[1] In 2016, Keiko Sagami of KING-TV said Monsoon serves "traditional Vietnamese cuisine blended with Pacific Northwest innovation".

[2] Fodor's says of the Capitol Hill restaurant: "Upscale fare blends Vietnamese and Pacific Northwest elements, including wild gulf prawns with lemongrass, catfish clay pot with fresh coconut juice and green onion, and lamb with fermented soybeans and sweet onions.

Homemade ice creams include lychee and mango, but the restaurant's most famous dessert is the coconut crème caramel.

[5] Siblings Eric and Sophie Banh opened the original restaurant,[6] sometimes referred to as Monsoon Seattle, on Capitol Hill in 1999.

[5] Gabe Guarente, Mark Van Streefkerk, and Jade Yamazaki Stewart included the business in a 2022 list of 25 "essential" Capitol Hill restaurants.