Really wanted to like this place but was very disappointed. Granted, I may not be familiar enough with Vietnamese food to judge fairly. However, just speaking from my personal experience and preferences, most of the dishes were so-so. Papaya salad tasted too fishy, while the crispy pork was too tough to chew. We were eager to try the pineapple fried rice based on other reviews, but it wasn't anything special. The saving grace was the sizzling beef. The beef was very juicy and well-marinated. Staff was very friendly and overall vibes is cool, except it can get pretty noisy when the restaurant fills up. read more

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They know me by name at the restaurant so I should definitely stop going so frequently haha but I love it! I've been to HEM several times specifically for the egg coffee and or the coconut coffee. They used to open at 8:30am to sell coffee from the little window behind the bar but they no longer open early. Sad to see the morning coffee option go. One day I actually went in to eat but they only had the lunch menu. I ordered the steak and eggs thinking "this might be too heavy for lunch" but yall it was perfect! The food was sizzling hot and the portions are extremely generous. Service is always great they have what seems to be managers and or the owners walking around asking how everything is going plus making recommendations. I've come once at night and I love the busy atmosphere as it's extremely popular amongst large groups and they have a full bar. Love the decor and the unique items on the dinner menu. Highly recommend a visit to HEM! read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cute Vietnamese restaurant w/ a street alleyway theme! They have tons of food on their menu from pho, street foods, traditional Viet dishes! Kumquat drink- loved this!! I love my kumquat drinks, and this wasn't too sweet or too sour. Now let's get to the food.. Pork Belly: AMAZING. Wow. Juicy, tender, and all of the above. I love pork belly, and this being not too dry was exactly what I was into. Highly recommend! Big portions, a shareable with a family of 3-4 Oysters w Oil Scallions: comes w/ the green sauce (not sure what it consists of) and it pairs well together. Super tasty!! Wish I had gotten more. Sampler Meat Skewers: I loved the beef and pork skewer, not a fan of the other ones but it just comes down to preference. Mini Eggrolls: tasty!!!! I loved how small they were! Perfect appetizer and didn't make u too full (when shared ofc) This place is pretty good! Only thing is, it is quite pricey. We ended up paying about $75-80 for everything. But putting that aside, I highly recommend this place! read more

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I came here again with my husband. We came here around 7 pm on a Saturday. We were given the option to wait 45 mins or sit at the bar. So we sat at the bar. Food was just as amazing as last time. Their manager also checked on us a few time. He let us know that the dishes for lunch and dinner might have some updates later so I look forward to that. The place is loud but it's supposed to mimic a street bar so the theme fits. If you're not spicy stuff , the muscles and green dipping sauce has a slight kick. Parking is out front and free. But watch for puddles if it's been raining. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Razor clams - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The sauces is where it's at! My cousins and I wanted some Vietnamese street food and these dishes just hit the spot. We got pork cheek (sate style), razor clam (scallion style), scallop (with quail egg), and chicken cartilage (salted egg style). They were all so delicious! My favorite was the scallops, quail egg is just the right size. And omg the SAUCES that come with these dishes are amazing. I got the lychee tea which was yummy as well. Definitely recommend if you're into Vietnamese street food, or want to try something new. Side note: It is a little pricier than normal Vietnamese restaurant. read more

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Stop reading. Go. Order as many items as your pockets allow. This has been one of the best surprises I have had in a while. With their modern take on traditional street food and decor, I would invite anyone and everyone to visit when they are in town. Let's get right to the food. Happy hour is from 5-7 with a generous selection on bites and alcoholic drinks. We opted in for the Grilled Oysters ($8 for 8 pieces), plated on salt and topped with scallion oil and fried shallots... yum! Coconut Snails - A must. There's something about their coconut cream sauce that makes you just want to top it on rice and slurp away. Hem has them cut far enough where they meat easy comes out. Served in a very hot pot, this is a great dish to share Mango Salad with Surf Clam - Loved this dish as its delicious, refreshing, pretty and elegant in every way possible. The sweet yet crunchy mangos keeps the dish entertaining, while the surf clams stars the dish. Beef Carpaccio - A great dish to share. Must be eaten quickly as the meat is raw and will be laying out on the plate. The idea is to mixed the hold and toppings with the beef. I'd reccomend adding more limes if you're like me, however it was great as is. The drinks were okay, very sweet and syrupy for our liking. Added a few splashes of water to them and we were good to go! The staff was great and very friendly. They actually chat with you and check in often when they notice something isn't right. Very attentive, very great experience. Lots of parking here at this plaza. Outdoor seating is available with the traditional street tables you would see on the streets of Vietnam! read more

