I would give this 3 stars. Their shaved ice in my previous review was bomb, but I came here to get some milk tea. To add boba/tapioca, it costs $1.00!! I was like what?! And it comes in a much smaller cup like 16 oz I believe, not your average 20 oz size. So 4 stars for shaved ice, 2 stars for their milk tea. I still haven't tried any of their food yet. read more

MonGa Cafe - Small cup of regular milk tea. - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I ordered the Chicken Legs. It was really well cooked. Crispy outsidr and juicy inside. I have not yet tried the noodles but I plan to go back to try them next time. Overall great dining experience. read more

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We came in during dinner time and all the small tables for parties of 4 were full. The waitress asked if the two of us would mind sharing a table or if we wanted to wait for a smaller table to open up. She said they would not seat another party bigger than two with us (at a 6 person table), so we said sure, based on the conjecture that maybe nobody else would agree to share. We were right as we ended up having the whole table to ourselves the entire time. We shared the spicy wontons and popcorn chicken. I had the minced pork over rice while my fiancé had the pork chop with noodle soup. I really liked the wontons but it was unusual. Taiwanese spicy wontons are usually covered in chili oil, but this had peanut sauce along with chili oil. Good, but unusual. Popcorn chicken was OK. The rice bowl was good but it was mostly rice, which I gave to my fiancé. He really enjoyed his noodles -- they were pleasantly chewy. The soup was very light. For dessert we ordered a shaved ice and I LOVED it! We went for the flan, grass jelly, and some other kind of clear jelly. It was delicious. The ice was not too chunky and it was just very refreshing. Yum! I'd come back just for the shaved ice. read more

How exciting! More and more Taiwanese food places are opening around the Seattle area. Monga is located in a plaza that contains the Asian Food Center and now a few new restaurants including Swish Swish (shabu shabu place) and Smatcha (nice tea place) both of which I hope to try soon, but I digress as this review is about Monga! On a Sunday lunch shortly after opening they were about half full but by the time we were eating our food the restaurant had filled up almost completely. I had been told that the menu was a little limited, but was pleasantly surprised at the number of items that they had. It is true that they are limited to mostly rice and noodle dishes plus some appetizers so it is a fantastic for a quick lunch or a casual meal, but not for nice sit down dinner. They also have a selection of blended drinks and bubble tea! I was also pleased to see they have shaved ice, but no snow. Snow is ubiquitous in Taiwanese food places in Southern California but there is only one restaurant that serves it in Seattle as of now so not a big deal. The service and kitchen is efficient and on point, especially for just opening, and we were quickly seated, presented with menus and water, and they quickly came back to take our order. Now on to the food: Beef Noodle Soup with Shank/Tendon - The noodles and meat were cooked well in this dish, perfect amount of chew and exceeding tenderness respectively. Some reviews have stated that the broth isn't quite deep enough in flavor and/or richness. When the dish first hit the table I was ready to agree with the reviews as the color of the broth was quite light and didn't look like it would have the flavor or richness that makes beef noodle soup so good. However, after tasting it I found the broth to be very flavorful and a good amount of beefy richness (almost like it could be a pho broth but without the southeast Asian flavor profile). After a quick friendly chat with the owner regarding this dish I was informed that most restaurants used a soy sauce based broth when braising their beef, but this broth was different. Maybe it misses a bit of the umami flavors that soy would impart or maybe our eyes and mind tells us beef noodle soup has to be dark and brown to be good, but in my opinion this broth was good enough to convince me that it was OK. I'm sure eating more bowls will convince me even further! Note: This is not to be confused with the beef noodle soup in CLEAR broth which is a different dish and has a different flavor profile. I will have to try that next to see what the difference is! Wontons in spicy sauce - The wontons themselves were well made with tasty filling and the chili oil and seasonings are balanced well but the interesting twist is, peanut sauce! The peanut sauce is a nice foil to the more intense flavors of the chili oil and green onion garnish, with a resulting creaminess and slight sweetness that I enjoyed. Lu Rou Fan (Pork over Rice) - Great flavor, a little too oily but what can you do, it's pork belly! Wish it came with a little bit more meat for a better ratio of rice to meat. Also, would have been nice to have some pickled daikon or other vegetable in addition to the cilantro garnish. I think it would have been able to contrast with and mitigate the heaviness of pork belly. Overall, a fantastic start and I look forward to trying more! Four stars for now! read more

