Lionhead

5 stars for the Dan Dan Mein!!! 4 stars for the Red-​Braised Beef Noodles and 3 stars for everything else I’ve eaten there. The baos are okay (tendon bao is better than the other), they’re much better if you can get them while you still have the Dan Dan Mein sauce to dip them in. The Gung Bao Chicken was mostly peppers and nuts, but the chicken we did get was very good. The Lion Head Meatballs with Clams was SO gross, the flavors and textures were so bad my friend and I couldn’t eat more than one bite before asking the server to take it away. The service at the bar is fast and fun (first visit)! The service at a table was pretty slow and curt, which I’m sure the servers don’t care about since that 20% service fee is not a choice. I’d get a couple dishes as takeout in the future.

This place is amazing. It may be a little too authentic of taste for the average American. But the gung bao chicken and Dan Dan mein noodles are addicting and so yummy. I go here at least once a month. I hope I can find a place like this in Portland

I was so excited to hear about this restaurant. This is the exact food I grew up eating, and comfort food makes me so happy. I wasn’t disappointed in the flavors. The Dan Dan noodles and whole steamed trout (with all the bones and scales and head) were superb. I’m not as in love with the pretentious ambience and high prices though. Go to a sichuanese restaurant in the ID or Bellevue if you want food this good at a much better value.

We had dinner at Lionhead on Saturday. It was fantastic! The Buckwheat Noodles were amazing, as were the Eggplant Fries. The Bacon Fried Rice was great and the Asparagus with Morel mushrooms was outstanding. We will definitely be back!

This place is great! And the service is fantastic along with the excellent and diverse menu. We hit this place before a Sounders match (only 5 blocks from the Capitol Hill Link Light Rail station). We ordered about 7 dishes, all sharable, all unique and all outstanding.
We will definitely be back maybe before the next Sounder’s match on June 25^th, this time hopefully a WIN!

Extremely solid Sichuanese cuisine but at Capitol Hill prices. Nice tea selection, hip location. Spicy cold salads excellent.

Service was very slow, I waited more than 10 minutes until someone finally came talk to me, and another 20 minutes for my food to come.
And they charge a ridiculous 20% «service fee» without any warnings up front.
Finally, the food I had — Braised Pork Belly — was extremely oily, to a point that it was vomit-​inducing. I didn’t even finish half of it.

If it was just for the food, I would give it a 2 star rating however, service was pretty attentive and ambiance was pretty good inside. This is definitely one of those Asian fusion places. In case you doubt that, all you need is take a look at the menu and when you see meatballs and clams, you know you’re in a fusion place. Also I have never heard of any Sichuan/​Chinese cuisine that uses meatball and clams together in the same dish.
Here is what we ordered and what I think of the dish:
Leek & Chinese Sausage Bao: No! Let me clarify that as a hell no. That «bao» tasted plain weird.
Dan Dan Mein: It’s not that it wasn’t good, but I had it better some where else. Also I expected it to be a little bit more saucy.
Yu Choy (garlic and chili): The choy was pretty tough like it had outgrown it’s prime time for picking. Otherwise the seasoning and the taste in general was pretty good once you get over the stringiness of the veggies.
Gung Bao Chicken: Half the dish was red peppers, I spent a great deal amount of time picking out only the edible stuff since those peppers were not edible. I understand that Sichuan cuisine are known for spiciness but the spice are incorporated into the dish so that everything is edible. Also there were loads of those black peppercorn that causes that numbing sensation in the mouth. It was just a lot of work to pick out only the edible pieces on the plate. Silver lining is that you can definitely practice your chopstick skills. Taste was pretty good if you can avoid getting your mouth or tongue numbed.
Also they have a large selection of biaju which is hardcore Chinese dilled alcohol. They also use that to incorporate into a cocktail.
Overall, I wasn’t that impressed. There are definitely better Chinese/​Sichuan cuisine for the price.

The numbing pepper is not really my thing. Here’s what we got.
Leek & Chinese Sausage Bao: Yes
Maitake, Yam, and Bacon Fried Rice: Yes, bit boring though
Strange Flavor Chicken Salad: No, too strange for me
Gung Bao Chicken: Not so much
Ma Po Doofu: Not really
Cream Cheese Spongecake: YES! So smooth! See if you can get them to add extra pineapple.
Everyone there was nice, and the place was clean.

