Henry's Taiwan Kitchen — Restaurant in Seattle

Henry's is one of the best small restaurants I've been to in Seattle. It's clearly a beloved neighborhood spot. Everyone I saw come and go while I was there was greeted like family by the owner and seemed to know him well as well. Even as a first-timer I was received warmly, and as my friends and I spoke with the owner he quickly started sharing stories from his 40 year career as a chef and about the food and drinks we were enjoying, all of which ranged from fascinating to hilarious. I've never left a restaurant for the first time and felt so welcomed by the staff. The food itself was fantastic as well. Somewhat-americanized Taiwanese fair that clearly demonstrates the chefs life-long career. flavors and spices were married perfectly, the rice was of a perfect texture, and the meat in every dish was simultaneously crispy, moist, meltingly tender, and perfectly rich. This was wonderfully paired with acidic and fermented flavors in the various sauces and veg, and my floral-infused green tea, while a tiny bit too sweet for my liking, cleaned my pallet wonderfully. It was a meal that none of our party could stop eating, because every item on the plate made us crave one of the other items it was joined by. I don't know why this restaurant is only 3 stars, it looks like perhaps they had some trouble when they first switched locations, but if our experience is anything to go by, that must be a thing of the past. The food was delicious and well-priced, the staff was friendly, experienced, and informative, and the whole experience felt like joining a lifelong chef at his kitchen table, surrounded by his friends, neighbors, and family. I can't...

I'm surprised this place has such a low rating, but I suppose there may be some inconsistency in experiences. Sometimes you might have a stellar, wonderful experience and other times you might not? I haven't had any issues, but I mostly takeout (I have dined in before, though). I used to go to the Chinatown location all the time as a kid until it closed down. Our go-to order was the Super Taiwanese Lunch Box (extra piece of meat over the regular Taiwanese Lunch Box). It was better in the past, but still good now.

Previously, the pork chop was slightly breaded and added an extra crunch alongside retaining a tender, juicy pork inside the crusting. More deep fried. Now, it's simply fried and placed on top of the rice. Still tasty, but not as satisfying as the past so that's my main complaint.

Besides the pork chop, the lunch box comes with braised pork on rice, a tea egg, and an assortment of veggies (may change from time to time, sometimes bok choy and other times lettuce with other vegetables). It used to also come with relish, which I don't care that much about, but it does seem that there's less food provided.

Henry's is a very popular place around the U-District for international students and Henry knows many of them well. He really does try to get to know his customers though, whether it's from seeing them often or small talk while they're dining in. I can't comment a lot on other menu items as I stick to my classic lunch box for consistency...

THEY. ARE. AMAZING! Okay so, the parking to get /in/ this place, is terrible, but if you can! GET THEIR LUNCH BOX OH MY GOSH.So being a person with lots of tummy issues (my readers know oh lord OTL), I have a profound love and appreciation for asian food places who do not use MSG and am usually surprised to find when they don't. These guys - not only were they honest and upfront when asked, but also their food backs them up! Their food has never hurt me, and I always have to cut myself off from eating too much to keep from getting too full! It's always made fresh, and is never saturated in chemicals or seasonings, they know how not to overdo it and it seems to me that they understand how subtle flavors can go a long way! The lunchbox comes with a ton of rice with some beef and the juices from the meat drizzled onto it, a marinated boiled egg, a pork chop, as well as...honestly some stuff I never eat because I'm always too full from the rice, beef, and egg! My fiance' gets the porkchop because I'm not fond of pork - but I can say they if I did like pork - even their pork is tasty! (I've managed a few bites and it's not bad! I just have a preference as a picky eater~) I've been back to this place more than a few times for lunches and dinners on nights when no one wants to cook or have leftovers, and these guys have yet to let us down - and I hope they never do! I've got some leftover Henry's in the fridge waiting for me right now and I'm...