MonGa Café

As a frequent patron of this Taiwanese restaurant, I am particularly fond of their noodle dishes. My husband, on the other hand, appreciates their rice bowl combination. The menu offers a delightful selection of dishes, including fried pork belly, fried臭豆腐, braised pork rice, braised pork noodles, and pork trotters with rice. These dishes are not only delicious but also accompanied by friendly and attentive service. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant.

Tried a few of the items here: 卤肉饭 (minced pork over rice), 控肉饭 (braised pork belly over rice), 牛肉面, 盐酥鸡, Taiwanese stir fried cabbage. The minced pork over rice was good, but the other dishes were a bit disappointing. The braised pork belly over rice had three large slices of meat, but the meat was a bit too lean which made it taste tough since it was cooked for so long. The popcorn chicken was hot and it tasted fine, but the flavor profile was very different from the traditional Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The basil flavor didn’t stand out. The stir fried cabbage was also average. It was a bit too oily and had almost no flavor. Overall feel that the prices here are a bit too expensive given the food portion size.

After picking up our car from a near by dealer, we stopped at this mall to buy groceries. As we drove around this busy shopping center looking for parking, we came upon MonGa cafe. It was 2:30 and were pleased that they let us go in for lunch before they closed for a kitchen break between 3 and 5 pm. We ordered: the pork chop meal; minced pork meal with meatball soup, two side dishes of pig’s ear and seaweed; and popcorn chicken. We also shared a pot of jasmine tea. Every dish was well done. The pork chop as you can see is large and crispy. The popcorn chicken came with plenty of fried basil. Generally I am not a fan of meatballs, but those two meatballs were yummy. The highlight of our meal was the fragrant jasmine tea. Our server recommended whiffing the fragrant jasmine flowers before sipping. After our meal, our server steeped another cup of tea and poured it in a to go cup for our trip home. A wonderful first time experience at this Taiwanese eatery. Even the black and white photographs on the wall reminded me of my parents’ home town.

Great mom and pop-type restaurant with delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices. The lady owner/manager gave fantastic recommendations and was like a neighborhood auntie. I got a meal and the portions were very generous, especially the sides. The drinks were also perfectly sweetened and flavored! I highly recommend it and will definitely come back to try other dishes.

This place honestly feels like our everyday go-to neighborhood spot—the kind of comforting Taiwanese home-style restaurant you keep coming back to. The food is consistently delicious and made with real care. Nothing feels overdone—just warm, familiar flavors that taste like home. What makes it even more special is the hospitality. The team is genuinely kind and welcoming, like you’re being taken care of by old friends. If you’re in Washington and craving authentic Taiwanese comfort food, I can’t recommend this place enough. We’ll be back again and again.

This was just okay for me. I’m surprised we do not get additional condiments in case we needed to enhance the flavor to our liking. The soup was a bit bland to me-and the beef lacked flavor. It was super tender-along with the tendons. The chicken and rice were okay, but was oilier than expected . It’s not bad, but I would prefer more tasty. We did order bingsu and that was really good.

I love how unique Taiwanese food is. The flavors here reminded me a lot of the authentic cuisine I’ve had in Taiwan a few years ago. The chili wontons were not authentic whatsoever, but tasty nonetheless. Not sure where the inspiration came for such a peanut based curry, it reminded me of Thai and Malaysian cuisine. The standouts were the popcorn chicken and the deep fried pork cutlet, both of which had the classic salt and pepper seasoning. I like the buns as well with pork and peanuts. Service was a bit slow, considering the restaurant was not busy.

Literally the best Beef Noodle Soup I have ever eaten in my entire life!!!! The place is clean and the food is incredible! The service is really good the owners make you feel like family. I whole heartedly recommend this place.

