan-heavy!) and really would like for you to come back because they love their restaurant.
I would have liked more miso soup (as I was freezing), but I liked this restaurant. :-) -
Review from Jessica C.
Seattle, WA
5/25/2011
My husband and I took our families here, thinking we had successfully made an online reservation for 12 ahead of time. Upon arriving at Chao there was a lot of confusion because we were told the reservation didn't exist. While deliberating our choices outside for a few minutes, the owner came up to us and told us they were more than willing to accommodate our group and that they were already in the process of putting together our tables. I was impressed by his service and definitely relieved.
With that said, the restaurant was smaller than I anticipated given that Yelp categorized Chao as "good for large groups". We were given three long tables which were across from their booth section. There was an interesting seating arrangement (benches and lower tables) in the corner, and an extremely loud group was sitting there when we arrived. Thankfully they left halfway through our dinner so the noise level became much more enjoyable.
The food was decent. My husband and I shared sushi while the rest of the family opted for the more American-inspired fare. I got sweet potato fries as an app and they were cut very thin and basically burnt, but I didn't mention this because they were only $3. Our server was great, and the owner offered our entire family free desserts for no reason (though probably because of the reservation confusion). Overall we had an enjoyable evening which was definitely aided by the customer service focus of the management. -
Review from Kate E.
Seattle, WA
1/14/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place is simply fantastic. I have never had a bad experience here.
Their happy hour food is phenomenal!! Particularly their wok seared edamame and their spicy tuna rolls which are among my favorite I have had in all of Seattle.
They have some tasty drinks available at pretty average capital hill prices.
The owner is fantastic. The service is wonderful. But the food is unbeatable. Definitely give this place a try. You won't be disappointed.
*recently under new ownership, and much improved for it! -
Review from Inna B.
Seattle, WA
Chao Bistro is quite wonderful on a cold and rainy night! And at a Yelp party.
My second Chao experience proved that this restaurant/bar could be a wonderful escape from a cold, wet night. As soon as I sat down the friendly bartender made sure to help me get warm with a glass of wine and a sushi roll (good, not mind-blowing). I believe it was their late night happy hour. (I love happy hour.)
My third experience? The tasty raw tuna at the Yelp Helps event. I think it was served on cucumber slices and it was DELICIOUS. I hope they get that tuna item on the menu soon because it's the first food offering of theirs that has me really excited to get some food at Chao...
See? Fresh raw tuna on a cucumber slice pleases my taste buds. It really doesn't take much to make me happy!Listed in: Happy Hour Adventures!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2010
The only things that would draw me back here would be the friendly service I experienced and the… Read more »
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Review from Kendrick R.
Seattle, WA
3/12/2011
Happy hour review:
overall: 3 stars
service - 4 stars
server was nice and attentive. Great timing on refilling our drinks!
food - 3 stars
it was decent, a little confused, but decent. What i mean by confused, is that you can get different types of sushi rolls with kahlua pork quesidillas. say what? well, that's what we had. there's definately a hawaiian local kine grindz menu here. Personally, i like that kind of stuff. however, it just doesn't work here. The food doesn't match the vibe of the place. it's like serving sushi in a english pub. I'm also a little biased whenever there's local kine grindz as it's always better back in hawaii.
ambience - 3 stars
it's really a nice area and spacious to bring groups of friends. the bar is gorgeous. it's almost a shame that i quit smoking. i felt like lighting up and having a glass of wine.
overall: Chao Bistro is not at all what i expected. it's pretty cool, but unfortunately nothing special as far as cuisine goes. if the intention was to have a hawaiian local flavor, i think it should be advertised as such. it also gets muddled from strange combinations and sushi rolls that are meant to appease the less adventuresome. it's a nice idea, but the execution seems wrong, almost forced. this place is great for happy hour with a bunch of friends. -
Review from Sarah L.
Seattle, WA
1/7/2011
So, I heard Chao just got new owners. I have never had Chao before, but my experience was great!
