On The Fly

Bad service. The black cashier even does not look at you when you pay and she is so rude. Food is bad.

Fast, cheap, and low quality. It’s a good and quick lunch option but nothing else.
When you arrive, grab an empty box, put the food you like, and pay by the weight. Save some space in your lunch box because with luck, there will be some sushi left at the end of the line. They also have some bubble teas worth trying.
There is a loyalty punch card which they stamp every time you buy $ 7 or more. You will get a free drink after ten stamps. Not much but you might ask for one if you go there a lot.

I have eaten here once before and I found the food to be passable for Chinese steam table fair. However I just found a dead cockroach in my lunch today. While I appreciate the extra protein, $ 8.95 a pound for dead cockroach is a bit pricey for my budget, so that’s going to be a hard «no» on eating here again.

I love Chinese food. This place is very close to where I work so I do eat here maybe once a week. I get the General Zos (sp) chicken. It’s really the only dish I like.
To be brutally honest, the rice is ok, the noodles are not, the beef in the Broccoli Beef and Mongolian Beef is disgusting. I can’t tell if it’s even beef. It’s overly cooked and so chewy. The other chicken dishes are strange and I avoid them. When they first opened they had an Orange Chicken that was very good.
To be honest, if they varied the dished every day I might eat here more often. But alas, it’s the same thing every. Single. Day.

Say what you will about the Chinese food here (and I will have something to say) but this place is actually a pretty good lunch spot.
If you work in SLU like I do, you know that trying to buy lunch anywhere between the hours of 11 and 2 is a nightmare – amazonians everywhere, long lines out the butt, and not very many affordable options. I will always love my Chipotle and Kaosamai Thai, but sometimes when you don’t have a ton of time to wait in line, finding lunch can be difficult.
On The Fly is tucked behind Flying Fish and has a really easy buffet-​like/​pay-​by-​weight format that streamlines the process and keeps it from getting too busy. Prices are reasonable and they have a pretty good number of options with which to fill your lunch box. Given the hectic atmosphere of the lunch rush in SLU, On The Fly is actually a great option.
That said, though, don’t go in expecting awesome Chinese food. They’ve got some more authentic options, but as another reviewer said, the food here isn’t going to win any awards. It’s tasty, but there are sooooo many waaaay better Chinese places in Seattle.
So if you’re trying to find great Chinese food, you are going to be sorely disappointed. But if you want a quick lunch that won’t break the bank and you don’t want to wait in the rest of the crazy lines in SLU, then On The Fly is a good place to consider.

I was surprised by the bad reviews here. Just stopped in to see what this place had to offer. Menu is small, but easy to choose what you want. I ordered the Mongolian Beef. It was excellent. In fact, there was so much food, I felt like I would burst at the seams. Nothing around this neighborhood is cheap, but for $ 9.00, I walked away plenty full.
Crisp fresh veggies were in the Mongolian beef, and the beef was tender and plentiful. The sauce in the beef was sweet, yet had enough tang to surprise the taste buds. The rice was fluffy and moist, which is hard to find these days.
I also gave the Honey Jasmine Tea a try. With Temps reaching near 80 degrees today, I was tempted to try it. Wow! Never tried Jasmine anything before. It was refreshing, and had a nice zing to it. Perhaps I might start trying different teas?
Customer Service was very friendly as well. What more can you expect for under $ 10 these days? Hands down, On The Fly beats McDonald’s! :)

Terrible food and overpriced — but the best part is they charge you $ 6.99 per pound for the box. What I mean is — you pick a box (there are 2 or 3 different sizes) and put inside the box all the food you like. At the cashier they ask you to weight the full box and then you pay $ 6.99 per pound. When no box is on the scale, the scale is set to 0 (not to a negative weight) and you pay what the scale shows. They do not remove the weight of the box aka tare (a deduction from the gross weight of a substance and its container made in allowance for the weight of the container). So you probably end up paying 50c or more for the box — that is illegal. If you notice similar behavior, you should file a complain to the Attorney General

What happened to this place? I’ve been spoiled by all the good food popping up around the neighborhood. It’s totally Panda Express or the grocery store deli selling «asain» food sitting under heat lamps. What an insult to the former owner/​chef. She was so awesome.

The Chinese food here isn’t going to win any awards, but it is a welcome budget option to contrast the growing number of $ 10−14+ meal options in South Lake Union. On The Fly is a quick and cheap option that you can literally grab on the go. Food by the pound is $ 1 – 2 cheaper than going to Whole Foods and, as far as I know, it’s the only «Chinese» option in the area.
In addition to the standard Chinese fast food takeout staples like General Tso’s chicken and beef and broccoli, they also have pretty decent actual Chinese food like steamed fish and Chinese stewed beef (the one made with lots of star anise). They also have inexpensive ($ 2.50−3.00+) bubble teas and fruit smoothies.
This place is better than Panda Express and Safeway, which aren’t even in the area. Food is 50% off after 3pm. Don’t go in expecting fresh food at the end of the day, but for $ 3.50 per pound, you can get a full meal for ~$ 5 if you missed lunch.
I rated it 3 because it’s good but not great, but I’ll still go once or twice a week for something quick and cheap.

The food is not that bad, and if you choose the two entries, they gave a lot.

