​Cooking Girl is such an awesome find in the West University area. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by an ambiance that is clean, spacious, and undeniably classy. It has a modern yet cozy vibe, and I particularly love the wood tables--they add a beautiful, grounded touch to the stylish decor. ​The service was wonderful. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, making sure you have everything you need without hovering. It truly feels like they care about your dining experience. ​As for the food, it is absolutely phenomenal. The flavors are authentic and bold; whether you're trying the Spicy Chicken Cubes, the Dry Pot Delight, or orange chicken, every dish is fresh. It's the perfect spot for a refined yet comfortable meal. My family went here for Christmas dinner and we left happy and satisfied. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

I ordered the House Special Fried Rice with light oil last night. One of the best Chinese fried rices down here imo too. It was full of multiple, well-cooked ingredients, great texture in the rice n rest and really delicious in each bite. The saltiness n oiliness were just right. The fatty beef slices, smoother chicken pieces and large, succulent shrimp were all really good in taste and tenderness in terms of the protein. The green onions, egg pieces and sweet, juicy pineapple chunks all played roles in making the flavor profile so good. Each ingredient was so different from one another, but came together with such balance. Great, friendly service as well. I also need to try their cumin lamb, a noodles dish and spicy chicken cubes on future visits. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Fantastic Combo Fried Rice with less oil !!! - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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You need to know what to order but cooking girl is a very solid Szechuan /Chinese food in the loop! Food- solid. My favorites are TMD shrimp, spicy shrimp, what a fish, spicy boiled fish, all the tofus. Some items do catch me a little off guard with their flavor, but most items are great. Ambiance - casual cute Service - friendly (when they get extremely busy with take out orders and in house orders they do get a bit slow as there's only 1-2 server/front desk ordering with an average 2 people in the kitchen. Small run place. 4 star because during one of the take out they messed up my order read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

A friend introduced me to this restaurant. Everything we ordered was so delicious!! Our favorite was "What a Chicken" in the appetizer section. We also liked mapo tofu and dry pot. Plenty of parking in front of restaurant. read more

We have been ordering from here for the last 7-8 years. We ordered today after a gap of a few months and were surprised to how the portions of our regular items had shrunk to a third (1/3rd) of what it used to be - specifically, I am talking about the dish "Ginger Loves Fish". What used to be a big plastic takeout bowl (6.5" dia. and 4.5" height) has now shrunk to the small soup bowl (4.5" dia. and 3" height). All this in less than 6 months while the price has increased a few $s. This was the last time I ordered from here. Sad to see that good decent well proportioned neighborhood restaurants have outgrown their value proposition and become another social media hype. I will be looking for alternatives which are not hard to find in Houston. read more

Asthenic is very nice inside, service was decently fast, food was ok. Went with my boyfriend and we ordered the soup dumping and pan fried dumplings to share, and we both agreed we have had better, they weren't terrible but there was something about the meat I just couldn't eat. I think it was the onions they put in it. Was over powering. Had to ask to send back the pan fried dumplings back cause they were really soggy and not crispy. read more

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Xiao Long Bao: 1/5. The one star is for the taste. The steam cage is too small. All 6 pieces of the soup dumplings stuck together. It doesn't matter how careful you are, when you lift one up, the wrap breaks and the soup would leak! No good! Pan fried pork buns: 0/8. It does not look anything like the picture on the menu. They are byte size! Classic milk tea: 2/5. It's not classic. Doesn't taste anything like classic. Would not be back. read more