I had the Seattle roll. It was decent- not amazing nor bad, but they were the thickest slices of rolls I have ever seen. I wish they cut slimmer slices and just gave us more of it, numbers wise (does that make sense?). We also got calamari. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Hands down, thee best calamari I have ever had. Their calamari isn't the typical rings or little pieces breaded and deep-fried, they were HUGE steak slices. Every bite I took of it made me want to pass out in happiness.
Their prices are super affordable too! Our roll was only $6 and calamari $5 and a lot of other rolls were around that range I believe and it wasn't even happy hour!
The only thing I thought was weird was it took a while for us to get service, so we stood at the door for a bit confused and it wasn't even busy. Besides the weird wait, service was very good. It seemed like they were just settling in and getting started or something because they didn't have enough copies of the menu so we had to share, but no big deal at all.
Food and service is good, then I'm happy.
Can't wait to go back and try their happy hour! -
Review from Stephanie M.
Seattle, WA
11/17/2010
I love the menu at Chao! Sushi, asian-fusion, and how can you resist fried blueberry cheesecake! I've been here twice for dinner, once with my dad and once with a large group. In both instances, we had great service, it was peaceful and food was delicious!
I've also been here twice for their "late night" and it's fun that they turn the restaurant into a lounge with a DJ.
Fun times! -
Review from Katy H.
Wow! I was pleasantly pleased with my meal at Chao Bistro today.
After feeling like a bad neighbor, I finally stepped through their doors today! Did you know this place is HUGE? I had no idea! It's literally 3x larger than I expected. Great for groups.
Everyone that worked there was super friendly. Most importantly though, the food was great! What a hidden gem.
I asked about the menu and while many people confuse this as an 'Asian fusion' restaurant, I was informed that it's really a place that celebrates the Pacific Rim. So food isn't just Asian in theme, it's representative of all the places that are lucky enough to hug the Pacific Ocean. (Kinda like Pacific Place and the parking garage level names! Creative, right?)
I had the best calamari here. I'm a total sucker for calamari and I order it every time I see it on a menu. At Chao though, the calamari is in steak form! Not rubbery tentacles but big, thick, soft pieces of squid. I was really impressed!
I also tried their edamame which I'd see is recommended in a few other reviews. The sauce on it is excellent.
They serve a few sushi roll varieties as well as a damn good burger. It's scary when places try to do everything... but when they do everything well? Then go for it! I was definitely pleased and even more pleased that the prices are crazy affordable. Lots of items under $10!Listed in: A Foreign Affair - Seattle's…
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Review from Clover A.
8/16/2010 1 Check-in Here
3 stars for the food
4 stars for the service
2 stars for the atmosphere
We went here since he wanted Sushi and I didn't and thus, it seemed to be a perfect mix of options for us.
It wasn't so perfect, unfortunately. We ordered of the 'sharing' menu- kalua pork quesadilla, 2 rolls of sushi, the corn and the tofu.
The food portions were big which was great, but the execution just was okay for me.
The quesadilla was good but the meat seemed a bit oversalted to me and the two dipping options- a pineapple salsa and other ?- were meh.
The corn was really good, spicier than I expected, but overall, it was delicious.
The fried tofu was just as you'd expect, the batter was nice and the sauce was really great.
Sushi- which I will have to take his word on- was just okay. Better than the packaged stuff at Safeway but not as good as a 'regular' sushi restaurant.
The worst thing for me is that almost every square inch of the room is focused on huge AND LOUD tv screens. At this point, they were playing a Seahawks pre-game, and it was impossible to ignore given the placement of the sets. Hubby said he counted almost 20 of them in there. Sheesh! -
Review from Audrey H.
Seattle, WA
10/12/2010
Where do I begin with this place? Besides the fact that it's my favorite pit stop on the hill before drinking. Yes it's Asian fusion, so what? If I wanted the same ol' asian food I'd be at the I.D. or something (I actually hate the I.D. but whatevs)
First off, our favorite server, the pretty lady with the long curly hair (methinks she may be Hawaiian) is awesome. So friendly and no matter how busy it is she spares a sec to chat so we don't feel like she wants us to leave.
