I was skeptical to see yet another "Asian" restaurant move into the neighborhood, but I was won over as soon as I stepped inside. The decor was gorgeous and was very different than your typical "Asian" restaurant. It seemed like the paintings hung on the wall had inspired the color palette which was bright and modern w/lots of pinks and greens. I tried the Prawn pho since I looooooove pho and was curious to try their version since it said the broth was flavored w/cinnamon and anise. The broth was way better than Than Bros. and of course the service was 10 times better, but Than Bros. probably has the worst service on the face of the planet 9/10. Surely, Monkey Bridge will give Than a run for their money! My roomie got the dumplings and said he was super satisfied and my bro tried something w/tofu and noodles that was a bit sweet and I secretly wished I had chosen this dish! Next time! read more

Is there a monkey on a bridge? Is this place authentic? Do hipsters like to eat here? Too many irrelevant questions seem to flood my brain when I came here for the first time. Don't let the name or the location of the place distract you cause Monkey Bridge is a fine dining establishment that serves up delicious Vietnamese cuisine. Surprisingly, the food is quite comparable to Green Leaf. I've had their vermicelli noodle dishes a few times for lunch that come with the skewered meat/shrimp and it is delicious. They give you a lot of food. Prices are very reasonable and since I usually can't finish all my food and have to take the rest to go, I'm basically getting 2 meals in one! I haven't tried their banh mi but they come with a bowl of congee to accompany the sandwich...how awesome is that? Their pho selection is a bit more limited but the flavor of their broth is excellent so I still highly recommend it. The place has a clean, casual ambiance with a fair amount of seating for small to medium sized groups. You can also sit by the bar area as well. It can get really busy during lunch hours, and service can be slow at times possibly due to low staffing. Don't let that get you down cause the food here is worth it. read more

Had a bummer experience at Monkey Bridge today. I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of my meal with friends, and I came back to the other half of the pho I ordered already taken away. When the server came back around to give us our checks, I commented on how I wasn't done with my meal and that I was bummed that it was taken away. All I got in reply was an awkward "Sorry." with no solution given. I'll still come back, but I will say that Monkey Bridge wasn't on their best game today. read more

I think this place can be a hit or miss really. This particular visit was a miss unfortunately. Limited staff on a busy rainy night left much to be desired for us: utensils to eat, siracha (what pho place dosen't have that?!). I ordered up two plates of fresh spring rolls and was sadly disappointed to find the rice paper was stiff and dry. Blech! They either had been made way ahead or left out too long. The boy got himself a pork pho and was not satisfied either and was rather bland and mediocre. I may stick with my more authentic places on the 99 and University district for the spicy stuff! read more

The decor is pretty stylish and deceivingly swank for the reasonably priced food. The service was pretty attentive when they know what's going on. The food was ok. The young lotus root salad was a bit too large for what was essentially Vietnamese coleslaw (share it with at least 3 people!). It had a pleasantly diverse texture of varying crunchiness. The shrimp was meaty, though we couldn't figure out where the sneaking spiciness was coming from. Chili oil? Very very finely ground chili powder? We couldn't tell. And I hope it was the lotus root that produced the hair-like strings found throughout the dish (like celery). We both got noodle soup for the main course. I got the beef pho and he got the Monkey Bridge soup. The pho was fine...I did a palmface when we passed by Than Brother's the next block. They served it with cooked beef slices so some of it was tough by the time I got to it. The broth was fine. My husband's soup had ONE SHRIMP in it. It was otherwise not compelling. I deducted points for how they handled the "Vietnamese iced tea" incident. Apparently, I mis-read the menu, saw "condensed milk" in the description and thought there was a Vietnamese version of the widely known Thai iced-tea. Waitress auto-corrected my order (without telling me) and served up a Vietnamese iced coffee. I reiterated my original order and they brought me regular iced tea. I repeated my original order to the server who basically said with a scowl "well, whaddaya want? Iced coffee or iced tea?!" Would it have been too difficult to show me the menu and clear up the confusion WITHOUT embarrassing me? Maybe not charge me $2 for mediocre iced tea? I also have a sneaking suspicion that they reuse items that shouldn't be reused. For example, my husband ordered a beer and it came in an opened bottle with a puckered label saying "Pale Ale". When we poured it into the glass, it didn't quite look or taste like a Pale Ale. Also, my iced tea was garnished with a lemon wedge that had seen many other glasses before mine. It was pretty shriveled and had a well-worn divot from where they stuck it on many many other glass rims...I could tell the divot was not created from garnishing my specific glass since the apex rested far above the glass rim. Now unless my glassware had a force field that extended a quarter inch above the rim, I would have to deduce that the lemon had been reused. read more

