My coworkers and I planned to come here to celebrate our last days working together as a group of 7 originally, but ended up with only 5 of us showing up. We made a reservation, but it wasn't a problem to adjust the group size since the table we were seated at could seat up to 8 people. The menu is pretty big! Lots to look at and choose from. There are items that are meant to be for sharing, but even some of the individual plates are large enough to share. All the food was good and the staff were patient with assisting us when we needed them. Once it came to paying, both our friend group and the staff totally forgot that one of us ordered food to-go. We had all left the restaurant before realizing. Luckily, when we came back, we were still able to get the food, especially since it was already paid for. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Passionfruit Margarita - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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No wonder Anthony Bourdain has been here... I didn't come here for that reason, but because my brother and I were seriously jonesing for bomb Viet cuisine before he had to pick up his rental car at SeaTac. As a dancer in South Seattle, I've passed by this spot a ton but had never bothered to step on in. And gosh, why didn't I?? It was reminiscent of stepping into your friend's house and having a lively meal there. Ever the curious foodies, my brother and I got: - deep fried quails/chim cút quay ($17): the skin was fried to a crisp, the meat was cooked well, and the cilantro sauce this was served alongside was really tasty. - grilled Asian razor clam/óc mong tay ($20): this was topped with peanuts, mushrooms, and xo(?) sauce, which threw me in for a loop, but it sure was tasty! - crab noodle soup/bún riêu ($16): first bún riêu experience, and definitely not my last. Rainier Restaurant's was generously filled with toppings, especially crab fat, which I love. - spicy beef and pork noodle soup/bún bò huê ($16): amazing broth, amazing toppings, can't complain here. This meal was so fun, and I can't wait to try more things the next time I go! read more

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Hidden gem in south Seattle. This place is only known to the locals and it's extremely hidden. No fancy signs or lights, just straight to business. Plenty of parking. Service was pretty fast and we had a huge order. Could get pretty loud the later it gets. Catfish: 5/5, must try if you're into fried fish (call ahead to order as this takes time) Shaking beef: 5/5, not dry at all and seasoned Ông choy salad: 5/5, explosion of flavors and texture read more

The fried catfish was one of the best I've ever eaten!! It was amazing so please get that if you ever go here! Tip- call ahead for the catfish since it'll take a while to cook so when you're there, you don't have to wait too long! The restaurant was small but still comfortable. read more

Ok, so I'm found Southern California where the Vietnamese food is phenomenal. I've been complaining to my coworkers that the Vietnamese food in Seattle is not comparable to Southern California and much more expensive. They recommended this place and boy am I impressed. I ordered bun Bo hue, pho bo, and salt and pepper squid. Everything was super delicious. The pho broth was so fragrant and was actually not too salty like most of the other places I've tried. The bun Bo hue came with gio heo which I love! And the salt and pepper squid was seasoned perfectly. The day I came in, I didn't notice the daily special menu on the wall until after I ordered my food, but I saw they had chao long and bun mam. I can't wait to go back and try those. I have been looking for a place here for chao long so hopefully they'll have it often enough for me to come back and try. read more

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This is the go to spot for family lunches and dinner. Food is always good. Take out is simple too, when we want family meals for parties. Sometimes it gets really crowded on the weekends, but they also have an upstairs. Shaken beef is always good. Canh chua Tom is tasty but def makes me sleepy. The catfish is good, but I'm allergic so it makes me itch but I eat it anyway and pop a Benadryl. Short ribs, the kids like it. Clay pots fish and pork belly great with rice. Salt pepper shrimp is my fave. Salt and pepper squid tasty every time. There's nothing I don't like from here. read more

