Wong Tung Seafood

I was looking for a place like this, really great selection and such reasonable prices on Seafood! There is also great big white shrimp, lobster, huge oysters. It’s also an Asian grocery store with cool tropical Thai fruits. Fun time!

Would you believe my hair dresser told me about this place? She has a client that told her about this business and that they sold live spot prawns. It’s difficult to find in town for a reasonable price so I just had to come.
It is tucked away in a strip mall in the little Saigon section. They have tanks full of dungeness crabs, king crabs, tilapia, spot prawns, clams, geoducks, lobsters and other fish and shellfish. I used to go to a place like this on Beacon Hill but I found this place to be more clean and have better customer service, so I come here more often. I usually get the spot prawns, which was $ 18 a lb. It’s a great deal than Mutual Fish and Uwajimaya. They always packed it in ice. The parking is usually a pain as it is a small lot and very narrow spots. It is cash only.

Seafood is very fresh and price is good

Very fresh seafood and inexpensive. We bought Dungeness crab, clams and oysters. They were all fresh and delicious and affordable. Glad we stopping by!

Great spot for live seafood with friendly service. They also provide complementary processing (cut up crab/​lobster, open up scallop/​uni…) Minor complaints: price is often 10−20% higher than competitors (Lam, Lucky and Dong Hing) and it’s cash only.

Freshest, cheapest seafood vendor in the city. Absolute must visit for seafood lovers!

Always stop by here for their fish paste… my parents love it.

Fresh, clean, and quality seafood at a reasonable price. Aside from Uwajimaya, I avoid all other Asian markets for seafood. I just don’t trust the quality of their products. Although Uwajimaya and also Pike Place market tend to have higher prices. Wong Tung Seafood is the best option for quality and price. I get everything from crab, clams, geoduck, spot prawns, fish, oysters, lobster, and fish paste. They also carry live King Crab, live cod, and other fishes. Unlike other places that mostly carry live tilapia.
Cash only. One time we were short on cash and the lady/​owner just asked us to pay them back the next time we visited.

I’m a regular at this market for live dungeness crab, lobster, geoduck, clam, and spot prawn togo. This place sells live shellfish at decent price. I like to buy geoduck here because they offer to clean, gut and skin off the trunk for me. They also packed it nicely with lots of ice to keep it fresh for hours before I drive home way north of Seattle.
One minus star: cash only so be prepare to draw some cash before you get here.

If you want live shellfish at a decent price, this is a great place in the ID (crab, lobster, & clams). Sometimes they even have eel and king crab. Doesn’t get any fresher than this. Sometimes they have smaller live fish swimming in the tanks too. Rarely, if ever do they have fresh oysters (at least every time I’ve been in) or Alaskan fish (too big for the tanks?).
One star docked for 1. Not taking plastic 2. Not being a one stop shop (oysters & fish).
Be prepared to pay in cash. Cash ONLY.

Yes, yes it looks dirty from the outside, you can’t find parking, and you are hesitant. But, no do not park your car like crap and block others from coming out, which a lot of people do at this parking lot.
At Wong Tung, you’ll find fresh crabs, lobsters, spot prawns, coon shrimp, clams, oysters, scallops, etc. Been coming here for 7 years now, and I keep coming back for fresh seafood every week.

Nothing fancy. But what do you expect from a great down to earth seafood place. Clams, live HUGE lobster, HUGE live Alaska king crab! Clams, scallops, snails! And much much more! Of course I would of loved to get all of this. But I went in here and got some clams, scallops, 2 live lobsters, and shrimp. They were delicious and great price! I will come back here to get it all!!! A+… And I’m a white boy, btw. Lol. Cash only btw. Quick in and quick out.

cheap live seafood.
lobster, crab, shrimp, geoduck, spot prawns. You name it, they will surely have it. I would totally recommend this place for your seafood :) speaking of wong tung, I do need to do a shrimp and lobster stir fry soon!
This place is the cheapest in chinatown and is super legit. It’s just hella sketch but totally ok if you’re looking for live seafood for cheap. But if you’re looking for sustainable and clean. I would recommend taylor shellfish near the melrose market

Wong Tung is a little Chinese seafood store in the International District. It is in the same complex that Malay Satay Hut is located on 12^th Ave S. The parking situation is pretty dire. Limited and spaces are small. There are a couple of side streets nearby though to ease this issue.
Though the space is smaller than Uwajimaya’s seafood section down the road and Mutual Fish in Beacon Hill, the selection here is respectable. There is just a handful of different types of fish offered here, but the shellfish selection is quite decent. They carry live abalone, crabs, geoduck, lobsters and shrimp here.
Picked up a pound of live shrimp called spot prawns ($ 6/​lb.) as well as a pound of fishcake paste ($ 6/​lb.). The shrimp was a different variety that I have never had before. The head of the shrimp actually was larger than the body meaning there was not a whole lot of meat, but the head portion makes it very flavorful. It was tasty dipped with a ginger and green onion soy sauce.
As for the fishcake, this is the only place in Seattle that I know that offers it in paste form like I am used to in Hawaii. Though I see other retailers in the area sell them fried or as fish balls. The fishcake is tasty fried up with some green onions and would work well as fish balls in a soup or congee.
While Wong Tung does not have an extensive selection of seafood offerings, what they do have here is good in regards to quality and freshness.

