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Tai Tung Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
659 S King StSeattle, WA 98104
Neighborhood: International District
(206) 622-7372
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Mina V. said: "OPEN UNTIL 2.30AM!? That's wonderful considering I'm such a night owl. So, sadly I've never been to this place in the day time where everyone else gets to experience actual dim sum. Service.. is okay. Depending on how many people are…" read more »
45 reviews for Tai Tung Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Tai Tung has the best hot and sour soup in the city I think."
(in 5 reviews)
"I have been coming here since the '80s I guess."
(in 7 reviews)
"Bey BBQ pork in town."
(in 4 reviews)
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45 reviews in English
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Review from Camille L.
Seattle, WA
10/19/2011
Like other yelpers Tai Tung has been my family's go to Chinese restaurant for three generations. I've had the opportunity to try a lot of menu.
The potstickers are really good. Crispy and stuffed with meat, they've got a unique flavor! The fried squid is also bomb. It's 9.95 for a huge plate, tentacles and all. The pork with Chinese sausage, I'm told, tastes just like my great grandma used to make. I also really like the prawns with lobster sauce, however this dish is a hit or miss. I think it depends on the cook. You can't go wrong with the beef chow fun, big appropriately greasy noodles with veggies and meat. The portion are very generous and the prices are reasonable. The wait staff is friendly and attentive, they box up your left overs for you and you get a ton of fortune cookies. -
Review from Estella P.
Seattle, WA
The first sip of the chinese cabbage soup brought back fond memories of the times I spent with my grandpa here back in the 1970's. He brought me here often when I was a kid. I haven't been back here until just recently and it is just the way I remembered it. The same decor (the lamp shades are now dusty and worn) and the food tasted the same.
My hubby and I had the Tai Tung special chow mein, fried chicken and bittermelon with beef. All were pretty tasty. Although my husband did not like the chow mein as much as it was a little too oily for him. It actually tasted like their other chow meins, just with different meats and veggies. I love the shrimp chips that come with the fried chicken and the skin was nice and crispy. The bittermelon was actually not bitter and I love the black bean sauce poured over steamed rice. Pure comfort food.
Funny how I always eat the same thing when I come here. They do have all kinds of specials that are posted on the wall behind the bar and on the wall near the dining area. I just may try a few of them next time. -
Review from Kevin O.
1/16/2012
So just like everyone else I remember going here when I was a kid, which is kind of weird because I grew up in Kirkland. I asked my mom about it and she said we would go there after Children's Theater.
Anyways, I recently returned here after like 20 years and it hasn't changed a bit. I had to order the paper wrapped chicken appetizer since that was what I remembered from when I was a kid. It was same as I remembered lil pieces of chicken cooked in tin foil packets and these pork rind things. You take the chicken out the wrapping and put it in a rind and voila! Other food was ok but definitely dated. I would stay away from the chow mein and egg foo young but the spare ribs, fried rice and hot and sour soup are bomb. There is also these fried chicken wings that my co-worker calls crack chicken that are pretty bad ass too.
Went there with a group of like 7 at lunch and they were very accommodating. The two old guys that run the place (think they own it) are hilarious. Don't be shy to ask for suggestions, they'll tell you what's up. I'll be back! -
Review from Kayla s.
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
In the search for more great chinese restaurants in Chinatown, my co-workers came to this spot. Upon walking in you may think your walked into a 1970's Elk Lodge with the wood panel walls. We thought it looked straight up like A Christmas Story where the family goes to eat at the chinese restaurant. (FA RA RA RA RA).
I ordered the Mongolie Beef and Kung Pao Chicken which my co-worker and I shared. The beef was way better than the chicken. I also had some veggie fried rice which I thought was pretty good.
Overall I thought this place was pretty good, but not the best that I have had.
On your way out be sure to check out the old school cash register. Its pretty awesome. -
Review from Patrick S.
Seattle, WA
Ever since my folks were dating to me being born, my brother being born we've been coming here. It's certainly turned into a family tradition. When it comes to authentic Chinese style cooking this is the place you want to eat at. Over the course of my 20 years though, economy has hit this place. And the plates have gotten smaller from what I last remember. However, the taste and quality of the food never fails. The service is great, they're friendly, attentive, and sports guys too!