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The fried catfish and salad here was amazing, loved the food here as it wasn't too salty or greasy. Service was stellar. The food came out real fast too. I'd come back, they have a lot of food on their menu you can't get anywhere else. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wow, I hadn't been here in years, and now I can't understand why. This place is a celebration of delicious food. We were some of the final diners seated on a Sunday night. They could have been already giving up for the night, but instead, they fed us like kings at a banquet. My girlfriend and I shared the beef ong choy salad, the fish sauce chicken wings, and the beef short rib platter. Let me start with the last dish, which was my favorite. I've eaten a lot of short ribs. I've loved a lot of short ribs. I'm not picky; I'll go to an AYCE sushi place and eat super basic short ribs by the plateful. But these short ribs here are best in class. Staggering stuff. Tender, juicy, and loaded with marinated flavor. Amazing! With the other two dishes, I couldn't really pick one over the other because they're both great. Ong choy may not be for everyone; it's not a flavorless vegetable. We both really liked it--crunchy, kind of zesty, and accented well with the bright citrus-y sauce. We both love the old fish sauce (Thai) chicken wings from the old Pok Pok in Portland, and we were hoping these ones would be at the same level. They are maybe a cut below what Pok Pok had, but you know what? Pok Pok is gone. These are great fish sauce chicken wings. I'd eat them every time. I can't wait to go back. read more

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A hole-in-the-wall restaurant serving authentic Vietnamese food with a menu so large, you're going to have difficulty choosing. Everything here is packed with flavor. They're serving Viet street food, seafood cuisines, and have a variety of drinks. There is a happy hour menu that includes oysters, yum! I've been wanting to come with a large group to try their baked catfish. Their beef salad was one of the best I've had, definitely a must. I really enjoyed their razor clams and goat curry. I def recommend coming with a group so you can try multiple dishes. read more

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I came here from hearing all the rave reviews from my bother and sister in law as they have been coming for almost 10 years now. How did i not know? I must have been living under a rock. Either way our family of 11 decided to weather the snow storm for some good food and boy was not disappointed! The restaurant was surprisingly spacious inside, with the exterior of the building giving it a deceiving feel of anything Rainier Ave. The service was like at typical Asian restaurants. Cold, fast, and no nonsense, a great first sign to great Asian food. We ordered throng choy salad and I can understand why it's so pricey. It's amazingly freah and delish, probably the reason why Anthony Bourdain came to the restaurant to try the dish. I've never had it and felt I've been missing out all these time! We got done pho. Nothing mind blowing just typical goodness. The party had some sort ribs player which was a big hit as expected. We got some honey walnut shrimp to see if it's comparable to honey court and it's pretty good. The salt pepper squid was exceptionally good as well. The house special chow mein was hard to eat. The crispy noodles was not proportioned to the dish so it was hard to mix. All in all, the experience was great! Food was amazing! Amazing enough that i found myself back a few days later with a friend after reading about it. read more

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I feel like this spot is a very lowkey Viet food spot in south Seattle. The food felt authentic and it was good and the banh xeo were HUGE which was pretty good, I just felt like I was home LMAO. Lastly, I felt like the menu had things that other Viet restaurants wouldn't have. Would definitely come back. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This used to be the go-to spot growing up. The quality the last few times I've come in has been so poor. We got the Bun Bo hue - it full of noodles, barely any toppings, and the toppings that were in there seemed to be random toppings... not the usual that's on BBH. The broth was flavorless and a NEON reddish orange. I've never had such a bad bowl of BBH before, my and my friend both paid for the bowls (which are also more expensive then the average bowl) but only could take a few bites. We had to stop at McDonalds on the way home since we were still starving. 0/5 wouldn't recommend the BBH here. So disappointed. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Bun Bo hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My Seattle friend and his girlfriend took me and my roommate to this restaurant, and they're foodies themselves! So we were excited to check this place out. It's located next to a tea place on Martin Luther King Jr Way S. There's a parking lot in the front and back of the restaurant but can be difficult to find during rush hours. They offer both family style and individual portions. My friend's girlfriend made a reservation and also ordered a fried catfish, which this restaurant is apparently known for. The catfish was AMAZING. Really crunchy and lots of flavor especially with the sauce that came with it. The girlfriend actually ordered everything for our party, and we all ate family style. I'm not too sure what was what, so I'll just briefly list everything. She had ordered a fish and chicken fried rice (least favorite due to oiliness and lack of flavor), beef ong choy (yummy! super refreshing), coconut milk escargot (first time actually eating snail (even though my family LOVES it) and did not really like it), honey walnut shrimp (delicious and creamy), and shaking cube beef (not too sure if that's what we had but it was delicious!). I loved the huge variety of seafood options especially since I was actually craving seafood for a while. The service here is a bit slow due to how busy they are, but the food here is delicious! Definitely try the fried catfish and at least one of the "exotic" dishes that they offer. read more