This was my first genuine Chinese restaurant I’ve ever eaten at and I am a huge fan now!
I am a vegetarian and I was happy to see the many options they have.
We had the Doufu-​ru greens, Ma Po Doufu, a special on the menu that was shiitake mushrooms with leak and garlic, and the meat-​eaters in the group ordered a special of pork and trotters (?) and La Zi Ji (chicken with a crapton of chilies).
The greens were so good! The leaves were nice and chewy and the stems still had a bite to them. The shrooms were amazing, perfectly cooked and the Ma Po Doufu. Wat. The sauce is so good, I could eat just that with some rice for the rest of my life.
The server told us before-​hand that the Szechuan peppercorns leave a numbing sensation in your mouth and boy was she NOT wrong. The Ma Po Doufu did just that. It’s like eating a very spicy food, but without the burning. SO GOOD. It was a very new sensation so it was a little strange at first, but not uncomfortable.
I love that it’s family-​style and I love even more that the the whole staff (including the whole kitchen — those dishwashers work their butts off for usually a very low wage) share 100% of the price paid. The dishes are very reasonably priced, considering the amount of work that goes into making the dish. And don’t forget that it just tastes so darn good.
The restaurant was packed full and there’s not much room for the servers to run around in. So waiting for the drinks took a bit longer than expected, but that’s of course understandable with the amazing cocktails they have. Those take a bit longer to make.
I absolutely recommend eating here. The food and drinks are delicious and complement each other very well.

Smaller place and pretty busy. 2 servers running around and the manager/​owner helping out.
Had 1 chopstick to eat with. Had to ask 2 times to finally get the other one. Food took about 40 minutes to come out. Our tendon bao (appetizer) came out last and it was barely warm.
Food was ok. Ordered dan dan mian, maitake/​yam/​bacon fried rice, greens with walnut and bacon, and the la zi ji chicken. Dan dan mian and la zi ji chicken had the tongue numbing sichuan experience but flavor wise was a bit salty. Fried rice was ok but nothing spectacular. Best part of meal was the greens with the house cured bacon and walnuts… which is kind of sad. Tendon bao, like I said came out last and cold. Flavor ok but would have like some meat or substance in the middle. Just saucy in the middle. I split half with my husband and don’t think i got any tendon.
I wanted to love this place but left dissappointed.

«There’s something about the LAH-​JUH-​GEE that’s just so crispy and incredible!»
During our vacation in Seattle, I went with my parents to Lionhead last weekend for an early 6 pm dinner after trudging around UWash in the cold rain. The restaurant is a cool, funky joint located in the hip, cosmo Capitol Hill area. As a Houstonian, I was not impressed by the street parking rate of $ 4/​hr — but eh, it is what it is.
We didn’t have to wait for a table, and having eaten tons of Sichuan food before in Houston, we chose our options from the menu pretty quickly: a large portion of dan dan mian, the eggplant fries, and the evening’s special of fried crispy duck. Between the gung bao chicken and la zi ji, the waiter steered us toward the latter.
The food came out promptly, though (wisely) not all at the same time. The dan dan mian and eggplant fries were the clear winners; both had the characteristic mouth-​numbing, spicy, and savory flavor of Sichuan cuisine, though we noted that the overall spiciness was less than what we were traditionally used to. (It’s probably more well-​adjusted to the average diner’s palate.) The la zi ji had a good crispy texture, but didn’t really soak up any of the essence of the chilies it was fried in — it was like the chicken was just dumped onto the plate after the aromatics were seared. The duck dish also received mixed reactions; some components were tasty (like the mushrooms), but others missed the mark (such as the duck itself, which was mostly flavorless and over-​battered).
Service to remove plates or refill waters was attentive but not particularly noteworthy. Towards the end of our meal, the place started to fill up — get there early if you don’t want to wait. But with the 20% service charge, the overall feeling that I have of this place is that it’s grossly overpriced. Our meal of 4 dishes came out to $ 85 – 90 with no drinks or dessert. Go if you haven’t had Sichuan cuisine before, but there are much better places.