I'd seen a couple reviews mentioning concerns about cleanliness, but there were more positive reviews than negative, so I gave it a try. My first time there was a couple weeks ago, and it was fine. Nothing amazing, but decent food and okay service. My husband and I went back last night and again, our experience was the same--or so I thought. DISCLAIMER: The following contains TMI. I felt a little off after we got home, and attributed it to lack of sleep. I went to bed early, but kept waking up every couple hours and thought it was due to the fact that I knew I needed to be up at 4:00 a.m. to take my husband to the airport. (When I know I need to be up early, my body plays tricks on me and I wake up to check the clock every hour.) However, this was unusual. I felt a little sick. I thought I was dehydrated and drank a glass a water. I could not fall asleep. Finally my alarm went off and I went to brush my teeth. As soon I put the toothbrush in my mouth, I had the urge to vomit. I ran to the toilet, and lost my dinner from last night, as well as all the water I drank in the middle of the night. Note that I had NEVER THROWN UP IN MY LIFE before this morning. I'm 28 years old. My mom said I never spit up as an infant. I have never thrown up when having the flu. I've never had food poisoning before last night that compelled me to throw up, either. I seriously believed my body lacked the hormone that allows one to vomit. It turns out I don't. I just needed to eat dinner at an unsanitary restaurant. Now I feel totally fine. SMH. UPDATE: The whole day after, so for about 36 hours after dining there, I had diarrhea, headaches, a fever of 101 degrees, and achy muscles. I thought it might be the flu and was ready to forgive The Monkey Bridge, but then this morning I woke up feeling totally fine (after sleeping 10 hours) with no fever, and no other symptoms. Because I vomited (which had never happened before), and because the illness was so short-lived, I have to say I'm pretty certain it was food poisoning. read more

Tried Monkey Bridge to see if there was any good Vietnamese food in Ballard. Overall, not bad. We ordered the vermicelli noodle bowl and the pork stew. The noodle bowl was what you would expect, juicy pork, fresh veggies, and a crispy egg roll. The fish sauce wasn't too sweet and had a good spice to it. The pork stew however left you wanting more. The "stew" part didn't have the layers or depth of flavors you'd expect from a slow cooked stew. It was pretty much just soy sauce. Will come back next time to try the pho. read more

The Monkey Bridge - Noodle bowl with lemongrass pork and egg rolls. Overall, hits the spot. Fishsauce mixture was balanced with some heat in it. - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Egg rolls and fried tofu are delicious. Great chicken pho! Entrees come with a tasty rice congee soup. Wonderful lemongrass pork vietnamese sandwiches. Family-friendly: Ask for the kid portion size for the soup and entrees! read more

The Monkey Bridge - Vietnamese Egg Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Love this place for lunch. I crave their Vietnamese dumpling noodle soup the broth is much better too. The Vietnamese baguette sandwiches are delicious too and come with a cup of congee soup. read more

The Monkey Bridge - Vietnamese Dumpling Noodle Soup $9.35R/$10.35L - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

At first glance, I thought the trip to Monkey Bridge was going to end up in bitter disappointment. The outside looks like it should be an optometrists shop and with patron demographics similar to what you'd see in the dining room of the local Cracker Barrel (ahem), my expectations were low. But this changed quickly upon further glance at the interior. The inside doesn't feel quite as small or mall food-courty as it looked from the outside. Internal artwork is tasteful and there is a little fountain at the front of the restaurant. The lapping of the water combined with some generic music (that could easily double as the opening music to a movie set in Hong Kong: you know, the background music as the opening credits roll and the camera takes in sweeping panoramic views of the harbor from the front of a junk), the evening quickly transforms into a more tranquil experience. The wait-staff was quick to seat us and take our order. I had the chicken rice noodle with black tea and my dining companion went for the lemongrass pork noodle. There's a lime sauce that comes with the chicken which has a slight spice that I couldn't quite nail down. The whole dish was delicious and since it had vegetables in it, I'm going to call it nutritious as well. I was assured that the pork was also delightful. Now a comment about cutlery. When I first showed up they delivered only chopsticks. It's possible I've seen Kill Bill too many times, but as a matter of pride, I wasn't going to ask for a fork (or throw the food on the ground and eat like a dog). This made watching me eat a bit of a tragicomedy (it's 50/50 whether I'm more likely to successfully use chopsticks or impale myself on them), but eventually the food made it to my stomach without injuring any bystanders. An underrated part of the Monkey Bridge is the people-watching opportunities. We were seated near the front of the restaurant which looks out onto Market Street. Notably it's located directly across the street from The Old Pequilar and you can spend oodles of time watching people stumble out. The highlight of the evening was when a girl and her presumed (soon to be ex?) boyfriend began arguing just outside the front door. She ended the fight with a face smack, which provided amusement for the rest of the evening for the table next to us. So I'm going to say that there's free entertainment too. read more

