Casual but solid in an awesome location if you are enjoying downtown. 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! read more

General tso chicken: 7.5/10 - a little crispy, not spicy, saucy, good portion - $15.99 Black pepper beef: 8/10 - not crispy, a little peppery, very saucy, more savory - $16.99 Mongolian beef: 5/10 Service was quick! Easy in and out. White rice was sticky! Would definitely go back again read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Black Pepper Beef (bottom), General Tso's Chicken (Right), Kung Pao Chicken (left) - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My husband and I were craving Chinese food and decided to try this place because it was close by. I've heard good things about Cooking Girl but never tried. There is a small bar when you enter. I first assumed the space was small but they have a larger dining area. It was a little after lunch time but we were the only customers. Our server was great & speedy. We ordered Sichuan Beef, pork & veggie spring rolls. I had wanted to substitute the white rice for fried but they don't allow that sadly. The Sichuan was delicious! So flavorful omg and spicy!!! My husband was literally sweating at the table and this a good sign for him lol. It was almost too spicy for me but I enjoyed it I love how much onions were in. Our rolls were yummy also. We brought the remaining home for a snack later. I can't wait to try the fried rice next time. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Sichuan Beef Veggie spring roll - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Downtown branch of this "chain", which had multiple locations. This location is in north downtown across from Frank's Pizza. The interior is larger than it looks and the menu is the usual Sichuan style offerings and includes boba drinks. The dishes were alright but authenticity of most of the dishes ordered were subpar. The garlic fish sauce pork was off, in terms of flavor and seasoning. The Mongolian beef was bland and the hot boiled beef also lacked the main characteristic of the dish; the numbing spice and chili oil onto the meat and veggies. The walnut shrimp was solid but was unfortunately laid upon a bed of cold, sad, boiled broccoli. Overall, it's a decent option for Chinese food downtown that isn't fast food but the authenticity is way below par compared to most of the more celebrated Chinese spots in the city. read more

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I ordered from Uber Eats and this was honestly some of the worst food I've ever ordered. The pork buns barely had any pork in them. The sesame chicken was so tough and it tasted like it was fried three times over in old grease. The chicken was so rubbery that it was translucent. The food was inedible and ridiculously overpriced. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

We were looking for something different from elevator we had been eating the last few days, I found the timing girl on yelp and check out the reviews. We went there and weren't disappointed, it was near closing time but they were courteous to us and took our orders. The food was good we all enjoyed our choices. read more

Food is good and tasty but for the prices they charge, they need to give you a reasonable amount. Soup ($6) was good size, appetizer dumplings were barely filled and not enough dumpling sauce, lunch entree (just chicken & veg) was ok size, but was $20... read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Steamed dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

First time at this location; just as good at the other 3 locations I've been to. The Pepper Twins Chicken is outstanding, but not for the faint-hearted, it's really spicy! I wish I could talk myself into ordering something else, but 4 out 5 times I go I order the Pepper Twins Chicken. Other than the PT Chicken, the Hot and Sour Soup is another must have. The other dish I love is their Orange Beef, excellent flavor with a touch of sweetness and tender slices of beef. You can't go wrong with Cooking Girl regardless of the dish you order, the fresh ingredients make the different better Cooking Girl and other Chinese restaurants. read more

I ordered the sesame chicken, vegetable lo mein, and wonton soup for take-out. Everything tasted great but for the price, I was expecting more food. The restaurant was clean and very calm on a weekday evening. I would definitely enjoy sitting down and enjoying a meal here in the future. Cooking Girl is worth checking out as long as you don't come in with the expectation of getting insane quantities of food like at a mall or some other Chinese restaurants. It definitely makes up for it with better ingredients though. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Sesame Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

A regular lunch spot in my rotation, it's never super busy, but the staff are prompt and attentive. Food is all good, though the menu differs some compared to other locations. It does always seem a little busier Saturday nights, but never a problem to get a table and a quick meal. read more

Solid Chinese spot! I tried the General Tso's chicken, chicken cubes, sweet and sour cucumber, scallion pancakes, and edamame. The chicken cubes were great, General's Tso's was standard, and the scallion pancake was super crispy. The sweet and sour cucumber was not great. It was just cut up cucumbers with vinegar. I would not order that again. The edamame was also pretty bland, and I would not order it again. As for the service, although we were a large group, they were able to get us seated quickly. The servers checked in on us constantly, and refilled our drinks regularly. Overall, the food was good and fresh, and I would go there again for a casual lunch. 8/10. read more

Somewhere between Chinese and Chinese American food done not terribly but not terribly well either.

