Li’s Dumpling And Noodles House

Wow, I’m glad I got to eat here before it closed: the dumplings were truly the best that I’ve had (yet) in Seattle. It looks like I’m going ot have to continue my search for a good dumpling.
It was a quiet restaurant with attentive yet non-​intrusive service. The dumplings were great, although to be honest, I was almost frozen by indecision at the wide variety offered. The noodles were also great (I had the Spicy Beef Noodle).
However, I don’t wish to write a eulogy for the establishment: hopefully you had the chance to eat here before it closed.

I just heard that this place closed.
Initially I gave this place only 3 stars, but since my first visit, something inside me has longed to go back for their crispy tofu and dumplings.
Sad to see a good restaurant close down, I hope it wasn’t because Din Thai Fung came into town…
RIP Li’s Dumpling and Noodles House.

Sadly, the business is closed. It is under new owner and chefs. The store front still has same yellow sign and wall decors, but the place is now called Little Taipei, and the food is Taiwanese.
We were told that the owner went back to China. I’m giving five stars as an homage to friendly owner Mr. Li, and Mrs Li who provided great dumplings we love.

Eh, 3.5 stars and not quite 4 stars. I didn’t really see any appeal to this place as the food is pretty basic. The green onion pancake was just fine and the dumplings are average tasting. Also had the fried tofu and the spicy beef noodle soup. I think there are better dumpling and noodle houses in the area so I would pass and go on to the next one. At least I gave them a try, right?

Good things come in small packages. We found this hidden gem when we arrived at Skate King too early and had about 30 minutes to kill. There were cute little red lanterns luring us in.
Everything is made fresh here, and you can taste it. We ordered dumplings and green onion pancakes. The dumplings were perfect. The dough was fresh and tender. It had a «clean» taste, but yet also had the slightly fried, magically delicious crunch that you’d want on the outside of a fried dumpling. No rubbery dumplings at this place.
However, let me just say: It’s the green onion pancakes that will call me back. Soooooo yummy! Buttery, oniony, crunchy, and sizzly goodness.
The restaurant is small and hidden away, but it’s sparkling clean, the owner is charming as can be, the service is fast, and the food is high quality for a reasonable price… despite being in a kind of run-​down strip center. This was totally like finding a oyster with a pearl inside.
Here’s my plan: Get some girlfriends together for some roller skating, followed by pancake and dumpling snackies at Li’s.

What a tasty treasure cove of goodness! Located in a hiddenaway strip mall (Evans Plaza) this place is a find. We arrived at noon and they had a table for us but the restaurant quickly filled up. They have a total of 6 four tops and a larger 6 top. We were steered to the pork and cilantro dumplings (so good and fresh!) and the dan dan beef noodles (nice and thick). Our Mongolian beef carried a spicey kick which we all enjoyed and we finished with the chicken fried rice.
We will definately be back. As good as anything I have tried in the International District! Really!

Had the cilantro and pork dumplings and the spicy beef noodle soup. The noodle soup was a too oily for me, but I did like the noodles, and it was the right amount of spice. The dumplings were awesome, and they are pretty big and filling. I also loved them cos I love cilantro. Price was reasonable. I would prob just come back for the dumplings, and maybe try some of the other dishes.

I chose this place for my birthday dinner with my friends here in WA, based on the good reviews (I originally wanted to go to Ginza or Facing East but I believe both are closed on Mondays… Boo) and I’m glad I did. It’s kind of a mom-​and-​pop version of Din Tai Fung, because they serve similar fare. We ordered 3 kinds of the dumplings (leek, mushroom, and cabbage) and they were all delicious. We also ordered the green onion pancake, dan dan noodles, and a couple of other dishes. Everything was so delicious that I’m definitely considering this place as a good alternative to DTF or Facing East. Plus, we also had a 20% off coupon (cash only, though).
YUM!!!

