5 Stars - Authentic Szechuan that absolutely nails the classics…read more During our short trip to Houston, as a custom, we were determined to find real Szechuan food, and luckily we found Hu's Kitchen. The location is a bit unassuming, and parking is definitely tough (the spaces are very shallow), but the second we walked through the doors and smelled the Szechuan peppercorns, I knew we were in exactly the right place. I generally judge a Szechuan restaurant by their 夫妻肺片 (Fuqi Feipian)--which they cleverly name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on the menu. They completely nailed it. The beef, tripe, and tendon were incredibly cohesive together, yet you could tell each component was prepared and marinated in a slightly different way to perfectly highlight its specific texture. The chili oil was right on the spot. We went through a massive bowl of rice just eating this dish alone. Honestly, if I weren't feeding a family of four, I could have just ordered that and been perfectly happy. While the Fuqi Feipian proves their skill with dry dishes, the 水煮魚片 (Fish in Szechuan Hot Chili Oil) proves their skill with wet ones. It's another must-order. The execution was flawless--we didn't just finish the tender fish chunks, we ate every last piece of cabbage soaked in that incredible chili broth. For my two daughters who can't handle the heat, we ordered the fried rice, garlic pork ribs with onion, and the 紅燒獅子頭 (Giant Meatball with Cabbage). The giant meatball was spectacular. The kids completely devoured it on their own, but I managed to steal a bite, and it instantly brought back childhood memories of exactly how this dish is supposed to taste. We also had the Dan Dan Noodles, which were great and rounded out the meal perfectly. I loved all of the dishes we tried. Should we ever find ourselves in Houston again, we will absolutely be revisiting this hidden gem.

My mom wanted steamed fish with ginger, scallions, and that light sweet soy sauce. Hu's Cooking…read moredelivered! When we ordered, they mentioned it'll take about 20 mins but it came out in 10. No complaints here since we were starving from an 8 hour road trip. The Dan Dan Noodles...I had high expectations but sadly this dish fell short. I recommend Hu's Cooking to use a bigger bowl and more sauce because it was difficult to mix the noodles and the sauce wasn't...saucing, unfortunately. I wish there was more flavor in this dish. The Scallion Pancake was super over-fried and oily. See image in my review. The outer parts of the pancake were fried to a crisp and only a small circumference in the center stayed chewy. I know Chinese tends to be oily but this pancake soaked up way too much oil. Half a Peking duck: super great price for so much meat. The difficulty when eating this dish is gnawing the meat off the sharp bones of the duck. Mapo Tofu with white rice: pretty easy staple, no complaints here. Dinner on a Saturday was packed but we got seated quickly and food arrived fast.

My favorite place for Peking duck around the Houston area. It's a little farther out, but I usually…read morestop by whenever I'm driving to or from AIH. The duck is roasted for hours, so the skin comes out nice and crispy without being too greasy. I also like that the remaining duck is made into a soup afterward. It's simple, hearty, and especially good on a colder day. I've tried several other dishes here, and they've all been solid and remind me of the Chinese food I grew up eating. The servers have always been attentive and friendly, and the restaurant is spacious, so it's a good spot for family dinners or larger groups.

Where to begin? We stood a bit by the door waiting to be seated. Idk if they're short staffed or…read morethat's their reg staff. Which is wild cus they were running around that place nonstop. When we finally got seated we weren't asked What would you like to drink or this is our drink menu. It was-Water,right?right?Ok brb. So we had water just like the rest of the people in there. Also weird how they don't have any drinks on the menu or let you know about options. Could I have asked for something else? Sure but again waitresses were just all over the place it was crazy. When we ordered and others food was coming out we realized what big portions they give you. BTW just 'cus it's big portions doesn't mean This food is about to be the best Ive ever had. The food- We got some shrimp plate and we were told it was spicy because it has peppers and peppercorns which would numb your tongue.It was just basic shrimp dish. Only good or cool part of it was eating lotus root which Ive never had before. We also ordered the "special" house beef noodles and I don't see the hype or why they're so special. The only crazy part was the noodles length. Which honestly made it hard to eat. We ordered the duck which came with the soup. The soup was made from scraps. I think if they had added more duck and not just scraps it would be my fav thing of everything we ordered. Will say it tasted like chicken soup. For the duck. It wasn't as crispy as people made it seem to be. I expect idk a more gamey flavor to it and all I kept saying is-This taste like pork carnitas. Idk why we got treated better than the table behind us. We asked for to go just like they did but they just gave them their to-go plates like Here ya go and they put all of our food in our to-go for us. Would I go back? Its one of those you say- Ok I've had it,had the duck,don't get the hype but ok not worth coming back again for more.

Great service and great food authentic Chinese restaurant with good ambiance. Would recommend if…read moreyou're in town! Beef chow mein!

