Moonlight is one of the few veg restaurants in the International/Central District. The ambiance reminds me of an old school Viet restaurant where all the Viet dads come to karaoke LOL. I've never had a great experience here when dining in, so I prefer doing take-out because their food is delicious and affordable. They have an extensive veg/vegan menu and my go-to is the fried rice with grilled pork (com chien cha gio hit nuong). There are other good things on their menu, but the fried rice just HITS different with the grilled pork. Or maybe it's just me haha. I prefer the veg thit nuong (grilled pork) over regular thit nuong because it's much sweeter and flavorful. read more

Meh, twenty years or so ago I'd frequent this place, something must have been good as I can remember returning. I ran out of meat in my soup before I was half way through my meal, all I had were noodles left, the ratio seemed way off. I think they add regular milk to their coffee as it tasted like no other Viet coffee I'd had before. If you're a food snob like I consider myself, I'd skip this hole in the wall, better holes in the wall in the I.D. read more

Moonlight Cafe - Cafe Sua Da - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Delicious! Must try all their vegan food. Their vegan pho dac Biet, vegan beef skewers, vegan general tso is all amazing. I've also had their yummy salad rolls. They have online ordering now! Contactless and delicious - what a great combo :D read more

Great place to eat. We have a gathering of 12 people and it was wonderful. Food was good and fresh. Good services. Great vegetarian and meat options. read more

I've been coming here for almost 10 years. The food is delicious and very cheap! It's like $8 for almost everything on the menu. Their spicy beef soup is really good and their chow main- crunchy or soft noodles. Also if you're vegetarian they have an entire vegetarian menu and can do no egg and make it vegan to! read more

I've been a regular here for the past few months due to its proximity to work and the fact that I've vegan and they have lots of vegan friendly options. However, the last two times I've went, they gotten my order wrong and cooked them with animal products. I let it slide the first time, but the second time is just neglectful. Perhaps something changed, but now they don't seem to care for people's preferences. Be careful if you're vegan, inspect your food and make sure no rotting carcass is put on your plate. Would be a zero rating, but ‍. Update 01/13/2020 Looks like ownership had changed recently, which could explain the drop in quality. 4/5 rating with the previous owner. 1/5 with new ownership. Update 06/08/2020 Our office decided to get lunch here for the staff today. All orders were 100% accurate and tasty. 5/5 now! read more

PLEASE PRESSURE WASH YOUR SIGNS AND EXTERIOR. I'm sorry but it's been molded over for over a decade and it drives me bonkers. The inside could really use a deep clean too. All that aside this place is great if you're a vegetarian into fake meat. Sub par if you're a meat eater. I eat meat and almost prefer the fake meat dishes cuz it's cooked better. I like the Bun. I live across the street and would come here more but every single time I order takeout- it takes forEVER. I order they say 20 minutes. I show up in 20-25 minutes and have to sit inside and wait another 15-20 minutes for my food. It's happened enough times I just stopped going despite it being so close to home. read more

I only come here for vegetarian food because they're good and have many options for vegetarian food. However, there was an old man that stand in the cashier, I asked him for his opinion on what to order because it's our first. He rudely responded and just told us to hurry up on our order. Hmm since this place is busy, they don't care too much about customer i feel like. Also, half of the plate is all lettuce and vegetables although we called fake meat which is made from mostly tofu, flours and other stuff. So its pretty cheap compares to meat, but the price is high and the plate have barely any fake meat. read more

The original vegan meat many other places copy them. This is the best. Love the sesame "beef" and the fried "fish" with ginger sauce read more