I love this place! Not only do they serve the best bun cha gio (egg rolls over vermicelli noodles) I've had since moving to Seattle almost three years ago, but they also have super yummy banh mi sandwiches. The atmosphere is almost delightful compared with competition, and the service, while spotty/slow at times, is always pleasant. For the price, this is a winner in my book, and has become one of our "regular" destinations. read more

I'm a big fan of this spot in Ballard. I think they have great food. I enjoy the atmosphere, very cute looking restaurant. The food is great from what I remember. Very good Vietnamese food :) read more

I rarely eat "out" by myself. But hungover and needing sustenance at 3pm as I was, this place was the perfect antidote to my pain. Everything about this establishment is pleasant, the decor, the pleasingly soothing music, the staff - and of course most importantly, the food! I was craving pho, but the bahn mi sandwiches looked tempting... so in a splurge of indulgence, I ordered the chicken pho and the tofu bahn mi. And neither I, or my pocketbook, regretted it one bit! The pho was much less "sketch" than Than Bros. - all of the bean sprouts and slices of jalepeno were absolutely fresh, and the chicken bits were identifiable and copious. Not to mention, my soup spoon did not reek of bleach (as it usually does at aforementioned Than Bros.). The perfect remedy for my angry stomach! But even more delicious was my sandwich... the baguette was soft, so as not to tear up the roof of my mouth (much appreciated!!)... and the tofu was wonderful and delicate in both texture and flavor... not to mention the pickled carrots and thin slices of jalapeno complemented it perfectly. Thank you for my zen experience, Monkey Bridge - and thank you to the nice man who works there who chased me halfway down the block when I forgot my doggie-bag consisting of the other half of my bahn mi! Ah, the next day stupids... I'm excited to try their dinner options, but it's going to be hard not to keep going back for the sandwiches... ! read more

I can't believe some of the reviews listed here. I went for dinner last night and had an absolutely great time! The decor is gorgeous and I enjoyed the overall ambiance. The food is delicious! We shared the Shrimp Salad Rolls to start and they were some of the best salad rolls I've ever had! The plum sauce they were served with was very good (although I do prefer to dip them in peanut sauce when I decide to dip them). I had the Grilled Shrimp Rice Noodle for my entree and it was SO tasty! I am already craving it again and am thinking about getting it for lunch today...! There was only one issue I had with the food: I tried a bit of my friend's vegetarian pho and was disappointed in the overall lack of flavor. I had hoped the broth would be rich and flavorful and it was instead lacking in any taste at all. The wait staff was generally pleasant, but mostly very quiet. I did have an issue waiting for someone to refill my ice water at one point, but other than that everything was fine. I will definitely be heading back to Monkey Bridge and I recommend it! read more

Possibly my favorite restaurant in all Seattle, which is definitely saying something. Everything is good, but my favorites are: 1. The crepe, with bacon. Huge platter of food with lettuce leaves to wrap around your crepe creation. Best. way. EVER. to eat your veggies. 2. Veggie banh mi sandwich. With the veggie soup on the side. Delightful bread, excellent veggies, tart sauce = perfection. 3. the dumpling soup, no extra noodles. If I'm sick, I must have it. Like a wonderful, fresh-tasting Asian version of chicken noodle soup. 4. the Pho. Excellent veggies and "yes-we-do-it-the-right-way" broth. 5. the Vietnamese coffee. Sweet condensed milk and chicory coffee wonderfulness. Also, the price is right. You can't get amazingly divine food like this for this type of price anywhere else. read more

