This place is a hidden gem. It's a relatively small spa which helps to make it very relaxing and tranquil. There is a cafe below but you really don't know it's even there. I was able to schedule a last minute shellac pedicure on a Saturday morning with Trinh. She was very sweet and did a lovely job. I will be back for sure. read more

Great manicure by Trinh! Her manicures have never chipped on me. Highly recommend both the manicures and pedicures here. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

I happened to end up out here and my friend and I made a pitstop... I totally love the surroundings, earthy design/landscape and Asian flair of the shop. The menu wasn't obvious so when I asked about it, the lady up front kindly gesturely to the wall of pictures - ohh, visual overload! So many things look great. I got a 12 oz soy SF _V or H_ latte, the taro cakes and freshly made crispy boneless chicken. The food turned out good and tasty; taro is subtle pleasure and the chicken was yum. Service was pleasant. The guy was pretty mellow jello and the gal was very sweet, charming, friendly and had an uber dashing smile! Good people, good food and atmosphere. Note: I'm not sure if the bathroom pin lock thing works as I tested it. Also has a toilet equipped with normal & strong flush. :D :P read more

Spa Chi - yummy warm taro cakes! - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

I came here for the food with a couple girl friends after a short hike at Twin Falls. We ordered a ton and EVERYTHING WAS YUMMY! -Black sesame shake -Match Green Tea Latte shake -Crispy Chicken (I think it was called) -Minced Pork over Rice And a couple other items I can't remember... We ate outside on a sunny day with my two little dogs and it was perfect! So calming with the pretty scenery and the food definitely hit the spot! read more

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They had great noodles which weren't bathing in oil.. as well as this plum (ume tea thingy that was pretty awesome) the food is perfect. The staff seemed a little confused with the cash register and they brought me the wrong order.. It was great anyhow so I just ate it.. :) Great Outdoor causal dining with a carp pond.. makes you fell like you're in someone's back yard.. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

I only ate there and the Taiwanese food is the best I've had in America. The beef wraps were small but phenomenal and the wanton soup blows away Din Tai Fung. The Lemongrass pork was good but not as amazing as the other food we ordered. Unfortunately the tiny kitchen means they can only cook one item at a time so expect 15 minutes wait for each order and food will come out one at a time. This meant an hour wait from an overwhelmed staff. Your patience is rewarded with great food! 5 star food, 0.5 star service. read more

Spa Chi - Relaxing - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

This place is such a tease! Last time I went there I was craving the mango snow dessert and the small sausage wrapped inside a big sausage dish (yeah, that's the literal translation in Chinese---don't judge). Unfortunately, they ran out of both! So instead, we got a passion fruit/mango bubble tea and a red bean shaved ice dessert to share. The red bean shaved ice was alright---I kind of wish there were more types of beans in it in addition to having grass jelly. The bubble tea, on the other hand, did not taste like bubble tea. It was like juice. And they ran out of tapioca, so I opted for the jelly instead. I decreased this rating to 4 stars but will bump it back up after I go there again and the foods I want are actually there! The pork chop rice and beef noodle soup I had the time before, so I will give this place another chance. If only it would stop being such a tease!!! read more

Spa Chi - Beef noodle soup and pork chop over rice - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