Li’s Dumpling is a little gem at the run down strip mall. The food is generally good. however it is a bit on the salty side for me. My favor dumpling at the store is the pan fry dumpling (IT’S NOT POT STICKER). Its a must dish every time I go there.
Con — Kitchen is a bit slow and their door need some lubricant.

I’m Chinese. My husband spent extensive time in China. We both consider ourselves fairy knowledgeable with the wide spectrum of mainland Chinese dishes and their myriad flavors, and I can honestly say that this little gem became an instant favorite for us.
We tried two dishes while there. Both were recommended as house specials by the owner. We had Beef Noodle soup and Pork and Leek Dumplings. The broth of the soup was exquisite, showing the chef’s skill at creating a broth that had a bone base with a long cook time. This is not your run of the mill Chinese shop’s broth that boils water and adds seasoning; they definitely took the time to slow cook their broth to bring out all of the flavors. Additionally, the meat cut that was included with the soup was tender, thick and flavorful, not to be confused with the cuts typically found in Vietnamese phở. As for the dumplings, when we first bit into them, we immediately noticed that the dumpling wrap was HOMEMADE, not the artificially made wraps that are usually frozen and thawed out for quick wrapping. The filling was juicy and delicious.
The owners are very nice and willing to explain anything on the menu. Check them out if you’re interested in homemade, decently priced, authentic noodles and dumplings. (We didn’t try the dishes but would expect them to be the same high quality.)
P. S. They try to only take credit cards for bills over $ 20.00, which may be a problem since their dishes are priced so competitively, so plan to bring some cash if eating alone or with only 1 other person.
Keep on eating, diners!

came here a little while back and enjoyed my dumplings and beef noodle soup. there were more tendons and whatnot than i like in my beef noodle soup since when i eat beef, i like to just eat.beef. the meat.
the dumplings are big and plump and i would recommend getting any one of the many different flavored ones. house-​made wrappers make all the difference.
prices are decent for what u get. cept for he charged me extra for stir-​fried broccoli and i didn’t catch it til i got home. boo. what happened there? i’m already on a low budget. look over ur tab carefully before u pay guys! i’m sure it was a careless mistake but now i can’t get over that i went out of my way and got overcharged… boo

Li’s is about truth in advertising. No frills, no credit cards under $ 25, no extended menu. A somewhat unfortunately well-​concealed location in the Skate King strip mall that’s hopefully at least, for the sake of survival, low rent. Dumplings. Noodles. A few other Szechuan and Hunan staples. A dozen or so tables. Make no mistake though:
Li’s is about dumplings.
Given the craze surrounding the ultimately disappointing Din Tai Fung instantiation during 2010, it’s somewhat difficult to avoid a comparison although the actual product is quite different. In fact, the only real consistency is a high price tag: 12/​$ 8 or 24/​$ 15. I do wish they’d provide a bit more dumpling sauce with a to-​go order since I tend to eat them 6 per sitting and it clumps a bit, but otherwise, the house pork, leek & shrimp variety (among roughly six others) are consistently succulent and full of flavor (even when the sauce has run out), among the best I’ve had in the Seattle area and definitely the best on the Eastside and the line that graces the second floor of Lincoln Square, if it needs to exist at all, should be here instead.
Also worth mention as an accompaniment (since a meal of dumplings alone is a delicious, starchy and terrible idea) is the Szechuan boiled fish ($ 10), the standard numbing spicy dish comparable to the similar offerings at local competitors.
Why just A-​OK? It’s a dimensional average. The dumplings are top-​notch, and if you are craving them, Li’s is the premier destination, and for that reason I’ll continue to return on a semi-​regular basis to sate the specific hunger. However, as a standard semi-​authentic Szechuan restaurant, due to the price/​portion ratio and the absurdly high credit card minimum that means I’m paying cash, I’d much rather get at least 1.5x the food of equal or higher quality and variety at Spiced a short drive away.