It gets pretty busy there around Happy Hour/Dinner Rush. The place has a bar side and a side for for a quieter dinner (though I appreciate the TV when the boyfriend starts going on about meaningless blather (love you, mean it!).
The food: We've tried most of them but by far our favorite iare the Honey Chipotle Roasted Corn with Beecher's Cheese (F* T* W* indeed!!! ); wok seared edamame (a different twist to the usual edamame and salt); ginger garlic wings. Oh and the crab cakes. I personally don't like crabcakes, it's not something I ever crave or choose if I see it out of the menu. My friend ordered this to try and when I sampled it, I was in love.
Just tried the fried cheesecake recently and fell in love. Throw that on top of the corn and crabcakes and I'm in heaven. Can't wait to bring my friends from NY here! -
Review from Adam O.
Seattle, WA
3/15/2011
Only thing keeping me away from 4 stars is price. They do have a good selection but you're paying down town prices on Cap Hill. Compared to similar places in the same neighborhood it's a bit pricey.
The staff is very friendly and responsive, I haven't had anything on the menu I didn't like. Atmosphere is laid back but put-together. Definitely worth stopping in from time to time but won't often be my first choice when I'm in the neighborhood. -
Review from Michael J.
Seattle, WA
11/11/2010
I was at this place on 11-10-10
I really like this place. It is in a nice location on Capitol Hill. Parking is a drag though, since only street parking is available where this restaraunt is located.
Me & a group of my other co-workers gathered here to mingle, & basically have a few drinks while we ate & hung out.
I luckily arrived during happy hour, & spent less than $20, while ordering three cocktails, & an order of happy hour chicken bites. They are very small by the way. However they are pretty tasty.
The setup is well laid out in this place as well. The bar is the first thing you notice once you walk in, & a larger seating area is just behind the bar area. The place is clean, & quite suitable for groups of up to about 7-10 people.
I'd definitely try this place again. -
Review from Pamela H.
Seattle, WA
5/10/2010
Pass.
This bistro has a case of schizophrenia. I understand asian fusion, but in this case it would be best to select a few menu items, and improve them drastically.
Pea salad with wasabi mayo, bacon and water chesnuts! Sounds great, right? Well...it would have been...if it was cold. Luke warm pea salad is no bueno. Please remove it from the counter and deposit in the fridge.
The kahlua pork sandwich was amazingly forgettable. 40% coleslaw, 40% sandwich roll, and 20% tasteless pork.
The BF had some kind of taco thingie, but I won't get into that, you get the picture.
This place has serious potential due to their prime location, so please.....don't blow it. Get someone in the kitchen who knows what they are doing. -
Review from Shasta L.
9/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is more like 3.5 stars, but since the average was already 3, I thought I'd bump it up to a 4 here.
It was absolutely dead on a Monday night. Even with football season, I guess Chao is not exactly the first place that people think of where they would want to watch a game. Ah well, at least it resulted in highly attentive service for us.
We had the Chao Garlic Ginger Wings and the Island Style Fried Rice. Both "small plates" were perfectly shareable for the two of us, and the flavors really hit the spot for me. The wings were perfectly crispy and mildly spicy. Nom! The rice was a bit greasy, but still delicious.
The Spider roll was mehhh at best. The rice and seaweed were really loose and the itty bitty pieces of cucumber and crab fell out instantly n their transition from plate to my mouth. I won't be coming back for the sushi, that's for sure.
I'd like to come back here for HH or at least for some drinks some time in order to get a better feel for the atmosphere and to see how the service holds up against a crowd. Next time!Listed in: Crackin' On Capitol Hill
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Review from Angelina L.
Lynnwood, WA
4/11/2010
Came here for a birthday party and a group of us came a bit early to get some food.
They have a mixture of things on the menu, anywhere from sushi to hummus to garlic wings to quesadillas.