This was my first time, trying cooking girl and let me tell you what I was very impressed. The food here is authentic and extremely good. I will say the management take notice for the price. The portions are quite small. I could use a little bit more beef, but I'm still gonna give you five stars because Hubert did an amazing job and the food was excellent. Food: I just moved to the area and I saw them on Yelp so I figured hey let me go walk here for lunch on a Saturday after unboxing some things and boy. I am sure happy I stopped in the food was simply amazing. The Mongolian beef was top-notch. Grilled to perfection and full of flavor. However, like I stated earlier, the portion was small. Management don't skip out on portion size. This is Texas. We need our protein. The customer service is great. Hubert is really nice and he did an excellent job. I really like the Decor here as well. I feel like I will probably come here many more times. Thanks again easy five star review. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I ordered Mama's pan-fried vegetable dumplings with 10 dumplings in an order. When I got my order only 9 dumplings were on the plate. I immediately told our waitstaff (there were 3 staff I told) that I got 9 instead of 10 dumplings. Each staff person just looked at me like I was from outer space, but didn't even bother to go back to the kitchen to let the chef know the error. When the staff came with the hand machine to check out our table, I mentioned it again that I didn't get my full order, but they did nothing, said nothing. I left absolutely no tip and figured that they can adjust my bill for the missing dumpling and use that for their tip. I will not be going back based solely on principal. read more

Food is good, The tofu, is super dry and not as soft as I'd like it or had it other places..... when an item on the menu says "and broccoli" I was expecting more then 2 pieces of broccoli on my plate. The Sichuan buns are probably my favorite The pepper chicken was good! read more

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All in all, my dining experience met expectations. The hot and sour soup was good but not the best I've had. The vegetable lo mein, also tasted okay but not amazing. The noodles could have been a little bit more firm. Service was friendly and the food came out reasonably fast. Price not too bad. Sadly, probably won't be back. read more

Came in on a Saturday evening, not crowded and got service right away. Parking's a bit challenging but to be expected at this downtown location. I'm usually wary of Chinese restaurants that caters to more of an American audience especially when I see one of the most popular dishes is "General Tso's Chicken". However, my impressions are mostly positive here from the presentation, the serving portions, and the cleanliness of the establishment. It's similar to the Mala Sichuan bistro chain in a way. So well done. I got to try a few dishes like the Kung Pao Chicken, Garlic Sauce Eggplants, and the Dan Dan noodles, the Chinese Eggplant has always been a favorite dish of mine, and they did not disappoint here. The Dan Dan noodle though, fell flat for me. It was lacking in flavor and did not seem very authentic compare to some of the other dandanmian I've had which had a lot more spice, more peppercorn perhaps, more numbing taste than what they offered here. Overall, I've enjoyed the quick service and simplicity of the menu, can't go wrong with $5 drafts as well. (They got a full bar). Could definitely see myself come back if I'm in the area! read more

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Sudden craving for Chinese food in downtown, and Cooking Girl was just around the corner. There wasn't a big lunch time crowd, so there wasn't any waiting time. I had the 3 soup dumplings for appetizer. The dumpling skin was thin, and the meat inside was well seasoned. There was plenty of soup in the dumplings too. I would repeat this dish many times. The sweet sour fish was crispy, and the black pepper beef was tender. However, both sauces were a little lacking. The sauce for the fish dish lacked the sour flavor. The sauce for the beef dish was a tad too salty. The restaurant is bright, clean, and inviting. I would come back to try other dishes. read more