This place is a little hole in the wall in a crappy strip mall in Redmond. This place is not bad. The food was really good with the dumplings being large and juicy, the dan dan noodles were nice and spicy and the green onion cake was perfect. This is a hidden gem in Redmond. The owner is very nice and offered Microsoft employees 10% discount with a cash purchase. Who can resist a discount? The food also comes out super fast.
The negatives is that this place is kind of dirty. The water in the bathroom came out copper color when i first turned it on but then it came back to clear soon enough. But your not eating food out of the bathroom, so you should be fine.
Definitly will come back here again!

My bf lives in the Eastgate area and so Li’s isn’t too far away and based on the reviews, this is a place we needed to try. It’s not too difficult to find, just in a strip mall area. We walked in and were immediately seated. The host asked if we had ever been in and suggested items that were their specialties. Since I had done my Unilocal research, I knew what I wanted to get.
We ordered the pork and mushroom dumplings, spicy crispy tofu, green onion pancake and szechuan dandan noodles.
Oh. Good. Heavens.
This was such an incredible meal! The tofu arrived first; hot, crispy, spicy and a little bit of sweetness. The dumplings arrived next with the most delicious filling of pork and mushrooms. The mushroom flavor tends to get lost in dumplings, but these dumplings preserved that delicate flavor and was so very good!
The green onion pancake was next and this was a great surprise. Light and crispy, this pancake is the best one I’ve ever had. It was so amazing. You definitely need to get it… do it, you won’t be diappointed. The noodles were next and they were good and firm, with a great meat sauce served on top. It was such a light and flavorful dish with the right amount of spice and spicyness.
The star of the meal according to my bf was the tofu, just because of the combination of flavors. The whole meal was the star in my book, absolutely wonderful. I know food is good when once you are done and leaving the restaurant you want to open the leftovers and start eating those!
The host was great, service was warm and prompt, answering any and all questions we had about the menu and food that was being brought to other tables. He even suggested other dumpling places, just to see how they measure up.
I highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone. It’s a great little hidden gem that I can’t wait to go back to and know that word of mouth will make my wait longer for a table. But regardless of the wait, I will come back to get my dumpling and noodle fix here. No need for comparison to another dumpling restaurant, Li’s is as good as gold.

No kidding this place is a bit difficult to find! This hidden gem is located in a non-​descript strip mall next to the 520 (I think). Even the sign is isn’t very easy to read from a distance but rest assured, they are there.
Nice dumpling selection and pretty cheap. 12 handmade dumplings for I think $ 7.99 or 24 for $ 14.99. I went with the pork and cilantro filled beauties. Nice and tasty and fresh. I also tried the deep fried tofo and eggplant ($ 7.99) which was pretty good and garlicky. I also got the beef noodle soup which also had some nice tendon as well! yay! It seemed like most things were pretty cheap, around $ 8.00. I got three dishes and took a good portion of it home for leftovers. The place is pretty small but service was prompt and friendly. Will be back for dumpling carnage!

Had an undercooked deep fried chicken served to me. And the waitress could still comment that’s not blood. Please.
Prices were all not that great too and serving size pretty small. Not coming back here for sure.

Its absolutely D-​E-​L-​I-​C-​I-​O-​U-​S! yes, so good i had to spell it out for you. It’s a Hole-​in-​the-​wall place that you really don’t want to tell anyone, but the owner and foodbare so nice that you just have to spread the word.
We had pork, leek, & shrimp dumplings, soooo good. I know these are authentic and handmade because of the texture of the «skin». Thick and just scrumptious. (I can describe all i want, but you’ll have try it to get the full affect of yummy). The meat inside was seasoned just right and it came with a great tasting sauce.
The stringbeans had lots of flavor, a simple brown sauce and that’s it. I made sure I had leftovers!
We also had the green onion pancake, delicate, but crunchy. It doesn’t come with sauce, but goes really well with the black vinegar provided on the table. Mmmm Mmmmm.
I definitely will come back!

