Judy Fu’s Snappy Dragon

I call this adulterated Chinese food. Totally made for the non-​Asian palette. The food is laden in sticky sauces and the dumplings are thick and unrefined.

I’ve been here twice, and I love the place. The first time, I took my SO here after we spent some time with his parents, and we felt like we had to roll out the door. The food was delicious. Last night, we came here with our best friends to celebrate my SO’s birthday, and we were not disappointed.
Well. .. we waited about 30 minutes outside, where it was cold and rainy. We were also starving. When there’s a 30-​minute wait for a place on a Friday, I’d say the food is pretty damned good.
It didn’t disappoint. We started with hot and sour soup, the best I’ve ever had, and green scallion pancakes. I could have easily had a meal with that, but the four of us were after those pancakes, and we’d have needed eight plates of them to satisfy our appetites. The pancakes were crispy outside, tender inside, and full of scallion flavor.
We then had the jiao zi dumplings, with pork. I’ve had jiao zi, and for the most part been served soggy envelopes of thick dough, with suspicious pork filling that had gristly bits inside. Not these. The dough was perfect, just the right thickness to keep the filling inside, but thin enough so you didn’t feel like you were chewing through paste. The pork was tender and well-​cooked. Did I mention the chili paste and dipping sauce? We got those. I just poured a little sauce on my dumplings and scarfed them down.
For entrees, we had the Sichuan garlic beef, beef chow mein, and General Tso’s chicken. They were all good, but the chow mein was one of those dishes I wanted to have all to myself — it was light, tasty, and filling. It was a bit bland, but that was easily fixed with a little chili paste and sauce from the dumplings. The garlic beef had plenty of vegetables and didn’t blow you over with garlic — but it could have been kicked up a notch without harming anything. The beef was tender, though — and real beef, not spongy but with actual meat texture. And I’d love to know what they use to coat the chicken in the General Tso’s dish; it was crispy and didn’t get soggy underneath the scarlet sauce.
I can’t wait to come here again.

Not to be rude, but this is an American-​targeted «Chinese» restaurant. I came here to see the hype about their handmade noodles and dumplings and was severely underwhelmed. We waited about 40 minutes before we were seated. Ordered the following dishes: mushu pork (10.95 $), pork jiao zi (26 pieces for 14.95 $), beef and napa cabbage stew (10.50 $) and the snappy dragon chow mein with homemade noodles (shrimp, chicken, beef and veggies for 10.25 $).
The mushu pork came first and was probably the most interesting entrée all night. The wrap was really really thin, resulting in rips as soon as you pick up everything. The actual mushu pork that went inside though was on the light side in terms of flavor, but generally pretty wholesome and fresh. The pork jiao zi were very plain and needed salt inside. You could tell the wrap was handmade, but it had none of the nice chewy and thick texture of such treatment. Next came the napa cabbage stew, which was listed under the «clay pot» section of the menu. Upon arrival, the «clay pot» was really a metal dish shaped like a clay pot. The stew inside was very starchy, though the beef was still nicely tender. Last came the chow mein, which supposedly should have been the star of the show… but was equally disappointing as the dumplings. It was so bland and all the wrong texture, despite being handmade.

Hmm… can’t see what the hype is about. I was very underwhelmed when dining here.
First, the staff and service were very confusing to me. I didn’t know who worked there and who were customers. The staff comprised of a group of young kids who looked like they were ready to go to the movies on a Saturday night. We waited long to not only order, but also for our food while tables who were sat next to us at last 20 mins after we sat down got their food first. We never got tea like everyone else, we had to ask for dinner plates, etc.
Our food wasn’t much to write home about. We ordered:
–15 piece boiled dumplings: were lacking the juicy pork flavor that I am used to and a couple came out still cold (must have been because they were first frozen)
–beef chow mein with special hand shaven noodles: bland bland bland. we had to scoop spoonfuls of their hot sauce in order for the dish to be tasty
–string beans with almonds in the Original sauce (pretty much just Szechwan sauce). Now, this was the most delicious dish, but the string beans were DRENCHED in the sauce, thus making them super oily.
Definitely not going back. kind of disappointed because I was so excited to finally try it! oh well.