We had a great experience at Cooking Girl's newish location downtown. We dropped in on a weeknight and it was rather empty, typical for dinnertime in downtown. We started with the hot and sour soup--the serving size is enough to be an entree or serve as a starter for maybe four people. We also had the steamed shrimp dumplings and fried shrimp dim. The beau had the "TMD shrimp" (super spicy!) and I enjoyed the spicy cubed chicken. I really wanted to try their famous red dumplings, but they're made with pork. :/ Everything was served hot, had the right amount of spice, and again, the portions are generous. I rec dining family-style so you can try a little bit of everything. They have a full bar and table service. read more

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First time trying this place and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing 10/10 and our server was great. I loved that I was able to enjoy the view of downtown while I was enjoying my meal. Overall amazing experience!!! I'm moving to downtown in a couple of months and I'm excited to know that this place is only a couple blocks away. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Tucked away on the side of a parking garage, Cooking Girl would be easy to miss. While Chinese restaurants are prolifically scattered throughout Houston, this little place might be worth your time. A simple garden aesthetic, a friendly staff, and good food. What more could you ask for? For us, the Generals chicken is a great litmus test for Chinese restaurants: Cooking Girl did not disappoint. The Red Dumplings were fantastic. The Dan Dan noodles were not--over cooked, gummy noodles, lacking any outstanding flavor, we set those aside and focused on the better offerings at the table. Our waiter was quick to notice, though, and quickly offered other items on the menu to compensate for our disappointment. Although we declined, he brought us a delightful and complimentary fruit tea and removed the noodles from our bill. Fantastic service. The bathroom is also really nice and accommodating to all sorts of womanly needs. read more

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The food is awesome here but however the service is very poor I went there for lunch last week stood at the register for 15 mins the servers kept walking by and said nothing so I went to the back no one acknowledge me walked back up front for a server to come tell me that it will be a 40 mins wait I was like I just wasted 20 mins of my lunch and you want me to wait another 40 mins I walked out. read more

This place was delicious! Great fast service. Pictured we got spicy chicken cubes, colorful shredded pork, and chicken pan fried dumplings read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Spicy chicken cubes, colorful shredded pork, chicken pan fried dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've been waiting for a quality Chinese restaurant in downtown that's open beyond the lunch hour and Cooking Girl just made my dreams come true! The staff is friendly and happy to make recommendations for both food and drinks based on what you like and the food is GOOD! They have adjusted the menu a bit (this is their 4th location) leaning more heavily into Dim Sum options for the DT crowd. We plan on working our way through the menu one dish at a time, but the first few we tried were flavorful and delicious! If you haven't had the chance, stop by as soon as you can - this place will be packed as soon as the word gets out! read more

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Came to eat during lunch today and was sat by a young woman who immediately gave us attitude and rolled her eyes when she sat us, and didn't say a word. We waited about 10 minutes for her to just bring us waters, not look at us at all and leave. She may have just been having a bad day but a simple "i'll be right with you" and some eye contact would've been enough. It just made us uncomfortable and we had to leave. read more

Went to the cooking girl downtown on Saturday afternoon since I was doing a staycation Was pleasantly surprised with the menu many many options to choose from And my best friend had some meat eggrolls that were fried, which were excellent We also had the hot and sour soup, which was the best I've had in a long time We got two main dishes to split we had triple delight Mongolian and we also had walnut shrimp with broccoli and I was pleasantly surprised with how much shrimp we got with that plate And I also got a to go container of pan fried chicken dumplings, and when I got home later in the evening, I had those and they were incredible. I'll go back to this restaurant in five seconds. I'll be recommended. Service was was good. read more

A new Hidden Jewel in downtown Houston. I was pleasantly surprised with the extremely clean and well designed interior that is suited for any affair. Xingyu was my server, and she was extremely helpful in directing me to a dish that absolutely satisfied me for lunch and dinner. The hot boiled fish was an explosion of flavors, which left my pallet, wanting for nothing . The scallion pancake was a lighter fluffier presentation than I'm used to, but paired well with the stir fried bok choy and pan fried dumplings, chicken. read more