MonGa Cafe is an adorable, neighborhood Taiwanese joint. I went for dinner around 7PM on a Thursday and there was a short wait for dine in with a bunch of folks picking up to-go orders. They share a large parking lot with Asian Family Mart and pricing is is reasonable enough with some of the combo meals clocking in just over 15 bucks. MonGa Combo (4/5): Lu Rou Fan is pretty great, but I wish the ratio of meat to rice was a little higher. Loved the fish ball soup - super light and perfectly savory. Would probably be my go-to! Pork Chop w/ Rice (4/5): I thought it would be a fried pork chop, but it's actually grilled. Flavor is great and till very moist with just a bit of a chew. Popcorn Chicken (3.75/5): Texture wise, this is perfection - meat is super soft with a perfect crunch outside. Flavor wise, I unfortunately thought it was a little bland. Golden Buckwheat Tea (4/5): Expensive, but it was delicious. Super fragrant, not bitter at all, and just slightly sweet.

Ordered the beef noodle soup, beef tendon noodles, pork trotter rice bowl, and stinky tofu. The noodle soups had really good portions and the soup was not too salty. 9/10 The pork trotters in the rice bowl was sooo good! They were really tender and the pickles were well seasoned. 9/10 The stinky tofu wasn't as crispy as I thought they were going to be. I think the sauce they made balanced out the dryness of the tofu well. Slightly spicy but also has a sweet aftertaste. I did find a piece of hair stuck in the sauce though so that def brought my rating down a little. 8/10 The waitress was super nice though! She was really attentive and made sure we got our food quickly. She also made a lot of good recs for food and tea drinks. The restaurant had a lot of pictures of the owner on the wall which was really cute!

When I used to live nearby, I always wanted to check out MonGa Cafe. But it wasn't until finally moving elsewhere that I took the chance to try it! I met up with one of my Bellevue friends here to try out the food, and it's one those typical family-owned business that locals come to. They served Taiwanese/Chinese dishes here, and had a good sized menu to order from. We ordered the Lu Rou Fan, some popcorn chicken, and a few other small dishes. The food was comforting, but I wasn't impressed by the dishes. I've had Lu Rou Fan at quite a few restaurants, and while it is a simple dish, I just didn't like the way they made it. It wasn't bad by any means, but could've been a lot better. Popcorn chicken was decent though, very standard to other places that serve it. I'd like to come back at some point to try the other dishes, but for now the best I can describe this cafe as mediocre at best.

Came back after a short hiatus and it feels like they've amped up their food. I especially like how you can combo up some of their dishes and we had the beef noddle soup combined with pigs ears and crunchy pickled cucumber side dishes. The beef was very tender and the bowl of soup came out piping hot. We've had many of their other dishes over the course of numerous visits and you can't go wrong! The service is good and the interior is nice and clean with pictures of Taiwan adorning the walls.

Parking for this area takes place around the same area as the Asian Family Supermarket and other nearby restaurants such as Nuodle and Spicy Popo, which is to say it gets unusually packed here despite a large parking lot. If you can make it, then this place is worth trying! My friend and I went here on a Friday weeknight and got seating pretty easily; the inside is very huge with plenty of tables and booths which can seat a lot of people. The menu consists of a large selection of foods, with one whole side of the menu nearly completely dedicated to milk teas and drinks, and the other side being the main entrees and dishes. From there, I got the MonGa combo, which comes with lu-rou fan (which s a Taiwanese pork rice bowl), pork meatball soup and two sides of my choosing, in which I chose a braised egg and pickled cucumbers. My friend got the same dish and a braised egg as one side but triangular tofu as the second side. Portions here aren't big, but everything tasted very homely, which was a relief given I had already eaten out quite a bunch! Pork meatball soup was just right in flavor, and the flavoring of the pork in the lu-rou fan wasn't too overwhelming either! The pickled cucumbers remind me of those made by Dough Zone in Chinatown, which is to say also very good! And braised egg was solid. There are similar restaurants like this around Bellevue (such as Looking for Chai) and it's easy to overlook this place given the presence of the other surrounding businesses where it is, but if you want something great and not too heavy, this is an ideal place to go to!