Go for the Chef's Special Chow Mein, Fried Calamari, and Chi Chi Chicken Pot! -
Review from Daniel T.
Seattle, WA
7/3/2011
Tai Tung has the best hot and sour soup in the city I think. They get a 5 star for that. Everything after that is great as well, but the Hot and Sour Soup is what makes this place so good. It always fixes me when I have a cold as well.
Healing Power Soup! -
Review from Yumiko K.
1/28/2011
Tai Tung has been around as far as I can remember. It is such a *traditional* American Chinese restaurant with a long list of egg foo young.
The decor is super dated and dingy. The tea is weak, and the food is simply sub-par (burnt lettuce, rubbery seafood, and an assortment of boring veggies).
However, I must commend Tai Tung for their service. It was friendly, prompt, and super attentive! It was pretty impressive. It is very unfortunate that the quality of their food will not lure me back, ever again... :-( -
Review from Ivan S.
Seattle, WA
8/2/2010 1 Check-in Here
Hands down, my favorite American Chinese food joint in the city.
Tai Tung is an unpretentious little dive - think old 50's lunch counter, but Chinese.
Hot & sour soup - thick and full of all the usual goodies - crisp bamboo shoots, shitake mushrooms, tofu... just the right amount of heat.
Potstickers - handmade and full of porky-gingery goodness. nice & crusty on the bottom, tender and soft on the top.
Almond fried chicken - my favorite Americanized Chinese menu item since I was a kid... and my brother's too - he's in Tucson, can't get almond fried chicken there. Every time I drop by Tai Tung, I order it, take a picture and send it to him just to piss him off.
Reasonably priced & tasty - this kind of comfort food was as big a part of my childhood as my mom's meatloaf. -
Review from Carla J.
Seattle, WA
Decide what you want LO-FAN or traditional true Chinese cooking....
LO-FAN Style... Stick with the menu that has been around since 1937 OR... Be adventurous and maneuver yourself through the numerous fresh sheets of authentic Chinese offerings written in Chinese 1st and then again in English.
Late night, between lunch and dinner you will be welcomed. I have enjoyed the food here ALL MY LIFE!!!
I wonder what it was like to use a call button to alert your server back in the day... those private semi booths have door-bell buttons to call your server to your table! OH MY...
My family had has hosted functions in there downstairs banquet private dining room, on the side behind the main counter, me and BAD Momma sit at the counter, whatever, when ever. Egg Fu Young, Steamed Egg, with salted pork, stinky hum-yu, you can have WHATEVER you like...
The service is consistent, medium speed... alright, alright... you will get good food in good time, with a fake smile that could care less if you REALLY care about quality customer service... It's frickin 3 o'clock in the morning for Christs' Sake??? WTF??? Shouldn't your munchy graving, drunk ass be at home now anyway???
Sit down... Order... Eat and then ask Tommy, Harry or whomever is taking care of you down there whether or not you should call a damn cab, walk or take yourself home!!!Listed in: Loving a Decade or More
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Review from Aaron M.
10/14/2008
I used to go hear quite often when I first moved to Seattle. Some dishes are really good...others are full of oil and lameness. Don't really know why I don't make it there that often anymore it is not like I have found a place that is better to replace it or anything.
It is like an old good friend you know is always there and will be there when you need it. I totally use Tia Tung. Am I a bad person for that? -
Review from Tom B.
2/5/2009
Kind of an institution in the ID. Full of cops and Asians, which makes me think I'll get interesting food at a good price. Feels dim, maybe even a little shy of fully clean in the dining room, but then again, maybe they're just trying to stretch an extra 10 years out of the carpet. The food, though, is awesome. Intensely flavorful and well-made. Dig the hot pots especially, and love all of the dozen or soups and entrees I've tried.
They once shied away from serving me the most traditional chinese dishes, blatantly discouraging me from ordering them, but not every time I go. I realize they just don't want to scare off potential regulars, and that's cool. Part of my core rotation of Chinese restaurants. -
Review from Justin B.
