Facing East Time - Downtown Bellevue

Facing East Time – Downtown Bellevue is a must-visit if you’re craving authentic Taiwanese food in Bellevue, WA. I visited several times on different days and these are the items I’ve tried so far: The Taiwanese Seafood Pancake was a good smaller appetizer or snack size portion: a pan-fried seafood pancake made with shrimp, oysters, squid, eggs, and vegetables—crispy on the edges and tender inside. The Pork Chop Bento was well-rounded, served with white rice, pickles, a fried egg, a side dish, and vegetables—a complete, classic bento that hits the spot. I ordered the Five-Spiced Braised Chicken Leg Quarter and The chicken was tender, The braise tasted light and savory, it was oven fried at the end providing for a crispy finish and the portion was a good sized And the Pumpkin Braised Beef Ribs Bento was pure cozy comfort, and very satisfying : slow-stewed beef short ribs with creamy pumpkin, hearty and full of that warm, rich, savory flavor you want on a cool day (also served with white rice, pickles, a fried egg, a side dish, and vegetables). Their wok-fried roasted peanuts are so good — they’re prepared fresh daily, with that a perfect toasty aroma and crisp crunch, lightly seasoned and seriously addictive. If you’re searching for the best Taiwanese restaurant in Bellevue, especially downtown Bellevue, this place delivers on taste, quality, and a satisfying bento-style meal. I recommend it!

The new-ish “Facing East Time” (FET) in downtown Bellevue is a return to dine-in from “Facing East” (FE). The original FE is a full-service restaurant with table ordering. During/post the pandemic closures, FE moved to a small place on Bel-Red for take-out only (still there). This new FET is an eatery with self-ordering and self-busing. We arrived at a quiet time, and we ordered via a staff member. When the restaurant became busy shortly after, that same staff member directed all customers to order at the tablet by the door. The tables are small and limited with maybe 20 seats total, including bench seating. This eatery is not good for a group hang-out especially during mealtimes. We have not been to FE since they became take-out only. We are happy to be dining in again even in a small eatery at FET. Please note FE and FET have different menus. Two hours parking is available in the same Brio building after registering with the parking app. The Food: Taiwanese Bao Burger, $8.50 – 5 Stars Menu: Braised pork belly on a steamed bun with pickled mustard greens, sweet spicy sauce, crushed peanuts, and cilantro This is one of their most popular dishes and a regular item for us. Definitely recommend. Crispy Chicken Burger, $7.50 – 4.5 Stars Menu: Crispy Chicken with Taiwanese-style golden cabbage kimchi Be sure to see the photo of this burger. The bao bun is the same size as the Taiwanese Bao Burger. Two sizable pieces of well-seasoned chicken with veggies make this a surprisingly substantial and filling bite. Taiwanese style braised beef noodle soup, $13.95 – 4.5 Stars Menu: With pickled mustard green, green onion, and cilantro This is a commonly must order for us. Tender beef, substantial noodles, bok choy, and beefy broth made this a good meal by itself. Pork and Taiwanese cabbage house-made wontons, $7.50 – 3 Stars This is a small dish with five pieces of wontons. They taste good, but I can make these at home easy enough. Won’t order again. Popcorn Chicken w/ Five Spice, $6.95 – 4 Stars This is from the small bites menu and a popular street food. These were good, especially with the dipping sauce, which we had to ask for more. Classic Taiwanese Milk Tea, $5.95 – 4 Stars With black tea and milk, this was a smooth and not-too-sweet beverage. These are pre-made; no adjustments are allowed.

Truly a surprise! We got the classic beef noodle soup and honey glazed bbq pork. Starting with the soup, very rich and homey. A little more on the richer side compared to my preference but the noodles and beef are well seasoned and cooked. The bbq pork was truly spectacular in savory sticky sweetness. A little fatty but normal which paired excellently with the mustard sauce and pickled veggies. The milk tea was very delicious as well, classic tasting that pairs well and washes away the greasiness at the end of the meal. Would come back again if ever craving. Note they have a parking garage with validation too! Street parking is difficult but nice to have a garage option.

All the dishes taste really good. The bento has a good look and a perfect mixed flavor. Beef in noodles is so tender. A little bit spicy but ok for both of us. Will visit again.

It’s not bad! It’s not super authentic or anything, but the prices are good. We ordered beef noodle soup, the seafood pancake, pork chop bento, and popcorn chicken. The seafood pancake is like a super gentrified Taiwanese oyster omelette - the real version is usually chewy and with lots of variance in texture, but this one is more homogenous and crispy. It’s still good, but not authentic. The popcorn chicken is not bad, crispy and tender, but needs more five spice. The pork chop bento and the beef noodle soup are both just alright. Good prices, and good location. It’s alright. 6.5/10.

I had the Beef Noodle Soup (small) and some of their handmade wontons w/ pork filling. Very rich and hearty , its hard to come across comforting Taiwanese food like this nearby. Price is fair, I like that they have different portions for their noodles if you wanted to enjoy some noodles and wontons. Atmosphere is very cozy and its self order through their kiosk. Definitely a great place to stop by for some lunch if you work nearby. I used to order online from them through their Bel-Red location so they are definitely a Bellevue staple.