Taiwanese cafe in Bellevue, in the same plaza as Asian Family Market, and in the same row as a bunch of mostly Asian restaurants. The place is actually larger than it looks from the outside as the space is pretty deep. Casual cafe atmosphere. Decent number of customers for a Saturday night. Snagged a small table without having to wait. Menu is printed on one sheet of paper. Has a list of sweet teas, and Taiwanese favorites like the fried chicken pieces, chicken and pork cutlets. Also has some some noodle bowls. No personal hotpot/soups on the menu though. I got one of the teas and it was a nice refreshing drink for the sumer. $7. For food, I got the fried pork cutlet for like $16 and paid $2 extra to upgrade the rice to the lurou (marinated pork) rice. The pork cutlet is pretty big and comes with some veggies and half a marinated egg. Comes with a slight tart and sweet dipping sauce. Pork cutlet not the crispiest, but flavor was decent. The lurou rice has a richer flavor thanks to the pork sauce bits and sauce covering the rice. Overall, food was decent and portions are good for the price.

I don't know many Taiwanese restaurants in the area nor do I have a lot of experience eating a variety so I can't speak on how well their food stacks against other Taiwanese restaurants but I can say I really did the like dish I got, which if I recall correctly was their B3 Beef Shank Noodle Soup spicy: 3/5, sautéed fresh mustard greens, wontons in spicy oil, and peach black oolong milk tea. Their mustard greens tasted as expected from any Asian restaurant that does them, but their wontons in spicy oil was definitely one of my favorites compared to other places like Din Tai Fung. The peach black oolong milk tea was pretty good. Not too strong on the peach, not too sweet, and you get the dryness of the black oolong tea. If you want something really fruity, I wouldn't go for this, but the sweetness level was just what I wanted. The service was also great. Friendly and attentive staff. And probably the best part is walking into the restaurant and seeing the ethnicities people are actually working there along with the people eating were Asian. Not one none Asian was there at the time we went in and I knew it was going to be a good place. If you walk into a restaurant and don't see one person of that restaurants homeland working or eating there then don't expect much...

We were seated immediately as a walk-in and loved all the cool pictures on the wall. We ordered the beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, and tofu. The chicken was crispy and flavorful, and the tofu was soft and juicy. The noodle soup had chewy noodles and a great broth. Delicious taiwanese food!

MonGa has been around for several years, located in the busy shopping plaza that also houses Asian Family Market. Parking is challenging in this plaza. I park as soon as I enter to secure a spot and walk the rest of the way. They completed an expansion recently. The interior is pleasantly spacious and simply decorated. They are understaffed for this expanded space. Three people take orders, while two people deliver food and clear tables. Getting the attention of any one of them is difficult. They are running around being very busy, so I don't fault the staff for the service. The food overall is quite good, which is confirmed by the groups waiting by the door and outside when we left. Thank goodness we came early. A tip: I noticed the online ordering has options that are not verbalized to us while we ordered nor is it included on the paper menu. I recommend cross-checking the online ordering to see if there are tweaks you want. For example, the pork burger can be fatty meat or lean meat. The Food: S1 - Pork Burger, 美味刈包, $6.49 - 4 Stars Hubby's eyeballs went very big looking at the thick slab of fatty pork belly. It has to be the thickest I have seen in a while, even though it is all fatty (see photo). Meanwhile, I feel my arteries tightening just looking at it. Well, he said it was delicious. B3 - Beef shank and tendon noodle soup, 半筋半肉麵, $14.49 - 4.5 Stars Flavorful beef broth, even if visually a bit thinner than other places. Hubby said it was good and the meat and tendon are tender. D2 - Noodles Topped with Vegetarian Meat Sauce, 香菇素肉麵, $11.49 - 4.5 Stars The English name doesn't say it, but the Chinese name says this dish is Chinese mushrooms and house-made vegetarian meat noodles. This dish is surprisingly tasty. The photo is pre-stir. The sauces are at the bottom and are plentiful to coat the entire dish. S3 - Popcorn chicken, 酥炸鹽酥雞, $9.99 - 4 Stars This is a perennial Taiwanese favorite dish. Their coating is lighter/thinner than most places. The simple salted flavor comes through well. They use dark meat, which is the traditional style. Triangle Fried Tofu, 三角油豆腐, $6.49 - 2 Stars Why is this wet? See photo. It makes no sense. They run off as soon as they put the dish down, so I just kept it since it's not expensive. It tastes ok, just not what I expected or wanted - which is crispy fried tofu. This was my backup after they said the stinky tofu is sold out. Bummer. Tieguanying Tea Latte, 鐵觀音拿鐵, $5.99 - 4 Stars With a surprisingly mild tea flavor and the Chinese style of not-too-sweet, this warm latte is quite milky and yummy.