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Absolutely the best Viet street food in Houston. The seafood selection is stellar and their cafe sua da is out of this world. read more

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Lemme start with the bad... It's a bit pricey... That's it. Now on to the GREAT. The food is absolutely delicious. The service is fantastic And the ambiance is amazing. Great place for IG pics. Such a cool place to hang with the family, the guys, the girls, whomever. I definitely recommend the chicken feet (garlic butter), chicken cartilage (also garlic butter), the beef carpaccio, squid, pork belly, chicken hearts, kidneys, and gizzards, and clams. Again, a bit pricey, but 100% worth it... In my opinion. read more

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From the very moment you set eyes on the exterior signage, you know this place is going to be something special. You walk inside and immediately you can feel vibe of Vietnam - street life. My party ordered the Vietnamese iced coffee and coconut coffee, which were both delicious. For our food we got the Five Spice Beef and Bo Luc Lac, which were tender and tasty - not dry. Service was personable, attentive and accommodating. We went for lunch and while it was busy there was no wait that day (weekday). Plenty of parties enjoying each other's company over good food. The decorations and interior are trendy and very unique. Next time I will have to try sitting at one of the 3 tables by the wall that are each inside a rounded off pipe looking space, which I assume provides a little more privacy and sound deadening as I'm sure it can get quite loud when it's busy and the bar is packed. Definitely enjoyed my lunch here and I bet dinner is even more exciting. read more

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Highlight: Crispy Pork Belly ($18), Nested Frog Legs ($16), Lotus Seed Tea ($6) I liked how crispy and crunchy the skin of the pork belly was, but the meat part was lacking moist. The dipping sauces it came with were packed with flavor. The frog legs were flavored really well (sweet and salty), could be more moist but the exterior crunch was good. Good portions and the presentation is fun. The drink is refreshing, light, and more on the sweet side. Hospitality: Our server was attentive and friendly. Honorable Mention: Loved the decor and the menu is extensive with many Viet street food options. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Nested Frog Legs ($16) - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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HEM is amazing! The Vietnamese street food options that HEM has to offer really give anyone that is interested in trying out culture an insight into what our food has to offer. The interior gave an artsy look and the outside with the plastic chairs and tables definitely gave the Vietnam aesthetic. Service was quick and easy, always coming back to check on us. I ordered the scallop and quail egg appetizer and it was great, surprisingly complimenting each other well. The Raw Beef appetizer was to die for, the sweet and tangy Nuoc Nam sauce and the crunchy bits of onion is definitely a must try. The Pork Belly was crunchy and juicy and wasn't overly seasoned at all. I enjoyed every bite. Overall, 9/10. read more

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My friend and I had a nice lunch at Hem this past weekend. We split their mini egg rolls and their steak and eggs. It was my first time having egg rolls in miniature form, but I think it came out crispier that way! Their steak and eggs were tasty as well. The bone marrow was rich and went great with the thick pieces of French bread. Our meal came with a nice salad as well. The coffees were also great. We got a coconut coffee and egg coffee. They were both slightly sweet, and the coconut coffee was blended. Service was very attentive and friendly, and I can't wait to return to try their dinner. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Coconut coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Found this gem in China Town while visiting Houston. Carpaccio was outstanding, such great flavors. Mini egg rolls were delish. We had a great server 'Vy', very attentive & quick. Owner & his wife even visited our table. Highly recommend if you are in the area. read more

Hands-down, one of the best most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in the city of Houston nearby of Bellaire Blvd, I mean it's one of the meccas of fine true Vietnamese cuisine. Great dining room and décor, it's like stepping into a cafe in Saigon. I don't know where to start from the crispy, to the cheese scallops. I ordered over 15 dishes and too bad. The Yelp app only allows me to upload 10 pictures. To stand out and survive in Houston, the food has to be memorable, and you have to have a signature dish. In my opinion. Signature dish was the buttered, conch, flavored, Thai flavors in a very strong seafood taste. Amazing menu with different types of seafood dishes, such as coconut snails, clams with crispy onions on top with house green sauce, and look the beef carpaccio. I mean it's rich, buttery, silky, and the nice raw meat flavor comes through. Mixed with fish sauce, lemon juice, lemon grass, crispy fried shallots. I recommend this restaurant to any food connoisseur because every single food dish stands out on its own and it's a must try. I would only say the drawback is it is a little pricey for the amount of food that you're getting the dishes can range between $14-$20 for 6 to 8 pieces of seafood. I wasn't a fan of the cheese scallops, the scallops were over cooked, dry, and the cheese when it wasn't warm, tasted like plastic, just not a good dish. Overall come, drink, have fun, and bring your wallet. If you're counting calories, don't because it's all full flavored. The overall experience has CAPITAL U for umami. read more