What has happened to my childhood favorite Chinese restaurant? Picked up combination egg foo young,…read morechicken with vegetables and an order of eggrolls the other day and was first shocked at the cost of $60+ and secondly at how much the food has changed. Although the portions were good size my egg foo young lacked flavor. It actually had no flavor even with soy sauce and chili oil (which cost $.75). The chicken and vegetables were a bit better but the fried rice that came with it also didn't taste like anything. Lastly their egg rolls which I use to love and would drive from Richmond, TX just to get were still big but the filling was very salty this time. I'm not giving up on them but I really hope the food goes back to what I know it used to be.

This little spot is my literal favorite place for fried rice. Everything is good but the fried rice…read moreis the best I've ever had! Pork Bao's are normally my daughter fave but the soup dumplings here are her favorite. She could finish an order on her own. The service is always great. As soon as you get in they give everyone a water and a carafe of more water. There is a QR code to order and you place your order on the phone. The order goes straight to the kitchen and you can add as you go if wanted. I always thought that was pretty cool. The owner came out to say hello and ask how everything is. She even brought out a small bowl of soup for my baby to enjoy. The waitress was also very sweet and attentive. I don't live close by but will make the trip when the craving hits. Today was one of those days. The last time I was here there was no ac and not enough seating. This time it was nice and cool in and well as having new seating! This little spot needs to be on your need to stop places!

Was a little bit of a red flag when we were the only Asian customers in the restaurant - still…read moredecent but definitely catered towards Western taste buds. My favorite dish was surprising the fried rice, with generous portions and slight smokiness. The xiaolongbao weren't my favorite, as there wasn't a whole lot of juice; but hey if you're looking to be health conscious maybe that is a positive.

Absolutely love the food at Trendy Dumpling! The crispy bottom baos are some of the best I've had--…read moreperfectly cooked with just the right crunch. We ordered a variety of dishes to share, and everything was delicious. The soup dumplings are a must-try-- they didn't disappoint. This is a great spot for anyone looking for authentic dumplings on this side of town. Definitely one of my go-to places now! く

For a dumpling place, dumpling selection was somewhat limited…read more Spicy dumplings were really good. Beijing duck was excellent. Crispy bottom bao seem mass produced. Cucumbers were very crunchy. Seasoned with mostly just salt. Server thought it would be cool to bring politics into our dinner. He behaved very inappropriately.

The Rice Box on 20th is a solid option if you're looking for quick, very Americanized Chinese food…read morein the Heights. It is very much a chain restaurant, and it has that polished, standardized feel to it. I've eaten here a number of times, and while I wouldn't say the food stands out above some of the other Chinese restaurants in the area, everything I've had has always been good. I've never gotten anything that tasted bad or had an order come out wrong. It's just consistently solid. One sleeper hit on their menu, though, is the lava buns. They're warm egg custard buns like you'll sometimes find at dim sum places, and they are really good. Honestly, they're probably one of my favorite things here. I've even stopped by after already having dinner just to get an order to take home for dessert. They're definitely best hot, so I'd recommend eating them pretty quickly. The design of the restaurant is probably more memorable than the main food. They really committed to a specific industrial, techno-chic look with neon signs, animated menu boards, exposed metal, acrylic panels, textured wall details, and movies playing by the bar. The theme is carried throughout the whole place really well. At the same time, all of the metal and harder surfaces can make the inside feel a little cold and unwelcoming. There isn't much traditional indoor seating. Most of the seating inside is at the bar, with additional tables outside under some shade. Because of that, it's probably not my first choice for sitting down for lunch during a hot Houston day, but it works really well as a pickup or takeout spot. The staff has always been friendly, and they have a good system for getting people in and out. The parking lot is a little small, but since a lot of people seem to be picking up food, spots turn over pretty quickly. Overall, The Rice Box is convenient, dependable, and does what it does well. It definitely feels like a chain, but the design has a strong personality and the food is consistently good. It's not my favorite Chinese food in the Heights, but I've never had a bad experience here. And the lava buns are absolutely worth getting.

I got the grilled eggplant and chicken egg roll and nitro Thai tea. The eggplant was super…read moreflavorful and had a nice crisp to it! I would not get the Thai tea again as it was more liquidy than creamy due to it being a nitro. I didn't love the rice as well because it wasn't fluffy or soft. Overall good flavor and good for a quick lunch

Just top notch! The service is terrific-- the owner is very present…read more You can tell they have a lot of familiar regular diners. The House Salad is always fresh and crisp. I tried the San Dong Tofu this time. Light but satisfying!

45 min of rainy traffic to this historic spot! The famous…read moremural is on the side, front door is on the corner. Shared parking lot, spacious interior. Beer/wine/liquor available. Wasn't too busy (rainy Tuesday night) but we noticed several regulars and a number of takeout orders. Nice to see owner Fred and he was super helpful making sure we got a good variety in our order. Food came out hot and fast. Nice textures and flavors, only felt that the jajiang was underseasoned and kind of flat. Great spot and I can see why they've been around for 50 years! Faves: Cheese puffs Fish buns Sizzling rice soup Pong lai chicken Braised Pork belly Chili shrimp

This is my first time going in person, but second time eating from Cooking Girl. I got the General…read moreTso's chicken and meat egg rolls, and both were excellent. Compared to the other Chinese places in this area (Rice Box), the quality is much better. The restaurant and calm, clean, the staff are nice, and it would be a great place to study.