Food is 4 stars delicious Services-- sure feels like a hurdling cattle and the restaurant isn't busy as soon as we sat we were expected to place the order...how about give us a few minutes we are new to the restaurant. Don't get me wrong the staff were nice but one lady poor thing she seems to be in a real hurry . Overall staff were good. Ambiance is nice and casual a bit too noisy but to be expected

My bf loves popcorn chicken, so he decided to grab one here to-go. He also got the Deep Fried Chicken Steak and Wontons in Spicy Oil, another item we have to try everywhere. The Popcorn Chicken was good, and the Deep Fried Chicken Steak was even better. The Wontons in Spicy Oil was also good, but different from other restaurants. They add some peanut sauce to eat, which makes it creamier. My bf liked it, but I prefer it the usual way.

Food is okay. Good selection, easy to eat, but nothing special. Good service. Seated immediately. Pretty quiet compared to surrounding restaurants during peak dinner time.

Definitely the most confortable food I have ate in Seattle area. Have been there 3 times during my week long trip.

MonGa is located in a little shopping plaza that has quite a few other good asian eateries and grocery stores. It can get busy and people in the parking lot get a little crazy. We waited about 15 minutes for a table. Once inside, the workers tried to be nice I think? But it was confusing because they weren't that nice. For example, the older guy who seated us made a show of being surprised to find that no one had wiped the table yet, but then made it seem like an inconvenience to wipe it himself. We also had to ask for things more than once. Other than the service, I thought the food was pretty good. We liked the noodles and the spicy wontons. I thought the beef noodle soup was delicious and I'm a fan of beef tendon in beef noodle soup and theirs is cooked perfectly. The tantan noodles were flavorful and peanuty. I also liked the popcorn chicken. I really love visiting Taiwan and eating at this place made me miss going to Taiwan. Gotta plan a trip soon!

MonGa Cafe is a great place for Taiwanese food. They have an extensive menu of food and drinks. The interior is clean and modern, with enough seating in the dining area that there was no wait. Service was good and food came out quickly. Ordered the Lu-Rou Fan, the popcorn chicken, and Pork chop rice, and everything was delicious. The rice for the pork chop had a small amount of pork topping it, similar to the Lu-Rou. Pork chop was crispy and came with half an egg and some veggies.

Pros: authentic Taiwanese food, easy parking Cons: small portion, serving staff somewhat impatient and not very attentive

If you are looking for authentic Taiwanese food in the US, this is it! First bite of the braised pork rice (魯肉飯), beef noodle soup (牛肉麵）and stinky tofu (臭豆腐）brought straight back! Nothing that tastes that authentic on the east coast.

Great quick stop for large portions of yummy Taiwanese food like fried chicken and rice. Located in the same plaza as other restaurants and Asian Family Market, it's the ideal place for a snack or a meal while out running errands.

MonGa Cafe is a Taiwanese restaurant located in a medium-sized shopping strip with ample free parking. We went in at 5:30pm on a Saturday while the restaurant was still only 30% full (they open at 5pm) but the place was completely packed by about 6:30pm. A lot of reviews mention the service was a lacking quality and I agree in the sense that they're understaffed. The server was very nice and attentive, but clearly stretched due to the amount of tables they had to serve. We were fortunate since we were so early, but figure it's fair to expect some delays in service (e.g., didn't get a water refill for a while) The food itself was delicious. It's not straight out of Taiwan, but pretty darn close for something in the states. The beef noodle soup reminded me of childhood in Taiwan and the Lo-Rou Fan (braised pork over rice) reminded me of my grandmother's cooking. Everything was well-balanced, maybe a hair underflavored / underseasoned relative to Taiwanese standards but it did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the meal.