Seattle, WA
5/8/2009
Best potstickers in the city. Best potstickers in the country. Best potstickers in the known universe. And in the unknown universe. And wherever else. I defy you to find better potstickers than the ones at Tai Tung. Cause..you can't. Tai Tung is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Seattle. The high walls of the booths make it feel like you're going to partake in a sinister cloak-and-dagger meeting while eating Lo Mein. And, seeing as how the restaurant's been around since like 1913 or something, I'm QUITE sure there have actually been many clandestine deals made in the tables near the back. And that makes it feel really cool.
And yea, they have good food. The almond chicken is better than sex. Get some of the pork slices too. And did I mention the potstickers? I'm quite sure I did. If not, let me say it again: The potstickers are delicious, bountiful, greazy, delicious, and they will make you tingly all over. An orgiastic feast for the senses. You will love them, and they will love you back. It's win-win! Tai Tung is the place to be. -
Review from Bruce F.
Bothell, WA
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Best authentic Chinese food in Seattle. Try the Chinese Mushroom Chicken and Sweet and Sour Prawns. Bey BBQ pork in town. Been going here all my life (literally) and my dad since the 60s.
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Review from jenderon t.
Denver, CO
7/6/2008
Whoa! Okay, Seattle has some great restaurants but Seatlites don't know chinese food. Listen to the New Yorker and myself, this is not good chinese food. I don't care how many folks have been coming here for decades or how long this place has been around or if there's been other local chinese folks who have gone here. This is not chinese food.
This is very much Americanized chinese food akin to Panda Express or my uncle's "chinese" restaurant in chicago. I've lived in places across the country from Chicago to Orlando to Dallas to San Francisco to los Angeles and I know what i'm talking about. I've had chinese food in China and Hong Kong and this isn't chinese food. It's food made by chinese but it ain't chinese.
Heck even the vegetarian place around the corner has better chinese food and I didn't think that much of that place either.
The taste is akin to msg sauces thrown on barely cooked food which are large chunks of whatever. Chinese food is cut in small bite-size pieces with sauces made from scratch and soups that took all day to make. Rice is eaten out of a bowl with chopsticks not out of a plate. Yeah we can probably get bowls but I shouldn't have to ask. Chinese don't use forks or knives because the food is prepared in bite-sized pieces and to bite at the table is bad manners and poor cooking style.
When I mean barely cooked I mean barely cooked. Both dishes I had was more braised then stir fried. This is what folks in Seattle think is good chinese food?! Pulllease!!!!! I could take you to better hole-in-the-wall chinese joints in Los Angeles and San Francisco that serve better. -
Review from Jarrod L.
6/29/2009
The wonton soup was bad: It was mini-shumai (instead of wontons) and bok choy in flavorless broth.
The fried dumplings (on the menu as potstickers) were huge and amazingly tasty. I can't think of any restaurant I've ever been to with better fried dumplings.
The "Crispy Duck, Szechuan Style" was ok, but really dry for duck.
It might be worth coming again and getting very different items, but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat there any time soon. -
Review from Madey A.
Seattle, WA
2/11/2010
First impression of this place: ew. Dirty, old, dingy, smelled. We were seated to our table and I didnt want to touch the plates or silverware; it just felt wrong. I ordered the vegetarian chow mein and it was the grossest chow mein I've ever had. The noodles were clumped together and dry (not cooked all the way through) and there was no flavor. It just tasted like half-cooked noodles and water. Needless to say, I didn't eat at all.
The "soup starter" aka some broth with cabbage leaves in it, was terrible. Had one sip of the soup and refused to eat any more. It was like drinking urine.
Everyone else seemed to like what they ordered, maybe I just had an unfortunately horrible dish. Their fortune cookies were the only palatable thing. They probably came from a box, which is what made them edible.
I would never go here again. -
Review from Charlene S.
Seattle, WA
6/6/2008
My husband(a native New Yorker who knows fantastic Asian food) and I made the mistake of a lifetime by deciding to have lunch here.
The decor leaves a lot to be desired;but, then, so do a lot of Asian restaurants in New York.
