Tamarind Tree

This restaurant serves the best seven (7) course beef, and the best time for that is during dinner. During lunch, it is good as well, but at dinner, you can socialize and relax. The restaurant doesn't open till 11 AM, so if you're there too early, you'll either have to wait or go elsewhere. That's what I did when I went there at 10 AM. Besides the seven-course beef, there are delicious crepes, duck noodle soup, beef pho, beef salad, and crunchy spring rolls with sweet fish sauce.

This is probably the best vietnamese restaurant in Seattle. They make amazing dishes with rice crackers. My personal favourite are the skewered grilled chicken rolls. You can also order tamarind tree noodles as a platter, order separate rice crackers and make your own rolls. I have tried that earlier and it is fun. The chicken satay and Phos always taste the same ( as i imagined ) and are nice. These are my standard orders.

Nestled in the pocket of the International District & the Central District is this secret oasis. You are literally walking in from rough streets of Jackson Street in a stripmall that is equally rough. If you're not careful, you'll walk into the other restaurant right next door! But man when you walk in, it feels like you are transported to a place in Vietnam. The location low-key keeps the city feel of the streets out & bring you into the garden surround by running waters, with small details of waves grooved into the cement floors of the outdoor area, & wrapped in greenery that makes you forget where you really are. And it's not just the atmosphere, the food also is served at the same high level & attention to quality. When you leave here you don't have to wash your clothes or have to wear your "pho" clothes so you don't smell like it all day. The place is CLEAN. They have a lady that goes around & makes sure it stays that way. They are short-staffed but understandably, after covid it is hard to find good service or any service. We didn't get out water refilled or a round of "is everything okay?" & they did give us a box rather than put the to-go food in a box & carrrying bag & it took 2 rounds to ask for hot sauce but the service was friendly & professional. The food was solid. The phó wasn't piping hot but it wasn't oily & the soup had a clean finish. Plenty of green onions & VERY fresh adders if you add bean spouts & thai basil you will be impressed. They really excelled in the vermicelli bowl, (we had the vegetable option) & it was ridiculously good. The grilled tofu is the kicker! The fresh shrimp spring rolls were the best I've ever had. They have a secret crunch in the middle of the roll that no one does. And the peanut dipping sauce is perfectly balanced. The crushed peanuts are not from a can of Mr.Peanut for sure. Pro Tip: Get the tea. It tells you a lot about the restaurant (if you follow my reviews, I've mentioned this). The tea that served was good, not perfect but good. The pot of tea that they served was for 3-4, so I knew it was gonna be a wait for the food. And likely they didn't want to come filling our pot. Also the tea was hot, not steaming hot but just hot, so I figured it was gonna be a tell for the food. And that is how the phó came out---hot but not steaming hot. The tea leaves were loose, & not from a bag. They pay attention to quality & jasmine tea costs virtually nothing. We left a 25% tip with a smiley face on the receipt. Midas 5-stars for the secret spring rolls. Midas 4-stars for the slow & basic service. Really wish restaurants would box up the leftovers instead of handing you a box.

Tamarind Tree is one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants in International District. My favorite dish is Banh Khot (Turmeric Coconut Rice Cake with Shrimp on top) with fresh basils. Their pho dishes are good too. Their Banh Xeo is crispy and delicious! You can choose either meat or vegetarian Banh Xeo. Make sure you ask for their chili's tray, one of them is super spicy. The restaurant is clean and spacious. They have an outdoor and indoor sitting area. Friendly staff and waitress. I believe tea is free if you ask for it. Overall, it's a great place to get Vietnamese dishes in town.