I have been familiar with Cafe Chi ever since the establishment was just a pile of dirt. That was approximately 3 1/2 years ago and I have been committed to them ever since for either their rice or noodle dishes and their bubble tea. Having lived in the Sammamish/Issaquah area for around 7 years, I can confidently say that Cafe Chi is a godsend in what I would consider to be the malignant tumor of the greater Seattle area. All of their food is prepared fresh daily by Catherine. Their bubble tea here is the best on the Eastside. I am not exaggerating. It's not one of those situations where I tell people I workout like 8 hours a day and by working out, I mean sleeping. Seriously, if anything, I am understating. It is a Taiwanese cafe owned by a Taiwanese person, which speaks for itself, really. Unlike most other places that really do use powdered milk or powder-based flavor for their bubble tea, Cafe Chi uses none of those things. The tea is actually brewed from tea leaves, the boba is soaked in a brown sugar mixture giving the drink its sweetness, heavy cream, and sprinkled with a little molly. It's delicious enough to make your dick twirl. What can I say? It speaks to me. It gets me. I would highly recommend coming here just for their bubble tea alone. I've also tried their hot green tea latte, ginger tea, and mocha before as well and these are magnificent for a small cafe. As far as their other dishes are concerned, I'm not really sure where you can go wrong. It reminds me of Facing East's dishes minus the wait time. For example, their beef noodle soup and pork stew over rice are on par with what I expect from traditional Taiwanese fare. Not too salty yet flavorful enough to satisfy any cravings. It's neither too overpowering with anise flavor or oily from the pork belly fat. Almost all noodle/rice dishes come with a small side of your standard dry tofu, soy sauce egg, and preserved vegetables. A frighteningly great combination of foods and flavors. I have ordered pretty much almost everything off their menu over the years and have never been displeased with anything. Specific items I demand you order when you're here: handmade dumplings, noodle soup with minced pork, beef/Chinese pancake wrap, Sichuan wontons in hot oil, pork stew over rice, and their beef noodle soup. See, I'm not suggesting or recommending you do, I'm demanding. As for a heads-up, being that this cafe is rather small and there's a large assortment of food choices, your drink/food will take longer than what you would expect. For drinks, they will usually call out your order or name to have you pick it up. For food orders, they will serve it to you. I love the warm, peaceful atmosphere in here that is beautifully accentuated with classical music. I wish I could embrace it in my arms. If I could have the same design in my own living room, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I have spent countless hours studying and slaving away at the chains of academia. I have also spent countless hours here just spending time with friends and family. An easy, comfortable place to blow some time. read more

Cafe Chi is located in the heart of an Issaquah neighborhood, away from the busy streets. It is a recommended place to either relax and read a book or to chat with friends with a cup of coffee or tea in hand. The menu includes sushi rolls, seafood or beef udon (SO GOOD), and delicious desserts that range from tiramisu and unique DELICIOUS cheesecake (highly recommended) to apple dumplings and bubble tea (delicious boba; I highly recommend the Warm Milk Tea Latte with Tapioca). This is a great place to grab a bite to eat if you are on the go, but I'm sure you can't resist the tempting, soothing sounds of the waterfall and pond in the courtyard, so stay for a while! Get comfortable, because once you sit, you'll realize this is the perfect place to feel completely relaxed. The cafe also has a gas fireplace that you can turn on to get cozy. A spa is connected with to the cafe which offers massages, manicures, foot baths, Chinese recipes to relaxation, etc. Cafe Chi place is my new study spot :) Beats a noisy, coffee bean smelling Starbucks any day! read more

Spa Chi - Cafe Chi in the winter! - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

Cute but perpetually sold out of key items. Was sold out of boba (how does that happen?) Took 15 min. to get our drinks (which were syrup-based). Heads-up, boba is all powder (no fresh ingredients available for boba drinks). Service was brusque. Perhaps they're just having an off day, but will be headed to Tao Bistro. read more

Authentic Taiwanese soup noodles and boba tea made me wanna bring all my friends who like Taiwanese food here!!! This place made me feel like going to a spa as the decors are very zen with koi ponds and next to an actual spa (spa chi). It definitely made me feel homey and wanna kick back and relaxed! I had the beef soup noodles that day and they were very delicious!!! The boba milk tea is the bomb as they brew their own tea versus many tea joints are choosing powder! My one and only complaint is that their service is not very quick as seemed like it is a family business. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

I love spa chi! I've been going here since 2013 - always clean and friendly! They only have regular and shellac nail polish - which is nice, because it doesn't smell like a nail salon/chemicals when you walk in. Trinh is super friendly and does a great job. Prices are good too. Convenient location, easy parking, booking online, and a Cafe next door with a lovely outdoor seating area. All covid protocols were followed. Tons of color choices!! Really, couldn't say more nice things about this place :) read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

