Organization
Phnom Penh Noodle House
Phnom Penh Noodle House is a family-run Cambodian restaurant in Seattle's Chinatown–International District, opened by Sam Ung in 1987.[1][2] The family traces its cooking back three generations, to a noodle cart on the streets of Battambang, Cambodia, in the early 1940s.[1] As of 2026 it is owned by Sam Ung's daughters, Dawn Ung, Diane Le and Darlene Ung.[3]
History
The Battambang cart was a two-person business that grew into a full restaurant serving noodle soup, congee and desserts.[1] Sam Ung and his wife were Cambodian refugees who escaped the Khmer Rouge genocide and arrived in Seattle in 1980. They saved for years before opening their first noodle house in 1987.[4] It had 30 to 40 seats and seven items on the menu.[1] Keep It Local Seattle counts it among the first Cambodian businesses in the Seattle area.[5]
After about ten years a snowstorm collapsed the roof of the old building. In 1997 the restaurant moved to a larger space on South King Street, with room for 120 diners, and the menu grew alongside a catering business.[4][1][5] Diners came for birthdays, graduation parties and anniversaries, students gathered there after kung fu class upstairs, and Cambodian associations held their meetings there. Sam Ung also volunteered and donated food through the Asian Counseling and Referral Service.[1]
Sam Ung retired as owner and head chef in 2013. Dawn and Darlene took over the daily work, with help from Diane, and Peng Liu became chef.[1][5] In 2017 a member of the family was hit by a car and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and the family closed the restaurant to care for him.[4] The last service was on May 28, 2018.[1]
The sisters looked at sites in Renton and Kent before choosing a space in the new Thai Binh building on South Jackson Street.[1][5] An Indiegogo campaign, space for pop-ups, free legal help and a fundraising dinner hosted by another small restaurant helped pay for the return. The City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development gave a $140,000 grant, and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority also helped.[1][4] The grand opening planned for March 14, 2020, was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant began serving takeout in April 2020, and by August it offered some indoor seating at half capacity.[4][1] The new space has a redesigned logo and a more modern look chosen by the second generation.[1] KING 5 called it Seattle's only Cambodian restaurant in 2020.[4]
Food
The dishes follow Sam Ung's original recipes from the 1987 menu, cooked by a chef who trained with him for years.[5] The reopened menu is shorter but keeps the favorites: honey-black pepper chicken wings with jalapeño, Sam Ung's own creation; prawn and fish cake noodle soup; mee katang, wide rice noodles in gravy; and beef lok lac, wok-tossed cubes of marinated steak.[1][4]
Visiting
It offers takeout by phone and online, and delivery through Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats.[6][7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Phnom Penh Noodle House, Our story (2020)
- ↑ Wikipedia, Phnom Penh Noodle House
- ↑ Intentionalist, Phnom Penh Noodle House (2026)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 KING 5, Phnom Penh Noodle House re-opens in Seattle thanks to resilience and community support (April 2020)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Keep It Local Seattle, Phnom Penh Noodle House
- ↑ Phnom Penh Noodle House, home page (2025)
- ↑ Phnom Penh Noodle House, Visit us