We were seated and I got the heady aroma of bus station latrine and diluted pine cleaner-not too conductive to appetite.
The potstickers' shells were like terrycloth with a hint of Bisquick and the filling-Jimmy Dean sausage meets La Choy.
I ordered the lunch combo. The inedible and ice cold spareribs were like some mystery meat jerky with brown sugar and pineapple juice.
The soft noodles with chicken fat globules and limp veggies were flavorless. The egg fu yung was more like egg fu OLD-overcooked and watery. The brown sauce reminded me of the sewer grate repair sludge,a mixture of Heinz 57 and the gravy from Gravy Train doggy food.
My husband's lunch of Sweet sour shrimp was sweet-a confectioner's dream. Mr. Smucker would have adored the use of his orange marmalade for the sauce. No sour at all. The breading was a thick as dust bunnies under a computer that hadn't been moved in three years. The rice, while a large amount, was a giant ball of overcooked rubberized bath mat with just about as much flavor.
My husband said this was the worst food he has ever eaten in any restaurant in Seattle in 26 years. This from a man who has eaten haggis!
Well, we are home now. Honey, do you want a glass of gingerale? It'll have to wait until I come out of the bathroom, excuse me, excuse me. Warning -No stars!! -
Review from A. B.
Seattle, WA
3/21/2009
My family's been coming here for 35 years (give or take) and it is one of the most comforting places that I can think of. My husband is the only date I've ever taken here- because I knew he'd understand the place. My mother ate here the night she gave birth to my sister; we ate here for my high school graduation night. My husband-to-be had the foresight to plan (along with my mother) a huge feast here the night he proposed. Needless to say my attachment here is very sentimental.
That said, the food is damn good! I have had the random off night over the past 30 years, but one out of every 20 times ain't bad! The chow mein, ginger beef, fried rice, almond chicken, barbeque pork, and pot stickers are all favorites.
This place is an institution, a favorite to many, but some people don't get it, and that's fine- more food for the rest of us! -
Review from Angelina V.
Seattle, WA
3/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have been going to Tai Tung since I was 'knee-high to a grasshopper'. I love it. Screw that, the cabbage soup they serve when you sit down is one of the reasons I go. The waiter with the gold tooth is hilarious and I have never had bad service there. It's American Chinese food, take it or leave it. They just might be one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Seattle so if you complain about the decor, high tail your stuck up @$$ elsewhere, cause that is what I love about it.
Listed in: Adventures in Chinatown
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Review from Ron G.
WA
3/25/2007
I have been coming here since the '80s I guess. I always get the Singapore Noodles; extra spicy. At one point in time, about 10 years ago, they served this dish with big black mushrooms; yuk. Now, they get it right EVERY time. The black mushrooms are gone and it is about as perfect a curry noodle dish as could be expected. The salty cabbage soup (included) is always a pleasant way to begin the experience.
Also, they are one of the few restaurants in Chinatown, sorry, The International District, to offer free parking (one block to south). -
Review from D.J. Y.
6/21/2007
...it's solid....solid like a rock....
Actually one of my fav places to go for lunch. On a cold blustery gray winter day, I'll head on over to this Seattle institution. These folks have been here for a very long time and by the looks of the inside of the place, you'll know that I speak the truth.
While there is no other place like this in Seattle the food here is your basic Cantonese affair. Nothing amazing just solid. One of my fav's is the War gow, (sp?) soup. Somewhat like won-ton soup this has egg noodles, and pork dumplings in it, along with some Chinese greens and bbq pork. The broth is always hearty and flavorful, not over powering just solid.
Now I wouldn't make the trek down here from Shoreline for dinner, but for lunch you can't beat it. If memory serves they still offer valet parking at night, don't quote me on that... -
Review from Eugene O.
12/10/2007
Tai Tung is just as much of a Seattle landmark to Chinese food-lovers as the Space Needle is to Seattleites. Both have similar traits: they're always there, they always please the soul and they remind us of why we like our city. My criteria broken down:
Food - always consistent. I order the almond chicken, beef chow fun and mongolian beef everytime I visit, and it's always piping hot, fresh, tasty and healthful feeling (though factually, it's probably not).