Happy Hour, menu items are $3 and sake, Manny's beer and red or white wine is $4.
The sushi is decent and the hummus was good.
Service was excellent, atmosphere is nice and can't complain that we got a free lemon drop since the bar messed up!!!Listed in: Capital Hill / First Hill /…
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Review from Atif M.
Seattle, WA
8/4/2011
The food here is not only good, but there's a really great variety too. My friends and I came for dinner and looking around the table you would have thought that we had all gotten our food from some international cafeteria. Someone ended up ordering a hamburger (of course), my other friend had sushi, and I ate the fish sandwich. Everyone seemed satisfied and the check didn't make us want to hide.
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Review from Mark R.
Seattle, WA
3/31/2010
Well, Chao Bistro has moved into the "dead zone" of 1200 E Pike St. I used to really like the ambiance of Bistro 1200's bar area and the pubby-ness of the Pike Street Bistro and Grill (the "P-Bag"), but Chao falls flat for me.
The bar itself hasn't changed much - same nice bar, couple of booths, a few high tables and a coat of paint. It wasn't very busy when we were in there (in a booth).
The menu is a total crazy mishmash of sushi/BBQ/whatever. Is this what people are used to somewhere in the world? I didn't get it. The food was pretty decent, but nothing special.
I hate, hate, hate the flat screens with the sports on it. Did I mention I hate the flat screens? And what about the flat screens and the sports on them? This is Capitol Hill ... not Hoosier Hill! Hell, I'd even put up with a news station with subtitles ... and I can only wish for a Vera-Ellen extravaganza!
Won't be back ... unless those screens are gone or they change the channel. -
Review from Henry L.
10/6/2009
I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But unfortunately, my experience fell completely flat.
From the menu, I couldn't get a sense of what the restaurant was about. The burger menu is longer than the entree list. Yet, there were a bunch of small plates that would make you think that you should be ordering small plate + entree. Then there's some sushi, but the list was so short that you wouldn't really want to order it here because it suggests that sushi is not a specialty and it was doubtful that they get enough churn to always have truly fresh fish. The menu was a jumble of stuff with no clear direction.
We decided to just try a couple of appetizers and if that was good, then we would keep ordering. We ordered the roasted corn and kalbi tacos. A bit of fail on both. The roasted corn was mushy. For roasted corn, it needs to have a bit of crunch to it. This tasted like canned corn that's been roasted instead of fresh corn, cut, then roasted. The kalbi tacos were a bit of a fail too: too little meat, too much of the green stuff. It was hard to pick out the flavor of the kalbi with everything else on top of it. It could have been really interesting and exciting. Instead it was just another blah dish.
I was hesitant to give this a 1 star rating because it wasn't a bad restaurant. You could tell that the owner and chefs have good intentions. It's just that the execution was pretty terrible. Don't think I'll come back unless the Yelp ratings somehow take a massive turn for the better. -
Review from Carly L.
10/8/2009
It wasn't terrible, but I wasn't *wowed*.
The interior is nice, but it still had the new restaurant smell... paint.. etc.
Lunch menu was pretty extensive, and also cheap. I ordered the wasabi caesar salad, and it was more caesar than wasabi. The sushi roll I got was OK, but the flavors didn't meld well. (it was also the roll recommended to me by our server)
I would probably go back if I was in the neighborhood, but not sure about going out of my way for it. And to one of the employees wearing flip-flops? Doesn't give some customers a good vibe. *raising hand* -
Review from Matthew M.
Seattle, WA
1/14/2010
What happens when you mix 3 Bar managers and me together? You end up at Chao having delicious shots of well tequila. You heard me correctly. Delicious shots of Well Tequila. It sounds like an oxymoron but its not. they were delicious. I will say delicious for well but still delicious.
Chao is Pacific Island eats and its good. You can have anything from a sushi to Calamari and not overly deep fried popcorn calamari. Actually really decent tasting Calamari. The spicy tuna rolls are good the beers are good. Its all good and the best part, the best part. . .