Since it was so hot out, I was in the mood for some bubble tea. I didn't want to drive to Seattle or Bellevue, so I decided to head to Cafe Chi since I had heard that they had good tea there. The cafe is a little off the main area of Front Street, but it is in a quiet area: definitely looks relaxing. We were only planning on getting some tea to go, but we ended up getting some snacks as well. I had the passion fruit bubble tea that comes with pearls ($3.75), and it was really good (pearls were soft). My girlfriend had the strawberry tea, and that was good as well. We shared a beef roll and wonton noodle soup, which were nice (soup had a good flavor, not too salty). The menu is limited, but I would rate this place as one of the best places for Chinese food in Issaquah. We will come back to try the other menu items. read more

Came here on a rainy morning after reading reviews, getting a recommendation, and for the possibility of wonton noodle soup close to home. Though not Cantonese-style wonton noodle soup, I really liked it - large plump shrimp and pork wontons, clean-tasting chicken-flavored broth with scallions, cilantro, and lettuce, and white (rice?) noodles. I got the red oil wontons to-go for my hubby as he likes the spicy stuff, but I didn't get to try it. I also had a caffé mocha, which wasn't anything extraordinary, but that was before I noticed the green tea latte which I would've ordered instead. Oh well, next time because the food was yummy enough and close enough for me to come back. And yes, the relaxing Asian-style garden is lovely - probably even more so when the weather is nice. read more

I was surprised to find a place like this in Sammamish. I wasn't familiar with the area and thought any Asian restaurant here would serve some kind of Americanized version of Asian food. Cafe Chi is legit! From the entrance to the adorable furniture inside, it's a very cute place attached to an Asian Spa. I had the fish ball soup and the fried chicken. Both were good. But Cafe Chi gets the seal of approval based on their bubble drinks. I hate it when bubble tea places use the powder flavors. The passion fruit bubble tea I had at Cafe Chi was the real deal. Try it out if you are in the area. read more

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I traveled a lot, and I ate lots of local foods. This restaurant is specialized in Taiwanese foods and Korean. Taiwan foods are NOT like Chinese and much more fresh taste than oily taste of normal Chinese, especially Shanghai and Beijing ones. Taiwanese foods are one of the best around Greater Seattle area. I recently found Chi has new Korean menu - Bibimbop. I just say "WOW". Bibimbop looks like easy to cook, serve, and eat but in fact to generate the deep taste of raw materials, it is the food that cook needs thousands of hands to make. Unfortunately I believed I won't taste the wonderful Bibimbop out of Korea, HOWEVER, I ate the right one in here. And price is SUPER-Angel and Taste is the best. Please try this. You will really love here. read more

Spa Chi - Beef Noodle Soup & Bibimbip - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

It's rare to find good Taiwanese food anywhere outside of Taiwan, but I'm glad to have found Cafe Chi to satisfy my cravings. If you come here during the summer, definitely try to sit out in the garden, but the inside is nice as well. I've had almost everything on their menu and I give it all a thumbs up, especially their beef rolls. They also do amazing boba drinks. If you get a chance, try the one with mango juice. I don't know how they make it taste so good but I'm into it. The only thing is that they have a pretty small kitchen, so if you get there during a rush it might take forever to get your food. Time your visits carefully, people. I also haven't been since the summer, but I doubt things have changed much as I think it's owned by a family. read more

I have medical massages with Abdul Karim Taifour weekly. Karim is sharing this spa with a couple of ladies and his massages are wonderful. The only downside was these ladies that work in the spa have very little common courtesy. Even though they have sign every where that mentions "this is a spa. Please be silent," the ladies have often talked loudly to others or have message notification sounds coming from their phone's speaker (knowing that a customer is having a massage at that moment!) I had a 9:30am appointment today just to avoid these ladies. But around 9:45, one woman started making a bunch of noise in the hall right outside the massage room. She was also coughing/hacking away every few minutes with not a care in the world!! Good common courtesy should be second nature to people, especially in the customer services industry. read more

For a cafe without a restaurant hood, they get a surprisingly large amount of items on the menu. I had this shaved pork and rice special and some Udon Soup. Both new faves for me. The black milk tea in a large cup/bowl thing was tremendous, I couldnt believe how tasty it could be. I use tea leaves from Teavana at home and it is not even that good. Anyway, on my 4th visit, I had the teriyaki sandwich for FIVE DOLLARS!!! and it was great, along with a special requested creamsicle bubble tea I asked if they could make me (1/2&1/2 + orange + simple syrup + tapioca) tasty but like 450 calories. Ima going back for sure. read more