3 stars matches well for this restaurant as it is nothing above standard Chinese pair.
Very busy, but the counter was responsive and accurate for our take-​out order.
We ordered a selection of entrees, including soft noodle, spicy eggplant and kung pao chicken. The eggplant had a good flavor, but the other two entrees lacked any appeal.
The vegetarian dumplings were not a bad texture, but lacked any flavor (think: tacky cardboard).

Need to expand or hire more staff. They can’t handle the business their great food has generated. I put in a take out order for $ 140 worth of food. They said it would be ready in one hour. An hour later, they hadn’t even started it. The place was packed with people standing in line out the door in the rain. How does this possibly help your business? I cancelled my order and left. We went to a restaurant that actually could serve us in a somewhat timely fashion. So after 2.5 hours we finally managed to eat. I don’t think I’ll be going back again no matter how good the food is.

We’ve ordered takeout twice and had the same mediocre experience both times. Food wasn’t ready when promised and there isn’t really a waiting area — then staff allowed our food to sit behind the counter until we asked why it wasn’t ready. Order wasn’t complete in the bag so we realized after getting home we were charged for things we didn’t get. Seems over-​crowded and like they can’t handle the volume. The food itself is not that great — we got the chow mein and it’s ok, but definitely doesn’t make up for the experience and it’s not a spot we’ll give a third chance to. If you do order take-​out, recommend that you delay paying until after you get your food and confirm it’s hot and that your order is correct.

Good food, but the delivery is the problem and the reason they get 4 stars. The last three times I’ve called to order food, they told us it would be an hour and a half wait. All times around six pm on week nights. Tonight they said the same, but here we are close to 2 hours waiting on Chinese delivery?! HIRE MORE DRIVERS.

We’ve been ordering Snappy Dragon on and off for years, ever since we first moved to the delivery radius. They’ve always been hit and miss – their mu shu vegetable usually does well by my husband, who in general doesn’t care for American Chinese food, but their veggie jiao zi has been disappointingly bland every time I’ve ordered it (I keep thinking it’ll get better). Yesterday’s order, however, might be our last. A simple order of wonton soup and chow mien proved to me that Snappy Dragon is simply another greasy spoon Chinese restaurant. The wonton soup was almost inedibly salty, and the wontons themselves had minimal flavor. The Snappy Dragon chow mien was oily with scanty vegetables – some limp cabbage and onions. Next time, I’ll just drive to Chiang’s for take out.

Normally not a big fan of Chinese food because it all tastes the same, but this place is great. It actually tastes homemade and the food is fresher than your run-​of-​the-​mill Chinese food. The pineapple in the sweet and sour chicken is fresh and not canned. The noodles in chow mein are home made. I was really happy with it.

It’s funny how I’ve been coming to eat at this place for all these years now but haven’t found the time to make a review yet!
Anyways, for all you fresh dumpling and hand shaven noodle lovers, this is the spot you should come to. I cannot begin to explain how fresh tasting the noodles and dumplings are here. Personally, I think the the dumplings and hand shaven noodles are as good as Din Tai Fung, which is a HUGE plus because Judy Fu’s wait time isn’t as long as DTF’s. As for the customer service I give it an A+ because the employees are all very personable and helpful.
I suggest making a reservation when coming here, but note that they only take reservations of a party of 5 or more. Judy Fu’s is a good place to try if you are tired of the normal Chinese restaurants.

