Noodle/Bar

Sichuan spot Noodle/Bar, from the team behind Plenty Of Clouds, has easily become one of the best restaurants in South Lake Union. It’s an ideal place for dinner and cocktails that won't be packed (or closed) on a Monday, or somewhere to have a post-work date that's not as chaotic as Tapster. There are soupy bowls of wanza mian with ground pork, tender Chinese broccoli, and chickpeas if the weather is garbage, and when it’s one of those classic Seattle scorchers, go for some cold buckwheat noodles tossed with chicken and pickled vegetables in a chili-spiked soy sauce. Either way, you’ll want an order of outstanding dumplings, stuffed with pork and swimming in a tangy hot and sour broth that stains each wrapper bright orange.