5 stars for the boba tea- freshly brewed and really yummy. Not too sweet and you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. Excellent! The food was hit or miss. We came for the boba but stayed for dinner because it is so cute and homey. My dining partner liked the pork dumpling soup. The taro cakes were yummy! The veggie soup was kind of weird. I don't know what the (not really) meat items were but they were rubbery and just not very appealing. Will return for boba for sure... only a maybe on the food. read more

When we first pulled up my husband says "it's a nail salon!!!" I'm like, there's a cafe too. *eye roll* Though it is next to a nail salon and there are signs all over the restaurant for nail deals. We were unsure of the ordering procedure. There were huge drink menus up on the wall, but no food menu. The staff pointed to a cluster of photos to the right which served as their menu. It was a bit chaotic, but I already knew I wanted the beef noodle soup after reading Yelp reviews. Hubs got homemade dumplings (10) and the crispy chicken with sweet chili sauce. The beef noodle soup came with tons of beef, tofu and some spices and sauces. Yummy. The broth was light, but very flavorful. It was also very filling. My husband enjoyed his chicken. Liked the breading and sauce. And he ate all 10 of the dumplings, also very tasty. Everything was fresh and made to order. Our wait time wasn't too long considering they made it all fresh. Friendly staff. Clean environment. read more

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We got lucky and went during a slow day. The food we tried so far was excellent. I can't believe this place is in Issaquah and not Monterey Park. We'll be visiting frequently. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

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I still like Cafe Chi. When I'm craving noodles and soup, I come here for a visit. As stated in previous reviews, the broth is very lightly flavored. My husband enjoys it because he says it doesn't taste like it has a lot of salt -- sometimes he's a salt nazi. I do like my noodles a little more flavorful, so I always ask for extra chili sauce. Their chili sauce tastes homemade (i'm not sure if it is), but it's excellent and gives the soup an extra zing that it needs. I have eaten the dumplings, the beef noodle soup, won ton mein, and the seafood soup. Depending on my mood, I would definitely order them again. I enjoy their bubble tea here and, sometimes, we come just for a bubble honey green tea. They're very kid-friendly and have little books for kids to read. The women here are helpful and friendly. I'll probably have to go back soon. My husband said he has a Cafe Chi Craving. :) read more

Arguably the best boba tea on the Eastside. The Plum Green Team has real plum in it and appear to be brewed from real tea leaves. The texture of the boba is not too hard and is chewy as it should be. I also order the minced pork rice noodle soup. The flavor was decent but drinking the soup made me thirsty (sign of MSG?) so that was not a highlight. But the tea alone totally redeemed the experience for me. I would come again just for the boba. read more

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Adorable! This hidden gem serves some bomb bubble tea, shakes, & tea. Walking in, my first impression was a cute place, filled with an Asian-themed atmosphere. The drink menu offers a neat selection of drinks, a bit higher priced then most bubble tea shops in Chinatown or the Eastside, but it was blended and mixed well and the tapioca balls were soft, chewy, and definitely the type of boba you want in your drink. I tried their beef noodle soup, and it wasn't what I expected it to be (in a good way), but from my past experience trying beef noodle soup in Taiwan, Facing East, Henry's Taiwan, and Taipei 101, the presentation of the soup was dainty, only the soup and noodle in the bowl, while the beef and other ingredients are on a separate plate, and you can place it in for your own liking. (see pics) A higher end place, serving some cute deserts and meals. Cafe Chi definitely lives up to its expectation of serving delicious drinks! read more

