“Kau Kau means best BBQ pork in Seattle” says the business card of this landmark restaurant. While we’re no experts in either Chinese BBQ pork or the cuisine of of Seattle’s Chinatown, we’re not going to argue the proposition. Unlike the icky-sticky BBQ more typical of mediocre Chinese-American restaurants, Kau Kau’s pork has only a subtle glaze with just enough sweetness to halo the smoky, pure-pig flavor of the meat.
An alternative way to savor the house specialty is what’s billed as roasted pig. In this dish, crunchy seasoned skin is the lead singer, the pork it encloses offering gentle harmony. If supersucculent BBQ skin is your pleasure, consider roast duck, its booming dark meat encased in crisp skin that melts into pure flavor as soon as it’s bitten.
Kau Kau’s menu is huge, offering all the familiar Chinese specialties, including lo mein (expertly made and tasty, if comparatively boring), hot pots, pot stickers, fried rice, steamed rice, and fried prawns in every imaginable configuration. It’s for the BBQ we’ll return.
Sunday | 10am - 8pm |
Monday | 10am - 8pm |
Tuesday | CLOSED |
Wednesday | 10am - 8pm |
Thursday | 10am - 8pm |
Friday | 10am - 8pm |
Saturday | 10am - 8pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Shanghai Cafe
Bellevue, WashingtonHighlights of the vast menu in Shanghai Cafe include barley green hand-shaven noodles, pot stickers, and dumplings as well “high nutrition brown rice.”
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Mike’s Chili Parlor
Seattle, WashingtonMike’s is a Seattle dive bar dishing out spicy-sweet, greasy chili by the bowl or atop hot dogs or spaghetti noodles. It’s vintage urban Americana. Adults only.
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Toshi’s Teriyaki Grill
Washington,Hidden in a Mill Creek shopping center, Toshi’s Teriyaki is home of Toshi Kasahara, who introduced the dish to Seattle in 1976. Chicken & beef are definitive.
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Maltby Cafe
Washington,The primary reason to dine at the Maltby Cafe is its cinnamon roll, a massive coil of sweet pastry as big as a dinner plate. All breakfasts here are huge!
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Paseo Caribbean Restaurant
Washington,A raffish sandwich shop specializing in overstuffed torpedoes of pork and more, Paseo is bright and delicious, noisy and fun.
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Shake Shake Shake
Washington,For priced-right shakes, burgers, and hot dogs with retro-diner ambiance, Shake3 is the go-to place in Tacoma.