Of all of the Pho places in Seattle, this one has been the worst in my experience. I really wish there was a closer alternative to me, because I really want this place to not-suck, but I've been let down on several occasions. I've been here a total of four times. Twice the food took forever (one time I even called ahead to order it, I don't recommend washing time doing this) one time I was told they were closed a half hour early (There was a guy that tried to enter behind me for a pickup and was turned away - I wasn't the only one surprised by this) and the fourth time was okay. Every time, my order is the same - 2 medium Pho. Guys - I really want to give you another chance, so here's the deal. The next time I show up, if the Pho I order takes 25 minutes to come out, and people entering the restaurant after me have their food already, your rating will stay at 1. Otherwise if my experience isn't completely shitty, I'll bring it up to 3 or maybe even 4 and chalk all the previous incidents as bad luck. The ball is in your court. Your not the only Pho place in town - you should probably care more since you've got stiff competition. read more

You rarely find many veggie-friendly restaurants in the international district, but Moonlight Cafe has plenty to offer. Located a little farther east of the main I-D strip, it's a Seattle institution for vietnamese food. The restaurant is pretty huge, and the decor and ambiance is what you'd find in any oriental restaurant, except a little cleaner and brighter. They don't have the fancy bells-and-whistles that you'll find in the new-age asian restaurants in Capitol Hill, but they're the boss of good food. And, they have a parking lot for their guests, which is definitely a plus. They have a huge menu of vietnamese dishes, and have faux-protein options for almost every meat entree. That is pretty much unheard, and it brings about a welcome change, specially for vegetarian/vegan folks who're intimidated by the authenticity of asian restaurants. The food is stellar, and from what I've been told, authentic. We tried a bunch of entrees, phos, and noodles, and everything was great. I specially enjoyed the spicy noodle soup, somewhat like spicy pho, as well as their chowmein - very flavorful. A word of caution, they close earlier than listed on yelp, so either check their website or call and confirm availability. Overall, wonderful place for vegetarians, and I will be back here to try other options. read more

Excellent food. Tasty and fresh. if you're a vegan you don't have to think twice.

This has been consistently one of my favorite restaurants in seattle for like two decades. Everyone- from vegans to meat lovers have had a good experience with me here. As my most recent guest said - it is all about the broth & this broth is good. me - yep. read more

Moonlight cafe is great. This is my favorite place in Seattle for vegan pan-asian food. I love their sesame "beef" and the pan fried noodles. Ordering is super easy too since they have a vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu. The only thing I would change is bringing back the separate vegan and vegetarian menus since the vegan and vegetarian food is combined into one menu now so ordering is a bit trickier. But the waitstaff is very helpful and know how to make the vegetarian dishes vegan so it's not a huge problem. read more

Yo so this is like my friendly neighborhood spot for quick Asian cuisine with big portions and not at an expensive price. I have nothing bad to say I love this spot and I'll miss it when I move read more

Ok first of all this place is located on upper Chinatown in Seattle. They have vegetarian menu with a lot of cool options, also they have a regular menu that consists with meats! I prefer the sesame beef on the vegetarian menu, I must say it is really yummy but I'm thinking is it real vegetarian food, because it's smells, looks, taste like meat, I'm confused! We also order the hot soup special not really a good soup, it tasted bland and not enough vegetables in it! Service was ok but not great. read more

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Moonlight Cafe has three significant assets: a parking lot, it's open till ten and it's inexpensive. Last night we came for a late evening dinner. Three other couples were also dining. As others have mentioned, the inside is more polished than the exterior. Moonlight is located next door to the Franz bakery (that fills my house with the most divine aroma when a summer evening northwest breeze is stirring). Inexplicably, we were handed two well-worn vegetarian menus (both identical) but just one menu with "regular" cuisine. An inspection of the vegetarian menu would lead you to believe it includes meat dishes - chicken, pork, etc. Of course, the meat is tofu, but I suppose chicken and pork look sexier on a menu than tofu. But why are vegetarian restaurants so meat-wannabe? Call a spade a spade, or more precisely, call tofu tofu, because that's what it is. We had literally just opened our menus when a server came and asked for our order. We said we needed more time to ponder the menu. Nonetheless, less than thirty seconds later a different staff person came to get our order. Feeling rushed, we quickly decided on the pork skin (real pork, that is) salad rolls, chicken chow mein and a seafood vegetable dish. The pork salad rolls were only fair - the pork was very dry. When we got the salad rolls, we noticed a couple staffers had taken the condiment trays (Siracha, soy sauce, salt & pepper) off all the tables and placed them onto a single table in the dining room. It appeared they had been restocking the condiments. But when they were done, they put the condiment trays back on all the dining room tables, except where people were eating. So to get our condiments, we had to pluck a tray off an unoccupied table. The chicken chow mein with soft noodles (crunchy noodles were also available) was good. We didn't care much for the seafood vegetable dish because there was so much gloppy cornstarch in it. Overall, we were unimpressed. I don't know how to say this without being overly blunt, but last night we were awoken (both of us) and it wasn't by the booming thunder and gully-washing rain. read more