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My friend gave me a gift certificate for a facial and a manicure. There's no expiration date on the certificate. I called the salon and told them that I had a gift certificate, then they told me that I would have to use it by certain date as it would expire. I told them that there was no expiration on the certificate. My friend also told me that she just bought it from the salon a few months ago and that she wasn't told that it would expire at that time. I was unable to go before the expiration date they claimed, so I told them that they should make it in writing if there's any expiration on their gift certificates. Finally, they allowed me to use on the date I preferred as long as I could book it before "expiration date" they set. I went to do my facial. I wore make up when I walked in. The lady did my facial was sweet, and I thought she would remove my make up. After the facial, when I looked in the mirror to check if my skin looked better, I was shocked that my eye shadow was still on!!! Shouldn't she remove my make up completely before she started? For the manicure, it was okay. The nail polish was of poor quality. My polish fell off within a week. The worst thing is that there is no place for people to relax to wait to dry the nail polish. They only allowed me to sit there around 20 minutes after nail polish was done. They rushed me out because they needed my spot for their next customer. Because they forced me out, I accidentally ruined my own nail polish when I put on my jacket. They did re-do my nail polish, but I could feel that they were very annoyed. Finally, during the wait time, waiting to get into a spa private room or waiting for manicure service, the owner came to talk to me. She was trying to convince me to purchase some packages and products. She's not good at selling, so the conversation wasn't pleasant though I was trying to be polite. I won't go back. I am not going to a salon where they do facial without cleaning my face first. I am not going to a salon where I can't wait until my nail polish completely dries. Of course, I am not interested in listening to business solicitation. read more

Great food. It's actual Chinese food, not Americanized Chinese food, and it tastes fantastic. Maybe this is why there's so many Chinese people on the planet. People incarnate in China to eat food like this, and now you can have it here in the States! :D Their prices are pretty reasonable too and walking in is like a mini natural oasis with the koi pond and colorful plants and trees. :) Fun, intimate place. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

Came here in the middle afternoon to try the so called "best" bubble tea in WA. Honestly, I was quite disappointed. Both for the taste of the bubble tea and for the speed of service. I'd say it's just a normal level in terms of taste. Sweet and instant made bubble tea. I was quite surprised that such normal level bubble tea would take more than half an hour waiting on average. We tried some small dishes, popcorn chicken was really good. Small sausage in a big sausage was average. read more

Spa Chi - Pork sausage - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

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Quiet little place with an outdoor patio and a fish pond. There's also a spa next door and I think the set up is a totally perfect place for an afternoon getaway. The menu were photos of the food stuck to the wall and you order at the register. I really wanted to try the beef noodle soup but they were out. I decided on the braised pork over rice and a crispy flour wrap with egg and pork sung. Food was overall pretty good. Slightly on the higher price point but you are paying for the environment as well. The original milk tea wasn't bad but wish it was stronger in tea flavor. It was a bit watered down today so I'll have to come back to try it again. read more

Spa Chi - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

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I just had the best manicure of my life here from Chin! Comfortable, clean, and so relaxing! They also have non-toxic nail polish, which is a huge plus! Will definitely be back read more

This is a very "homey" restaurant since you can tell it was converted from an actual house into two separate businesses. One being the restaurant and the other of a nail salon spa. It has a nice koi pond in the back plus it was very serene with the overall landscaping of the place. You can tell this is a family business right from the get go with the simple signage for the menu right when you walk in. They have little pictures of the entree items and a simple word description of what they are tacked on the wall. The menu isn't very large on selections since they want to keep it simple and fresh. I had the Wonton noodle soup that day and it was great with all the fresh ingredients. The soup base was terrific with no MSG added and wasn't too salty at all. It took a little while for the food to come since it is made to order which can take awhile, but I have no complaints if it tastes like homemade!! Great little place with good price point to match! read more

I felt very excited when I discovered this place on the way go to my friend's house in Issaquah. This is a small Taiwanese restaurant that has Taiwanese food and bubble tea. I was attracted by the little garden outdoor in front of the restaurant. I have to say that was really beautiful. I especially like the koi fish pond here. It was made by many stones that were stacked up together. It was small but really cute with koi fish and lotus in there. Beside the fish pond, they also put some tables and chairs in the garden. The inside had an Asian atmosphere with decorations according to the Chinese style. They designed the menu that looked very special and creative. It was some food's pictures that were hung on a rope above the front desk and some were stuck on the board next to the door. They also had cakes, pies, juices and some desserts that were put in a glass case. I like the way they served here. They were very friendly and always had a smile. The Taiwanese food was really yummy. My favorite is the beef noodle soup, beef roll and red oil wonton. The beef noodle was a bowl that had noodle, vegetable and soup, and a different plate that had beef, tofu, sauce and some vegetables that were pickle but I didn't know its name. I liked to put everything in my bowl that made all the flavors can be mixed together. The beef roll also made me feel happy with its taste. The layer of flour was fired very crumbly outside, but moist with beef and vegetable inside. The roll wonton had a flavor I like. It was hot and spicy but really terrific. They rolled the wontons with pork inside and put in a bowl with red oil and vegetable on it. Just looking was enough to make me feel joyful. I also loved the bubble tea here that was blended and mixed really well and looked nice. I like the black milk tea best. It was a mixture of milk, black tea and brown sugar with soft and chewy tapioca. Its taste was really amazing. But you should tell them how much sugar you want when you order the bubble tea because sometimes they make it too sweet. I really love this place. But it's a little bit far from my house, so I just come here when I have free time. I really like to have a lunch in the garden, so I'm waiting for summer to sit and eat outside on a warm day. It will be perfect. read more

