Monsoon Seattle
Vietnamese restaurant · Capitol Hill
615 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Highlights
Stylish Vietnamese eatery with rooftop seating, dim sum & signature dishes
Stylish Vietnamese eatery with rooftop seating, dim sum & signature dishes
"Monsoon is a Vietnamese restaurant with a roof that seems ironic for most of the drizzly year (given the name). But for the few months when it’s nice out, the rooftop at Monsoon is a good place to eat stir-fry and bò lá lốt outside. Basically, this is what it must be like to eat crackly imperial rolls while perched in a tree." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente
"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. It’s currently available only Mondays through Thursdays, though you should call ahead the day before to make sure they have crabs available." - Brianna Gunter
"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." - Sophie Grossman
"Not only is it one of the city’s top Vietnamese restaurants, this 26-year-old spot from siblings Eric and Sophie Banh also has a rooftop patio that opens mid-May and is one of the best places in town to enjoy a leisurely brunch when the weather is nice. The “bloody alternative” with reduced pho broth and pineapple is an unholy, addictive union of tart and umami, the perfect complement to slightly sweet, pillowy pork buns and juicy shrimp dumplings from the weekend dim sum menu. Add on a well-balanced green papaya salad, some fresh rolls with a tangy peanut sauce, and end with the famed banana cake, which has a lush crumb and is topped with a thick, salty coconut sauce." - Sophie Grossman
"Decades after the Banh siblings broke new ground in Seattle by using local ingredients and insisting a Vietnamese restaurant didn’t have to be cheap, Monsoon (with one location in Capitol Hill and one in Bellevue) remains a fun spot for Vietnamese brunch, lunch, and dinner. Weekends mean dim sum brunch with dumplings, buns, pho, banh mi, and experimental cocktails like a pho-infused Bloody Mary. The lemongrass vermicelli noodles bowls or the kabocha squash and taro curry are nutritious lunchtime options. If you stop by for dinner, go for the seasonal seafood specials like the Saigon Dungeness crab, the catfish claypot, and the claypot clams." - Alicia Erickson
