Dragonfish Asian Cafe

Dragonfish has an awesome happy hour. There is something for everyone and the portions/​pricing is great! I ordered the Thai Dungeness Crabcakes and Spicy Steak Frites and was pleasantly full. They have a great cocktail menu, the atmosphere is cozy, and the service was excellent. I will definitely be back!

So my co-​worker and I went to a work event at the paramount theater and decided to dine here after for a quick lunch. It is very close (maybe 2 blocks) away from the theater. Food was yummy, hot and well priced. We shared the curry fries as an appetizer and had bento boxes as our meals. The CRABCAKES were so good and the sushi was fresh and cold just the way I like it. Waiter/​bar guy was helpful and attentive. The drinks here look amazing, I can’t wait to go back during non-​work hours and have a few

A smaller menu and nothing will blow you away but the prices are great and all the food is just plain solid tasting. I have tasted most things on the menu and have yet to find something that wasn’t very good. Busy around paramount show times, but otherwise isn’t a bad wait.

Stopped in on the recommendation of a friend. Ben, our waiter was very knowledgeable and hospitable. Had Shrimp Lime Rickey and the chicken satay. Really enjoyed them both.
We will back next time we are in Seattle.

Average at best, but a disappointing experience overall. So many good restaurants in this area, it’s tough to call this average, because it is below what should be expected. But location aside, the food was just that: average. Signature shrimp came out hot and had a nice sweet and vinegar flavor, but the accompanying peanuts and garnish were cold– as though just out of the refrigerator. It was quite real off-​putting and overshadowed the shrimp. The poke roll was one to avoid. Couldn’t taste the ahi or sesame– just the ginger sauce they put on it. Very bland roll overall. The house salad was our favorite part– light ginger dressing was quite nice and it was quickly consumed. Nothing special, but by far the best dish we had. We were still hungry and took a chance with the Dragonfish Chicken/​Noodle. It looked like top ramen noodles soaked in peanut sauce poured over a sloppy heap of lettuce. Really, the way it came out just said «we are in a hurry back here.» Flavor was strong– nice strong peanut sauce. But we couldn’t tell if it was overly salty or if there was a vinegar or citrus undertone. We didn’t finish it. Upside: we had a really nice waitress who was fast and attentive, even on a busy theater night.
Bottom Line: it is below average for the area and we wouldn’t recommend it.

Food is good, fresh presentation on the plate is important too. Poorly on my plate need to be little bit more clean on side bar

One of my favorite lunch spots Downtown. And don’t get me started on the amazing post-​work and late night happy hours. And very well made drinks ranging in price from $ 3.95-$ 4.95, and with the wonderful HH menu, that is small but full of great variety, you can’t go wrong. The service is always very friendly and top-​notch. The problem with dining out during the busy lunch hour downtown is the servers can quite often forget to check on you. Not here. Our server was attentive but not in our face annoying. The lunch specials are delicious, from bowls to Bento boxes (if you’re unfamiliar. a Bento box is a lunch box with small compartments offering with different servings of food in each compartment) My favorite is the Bulgogi Bento box with Gyoza and a Spicy tuna roll. there is also a side salad with a delicious dressing, rice and miso soup. Very filling and a great value for Downtown at only $ 14. I’ve been here several times and I can not visit Dragonfish without eating the Bulgogi (Korean Skirt Steak). it is so tender it nearly melts in your mouth. Perfectly seasoned. and cooked medium, it’s amazing. If you’re ever headed to the Paramount Theater for a show, or if you find yourself downtown shopping. walk over to Dragonfish. you’ll be glad you did. (Prices for lunch range from $ 10-​$ 14).

Went because we stayed across the street at the Hyatt, wanted sushi. Worst excuse for a sushi restaurant ever. Tasted like gas station quality. I have had better from the grocery store.

The sushi menu has shrunk quite a bit over the last few years! Needless to say, the sushi is OK, but nothing compared to other popular downtown spots like Umi’s and Japonesea. The shrimp and Chinese sausage fried rice is my absolute fave, and really the only thing worth mentioning. Service is meh, and the sushi is nothing special.

