Wah Kue Cafe

Clean décor. Very sweet older man was our waiter. He was prompt and courteous. Served an odd bowl of soup that was quite literally Cambells chicken noodle soup. Sweet and sour chicken came dark brown. Way to sweet. The Mongolian beef was super sweet also. Really weird. Fried rice tasted stale. And was again way to dark. Awesome customer service but I was really off put with the food.

I absolutely love the big order of won ton soup! Big slices of BBQ pork, and pea pods! Delicious

I’m almost 60 and Wah Kue has been around as long as I can remember — so that longevity earns it at least one additional star. It’s not the cheapest around, but I figure if I have to pay an additional 5−10% for fresh, quality ingredients prepared properly I will. This restaurant is about the food; it’s not modern or flashy, there is only the food — and perhaps the ample free parking. They deserve to be busier than they are.

New owners took over this business Jan 1, 2015 so any comments prior to this date DO NOT APPLY! First few months of new owners were a struggle but as of last week, food is finally awesome! It’s fresher and less expensive. They cut the MSG way down and added some terrific new items. Must try this food again. It will be worth it. They remodeled bathrooms, reupholstered the furniture and the place smells super clean! The bar is open and they added 3 more 60 inch tv’s to watch sports. They run killer food and drink specials during Seahawks games. New owners bought a place that hadn’t been touched in 60 years so it took them a few months to fix everything. Try it!

My grandparents have been taking me here ever since I was a kid; they recently just got new owners, food is great, staff is friendly and helpful/​speedy! Yes the prices are a little high but it’s worth it for the amount of food you get. Great place, delicious food! I love the sweet and sour chicken here. Only place I will go!

I went here with my sister after it had changed hands. I hadn’t eaten there for years because I always thought it was overpriced and crappy food. Now that it has new owners, it’s cleaner and the food was great. I see some negative reviews and I’m not sure if it was before it reopened under new owners or what. The food was plentiful and tasty and the service we got in the bar was great. The bar is still old school which I really love but it’s not as dark. Drinks are still strong! I recommend as a Burien institution that has been renewed.

My first AND last time for this overpriced not so clean DUMP! The food was way over priced and less than mediocre in quality. I wonder has the health department ever issued this old OLD establishment a license to prepare and sell food??? I understand they have been around for a half a century. Were restaurants required to have a license back when this place started business? DID THIS PLACE FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS??? This is THE WORST eatery I’ve seen in years.
Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this place.

Met with some family here for Mother’s Day, the place was packed and I thought that was a good sign.
We were seated in the bar area which turned out to be quieter than the main dining area, another plus.
Everything was going ok until food arrived, my General tso’s chicken was weird, the meat was fine but the batter was really thin and greasy, the sauce tasted slightly burnt. My husband’s spare ribs were fatty and grizzly (but he devoured them anyway) my mother in law’s beef and bean sprouts dish looked like it was regurgitated by a farm animal and then placed on a plate and she said it was flavorless.
Service was ok, our waitress was nice but she made some ignorant comments to us and other patrons about the food and the Asian staff.
Not going back ever again.

We ordered takeout from them last Thursday because our usual place was closed. Big, Big mistake.
We ordered Orange Chicken, S&S Shrimp, and 3 orders of Chow Mein. The bill was almost $ 70!!! Of course, they didn’t give us a total when we placed our order so we didn’t know until we picked up that they were charging us an arm and a leg!
The Chow Mein was horrendous! No flavor at all! There was just a sprinkling of meat in the top of the container. None throughout the dish. Also, it was slimy. Seriously.
Orange chicken had good flavor, but super spicy. S&S Shrimp was ok.
You can get better Chinese food from the deli at Safeway and WAY cheaper.

I am giving this place a 3 because my husband and his family have been coming here for ages. They love it however I am not really fan of this place.
They recently changed owners and have changed some of the recipes.
I find the food here to be really bland and flavorless. Most of the deep fried dishes are really really greasy and dry.
There was only 1 restroom so each sex has to use the same bathroom WTF!!!
Also they had no hot water…
Overall I would not ever step foot in this place if my husbands family didn’t like it but they grew up eating at this place.
Just gross!!!

I’m sorry to have to rate a restaurant I grew up going to so low but fact of the matter is, the food has changed. I’ll say the main stay Chow Mien is still very good but that was it. Sweet sour pork and chicken were terrible. The egg rolls were burnt and tasted awful. I hear their under new management but they must have changed chefs as well. I won’t return and I suggest you long time supporters reconsider as well. Hang on to your memories of when it was awesome.

customer service sucks… food was even worse
Rice was lukewarm, tasted old and stale. Sweet and sour chicken was soggy. Egg rolls were greasy and buttery. ugh I’m so upset because I use to LOVE this place. Would boast about how amazing their food was. Welp, not anymore. The woman at the register the «host» needs to get her attitude together because she is seriously lacking customer service skills. They only received 1 star because of all the fortune cookies I received. Other than that, this place sucks. Won’t be returning. The new owners need to step it up a bit…

This review is being written AFTER I REALIZED the owners care nothing about customer service OR the quality of food their kitchen is turning out.
Early on New Year’s Eve, I placed an order «to go». The order included: Deep Fried Prawns, Sweet & Sour Pork and Pork Chow Mein. These THREE items totaled just under fifty dollars. I would not mind paying this price IF the food was edible.
However, of the three items, only the chow mein could be eaten. Both the prawns and sweet and sour pork were lukewarm, doughy and undercooked. The pork was the worst. It was both dry and doughy at the same time with no flavor. They also forgot to include the crunchy noodles AND the white rice for the S&S Pork. I was offered a choice of fried or steamed rice; NEITHER was included.
After writing a letter to the owner addressing the condition of my take-​out-​order, they chose not to respond or acknowledge the problem. A simple apology would have gone a long way; but, the owners chose to ignore my concerns.
For the above reasons, I certainly won’t be returning OR recommending their place of business.