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I almost always get the beef noodle soup here. My personal preference is for the clear broth, but the original and spicy broths are also tasty. They don't skimp on the meat and the noodles have a great consistency. MonGa offers a wide selection of side dishes, most of which are available as part of their combos. My go-to is the "Zeitgeist" (beef noodle soup combo) with pig ears and seaweed salad. Pro-tip: With the Zeitgeist combo, you can sub in any of the beef noodle soup variants on the menu. read more

The Fried Chicken Leg here is the best you can find in Seattle. Good portion, good service.

The fried chicken thigh was amazing. Skin was crispy and the meat was tender. Also really enjoyed the pickles cucumber. The beef noodle was okay but didn't like the layer of oil sitting on top read more

Solid milk tea but it only comes in a small size. It's a bit pricier compared to other places despite its small size and unfortunately flavor choices are pretty limited. Tapioca is an extra dollar but the texture was perfectly chewy and had a nice sweetness to compliment the mild tea. Definitely coming back for more tea...once I get a job read more

Disappointing Ambience: 3 Food: 3 Value: 2 Monga is the (other) newly opened Taiwanese style eatery, the small eats style, in the Goodwill/Asian Food Center Plaza, and I must declare; I was disappointed. The portions are small, the food was off (the noodle soup was way too salty and the pork buns were too sour), and the price was high. It was not a good combination. read more

Yay! a cheaper version of Facing East = I'm a happy camper. The first time we went, I got the ru rou fan combo - comes with rice and pork, 2 sides that you can pick from (I really like the bamboo and the tofu), and soup. Pretty good deal IMO. Second time we came here, I got the beef noodle soup with flank AND tendon. I thought the meat was really tender and delicious but the soup base was pretty bland. Even compared to Tapioca Express's beef noodle soup (which is ok), this was meh at best. However, I also ordered the spicy wontons with peanut sauce, which was delicious!! This consisted of a bowl of yummy wontons drenched in hot chili oil and dipped in peanut sauce. I loved it. Also ordered the shaved ice - omg yum! Got the 3 item combo with taro, mango, and mochi balls. I think they charged extra for the mochi balls for some reason but it was well worth it. We devoured that shaved ice :) If you like taiwanese food, this place is definitely worth a try. read more

Wife and I were in the area after a Circus Solie show. We decided on an early dinner at this place after reading reviews on Yelp. Overall impression is 2.5 Star if in Los Angeles. For the Seattle area, I'm generously giving them a 3. Not Bad, but nothing to Yelp about. Not in the same class as Facing East. There is a reason why no lines here and always a wait at FE. We ordered the beef shank and tendon noodle soup combo with our choice of pig's ear and bamboo shoots. We also ordered pork belly bun, spicy won-ton, and finished with shaved ice. The soup flavoring was ok. Disappointed with the noodles. All of the Taiwan noodle houses in LA and Vancouver/Richmond offered differed choices of noodles. Not here. Very bland basic noodle. For the price charged, I was expecting hands torn noodles. The pork bun was Ok. However, not as good as FE. The won-ton was not so good. It was in a gooy peanut based sauce which masked the flavor of the wontons if they had any to start with. Texture was bad. Seemed over cooked or the sauce made it mushy. Another bad tasting item was the bamboo shoot as a side dish. It still had that tinny canned hint to it. Seem not much effort to rising prior to seasoning them. We made a point to save room for the shaved ice. From comments and photos by other reviewers, this should be the highlight of our meal. Unfortunately, not. We ordered the "small". It came in a good sized bowl filled with shaved ice. For sure enough for two. However, at $6.99, one should get more than couple of teaspoons of red beans, taro, and a miserly drizzle of sweeten condense milk. The flan was ok, but the taro was a disappointment. Both the red beans and taro were under cooked and lacked "seasoning" (Surgar and Spices). The service was good and the waitress gave us good recommendations and was attentive to our dining needs. Unfortunately the kitchen just fell short of expectations. Lastly the prices seemed high and the portions small. For lower prices, we had far superior Taiwanese food in LA, Richmond, and Brooklyn. Not likely to return until we tried Little Taipei or even the East Indian place and the Hunan place in the same mall. read more

