Happy Noodles — Restaurant in Kent

My family and I have ordered pickup and dined in at Happy Noodles several times now, and we felt it was finally time to write a review. This family-run restaurant is a true hidden gem that deserves a lot more praise—and more hungry, lucky customers like us!

To start, the food is consistently excellent and wonderfully authentic. While many dishes have a spicy kick, there are also plenty of delicious non-spicy options. You can tell just from looking at the menu, which features classic Sichuan dishes like twice-cooked pork belly, Mapo Tofu, Mom's pork trotter soup, and Sichuan cured bacon. The chef also makes an effort to introduce traditional dishes rarely seen outside the Sichuan province, such as 鸡豆花 ('Ji Dou Hua'), a savory, tofu-like dish made from finely minced chicken meat. My personal favorite is the twice-cooked pork belly. It's so tasty that we can't help but eat every last piece of the accompanying garlic greens and fermented black beans. Plus, the portion is so generous.

The friendly, home-like service is another reason we keep coming back. They welcome every table with complimentary golden sweet peanuts (蛋酥花生) and Sichuan-style pickles while you wait. One time, when we walked in to place a takeaway order, they even gave us water and appetizers to thank us for our patience. The only small note is that the waitress, a kind lady in her 60s, may not speak perfect English, but her warm smile and genuine hospitality will surely win you over.

With food and service this good, it's a place we'll be coming back to again and again. I can't recommend Happy Noodles enough—it's 100% a must-try for anyone...

Ordered four dishes. After an hour, only one had arrived. The pig ear. It was good. After an hour and fifteen minutes, we were told they were just now making the second dish, so we cancelled the other two dishes that hadn’t been started yet. The dan dan noodles arrived an hour and a half after we had put in our original order, but we were short on time by then. No idea how long we would have been there if we waited for all four dishes. We got to-go boxes and ate at home instead. The dan dan noodles were very good. It was busy in the restaurant, but not “1.5 hours for noodles” busy.

Also, I got overcharged at checkout and had to point to the menu to get it corrected. Not a...

One of the best Chinese meals I’ve had in the Seattle, authentic, flavorful, and so many options. Every dish we tried was outstanding: the Sweet Glazed Duck had perfectly crispy skin, the Fried Eggplant Stuffed with Meat was juicy and crispy in all the right ways, and the Red Oil Heart & Tongue offered a bold, and savory kick. The Double-Cooked Pork Belly over Rice and the rice noodle both were very delicious.

You can taste the skill and attention in every bite. Totally worth the trip. I’d drive twice as far for food this good. Highly,...