It's been about 100 years since I've been to Moonlight, I think I ate here when I first came to Seattle, so long ago. Finally returned to lunch with a friend who recently moved to the International District. Finding food that pleases both veg and non-veg peeps can be challenging, but not at Moonlight. Moonlight has an array of mock meats and tofu, and so many dishes to choose from on a menu almost as thick as a Harry Potter book. I chose the Kung pao mock chick'n, my friend enjoyed the sweet and sour and my partner ate the Mongolian chicken, with the real deal. We all were happy with the flavors, pleased with the portions and grateful for the service, even though our server appeared new and also struggled a bit with the language. We shared a tofu fresh roll which while fresh, featured a slightly strange dehydrated tofu shred rather than fresh tofu. That was the only miss during our meal, and that's OK. The restaurant was buzzing, tables filled with families enjoying their lunch, and the restaurant was clean and pleasant to relax in, while we leisurely enjoyed our meal. We'll be back Moonlight, and it won't take a 100 years. read more

Returned here for the first time in ages today, and I am so glad I did. This place is terrific for vegetarians and has some goodies for the omnivores and carnivores too. It's off the beaten path a bit, just a stone's throw from Northwest Tofu, Pratt Fine Arts, Pratt Park, etc., but it is worth finding your way here. The menu is extremely diverse with lots of veggie stuff, a fair amount of it featuring faux meat with thrilling flavors and textures...there's no way that this stuff is good for you, it's far too delicious in a way that implies some time in a deep fryer. I stopped in today and had General Tso's "chicken" for lunch, and I've got to say that General Tso was one heck of a good cook. No wonder he reached the rank of General while Harlan Sanders never made it past Colonel. If they ever met, I'd bet General Tso would say, "Colonel, shine my boots!" and Col. Sanders would have to do it, and while he was doing it, Gen. Tso would tell him how bad his chicken sucks it. He might even bump him down to Major or Captain. But I digress! Moonlight Cafe's meatless homage to General Tso was delicious and the perfect size with a side of steamed rice, and it was super cheap! The guy at the counter could not have been friendlier. This is officially my favorite cheap eats in Seattle now. Go go go! Wooo! read more

Moonlight Cafe - Moonlight Cafe's vegetarian version of General Tso's chicken. YEAH. - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The original schizophrenic restaurant. There's a menu for meat-eaters and a vegan menu for the rest of us. While I'm not stoked that my vegan meal was prepared in a kitchen full of animal flesh, it's important not to over-think the conditions in the prep area and just presume the meat is kept away from the veg ingredients and that the cookware is separate, or at least cleaned between uses. My vegetarian hygiene paranoia aside, my meal was phenomenal. The waitress produced a pot of hot tea with my menu and returned promptly to take my order. My shredded tofu spring rolls were incredibly dense: rolled tighter than a rastaman's spliff and full to bursting with shredded vegetables & (fried) tofu. The dipping sauce was a not-unexpected sweet/sour arrangement, of which perhaps a little too little was proffered. I fell to the weight of suggestion and ordered the sesame 'beef,' which was exactly what I had expected/hoped-for. A substantial portion of vegan 'beef' sauteed in a sweet sesame-infused sauce with green/white onions and matchstick red/green peppers, then sprinkled with sesame seeds. For those of you not in the know, vegans & Buddhists have been holding out on you. Asian markets are full of products meant to mimic in particular the mouth-feel of cooked animal flesh (without any of the health/karmic entanglements). The vegan 'beef' substance is indistinguishable from cow flesh except by its uniformity (consistently chewy but lacking gristle, fat &c) and the delicate flavors used in its manufacture (in this instance a fleeting hint of cinnamon is the predominant note). There's also vegan chicken, fish, lamb, shrimp, kidney &c, many of which are available at Moonlight. I got no dessert, though there were some available. I'm actually sitting here in my eagerness to try some more of their menu wondering if I should go back for takeout later tonight. I haven't been a consecutive night diner since I first discovered Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai in Wallingford, so Moonlight is on the verge of entering fairly esteemed company for this vegetarian diner. read more

