Tai Tung Restaurant — Restaurant in Seattle

Tai Tung is a name that carries weight in Seattle. Proudly standing as the city’s oldest Chinese restaurant, with a legacy dating back to 1935. It’s a spot that's been visited by Bruce Lee and other historical figures, which made me excited to finally experience it for myself. Sadly, what I found was a restaurant leaning on its legacy more than its hospitality.

From the moment I walked in, much of the staff seemed uninterested, even slightly aggressive in their demeanor. My waiter, in particular, felt more like someone doing damage control than someone working in hospitality. I tried to engage by asking what their most well-known dish was (a fair question for a first-time visitor). The response? “Everything here is well known.”When I followed up with “What’s your personal favorite?”, he shut that down with, “I’m not the one eating, you are”. When I would ask follow up questions on food items it felt like I was bothering him.

That about sums up the attitude: transactional, cold, and rushed. He took our order, dropped our food off and vanished. No check-in, no follow-up. Someone else entirely brought the bill at the end. It was hard not to feel like we were being ushered in and out as quickly as possible.

As for the food, it was... fine. Portions were decent, and prices weren’t bad. But taste-wise? Pretty average. For a restaurant with such a storied past, I expected something that stood out. Instead, it tasted like the kind of Chinese food you’d find at a random takeout spot. Not bad, but certainly not memorable.

The interior does have an old-school charm…classic booths, vintage signs, and a layout that feels frozen in time in a good way. But it’s poorly maintained. Rusty ceiling vents, unattended peace of trash near the entrance (we stayed around an hour, left, and it was still there greeting customers on arrival), the fish tank looked unclean, and yes..there was even what seemed to be a spider web right next to our table.

It’s unfortunate because Tai Tung could be a living piece of history with the right care. But based on my experience, it felt like a museum without a curator. If you’re walking by and curious, maybe stop in. But I wouldn’t go out of my way for it again, nor would I recommend it to friends. The legacy is rich…but sadly, the...

My family and I dined in for dinner since we were in the area. We had the fried chicken wings for an appetizer, with shrimp chow mein, kung pao chicken, fish with garlic sauce, and a bowl of steamed rice.

The fried chicken wings were fried to perfection and had good flavor. I would rate them a 7/10. They were solid wings with good flavor, but could use a little more flavor.

The shrimp chow mein was also good. The shrimp was cooked just right, firm without being overcooked. We really enjoyed the large, crisp vegetables on the dish. The kids weren’t thrilled with the noodles or light sauce, but the adults loved it. It was a good dish that I would order again. 8/10

The king pao chicken was another solid dish. The veggies were plentiful and yummy. It was a little sweeter than we like so it was the least favorite of the table. We liked it overall so I don’t want to give the impression it was a bad dish. 6/10

Next is the fish with garlic sauce, which was recommended by our waiter. It was a hit with everyone at the table. The fish had a crispy coating, but was soft and flavorful. The garlic sauce was simply amazing. I have to thank the waiter for recommending the dish as it made our day. 10/10

Steamed rice: Steamed well. Not clumpy with the right amount of firmness. Long grain rice that went well with both the king pao chicken and fish with garlic sauce. 9/10

Bonus: The fortune cookies provided after the meal were a pleasant surprise. They were really good!

Finally the service was top notch. Our waiter was attentive and provided a good recommendation. The restaurant is tight on space, but more of a cozy feel that leads to intimate conversations as you share food food...

Food was good especially sweet n sour pineapple pork. Portions were ok. We also ordered hong kong style chefs chow mein but i didnt care for the noodles flavor was very good n they give u more shrimp n bigger ones than most not overcooked either. They also accomodated my request to replace broccoli w bok choy which i was very pleased n i dont think they charged mee extra. Fried rice was kind of dry n bland so i just used the bland cabbage soup broth that came complimentary to moisten the rice up... definitely need some hot chli oil to add more flavor to it and it was all good

Btw we came about 45 min before closing. Our first server was kind of rude n gave us an "eye" with a frustrated look, when i asked for few more minutes we just sat down not even 5 min. I was thankful to get a new server she was much friendlier n could speak better English.

This place is exactly how i remembered as a child a hole in the wall not much is different. Claustrophobic feel..glad it wasnt busy n the bathroom is grungy n old as well. Guess ppl would call this place nostalgic? Lots of pics on the wall not as many Bruce Lee n other celebrities ones as i remebered tho. But i didnt look at lower level there were 2 big groups there which obstructed our view. While we were eating a couple came in they said they were closed n he asked if he could at least show his gf the restaurant i guess cuz its the first chinese restaurant in seattle? His childhood memory? Bruce Lee ate there? Who knows but the person said no n he politely left. Honestly his gf didnt miss anything AND that pineapple sweet sour pork deserved another visit. Prob come again just not to close to...