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First time trying out HEM, and it was a great experience! We came during dinner time, as soon as they reopened at 5pm. Their selection is huge, so we ended up getting a wide variety of things. Stars of the show were the crispy pork belly and mini egg rolls- both of which were fried to absolute perfection. The asmr that came with the crunch from the pork belly was insaneeeee. I wasn't the biggest fan of the grilled skewers combo. Some of the meat was too tough, and the texture was just not my favorite. The pineapple seafood fried rice was okay- flavor seemed to be lacking and there were lowkey way too many peas LOL. Grilled pork cheeks were also alright, it's chewy and fatty. Not a big fan of the sauce that comes with it, so I dipped it in a different sauce that came with another dish. Vibes were super cool inside, and our server was extremely attentive and patient with us as we were deciding on what to order. Would love to come back and try other items on the menu! There is plenty of parking, but I have heard this spot gets really busy at times with lines waiting outside the door, so just keep that in mind! read more

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One of the best Vietnamese food restaurant in Houston that showcase other food than pho and banh mi. They also have daily lunch menu from 11am to 3pm and the portion of the food is big. I have brought so many friends and families to try this place out and they all love it as much as me. The service is very fast and outstanding. One of my favor restaurant in Houston. The restroom is really cool also. The crispy pork belly is a must have and both fried rice ( Hem Fried Rice and Pineapple Fried Rice) are good. I have not got anything from there that I didn't not like yet. read more

This place is super cute and unique, gives off a modern Vietnamese street food vibe! The restaurant design interprets the vibrant electric street food scene of vietnam. Good food, good service, great experience overall! - Crispy chicken leg quarter with fried rice: 5/5 The chicken was fried perfectly. It was seasoned, very crispy, yet still very tender at the same time. Also came with a side of soup. The portion was also big! This is only in the lunch menu fyi - oil scallion grilled oysters: 4/5 SO good and oysters tasted fresh! The only issue was that they weren't shucked properly so there were small shell bits in them. - grilled pompano: 5/5 Our favorite dish of the night! The grilled pompano was soft, buttery, and so delicious. I lovedd dipping it in the green sauce that came with the dish, they paired together so well!! read more

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Amazing Vietnamese street food. All the grilled seafood items we got were beautifully presented. It was our first time trying balut and the sauce definitely helped with the texture haha. Everything was a great value for the amount you get. +1 for the thoughtful decor too! read more

This is an amazing place for authentic Vietnamese food. My friend and I did family style and shared the crispy pork belly, seafood fried rice, and chicken cartilage. The seafood fried rice was my favorite out of the 3 things I tried and the portion was large. I was not expecting that since the establishment is known more for street food with smaller portions to allow guests to try multiple things. The pork belly really lived up to its name with really crispy skin and paired well with the sauce and sides provided. For the chicken cartilage there are 3 options of sauces but we opted for the salted egg. It was super delicious even for someone who is not a big fan of chicken cartilage. The service was good considering how busy the staff were. There is an option to dine inside or outside but my friend and I opted to eat outside in order to get the feel of being back in the streets of Vietnam enjoying our food. If you do choose to eat outside, still go inside and inform a host that you would like to be seated outside. The inside from what I saw looked aesthetic. Also be aware about their hours as the morning and evening menus will be different. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Chicken cartilage with salted egg sauce (left), crispy pork belly (right), seafood fried rice (top) - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

