Houston's Chinatown started near East Downtown, but today the action runs for miles along Bellaire Boulevard in Southwest Houston, where Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian and Taiwanese kitchens fill one strip center after another. Anchor your crawl at Hong Kong City Mall, home to a big Asian supermarket and more than 20 restaurants and cafes. At 11215, Ocean Palace, open for more than 25 years, is a Cantonese banquet hall big enough for 1,000 guests, with pushcart dim sum. In Hong Kong Mall 4, Alpha Bakery & Deli builds banh mi with house pate, pickled carrot and daikon, and a dash of Maggi. At 11210, Thien Thanh, one of the boulevard's original businesses, has been steaming banh cuon for nearly 30 years. A short drive east, Crawfish & Noodles serves Houston's signature Viet-Cajun crawfish, big mudbugs in a spicy, garlicky butter, and Mala Sichuan Bistro heats things up with dan dan noodles and mapo tofu. Come hungry, bring friends, and share everything.
What to expect
- Chinese spots cluster inside Beltway 8; Vietnamese spots lie mostly outside it.
- Street signs add Chinese east of Beltway 8 and switch to Vietnamese west of it.
- There is no rail out here; METRO local buses run, but it is built for driving.
- Ocean Palace runs an online waitlist, so join it before you head over.
- Crawfish & Noodles takes reservations and lets you pick your spice level.
What to do
- Pushcart dim sum at Ocean Palace (11215 Bellaire Blvd)
- Viet-Cajun crawfish at Crawfish & Noodles (11360 Bellaire Blvd, Suite 990)
- Banh mi at Alpha Bakery & Deli (11209 Bellaire Blvd, Hong Kong Mall 4) or dan dan noodles at Mala Sichuan Bistro (9348 Bellaire Blvd)
- 25+ years; banquet hall seats up to 1,000Ocean Palace
- about 30 years on BellaireThien Thanh
- James Beard semifinalist, 2023Nam Giao chef Ai Le