Happy Crab has quietly grabbed a prime perch on Ballard’s Shilshole Bay, rolling out a menu that pairs Louisiana-style seafood boils with Chinese hand-pulled noodles. The restaurant is the latest and largest project from chef-restaurateur Lily Wu, geared toward high-volume, shareable plates that come with full waterfront views. For Ballard diners, it adds up to a big-format mash-up that leans into both theatrical table-side boils and labor-intensive noodle craft.
The new spot took over the former Anthony’s HomePort building on the bay, putting a large waterfront dining room back to work for the neighborhood. MyBallard previously reported the takeover, noting the change of hands at Shilshole Bay. As reported by The Seattle Times, the menu weaves Wu’s hand-pulled noodles and dumpling techniques together with build-your-own seafood boils, jambalaya, and a weekend brunch buffet.
Lily Wu’s Ballard Leap
Wu came up through Seattle’s noodle scene and has been steadily building a small restaurant network for more than a decade. Eater Seattle profiled her rise and noted that she launched a Happy Crab outpost in Auburn in 2024 before landing the Ballard lease. That history helps explain why the Ballard restaurant feels less like a gimmicky mash-up and more like a scaled-up version of techniques she has been refining for years.
A Menu Of Two Traditions
In the kitchen, cooks pull biang biang-style noodles while the crew also stages build-your-own boils stacked with snow crab, head-on shrimp, mussels, and bold sauces. The restaurant’s site lists shareable happy-hour bites, cocktails, and a premium seafood brunch buffet that began in June, according to Happy Crab. Local reviewers have picked up on the mix of spectacle and craft on both the floor and the menu, calling the dining room a view-driven place to gather, per The Infatuation.
Ballard’s Waterfront Gets A New Draw
Wu’s project restores a sizable dining room to Ballard. Seattle Met reported that the space is roughly 13,000 square feet and seats about 250 guests, with outdoor overlooks facing the marina. Local reaction has been mixed, with some diners praising the lively, shareable menu and the sunsets, while others worry that big, tourist-facing concepts could change the neighborhood’s scale. The restaurant leans into Ballard’s fishing and maritime heritage through its seafood-forward lineup and the location’s long history on Shilshole Bay.
Happy Crab recommends checking its press page and booking portal for hours, reservations, and current specials, and the restaurant has been running soft openings and expanded brunch services this summer, according to Happy Crab. Diners can expect bold, spice-forward boils alongside hefty noodle plates built to be eaten family-style.