My wife and I come here every few weeks and order the #3 for 1. It is more food than we can eat and has all that we enjoy. My favorite part is the egg rolls and the Almond Chicken (when it is not too salty) The sweet and sour sauce is the delicious brown kind just like Eng’s in Kent used to have before new ownership took over there. Yes, the place is more expensive than some other places but for me, the sweet and sour sauce alone makes it worth it. Add that plus the 17 mile drive I have to make to get here and that should show you how committed I am to this place. I will miss it as I have been going here since 1972 when I was a lad living in Burien Gardens apartments just up the street.

To all supposed FOOD SNOBS – get over yourselves! A lot of people call me a food snob, but I love a wide variety of food. I’ve been to China and Hong Kong; this isn’t «that» type of food. I’m also half Asian and have eaten at most «authentic» spots around Puget Sound. I love the people who say: I only eat Chinese in the ID. Most of the places in the ID are a mix of real Chinese food and American Chinese. Don’t come here with pre-​conceived notions… you’re coming to a place that hasn’t changed since it opened 60 plus years ago. People tend to forget that American Chinese food is totally different from Chinese food. If you hate America Chinese food you won’t like this place. But if you like some «slutty» food, hello happiness!
This is the type of Chinese food that your American grandparents or parents deemed exotic when you were a kid. No it’s not exotic, but it’s another type of American comfort food. I only ate here recently but I understand the hype and loyalty. It’s delicious and the food brings back fond memories of going to the «Chinese Restaurant» as a kid. I never order sweet & sour chicken but their sauce is boss. It may freak some people out because it’s not made with Red Dye #4 or some other nasty colorant. It’s the color of molasses and very tasty. The eggrolls are just like the kind I first tried as a kid. One is big enough for two people! Or maybe three! The inside fillling is wrapped in an egg crêpe and then battered and deep fried. I haven’t had-​seen one of these egg rolls for almost 20 years. This is why they were originally called egg rolls. The dishes that are not deep fried are amazing too. Lots of fresh vegetables in the non-​deep fried dishes. Fresh. Chow mein has the crunchy noodles but you can substitute the pan fried ones. They’re very easy going here… service is great. My husband, friends and I have been eating here weekly since we found out they’re closing permanently. That’s breaking my «don’t indulge in too much deep fry» rule but when it’s gone, it’s the end of an era.
Totally understand why people are so sad about the closing. Thought it was going to be my new PMS chow spot. Places like this are just as nostalgic as the diner you’ve been getting breakfast from since you were a kid. My taste buds will mourn their closing but my butt and gut will go back to normal size…

Confession first, I am a food snob. When my boyfriend pulled into the under construction drive way I was not excited. But he was. He was thinking of all the good times he had at this old, out of date place when he was growing up.
When he had suggested Asian I was think some cool downtown fusion place or old school «real» place in Chinatown. But here is were we landed.
Looking at the smile in his eyes I walked on in bravely. Staff was friendly, clearly family owned or been with the company for ages kind of staff.
It was early in the evening. Most of the patrons were retirement age and a bit loud.
Opening the menu I was shocked by the prices, kind of high for the atmosphere that was surrounding me. But again, I looked at Bill’s face & he was so excited about sharing his special place with me. I know is childhood & past were not always pleasant. It astounds me how he always has such positive memories & a sunshine like outlook. So, for him I plug ahead on this culinary adventure.
We decided on a family dinner so we could try many things. Deep fried, veggies over cooked and msg was over the top. I could feel my extremities swelling as we sat there munching.
Lovely bbq pork, chilled and sliced. Egg foo young, not typical… breaded & deep fried. Too heavy for me. Chow mein-​over cooked unrecognizable veggies.
The food I could write off. But my boyfriend’s joy in sharing his memories & introducing me into his world was worth every empty calorie.
So, would I cross town to go to Wah Kue Café ever again… for me… no. For Bill… I would cross the world to get there

Why is this place so high? The food is not amazing and the place is in serious need of fixing up. I have been coming to this place for years and have noticed a steady decline in the food. They really need to step it up and work on quality.

Order anything but the Sweet & Sour anything and it’s at your own risk.
I eat here because my lady always had Chinese food here as a kid.
I wished her family ate Chinese somewhere else.

Listen dudes, are you really expecting to find authentic chinese cuisine at the edge of Burien, WA? Get real. This place is rock solid. The food is very good quality and I would say that the price reflects this. You can find cheaper chinese food, but it’s not worth it. Whenever I get an opportunity, I try to make it to Burien to get some garlic chicken wings, soft noodle pork chow mein and whatever delicious chinese-​like concoction I can find at Wah Kue.

I have been going here for 6 years. I was introduced to Wah’s by my girlfriend. Her family has been going to this restaurant for 20 some odd years! The service is always friendly. The prices are completely accounted for when you factor in both quantity and quality. If your looking for some great Chinese food I highly recommend Wah Kue Café!