I have wanted to eat here for months but I always passed it up because of how busy and small the…read moreplace looked from the outside. Today was my lucky day because there was plenty of parking spots and seats (although the parking lot is very small). This place is great! I understand the hype for sure. When you walk inside it's just about the smallest restraunt I've ever. Very cozy and cute vibe with smooth jazz playing on a speaker and we got our food very fast. I really enjoyed my time here. Dry Fried Green Beans 5/5- these are the best green beans I have had in my life! I am not exaggerating like I will be thinking about these green beans all week. Do not hesitate to try these. Perfectly salty and good amount of crunch still left. The flavors they used are just perfect. Colorful Beef 4/5- The texture of the beef was so tender and not chewy at all like other places. The flavor was bright and the bell peppers were cooked through well. The issue I had with this dish was the sichuan peppercorns. I was just eating and not really looking at it super closely so I got a mouth full of these peppercorns and wow it was actually horrible. Just beware because the texture of these things are god awful and I think that they should be taken out like how a bay leaf is removed before serving. It was just really intense and it almost ruined the dish for me honestly. Other than that a great dish. My mouth was so numb but worth it. Dandan noodles 2/5- This was my first time trying this dish anywhere and I did not really enjoy it at all. The sesame flavor was really strong and it wasn't really salted at all. Very strange flavor. I will not order this again, however I do believe that the execution on this dish is great. There was a lot of sauce and the noodles were cooked well. I just really wish I liked the flavor of this dish and that's a personal problem. This dish also made my mouth numb but the flavor did not make it worth it. I wanted to like these so badly but I just couldn't do it. I will be back!

One of my favorite Sichuan places in town!…read more Dishes had this time around: Pork Soup dumpling - always temps me to order more Shrimp and pork Shumai - i recently had shumai that was good but not as great as the ones here. I've never had any oeovlem with any of the food not tasting fresh here Spicy chicken cube - crispy, spicy, what more can you ask for Walnut shrimp - a common Cantonese style chinese dish with crispy shrimp, mayo, and walnuts. A perfect combo! Overall would recommend to anyone in town, a favorite of mine for sure

My three friends and I were in the area when one of them suggested this place after having a good…read moreexperience here previously. We ordered quite a bit of food, and everything came out quickly. The staff were attentive and friendly, and overall, the food was decent. My favorite dish was the Chicken Steamed Dumplings. I usually prefer pork dumplings, but these were surprisingly tasty. The wrappers were on the thicker side, which I personally enjoy, the filling was moist, and the sauce was packed with flavor. I also ordered the Beef Noodle Soup. The portion of noodles and beef was generous, but I thought the broth lacked depth and had far too much chili oil. Instead of providing a pleasant spice, the excess oil left a greasy coating in my throat that actually made me cough. The other dishes were less impressive. The Pork Bao tasted like they had been frozen and reheated, with slightly soggy, overcooked buns and a filling that lacked flavor. The Egg Rolls were also extremely small and had that same frozen, store-bought quality. Overall, the service was great and there were a few solid dishes, especially the chicken dumplings, but too many of the items tasted like frozen or pre-prepared food. I would come back for the dumplings, but I would probably skip most of the other dishes.

Casual but solid in an awesome location if you are enjoying downtown…read more My niece is a lover of dumplings and fried rice so of course we had to walk over for an early lunch before the Art Car Parade. --- location/vibes--- located in the northwest corner of downtown -- can stop by before bar hoping, catching a show, maybe even an Astros game if you wanna walk just a bit. There was a good amount of seating for that area of town but not a ton! --- Foods--- We really loved the wonton soup and mama's dumplings (gyoza basically). Both had a surprising amount of flavor. Especially the soup as this can be kinda plain at other places. We also tried soup dumplings which unfortunately stuck to the pan so we missed on the soup but the pork inside was lovely. Pricing was very resonable. ---Service--- to the point -- friendly but limited - ---Overall--- Looking forward to trying more dishes here!

My friend and I had dinner at Cooking Girl a few months back. It wasn't busy at all on a Thursday…read moreevening. We were seated towards the back of the restaurant and it was uncomfortably warm. I don't remember our server's name but she was nice. I started with a Lychee Martini. It was very good and very strong. For apps we ordered the Scallion Pancakes and the BBQ Pork Buns. The Scallion Pancakes were very good, but once they cooled down, it didn't taste nearly as good. I enjoyed the BBQ Pork Buns too. For entrées I had the Salt Pepper Fish Slices while my friend went with the Ingenious Fried Beef. The Fish Slices were very seasoned and flavorful, but a bit dry. The batter was good and I really enjoyed the peppers and onions that accompanied the dish. I think a dipping sauce would have helped. My friend enjoyed the Fried Beef. They have quite a few locations around town if you don't want to venture into the downtown area. If you're near the Theater District, Cooking Girl is a great dining option.