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Having been here a few times over the years, it's about time I put a review in. As noted in a couple of the other reviews, Szechuan starting to become a very saturated market in the H. That said, I am not complaining whatsoever when there is good competition for good food! The gal and I came out on a hump day, after getting birthday nails did. At 6:00 on a Wednesday, there was only one other table full. Needless to say, service was very quick and efficient. By the time we left there were two more tables with people at them. Being off of Holcomb in the med center, there is a small lot. Because nobody was there today, parking was easy. During a rush I could see parking being a little more difficult. This is at an old Pizza Hut location, but they renovated very well as you can see in the pictures. Aside from the very clean facility, the food was good. I will not put this in my top five, but it is quality, and the price is good too. Let's get to the goods of this most recent trip Mapo Tofu 4/5 Solid flavors and texture. Quantity was a little lower, I like a little more soup in mine to saturate my rice with. It wasn't spicy, which I would prefer. A lil spice gives life. Cumin Lamb 3/5 Solid plate. Again, not spicy, but did have flavor. I actually was tasting more celery than anything in this dish. I would prefer if they cut some of the slices a little bit smaller. It's easier to chew on, and share when it's easier to manage. Spicy Chicken Cubes 4/5 I really liked the flavor on these. They had a citrus tang and I them. As a personal preference of mine: I would have preferred them to be crispy, and the peppers as well. And I would have preferred them spicy as well. They were definitely flavorful but not spicy or crispy. Also the quantity was a little low as well as compared to other highly rated someone establishments. Overall, the service was very good, and very efficient. The food lacked heat, and quantity as compared to other Szechuan joints that I frequent. That's not to say anything's bad, but that some things are not necessarily to my particular preference. It's a solid joint for the med center crowd, and definitely worth a try. read more

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Always fresh, flavorful, and consistently delicious. The service is warm and accommodating, parking is easy, and the menu has so many great options. My go-tos are the fish, eggplant and green beans, chicken, tofu, and the most perfect rice. The spicy woodear salad is hot--so be prepared! :-) The egg drop soup is always a comforting way to start your meal. Everything is served family-style, which makes sharing even better. #vegan #healthy #flavorful #good read more

I went there for my second time for dinner. Traffic at 5:30 PM going west to Austin was horrendous. The food is great, service was horrible! The Pork steamed dumplings were amazing! Out of this world! I had to wait 30 minutes or longer for the entree. Several tables came ordered and left before they finally acknowledged that my hot boiled beef still was not served. Then they bring a small bowl of rice. Everyone else got the normal pot of rice prior to serving their entree. I was really disappointed with the lousy service and it was only me who got the shaft. Not sure I will go back again because of the terrible service. They didn't even apologize or try to make up for their mistake. Great food but caution, great service to all their guests is not reliable and in need of review. read more

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For this restaurant being located in the med center, I'm very pleased with the parking. The lot is spacious!! The inside has ample seating but can seem crowded when it's busy. Also it was so hot... I was sweating. The food was good for the most part. Out of everything we had, I actually enjoyed the green beans the most. They were so crunchy. The Dan Dan noodles were not it. The noodles were mushy and overly soft. It had me questioning if it was fully cooked. Chicken cubes were crispy and flavorful. read more

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I have been looking forward to trying this restaurant, any of the locations and the opportunity presented itself as I had been staying near this location this past week. The experience was not the best from the get go. It was around 4pm when I called in my order and the lady that was taking my order was snarky after I asked her if the General Tao's chicken that I ordered came with an egg roll or spring roll. She said that they were not serving lunch. I told her that this was my first time ordering from them and that I was not familiar. When I got there, I assume it was the same lady as she was the only one at the front. I told her that I was there to pick up a to go order. She looked to her right and then looked at her computer and said it wasn't ready. I asked if I could go ahead and pay. She gave me the total and I took a couple of steps towards the counter so I could get my wallet out to pay. She immediately told me that I wasn't supposed to pay there that the checkout was in front of her. I told her that I needed the counter space so I could get to my wallet so I could pay. The exchanges with her were not pleasant. Now to the good. The General Tsao was good. Perfect amount of spicy. The steam rice was nice and fluffy. Not sticky. I ordered the meat egg rolls and they traveled very well. Even though they were colder by the time I got to them, they were still delicious and had a crunch to them. I will try them again. But maybe not at this specific location on Holcombe. read more

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Food was good but service was SO SLOW and unattentive. We had to get up three times to ask for things for the meal (utensils, the check, Togo boxes, and water). Never asked if we wanted something other than water. I should also mention that we were not the only ones looking around hoping for a server. Many tables were in the same situation. Sadly, there were at least 4 workers to cover the floor and none were doing the rounds. We love this spot and normally it is reasonable service. I hope this is just a one time situation. read more

Supper last night w/ 3 GK Doc's & 2 sig. others. Ordered widely from menu. Everything good to very good. This place has become our go-to for Oriental foods in Houston. They've even cleaned-up the restrooms. Lots of parking private paved lot. Great selection of offerings. Their several other locations aren't this good. read more

Damn!!! I have never had dumplings before and I must say, I'm gonna have them again and often!!!!! Staff was very helpful, great little location and again the dumplings were fabulous!!!! I can't wait to come back!!!!! read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Beef Skillet dumplings and Beef Soup Dumplings - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great staff, clean, food was fresh and delicious. Better than expected nice vibe, will visit again!