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We drove here from Seattle because we missed Vietnamese food and we were not disappointed with what we found. This restaurant service in ambience felt like a family owned and family cooked restaurant. We were walking with smiles and seated immediately. The menu is robust and reflect all three regions of Vietnamese food. The portions are large enough for you to enjoy with your friends and ordering three dishes between two people meant that we had enough food to bring home and eat again in this economy. That is definitely a plus while going to the restroom. I noticed an order a couple share a noodle dish because the portion was so large. We also had the three ingredient dessert which was OK. I preferred the food much more so if you're coming in town and you have a craving for Vietnamese food don't skip this place. It's a definite must try. We enjoyed the beef salad and the catfish soup! My hubby ordered the curry frog legs and finished the entire plate himself!!! read more

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First time here and what a great experience. Stopped in for takeout and had no clue what to order, they were so helpful and friendly. We had the Canh Chua and Cam rainier and egg rolls. Thanks for the delicious dinner! read more

The food were amazing. The beef salad, the snail in coconut sauce, razor clams, and fried catfish. They're all delicious. They need to open a restaurant down south. The drinks were good too. The service was a bit slow but it's because they don't have enough staff working and they're busy. read more

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I was craving traditional Vietnamese food so I decided to go to Rainier and I'm so glad I did. The dishes were all so delicious and the service was wonderful. Mimi was very attentive and provided great recommendations! Highly recommend! read more

Rainier Restaurant - Com hen, bánh canh, bộ luc lạc, Café sửa - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Every time I'm at a new-to-me part of town, I look up new-to-me restaurants to try. That's how I ended up at Rainier - "famous" because Anthony Bourdain ate here. We didn't order anything fancy like their signature giant fried catfish (need a group to eat this) or fresh seafood, but we had some memorable dishes anyway. For this order, we called ahead and they were done in less than 20 minutes for 6 items. The staff answered my questions just fine. When we picked up, everything was already packed in a box and ready to go. Perfect! The food: On-Choy Salad, with Shrimp - 5+ Stars The menu said beef topping, but when I asked, they said they also offer shrimp, chicken, tofu. The seasoning and sauce from the shrimp as well as the dressing is incredibly complex and flavorful. It was so good that I finely sliced an English cucumber, marinated for two days in the leftovers + sauce, and ate the rest for a second meal. Delicious on both days! This is a must order! Shaking Beef Cube (Bò Lúc Lắc) - 5 Stars Just the smell of the marinate is enough to make you salivate. It was a "holy smokes; that smells GOOD" type of response. The beef were tender, even after reheating. Fish sauce wings - 5 Stars I've had other fish sauce wings, and so far, this is much more flavorful than others I have had. Lots of good seasoning. String Bean Shrimp - 3 Stars The string beans were tough and the ends were not properly trimmed. The shrimps were good. The sauce was unusual and tasty. I have no idea was in it though. That's the challenging thing with take-outs these days - can't ask questions. Crab Noodle Soup (Bún riêu) - 3 Stars The broth is not as flavorful as I expected. That was the biggest disappointment with this dish. The contents were good though. Can't say I recognize any crab flavor, but that's all hidden in the eggy pieces. Seafood Noodle Soup - 3.5 Stars The broth is a bit too mild, also not as much flavor. Again, the contents were satisfying though. This restaurant is pretty far from home, but I can see returning here if I am in the area. read more