This place gave me the wrong food and refused to make it right. The worst customer service and ethics I have seen in my 31 years of eating food. I ordered soup and they gave me noodles with no broth! I demanded the owner send somebody to my house with the correct order. They expected me to return to fix THEIR mistake. Balderdash. Overpriced food and awful hipster crowd. Oh wait nevermind. Just had another bite and the food takes like donkey poo read more

The Monkey Bridge - Nasty monkey fart puke - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I had the opportunity to enjoy another bánh mì at the Monkey Bridge - takeout, this time, so no worries about the quirky service or lack of water refills. So I ordered up a beef baguette (that's what they call it on their menu) and crossed my fingers. What I got was a bánh mì on steroids. One huge - and I mean huge - crispy baguette roll, stuffed with cucumber, daikon, cilantro, carrot and a massive helping of delightfully spiced beef. Now, I've had cheesesteaks in Philly, so I know a big, meaty sandwich. This was one, and it was outrageously delicious. I don't remember the last sandwich I had here being this large, or enjoyable, but hey...I'm not complaining. And it was outrageously delicious. Did I say that already? As an added bonus, they wrap the jalapenos with the sandwich, in the outer layer of paper, so you can apply as needed. Nice touch. Couple that with a little side of soup and a tiny to-go container of hot sauce, and this was one of the best $5.15 lunches I've had in a very long time. I don't know if they've changed much at the Monkey Bridge in the last 6 weeks or so, but whatever they're doing, please...keep it up. read more

Its a nice place but the food is terrible. I have been here 3 times in the last year and finally decided to write a review. We got the lemon grass chicken. Chopped chicken breast with lemon grass sauce from a jar poured on it. Pho with dumplings was bland and the broth seemed to be out of a box. Service was rude and always has been. Most Vietnamese restaurants have some pride in the food in they serve but not this one. read more

Seeing all of the reviews for The Monkey Bridge that reference them being vegan friendly was such a relief. Except when I arrived and asked which options are vegan and the server immediately pointed to the EGG noodle dish on the menu. It's hard not to get that "uh-oh" feeling when this happens. After a couple minutes of going through other options, I opted for the clay pot dish, which is fried tofu in a wonderful glaze sauce, served hot in a clay pot surrounded by miniature bowls of rice, vegetables, and other goodies. This dish was wonderful. It was SO good, I questioned if it was vegan. The next night, I brought my boyfriend raving about it, and just felt pressed to ask our new waiter if he could check on the ingredients. Fortunately, he was a young, energetic, get-it-right kinda guy, and he went to ask the chef. Unfortunately, the glaze sauce has a seafood oil base that's used and pre-mixed so you can't ask for customizing. Oh well... next time we'll stick with curry dishes probably. read more

I have been here about 5 times now, and twice for take out; and now I want to write a review. The food is good. In fact, very delicious... at first. I won't complain about service or decor, as it's fine. I live only a couple blocks from this place, so this restaurant won my patronage mostly for location, location, and location. But for some reason, every time after eating, my stomach would feel a bit uneasy. Queasy, even. Once I had diarrhea afterwards, but blamed it on stress. Other times, I have always blamed it on eating too fast or maybe a sensitive stomach. This does not happen to any other eating establishments, Asian/Vietnamese or otherwise. I guess I am one of those people who don't really pay attention to causes of digestive problems, always blaming myself for some mysterious faulty digestive juices or aging or stress or too much sugar/desserts in diet. But I never correlated anything with the restaurant until yesterday. The food, again is yummy, it's like you can't stop at one bite, and it's almost like a dessert, but not. Lots of savory and sweet seasonings and sauces? (I'm not a cook, so I don't know what they do to the ingredients; possibly a lot of sugar or something?) since I have a sweet tooth. A horrific note: Once, I got an order-to-go that also included the complimentary "soup" (the lukewarm chicken rice congee). When opening the soup container at home, there was a dead spider, all shiny and black, inside... it really freaked me out. It was floating on top. I forgave them for this at some point; obviously, because I came back again 5 months later. But the last draw was last night, when I took a friend there... we're both sick of Than Bros Pho, and it was his first time there. After eating, (I had steamed salmon entree and he had the pork hot pot thing), I felt so full, and a bit uneasy; I thought I had eaten too fast. The salmon was drenched in lots of thick oil, and I tried to scrape as much off as I ate, since I am one of those who are constantly "watching my diet". Anyhow, I was fine with the food; I just thought it was a bit oily; and I did fart more than usual and have a bit of gas-stuck-in-intestines afterwards. I figured this was just my sensitive stomach. My friend emailed me this morning saying he got the runs last night. Now I realized I'm not the only one who had digestive issues; and maybe it was this place that was the source! Anyhow this has been my experience. The food may have tons of MSG. (That is what my friend suggested.) I don't know. I guess I've been spoiled by non-msg places. I went to Root Table (a Pan-Asian restaurant down the street) a couple days ago, and did not get sick or any gas from there, so I realize now that it's not an overly 'sensitive stomach' that is causing this queasy-nausea feeling I get post meal. I also wanted to ask if other people have had the same digestive issues resulting from eating here? I really like the convenience of this place, and their menu is great. The food is yummy, but I don't like the getting sick part afterwards. And yes, I always look out for spiders in the soup before sipping. read more