The review is for shaved ice only. Ordered small combo with flan, red beans and taro paste and shared between the two of us. We had dinner at the restaurant next to MonGa cafe and wanted something light for dessert. As we went in, we realized this is actually like restaurant setting and wondered if it's ok to just have a small dessert. We were seated anyways, then we decided to order takeouts too. I have had taiwanese shaved ice at din tai phong and facing east and expected the quality. Unfortunately I didn't like the toppings very much. The flan was bland, red beans were too sweet and pasty, taro paste didn't taste much taro.. the ice tasted good. I know Taiwanese dessert is mild in taste compare to other Asian desserts. So maybe it's authentic.

Friendly staff, but pretty small portions for the price. I've been here twice now and gotten the C1 combo as well as the chicken steak with rice. Wasn't really impressed with either. The taste is okay, but they really don't give you that much food. For the C1 combo I found myself still hungry at home even after eating. Space is large and the service is pretty good, they occasionally come around and ask how everything is. Also lots of parking since it's located in the Asian Family Market plaza. I'd maybe go here if I was already in the plaza, but otherwise I'd go somewhere else for Taiwanese food.

Extreme bad service. Such a bad customer service experience simply tainted the appetite. We stood and was reading the menu. The cashier started yelling at us and asked us to move to the other side to read and then said we were blocking other people. However, the fact is that there was no one else around us. How are we going to block the other people? Even if we were blocking, the rude attitude was still not preferable. After we stood and started reading the menu at the place she requested impolitely, and we thought we could finally see what we wanted to try, she came by again and said we were blocking people AGAIN! Not only that tho, she started pushing me away. Literally and physically push me. What an unprofessional cashier and terrible customer service. No matter how good the rating or food is, such service is not welcomed. Will never come again to save myself a loving mood.

Very first time seeing a little cockroach hiking on my noodle and seems very enjoyable. Completely freaked out and called the waiter. She took it immediately and made a new one (that I just paid and never touched). I am sure there is a big family.

Monga, named after a historic and cultural area in Taipei, is a Taiwanese "small eats" restaurant that I have frequent for over a decade when I miss the flavors and atmosphere of my home country Taiwan. It's a great place for family with kids looking for casual and family style dining, the menu has lots of varieties from everyone at reasonable price. They excel at rice related dishes like their delicious Ru Lou Fan and Chicken drumstick over rice as well as their gua bao, freshly wok fried vegetables and handmade spicy wontons. Their combos (Piggy combo is my favorite) also offer ability to enjoy a great variety of small side dishes just like you would in Taiwan. However, the reason why I have to take a star off is because their noodle dishes are just so below average and not particularly authentic, lacking in broth flavor and have mediocre toppings and noodle texture. I tend to go during their peak days and time so they are usually understaffed, hard to track down staff's attention, but when you do, the staff is friendly and incredibly efficient.

Fast tasty food, friendly waitress, decent prices, and quiet calm ambiance. What's not to like?! My friends and I came in because we liked that the name sounded like "manga" (haha) and the other restaurants in the area were either closed or packed. So glad we made the decision to pop in because we had a great time here! Our waitress was so sweet and funny, she reminded me of my aunties from Hong Kong~ The food was also BOMB and came out so fast!!! We were shocked. Prices were good too for the area, I think we all spent ~20-30 for dinner and a soda. There was also plenty of seating but a quiet cafe like ambiance which was really nice; I tend to get headaches in really loud venues so the quiet was much appreciated. Pros: * friendly service * food comes out fast * decent prices * lots of seating * quiet cafe like ambiance Cons: * parking lot fills up fast during dinner times and on weekends; if you want to park without stress I'd avoid these times, but this goes for every restaurant in this square

The Parking was decent. The Food was pretty good. Still can't be Taiwanese food in Taiwan but they had the idea. The service was good and I did like their tea options! The place was pretty packed though but service was reasonable for how packed it was. Overall, would suggest to try and, I would go back.

Really good Taiwanese food! Got the pork trotters over rice, Taiwanese beef soup, and popcorn chicken. Also sides of fried tofu triangles and a braised egg. All of the main dishes were really great flavor! I'm not a huge spicy food person but the beef soup I think would have tasted even better with some chili oil. The pig trotters were super flavorful and my favorite thing we ordered. The popcorn chicken was juicy and I would definitely order again! Service was good and we were asked if we needed anything several times. Ambiance was nice. Lots of families for a Saturday lunch but could definitely do a casual date here too! Definitely had accommodations for families with small children too!