Went here with my wife for my birthday dinner. Let me give a heads up to folks going here for the first time. They use a ton of szechuan peppercorns in their recipes. These are not your usual peppercorns that you find in your grocery isle. If you haven’t had these peppercorns before, they are super strong. Apparently they have a chemical in them which will make your tongue and lips go numb. It is almost as if they are vibrating rapidly.
You either like this sensation or you don’t. Unfortunately, both me and my wife didn’t. The peppercorns pretty much overthrow all other flavors. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that we are pretty much left with just two flavors: the numbing peppercorns and salt.
The dan dan mian noodles were pretty good. These were the good kind of spicy. We also ordered two other dishes:
Prawns salt and pepper: whole prawns fried (no batter — good) — lots of peppercorns. It is supposed to be eaten fully — yes, the head, the shell, the tail — everything. I was a bit grossed out about the prawns not being deveined.
La Zi JI — too much batter in the chicken pieces and of course a ton of peppercorns.
Considering a 20% service charge is added to your check, I was expecting a few things from the service:
1. A heads up about the peppercorns at least for the first timers. I really wished they explained about the cuisine and the kind of spices. I think this is absolutely necessary and some kind of spice level system.
2. Both dishes we ordered were dry dishes. I wish they had pointed this out. I was thinking I was ordering something with gravy. I also ordered rice considering this. A kind word about ordering all dry dishes with dry rice would have been nice.
Overall, I ended up not enjoying my birthday dinner. Had only a bit of the dishes and got everything packed up to go. We went across the road to the Thai place and got a curry to soothe the numbness.
Also, not a fan of the mandatory 20% service charge. Why not jack up the prices on the menu by 20% and have a note saying ‘No tips necessary — we compensate our employees fairly’? Then this would become a $$$ place I guess. I would gladly pay a tip at any place I dine, but forcing it on everyone — not a fan.

It seems a lot of people don’t particularly enjoy the mouth-​numbing sensation of the Szechuan peppercorns, but if you like spicy food, you should love this place.
The Thick Buckwheat Noodles were especially tasty, and I recommend ordering them. The noodles (made in-​house) are unlike any I’ve tried before. The Gung Bao chicken was a bit heavier on the peppercorn spice. My friend eventually got used to the taste after starting the dish a bit weirded out by the numbing sensation.
The ambience, food, and friendly staff make this place a 5 star location.

I feel like Szechuan restaurants are hard to come by. They are few and far between so I was stoked when I heard of this place in Seattle. It’s located in Capitol Hill, on Broadway which is a great street with other restaurants, bars, and shops. They do not take reservations (unless you are a part of 7 – 9 people) so it’s best to get there earlier than later. My friend and I sat at the bar and the bartender was very friendly and made us some amazing drinks from their cocktail menu. He also answered our questions regarding the food menu and threw out some great recommendations!
If you like spicy food, this is the perfect place to come to! Szechuan cuisine is also unique because it is a different kind of spicy. It won’t light your mouth on fire. But it will have a hint of smokiness and somewhat of a mouth-​numbing sensation. I know it sounds weird, but it is one of my favorite kinds of food because it tastes so good!
My friend and I ordered way too much food (their portions are pretty big) but we loved every dish we ordered. Every dish was unique and had its own flavors:
— Dan Dan Mian: This was my favorite dish. I think the noodles were handmade because of the texture and how authentic they tasted. On top was minced pork and hot-​numbing Szechuan sauce which definitely will awaken your senses. But the sauce and minced pork paired perfectly with the noodles!
— Maitake, Yam, and Bacon Fried Rice: If you’ve never had Maitake, it is a Japanese mushroom and is one of my favorite mushrooms! The yam & bacon gave the fried rice the perfect sweet and salty combination. And the rice wasn’t oily which is always a plus.
— Ma Po Do Fu: This is another perfect dish if you like the Szechuan hot-​numbing oil! The tofu is rich and delicate and this dish is just so delicious! I recommend eating it over rice.
— La Zi Ji: I was a little disappointed after trying this because it is is another popular Szechuan dish. The chicken had too much batter and it also tasted way too salty.
**Important to keep in mind. If the numbers seem a little high when you get your check, it’s because this restaurant includes a «Service Fee» in their prices. I’ve never heard of this before, but our bartender explained that this fee goes towards the restaurant staff. So you don’t really need to tip, unless you feel like giving a little extra to your server/​bartender.