This is one of my go-to restaurants on the Eastside. The food is consistently good and I've never had a bad meal here and I've probably tried everything on the menu except the drinks and desserts. My usual order is the beef noodle combo with sliced pig ears and marinated eggs. The beef broth has a rich flavor and dark color, and you can ask for the chili oil on the side to taylor to your taste. The pig ears are the best that I have ever had and are worth coming here for alone. The seasoning is perfect! The popcorn chicken is another favorite. There are other Taiwanese restaurants that have opened in Bellevue recently but I always come back to MonGa. read more

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Four adults, one 2 year old and a 6 month old went for dinner. They charged us 20% tips including my 6 month old just sitting on high chair. We do not mind giving tips when there are 6 adults, but including kids are not cool at all. Plus, there is no service at all. What can 6 month old baby eat there? She literally just sat there for an hour watching us eat and people walking by. Anyway, the server gave us an excuse by saying "if your baby is in her car seat, then we will not charge you 20% tips". OH WOW! Thanks for letting me know that there is such rule. Maybe you should've added this on your menu or put up a sign for it. Just very disappointed how they try to charge more from the customers after renovation. Maybe they lack of money! Food wise, the bubble tea tasted so bland. It tasted like instant milk tea mixed with water and added with ice. The beef noodle soup- my husband said it's tasteless, no flavor at all. The beef noodle soup from Din Tai Fung is still the best so far! read more

This place is pretty close to my office, but I only just found out about it through a coworker recently! Their combos are some deliciousness and I couldn't decide what I wanted - rice?! Noodles?! HALP! ...I went with the noodles, btw. My coworkers all got the rice combo, which I will DEFINITELY be trying next time! For $13, it included 2 very classic sides (you pick from a list) with your main entree. The pork in my noodle soup was SOOOOO tender. And they weren't stingy with it at all! I had about 5 or 6 HUGE pieces! I would have liked more noodles, but I do tend to eat more than the average human. After we each ate our meals, we got a shaved ice dessert to finish up. I'm not sure what the total was as my coworker footed the bill, but I can't wait to go back and try the rice combo! read more

It's alright.. that's the general impression of the wife and I. the porkchop is kinda dry, not really flavorful. the beef noodle soup was 'ok'.. the noodles could be thicker/chewier.. the broth was a bit bland pork ears - looks like pre-made and left in a fridge.. that's reality though.. super cold and hard.. not well flavored. i think facing east is much much better in comparison.. read more

One of the middle aged short-hair waitresses with glasses on has the worst service ever. She even got mad if you ask questions about the menu. She also refused to serve me spicy sauce when I asked for the stinky tofu cuz she said the kimchi comes with tofu is already spicy. Seriously? It's just spicy sauce!!! She's very rude in so many ways and ruining the reputation of Monga Cafe. If she hates to help the customers so much, why does she continue to work as a waitress? All she did is just to make customers feel very unwelcome!!! read more

We came here randomly and thought we should give this place a try. I didn't know Taiwanese food was located in this shopping center! Overall, everything was really good. I had the pork bun as an appetizer to share. The meat was tender and flavorful. It is also a little sweet. I believe they add a touch of sugar on top with the peanuts. I ordered their specialty beef soup as an entree. It was pretty flavorful and again the meat was tender. I would order this one again. I also had green milk tea which was pretty tasty and refreshing. For dessert, we ordered the shaved ice dish. They put a big flan on top of it which I really enjoyed. I love the cute family photos on the wall too. Nice family restaurant. read more

Service is good to start out. Waitress instantly brought a cold water for my son & warm water for me. That's a good intuition, so she gets extra tip just for that one. Food. I got a vegan plate & my son got vegan noodles. The noodles dishes, both were very good. They respect vegan & religious food choices & it's awesome! They have hot sauce with garlic & no garlic too in case you do not like garlic. read more

MonGa Cafe - Open kitchen - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

The best Taiwanese restaurant in the area right now! Definitely don't overlook the small plates/appetizers, those are definitely a specialty and highlight here. And, of course, definitely try the stinky tofu - it's hard to find ones here that can rise to the level of the ones in Taiwan, but this one does. read more