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It's usually just my wife and I, so we usually split a couple dishes, my favorite being the Shaking Beef, although anything really is quite good. I have yet to be introduced to something that I haven't liked here. If you can though, get a few people together and call ahead to order the Catfish. Not only does it taste good, but it has quite a table presence as well. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Ordered the smallest catfish they had, and it was still huge! - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Came here because I saw Seattle foodie advertising that the old chef is back. The food is very flavorful I will give them that 5/5 but the portion was so small 3/5.... Also it was freezing cold, like the AC was on blast or there's no heat element. I will say while dining it was very uncomfortable I had my sweater and jacket zipped up all the way to the top of my neck and also both my sister and I, was so cold that are our feet was uncomfortable cold lol. If the atmosphere was more comfortable I think we would have enjoyed our food a bit more. read more

I went to this restaurant hoping to try the sea urchin or uni which I saw on the menu on their website and I also saw it on a Youtube video. When I tried to order it I was disappointed to find out from the waiter that they no longer offer it. Apparently the website menu is out of date because it lists a lot of dishes, especially the exotic ones like sea urchin, alligator, python, or rabbit and many others. I did not see them on the hardcopy menu in the restaurant. I guess those items were not selling. That is not to say that I did not enjoy what dishes they did have. I ordered the fried quail and razor clams. They were absolutely delicious. The razor clams came with a home-made green sauce that is very tasty. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Razor clams and rice. - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Came here as a stop on a local food tour with a friend! We specifically got the watercress salad for it's unique tastes and flavors. If you like papaya salads, you'd love this salad! I've never had watercress before, and it was such a new texture to me. You really need to let the sauce soak into the greens to get the best flavor. Staff is kind and prompt! They also have more unique items on the menu like snails and frog legs! Will definitely come back next time I'm in Seattle :) read more

Rainier Restaurant - Watercress Salad - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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One of my favorite vietnamese restaurants EVER. Nothing can get more authentic than this. I will never get tired of eating here. My boyfriend and I ate here for three weekends straight lol. Some of my favorite things on the menu include, bun bo hue, balut, on choy, fried cat fish, deep fried cow bung (intestines), catfish soup, and bun rieu. Their alcoholic drinks are also so strong and SO good. My best friend and I get buzzed off one glass Try it out because Anthony Bourdain loved it and so will you :) read more

Decided to come by for lunch during work around 1-2pm and the restaurant inside was empty. I was glad since I was starving and I only had an hr lunch break. This place does not disappoint. It really hit the spot if you're craving authentic Vietnamese food. I ordered the combo rice plate and it had a little bit of everything on it. It was so delicious and v filling. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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As far as taste goes, Rainier hits ALL of the marks! I had a layover from Orange County, CA so I was not expecting amazing Vietnamese food (and just amazing food in general, more on that later)... yet here I am writing a review about my unbelievable experience at Rainier. It was so good that I'm bookmarking this place to come back when I have more time to spend in Seattle. Positives 1. THE FOOD - I'm so sad I didn't have time to order the grilled catfish but everything we ordered was delicious: -Shaken Beef -Salted Fish Fried Rice -Raw Oysters (So fresh, not super briny and it comes with a unique acidic sauce that isn't the traditional vinegar and cocktail sauce which I actually preferred over the traditional American way!) -Grilled giant shrimp -Grilled Dried Squid -There are healthier options at this place! Obviously not super macro-trackable but it was easy to estimate the grilled fish and they specify what kind of meat they use for shaken beef (filet mignon). 2. Service - The ladies serving were so, so sweet and patient! They answered all our questions because we were just trying to get a quick meal before our flight and gave us some stellar choices. The food also came out fairly quick! Negatives 1. The outside of the establishment.... well it looks like it would be authentic, that's all I have to say - to me, it's a bit charming but may be intimidating to some Neutral 1. The actual restaurant is downstairs in the building - I read some reviews that says there is an upstairs but start by going down! And don't go pulling on all doors like I did! read more