Yechhh!!!! She needs to LEARN how to cook. Won't say anything negative otherwise, cuz she's got to learn, but what I ordered and what I gotal are from different planets. Keep studying girl. read more

great food, great menu, great service. We enjoyed the beef dumplings and I thought the signature pepper twins chicken was scrumptious comfort food. I didn't love my fiancé's green pepper beef as much personally, but overall we prefer the food and ambience to nearby competitors. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Pepper twins chicken, pepper beef, beef and onion dumplings. - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

Definitely would recommend! Quick seating and delicious food. The service is amazing and i've always felt taken care of. Would recommend the pork belly with mashed garlic, dry fried green beans and the fish bites. read more

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As this stretch of Holcombe continues to churn out more Chinese businesses (#1), Cooking Girl has made a pretty good name for itself for its tasty food and ideal ambiance. And unlikely it's nearby competitors, they sport a nice sized parking lot. At the end of the day, they're a quality choice for an authentic Chinese spot within the West U / Medical Center area. Whoever designed the interior gets kudos for the eclectic look and incorporating lots of greenery throughout. There are plenty of tables for all party sizes and a bustling staff to go along with it. I find they're not always busy, which is all the more reason to come whenever there's a wait at the other spots. The prices aren't exactly wallet friendly, but the service is always on top of it. Overall, I think their food is quite good. It's on par with many of the Sichuan spots in Chinatown and the variety of dishes is impressive. While the spice levels are still potent, I think their food tends to skew to the sweeter side. While I'm not terribly fond of any of their fried rice / noodles (stir fried, dan dan, etc.), I think they do a solid job with some classic dishes. I think one area that they excel in is their fish options, such as their hot boiled fish (水煮魚), "WhatAFish" (酸菜鱼) (#2), and especially their fish love tofu (豆花鱼). For folks not looking for the soupy experience, their sweet and sour fish (糖醋鱼) or spicy hot fish (香辣鱼片) are crunchy and have some pretty good kick to each bite. A surprisingly flavorful dish is the fish-style beef (鱼香滑牛肉), where the beef slices are smooth and tender. Their sweet and sour cucumber (糖醋黄瓜条), along with the pork belly with mashed garlic (蒜泥白肉) are going to be winners. Their "WhatAChicken" is really more like mouth-watering chicken (口水鸡) and has a good amount of heat. The red dumplings (红汤抄手) are always a safe choice, even if they're not exactly spicy. The weirdest name goes to "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" for a relatively common Sichuan organ dish, the husband / wife lung slices (夫妻肺片). Overall, I like their operation and hope they keep up the good work. I would consider dining in with a big group and an even bigger appetite. They have since opened up other locations in Sugar Land and most recently, Montrose (#3). This is my preferred option in this area for now, and I hope they continue to get better. ___________ (#1) Sichuan based ones. (#2) Who chose these names? (#3) Might be the best one in the bunch https://www.yelp.com/biz/cooking-girl-houston-6 read more

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The fried rice here was great! Some of the best I've had anywhere in Texas. Also got the kung pao chicken, which was spicy but good. Portions are pretty big. The egg drop soup is enough to split with two people. read more

Came really hungry and this didn't disappoint. Service is on it, with lots of help on the menu, quick turnaround, and frequent checks. The food was very tasty and my favorite was the fish slides as this was cooked to perfection and was seasoned just right. I was less a fan of the noodles as it seemed rather plain, and the pineapple seemed like it just came from a can. Otherwise everything was excellent. I would come back here for the reasonable prices and extensive selection. read more

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Have passed by this place off Holcombe often and decided to order something quick n simple to go. Placed order over phone for pick up. My hubby wanted shrimp fried rice with shrimp you could see (opposed to tiny dried shrimp). This place did not disappoint. The rice was so flavorful and fresh tasting. Nice sized shrimp! He nixed the pineapple that was included in the dish but I look forward to ordering again with the pineapple! read more