Service - quick, down-to-business and no nonsense. I've had my fair share of favorite waiters over the years, but after dining there for over seven years, I'm not really looking for smiling faces at this point because I'm only there on a mission for the food nowadays.
Atmosphere - dark, outdated, peaceful, quiet. The walls are made of that wood/vinyl wallpaper/cardboard-type material that reminds me of why I wanted to live in the 60's/70's (I was born in the early 80's). It's always clean.
Prices - neverchanging, feasible, affordable and blue-collared. Most entrees are under $10 unless you're ordering seafood dishes. No need to complain here.
I'll always come back. -
Review from Melodie S.
Cary, NC
3/15/2008
Been coming here since my mother was reigning queen of Seattle's disco nightlife. I have dragged more people than I could even venture to guess through that padded door past the counter- taking someone to Tai Tung means I really really like you, or am just about to break up with you.
If you haven't tried the seafood hot pot, you are just cheating yourself. -
Review from SiR N.
Seattle, WA
4/24/2011
I went and won't be coming back. The service was good and quick but the food, even if it is considered "American Chinese" was barely edible and drowned in thick gooey sauce. And if you order chow mein noodles, don't expect long noodles, just those short crunchy fried noodles. The food was bland and I was so very disappointed. I would eat at the Magic Dragon any day over Tai Tung, and I can barely eat anything at the Magic Dragon!
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Review from K H.
Seattle, WA
9/1/2008
Solid, old-school Chinese food. Great Mongolian beef. Authentic 70s, back-room atmosphere -- without the cigarette smoke.
I read somewhere that this was the oldest standing restaurant in Seattle. -
Review from Mercedes L.
Seattle, WA
5/8/2011
My family has been coming to Tai Tung since it first opened, I practically grew up. Every time i walk in, Harry or Tommy knows to set aside some chicken wings and steamed salmon for me, and they're always willing to cook me up some even if it's not on the menu. You eat family style here, so it's best to come with a few people so you can try multiple dishes. Or you can be a fatass like me, and just order a ton of food for yourself, which I've been prone to do here. I've been here at all hours and days of the week, and I always leave happy. Even if the decor hasn't changed since it opened, I don't mind at all. It keeps the experience more authentic for me, none of this new fancy stuff. I come here when i want some good home-style cooking.
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Review from Ricky D.
Seattle, WA
9/5/2011
Tai Tung Restaurant was awesome! This restaurant has been a landmark among the Chinese community for decades. Located in the International District of Seattle, Tai Tung's provides authentic Chinese food for the local Chinese and tourists, Chineese staff who speak Chinese (and some english) and even the menus themselves are written only in Chinese. The outside is very unassuming and the inside is cramped with booths providing little room to move around. But it's packed with people and families and the food is nothing less than perfectly awesome. It's everything you would expect if you were actually in China. Want to get real? Go here! I was lucky to have a friend who spoke Chinese with me. We had seaweed soup and Chinese cracked crab (local dungeness) with black beans & Duck. We also ordered a steamed pork dish was called Hom Yok which wasn't even on the menu but a traditional local favorite! Highly recommended.
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Review from Vince N.
3/10/2009
"A bit Mild, not so Wild!"
The food here has morphed from a tasty staple of food in China town to somewhat of a watered down version of what you would call Chinese food.
Maybe the flux of new Chinese restaurants have raised the bar in taste and authenticity? I'm not fully sure.
All I know is that the food served doesn't dance in your mouth and say hey this is real Chinese.
The Atmosphere here is great. The walls and decor scream of how long this establishment has been in business.
The service is good and the food comes out right on time.
There are the faithful who will only eat at Tai Tung and no where else. I don't blame them, familiarity is just as important as good food while you are eating.
Give this place a shot, it's not bad, it's not great either. -
Review from Corinne H.
Seattle, WA
11/22/2010
umm...so many things wrong here.
This whole place needs a serious overhaul...it is old and dingy and dirty and smells funky. I would NEVER bring a group of people to eat here.
So I ordered to go....WORST chinese food I have ever had in my life. The prawns were rubbery and didn't seem fresh at all and the food was just greasy and bland. -
Review from Lindsey S.