If the only thing I reviewed was the Crispy Eggplant in Tangy Hot Glaze then it would be a 5 star review. Unfortunately for Judy Fu, I have to consider everything else, which significantly lowers my rating.
When I ate at the restaurant everything was just so slow. There was a wait to be seated, which was anticipated. But then it took forever to order, and after that it was a long wait for the food. Definitely don’t come here if you have to be somewhere afterwards. When I picked up a take out order, they messed up one of the dishes. That meant calling the restaurant to get the correct one delivered. Although they gave us a time estimate for the delivery, of course it took longer than they said.
As for the food… The Crispy Eggplant is perfection in a dish. The sauce delivers on its name – it is a tangy and spicy gooey glaze. The eggplant is fried well so it gets past that tougher texture without going soggy. However, that is so far the only thing I’ve had there that was 5 star quality. The hot and sour soup is average. The Kung Pao Tofu was lackluster. If you order the Moo Shu, I definitely do not recommend going the vegan route. The egg is the only thing that saves this dish from being totally bland and boring. The pancakes are thicker and break apart when you try to wrap up your Moo Shu, which makes it a kind of messy situation.
However, what takes all of this from an average 3 star review down to the 2 I gave it was the rock that was in my Moo Shu. That’s right, I said a ROCK. I bit down on a rock about the size of a marble. Luckily I didn’t bite hard enough for it to cause any damage to my tooth. But it was certainly enough to make me want to immediately stop eating my meal. I am bummed to say I don’t think I’ll be dining in or ordering out from this place anytime soon.

I’m updating my review because I decided to come here for lunch the last few days.
Great lunch menu, you get a lot of food. And I’m all about a lot of food, son.
I think the best part of the lunch menu is that Wonton soup is offered with the lunch special, and it’s pretty money.
Most asian lunch specials offer egg drop or hot and sour.

I still love to eat here and have brought so many people here over the years. Its always crowded and sometimes people are even waiting outside. Seems like a lot of people come by to get orders to go. I wish I lived close enough to get delivery. Parking in this area is pretty easy on the street, but you may have to walk a bit as they don’t have their own parking lot. It can be really loud and hectic in here, which may be something to consider if you are not into that kind of thing.
I love the separate vegetarian menu which is even nice enough to include which items have egg in them for vegans like myself. I have so many items to choose from, I almost feel like I am at a vegetarian restaurant. I also love that they are supporters of vegfest and include a coupon with my membership every year which I always take advantage of. My most recent meal was one of just veggie Jiao-​zi and the green onion pancakes which satisfied all of my cravings for their delicious sauce. I also enjoy the kung pao and Mongolian tofu. I often dine with meat eaters and they usually seem pretty satisfied as well. This is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. I’m always confused why some people don’t love it as much as I do, but can verify that plenty of people do. Like most Chinese places it comes with tea and a fortune cookie. If you are so inclined you can sit at the back barstools and watch as the workers make the delicious dumplings, etc that will soon fill your belly.

My wife was driving past Snappy Dragon on her way home and I had heard about it so I had her pick up an order. We got the sesame chicken and Mongolian beef.
The first problem was that when they give you your order, it’s in a stapled paper bag, so you just kind of assume, as one normally does, that all your food is in there. When she got home, they had forgot to give us the Mongolian beef. We live in Ballard (out of their delivery zone) so we had to drive back and get it since they charged us the full amount. Once the Mongolian beef was picked up, the sauce leaked out of the container, through the bag, and onto the car. Easy enough to clean up buy annoying when I’m already displeased. Unfortunately, it also meant my Mongolian beef was completely dry and had no sauce on it. Not really enjoyable.
The food was clean and seemed well prepared. The chicken was a little tough but overall pretty good. I kind of find it to be bland. I like a lot of kick and flavor. I ordered 5 star hot Mongolian beef and maybe it was 2.5 stars hot. I didn’t get a burn at all. Maybe it was in the sauce that leaked out.
I wouldn’t mind eating here again, but at the price and if I had a choice, I’d look elsewhere first. Chef Liao is closer to me (not a demerit to Snappy Dragon) and, I think, much better.