Yulp! I loved Li’s Dumpling and Noodles!
We ordered quite a bit of food and each dish was superb! On our menu:
Pork, leak and shrimp dumplings-​there are handmade and delicious. This isn’t your Costco freezer bag of dumplings. The meat was seasoned well and tasted very delicate which was a great pairing with the sauce which held it’s own but didn’t overpower the great taste of the stuffing.
Fried green beans-​One of my all time fav’s. My mom makes this for me when she visits and with each bite definitely made me think of mom. The beans were well cooked without sacrificing the crisp texture that is a must with this dish. This is what I would consider my comfort food!
Green Onion pancake-​YUMMERS.
Hot and sour soup-​the other reviewer mentioned that it was too sour but it was absolutely perfect tonight. It packed a lot of heat-​which is what I adore most about Hot and Sour soup-​well done!
Crispy Chicken Wings-​Absolutey excellent. Order it!
Chong Quing Chicken-​A little different than what I have had in the past but the taste was really good. The chicken was crisp and they had some larger pieces in there as well. This dish didn’t quite pack as much heat but went well with the other dishes that we had.
We had another veggie dish which was amazing-​I wish I had caught the name for it. It reminded me of Asian greens. Perfectly salted and a must try.
The service was spectacular and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. The serving sizes were very large and we left with a ton of leftovers even after stuffing our happy faces full of this delicious food.
Great job Li’s, well definitely be back!

We had heard rumors of this new dumpling place where the old Pizza & Sandwich shop had been. The new owner has totally remodeled though; while the new decoration is nicer, I don’t like that the whole kitchen is hidden now.
The owner is originally from Hunan, China, which is a good sign when you want to eat spicy. We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup and some fennel pork dumplings. The soup is some of the better beef noodle in Seattle, thumbs up here. Spicy with some great flavor, without being salty. The noodles were house made, which makes a huge difference from most Chinese restaurants. Beef was tasty and pretty soft. The dumplings also came out ahead of my expectations, especially with the house made spicy sauce the owner brought out; you might need to ask for the sauce.
My only grip would be the prices, especially on the dumpling side. My recommendation would be for the owner to dump the majority of the rest of items on the menu, which you could find at almost any Chinese restaurant, and focus on the dumplings and noodles. Lower the prices, and he might just have a lineup out the door.

Visited Li’s to try their dumplings and noodles. The location is a bit odd. It is in the strip mall wasteland on 140^th Avenue near the overpass. The space itself has changed names a few times. This used to be a Sichuanese restaurant and before that a Chinese/​pizza place.
Li’s menu specializes in fresh dumplings of which there are four varieties to choose from and hand shaved noodles in soup and stir fry forms. There is also a standard menu of Chinese dishes offered here and a lunch specials menu.
However, this trip was about the signature dishes. I got a 12 piece order of the cabbage and pork dumplings ($ 7.99) and the hand shaved noodles which was doused with ground pork and pieces of tofu ($ 7.99) which came recommended.
For the most part I liked the dishes. The hand shaved noodles were nice, though a bit bland. I think it needed some additional seasoning. Though it could have been because of the bean sprouts on the side, which can sometimes dampen the taste of the dish like it did here. All was not lost though. Upon reheating the next day and having doused the dumpling sauce, this became an excellent leftover lunch.
As for the dumplings, I really liked these. They are of a nice size and you can tell that these dumplings are handmade by the taste. They are nothing like the dumplings made with store bought wrappers. The dumplings were flavorful even without the sauce so I guess everything worked out. Love it when something leftover from one dish improves that of another.
Décor is actually very classy given the locale. There are red lanterns outside and the interior has wood floors and chandeliers. Plenty of parking too. They take credit cards here, but there is a sign that it is cash only if the bill is under $ 25. Not sure about the strictness of this policy. Maybe they charge a fee if it is under. I paid mula.
Also, there appears to be a 10% discount for MS employees if you pay by cash (sweet!). Not sure if this is a Prime card promotion though or if you just need to show your badge. Given the location, it is definitely a convenient place to go to get an off campus lunch. And in general a good place to get freshly made dumplings and noodle dishes.