I actually really liked MonGa cafe in the past and dined in many times. I was never a fan of its service, and it has become horrible and I will NOT come back again. One lady server (I believe she is part of the owner because it's a family restaurant) is very rude and disrespectful. She would come to tell you not to play with your phone, or complains impatiently if you ask her questions on the menu, all as if she was superior to you. read more

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. read more

MonGa Cafe - the front of the restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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. :) read more

MonGa Cafe - Beef Noodle Soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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. read more

Waitress yelled at me for not tipping when there was no service at all. Portion sizes are terrible besides the combos.

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. read more

MonGa Cafe - Took a video of the little creature - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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. read more

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Been here a few times. Always fast services. The beef noodle, fried chicken leg, and pork buns are always good.

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. read more

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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. read more

MonGa Cafe - C1. MonGa Combo - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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. read more

MonGa Cafe - Shaved ice - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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! read more

They have a lot of different combos, but most of the food tastes kind of the same, especially when they provide the same type of sauce for all the different meats. I feel like I've tried almost everything on the menu and what stands out for me is the Fried Chicken Drumstick, and their Popcorn Chicken isn't too bad neither. The Fried Stinky Tofu isn't too bad, but it's a pretty small serving, and it still doesn't taste exactly as how it would back in Taiwan. The Shaved Ice is also pretty awesome, great for a hot summer day. I really like sesame paste noodles in general, but the one I had here wasn't too great. Feels like they're really skimping on the sesame paste, but that's what makes the dish! I ended up adding the spicy sauce they had, and it was much better, but still not the traditional sesame paste noodle I crave. read more

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 read more

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. read more

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! read more

MonGa Cafe - Braised pork belly rice. The best dish. - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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. read more

MonGa Cafe - N3. Fried Chicken Steak Noodle Soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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This was my first stop after landing. We wanted something that reminded us of home. The food was delicious! We ordered the chicken rice plate, pork rice plate, some veggies, braised pig ear and beef noodle soup. We were so stuffed afterwards!! Want to try other items next time. The chicken skin was so crispy and the pork had a bit of sweetness to it. Everything paired well with rice. The owner was very nice and reminded us of a taiwanese mom!!! Belly happy mind happy!! read more

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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. read more

Heard lots of good things about this place and thought I would check it out. Ordered the beef noodle with tendon. Tendon was very tender and well cooked. Love the addition of the sour veggies. The broth was tasty. Overall it was an enjoyable meal but not the best I've had. Would return to try the other dishes. read more

MonGa Cafe - B3. Beef Shank and Tendon Noodle Soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I use to love MonGa cafe but recently the taste isn't what I remembered it to be. For the price you're paying, I expected either bigger portion or at least better tasting food. I ordered popcorn chicken and chicken steak rice box. The popcorn chicken had no spice unfortunately, so flavorless that they give you Thai sweet chili sauce with it. So they know. It might be my fault since I was expecting 5 spice Taiwanese popcorn chicken since this is a Taiwanese restaurant but the menu just said popcorn chicken. Now I know. Also I paid $9.99 for a tiny box.....not worth it The chicken steak rice was just average but for $14.49, I wouldn't pay that much considering other Taiwanese restaurants sell cheaper. Overall, I won't be coming back. The staffs were very nice but sadly food didn't meet my expectations and it's too pricy. read more

MonGa Cafe - S3. Popcorn Chicken $9.99 for this small portion! - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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It's a Taiwanese restaurant so they have food, snacks and drinks for you boba lovers! Chicken drumstick over rice (5/5), it's kinda hard to find on the menu and it's under the takeout section. This dish is hands down their best dish! Trust me! If you don't know what to order, get this! You won't regret it at all! Chicken skin is crispy and the meat is juicy af! You would think roasted chicken like that will be dry but nope! Chicken steak over rice (4/5), don't get me wrong, it's not a bad dish but if you have the options to get the chicken drumsticks over rice, there is no point getting this. Pork chop (snack) (5/5) - super crispy even after we got home and ate it 30 mins later. It comes with this sweet and spicy sauce. Ask for more!!!! It's sooo good! Service is very nice! Staff are super friendly! They were speaking to me in Chinese at first but when they notice I didn't speak that week of Chinese, they immediately switched to English even though they had hard time with it. I appreciate them for trying to speak English so I can be more comfortable speaking English instead of Chinese. read more

