Louie's Chinese Cuisine

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in Seattle. “Louie’s Cuisine of China” which is located on 15th Ave in Ballard. The exterior of this building can give off a kind of intimidating feeling as it is painted in dark colors with no windows showing the inside of the restaurant. But do not be fooled! Louie’s is anything but threatening as you are welcomed by the allure of a warm and cozy atmosphere on the inside. There are several things that make this restaurant our favorite Chinese restaurant in the Seattle area.

Reason number one is that it has a very traditional Chinese style ambiance with classic Chinese paintings on the wall; cozy booths separated by walls of bamboo, and little bonsai trees adorning every table. The second reason is that Louie's serves killer Chinese food! Asian cuisine in Seattle and particularly Chinese food, is a dime a dozen and there are places that do it right and places that do it wrong. Louie’s would definitely be one of the few that has gotten it right. I have only sampled several dishes at Louie’s but every single one has exceeded my expectations. If you ever have a chance to order the duck, you will not regret it. It has the perfect balance of juiciness yet not overly fatty. The general Tsao’s chicken is also to die for with the perfect crispness to its chicken and a tangy sweet sauce glazed over the entire meal. It is also a requirement when dining at Louie’s to order the crab wontons! Words cannot express how much these little crab stuffed, fried pieces of heaven mean to us. Combining the wonton with the sweet sauce dip provided with the appetizer is like experiencing a brief lapse into Nirvana.(Ok maybe an exaggeration, but they are good!)

The service at Louie’s is also very speedy and friendly, we have never had to wait very long for our food and they also provide you with complimentary tea and fortune cookies at the end of your meal. Who could ask for more? The typical entrée dishes at Louie’s is around 10 to 15 dollars, but expect to pay around 20 a meal if you decide to order the crab wontons.