Nestled on the corner of 7th and South Weller St sits a third place for the Chinatown International District (CID). Locals sing Gan Bei’s praises. Literally.
Gan Bei’s got it all. The equivalent of a neighborhood diner, the food is good and relatively affordable. You can bring anyone here — from your mom to your bae.
It’s a friendly neighborhood dive bar and karaoke joint, and a night time coffee house for the neighborhood. It’s a hot pot of customers, traditions, and cuisines. And it’s open late – occaisionally until 1 a.m.
Gan Bei is located in a historic building, and the owner recently needed to remodel the kitchen. However, the strength of Gan Bei’s community is all too evident, with over $5,000 dollars raised so far through GoFundMe. Much of the fundraising and support came from other local businesses in the neighborhood, like Fort St. George and Kilig.
Gan Bei is also a treasure-trove of stories. When I visited there this January, it felt different from any bar I’ve been to. I felt like I traveled back in time to the days when you could talk to anyone at a bar. And patrons of Gan Bei agree.
“I think there’s only a few dive bars in Seattle where you can just sit down, hang out, end up in conversations with the wildest people,” said Bryce Gurnee, a frequent customer. “It feels so rare that you can go to a bar and have a conversation with strangers.”
But what’s Gan Bei’s story? Why did so many people rally together to support Gan Bei with donations?
Gan Bei was born in December 2018. The owner, Yen Ma, said the spot was born of her parents’ dream of a family restaurant where they could all work together.
“Every family member was working here at some point,” Ma said.
At one time, Gan Bei was a Hong Kong restaurant, with a bigger menu and breakfast food. During a time when her parents were struggling, Ma came in and opened a bar. “I just wanted to make mom and dad proud,” she said. Gan Bei is a continuation of her family’s legacy.
After the pandemic, it became ever harder to create communities, especially in the CID. In the cold dark times, Ma said: “I think people are yearning for connection. Making friends in adulthood is hard.”
Ma turned to a universal way to create community: Song. “Music is a U.S.A. unifier,” she said.
Ma started hosting karaoke nights at 8 p.m. nearly every week night, and instituted theme nights to keep people involved. For example, on Wednesdays, Gan Bei locals wear plaid. Bartender Cory Castagno said it started as an inside joke between him and fellow Gan Bei bartender, Derek.
Since then, karaoke has become Gan Bei’s claim to fame in the neighborhood. Three days a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday — you can walk down Weller Street serenaded by the croons of the locals. Derek plays whatever songs the customers want. And with two mics, the duet opportunities are limitless.
A wander inside will show you just how much customers love Gan Bei and Ma, its owner. The walls are decked out with an homage to late night memories, to Ma and the hearts she’s touched, all on handwritten sticky notes. It also plays host to local neighborhood art.
A taste of Gan Bei
Ma’s menu is a curated labor of love, and an accumulation of many different cuisines. The menu combines traditional Chinese and American foods, and sometimes patrons bring in their ideas or literal dishes, potluck-style.
“So, this is a menu of all the items that throughout the six years we’ve been here, that people have liked,” Ma described.
If it’s not a hot item for customers, Ma will take it off the list. Some highlights of the menu include Garlic Jalapeno Wings and Chili Wontons, or entrees like MaPo Tofu Minced Beef Over Rice, or 2 Leg 2 Thigh and Fried Chicken & Gravy. For those who enjoy pairing their meals, Beef Brisket Daikon and Fried Chicken & Gravy are frequently ordered together.
Prices are relatively affordable. Ma said Gan Bei’s mission is to be wallet-friendly, but competitive enough to pay her people. Ma still offers some special foods like hand-shredded chicken, a Chinese dish you can’t find anywhere else in the neighborhood.
Desiree Chinn, a regular at Gan Bei since COVID, is a big part of contributing to Gan Bei ‘s menu. During my visit, she brought in a rockfish for the whole restaurant to share, as part of a Chinese New Year’s tradition.
Chinn runs her own small business in the Central District. Seattle Fish Guys.
“It’s kind of like a sisterhood, you know — I met Yen during COVID, and this is when we were just leaning on each other for support,” she said. “There were no customers and we’re just trying to support each other to get through this slowest time.”
The beauty of Gan Bei, Chinn believes, is the fact that she can share her success with Ma. “We share stories of our own struggles as small businesses,” Chinn said.
“You don’t have to be anybody special, but you kind of become a family,” Chinn added. “I’ve met friends here that I would do anything for. I didn’t know them before COVID but now we do.”
Gurnee, another local, has been coming to Gan Bei since before COVID. He lives around the corner in the Louisa Hotel building, and he was introduced to Gan Bei on recommendation from his landlord.
He says it has some of the best food in Chinatown, and he recommends the eel clay plot, (a Gan Bei signature dish).
“It’s almost become my living room,” Gurnee said.
And while the food and the karaoke may be great, it’s the staff that really make Gan Bei feel like home. When I visited, on a Wednesday, Derek and Castagno were decked out in their matching flannels. They immediately offered me one, so I could join in the fun.
Castagno sings Gan Bei’s praises the loudest. “My whole Seattle experience is shaped by Gan Bei,” he said.
“There’s a whole community here that has been here since way before you’ve been alive. A lot of grassroots neighborhood communities started here,” said Derek.
Derek said while Gan Bei is working to create new community, it’s important to remember that the CID already is a strong community in its own right.
“It exists in spirit. We’re all kind of spread out, but we are all united.” said Al, another regular customer.
Bartenders in the CID think of themselves as part of one big family. Cory took me over to Gan Bei’s “brother” bar Fort St. George to introduce me to the bartender Keith.
“We don’t have that many bars in the CID. We all know each other, we take care of each other,” Keith said.
When Gan Bei closed down for renovations, Fort St George’s staff came together to help fundraise. As we left, Cory waved to the line chefs. They all hooted and hollered back at him.
Changing times in the CID
The type of community created by bars and third places in the CID changes with the years.
Perhaps the most iconic of the karaoke bars, Bush Garden, closed in 2021, but is set to re-open on the ground floor of Uncle Bob’s Place, a new affordable housing project developed by InterIm Community Development Association.
“I used to get five hours of sleep because of that place,” Al reminisced about Bush Garden.
With Bush Garden’s temporary closure, few other places were open late in the neighborhood — until Gan Bei came on the scene. What I found reporting and writing this story is that a visit to Gan Bei and its staff makes it easy to be yourself.
In the aftermath of the pandemic and a new scary world, some of us might be fearful to reach out, to even take the first step out the door. But Gan Bei reminded me there are things that we can count on to make us happy; community, food and song.
So go rock that miniskirt, pick out your favorite tune, and save room for rockfish — at Gan Bei. And leave singing a sweet, sweet duet.