We happened to be in the Redmond/Bellevue (Belred) area some friends recommended this place as a solid place in the area, which serves Taiwanese food. Usually people go for the Piggy combo but we were not super hungry so we decided to get some of the more classic Taiwanese dishes. We shared the D5 Wonton in Spicy Noodles and R6 Pork Belly over Rice. +1 that the waitress suggested for me to not upgrade the rice to a Lu-Rou fan as it can get very oily - even though they jack up the prices almost 50%, at least they are courteous to save us a few dollars. The wonton in spicy noodles has a nice peanut/sesame sauce in addition to some spiciness. My friend got 5 stars as spiciness but it was not that spicy at all??? The wonton was pretty decent but not really super memorable. The pork belly over rice is quite good - it is served with the typical fixings like the preserved vegetables and cabbage and I enjoyed the dish. Pork belly is very tender and has the right fat ratio. The dish is definitely filling. Service is alright - they are understaffed so wait times can be long, but it was not unbearable as we were able to finish our meals and pay the check in a timely manner, in a way we were not late for the next activity of the day. What caught me off guard, though, was that there is NO to-go boxes offered, which is strange for a restaurant at this time.

Nothing special. My two items were really blend and they were all boiled instead of deep fried. Noodle is really basic. Portion size is okay but meh The vibe is okay. Service is soso.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Monga, a charming restaurant that specializes in delectable Taiwanese cuisine. From the moment I stepped inside, I was greeted with warm hospitality and a cozy atmosphere that set the stage for an unforgettable culinary journey. One of the standout dishes at Monga was their Port Burger, a true masterpiece. Bursting with flavors, the tender and succulent braised pork was sandwiched between a soft, freshly baked bun. The combination of the savory pork and the accompanying sauces created a harmonious blend that left my taste buds in awe. Each bite was a delightful explosion of flavors, making the Port Burger an absolute must-try. Another highlight of my dining experience was the Popcorn Chicken. The bite-sized pieces of chicken were expertly seasoned and fried to perfection, resulting in a delightful crunch that revealed tender, juicy meat inside. The Popcorn Chicken was so addictive that I couldn't resist ordering a second serving to savor the irresistible flavor. While Monga impressed with its array of delectable dishes, I must mention the Braised Pork Feet. Although the texture was incredibly soft and tender, I felt that the flavor didn't quite reach the pinnacle of the other dishes. While enjoyable, it didn't leave as much of an impression as the Port Burger and Popcorn Chicken. To balance out the savory delights, I indulged in the Sauteed Green Cabbage. The crispness of the cabbage paired perfectly with the aromatic seasoning, creating a side dish that was not only visually appealing but also bursting with flavor. The sauteed green cabbage added a refreshing element to the meal and served as a delightful complement to the other dishes.

Taiwanese food is definitely something that I'm always down to try, and MonGa Cafe was recommended to me as a place for some solid delicious food! We stopped by on a Friday around dinnertime at 6:45pm and had a 5 minute wait to get seated. To note, at the time of this review, it definitely felt like the restaurant was a bit understaffed as there was only 1-2 waiters/waitress trying to handle like 15-20 tables - so the service may not have been a best representation at the time! We definitely had to wait for like 10-15 minutes for our order to get taken, and we didn't get our waters till like 15 minutes later. I got the Piggy #1 Combo, which came with the pork belly rice, two side dishes which I were the blanched pork and napa cabbage, and the pork meatball soup. The pork belly rice was delicious - the pork was really tender and basically was one with the rice, like each grain individually was covered in the delicious pork fat and sauce - yum! The blanched pork side dish was also scrumptious, the pork itself was tender and chewy, this dish definitely gave me home cooked feelings just based on the sauce itself! The sauce had a delicious soy sauce and slightly sweet flavor, and there was a very subtle hint of ginger and other aromatics in the aftertaste. The soup was good - the meatballs were firm and had a good chew and spongy texture and the soup had really subtle flavor with hints of pork. In the end, I spent about $26 for the meal which is a decent price given the variety of food that you receive, but in terms of quantity you probably could get a bit more food at other similar restaurants - as the bowls are a bit deceptively smaller than they look in the photo. The menu it quite extensive, so I would definitely like to come back and try the other options!