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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. read more

MonGa Cafe - Shaved ice with flan, aiyu jelly, grass jelly, almond jelly, and taro - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

My mother said the food here isn't super authentic or what folks in Taiwan would exactly do, but we really appreciate Taiwanese food in the area since it's not super common or easy for find. Food was a bit bland but I appreciate the combos they have and we got quite a bit of food. They're located in a super busy parking lot. Staff was friendly. read more

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One of my family's favorite Taiwanese restaurants since they opened. That has always been so nice and friendly. I'm glad they have done well during this past year. I wish the portions were bigger. Their pork over rice is better than other area Taiwanese. The shaved ice is massive ($13.49$ but they won't let you buy additional topping! read more

MonGa Cafe - a plate of food on a table - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I had this pork chop rice set, and I upgraded to pork rice for +$2 ! The pork rice is good but the pork chips was under cook and too much flour.. I will come back again to try something else it's hard to find good Taiwanese food in Seattle ! Im going to try every items on the menu read more

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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My boyfriend had told me this place wasn't very good but I had changed my mind about Swish Swish so we decide to give this place a try. He said the decor here has completely changed since he was last here and the verdict is that the food was better than he remembered. We got the braised pork belly over rice and the Taiwanese beef noodle soup with braised cabbage and pig ears. I think the pork belly at Facing East was more tender but he thought it was more flavorful here. I loved the pig ears but the cabbage was not that exciting. I could have eaten a whole order of those pig ears. The lady also gave us the option of making the noodle soup spicy so I highly recommend it. I've only ever had non spicy versions of this soup so I really enjoyed the 4/5 stars here. The beef and tendon were both very tender and I liked the slightly sour taste of the broth. I don't think the other things on the menu looked that exciting and I still think I would prefer Facing East but this place is not bad. Next Taiwanese place on my list is Looking for Chai. read more

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I ended up trying MonGa recently twice out of curiosity, once dine in and once take out. For my dine in experience, I got the MonGa Combo with a braised egg and spicy pig ear as my sides. I enjoyed the Lu-Rou Fan and the soup. I thought they paired quite nicely with each other. The only part of the meal I wasn't a fan of was the spicy pig ear. It just didn't taste how I expected it to. The dine in experience overall is very nice. They are bilingual but the cliental is expectedly primarily Chinese speaking. It helps since I can't really speak Chinese and can't read it at all. They use a tablet to take your order and pay which reduces the payment time. For take out, I was feeling like popcorn chicken and got the popcorn chicken meal. I normally get popcorn chicken from Hardwok Cafe and in comparison I wasn't that impressed. The chicken was alright but due to packaging, I feel it wasn't as crispy as it could have been since there wasn't a way to let the steam out. Another is just due to the fact it didn't seem like that much chicken although it's technically a sensible amount for a meal. The vegetables that came that day was essentially boiled cabbage with carrots. It did feel there was a little bit of the type of pork used for Lu-Rou Fan underneath with was nice to give the rice some flavor. Overall, MonGa is nice but I wouldn't personally add it to one of my go to's but if a friend wanted to go, I wouldn't object. read more

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

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Delicious & super convenient. Ordered via their website & my order is ready ahead of time. Pickup is so convenient (they even offer curbside pickup, but I went to thevrestaurant to pick up my order). The food are as delicious as always. Two thumbs up! read more

MonGa Cafe - Crispy chicken leg - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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MonGa Cafe was delicious! We had a delicious cup of tea, the Monga Combo, Beef tendon noodle soup and wontons in spicy oil. Everything was delicious and was served really quickly. The staff was also really friendly and gave good recommendations for dishes. Will definitely be back! read more

Flavor is always up to up to standard. But usually feeling they are understaffed so the servers are always busy. But I'm here just for the authentic foods so I don't complain on that. And the environment is always clean and bright. Like! read more

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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. read more

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

The poor reviews were surprising. We had a great meal here. It got my ever-so-picky Taiwanese husband's nod of approval. The beef noodle soup was the second best I've ever had, I think. They serve it with or without tendon, and the tendon was absolutely delicious and not at all chewy. Husband got the "piggy plate" or something like that, with a few different dishes with roasted pork. He was very happy. Prices were good and they also have an extensive menu of teas. read more

