Chiang's Gourmet Restaurant, Seattle

Sample Menu

• To start: leek dumplings
• Noodles: housemade Shanghai-style pan-fried noodles
• Meat: Five Star spicy hot chicken

When to Go: Try a weeknight for quicker service, as Chiang’s can fill up with large groups on weekends. Or, come in on weekends before 3 p.m. for dim sum brunch; the fritters of twisted dough with sweet soymilk are a favorite.

Inside Tips

• Pay attention to how many menus appear on your table. If you only have one, be sure to ask for the “Chinese menu” and the very extensive vegetarian menu, too.
• Familiar, Americanized dishes are available—but they’re not the chefs’ focus. This is the spot to venture deep into the unfamiliar, or just ask your (probably opinionated) server for a recommendation.
• Order with an expectation of sharing, as dishes generally come out of the kitchen one or two at a time.

Past Life: The zany round building might seem at odds with the formal red-and-white dining room, and in fact it wasn’t built for Chiang’s—it began life as an A&W restaurant. Look for the “root beer keg” on the roof.

Trophy Case

• Recommended in the Stranger, which calls Chiang’s many menus “very, very delicious”
• One of the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the United States, CNN Travel, 2012
• One of SeattleMet’s best Chinese restaurants, 2011
• One of the Seattle Times’ Nancy Leson’s favorite spots for dim sum, 2009

While You’re in the Neighborhood

After brunch: Continue your culinary adventure at Jodee’s Desserts (7214 Woodlawn Ave NE) with a slice of raw and gluten- and wheat-free pie.

Before dinner: The Last Drop Bottle Shop (8016 15th Ave NE) holds frequent beer tastings in the early evenings.

If you can’t make it, try: Fu Man Dumpling House (14314 Greenwood Avenue North), also famed for its housemade noodles and dumplings