I was originally going to check out another restaurant in the plaza but I'm still on the search for taiwanese food and MonGa came up as a good option. I ordered in person for take out and got a popcorn chicken rice plate to see how things were. The popcorn chicken is made with thigh meat and could use more flavor. I didn't recognize any of the traditional flavors except for a hint of basil. The flavor was more just fried chicken. The rice plate also comes with veggies, eggs, and a little bit of minced pork for the rice. The minced pork and sauce from that was okay. The egg was slightly braised but could have had a little more time soaking. Overall, 3 stars for the food but 4 stars for the service. The aunties were very friendly and attentive en though they acknowledged labor shortages.

MonGa and Facing East are the only legit Taiwanese beef noodle soup restaurants on the Eastside. Broth is brownish red and contains all the flavors one expects like anise and garlic. Noodles are thick and perfectly cooked, and the plentiful meat is tender after hours of braising. You can customize the spiciness from 1 to 5 and choose from beef and/or tendons. I got the combo with Taiwanese paochai kimchi and the pickled greens. The greens are sweeter than the usual sour greens, and the waiter asks you which version you prefer. Their popcorn chicken is legit and crunchy. No hot tea though, and take out cups are styrofoam. Ambiance is modern and noise levels are normal. The restaurant has odors from the fermented stinky tofu so don't wear anything that you don't want to put in laundry afterwards. We love that it was a family owned and operated restaurant. Weekend parking is tough in the very crowded lot- try towards the grocery store if you are unable to find anything near restaurants.

I often shop at Asian Family Market nearby so coming here is pretty convenient! I came in at 1 pm on a Saturday and was promptly seated although I was expecting a little bit of a wait. I ordered the lu rou fan and the beef shank and tendon noodle soup. The lu rou fan is flavorful and not too oily which I liked. The beef noodle soup was decent; the shank and tendon tasted spot on and the noodles were cooked al dente, but I wish the broth was a bit more flavorful. I appreciate how you are given the options of shank and/or tendon for beef noodle soup but I would prefer beef noodle soup at places like Facing East more. Other than the food, the service was attentive and the atmosphere was pretty comfortable. I liked all the pictures of Taipei hung across the wall. I will be back!

Authentic Taiwanese restaurant. I noticed that many people order the beef noodle soup on the way out. That much be the item to get. The popcorn chicken was just average. They do pack the leftovers for you.

Was craving for some beef noodle soup and I found this place via Yelp. The soup was really good and delicious. The texture of the noodle had a good bite to it. As they in Italian "al dante", firm enough and not too soft... just the way I like it. The beef texture also was very soft with plenty of flavor. The soup broth was just as delicious. The ambiance was all very clean and modern looking. My server was a sweetheart on top of everything. I told her exactly what I wanted. She recommended me the combo deal, which gives you the option to pick two side others for a extra $4.00 of so on your main course. Overall, very good experience. I definitely will be returning back soon and plan on bring a family member over. :)

Monga Cafe is one of our favorites when we're in t. The food is delicious, offering a perfect balance of taste and quality. The staff was friendly and attentive, ensuring a pleasant dining experience. I highly recommend Monga Cafe when you're in the mood for some delicious Taiwanese food.

I am very surprised to see some of the negative comments based on the poor service. I personally think that's where they are getting the extra star from four stars. I have been coming to this place for years to get my beef noodle fix for lunch and often take my kids to get the shaved ice. After having big dinner at a difference place, we decided to stop by Monga to get our usual shaved ice with 5 toppings. I told the server that we were there to only get one dessert. One of the servers was happy to see me as a regular customer and took care of the order. Needless to say, we enjoyed our shaved ice with flan, taro, boba, red beans and something else that I forgot. Since we were getting only dessert, I left a generous tip so that they didn't feel like I was taking up a precious dinner table. I don't think they would ever treat me differently regardless of what I order. Their lunch menu is awesome too. Even if you don't like the noodle, come get your dessert. You will be satisfied.