Bothell, WA
2/6/2010
Went there a few nights ago with a large group of friends, the place wasn't super busy so they got us a large table pretty quickly.
We all ordered different items and ate family-style to try out everything, I must say their Cashe Chicken and Pineapple Chicken are superb! The Mongolian Beef was really tasty and had a nice slight kick to it, the short ribs were kinda tough to eat and made me look like a fool gnawing away. The Paper Wrapped Chicken was quite tasty, although to be honest I wasn't sure what to do with those light crispy round things...
Other dishes we tried were ginger beef (looks horrible, tastes decent), chop suey (meh), special fried rice (yes please), fried squid ( good), barbeque pork (ok) and there's was another one or two I forgot.
I love the tea they serve, jasmine perhaps? So tasty...
So why did Tai Tung's get 3 stars....
Well see, kids, when you sit down and order they will bring you a bowl of soup, mine happened to be a cabbage-like brothy soup. After a few sips (it was tasty) I looked down into my spoon thing and saw a died floating fly. I kid you not. And I left the fly in my spoon, and when our server came back we mentioned it to him and he seemed to not care one bit. He just asked if I'd like another bowl of it. Hmm, no not really, but thanks.
Sorry but a dead insect in my food qualifies for an automatic 2 star deduction. But the main entrees were good and fly-free. -
Review from Brad A.
Seattle, WA
1/30/2010
Oh my gawd, I love the food and this place! It's so unpretentious! The food is truly good. I normally don't eat pork, but they have these little sweet & sour ribs and the sauce mixes well with the fried rice (which is most excellent).
If you're not some asshole prude that needs a fancy environment, then this is Canton Chinese food place to eat. -
Review from Melissa S.
Seattle, WA
2/2/2010
There ain't no china town like the Tai Tung china town.
Even though the bathrooms are the worst in town and the parking lot is all so sketch, once you've enjoyed some food and the sincere service from the long time china town employees, you will feel right at home.
You must order the wonton soup - the big one with noodles, seafood, wontons, pork, chicken, ..... It's delicious! Theres something in it for everybody.
Then depending on your style, move on to the greasy and luxurious shrimp chowmein with some breath taking (literally) garlic beef. MMMM.
After you've gorged yourself with fortune cookies, ask for an almond cookie on the way out. You won't regret it.
Now that you know why I come back here, besides knowing the old men used to serve Bruce Lee here, this is highly recommended. -
Review from Enrique B.
Ann Arbor, MI
2/5/2011
I visit Tai Tung when I'm in need of a dive. The only trouble is... this place echoes like a mug, so I have to keep my voice relatively low. The partitions between tables are high, so there is some level of anonymity. I felt the food was average, but at least it is consistent. The decor is dated, but I don't mind.
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Review from Mandi J.
Kirkland, WA
12/24/2009
Football. Sized. Egg. Rolls. WOW!! I would come here again JUST for the egg rolls. They tasted like heaven.
As far as entrees, I sampled a bunch when I came here with friends and everything was pretty good. My favorite was the pineapple chicken (the chicken is fried, how can it not be good?!).
The had plenty of available parking (in their own lot) even though I was there on a Friday night. Definitely coming back soon. -
Review from John C.
Seattle, WA
3/12/2008
Been going here since I was a kid and it's still the same...delicious. Talked to the waiter and found out this place has been around since 1935. Damn, they should have landmark status not the Denny's in Ballard. Also found out some of the waiters have been working there for over 30 years, maybe that's why some of them seem grumpy, but it's cool and all part of the experience. Service is fast and efficient and surprisingly, they pour a stiff drink that relaxes the mind ;).
Here are my favorites: Chicken wings, Hot and Sour Soup, Chicken Chow Fun, Sliced Cod with Chinese Greens, Steamed Black Cod and Steamed Salmon. Also, when the BBQ pork is fresh out of the oven, it is to die for, they use the leanest pork I've ever had, not like the fatty stuff that most places use that taste good, but clog up the arteries.
Also if you're in a rush and need a take out, they are super fast. I've timed it before, I called in an order, waited five minutes, double parked, ran inside, picked up my food, and bam, out the door and away I go.
