REVIEW | Mangosteen's Lives Up to the Hype With More Than Wings

Mangosteen's started almost a decade ago, doing pop-ups at farmers markets until they found a temporary home in Little Saigon's Pho Bac. Chef Thai Ha started slinging his fried chicken, boba, and garlic noodles out of the back of the restaurant and built up a rabid following.

Back then, I was a college student eagerly following the latest restaurant openings and closings as an intern at Seattle Met. I didn't get over to Mangosteen's during those pop-up days at Pho Bac, but late is better than never.

Mangosteen's brick-and-mortar shop just opened at the beginning of the year. I met an old journalism school friend at the eatery on MLK, who as soon as the smell hit us walking in the door declared, "This s— it about to be good."

King Plaza is a strip mall that feels familiar — the kind of place you go to see last names that are foreign to some but to others are promises that they'll be well fed or taken care of. Mangosteen's is nestled next to a Chinese herbal shop and below a tax attorney's office. Two storefronts down is Ba Mien Seafood Market, where you can get a $5 banh mi, any type of spring roll wrapper you need, and produce you can't find at QFC.

A kind voice welcomes me into the restaurant, and a waitress gives me a rundown of the menu along with her recommendations:

They're known for their wings, specifically the fish sauce and lemon pepper.

But don't miss the garlic noodles, which people will forgo the chicken for — they're that good.

Today, they have their Hainanese chicken, which is the other dish people will come in for besides the fried chicken.

Moving on to the drinks, it's mango season, and we should take full advantage. She points to a box of champagne mangoes. But don't miss their teas, like the lime punch.

And of course you have to add dessert: beignets to top it all off.

I got one of everything.

The beauty of a mango is that the fruit is already a walking little treat. Those who've been in the southern hemisphere during mango season, know exactly what I mean. Mix it with some cream and it becomes a decadent dessert. At Mangosteen's, there are several variations but the waitress recommended the Avo Mango smoothie. If you have any reservations about avocados, think of it like a banana adding some thickness to the smoothie without taking away any flavor from the main star. A sip of it made me sit back and take a moment to reflect on all the mango drinks I've had previously. This one stood out. My friend got the Lime Punch Tea which is a mix of lemon and lime and oolong tea. It's a good choice if you are looking for something light on the stomach before the onslaught of food coming your way.

Hainanese chicken is, at face value, a plain dish: poached chicken over rice, usually served with some cucumbers and sauces. It's a dish that shines when its simplicity is done well, which is exactly what they do at Mangosteen's. The rice is subtle in flavor but begs you to take more bites; cooked in the broth from the poached chicken, the depth to the dish is amplified.

The garlic noodles were my favorite part of the meal. Another dish that may seem unremarkable, but finds a way to shine. You can get them as a side or a combo with wings or with shaking beef — a Vietnamese dish that features cubed pieces of marinated meat that caramelizes and is mixed with bell peppers and onion. If you can eat beef, get it.

The wings at this point feel like the cherry on top. I knew they were going to be good — this is what the restaurant is known for. So it was only a matter of how good. I'll admit, I don't always love wings, mainly because I don't like buffalo sauce. But when they are tossed in fish sauce, it's a different story. It's sweet, almost syrup-like, which the tiny slices of chili cut through, adding a touch of spice to the bite. And the lemon pepper offering was just as delightful.

Mangosteen's is not the place for a fancy date night. Instead, it's the sort of place you go with your friend after school, or for me, after work, catching up with an old colleague. You order at the counter and seat yourself at one of the no-frills tables. Perhaps you'll get the same dubstep soundtrack that played during my visit, but if not, it won't be a big deal — you'll be too busy neck deep in a pile of wings to really focus on tunes.

As a bonus, the meal is served in to-go containers so it's easy to take leftovers. Just ask for a lid. Everything you've heard about this former fried chicken pop-up is true. And, there is plenty on the menu to explore that you likely haven't heard about. I expect to be back sooner rather than later.

Mangosteen's
King Plaza in Othello, 6951 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. STE 103, Seattle, WA 98118
Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday–Sunday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Grace (DD) Madigan is a Seattle-based journalist who formerly covered arts and culture for KNKX.