Cafe Chi is an oasis amidst the busyness of downtown Issaquah. The atmosphere is classy yet inviting and the staff is super friendly and helpful. I had their beef noodle soup. The dish comes out in two parts, you have the bowl of noodles and a plate of meat, tofu, and egg. They also provide a dipping sauce of chili and sesame oil. I am one that likes spice so I would of liked to have the broth spiced up abit, maybe that is an option they will introduce later? Also their milk tea is really really good! I used to be a regular coffee drinker but I think I might switch over to their tea. Instead of using the powder that alot of other places they actually brew the tea and make it fresh there. read more

Spa Chi - Beef Noodle Soup! - Waxing Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

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I really REALLY wanted to like this place, as I love supporting new local businesses over chain stores, so it is disappointing for me to say my experience was overall not that good. It was practically impossible for me to schedule an appointment to get a mani and a pedi. First time I called had to leave a message, and it was returned by someone I could barely understand (poor english). Second time I called, again, I had to leave a message. At my work I can't answer my phone during the day, except at my lunch break, so the receptionist and I ended up playing phone tag for awhile before I actually could even make an appointment! On the plus side, they must have hired a new receptionist because I had no problem understanding her. I thought maybe things were looking up for Spa Chi.... But then I arrived at my appointment at 10 am on a Saturday. In my personal opinion it is pretty standard to show up early for spa treatments - to fill out paperwork, to get some tea and a magazine, get all relaxed or whatever, so I showed up 5 minutes early at 9:55. All the doors were locked. I was able to get into Cafe Chi and explained my situation to the women there who responded - "Well, it isn't quiet 10, is it?" Are you kidding me?!?! I was told to go wait in the spa, and wasn't addressed until 10 am on the dot. I had paperwork to fill out, and was not offered water or tea or a magazine. I left my water bottle in my car, and quickly wished I hadn't. As for the manicure and pedicure.... the water for my pedi was almost room temperature, and when she washed my feet off it started off cold and turned to warmer. In addition the quality of the nailpolish is very low. In addition the way the polish was applied was mediocre as there were spots on the sides clearly missing polish. I will say, despite this, the women who gave me my mani/ pedi was very sweet and nice. She didn't speak very good english, but I really just wanted to play on my phone anyways so I didn't really care. I am sad to say I will not be visiting Spa Chi again nor recommending it to any of my friends in the future. read more