Went for brunch. Dan Dan mien was on par. Pork and leek bao was decent but didn’t leave me desiring more.
Wonton with spicy sauce had way too much vinegar in it.
Best item was the mantao with purple yam.

Heard about this place from a friend that knows the owner (Jerry). Went for the first time. Not disappointing. Ordered eggplant fries, braised pork, yam and bacon fried rice, and their crispy duck (special). Overall very flavourful.
The aroma on the eggplant with lightly battered crispy skin and the tanggy, sweet and occasionally numbingly spicy sauce from the szechuan peppercorns was surprisingly simple but good.
The fork tender pulled apart melts in your (mine) mouth braised pork came in a bed of cabbages that had a hint of coconut cream and ginger was addicting.
The yam fried rice had a very nice balance of salty (bacon and I think lap chiong) and sweet (yam/​sweet potatoes) and wok smokey flavor. .though I think it can use more of wok flavor and dryer rice.
The crispy duck special was a huge duck breast with crispy batter, sweet and sour-​ish, mushrooms and garlic slivers. It was tender and tasty but I was hoping for crispy skin instead of just crispy batter… but still good.
Small place so come early though they clear up table fairly quickly for more customer. Service was fast and servers were great. Priced reasonably in this area. Will definitely come back again when have a chance.

Came here on a wet Friday evening. There aren’t many Sichuan places in Seattle, so I figured I’d give this one a try. Not much of a wait when we arrived at ~7:30pm, waited maybe 10 minutes for a table of 2.
Ordered the yu xiang eggplant, strange flavor chicken salad, mapo tofu, and dan dan noodles. The strange flavor chicken salad came first, a dish of shredded chicken, julienned cucumber ontop of glass noodles with a dressing. This might be inspired by the Chinese Bang Bang Chicken dish. I found the flavors to be overwhelming each other, and not in a balance. In the end, the sichuan peppercorns overwhelmed everything and just left my mouth numb.
The yu xiang eggplant fries were delicious. Slivers of eggplant deep fried and then tossed in various spices and peppers, it was my favourite dish. The dan dan noodles were good, I enjoyed the noodle they used but overall it wasn’t anything spectacular. And lastly, my go to dish at any Sichuan place, the mapo tofu. The dish came with large squares of tofu, which I thought was strange since in order to eat it I’d have to cut it down into smaller squares first. And then the dish itself felt like it was too salty with the black bean flavour and the Sichuan peppercorns being the prominent flavours. There was no balance between numbing and spicy, just numbing and salty.

The food tasted fine. I think it’s more fusion food with a Szechuan influence. I don’t think that there is anything that I can really recommend foodwise, but nothing was bad either. I was disappointed with their namesake lionhead dish though — it was basically meatballs cooked in soup. I was expecting fattier pork and a richer, more savory, sauce. I have no idea what clams (?) were doing in this dish.
The best thing about the restaurant was that gratuity is included in the prices, so figuring out the bill was super easy.

Sichuan on Broadway! And it’s a solid 3.5!
The little spot that used to be the confessionary got a facelift and it is now a Lionhead. Pretty décor, cozy little bar, casual settings.
Love~ the staffs, the service and the no tipping concept. Prices already reflect what you will pay plus tax. Our servers all friendly and nice. The place was buzzy for the soft opening!
Drinks were creative and fun. I had the red door with five spice, rum, lychee and so on.
Food: several appetizers, few rice and noodles, solid vegetable section and the main courses.
*Dan Dan ~ in chilli oil. A small portion of this is good for tasting.
*Lamb meatballs & clams ~ least fav dish! comes in a soupy like thing with glass noodles, greens and such. Spices are a little too over powering for me. Meatballs has rather strong cumin taste. Clams were good. Perhaps more broth would have helped. Or different noodles type.
*Braised beef noodles~ this was my favorite. I was expecting this to be in a soup form but I did enjoy the dry version.
*Bao~ they had leek bao as well as the tendon bao ! Both were tasty. I’m definitely skipping the meatballs dish next time base on my taste preference. Overall, I enjoyed my meal minus the main course. Service was great. Since I can’t give half a star, I’m going up to a four star for this soft opening week. Looking forward to returning!