China Harbor Restaurant & Bar

La madame and I were in ze town for a night, awaiting a transfer flight home to France, and we were both craving some local Oriental cuisine. I had heard about this place from a family friend who lives in Seattle, so we decided to try it out. The first thing I noticed was the breathtaking view - not only of the harbor but also in the grandeur of the restaurant. Although the restaurant was quite crowded that night, we did not have to wait longer than three or four minutes to be seated. Our waitress, Maggie, was especially friendly - she had her hands full at the time, but she still attended to us with the utmost respect. Though it wasn't necessary, she even offered to translate some of the names of the dishes into French for us! As for the food, I ordered the Almond Fried Chicken and my wife ordered the Deluxe Chow Mein, and both were prepared to perfection in both taste and appeal. The generous portion of tender chicken and almonds had just the right amount of crunch to it. My wife told me that, although her noodles were a bit greasy, it was barely noticeable. Both included a choice of a side dish - my wife and I chose the hot and sour soup. Though I am not a big fan of ze spicy foods, the soup had just the right amount of spice in it. Both meals were incredibly cheap, and I definitely recommend this restaurant to all who are fortunate enough to visit. Five stars!

Firstly, I would like to point out that I am an American-born Chinese female who has tasted BOTH authentic Chinese food and the more Amarcanized versions, and my boyfriend is an All-American Caucasian male who ONLY likes "American Chinese" food. That being said, China Harbor is our favorite restaurant to visit that appeals to both my more picky Asian palate and his more Westernized one.

Let's start with appetizers: I absolutely detest pot stickers and egg rolls that are too greasy, so this restaurant is the place to go if you want fried food that isn't shiny or dripping with oil--sometimes ungreasy appetizers could be a problem, but let me assure you that the pot stickrs and egg rolls are extremely tasty and don't have the texture of dry/stale cardboard that other restaurant's ungreasy appetizers have. My boyfriend doesn't really care for soup, so we usually skip that, but there was once a large family sitting behind us who got the Hot n Sour soup (or is it sweet n sour?) and it smelled delicious and looked like they were enjoying it, so I ordered my own bowl (even tho I never really liked Hot n Sour soup), and it has become one of my most favorite soups ever... but only from China Harbor--weird, huh?

As for items off the menu, our favorite items are the Mongolian Beef, Chicken Chow Mein, the Eggplant dish, and the Almond Fried Chicken. (We also got a side of white rice for me cause I can't live without my bai-mi-fan!) The Mongolian Beef and Almond Fried Chicken were exactly the kinds of dish that my boyfriend loves--straight up Westernized, very tasty, nice and steamy, and all around good American... err Chinese food. If you're more into the more traditional kinds of textures and flavors, the Eggplant dish is absolutely perfect--it's not soggy like some places when they over cook it, or hard and acidic when other places undercook it. It is seriously THE Goldilocks of eggplant dishes with the perfect texture and invigorating flavors that compliment the acidity of the vegetable rather than numb it down or play it up. As for the Chicken Chow Mein, it's another dish that's not too greasy but also still has great flavors--this is a dish we always have to order. We tried the combination fried rice here a couple of times and although it was good, there was just too much food and has a little too many ingredients for my liking (but then again, I'm a straight-up, white-rice kind of person).

Moving on to the staff--there was this one nice hostess that no longer works there. I think her name was Nancy? Even though she is gone, there are still plenty of workers there who are SO incredibly nice and are always happy to see you/seat you (I'd suggest getting Dixon, Wu Mei or Maggie--they're the sweetest and also pretty funny!). MOST of the wait staff are also very quick on refilling drinks, coming by to check up on your meal, and are also prompt with ordering (although, I would like to point out that I usually get treated a lot better at most asian restaurants when I go to them with my boyfriend-haha!). No matter, MOST of the staff is very sweet and attentive (sometimes we get stuck with a couple angry, old asian dudes... so if you can, ask for your favorites!)

Now onto the negatives--as I pointed out, there are sometimes some unfriendly waiters--but this does not detract from the quality of the food. Also, because there is a disco or club or whatever outside of the restaurant, there could be loud music if you choose to dine later at night (you can avoid this though if you go earlier or even for lunch!) Ummm, oh yeah! The bathrooms are kind of... iffy. I mean, they're like any other chinese restaurants' bathrooms... but they could definitely use some sprucing up. Also, one thing I REALLY wish China Harbor would do is give us free refills on soda (since my bf is kind of a soda hound), but good thing is we get free refills on hot tea! Yeay!

As for the surrounding areas of China Harbor--it rests right up against the water so it is an ideal place to have dinner and watch the sunset afterwards. Overall, this restaurant is a great place to grab a meal--whether if on a nice date or at a huge family gathering, China Harbor is THE chinese restaurant that is sure to please everyone!

The China Harbor on Lake Union has the best view of any Chinese restaurant in Seattle. Its not just the view but the food is excellent. This is a great place if you have a large group, party or just want to go for a cozy twosome dinner. Either way, its tops.

Whenever I go into this place we are some of the only customers. It is nice for the service. Order the lunch combos, it is enough for four people, and really cheap.

China Harbor has not just good Chinese food
but an excellent view of Lake Union. The prices
are agreeable and its big enough for large
social gatherings.