Walk in, don’t be alarmed at how seemingly dirty or run down it looks. The true test of how well a fresh seafood store is kept and the quality of the goods are how clear/​clean the water in the tanks are, the lack of FUNK in the air and how lively the sea creatures are. Wong Tung passes all 3 tests.
Taking a step back, people always rave about Pike Place, Uwajimaya and Whole Foods having quality seafood selections. I completely disagree with that, I would point someone here or Mutual Fish Co in Beacon Hill before I send them to the above establishments. In my opinion, Pike Place or Whole Foods sells totally different things, if you are looking for great smoked salmon, you go there. If you are looking for mountains upon mountains of frozen king crab legs and frozen lobster tails, you go there. IF you are looking for affordable and extremely high quality live seafood, you go to Wong Tung.
Uwajimaya on the other hand, is just not on the same level of Wong Tung for a number of reasons. The problem is (especially at the bellevue and Renton store) their inventory sells extremely slow, there simply isn’t that many people buying seafood at those stores. So you end up having what was once pretty fresh seafood suffering a slow death in the tanks. I once saw them trying to sell a live giant king crab, only to return 1 week later and realized they just cooked it and tried to sell it’s legs individually (those didn’t sell neither), when I asked them about it they said no one wanted to buy it and they had to cook it before it died, very depressing indeed.
With the main Seattle store, things move faster but you are still essentially trading convenience for cost and quality. Meaning, yes you can buy really fresh crab with your groceries as a one stop shop but prepare to pay a lot more, you can also buy sashimi grade fish but it’s not as good as Mutual Fish Co for around the same price. I am a firm believer in actual markets, where each vendor owns their stall/​business and will ONLY sell what they specialize in and their stake in their business is their passion and reputation. It is fundamentally difficult to find quality and selection in a supermarket for live/​fresh seafood.
Now, I do like Uwajimaya, on those lucky days where you come across a fresh shipment of live Washington razor clams, it is a sin to walk away. It’s also nice to not have to worry when buying meats there compared to if you go to a Chinese or Vietnamese store. It is however, lacking in selection, cost and quality when compared to Wong Tung. Another note, Wong Tung, all cleaning of seafood is complimentary if requested, not the case at Uwajimaya.
So it surprises me that this place only has 7 reviews, because for how fast they move their inventory and how many people purchasing seafood here, you would think this would be a lot more popular? Maybe just with the old asian crowd? Anyway, the must try is the fish paste, best fresh fish paste in the state, hands down. Throw it in an omelet, scoop some with your ice cream scoop into a light chicken broth with some baby spinach, you can’t lose when cooking with seafood this fresh and wholesome. Extremely affordable and sells out once the day’s batch is sold, get there early.
There simply isn’t a higher quality or more affordable store for fresh seafood. Check our their website, yeah 1996 called but just take a look at the pictures and marvel at the selection. Sometimes I would just stop by if I am in the neighborhood, just to see what they have. If you are any sort of seafood fan, you owe it to yourself to come here, you will not be disappointed, cash only.

my mom gets most of her seafood here. not necessarily the biggest selection but for shellfish, it’s very very hard to beat. big gathering? need a sh*t ton of live crab/​shrimp/​lobster/​scallops at rock bottom prices? this is the place for you. absolutely no frills, get in, get out. bada boom bada bing. parking can be difficult on the weekends and they close at six. as people have said before, CASH ONLY.

A friendly stranger tipped me off to this place for fresh geoduck after he ran out at his store. $ 18/​lb, which beat his price by about $ 8/​lb. The lady cleaned it and had it all ready for us to eat once we brought it back to the East Coast.
Very happy, I hope other people discover this place!

This is my absolute favorite spot to purchase daced fish paste! They are extremely flavorful and with the right amount of oomph to it. Texture is delish too!
Very friendly mom n pop store.

You having a dinner party? Grilling? Paella? Seafood feast? This place is the hidden gem for buying live seafood.
I hate buying shrimp that is already cook or worst… frozen…but not here.
I have bought live Crab, Lobster, Tiger Shrimp, Clams, Osyters and Mussels. I LOVE live tiger shimp with the head still attached for grilling or cooking in paella. Seafood always taste better live because you know it is Fresh!
This is a family owned business with personal friendly service. The prices are decent and the inverntory is good for being a hole in the wall.
The parking is horrible because it is in a small shopping area so I recommend parking by the street if you can so you won’t get stuck in the small parking or go around to find parking again.
Highly Recommeded to buy Fresh Seafood here.
PRO TIP: They only accept cash. Do find parking on the street level first before trying to park in the parking lot. The floor is always wet so be careful not wearing your nice shoes.

I have brought my patronage to Wong Tung Seafood for at least 15 years because this place is my go to when I want FRESH crab.
Yes…you read that correctly. Crabs that are still alive. The turnover rate of their inventory of crabs seem to be very high because I have never brought home a crab that was on its last breath of life.
Check out this place if you ever get a chance. The prices are reasonable and inventory is based on demand so if you don’t see what you are looking for, just let them know.
I gave this business a four out of five stars because the parking spots can be a bit cramped during the weekends. Just park around the corner where there is ample space. I just go on the weekdays after work.
FYI: Only cash is accepted.