Moonlight Cafe - Vegan Sesame 'Beef' - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Yummy neighborhood spot in Central District - don't be scared by the shady strip plaza - not representative of the restaurant, which is completely fine inside. Immense menu with classic Vietnamese eats, completely vegetarian (faux meat). Kitchen whips up everything from beef and chicken pho, vermicelli bowls, claypot, noodle soups, over-rice dishes....the list goes on - definitely has something for everyone. We split the sesame beef and the eggplant/tofu claypot - both were extremely flavorful and tasty. Sesame 'beef' hit the spot and eggplant/tofu was well-seasoned, perfectly braised. Pleasant, fast service. Super reasonable pricing ($8-12/entree). Ample space and large tables accommodate group dining. I was wary of faux meat, but am now a believer - if you need to taste it to believe it, Moonlight Cafe is for you! read more

Faux meat lovers unite! My husband and I are neither vegetarian nor vegan. We do, however, ALWAYS order from the vegan menu when we come here. I swear, if there were always faux meat dishes like these everywhere, we might just change our minds, the food here is that good. With many other of our favorite restaurants, we cannot help but always order the same dishes. These are the ones that we enjoy and crave and when you are craving something, I believe it's best to satisfy that craving, rather than be disappointed. We always have the sesame beef or our new discovery, the Mongolian beef, gluten with cashews and veggies, and the tofu eggplant hot pot. Let me just say that Moonlight Cafe, if it was not suggested by a good friend, would probably not be somewhere that I would ever venture into, due to the outside appearance. The insides are not any better, but the food is great. I spent two years living, traveling, and dining around Asia. Trust me, some of the best food that I have ever had was along roads and outside in a handful of countries. I have learned that I can look beyond decor and know that I would much rather be satisfied with delicious food than have an aesthetically pleasing environment. Yes, it is a bit gross and neglected and I wish that the owners would take some time to clean, but for us ignorance is bliss. Naive, yes, but Moonlight Cafe has never let us down in the taste department. It is definitely one of our faves and we love the food and therefore we will always come back for more. read more

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I've never eaten in here, only had takeout, so I can't comment as to the service in the joint. Just from walking in & out, the ambiance is pretty lacking, as the place is fairly simple and unassuming. That's fine. You come here for the food. Everything I've tried here - noodles, real meat, fake meat - has been absolutely spot-on. I have a weird crush on the faux meat that a lot of Asian restaurants use, and when a craving hits from time to time, Moonlight or In the Bowl are the only spots that will hit the, um, spot. But seriously, the food is right on. Delicious sauces, great ratio of meat to veg and none of those shady throwaway cuts of meat that you so frequently get at lowbrow Asian eateries. Just solid, cheap food to fill your belly and satisfy your (my) cravings. read more

This place is more for the vegetarian eaters. There are not vegetarian dishes available too. The food was ok, bit on the salty side and of course msg. Service was friendly. Hygienically, not a fan read more

My friend and his husband were in town and they are vegan so we picked the Moonlight Restaurant. The foods were delicious and fresh. We were really enjoying the foods and Vietnamese atmosphere restaurant. read more