A lot has changed and improved since they re-​opened this location. Obviously this place isn’t 5 star dining but consider it a slight upgrade from Panda Express quality! The food is fresh and the service is great. They also have bubble tea and smoothies as well although I haven’t tried them yet. The yaki soba noodles, bbq chicken, spicy chicken, & Chinese greens are some of my favorite dishes here. During the lunch rush it isn’t uncommon for lines to wrap around to the outside of the building as well but not to worry, they are efficient so the lines moves fast! Also after 3pm everything is 50% which is an added bonus but don’t expect the same quality in freshness at that hour.

Pros: don’t have to wait in a long line. Can pick out what you want and dish it yourself
Negatives: the food is horrible. Every dish looks exactly like the chinese food you find at the Safeway deli. The potstickers tasted three days old, the broccoli was mush and the beef tough. They charge you by weight and I don’t eat much and still my total, without a beverage, was over $ 7.00! I can get this exact food at Safeway (if I wanted it) and only pay $ 5.95 for a heaping serving of two entrees with rice or chowmein.
Save your money! There are SO MANY great places in SLU.

I’d say that this place is probably worse than Panda Express. Let’s just say it isn’t that good in terms of food taste.
My husband raved about finding this hidden gem in SLU because at 3 p.m. the food goes to 50% off. I decided to try out this restaurant myself so I arrived exactly at 3 p. m to get the discount. By this time, you get a measly selection where the food looks almost sad. The broccoli has been probably under the heating lamp since 11 a.m. and tastes pretty mushy. The char siu was tough to eat like jerky. I had to chew probably 6 times before I could swallow. The chow mien was okay. I think it was the only redeeming aspect of my meal.
The people working here were pretty nice and attentive. The restaurant was decently clean. I guess it isn’t bad if you’re looking for mediocre to below par Chinese food and in a hurry. The food is still not cheap, even with the 50% off. Seriously, similar to a three item combo at Panda Express in terms of portion, the food here was about $ 8 still. I cannot imagine paying $ 16 for this food at full price during lunch time. It is almost laughable. The taste plus the portion would not justify paying such an outrageous amount.
After trying out this place, I think I don’t trust my husband’s selection of restaurants anymore. Hahaha

Tofu was cold in the center. The rice was ver mediocre, like the kind you get at teh Safeway deli, but significantly more expensive. Will never eat here again. Only reason it gets two stars instead of one is because I didn’t have to wait in a long line.

Just ate this stuff and had to go to another restaurant to cleanse my pallet. It’s Panda Express but worse tasting with more MSG. And they don’t have tap water and makes you buy bottled water to quench your thirst after all that msg. There is no way I’m ever coming back here. Ugh… On the plus side, the portions are not small but not sure if that is a positive or negative.

This is basically Panda Express but not nearly as good. I’ve eaten here a few times since I work in the same building and sometimes need a quick meal. Americanized Chinese food. Decent sized portions. As others have mentioned this seems out of place in SLU with all the food trucks and other great food down here. It’s a great location but the food quality needs to ramp up if they want to stay in business.

I have to agree with the folks below. The concept and menu choices are the same as Panda Express, but the food tastes way worse and it is much more expensive. Save yourself the $ 10 and a side of heartburn and go to ANY other lunch place on South Lake Union — seriously.
Note: I wish the old On the Fly could come back! It used to be the same chefs of Flying Fish next door providing delicious healthy choices like kale salad and shrimp salad sandwich. They kept the name but there is NO way this could be managed by the same people.

Yikes. this place seems out of place in SLU. Terrible for you food that’s not all that much better. Were they banking on recent college grads popping by for nostalgic drunk/​hangover food they chowed down on during their undergrad years? I went here for their soft opening and my entire meal was great (yay!) but my desk job means I don’t move around much and I felt icky after eating chow mein, general tsos chicken, and sweet and sour chicken for lunch and then sitting around the rest of the afternoon. Not that it made me sick, just feel terrible that I had eaten a meal with no redeeming nutritional value. I can even justify a sandwich from Jimmy John’s because there are some vegetables between the delicious, carb-​loaded bread. I know I’m not alone on this, and I don’t see this place lasting that long.
If you want garden variety, panda express-​esque, American Chinese food, try this place out. But it’s out of place in a neighborhood where folks are relatively health-​conscious and generally willing to pay more for good food at one of the many restaurants and food trucks in the area.

So, I was a huge of the old «On the Fly» concept — and so I was quite excited by them reopening. From the pictures outside, I was expecting Japanese — but walking in and taking a look, it was more like your standard Americanized Chinese takeout classics coupled with a tiny bit of sushi.
I got the general tso’s with chow mein and a spring roll. The spring roll was basically gooey — it wasn’t fried in hot enough oil. Same story with the chicken — it was in no way crispy. Shame — the chicken to dough ratio is actually pretty good, if they got it crispier, it would have been alright. Chow mein was alright, not great, but also not bad. Food was hot, and the portions were large.
All in all, the menu is about as exciting as a Panda Express.
The idea of a quick Asian fusion place in the neighborhood is interesting, but I think their menu isn’t really that great — and there are food trucks across the street with better options.

Came by for the grand opening because there were flyers for a free side. Came in and am pretty sorry I did. Think Panda Express — but more expensive, less food, and way worse tasting. I got the 2 entrée plate with general tso’s chicken, broccoli beef, and chow mein.
Chow mein is completely tasteless — terrible.
Broccoli beef is also tasteless, the broccoli is borderline mush.
General tso chicken is alright. Only got about half a scoop though.
The flyer listed a free side — I chose the 2 potstickers. They only gave me one, which I guess was a blessing in disguise, as it was also terrible.
They’ve got sushi but it looks like they just bought it from the grocery to resell.
Will not come back, should have gotten döner.