Eat Your Way Through Houston’s Chinatown at These 16 Amazing Spots (2024)

Updated on 1/26/2022 at 4:55 PM

Venture just west of the Beltway and you’ll find one of the greatest examples of Houston’s Mutt City culture: Viet-Cajun standout Crawfish & Noodles. That’s where chef-owner and multiple-time James Beard Award nominee Trong Nguyen puts out garlicky, butter-soaked mudbugs, spiced and stewed turkey neck, and colossal tamarind crab for you to suck down with glee. Good thing there’s a roll of paper towels on every table.
How to book:Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Hailing from California’s San Gabriel Valley, where its original location received a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, this gourmet Sichuan noodle house is the place to go for spicy, lip-tingling noodles. The most famous dish is the spicy zhajiangmian, which comes with ground pork, a fried egg, and Sichuan peppercorns, but seriously, it’s all good.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or get delivery via Chowbus.

Tucked away in a strip mall on Wilcrest Drive just north of the main Bellaire Boulevard drag, Wing Kee is the quintessential Chinese hole-in-the-wall with chipped plates, a handful of tables, and a small window selling Chinese barbecue at cash-only takeout prices. Serving some the best crispy roast pork and roast duck in town, everything here is generally excellent, from the wonton noodle soup, to the scrambled egg with shrimp, to the brisket chow fun. The $7.59 weekday lunch special, with choices like orange beef, stir fried string beans, and salt and pepper squid, is a veritable steal.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout and delivery via Chowbus.

A true mom-and-pop shop where the husband is the cook and the wife is the server and front of the house manager, this tiny 10-table restaurant is the place to visit for xiao long bao soup dumplings, sheng jian bao crispy bottom dumplings, and homestyle Shanghai cuisine. The braised pork belly is incredible, and snack foods like the onion pancake or crispy red bean cake always deliver.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout and delivery via Chowbus.

During the early stages of COVID-19, this beloved family-run restaurant in Diho Square was hanging by a thread: Revenues had dropped more than 75%, causing the owners to dip into their hard-earned savings just to stay afloat (thankfully, they survived). Now newly renovated after an extended closure, patrons of this 17-year stalwart can return for their famous salted toasted pork spareribs, sweet and sour pork, sizzling black pepper steak, and house special lobster. And bonus, it’s still BYOB with no corkage.
How to book: Reserve via Google or order takeout and delivery via Chowbusor UberEats.

One of the few restaurants in Chinatown specializing in Taiwanese food, San Dong Noodle House closed its doors for several months in the summer before reopening with a take-out only configuration. Prices for most dishes still hover in the $8 range—which means two can comfortably eat for about $20. Best bets are the Taiwanese beef noodle soup, pan fried pork and cabbage dumplings, or the fried pork chop plate. Bags of frozen dumplings, as well as boxes of steamed baos, shu mai, fried rice, and more, are also available for easy grab-and-go.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Faux-palm trees, string lights, and pink neon contribute to the ambiance at this sprawling Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant, where you can get lau (Vietnamese hot pot), chow mein, bo luc lac (Vietnamese shaking beef), Peking duck, and everything in between. Open ’til midnight on weekends, the people watching is top notch and so is the banh bot chien (fried Vietnamese rice cake)—make sure to get an order.
How to book: Reserve via Google.

Need a dumpling fix? A tried and true staple for plump, house-made dumplings, choose from boiled, steamed, or pan-fried dumplings, then specify the filling (chicken with vegetables, pork and shrimp, pork with cabbage, etc). Most orders ring in around $6 and come with 10 dumplings. Frozen bags of 40 dumplings are also available for purchase. Cash only.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Fast-casual Hong Kong-style cooking is the specialty at House of Bowls, where the extensive menu covers all the bases in terms of rice, noodles, and shareable family-sized plates. Die hard fans swear by the dry beef chow fun—widely regarded as the best in the city—along with house favorites like the crispy chicken wings and the Hong Kong-style french toast.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Was it only 2015 when Mein debuted? Six years later, Mike and Jack Tran’s “everyday food” restaurant has become both a Chinatown destination and everyone’s go-to for high quality, affordable Chinese cuisine. On the walls, hand-painted murals of 1940s-era Chinese actresses add a touch of glam to the ambiance. Feast on bowls of Wonton Noodles, order an appetizer of juicy Char Siu, then add an order of Squid Ink Fried Rice, Cold Hand-pulled Chicken, or Crispy Fried Noodles. The extensive menu is designed so that patrons can dine several times a week without ever repeating an dish.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or get takeout or delivery viaCaviar.

Now with five locations—Chinatown, the Heights, Montrose, Katy, and Sugar Land—opened over the last decade, husband and wife team Heng Chen and Cori Xiong’s highly acclaimed Sichuan restaurant has garnered an army of followers thanks to dishes like Water-boiled Fish, Red Oil Wontons, and Spicy Crispy Chicken. The original Chinatown location—whose former chef Jianyun Ye was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2017—is still widely regarded as Houston’s best restaurant for true Sichuan cuisine.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

With over 800 locations across China, Houston’s first outpost of this famous Sichuan hot pot chain is everything that we could want and then some. From the moment you step into Xiaolongkan and are greeted in unison by the staff, the experience is otherworldly. Gorgeous, custom-designed interiors featuring intricate woodwork and brocade lanterns make you feel like you’ve stepped into the set of a Chinese movie. Meanwhile, deeply flavored, delicious broths, beautiful plating, and excellent service contribute to an unforgettable meal.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout and delivery via Chowbus.

Known for its live seafood tanks filled with lobster, king crab, live shrimp, and more, the vast menu at Sinh Sinh ranges from hot pot to steamed fish, to wonton noodle and fried rice. The Chinese barbecue counter is one of the busiest in the city; roast pig and roast duck routinely sellout on weekends, so come early.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Located prominently at the west entrance of the Hong Kong City Mall IV, this large seafood restaurant recently underwent a massive renovation and menu overhaul. Dim sum is now offered daily, with traditional dishes like cheung fun and fried crab claws alongside a slew of specialty dishes like truffle shu mai, ginseng har gow, and truffle pork xiao long bao.

A charming Chinese restaurant hidden in the back section of the Dun Huang Plaza, this Hunan food specialist is the place to go for spicy fish heads and Hunan’s famous smoked meats. Popular dishes include the black bean clams, smoked meat with leek, spicy cauliflower, and the tofu and fish filet.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order takeout and delivery via Chowbus.

Owner Debbie Chen was a weekly regular at Shabu House before she bought it outright. A Taiwanese hot pot concept with individual hot pots for each patron, choose from eight soup bases such as original pork bone or zesty tomato, then mix and match individual entrees like Taiwanese meatballs, RC Ranch Wagyu ribeye, and mushrooms to build-your-own feast. Custom hot pots in flavors like spicy kimchi and spicy beef are also available at a set price.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.