Monsoon Seattle

"Monsoon, with locations in Capitol Hill and Bellevue, is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle. It sources meat from local ranches and serves Chinese-influenced Vietnamese dishes not commonly found in the area. Excellent appetizers include fluffy steam buns stuffed with duck confit and pickled vegetables or a perfectly balanced green papaya salad. The catfish clay pot, simmered in fresh coconut juice and topped with green onion, is worth rushing to catch before it sells out, and the grilled pork belly is a perennial favorite. Check out sister restaurant Ba Bar, closer to the center of Capitol Hill, for a more casual experience and a satisfying oxtail pho." - Sophie Grossman

"Eric and Sophie Banh’s Vietnamese restaurants — Monsoon, the original, and Ba Bar, the hip younger sibling — are some of Seattle’s best in part because they prioritize local ingredients. Though you can find casual favorites like imperial rolls with vermicelli on the menu, Monsoon focuses on dishes with Chinese influences served family-style. Highlights include the wok-cooked Anderson Ranch lamb with chile and cumin, the catfish steamed in a clay pot with coconut juice, and a perfectly balanced green papaya salad with charred prawns. In addition to the Capitol Hill restaurant with its rooftop patio, Monsoon has a Bellevue location." - Eater Staff

"Monsoon is a Vietnamese restaurant with a roof that seems ironic for most of the drizzly year—especially for an establishment whose name literally refers to a wind-fueled rainstorm. But for the few months when it’s nice out, the rooftop at Monsoon is a real place where people eat stir-fry and bò lá lốt outside. And if you ever tried to imagine what it might be like to eat crackly imperial rolls while practically perched in a tree, you don’t really have to wonder about that anymore. " - aimee rizzo

"Monsoon has a rooftop? Yes, the venerable Vietnamese mini-chain’s Capitol Hill location has a rooftop, which is not all that high up but is still a gorgeous place to catch a breeze on a warm night. Also, if you are both romantic and a long-term planner, you can get a whole Dungeness crab dinner here — you just have to order a day in advance." - Eater Staff

"“Rooftop dim sum” is not a phrase you hear every day in Seattle, unless you have a friend who makes you dumplings on top of their three-story townhome. But the balcony at Monsoon is the perfect place for a brunch of shumai, pork buns, and wontons. If you're still hungry after all of that, throw in a few vermicelli bowls." - aimee rizzo