To be honest, I am a little resistant to trying new food and don't always like Asian Cuisines. But I agreed to give this place a shot and am so glad I did!! The menu is expansive and I was surprised to have trouble deciding on what to try and eat. I got chicken curry that came with a great soup but can't remember the name. It was so good that I got the same dish to go so I could eat it again the next day. My girlfriend got some tofu dish that I have to say was delicious and tofu is still confusing to me. This place every time I pass has a full house and I can see why. read more

It is not easy finding anything vegetarian at Vietnamese places back home, except for avocado milkshakes. The Monkey Bridge had my back. I got the vegetarian egg roll salad, which is basically the foundations of a Vietnamese salad with pieces of veggie egg roll. It was pretty tasty (use the spicy sauce), and huge (for a lunch portion). I also got the salad rolls. I'm pretty sure they give you more than the menu says. They are filled with pretty much the same ingredients as are in the veggie salad, so it was a bit redundant, but tasty. Needless to say, I ate a hell of a lot of food. It was priced very well. Service at the bar was super fast and friendly. I'd definitely return. read more

Very nice. A short phrase to describe the many high points of this restaurant, which would include top service from Tony, the decor and clean presentation of the food, and the vibrant flavors in them. Not only was Tony very helpful in menu selection, he gladly obliged my request for a side baguette to the Hue City noodles I ordered because the soup was so good I could not waste one drop. Also aside, I thought that I had forgotten my wallet at home and explained my difficult situation and although I found it as soon as I stepped out the door- they were willing to trust me in good faith that I would return to pay without giving me a hard time. The fun k-pop and j-pop music they played at lunch added some nostalgia and cheer to my lunch hour as well! Free parking- 4 spots- are around the back of the building. I will return! read more

The Monkey Bridge - @MonkeyBridge - Vietnamese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We were in the area at the Ballard Sunday Farmer's Market and we were hungry. I broke out my Yelp app and this place was the one we decided on. So, we were there on Sunday and it was just before noon, but although the space isn't huge, it was pretty empty when we got there - but it was pretty full when we left. Ok, so we ordered Shrimp Salad Rolls, Vietnamese Egg Rolls, Pork Baguette, and Sautéed Lemon Grass Beef Rice Noodle. All was good and the prices were reasonable. read more

Monkey Bridge is my go-to for Vietnamese food in downtown Ballard. Vietnamese bun thit nuong bowls come with a generous portion of noodles, shredded veggies, and your choice of beef, chicken, pork, or seafood. You can also throw an egg roll on there for some extra indulgence. Pho also comes in a generously sized bowl, and (according to my Vietnamese restaurant buddy) is quite good as well. Tofu and shrimp spring rolls are fresh and pretty standard for a Vietnamese place of this caliber, and the menu offers a variety of other small plates and specials to keep dining interesting. Haven't had the banh mi, but it looks incredible. The wait staff are attentive, and the atmosphere inside is nice enough. Monkey Bridge also offers a small selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Prices are reasonable, and perhaps a bit higher than other Vietnamese places in Seattle. Overall, a worthy stop to warm up over a bowl of soup or plate of lemongrass pork and vermicelli noodles. read more

The atmosphere on the inside beckoned me in...wow, a nice sit down Vietnamese restaurant. Crowded for it's location-it must be good! The attention to details in decorating was impressive. I ordered the bahn xeo(she recommended). The first bite was into the cucumber-BITTER. The crepe was pretty-I took a picture. The flour part of the crepe was nice with the coconut flavor. It was down hill from there... the prawns were actually shrimp b/c they were so small.Second,salty,diced, orange shrimp was added-SALTY. This is not how mom makes it at home. Don't change a good dish. Here it cost 10.00! University and ID:6.00. Thanh Bros is sad. Monkey Bridge was a big disappointment I should have referred to yelp before entering. But it looked so yummy... read more