All I gotta say is that shaved ice is to die for. The flan on top is one of the best flan I have ever tasted, so smooth and creamy. I would just go to MonGa for shaved ice, this is going to be a hit spot for me to go to in the coming warmer days that's for sure. The service is great as well. Very friendly and clean place. read more

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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This place has amazing, authentic Taiwanese food. It reminds me of some of the stuff my mom used to make for me when I was a kid. Highly recommend the beef noodle soup! The combo is even better since you get two side dishes. If you're feeling adventurous, try the pig ear! It has an interesting texture, but it's a great contrast to the soup flavors, making it a great combo. You also can't go wrong with the shaved ice! It's amazing. 3 toppings is good enough, if you get 5, you just get 2x more ice, and a variety of toppings. With 3 toppings the ice and toppings are proportional so you don't have anything left over. read more

Their drinks are pricey! $6.99 + tax for a regular earl gray milk tea w/o topping and it has very little tea flavor. Their popcorn chicken is tender (hence the 1 start) but not crunchy on the outside at all. For the $14.50 I paid after tax for two items, I could've gotten a lunch combo elsewhere. read more

Went there for dinner. Place seemed fairly new and wasn't too crowded. Service was good. Got the beef noodle soup with shank, tendon, and tripe for $9. Tasted great. Broth had a nice rich beefy taste. You can also get a combo with two appetizers for $3 more. But I found the single bowl was enough to fill me. Also tried the shaved ice, which is pretty good. Flan topping is delicious (it's like a custard). read more

This place overall is ok; food is ok, interior is fine, prices are acceptable. Not bad but not great. Still, I had to give a review for the STAFF! Oh man! I ordered wonton (pork dumplings) with noodles in clear broth. There aren't enough veggies but about 4-5 wontons and a huge bowl of noodles to keep you going. Dude, when they say humble soup... they aren't kidding. It's almost bland but tastes more homemade than the usual restaurant msg soups, which is nice. You can always ask for their spicy condiment which comes in a tiny dish-- it's got pickled garlic and salted, chili oil which is perfect if you need a kick to your dishes! The price is maybe just a tad higher than I'd like it to be ($1-2 less and it would be nice). But whatever. I come here because it's conveniently located close to work and the place itself is nice and clean. The waiters have always been friendly and quick. The second time I came in during odd hours I was having a terrible day. I guess one of the waitresses noticed so she asked if I was ok. She was very sincere and kind. When I lifted my head off the table, she left me some chocolate pocky and told me to take care :) SO NICE. Extra star for her (think her name was Lee? Li?) :):) Thanks for saving the day. read more

As a Taiwanese I hold these food sacred, so my standards might be too high for those who just wants some Chop Suey. I thought the pork dish was average to below average. (nothing fancy) and the pork chop, wow... can it get any thinner? Can't taste the meat. Overall, another Average to below average Taiwanese place similar to 101 down the street. read more

Great pork burger with very tender, succulent pork. Rivals the benchmark set by Facing East. Good popcorn chicken too. My friend brought takeout over and it took her almost 40 minutes due to traffic, however the chicken was still crispy. read more

Went here with a friend: We had the MonGa Combo ((braised pork with rice), Braised Bamboo Shoots, Seaweed Salad, Kimchi, Pickled Cucumbers, Pork Burger, the Popcorn Chicken and two milk teas. The popcorn chicken was really tasty, not overly battered and crispy. The pork burger was my favorite, the sweet and spicy sauce they use really elevated the taste of the pork. All of the side dishes were great as well, the Kimchi by far was my 2nd favorite dish of the evening but delicious overall. The milk teas took a bit long to receive but the flavor was worth the wait. The price for all of these dishes was also very reasonable so we got to try a few plates without spending a ton of money. I have to admit, the braised pork with rice was not friendly to my taste buds but I believe it was because of preference and nothing to do with the quality of food. The waitress noticed this and was very attentive, which I thought was great customer service as they were packed on a Friday night and she had several tables to take care of. Overall, I'd recommend this restaurant to my friends-- It doesn't get better than fresh food and considerate staff who cares about the customer experience. read more