Lovely and modern spot for delicious Sichuan cuisine! I have passed by this location a few times but it's alway so busy so I've never had the opportunity to try it out until yesterday. There is a small parking lot available to customers and more than likely street parking is available. The decor is really modern, the space is very welcoming and clean. Service was great and the food was quick. We had the pan fried pork dumplings, spicy chicken cube, and general tso's chicken. Everything was spectacular and came in portions large enough to share with the table. Will definitely be visiting again. read more

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Extremely slow service. Like extremely slow. Like how is it possible it's even taking this long slow? Like never coming back here again EVER

Food was so delicious. It didn't disappoint us! It was flavorful! Service was so friendly and service really good! Ambiance was clean and spacious. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was good - would come again . Fluffy white rice , duck , dumplings all great main things g is flavor ! read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Honey duck , red dumplings - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is one of my favorite Schetuzan places in Houston, and it is honestly better than most places in Chinatown. ATMOSPHERE: The restaurant has ample parking and seating and wasn't too busy when we went for Friday dinner. I liked the rustic feel with the interior greenery and wood roofing. FOOD: We ordered the veggie spring rolls and the kung pao chicken. The spring rolls were crispy and delicious. The kung pao chicken also tasted great and wasn't overly spicy, but had a good kick to it. Entrees come with plenty of white rice. SERVICE: Could have been better. Took some time for our order to be taken, and there weren't any waiters or waitresses roaming the floor to take requests, ask for the check, etc, but overall not a huge deal. PRICE/VALUE: The entrees are on the more expensive side for Schezuan/Chinese food, but the portions are large (portioned to share!). I thought the veggie spring rolls ($4 for 3 large rolls with sauce) were a really good value and would recommend getting those if you want an appetizer. Overall really enjoyed eating here and will be back soon. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Kung pao chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Original flavor and authentic taste, good service and very good food. The to go order was ready in 15 minutes read more

Great service and great food !!! It was a little warm when we first arrived but the AC started working halfway through which was nice. I like that they give you a giant pot of rice when you sit down. Haha. It's also BYOB if you want to bring something. I think beer was .99 corkage fee. read more

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Got takeout for dinner on a weekday- not crowded and food was ready quickly. Cooking girl has always been really authentic and tasty. Sweet and sour ribs- really great not spicy option, it has a nice tomato-based sauce and isn't too sweet. Fish taste eggplant- decent iteration of the dish. Good amount of sauce and eggplant is soft. Dry fried intestine- pretty spicy because of the jalapeños. Would be tastier if not takeout but fresh since it's fried. Good texture and big pieces of meat. Hot boiled fish- I love that there's more veggies in this than other places, including bean sprouts and wood ear mushrooms. But for some reason this was way spicier than usual. I recently had sichuan food at a different restaurant and there was a dish that was also way spicier than usual so I don't know if everybody is getting these new chilis, but I couldn't handle the heat as I typically can. The chili seeds really make it hot. Overall, this is still my go to sichuan food restaurant near the med center. read more

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Two authentic Chinese restaurants very near each other - Hu's Cooking and Cooking Girl. Cooking Girl is very near the medical center, and on the way to shopping at Rice Village and is strategically placed with a great dedicated parking space. The inside is open and warm, with booths all along the perimeter and charming decorations. The windows are adorned with planters full of flowers that are flourishing and look well cared for. They're very dedicated to the health and safety of their customers as well - when you enter they take your temperature before letting you in. Each meal comes with a fresh pot of rice. The service is nothing to be complained about. **Walnut Shrimp** The shrimp here is very large and this makes this dish very heavy - it's sweet and great quality but I wouldn't order this again unless with a large party as it's too heavy to eat more than a few pieces of. Comes with a side of cold broccoli which cuts the heaviness of the shrimp sweet sauce. **Salt and Pepper Shrimp** An excellent flavor of onions and pepper. A very clean taste with a light fried breading. **Spicy Shrimp** Drenched in szechuan pepper with a thick breading but a lovely kick of spice and still crispy and delicious. **Kung Pao Shrimp** Very sweet. More than one expects for a Kung Pao sauce normally. But otherwise palatable. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - salt and pepper shrimp - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Cooking Girl is the perfect Szechuan place close to the medical center. I go here after some long days at work and it really delivers. I've been here a couple of times and have tried lots of items on the menu, but I must say there are really only 4 items that I always always have to get. No matter what new items I try, these 4 are just way better. Spicy chicken cubes, mapo tofu, dry fried green beans, and yellowstone pork. If you're not sure what to get, I would definitely recommend trying any of these options! Also, if you are comfortable dining in, I would say try to do so. I've tried some of their items for take-out and it's just not as good as the food we've gotten when dining in. Especially the spicy chicken cubes - when I've gotten them as takeout, even if the drive is short, they always aren't as crispy and fresh as when we eat at the restaurant. read more