I ate here a couple weeks ago and little did I know it'd be my last time dining in a restaurant for who knows how long. The last time we went out for Taiwanese food we went to Facing East. It wasn't as good as I recall my first experience being, so we gave this place a try. Lu-Rou Fan $4.49: I wish it came with more pork, but I do tend to over sauce everything so my desired pork to rice ratio may be skewed. Still good though and a dish we always order when on the menu. Beef Noodle Soup $10.99: Typically, I don't ever like beef noodle soup because something about the broth is just off to me. I don't know what this place does differently, but I actually liked it! I don't think I could have the whole bowl as my meal, but it's good for sharing. Popcorn Chicken $7.49: Eat it while it's fresh because it does get dry. Unfortunately, no ketchup available. Pork Burger $4.99: Despite how not saucy it looks, I do recall it being flavorful and yummy. Wonton in Spicy Oil $8.99: This was the one item we probably won't order again on our next visit. The broth had too much sesame paste (?) so it wasn't the flavor profile we were expecting. ***** My Star Ratings: 1 Star - Terrible. Just thinking about it makes me angry. 2 Stars - Meh. Unlikely for me to return. 3 Stars - OK. Open to coming back, but wouldn't go out of my way to. 4 Stars - Yummy! Will definitely return if I haven't already. 5 Stars - AMAZING!!! Would plan my day or even a trip around eating here. read more

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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. read more

It was great to see so many vegetarian options! I tried the vegetarian lunch box and it was pretty decent. While the price is higher, they did put different veggies in there to make it a full lunch box. Some of the items were on the more sour and pickled side. I'd be curious to see how other vegetarian options compare. read more

Family had a great time! The black bean noodle was especially nostalgic and nice. The green tea boba was not too sweet, with less ice read more

MonGa Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Summary: Look no further for the best Beef Noodle Soup and Lu Rou Fan in Seattle! Yes this TAIWANESE APPROVED by yours truly, and yes I went back the day after and I first went. Disclaimer: The 5 Star Rating is solely based on the two dishes, I cannot vouch for everything else on the menu (although I will say order the boba at your own peril, or just avoid it). So in a city where there is SO much authentic Asian cuisine (blessings), ya gotta do something to stand out. Especially when you located on a strip where there are 5+ Asian restaurants including an Asian supermarket food court. So what does MonGa do? They decide to go for the jugular and try and differentiate on two ICONIC Taiwanese dishes in a city that can smell B.S. a mile away. Fortunately, they got that swagger. I had heard about all this smoke blah blah blah this is the best Beef Noodle Soup in town, and finally, I decided let's go see what the hype is all about. Seating is relatively spacious, and service is attentive and to the point. There ain't no messin around in this joint, and I appreciate that. I ordered: 1. Beef Noodle Soup (4.5 Stars/5 Stars) $10.99: The broth is really good with a slightly more acidic taste than most beef noodle soups, but it's the noodles that take the crown. So chewy and bouncy, and the noodles absorb all the flavor of the broth. You already know you gotta get the maximum spice to add a little oomph to the dish. My MOTTO: Any noodle soup or hotpot gotta be sweat inducing, sinus clearing, and one layer of clothing removing in order for it to be truly a complete experience. And this dish achieves just that. And EXTRA NOODLES till I die. You won't regret it. 2. Lou Rou Fan (5/5 Stars) $4.99: If you on a plant based diet and or vegetarian, stop reading. This dish is simply soul-food, and it absolutely melts in your mouth. I have had non-Asian friends who have sworn this is the best "Asian (I know, I know, forgive them)" dish they have ever tasted. I think a big reason why is because most of the minced pork is fat, and the fat drips into the rice which makes it one of those "you take a bite- close both your eyes- think back to your childhood- Rataouille" type experiences. Even for the most anal and bad energy folks, this dish will produce a semblance of a smile. So anyways- I went back the day after as I mentioned to bask in the glory of those two dishes and I'm salivating right now as I'm typing this. Now I feel like I hyped this place up too much, so if you are one of the few folks still reading this far down, I commend you and implore you to remember, don't order anything else from the menu. TIP: If you can avoid going on the weekend or a busy night, DO. Parking can be absolutely atrocious with all the Asian restaurants and grocery store on that strip and I have spent 20+min looking for parking here. Or just park across the street at Fred Meijer. read more