05/18/2026
I grabbed some trusty, brave eater friends and we embarked on my first of 5 bucket list restaurants. You know, the ones you’ve driven by 1000 times but have yet to go in. We went in. And ate a table full of nostalgic delights.
The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant sits on the corner of 8th and NW Market in Ballard. Finally, after years of wondering, the mystery ended. It was a slice straight out of my childhood, with many family meals seated around a table at Hong Kong Gardens.
The table was full of faves like BBQ pork, sweet and sour chicken (sauce extra thick and goopy- as it should), pork fried rice, spring rolls, crab wontons, almond chicken, and string bean&broccoli special insisted by our motherly table hostess Ping.
If you want nostalgic American Chinese, the kind you want to bring home stuffed full in a red and white take out box, then The Mandarin is your place.
🎤 Plus * BONUS * they have Karoake after 8:30, so maybe you can pull double duty and head over after a few songs at the Rickshaw. We’ll definitely be back to take the mic after a meal, hopefully seated next to Belle (the long standing karaoke queen?)
Go check them out and close the mystery for yourselves. Ask for Ping.
Now… where’s my next stop? 🤷♀️