Looooove this place! Food is delicious. I had the appetizer trio of egg, kimchi, and cucumber. Fried chicken leg, stir fried mustard cabbage, and three vegetables and black bean sauce noodles...it was all so flavorful and varied. To top it off, I had shave ice with mango, housemaid flan, and Michu rice balls. YUM! The staff was helpful and amazing! I felt like I was being taken care of by mom... read more

I lived in Taiwan for a year and this restaurant reminds me of my favorite food from that time. I really appreciate the number of vegan recipes on the menu. The food is fresh and delicious. The staff is very welcoming. read more

Beef noodle soup is the best I've had in Seattle so far. Side dishes are pretty good, especially the pig ear. Braised pork is very soft and yummy. I love finding good Taiwanese restaurants to eat at. They have IKEA plastic kid's plate, bowl and utensils here to use. So cute and a nice touch. read more

The food is good, but one of the middle aged waitress with glasses is quite rude to us. Maybe this is a Taiwan - China conflict related hatred incident. I would say it is very small-minded of her to mistreat me just because I am from Mainland China. Never going back again. read more

Wow, this placed sucked in the service department. Cool, simple, IKEA style decor which was good because it felt clean. The food was fine, but not mind blowing. Portions were fine but could be slightly larger. I'm rating this place lower simply because the service. You can tell they are new at this and it really spoiled the experience. The food came at different times and our server didn't even remember what we ordered when she brought them out. There was only two of us...not that difficult! We also waited quite a while even when there were seats available which was quite annoying. Return? Probably not. I'll go to Facing East. read more

Food are okay here... Service good... The shave ice are the best to have here... It good for fast and easy lunch or dinner... read more

The food is ok, not the greatest. The only thing that shines at this place is the appetizer. Return: maybe read more

I decided to give this place a try since I've heard the rave about their beef noodle soup. To be honest it wasn't that great. The soup had 4 pieces of beef. The broth wasn't very flavorful, I mean at least for me. I did however order their Taro smoothie, and it actually tasted much better than I expected. Some places use a taro powder, but ManGa Cafe doesn't-- or maybe they made it real well so that you can't taste the powder. Anyways, their smoothie also had nice bit size pieces of taro. The only negative thing is the portion size. For $5 I expected the smoothie to fill the entire cup... they only filled it a little over 1/2 of the cup. Very disappointing and deceiving. So, 2/5 stars: - Beef noodle soup wasn't the best. Plus at $8 I expected more pow. - Taro smoothie was delicious, but at $5 I expected at least a Grande Starbucks size worth. - Parking. Need I say more? read more

I can only order popcorn chicken to go for today as they don't have tea for any bubble tea beverage? The price is more expensive than their major competitor within 5 mins drive and tastes worse. You can say they may use less MSG or something, but food is bad and it is never healthy to eat out anyway. Even I stop by for grocery I will drive to Tapioca Express instead. read more

One of the best Taiwanese restaurants I've had in the US. Recommended for general audience: the pork burger (gua bao) is a must-have. For those who miss real Taiwanese food: shredded bean curd (liang ban gan si), blanched pork (gan lian), and braised Napa cabbage (bai tsai lu). Really want to visit again! Thank you for making such great food. read more

Pretty good Taiwanese food. Like a cheaper version of Facing East. Not as good as Facing East, but when we don't want to wait 1hr for a table, we go here. There's still a wait some nights, but much quicker. All the noodles and rice dishes are good, especially the Ro-Fan (stewed pork rice). Love the popcorn chicken. Cold appetizers are OK. Shaved Ice is great. Service is usually pretty good. read more

We ordered a bunch of their small cold dishes - bean sprouts, braised duck wings, sliced pig ears, cucumbers, and the bean curd with fungus and carrots. For food we ordered the lu rou rice, pig trotters and noodles with bean sauce. All the dishes had a good flavor that reminded me of Taiwan - not exactly like Taiwan (nothing comes close), but close and was comforting to my Taiwanese soul. The shaved ice wasn't bad either. read more

MonGa Cafe - Shaved ice with flan, ai yu jelly, sweet red bean, tang yuan and seasonal fruit. - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Food is decent. Service is very good. Restaurant is very clean. I would definitely visit often