Get your pen out.
The best part is their happy hour that starts at 10:30. Located diagonal from boom noodle this spot should be the place you go to load up on good eats and delicious cheap drinks before hunting down rowdy weirdness further down the hill.
Reading some of the other reviews about the menu trying to be to many things I will be honest I thought the same thing until I realized that it all is actually cohesive when you realize the place is pacific Island Cuisine. Once you get past that hurtle your good to go. -
Review from Kimberley D.
Seattle, WA
10/6/2009
Meh. The menu seemed all over the place. There were only a few vegetarian items on the menu and none were exciting so I decided to make my occasional exception for sushi. That wasn't a good call. If you rarely eat fish, make it fresh and delicious. This was pretty average and it was $6-8 for rolls. Service was friendly but slow. My group ordered alcohol and would've ordered more but our server disappeared and by the time we flagged her down we'd decided to go elsewhere. The portions were big. A ceasar salad took up the whole plate and a friend's calamari appetizer was sizable.
Overall, though, I can't see myself returning again unless someone else insists on it. -
Review from Eric R.
Seattle, WA
2/1/2010
Dear Chao crew,
I love that you guys have brought such a great late-night happy hour to the neighborhood I especially love the kalbi tacos.
But about those televisions of yours... I'll go out on a limb here and venture to say that nobody goes out on Capitol Hill intending to play audience to pickup truck commercials, ESPN2, or the latest in reality TV.
Some display art & low key music might be a little more befitting of a classy asian bistro. Best of luck. :) -
Review from Arry Y.
1/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
Friend of a friend owns this place - and well... now I go there every once in awhile because 1) proximity to my home and 2) it's a friend of a friend's place - and only for a drink or two.
Ate there once before when it opened and well... it was a confusing experience. They got burgers and corn and kalbi tacos and meatball sandwiches and sushi... Huh? is right. I've tried their corn - and it was like bad canned mushy corn. Tried the kalbi tacos - which didn't have much kalbi in'em but had little wilty greens/cabbage.
It's a bar. Go there for a drink if you must - but pass on the food. -
Review from Chad Y.
10/3/2009
After stopping by for drinks one night, I was excited to finally checking out the menu! I really wanted to like this place since the menu seemed really interesting, but I found it a bit lacking but full of potential.
The menu is full of potential and given time, I think it could be quite fantastic. The spicy tuna roll was good and full of flavors that I'd expect. The calamari is perfectly breaded and complemented with a creamy aioli which didn't taste like citrus and ginger at all but complemented it well. The crab cakes were well made but could have had a crisper crust and the sauce served could use a bit more heat and spice. The Inari fried rice sushi was a bit salty and the rice could have used a bit more flavor.The Miso Fettucine was sadly a disappointment and all I could taste was a the cream and didn't have any miso flavor profile at all.
The service was decent but also has potential. It was a bit slow at times, but I have to say they were attentive to make sure our drinks didn't go empty. Food took a bit longer to serve, but I'll give them credit since they have just opened.
All in all, a good place to check out. Once they get the kinks out of their system and start running they will be an awesome restaurant to check out! -
Review from Stephen L.
Anchorage, AK
8/25/2011
Great prices, drinks, food, and hanging around with friends for Starcraft - I really enjoyed myself.
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Review from Jason M.
Updated - 3/28/2011
I went back here for St. Patty's day after I heard they had revamped their menu and had new ownership. The food is definitely much, much better - the fish tacos and sweet potato fries were really good. The bar service remains excellent.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/12/2010
It's 12th and Pike, but I could have sworn I was stepping into the middle of Belltown.
Yeah, I… Read more »
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Review from Kaye S.
Seattle, WA
4/16/2011 7 Check-ins Here
Their happy hour is great. Good and cheap. The service has alwys been so nice. Don't miss out on their edamame and their hawaiian fried rice. Great lounge area upstairs too (each table upstairs has their own tv). I hope this place stays in business, it's so good, people are so nice but it always is pretty empty.