Facing East Time never misses! The popcorn chicken is super crispy, the beef noodle soup is comforting and flavorful, and the sesame noodles are just really good. Solid spot when you want something warm and satisfying. Always happy eating here.

Small joint but perfect for quick bites or a fast sit down. This place is super tiny with 17 seats. Loved all the Facing East food and enjoyed this joint as well. Order 2 bentos and a noodle. Extra $5.50 for the milk tea. Quick to serve and food are delicious. Popcorn chicken-like bento, Taiwanese noodles and pork chop bento with the milk tea.

I've been to Facing East Time twice for lunch, and both times, it has been pretty spectacular. Both times, I ate in the restaurant - it's kind of small and cramped, but in a nice way - kind of felt like a hole-in-the-wall/cozy... the walls are brightly colored with cool designs and everything has pops of bright red (like the chairs and stuff). It's a nice place to sit and hang out. When you come in, there are two ordering kiosks on the left. You order on the screen, grab your receipt and a receipt stand, and put your receipt number in the stand on your table. Pretty straightforward. The kiosk was fine for me - no complaints. The first time, I just got the Taiwanese Style Braised Beef Noodle Soup. It was very good (I'd give it a 4/5). I was expecting it to be a little deeper and richer, but it was really good for restaurant soup. The beef in it was extremely tender and delightful to eat. It had noodles, and some vegetables (mustard greens... etc). I ordered mine the maximum amount of spicy, and it was pretty spicy! Pretty darn excellent. The second time I went, I got two "bao burgers". The first was a Pork Belly bao burger. The meat was so tender! It had some sweet sauce that brought it all together. I didn't order this with any level of spicy - and I think that's the way to go. It was so good and well balanced -- highly recommend. The second was a Crispy chicken bao burger. The chicken was fried to absolute perfection (SO CRUNCHY!), and was way too long for the circular bao - so you get a comically huge chicken in a small "bun". I ordered it as spicy as I could on the kiosk, and they didn't disappoint - it was pretty spicy. It had some kimchi to balance the spicy/umami, which was perfect. Both of these were 5/5, amazing. I'll definitely be back.

Recently got stuck at dinner time in Bellevue due to it being extremely slow-going on the 520 bridge, so we decided to try out the new Facing East Time (FET) while traffic died down. FET is on the bottom floor of a tall apartment/condo building. We lucked out and found free street parking right next to it. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share and here's what we thought of each one. Popcorn chicken: delish and crispy! Would order again. Classic Taiwanese Bao Burger: also delish, especially the pork! Kinda pricey for its size but we'd order again. Sesame Noodles with chopped pork: once again, this was delish! Only thing we didn't like was the pork was mixed with cubed, marinated tofu. Seemed like a way to stretch the pork. Would prefer if it was all pork. Wonton Medley (2 each of pork, chicken, veggie): great to try their different flavors, and pork ended up being our favorite. We'd order a whole order of the pork wontons next time. The staff and chef here are very friendly and nice. FET is a great new addition to Bellevue. We'd definitely come back next time we want a delicious and quick lunch or dinner!

Loved Facing East back in the day and super excited that they "re-opened" with a brick and mortar location now. It's located in the retail section of an apartment complex so parking can be hard. I ordered takeout and they held your order in a locker style vending machine to pick up your order which is kinda cool. Got the popcorn chicken which the kids LOVED! Beef noodle soup was a hit and the pork buns were also very tasty but on the sweeter side. Portion sizes are pretty small for the prices though.

I missed you, Facing East (Time). Yes, there's a Facing East on Bel-Red, but that's takeout only, which is fine. But if you remember the dining days of Facing East along Bellevue Way, you'll be happy to know that there's a Facing East Time in downtown Bellevue where you can dine in and enjoy the delicious Taiwanese eats that always hit the spot. Located in the Brio apartments in downtown Bellevue, the space is smaller than its former location, but there's enough seating, including outdoor where it's dog-friendly and there are heat lamps. They do have a fridge for takeout-ready items for quick meals on the go, but if you can, I highly recommend dining in. I love Taiwanese food and at Facing East Time, you get some of the best Taiwanese food in the area that's comfort food. In my most recent visit, my partner and I shared a bunch of items, reminding us of why we love this place then and now. We ordered the beef noodle soup, pork chop bento bowl, pork belly burger, wonton medley and black sesame milk. It was tons of food for the two of us, but you'll want to eat everything because it's all delicious. If I had to pick a favorite, it's the beef noodle soup. The noodles were perfectly cooked in the flavorful, spicy broth with tender pieces of beef, baby bok choy and mustard greens on the side. Slurp, slurp, slurp! But everything you get here is delicious. I'm so glad Facing East Time has made a home in downtown Bellevue!

