The Boat

This food was absolutely incredible and the vibe was sweet and unmatched. Love the outside look of the boat and how small it is on the inside. The menu is limited for a reason - everything is done right! The garlic crusted cornish hen had such crispy delicious skin and fell off the bone. The broth was a nice touch and the noodles were lovely. The turmeric rice had a nice flavor. Never had chrysanthemum before so it was cool to try the salad. The spicy sauce was amazing to dip everything into and the juices from the chicken got sopped up in the rice so beautifully. Would definitely recommend and I wish I had time to go back before leaving.

I recently visited The Boat and had an absolutely fantastic experience! The moment you walk in, you feel the warm and inviting atmosphere of a true Vietnamese eatery. I tried the garlic fish sauce chicken with rice (Cơm gà mắm tỏi), and it was out of this world—perfectly cooked, flavorful, and packed with authentic Vietnamese taste. The portions were generous, and the presentation was simple but appealing. The menu is diverse, offering fried chicken noodles, mixed noodles, vegetarian mixed noodles, and sandwiches. Everything I tried was fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. The staff were friendly, attentive, and made the dining experience even more enjoyable. Whether you’re craving authentic Vietnamese food or just looking for a cozy, welcoming spot to eat in Seattle, The Boat is a must-visit. I’ll definitely be coming back to try more dishes!

The eating experience here is not for the faint of heart. Initially, that may sound like hyperbole, but it starts even before you get to the restaurant. Walking along the depravity of the nearby streets incites some justified concern before you finally spot the boat-shaped place around a corner. (side note: they missed on some cool nautical theming aspects) They serve essentially one thing, with several customizations making up the different versions of the main dish. That dish? A garlic fried half Cornish hen, which you can have with either noodles or rice. I opted for the noodles, with an extra fried egg on top. It also comes with pho broth. The second reason this eating experience isn't easy is how much stuff you have to manage on your plate. Fried chicken is a pretty difficult food to eat in a restaurant, but this is doubly true when it's not broken up into pieces. The chicken here is a single large half-hen, and it leaves the separation of thigh, breast, and leg up to the consumer. If that wasn't enough, the (too small) plate also contains your noodle dish, and a bowl of pho broth. It's pretty challenging to manage everything while keeping it all separate (I failed at this last part). For the most part, the food is solid The fried chicken is pretty moist, has a ton of garlic, and occasionally crunchy bits. My issue is that it didn't really have any batter at all - so the crispiness just comes from the skin. The skin is good, but that leaves you with a very thin layer with a very thick piece of meat underneath. This means that each bite you're getting like 90% meat and 10% of the crispy outer side. This gets a bit old after a while. I noticed this becoming a problem especially on the breast side. The noodles are solid. The fried egg on top of them is incredible - I've never seen one that crispy ever. The dish is coated with a ton of peanut sauce, and it's got a slightly sweet taste from the pork and pineapple pate. The pho broth is also fine. If that was it, I would've been pretty disappointed in this restaurant, but I actually lied earlier when I said they just serve one thing. They also serve one dessert item - a set of waffles with dip, which I ordered. And it made my experience of coming here worthwhile. There's no question in my mind that these are the best waffles I've ever had. I opted for the pandan variety, and these were so astoundingly soft and fluffy it was unreal. They look a bit like Belgian waffles, but in contrast to the thick nature of those, eaten with a fork and knife after drowning in syrup, these function completely differently. The way to eat these is tear them apart and dip them in the egg, coconut, and salted peanut dip that it comes with. The flavor is also so good - the gentle, nutty, and earthy pandan is amazing. I could eat these waffles just plain without any dip - and they're so light as well - and somehow still have a crunch when you bite into them. It's unreal. The egg-white based dip mostly does its job in providing moisture, and maintaining the lightness of the overall dish. Despite the fact I was so full after the main meal, I easily finished all four of these waffle pieces because I couldn't stop. My meal came out to $40 including tax and tip. The amount of food you get is a ton. It's not a very fancy place, but the chicken and noodles/rice being just $20 is a good deal, and so is the $8 for the waffles. Overall, a decent main course with an all-time good dessert ultimately makes it a restaurant I don't know if I would come back to, but certainly appreciated my experience. 8.5/10

Fantastic fried chicken served with either rice, noodle soup or dry noodles. I believe the chicken is actually a Cornish game hen, moist made with a sweet’sh crispy skin. The combos are a generous portion, so save room for the waffles.

Absurdly fantastic pandam waffles and friendly staff. Price point wise for my favorite breakfast food its the best I've found in Seattle. The fried chicken looks fantastic and I'll be grabbing it next time!