My friend and I hit up Dragonfish twice during our 3-​day stay in Seattle. Jesse the bartender is awesome. He made a great recommendation for a hot tea cocktail to soothe my throat. My friend really enjoyed her cocktails, although I can’t remember what she ordered. On my second visit, I had a spicy mango chelada. Not overly spicy and it was really refreshing. You wouldn’t know you were drinking beer.
Food: The lime rickey shrimp is soooo good. We ordered it on our first visit and ordered two plates on our second visit. It’s the right combination of sweet, spicy, and tangy with slightly crisp little shrimp on a bed of shredded veggies. We were not impressed with the lemongrass tofu. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. The crab cakes are delicious, though.
Give Dragonfish a try for cocktails and small plates and tell Jesse I sent you!

Went to Dragonfish with a friend for dinner. From the moment we walked in until the moment we left we felt so welcomed! Each staff member greeted us as we were walked back to our table. There were a lot of people eating lunch there so it meant a lot that they would go out of their way to greet us even though they were really busy.
One thing to call out, I really liked the theme that carries through the establishment, really added to the experience. The restaurant is very clean, and had easy to read menus.
We ordered the chicken pot stickers, chicken satay, grilled miso ribeye, and the Thai dungeness crab cakes. I was pretty impressed with each item, which was served small plate family style– almost like tapas. We started with 4 then added on as we craved more food. The prices seemed very reasonable for most items to us. All the food was fresh and hot, and true to what our server said, the food was brought out fast. We lingered over our meals, spending almost an hour and a half and our server never rushed us.
The only minor downfall to this establishment is that the restroom is outside the restaurant, up the elevator to the 2^nd floor, down the hall and you have to a code to use the restaurant located in The Paramount Hotel. Not really anything the restaurant can do about that. This is more-​so a tip for anyone who comes here.

So I saw a sign advertising breakfast and decided to give it a try since it was across the street from my hotel. Not sure why I thought breakfast at an Asian café that doesn’t serve dim sum would be good but I guess that’s on me. So here’s your chance to avoid the same mistake. Breakfast here sucks… bad. You’re welcome.

Good location and great food. We ate here last week
No biggie on the 4stars — the food and prices were a about 5 stars but the service and greeting was just about a low 2stars rounding back up to about 4 stars. The lack of concern and response from the waitress All night could be due to the place being short staffed and busy for happy hour.
Also the place has no rest room. You have to get the restroom code then walk outside the place then go inside the hotel lobby go up to the 2^nd floor and back down down to eat and drink. Beside that the prices are amazing and the food is super awesome!

The Dragonfish of old no longer exists. In it’s place is bland, badly executed food. Went in for a quick bite after the theatre crowd was already in their seats and the place had time to recover before the after-​crowd hit. (NOT HAPPY HOUR)
We ordered the Thai basil chicken and shrimp tempura roll — great, easy standards that we’ve had before — each around $ 10. The Thai basil came out first, hot, but completely flavorless. There were a few actual basil leaves involved, but the unseasoned chicken and completely bland rice noodles were missing their zip, zing, and well… any flavor at all.
Then our shrimp tempura roll arrived. It was so old that the refrigerated tempura shrimp in the middle was like biting into a piece of rubber tubing. It was awful. Never again.

What once was hot has become routine. In a neighborhood where you don’t have a lot of pre-​show choices this place gets very crowded.
When they first opened years ago it was an exciting fusion of Asian food from different cultures. Now due to the influx of better and more exciting restaurants this place now seems rote.
The eggrolls are oddly tasteless, the lime shrimp rickey has shrunk drastically over the years and the sushi rolls are on par with the ones in the case at Metropolitan market.
The noodle dishes have gotten much better and the quality of seafood and chicken are good.
The happy hour is still fun and the staff is always friendly, this makes the difference.
Besides the dearth of other choices, the service has kept me coming back for the meh menu.