This is one of the rare instances where if I had the capability to rate no stars, I would. I cannot begin to describe how poor my experience at Cafe Chi was this Saturday, and I am so sad to report this, because I was very eager to eat here after reading all the reviews. The place looks lovely, but the service was positively horrendous and the food was mediocre at best. We arrived at 11:45 for a coffee and some soup. We ordered two black drip coffees, a shot of espresso, a bowl of vegetable soup and a bowl of beef soup. There were two other families in the building that had been waiting longer than we had for food, with very frustrated babies. (totally understandable.) We had to pay for our food upfront, or we would have left after it took FOURTY FIVE MINUTES for our coffee to come out. When it arrived, the waitress told me to 'taste it to make sure it is right'. I said that I had just ordered black coffee. She left and after another ten minutes, returned with my espresso and a coffee with cream. I asked again for black coffee. It was an hour before our coffees came out correctly. After an hour and fifteen minutes, one bowl of soup came out. We waited for the other bowl to come out. We watched as the other two families slowly started to get some of their food as well. After another fifteen minutes and still no sign of the vegetable soup, I went up front to ask when we might be getting the second bowl. I had also been working extra hard to understand that they were just seeming to have an off day, and I went up only because I was worried that it had just been forgotten. The response, VERBATIM was: "We haven't made it yet. You're just going to have to wait a bit." There was no language barrier. This woman spoke perfect English and the look she gave me was that of total disregard and irritation. It was at that point that I pointedly told her that I had been waiting for well over an hour for my food and simply wanted to know when it would be done. Her next response was: "When we make it, we'll bring it out to you..." Now, I understand a restaurant having a bad day, being swamped, or otherwise getting behind. My rating is not based on those things alone - it was the handling of the situation and the attitude of the staff that has cemented my opinion. At no point did anyone come and even offer an apology to any of the families waiting, and when we did ask about our food, we were treated like nagging burdens. Had it not been for our treatment, I would have given this establishment another chance, however, I will not be returning simply because of the poor customer service. The biggest insult to injury was where we paid upfront, we also tipped upfront - and tipped very well - 25%. I was tempted to ask for a refund of our tip, but knew I was far too angry to approach the counter one last time and truly did not want to cause a scene. read more

I love the "Zen" garden, it is beautiful during summer. It is a great place to have lunch and relax. Café Chi has great lunch specials (from $6-$8). Try the beef noodle soup and bubble tea. If you're in the area you have to try it. For Spa Chi - Ask for Catherine. I have the best facial here; she knows your skin and adjusts the face treatments according to your skin condition. I can see and feel the difference in my skin. Love the face massage :-) read more

Overall, good food, good boba and really nice relaxing garden in front. Cons: There is not many varieties in the menu. Boba: I love the boba here because it has stronger tea taste compared to other boba place I've tried. Food: The food is good as well. It feels more like home cooking compared to Facing East or Henry's of Taiwan, which can be good or bad depending on your mood (in the mood of grease or health =) read more

This is a place posed as elegant and all. In fact, this is a small joint with no organization. There is: -no sign to tell you to seat yourself -no way to tell you how to order -no menu -no service Anyway, people are talking about the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. Forget it, unless you are in the area and wanting a bowl of hot soup noodle. Then, yes. This is the place. The broth is plain. The beef is only ok and missing the full flavor. For the crispy chicken, it is oily and not crispy. Service is slow and I feel bad for the young girl who took order, play the cashier and make the drinks. She is so soft spoken that you cannot hear her at all and headless in many directions. I got my green tea after I finish my meal. It was so sweet and had to request for a remake. If I did not pull my hand back, the hot drink would be on my hand because she cannot stay steady. Would I drive here to have look at the pretty garden and eat? No. It's not worth my gas. read more

Wow. This place is so unexpected and awesome. One of those neat little finds that you some how stumble upon or have a local to thank for (thanks, auntie Emma). It's located in a leafy residential neighborhood and I didn't know what to think when I saw the American/Asian menu items and the fact that it's connected to a nail spa. I consider myself a milk tea connoisseur/addict coming from the SGV in L.A. and always on the hunt for it in Asia. I was completely, unexpectedly blown away with my milk tea. It was so fresh and utter purist perfection. Perfect flavor and sweetness. It takes a little longer, but it's freshly brewed tea with real milk. None of that bad for you powdered crap that's the norm now. The last time I had a milk tea that awesome was in Taiwan at a locals hangout. The ladies there were super nice and took care with what they were doing. I'll definitely go out of my way to Cafe Chi any chance I get when in Seattle. read more

This is a very interesting little cafe, an extension of the Spa Chi next door. Very zen-like courtyard that would be great for hanging out in on a sunny day. The staff here is extremely friendly and welcoming. I ordered ahead while on my way to there, and didn't have to wait long. Despite the limited selection of food items on the menu, they still had what I wanted that day which was beef noodle soup and minced pork noodles. Next time I want to try some of their other items like the wonton noodle soup, sticky rice or spicy wonton. They also had some baked goods and desserts in the glass case, so those are tempting as well. read more