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Moonlight Cafe is easily in my top 10 Seattle vegetarian restaurant list. I've been going to this place for the last 7 to 8 years and food STILL taste the same! The service is quick and the food delicious. I took my mom here a few years back while she was visit from Chicago and she at the vegetarian pho and fell in LOVE. Mind you, she's a carnivore. Would I recommend Moonlight Cafe to a friend? Absolutely! Why 4 stars instead of 5? I think it's about time Moonlight had a slight update to the inside of the restaurant. It's kind of dark in there and the restrooms are let's just say, Capitol Hill Wild Rose ish.. If you haven't been to Wild Rose, I'd compare the restrooms to slightly cleaner gas station restroom. read more

They have the best chicken pho broth. This is my go to place for pho. Their shrimp salad rolls and peanut sauce is really good as well. I usually only order Togo from here, service has always been easy and quick! read more

We came in around noon for some lunch pho. It was freezing outside so we wanted to sit away from the door. The restaurant was half full and there were plenty of places but we were told to sit at the small table next to the door. When i told the waiter that my girlfriend was sick and we wanted to sit away from the door he said he didn't care. The food was bland and unmemorable but his attitude left a horrible bitter taste in my mouth. Wish we had taken the sign and gone somewhere else. read more

I've been here a handful of times, probably even more than just a handful of times and at the end of the day I think it's average. Not the best Vietnamese food that I've ever had but also not the worst. The restaurant is overall spacious and the inside is okay. I've never doubted the cleanliness of the food but have definitely been sketched out about the facility. My normal go to is either the Bun Bo Hue or Pho Dac Biet. The Bun Bo Hue in my opinion is not very authentic at all. It's good, very flavorful.. But it's missing the authenticity of other BBH's that I've had. The soup base for the pho is good, once again very flavorful but to me it's missing something. Overall, pretty average! It curves my craving for sure/ I will note that the last time I was here it took the server 20 minutes, and no I am not kidding, 20 minutes to collect my payment. Like JUST TAKE MY MONEY ALREADY! read more

They had one of the best tofu spring rolls and tofu lemongrass vermicelli (less spicy) around. The TSRs were warm and tacky w/o being torn, to boot. Awesome sauce, too. Small thing; it would've been nice if both ends weren't "open". The TLV had guh-reat flavor and was super tasty. They had a neat old school design and the karaoke(?) section resembled my cousin's living room a long time ago. Service seemed ok. read more

The 4 stars are for the food and food alone. The service here is unwelcoming, and just plain rude. I wasn't certain they wanted my family or me in there. The waiter was abrupt and inattentive to say the least. The decor is minimal and cold. I would recommend take out instead of dine in. Doesn't matter which dish you try...it is pretty incredible. I'm definitely a meat lover but their vegan dishes are to die for. Personal favs: the tofu eggrolls and the vegan chicken fried rice read more

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Cheap! This place is ultra inexpensive. We came here and I had a bowl of pho for 5 and a half bucks. It was pretty large and it's a bargain. Tasty....it was okay, the broth wasn't tremendously flavorful. There is a huge variety of dishes to choose from, including lots of vegetarian options. I think it lost points from me because it's sort of dingy and the service is pretty sub standard. Getting apps with your entrees and having one entree come out a long time before the rest of the table might happen. Its sort of dingy looking on the outside, as well as the inside. So, be prepared. read more

My mother and I stopped by this restaurant after May Day protesting so we were very hungry! It had it's own parking lot, (very grateful since many Seattle places either charge or have to use street parking) it had a very nice and open area inside. Very friendly service seated and assisted us right away. My mother and I both ordered the #39 off the regular menu (I say this because it seemed that they had a vegetarian menu separately) it was the Vermicelli Noodles with grilled pork, grilled shrimp, and an egg roll. OMG it was delicious!!!!! Best one I have ever eaten! The pork wasn't hard and it was very flavorful compared to other ones I've tried. Everything about this dish was amazing! I mix in the chili sauce with the fish sauce they give which adds a kick to it! Definitely a fresh, filling delicious dinner!! I wish it wasn't out of my way so I could go more often!! read more