I was really excited to see a branch of facing east that's now open for in-person dining!! I came here with my family and a friend last Sunday night for dinner, so this is a late review. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share, so I will list them in order of the picture below (left to right) as well as my personal thoughts and ratings of each dish. Taiwanese Style Braised Beef Noodle Soup: 3/5 surprisingly spicy, good noodle texture and flavorful. Not my preference, and in combination of the price, wouldn't order again. Sesame Noodes: 4/5 seems like the same type of noodles as the braised beef soup, except in dry form. Meat is an added cost, and noodles (with sauce) itself is around $9. Good flavor, decent portion, would order again. 2 Classic Taiwanese Pork Burger: 5/5 best Taiwan burger I've had in a while, big pieces of pork belly, generous amount of filling. The server cut both burgers in half for the four of us to split. Would definitely order again. Braised Beef Sandwich: 1/5 dry meat texture, not my favorite combo. Wouldn't order again. Popcorn Chicken w/ Five Spice: 2/5 flavor or chicken is light ( probably because we ordered a less spicy version). The chicken came with a sauce that is recommended to eat together. The chicken is fried nice, but it's like the chicken bites from chik-fil-a. If the chicken has to taste good with the sauce, I wouldn't consider this a good popcorn chicken. Wouldn't order again. Wonton Medley (6 Pieces)- 3/5 tastes good, decent size, but personally not worth price. Wouldn't order again. Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Bento- 3/5 pork tastes flavorful, but dry. Plenty of rice, nicely cooked bokchoy. Wouldn't order this dish again, but would try a different variation. Overall, the service is good. The area is set up as self- order with self serve water. It's a clean, comfortable place to eat, and though the food is a hit or miss, I'm rooting for the restaurant to improve! I missed the times facing east was in person, so this is a decent start. I'm hoping to see more menu additions (aka oyster pancake) in the future, and will continue keeping an eye out for more Taiwanese food spots!

Convenient location, close to both apartments and office buildings -- perfect for a quick bite, lunch break, or even a late afternoon snack. The interior is thoughtfully designed for those on the go, yet still offers a cozy seating area if you'd rather slow down and enjoy your meal. And yes, they even have outdoor seating to soak up those rare sunny PNW days! Service is fast, efficient, and friendly, making it easy to pop in and grab your favorite dish without a long wait -- a big plus during busy lunch hours. Facing East has always been known for its Taiwanese comfort food with authentic flavors and a modern, fresh twist -- and this new location does not disappoint. My all-time favorite remains their beef noodle soup -- rich, flavorful broth, perfectly chewy noodles, and tender beef that melts in your mouth. An absolute must! Don't sleep on their bao burgers, popcorn chicken, homemade wontons, and minced pork belly over rice -- all just as delicious and satisfying. Whether you're craving a quick lunch or a nostalgic Taiwanese comfort meal, Facing East delivers every time.

Braised Pork Bento: This was a yummy bowl of food. Loved the runny egg yolk to mix in with the rice. The braised pork was flavorful and tender. The veggies were great too. Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Sesame Flatbread Sandwich: The flatbread was very yummy, lots of sesame flavor. There were large chunks of 叉烧, which were flavorful, but a bit dry. Five Spice Popcorn Chicken: The chicken was surprisingly moist! The breading was crispy and not too heavy. The sauce it comes with was a good complement. There is seating available both indoors and outdoors. There was a strong aroma of food throughout the restaurant which soaked into my clothes, and smelled strongly even when I got home. You bus your own dishes on the way out, but I've had staff come up and get my dishes too.

Ordered it to-go and the service is pretty fast. There is a small counter to sit inside and plenty of outdoor seating. It can be loud because of the road noise, but the food is tasty with a very nostalgic flavor. The bento is balanced, with a large portion of meat and a side of pickled cabbage, bok choy, corn, green onion, and rice. Pretty complete meal for the price. If you park under the brio apartment, you can register for free 2hr parking. This restaurant is located right under mister bing.

All the food was pretty good! The sandwich was a great new addition. I would definitely get it again. Braised beef noodle soup was pretty standard, nothing to write home about but no real complaints. The pork belly bento was yummy as well. I would come back, but I am skeptical of this new location because it's pretty small and once the weather starts to get colder/rainier the patio seating where we ate won't be an option.

Authentic taiwanese food that's easy grab and go snacks. 2 ordered tablets and also an in person ordering counter. I like their outdoor space!

I was excited and perhaps expected too much. I was disappointed. We ordered: Pork belly bao (not as good as the original location) Veggie Bao Sesame Noodles (meh) Spicy wontons Veggie wontons They all tasted ok. Wasn't impressed or blown away. Will prolly give another try but bummed that it didn't meet my expectations.

I ate the braised pork belly bento and the mango shaved ice, both were excellent. The mango shaved ice was SUPER good because the ice was so fine, causing the milk/mango flavor really shine through. The braised pork belly was amazing as well, and to come with an egg and a bunch of other veggies, it was really cheap. I will definitely be coming back again, everyone should check this place out!

It's the place to go for authentic Taiwanese food. It's unfortunate that Facing East has turned into a fast food-type restaurant with limited space, seating, and service. We all miss the good old Facing East restaurant era when it was a nice family banquet place before the pandemic.

Authentic food and not overpriced! Super nice staff! And providing only paper containers is so environmental