Mike's Noodle House
Two neon signs under a red awning in the CID say Congee and Noodles, and that is the whole menu worth planning around. Cash only.
Why go
Kayla Sager-Riley put the case simply when she reviewed it for The Infatuation in 2025: the signs tell you what the kitchen does and the kitchen does it well.1 Egg noodles come springy under chunks of brisket.1 The congee is thick, and the rock cod version has flakes of meaty fish suspended through it.1 The room is homey and compact, buzzing with conversation and quick service out of a steam-filled kitchen.1 Bring cash. There is no card machine.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the rock cod congee, and shake white pepper over it.1
- Order: the Chinese donut alongside. Golden bars, crackly outside, full of air pockets, made for dipping.1
- Order: the beef brisket noodle with vegetable if you are hungry. It comes with a side of broth for dipping or pouring, and Sager-Riley warns it is a lot of food.1
- Avoid: the boneless chicken congee. Her line:
the boneless chicken is sort of flavorless and limp. You can skip it and stick to fish.
1
What locals & experts say
- Kayla Sager-Riley, The Infatuation Seattle, 19 March 2025, rated 8.2:
Slinky egg noodles are weighed down by husky chunks of tender brisket and bright vegetables. Congee is thick and comforting.
1 - The same magazine's lists: the shop appears in The Best Restaurants In The Chinatown-International District and in The Best Chinese Restaurants In Seattle.1
Good to know
- Cash only. Hit an ATM before you sit down.1
- Hygiene, disclosed: King County inspected on 26 August 2026 and scored the visit at 35 demerits across six violations, with a result of Unsatisfactory. Ten of those points were for handwashing facilities. Lower is better on this scale, so 35 is a bad visit. The rolling grade across eleven inspections since 2021 is still Good, and no inspector has ever closed the shop.2
Verdict
should-visit — Kayla Sager-Riley rated it 8.2 at The Infatuation and wrote it up like somebody who eats congee: thick and comforting, the cod flaky in it, white pepper shaken over the top. She also told readers to skip the boneless chicken, which is the sentence that makes the praise worth something. The Infatuation says on the page what an 8 means to it, which is worth making an effort or crossing town for, and it puts the shop on two of its own best-of lists, for the Chinatown-International District and for Chinese food in Seattle. Cheap, cash-only, one thing done properly: that is worth the detour. It is still one publication speaking three times rather than three of them agreeing, which is what holds the confidence down. Read the hygiene note before you go. King County scored the 26 August 2026 visit at 35 demerits across six violations, ten of them for handwashing facilities.