Average American Chinese food. Just average. Maybe for the north Seattle area you could say this place is above average, but not worth the hype for those of us that have had great American Chinese in the ID or in other cities.
The sweet and sour sauce seems to be all sweet. There really isn’t anything in it besides a sugar taste. Good news for people that like sauce that way, they out a ton of sauce on the order.
The beef and broccoli is also very one-​sided. This entrée is almost all broccoli. I kept digging through it in hopes of finding a little beef, but the order was about a head of broccoli and a bit of beef flavoring in the sauce. I happen to live broccoli, but don’t wan’t to pay a premium for something that isn’t there. Overall, the flavor was pretty decent.
The fried rice is hardly fried here. Traditionally fried rice has a bit of ‘crunch’ to it since it is cooked on a high heat; whereas this place it seems as if everything were seamed separately and then combined and labeled as fried rice. Again, not what I would call fried. Still ok.
Portion sizes are pretty decent. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable. But know that this place serves American Chinese more on the American side.

Our take out order was incorrect. When it was fixed, the quality of the food was terrible.
We ordered moo shu tofu WITHOUT EGG over the phone. We picked up our order in person, where we checked the order slip to make sure it was correct before paying and leaving. The slip was correct.
When we got home, there was egg in the moo shu. We called to ask them to fix it by delivering a moo shu without egg. The same person who took the order originally took my complaint and was once again polite and apologetic. He took the order correctly. He said the replacement would be delivered in about 30 minutes.
Just under 40 minutes later a nice delivery person dropped off the correct dish. I asked if he wanted the incorrect dish back. He said no, which was nice because although I don’t eat egg, my partner does, so she basically got a free meal.
When I started eating the replacement, it was clear it was rushed. The dish was not fully cooked, so the flavors hadn’t yet developed at all. The mushrooms were barely cooked. The cabbage was too crunchy. But even worse, the pancakes were covered in raw flour and also not fully cooked through. The whole dish was just «blah»: bland and boring and a huge disappointment.
Summary:
Phone order staff is great and worked hard to fix the mistake
Delivery driver is fast and also worked to fix the mistake
Cooks were terrible and the food was a near complete let down

Great Americanized Chinese food with some authentic Chinese dishes. But hey, sometimes you just crave Americanized Chinese food.
My boyfriend and I ordered the chicken chow mein with homemade noodles, the sesame beef, the snappy dragon fried rice, and the smoked duck. We’re big eaters and by the time we were full, the plates looked like they were still barely touched because the portions were so huge.
Sesame beef was delicious. Homemade noodles were a tad undercooked (coming from someone who loves things al dente), but delicious and chewy. The man tous that came with the smoked duck were huge and not what I’m used to, but still good.
Quick and lovely service as well.

Great, quality Chinese food. Love the peanut sauce, home made noodles, and spicy sauce.
Quick take out, which is what we usually do. Wish we were in their delivery zone!

Alright food, alright service. Okay, all-​around, but nothing noteworthy. I was in the neighborhood and craving Americanized Chinese food in the worst way. I found this and saw the decent Unilocal reviews and decided to give it a try.
It was pretty busy for 2:00 PM on a weekday. I ordered one of the special lunch combos with fried rice, hot and sour soup, and sweet and sour chicken with an egg roll. The soup had a decent amount of veggies but otherwise was bland. The entrée serving was huge– tons of rice and chicken. The chicken was crispy and high-​quality white meat, but the sweet and sour sauce was disappointing bland and one-​note. I liked that the eggroll was made in-​house (as opposed to the obviously pre-​frozen ones), but I felt the vegetables inside of it were underseasoned. The food was filling and the combo came with an enormous about of food, but I wasn’t impressed with the flavor of the food.
I would be willing to try this place again and order some homemade noodles instead, because I definitely appreciate the fact that they try to make most of their ingredients in-​house.

Quelle petite phrase bouleversante au coeur d’un être?