Ordered the RED BEEF from Uber Eats, and we don't know what we got. I called the restaurant, and I could hear them talk in chinease, and the person who answered the phone said we got the correct order. You can see for yourself the picture with the description vs. what we got. They also ignored my comment about wanting hot chili oil on the side. You can also see that on the receipt. I don't know why this restaurant keeps going downhill. I have been eating with them for years. I am tired of bad customer service. Also, what if I was allergic to the ingredients they added without me knowing. They don't care. They just grab whatever is on hand. read more

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Honestly my favorite Szechuan in the loop. Everything is sooo good - where do I even start! We always order the Dry Fried Green Beans because 1. It's delicious, and 2. It's a great way filler that compliments well with the more saturated meat dishes. We then mix and match among a tofu dish and a beef dish. Fish Loves Tofu is a solid go-to. The colorful pork and beef dishes are super flavorful. The rice is good too. We recently tried the Sizzling Garlic Sauce Tofu (newer dish), which was a bit fancier because it came out "sizzling" but I personally prefer the Fish Loves Tofu. And FYI - they no longer honor the free tea with the Yelp check-in anymore. But still worth coming here! I'd come back any day. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Top: dry fried green beans, left: colorful shredded pork, bottom: sizzling garlic sauce tofu, right: house special noodles - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is one of our favorite go-to spots when we come to Houston. It's never super busy or crowded, the service is wonderful, the food comes out quick, you get a great value when considering portion size and freshness of ingredients, and the flavors are authentic and consistent. We got the dried fried green beans - the perfect amount of puckering and a firm bite. The Ma Po Tofu had the perfect amount of Szechuan spice. The Mama's pork dumplings were perfectly cooked and my four year old ate most of them (a reward for being able to read them off the menu). We tried two new dishes and we loved both. The Pyramid Rib came with lovely Szechuan spices and spare ribs that were tossed with a variety of veggies - cauliflower, bell pepper, onion, lotus root - it was delicious! The Seafood Tofu had so much wonderful seafood in it - the shrimp was plump and the tofu had a great texture. Not to mention, we checked in on the Yelp App and got a free hot tea! What's not to love? If you have never tried this place, it's a true gem. Give them some love - they deserve it! read more

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Ordered maoxuwang hot pot and the green beans Love it sooo much The service is fantastic Give me two boxes of rice The store is lovely and organized read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I ABSOLUTELY love this little place. Authentic Sichuan that has not lost it's way? Delicious and spicy flavor combos that absolutely blow your taste buds out of the water? Or mouth as it were?!?! The wife and I used to love another local place with a similar name. So glad this one picked up where the other left off and has carried on with delicious food!!! Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Order this. Do not let the fact it is tendon and stomach put you off. I wish I could spend 20 minutes in the kitchen figuring out the sauce alone. This app is delicious. I order 2 just so I can have leftovers. Mongolian Beef. You can never go wrong with this. Just be ready. If you do not like spicy, avoid the jalapenos in the dish. But that would be like ordering a Rolls Royce with a cloth interior and no leather...it just makes no sense. Black Pepper Mongolian Beef. Yes. You need this in your life. Sweet. Salty. Spicy. Savory. Umami. Just order it. I would not steer you wrong. The owner and the staff here are incredible. They are always so sweet when I come in and make sure everything is 100% perfect. So. Thinking about ordering from your local Chinese dive? Well. I will not stop you cause I love that too. But if you want to try AUTHENTIC Sichuan. If you want to be taken to flavor town. If you want to become obsessed with a new restaurant. Eat at Cooking Girl. Rock solid 5 stars. read more

Cooking Girl - West U - Szechuan Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Close to medical center. Like the dishes, taste good with verity of choices. It is a good place for family gatherings read more

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Great Szechuan spot in the medical center. There is plenty of seating. I came here with just my boyfriend, and we definitely over-ordered. We had to bring home some food to-go. What we ordered: -fish love tofu (probably our favorite dish from here) -mapo tofu -best quality red-cooked meat The prices here are reasonable and the portions are generous. read more