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Went to Rainier BBQ for their famous cat fish! The cat fish was pretty impressive, we ordered the 5 pound one ahead of time and it fed 6 people. The skin was very crispy, the fish itself has no flavour. It's almost like a Peking duck inspired fish. It also came with ingredients to make your own spring rolls which was pretty cool! We also got the beef salad, it was pretty delicious and I almost enjoyed it more than the fish itself. We ordered the sweet and sour snails and that as a huge miss. The snails were extremely chewy and didn't have a good taste. The snails looked more like a cross between snails and a conch. The dish itself was beautifully presented but would not order ever again. The restaurant is great for large groups and the service was great. The servers explain everything well and give really good recommendations. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Catfish - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

So my mom decided to surprise me with a whole catfish for my birthday and it was awesome! She ordered a day in advance and my brother picked it up the next day. I'm can't comment on the ordering process or the picking up process but I can say the the food was yummy. Catfish - 6.5lb of perfectly fried fish with tender smooth meat inside. It was definitely one of the highlights of the meal. I'm also impress that it wasn't eaten right away but it was still still yummy. We ate everything on that fish to bone. The spring roll wrappers, vermicelli, veggies that came with it was not needed but it was nice to have. The veggies could have been more fresh as the cucumber already had the bitter taste. Beef with Ong choy salad - also a good dish, I like that they separate the beef and the salad so that the salad doesn't get mushy. Very flavorful Clam/peanut dish - probably the least favorite as the clams was too small to tell that it was clams and there was tons of peanut and that overpower the dish. Another highlight was the fermented sauce, super yummy!!! Overall, it was a good experience to try the famous catfish dish as it did not disappoint. Not sure if the price is on the higher end or not but it's definitely not something I would order regularly. read more

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It has been a while since we last visited this place that the notable Anthony Bourdain once plugged on his show and the quality of great food remains unchanged! The Rainier Beef Ong-Choy salad is the tops of the must have dishes and get the large size. The crunchy of the ong-choy and the tender beef on top plus the fermented shrimp paste sauce and some sweet and sour umami are out of this world yummy! Another must have is the deep fried Rainier Catfish that's sold by the pound ($22 per pound or $126 total but well worth the price) and ours weighed five pounds and comes with hand dipped rice wraps that you put in warm water and a huge plate of veggies and sauce. You can literally eat the bones and if you're brave go for the crunchy pieces of the head. We also got the shaken cube beef, steamed lemongrass Manila clams, grilled razor clams with scallions, shrimp fried rice, and lemongrass sea snails were all very good! The service is this family owned restaurant is awesome and the ambiance is a no frills typical Asian restaurant setting. I can't wait to back soon! read more

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I've literally been wanting to try their catfish since I watched the fungbros video. LOL. It was sooooooo good. Everything I wanted and more. I highly recommend. Service is was quick. And the restaurant give off a homie vibe. It feels like you're going to eat at aunties house I highly recommend. read more

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Vietnamese rice dishes are some of my favorite comfort foods! I usually order the rainier plate which comes with a wide variety of proteins along with the broken rice: beef short ribs, grilled pork, shrimp, and a fried egg! Wish the portions were a little bigger but still a very solid spot for Vietnamese cuisine in South Seattle! read more

Rainier Restaurant - Rainier plate! - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

First time trying it out and EVERYTHING was loaded with flavor. You get what you pay for and it was well worth it. We'll definitely be back to try out more of the menu. I've heard that the fried catfish is the dish to get. The service provided was great also. Checking in on us to see how things are going and if we needed anything goes a long way. read more