I came here for dinner when I had more time to try out other than soup items. I really wanted to check out some of the other things that also sounded good to me on the menu. My daughter had the Vietnamese noodle soup again with dumplings and noodles. This was okay for her. 4/5 I decided to try the lemongrass chicken saute. I was happy that I could get brown rice with my order. This entre came with soup. I also ordered ice tea. The lemongrass chicken saute was good 4/5. It is funny that the soup was a chicken with white rice soup, (more like a congee/porridge) since I ordered brown rice for a reason and the soup is chocked full of white rice which I'm not allowed to eat. The service was much worse on this visit than last time. This time when they seated us they only gave us one menu for two people ??? I ordered an ice tea, and then they forgot to bring it. I reminded them twice and never got a refill. Then when my daugher's soup came, they brought her the bowl of soup and no spoon. It was very difficult to get their attention or get our bill. When my daughter had to go to the restroom, they restaurant workers just bumped right into us as they went into the kitchen without apologies. The service was much less than what we had expected. 1/5 If you ignore the service the food was okay and the atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice. read more

Growing up in Australia, the standard of Asian food I'm used to eating is fairly high. Eating here at the Monkey Bridge was a breath of fresh air now I'm living in Seattle. My wife and I have eaten there at the restaurant and had the food takeaway. On both occasions the food was fresh and tasty. In the restaurant the food was served hot and fast. I ordered the 'house special' and it was really great. The food for pick-up was packed amazing well - the foods were separated for each meal such that the food would not go soggy or hot or cold prematurely. For this I give them the 5th star. read more

After a great first experience here I took my mom out to lunch here last friday. The restaurant was busy and there seems to be just 2 people working the floor. This time, the service was so horrible and thus the service deserves 1 star! After ~15 min we got water and the waitress checked to see if we were ready to order, we asked for another minute to finalize our decisions -- she never came back. After another 10 min we finally got the attention of the other waitress who took our order. Once we got our food we had to wait longer to get the waitress attention for utensils and then our tea. A small group had walked in when we did as well and they had eaten their food and were ready to pay before we had really ordered and got our food. By the time we were ready to pay, there was no other customers and the waitress was getting the empty tables ready. She looked at our table multiple times before we had to ask her to bring the check. We were there for almost 2 hours... Obviously a very frustrating experience. Since I still really like the food, I'm going to stick to take out from here since I wont subject myself or my friends to such poor service. read more

I work a few doors away from Monkey Bridge and have eaten there quite often. They have excellent Vietnamese food! I'm particularly fond of the baguettes. -Jacob read more

When it first opened, it was absolutely fantastic. Amazing service, crisp fresh food, and leisurely. We had gone there for years. However recently. With the expansion of Ballard, it is no longer small. And with that, the restaurant is not ot as good as it once was. Felt rushed. Servings got smaller. And not as crisp. Unfortunately, not returning. read more

I'm not one to play with my seafood. If it's processed, if it's a DAY old, I'm DONE. Prawns can be really nasty. There's something viscerally weird about eating pork (yeah, I know pig isn't seafood). And 'fish balls'... gross however you use your zoological or culinary knowledge to consider the term. BUT, the 'Monkey Bridge Noodle Soup' has all three of these things, and is EXCELLENT. I also really like the pho here. Quality. No MSG. Grand. The bathroom is clean. My only complaint is that it tends toward freezing because of the huge, people watching windows. read more

I've driven by this place so many times, but never knew it was a restaurant. I always thought it was a pub/bar since there is a bar in my hometown that shares the same name. Sure, that logic doesn't make much sense, but whatever :) I ended up coming here for lunch one day with some friends, and was blown away by the food. It's not the cheapest vietnamese food in the world, but it's some of the tastiest I've had in town. Strictly for Pho, my vote goes to either Green Leaf in the International District of the Pho Thanh Brothers (various locations). But Monkey Bridge has the leg up in the sheer variety of food they offer. They have everything from fried rice noodles and pho, including those tasty vietnamese sandwiches (Banh Mi) with various fillings (meat or vegetarian). The last time I was here, I got a chicken Banh Mi and a fresh salad roll. I rolled out of there spending less than $14 with tax and tip. read more