Don't come here if you're looking to get pampered or for a glamourous atmosphere otherwise you'd be disappointed, just straight up Cantonese food. -
Review from dill w.
Kirkland, WA
3/25/2008 2 photos
Home. That's the spot a meal at Tai Tung hits in my soul. Exceeding simple comfort food, it's joy and deliciousness served up on ancient thick plates that wear the marks of generations of stainless spoons scooping in adoration. Every bite, taste, fragrance, chew, slurp and smack intoxicates me with the sensations of the most wondrous nutritive bliss.
Okay, sorry, I'm sounding melodramatic but this is my first review and my most loved restaurant, ever.
Tai Tung was the place my family would go for birthday's, when we had guests in town, or just because our cravings were too strong to deny. It was probably 1965 that I had my first meal there. I was too young to remember but was told I plunged my piece of BBQ pork in the hot mustard and into my mouth before they could catch me. It was years again before I would go near the mustard but that didn't slow me down for the rest of their offerings. So part of my love is the association with good times, but it's more than that, I swear. When I say intoxicates I'm not trying to be poetic, it's real. Every time I leave through those swinging doors I've got a really good buzz.
Some of my favorites:
Deep Fried Tofu w/ BBQ Pork (so good, big cubes of toasty on the outside, creamy on the inside 'fu in a brown, mild version of black bean sauce accompanied with their delicious char siu sliced pork loin)
Asparagus Beef (in spring when the asparagus is bright green and crisp, beef is always perfection of tenderness and flavor)
Chef's Special Chop Suey (sorry Ron G. - lots of gorgeous black mushrooms along with chunky veggies and whatever kinda meat you want)
Beef Noodle (this one is a definitive comfort food - bland soft noodles in a simple beef and onion sauce. Beats chicken soup for a cold any day!). There's also a tomato version that good too.
The BBQ pork, sesame balls, chicken wings, beef chow fun, chow mien, steamed cod, foo young, almond chicken.
They also have the yummiest fortune cookies.
But the BE ALL END ALL: SWEET AND SOUR SHRIMP!!!!!!!!!!
Pillowy rings of specially butterflied fried shrimp, glistening in thick, sweet, golden sauce that's spiked with a fruity deep tang of cider vinegar, along with steamed rice, HEAVEN ON EARTH. -
Review from ITesh J.
Berkeley, CA
6/26/2006
This place was recommended on a travel brochure as being Seattle's oldest Chinese restaurant. And so I trekked through some dicey areas of town to find a rather small restaurant with menu items posted on a wall from your Kung Pao chicken to Chow Mein. However, there wasn't much available if you're vegetarian. After a bit of haggling, however, they did prepare for me something vegetarian and so they get 4 stars.
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Review from Kimber R.
10/10/2009 3 Check-ins Here
I asked my friend for a good old fashioned, not fancy Chinese restaurant to get some good, crunchy chow mein full of celery and carrots and almonds in that kind of bland sauce. Plus I wanted really greasy fried shrimps too with the red sauce that's really ketchup. Yes, I did have a really bad hangover. He sent me to Tai Tung and I've loved it ever since! I come here fairly often and get the exact same dish every time. It's the best in comfort food.
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Review from Jolorene G.
Seattle, WA
My family and I have been going here for as long as I can remember. Tai Tung is one of the landmark restaurants in Chinatown (I.District). When you enter through the swinging doors it's like you walked out of a time machine.. But you can bet yourself you've come to the right place. They still have the HUGE register that I can confirm with you is being used to this day. Their Squid (chinese style) can't be found anywhere else, trust me on this. The Pancit (chinese style) is a must, if you have not yet tried it (you won't regret it). Come during lunch and grab some "puto" b.k.a. rice cakes and those dishes most definately will keep you coming back, as it has for me. Enjoy!
Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from bethany s.
Seattle, WA
10/24/2005
Chicken wings are the bomb. The sesame balls are perfect and only 65cents. Pork fried rice - yum... Full chinese fare, interesting interier with private booths and a diner type counter that is very 60's. I call and take out often - the speed is great.