Moonlight Cafe - Vermicelli noodles with grilled pork, grilled shrimp and an egg roll. #39 - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The pho is really excellent- I think the broth is the best i've had, compared to pho bac and green leaf. The vegetarian broth is also really complex- which is something thats hard to find. read more

I love to come here for a good Vietnamese meal. They make a good Canh Chua (Vietnamese sour soup), Ca kho To (Fish Simmered in Caramel Sauce), Bo Luc Lac (Shaking beef), Salt and pepper shrimp (Ask for shell off) Soup is full of veggies, flavors, and 3-4 filet pieces of fish. Bean Sprouts, tomatoes, pineapple, okra just to name a few. I'd rather come here and order, then spend time at home making. Cost comes to about the same anyway, plus you save time. Ca Kho is also good here, I like to use the sauce that comes with it over my rice. Give it more flavor. My favorite dish they have though has to be the salt and pepper shrimp, always make sure to order it with the shells off. Much easier to eat, and you get more of the flavors this way, rather if you have the shell on, you end up peeling most of the flavors off. The shaking beef is ok at time, they do tend to overcook the beef. Try to ask them to have it rare to medium rare, other wise it becomes a little too chewy. Pho Ga here is also good, decent size and price for a good bowl of Pho Ga. read more

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I come here pretty often, they are always busy which isn't a bad thing at all. I really like that they have vegetarian options. Which allows for my coworker and I to enjoy the meal. I normally get the Chicken Pho or the lunch Mongolian Beef. The only thing that I have notice is that they sometimes close when the website state they are open. So we normally drive by to find out. read more

Moonlight Cafe - Mongolian Beef - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great food! I ordered the Vermicelli with grilled pork and egg- roll. My daughter ordered the vermicelli lemongrass vegetarian. We both loved the food. However, servers could at least attempt to be a little friendly. Absolutely void of nah personality. We felt like intruders. read more

Moonlight Cafe - #40 Vermicelli with grilled pork and egg-roll. - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

ONLY reason this place is missing a star is because the staff are not very welcoming at all!! Whenever I order to-go they never ask me for my name or phone number and when I arrive I usually always have to be the one to speak or say hello. However, I love the food here!! I always get the same thing: vegan chicken chow mein, and it has always been on point. Price is definitely reasonable for the amount of food and quality of it that I get. It's also a nice concept to have both vegan and non vegan options to satisfy all dietary preferences. Location is not the best in my opinion, parking is VERY limited, so on a weekend night I can only imagine how frustrating that could get. Overall, sole reason I still get food here is because of how delicious it is and I will continue to come back for that reason only. read more

Moonlight Cafe - Chickin chow mein. Amazing. - Vegetarian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A solid place that offers meat and vegetarian options. I definitely have more than a few moments where I crave the food at Moonlight Cafe and drive out of my way to get there. The food is reasonably priced and very delicious. I usually get one of the fried noodle dishes or the general tso's "chicken." The "chicken" are these delicious fried bites of goodness that somehow seem unhealthier (and way more delicious) than chicken mcnuggets at mcdonald's. And then it is balanced out with very fresh, nicely cooked broccoli that lets you pretend you're eating in a healthy way. Definitely excellent vegetarian junk food. The food at this place comes up very fast, which is great, but also makes it not a place that you go for an evening out or that you are going to linger at - it's a refuel sort of place. Which isn't that bad because the place doesn't always seem to be the cleanest - there are always a few soy sauce stains on the wall and the bathroom, the two times I've been in, has been incredibly gross. I'm generally happier when I order take out here, although I usually am so eager to eat the food I just sit down and eat it. read more

Perfect for groups with vegans, vegetarians, and gluten free folks bc they have a whole veg friendly menu! And most of the starches are rice based. Lively, family friendly community atmosphere. Vegetarian pho was delicious and wasn't too heavy! I normally don't get vegetarian food but tried it and was satisfied. read more