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Ordered take-out from here for a late night Chinese food craving. Overall order came out pretty good. We ordered the sesame chicken, pork buns, and combination fried rice. The sesame chicken was a little sweet for my taste but flavor is still pretty good. The chicken was cooked well, not hard or soggy if you know what I mean. The pork buns were okay, only complaint is there was an overwhelming amount of ginger, I could barely taste the pork and the rest of the seasoning. But the bun itself was cooked nicely, doesn't taste stale or soggy, had the right amount of bounce to it. The fried rice was excellent! The rice was perfect, not hard or chewy, just right. We picked up our order so there wasn't any service but based off of reviews, there weren't complaints about service, and walking in for pick up, it looked like cottage vibes but like I said, we ordered take out so we didn't have the sit-in experience. I see this is a franchise and if we are in town again, we would definitely try this spot again. Check this place out! Till then, let's eat!!!! read more

Mediocre. Go to the one in Montrose. Everything about it is better. Just OK chinese food thats convenient.

Went on a Saturday, After taking a Kayaking Tour of Buffalo Bayou for my Daughter's Birthday (great tour, but tortuous when it's hot... trust me you don't want to get in that water). Anyway, my daughter's a Vegetarian & it was hard enough to find an Open Restaurant, much less an affordable open restaurant in downtown Houston. Not crowded @ all but the Service, Menu, & Price were Great! read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was good. Service was very friendly. I did take out. Place looked very clean. When my order was ready they even offered a cup of ice for my drink. read more

Restaurant is super clean and staff is amazing and very professional. This is a hidden gem since it only has 5 reviews but all are five stars. Trust me you will not be disappointed food is amazing read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - Dumplings delicious - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I got the eggplant love green been and the veggie fried dumplings. Dumplings were fireeee but me and all my friends main plates were so bland everything lacked spice and flavor read more

Services was spectacular. Food is absolutely awesome. I had the spicy cube of chicken ,along with the barbecue buns. Very clean place. We will absolutely be coming back. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - steamed dumplings in a pot - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Just ordered lunch from here. Almost $20 for one beef entree. More than half of dish is onions and peppers, very little beef. Increase your prices, fine, but don't increase AND skimp on the protein. Have not had this experience at other Cooking Girl locations over the years, so this may be just a downtown issue. Will not be returning. read more

This is such a great location... But I never see any kind of business... I am hopeful because they have recently got more signage... But I'm not sure the name recognition is enough for them to sustain... I hope they strategize and succeed with to go orders read more

Ordered the scallion pancakes, cumin lamb with white rice and the red dumplings. Let's start with what we enjoyed. The cumin lamb with white rice and scallion pancakes were a hit. The portions are also generous and adequate to share. The red dumplings weren't all that flavorful, however. I'd like to explore some more options on the menu. read more

Haven't had a disappointing dining experience like this in Houston in a while. After a date night my bf and I ordered soup dumplings, red spicy dumplings, and the some spicy beef item with rice. We love dumplings but the soup dumplings were so off that I spit the first one out, it had an overwhelming musty and salty flavor. The spicy ones were bland except a sour acidic flavor. The beef was tough and had the mouth numbing flavor of many sichuan dishes with none of the balance it requires. Combine that with a server who is nonresponsive & blank faced and you have $50 you wish you could get back. I will stick to Trendy Dumplings and Hu's Cooking for my Asian and dumpling night out. read more

It was so good. Super clean kitchen, clean and well maintained dining room and the food is super good and authentic. Great service. You have to look ok hard to see it across from Franks but it's a real gem read more

Yes the chicken steamed dumplings good and general chicken is tasty, but the service is next level incredible. The chopstick are nice plastic , napkin and utensils modern. The waiter is beyond respectful, patient, educational and understanding. I had few questions he answered sincerely which is rare. read more

Cooking Girl - Downtown - General chicken - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas