Blue Whale Restaurant & Lounge - Reviews

Our experience at the restaurant was fantastic! We enjoyed a family-style meal featuring Szechuan chicken, melt-in-your-mouth Chilean sea bass, and tender stir-fried ribeye beef. We absolutely loved it, and we're confident you will too!

This restaurant is a true hidden gem. The signature duck salad lived up to its reputation—fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. A standout for me was the roasted sea bass, slow-cooked to an excellent texture and full of depth. It's clear the chef's previous experience at Hakkasan shines through in the execution. My friend especially enjoyed the truffle dumplings, which had delicate wrappers and a rich truffle aroma. The wasabi prawns added a sharp, satisfying kick. For drinks, we tried the Zen Kooler, Whale's Tale, and High Noon—both well-presented and solid in taste, with an Instagram-worthy appeal. Considering the overall quality of the food and the atmosphere, the final bill was a pleasant surprise. It was a 10/10 experience, and I'll definitely return when I'm back in the area.

I'm surprised this restaurant isn't packed! Beyond the well-known duck salad, the seafood noodles are a must-order. The broth is vibrant in both color and flavor, perfectly complementing the prawns. The noodles themselves have a fantastic texture, making it a very well-rounded and balanced dish. We ended up ordering a second bowl for the table! Unlike other places that overload dishes with competing flavors, Blue Whale allows the seafood to shine. The staff are all friendly and time their visits perfectly. Even as someone who doesn't drink much, the new Yellow Submarine cocktail is a 10/10!

My experience at this restaurant was phenomenal. The food was outstanding, and the back patio was pristine. The staff was amazing. It’s our favorite spot ever.

I met a friend for dinner here last night and had a fantastic meal. We started with a cocktail at the bar, which is well-stocked, and my 'Old Fashioned' was perfectly made. For our meal, we enjoyed the Duck Salad, Thai Chicken, Veggie Rice, and Beef Dumplings. We enjoyed every dish, but the Duck Salad was my favorite of the night. The main dining room was active but quiet enough to have easy conversations. If you're looking for a healthy, artfully-plated, upscale Chinese restaurant, this is your place.

My experience at this restaurant was fantastic! I enjoyed the excellent shareable dishes and the expertly mixed cocktails. The Japanese whiskey flight was a particularly interesting idea. It's a great place for sharing delicious bites and sipping down drinks.

My experience at this restaurant was quite disappointing, despite the lovely atmosphere. The quality and quantity of the food were very unsatisfactory. The corn crab soup was essentially corn-flavored water with overcooked crab bits. We also found the dumpling dishes to be unbelievably overpriced, with each dish costing $12-$16 for only 3-4 very small dumplings. While the atmosphere was rated a 4, the service was a low 2, and the food a mere 1.

My experience at this restaurant was disappointing, and this was our second attempt to give it a chance. On our first visit, during their opening weekend, we were seated quickly but only received the regular menu, no wine list. After a 20-minute wait, a server finally appeared with the wine menu, only for us to wait another 15 minutes before we could order. We initially excused this as opening weekend issues because the food was good enough. However, upon returning in July 2025, the service remained awful. Despite a reservation, we waited about 20 minutes at our table before a server checked on us, even though staff seemed to acknowledge us. The restaurant was busy but not full. When we finally ordered drinks, appetizers (Rojak and Szechwan chicken), and mains (noodles and green beans), the food arrived before the drinks. The Rojak was okay, but the jicama lacked flavor. The chicken was good and spicy. Our drinks arrived much later, and the martini came after we finished our appetizers. The noodles were mediocre. We ordered another glass of wine and finished it while still waiting for our last dish. When a server came to clear plates, we pointed out the missing dish, asked for it to be removed from the bill, and left. They did comp one glass of wine. For the price and quality, the service is not worth it. I would avoid this restaurant, as there are many others on Union Street with better service at this price point and ambiance. Given two bad experiences, I hope they are replaced by a business that can fix their issues.

My experience at the restaurant was fantastic! The food was great, offering a wonderful opportunity to try different things. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I would definitely be back!

We had the delightful surprise of being taken to dinner at The Blue Whale tonight. RunRun, the owner, asked if we wanted the outside dining area, which our group host didn't know existed. The outside dining area is a beautiful setting! We shared dishes family-style, starting with the Pumpkin Puffs, the Bejing dumplings (chicken and shrimp dumplings), and the BBQ pork buns. Each dish was tastier than the last! The pumpkin puffs were baked to perfection and perfectly balanced. We followed with the Roasted Eggplant (served in a light sauce) and then the Thai-style crispy chicken, which was our favorite! RunRun and our server were very attentive to our every question and critique. Our group will enjoy The Blue Whale again! Make a reservation and get it on YOUR calendar soon!