About Happy Crab
Premium Seafood Without the Premium Price
We believe great seafood should be accessible. From waterfront dining to family-style buffet experiences, Happy Crab delivers generous portions, bold flavor, and an experience worth sharing in Seattle.
Come hungry. Leave happy.
Meet Lily Wu
From a muddy village road to Seattle’s waterfront — a story built from scratch.
Lily Wu didn’t come to Seattle with a master plan. She came with grit, an unshakable work ethic, and a deep love for food that brings people together.
Raised in a farming village in China’s Jilin province, Lily learned early what it meant to start with very little. In 2006, she moved to the United States on a student visa and faced years of hard choices and long days as she rebuilt stability for her family. In Seattle, she worked up to 15 hours a day in hotel housekeeping—saving every dollar and practicing English through earbuds between tasks. Once steady again, she turned back to what she missed most: the flavors of home.
In 2014, Lily opened a tiny noodle counter inside a University District market. When the market closed, she started over. In 2016, she opened Xi’an Noodles near the University of Washington, handmaking bold, craveable biang biang noodles and other western Chinese favorites that quickly earned loyal fans and critical praise. Even through the challenges of the pandemic, she remodeled, reopened, and grew—eventually opening multiple Xi’an Noodles locations—and then set her sights on a new dream.
A New Idea: Cajun Seafood Boil, Reimagined
Lily fell in love with the hands-on, messy joy of seafood boils and began experimenting with a concept that brought her culinary worlds together: Cajun seafood boil with Asian influences. Bold spice. Deep aroma. Sauces that cling to crab and shrimp—sometimes even paired with noodles.
That vision became Happy Crab: premium seafood at a price that feels good, served with warmth and energy that matches Lily’s motto: Come hungry, leave happy.
Happy Crab on the Ballard Waterfront
Today, Lily’s ambition lives in one of Seattle’s most iconic settings: Happy Crab in Ballard, overlooking Shilshole Bay. With floor-to-ceiling windows, waterfront views, and a seasonal patio, it’s a place to celebrate—date nights, family dinners, birthdays, big tables, and private events.
From build-your-own seafood boils and premium crab to wok-fired Chinese dishes and soup dumplings, Happy Crab brings together everything Lily has learned and loved—crafted with care, served with generosity, and built to welcome the community. Through chef nights and mentorship opportunities, she also aims to create a platform for rising culinary talent—because she knows what it means to start from scratch.
When you dine at Happy Crab, you’re not just tasting a recipe. You’re tasting a decade of courage, reinvention, and the belief that good food can carry a quiet message: Don’t give up.
Visit Us
Happy Crab Ballard6135 Seaview Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 360-7777
Email: info@happycrab.com
Sister Restaurant: Xi’an Noodles
Xi’an Noodles is the restaurant that started it all. Founded by Lily Wu in Seattle’s University District, it brings the bold, spicy flavors of western China to the Pacific Northwest through handmade biang biang noodles, house-made sauces, and time-honored techniques. What began as a tiny market stall has grown into multiple Seattle-area locations, earning praise for authentic, deeply satisfying comfort dishes—rooted in tradition and built through resilience.