So, I've been here three times. The lotus salad was sour, crisp, fresh and wonderful. I definitely suggest this if those flavors are in your "win" list. The pho is kinda okay. A bit bland, perhaps. Also, I am annoyed that they don't have tendon or tripe. What kind of whitenized pho joint is this!?!? The rhubarb and beef was sadly underwhelming. The sandwiches are quite tasty, but really expensive for being only 2 or 3 bucks anywhere else. $5.75 is steeeep! I guess overall I'm a bit underwhelmed by Monkey Bridge. They have a few dishes that I would go there for specifically (like the lotus salad). But otherwise... ehhhhh...... read more

This place was a total surprise. It met all of my top criteria for a deliciousness. 1. good food 2. cheap booze 3. well priced 4. good service 5. clean We got the Vietnamese pork chop rice dish. It was awesome. We also got the curry crepe with bacon and it was out of site. Next time I will order it will half the bean sprouts and with more spice. Certainly recommended. read more

First time here with my family it was Thursday evening it wasn't busy we picked are seats and were giving menus and water right away. The menu has so many good looking choices i wanted everything.... But we got some fried egg rolls n fried wontons as starters the wontons are made homemade and are so good. Then we all got different pho and they are really good about getting food out fast n hot and for all the table at once I like that. I also order a limeade that was so good i wanted a IV pump of it in my arm lol. Grandma got chicken pho, mom and little sister got veggie pho, and me i got beef broth with just noodles pho. And it was tasty the broth was full of flavors and out of this world great!. Price was a little higher then most pho restaurant but its well worth it for a nice dinner with family or friends it quite and dim lighting for a romantic evening or anything. I cant wait till im in the area again to try more of the menu. I posted pics of everything read more

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I love the location, view, decor--heck--even their neon sign and the bathrooms are worth yelping about! The food was delicious and I could only eat half of my dinner--Vietnamese Pork Chops served with a chicken rice soup, "Vietnamese slaw", (my words) a sweet/sour dipping sauce and a giant portion of rice. We ordered an appetizer that was a Prawn and Sweet Potato cake with sweet and sour dipping sauce (plum maybe?) It was tasty but only order an app if you plan on taking food home with you. The old man got their Chicken Pho which came with a stem of fresh sweet basil, lime wedge, sauces and sprouts. He loved his food and I didn't hear a peep from him from the time the bowl was placed in front of him to when he greedily slurped the last drop! Somehow, the only server kept tabs on everybody and managed to be friendly at the same time. $2 for us to enjoy unlimited Jasmine tea and our bill came in at $36 with tip--SWEET! read more

After suffering at the Than brothers place down the street a few times this place is a welcome surprise. We started off with the vegetarian spring rolls which were just perfect and then i had the rice vermicelli dish with egg rolls and pork. It was really tasty and fresh but I wish they had the chili and oil sauce (unfortunately they only had the chili paste). The final bill was reasonable and I will definetly be returning at least once a week. It is so nice to finally have a good vietnamese restaurant in ballard. They also have decent vegetarian options from what i saw. read more

I'll come back since I live in Ballard, but probably not worth the trip to Ballard. We ordered a lemon grass tofu vermicelli noodle bowl and the clay pot salmon. I wish they hadn't called it lemongrass tofu, because it was just regular fried tofu with some sort of silly glaze on it (nothing like Tamarind Tree / Long Provincial). It was fine, A-OK and 3 stars would note. The clay pot salmon was a bit expensive, but it was a nice hearty meal, I think big enough to share, but husband was hungry last night. Atmosphere, service, all that was perfectly fine. Like I said, if you're in Ballard, this isn't a bad choice for Vietnamese, you'll probably walk away full and relaxed. Not worth a special trip though. read more

What can we say, DELIGHTFUL!!!! OK, for real, we found this place to be great. First, the service is timely and attentive. We got everything in a quick fashion and didn't have to ask or wait for anything. The small restaurant is very clean with a simple, Vietnamese decorative flare. We had Spring Rolls that were very fresh and a very tasty peanut sauce. We also had the Pork Chops with Vermicelli Noodle, and a Chicken and Vegetable dish that was very tastefully prepared. The food presentation was fantastic and we all agreed that we would be back for sure. read more