Alright, I have to admit that after the first few visits, I wasn’t a huge fan of this place. But I’ve converted and think it is fantastic, now having tried several dishes and knowing what the best ones are! Here’s the scoop: Get the LIME RICKEY SHRIMP. It is to die for, and every time I order it (which is every time I come here now), the waitperson will comment, «oh, that’s a good one, one of my favorites». If you’re looking to dine light, that it is the perfect choice with the Dragon Side salad (which I believe is $ 3).
They’ve been around for awhile, and here are the positives that stand out, being in the downtown area:
1. They have a huge space. While they’re busy, there always seems to be room for you during lunchtime (which is when I usually go).
2. Fantastic happy hour with great drink choices and cheap eats. Get there early though, because their bar area is small and fills up because many others know how great their happy hour is.
3. Their prices are oh-​so reasonable. Bento boxes for between $ 12-​$ 15 with just a ton of food! Nowadays, that’s a great price for lunch.
So, yes, I was skeptical at first but now I’m a convert. It’s a good spot to keep in mind for happy hour and lunch. Make reservations if you’re coming for dinner.

I ate here twice in one day on the final day of our spectacular Seattle trip. The first was with my boyfriend’s only cousin and because the spicy rice noodles with shrimp and chicken he ordered at lunch was so amazing, I wanted to have them before we cabbed to the airport.
I ordered the miso steak, a smallish lunch portion of exquisitely tender beef with a ponzu sauce as good as I’ve had at far more expensive restaurants.
I kept passing this café en route to the Hyatt Olive 8, the upscale «green» hotel a block from the more traditionally upscale Hyatt Grand.
Ruth Chris has a nice breakfast, but the potatoes are underwhelming and the toast sucks. It bends and the sourdough tastes like Wonder Bread. The rye is no better.
But as I wrote in the RC check-​in, Seattle breakfast places do something that no LA or SB place I know of does, at least not at the higher price points: they offer two eggs, potatoes or toast a la carte for 3 or 4 bucks. Very cool, particularly at Ruth Chris which is so spacious and elegant with the tablecloths and servers in tuxedo jackets.
But the Urbane in the Hyatt Olive 8 is so good, I ate there three or four times, prompting my boyfriend to say that I was cheating on the Hyatt Grand.
The sign outside Dragonfish advertises a movie and sake special: you get discounts on movie tickets and a break on sake every Sunday. (Check to make sure but that’s what I thought the easel said).
I thought Dragonfish was sushi but they have no nigiri or sashimi, just a few rolls. For Happy Hour the rolls are cheap and fine but sushi is by far the least good thing at this Asian fusion. The flash-​friend squid, the noodles, and the steak are all excellent.
Specialty cocktails are reasonably priced and the hot sake dirt cheap at HH (2.50 for a small).
I wish we had better Asian noodles in SB. I am in love with that spicy garlic rice noodle dish.
Dragonfish is nothing to look at inside but it’s not expensive and the food is terrific.

Went for HH — pretty reasonable HH but not as amazing as I’d thought.
$ 3.95 for spicy crab roll (4 pieces). Rolls were kinda «fishy» and very loose so they were hard to eat. For $ 1 a roll, not a good HH deal.
The hicimi squid (calamari) was pretty good & I thought a good size for the price. I was also pleased that it was mostly rings (not the bodies).
The lime rickey shrimp was DIVINE. I only wish there had been more.
The $ 4 lemongrass cocktail was good… Pretty much just tasted like a vodka lime which is fine by me.
They only had one server in the entire bar & it was his 4^th day. He did pretty good but seemed really overwhelmed. Also, to get to the bathroom you have to go into the hotel, ride the elevator up a floor & know the code.
Finally — we ordered shots… There was still lipstick stains on the glasses :/​All in all, it was mediocre — Downtown has better to offer than this.

We stopped in here for a quick bite of sushi — and that’s what happy hour means at dragonfish! We got a great little repass at little price, with great beers, and drinks, a subtle but authentic décor.
The sushi was spot on, simple rolls for supercheap and slight upgrades for more adventurous maki. Plus, they had REALLY GOOD APS!
…drumroll please …
TEMPURA BACON!!!
Out. Of. Control!

Their late night hours makes them one of the few places open on a weekday night past 10pm in Seattle downtown.
Late night happy hour menu price is very good, the food is Meh, but CHEAP alcohol (Sake) menu (which I don’t drink, so I cannot comment on the quality). And DH and his coworkers went their one night and noticed it has a particular clientele atmosphere (maybe it’s a gay bar one night of the week?), which we are totally fine with, just wish he’d known about it before taking a work group there.