I brought a SomiSomi ice cream into the restaurant, but even though the waiter had already seated us, the owner asked me to leave. Terrible experience--small portions and expensive.

the food was good and didn't take long but my brothers chicken looked a little weird.

First time coming since pandemic and their remodel the restaurant. Very relaxing ambience, and interesting of wall pictures. Much more space now to take more customers than before, very good service as always (over 5yrs) and quality is always fresh, not salty like others next door newer establish. 4*_ Beef noodle soup is exactly what I expect from the broth and chewy noodles. 3* _ Pork steak and chicken are good but not crispy on half way through my meal. Kinda sogginess after. 4*_ Pig ear 3* _ Small combo ice shave with yum yum but too hard for bubbles

Generally ok Pork feet is braised, not fired The pork cutlet is ok. Not bad. That's it.

I don't understand all the complaints about the service. Some of these reviewers sound so entitled. Server was very nice to me: greeted me, adjusted the table and chairs before I sat down, and she was very friendly. I ordered tea and combo shaved ice. Both were great! Definitely coming back for more.

The beef noodle soup lunch special is now $20, but pales in comparison to even DTF's. The meat is thin and not very tender. Flavor of soup is good. Noodles don't taste fresh and were slightly over boiled.

This family run business has still been great and going strong since my last review seven years ago. Monga Cafe definitively has the best braised pork belly dish in the area after trying out so many restaurants in the Seattle area, hands down. While the pork belly is the star of the dish, the quality of the braised and pickled veggies are extremely done well and they really elevate this dish to the next level. Chili sauce is also amazing to pair with this dish. The attention to the details matters here. In addition, my family loves the sesame paste noodles, spicy sesame wontons, stir fried cabbage, and beef noodle soup as our dinner menu repertoire every do often. Combined with the friendly staff and nice dining atmosphere, this restaurant is one of my all time faves!

Haven't had MonGa in so long and I don't know why...the MonGa combo was so worth $10 bucks! The sides were all super tasty, part of me even said next time I'll just order all sides. Each one was flavorful, unique and complimented each other. Even the pickled items weren't too pickled-tasting. The minced pork was okay, at first I thought "hard wok does it better and my sister makes it best" but I realize the minced pork is very different depending on where you go. I will say the pork tasted best when I mixed it all together (rice, pork and mustard greens), it was greasy and flavorful. 5/5 for me. My partner got the beef noodle soup (and got it a level 4), she said it's manageable but it was pretty hot. Tons of noodles, beef and sides (mustard greens and tofu)"too much food in a good way...noodles were perfect, super chewy and didn't fall apart" *hand gestures* 5/5 for her too. She also got the lime honey green tea and loved it, said it was very satisfying.

We come to this restaurant a lot. Foods are very authentic Taiwanese. Highly recommended.

Service is terrible. Old crusty boss lady kills this place. Food is bland and not worth being treated poorly.

One star only for the food. Zero of customer obsession. Me and my husband really like the authentic food. And our habit to eating outside is to order more food than one meal so we can extend our joy to next day as well. We ordered two chicken boxes and two snacks, one greens. However, the waitress warned us that we ordered too much. I told her that we can take out the leftovers. She said that is not environment friendly behavior. She educated us that we should bring our own utensils next time to the restaurant in case we want to take out. We were stuck at that time and no idea to react to her "education". She made us feel bad about ourselves. And this requirement from her is not proper at all as the server. We have never met such service in any other restaurant before. We feel extremely disappointed and confused during the whole dining experience there. We speak Mandarin and she sensed us from Mainland China. I feel her attitude to other tables was really good when the customers are from Taiwan or Native American people. However, we are afraid to talk to her to even add a small soup. So we spoke English after her service. We talked to another waitress who can speak English and didn't give us any burden when we added new things or ask for one takeout box. This is our third time to be treated like this in this restaurant by criticized over ordering for one meal. We will hardly come back to this place for another time by the bad service and suspicious discrimination on mainland Chinese people.