#2588 #S1270 - Monsoon, Seattle - 8/11/2014

Monsoon, Seattle, WA

Monsoon has been here since 1999 but they did not add the lounge until 2014, a few years after owners Eric and Sophie Bhan had begun expanding to new Monsoon and Ba Bar locations in the Seattle area featuring craft cocktail bars. This was the first restaurant from the Bahns, siblings who grew up in Saigon and fled with their parents to a Malaysian refugee camp, then Seattle by way of Alberta (seattleweekly). They currently run two Monsoon locations and three Ba Bars, all serving largely revolving menus of some of the better plates in the region, with a special focus on modernized versions of Vietnamese dishes using local northwest ingrediants. Some of the favorites people mention are the caramelized Idaho catfish claypot with fresh coconut juice,  and green onion, the oxtail pho, and the grilled Monterey squid stuffed with duck meat and La Lot beef. This location also includes a rooftop patio that I have yet to experience.

While the craft cocktails do not disappoint, this location in particular feels like much more of a dinner or lunch stop than a place where you would hang out at the bar. I may have to go a couple more times before I'm sure I'd put it among my top stops strictly as a bar, but if you're hungry I would not hesitate.

Monsoon, Seattle, WA

615 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 - (206) 325-2111
Est. 2014 (bar), 1999 (restaurant)
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: monsoonrestaurants.com/seattle
Articles ranked: thestranger - seattlemag - winesandspirits - okgourmet - fearlesscritic - seattleweekly - seattlemet - richardsilverstein - edibleseattle - yelp - tripadvisor