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We tried this restaurant based on the reviews we found online. Food was amazing and very authentic. The dishes coming out of the kitchen all looked and smelled amazing. I was impressed with our appetizers and entrees. My only criticism was the ambiance of the restaurant. You first enter and dine in a basement area that is very outdated and could use some picking up and cleaning. It wasn't dirty, just needs a little extra polish. The outside was the same way. The service was very nice and helpful regarding questions we had on the menu. Very large menu with so much to choose from. The staff did a great job helping us find the right dish. Cheers! read more

This is the best Vietnamese food I've ever had. It felt like banquet style, I would get it for my wedding dinner food. We had to unbuckle our pants by the end of that meal. We got the catfish as our appetizer for the table and ordered around it. Got some shaken beef, some noods, and some snails as well as geoduck served 3 ways. Everything was bomb. The service and the interior is lack luster at best, about 20 years behind, but I'm going for the food so idc about the occasional side-eye if I don't speak their language. read more

Vietnam street food brought to the states! This amazing gem in Seattle is a foodies delight. The cuisine that they serve comes from a wide region and different styles found through Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The flavor and texture brought me back to my memories when I was traveling overseas without having to endure the humidity of the region. Depending on the day, the service will be attentive or a little slow if the restaurant has a lot of dinners. The decor keeps in light with the style and theme of the food served. If you want to experience delicious street food from Vietnam, this is a must taste event with friends and family! Bring a big party to try out the wide variety of dishes they offer. read more

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We came for a banh xeo and left loving everything and wanting more! I randomly woke up one Saturday with the biggest craving for a banh xeo, which I never want or order. After searching on Yelp we decided to stop by here b/c it looked reasonable in size and price. Some places charge almost $15...I wasn't feeling that price range that day. We ended up ordering my banh xeo, a rice plate and their well known ong choy salad. To be honest, the rice plate was just okayyyy but only because the other two were just soooo good!! The ong choy salad is packed full of flavor! It's so refreshing, different and good! Seriously, you need to order this BUT the banh xeo was HUGE!!! Like my eyeballs got sooooo BIG when they brought it out annnnnd it was only $10.50!! Omg such a deal and so good! The place looks a bit unassuming from the outside but you walk in, go down some stairs and it's a nice spacious space. Service was super friendly and food was bomb! We instantly were thinking when we could come back for that fried cat fish! I'm seriously going back this month, ya that good! read more

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The food was spot-on! Family got the fish maw soup- which had real crab meat and was perfectly seasoned. The highlight was the fried catfish, with the dipping sauce being a crowd pleaser (how is the fish so crispy?)! Server was helpful as well. Will come back when we're in Seattle again! read more

Rainier Restaurant - Fried Catfish! $17/lb - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Wow, this place is amazing! Came here by recommendation from a friend and so glad we did. We ordered the fried catfish ahead of time as we had 10 people in our group and I haven't had anything like that before. The catfish is MASSIVE; definitely order this only if you have a big group coming with you or else you wont have space for anything else. They provided all the veggies/sauce to make spring rolls out of the crispy whole catfish. We also ordered a bunch of other food from the Drinking & Exotic dishes menu including razor clams, snails, shaking cube beef, deep fried quails - all pretty damn tasty -- along with a Beer Tower! The atmosphere of this place was definitely relaxed and fun, our server was very attentive too even though we were the only table in the drinking area room! read more

Rainier Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Tried this place again and ordered the highly recommended catfish dish. It was disappointing as well. I will not returning. The food and service for the price point is not worth it. There's other good places in the city. read more

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Extra long wait took for ever and wait over 1 hours for the food I really wished service was faster

What is wrong with this place? Why do they serve food with COCKROACH on it? My friend ask the server for explanation, but all they do is sorry and replace the dish. The cockroach even jump on my friend shirt while they take the plate, so disgusting! We have never had experience this before. read more

Rainier Restaurant - Cockroach - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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