HEM me up! Lunch menu only. Met a friend for lunch. She has been there before but it was my first time. The aesthetic of the restaurant was pretty and open. We were seated immediately. They have a diverse menu. I was trying to order skewers but he said they weren't available during lunch so meh. Ordered the com Chien Bo luc lac, pork and shrimp fried spring rolls and the banh mi bone'. The cha gio were filled with deliciousness. The sauce was a bit bland for me. Com Chien Bo luc lac - delicious. The meat was so tender and perfectly marinated. The rice was also cooked well and the fried egg was the perfect topping. My friend said the banh mi bone was good too. There are a ton of things that I was interested in trying so will def go back. The staff was friendly and helpful. The pricing is a bit high especially for Chinatown but you are also paying for the experience and atmosphere. The restroom was very clean, spacious and cute. There is also some outdoor seating. Overall will def be back. read more

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Let me begin by saying that Hem is a different style of Vietnamese food compared to your standard Viet restaurant. Hem is focused on Viet street food, what you'd get on your moped on the side of a busy street or at a night market. Don't expect vermicelli, banh mi, or pho here. We came here on the Tuesday night after Christmas. Fun group dinner with Ann L, Ruby D, and Jason D! Surprisingly there was a long wait but I'm guessing because of the holiday week. Upon putting in our name, the host couldn't quote us a wait time. When I asked how long it would take, he came back with "I dunno..a while?" I asked for an approximate wait time and he proceeded with "I dunno. Let's just say..40 minutes?" So he pretty much just bs'ed a random number, which was pretty unprofessional on top of not knowing your own wait times. My parents had been here before, and said that they were given a specific wait time, so it sounds like we had a poor host this day. Once our table was ready, another hostess went to seat us. And she couldn't count. She had the audacity to question whether we really had 4 people in our party, as she wasn't able to discern with the waiting area being crowded. Pro tip: don't question your guests. It comes off as you not believing them, and does not leave them with the greatest feeling. We were seated and our waitress didn't bother to say hi to us or introduce herself, but rather just placed our water carafe and cups down without saying a word. Weird. For drinks, we ordered a beer tower. Three of us were already going to order draft Yuengling ($6 each), so we figured it made sense to just go for the tower for $25 and have 3L worth of beer. We started out with truffle fries to munch on while we waited for the rest. These were your standard (probably frozen) fries with a tad of truffle on them. The first of our main courses was the tamarind beef carpaccio, probably one of my faves. It's a Viet style beef tartare with onions, peppers, and fried shallots. I loved the crunch of the shallots on this soft dish, so it was a nice touch. The five spices grilled beef was really tasty. Beef was super tender with prevalent notes of five spice. Reminded me of the crying tiger dish you'll see at Thai restaurants. The razor clams in garlic butter sauce were very good. I was surprised that these did not come on the shell, as I saw other razor clam dishes being served with the shell. For all I know, this had to do with us ordering the garlic butter sauce vs. other styles. The grilled oysters were very tasty. I love grilled oysters (think New Orleans style). The baked cheese was a nice touch, though interesting since Vietnamese cooking usually doesn't have cheese in it since most of us are lactose intolerant, lol. The scallops were also tasty. Unlike the razor clams, these were served on the shell. Ironically, I've never had scallops served on the shell, but they were cooked tender enough to where they came off the shell easily. The quail egg was a nice addition, and went well with the scallop. The sea snails were delicious and I loved the coconut milk sauce we ordered them in. The coconut flavor went really well on the snails. These snails didn't come with the long toothpicks that you'd see served alongside larger snails - these sea snails were small enough to suck directly from the shell. Tip: if sucking from the open end doesn't work, try sucking or lightly blowing from the other end to dislodge the stuck snail meat! The chicken balut was probably my least favorite, but balut is also not among my top Vietnamese delicacies. Though I will say the tamarind sauce it was served with was very good. Pineapple seafood fried rice was a good choice of rice dish to bring everything together. In lieu of your standard white rice you'd eat with Viet food, this was a nice change to eat with Hem's style of street food. The fried rice contained cashews, which I really enjoyed. We finished off our meal with egg coffee. These came out cold - I've only ever had egg coffee served hot. The coffee did taste really good though - the cold was just different but no complaints in terms of execution. At this point in the meal, I could feel the staff (manager included) rushing us out. They kept circling our table asking if we wanted to order anything more. They then started wiping down our table while we were still sitting there, and even took away our water cups without asking first. Really? Our table just spent $250 at your restaurant, we'll enjoy our time. Call me petty, but this made me want to leave even less. Overall, food was great, service was not. I'll consider coming back for the food since it seems like our service experience was a miss. I'd make an analogy between the service and how to eat the snails, but that might be overkill. I shared my experience with relatives who've also been and they said that theirs was much better. Maybe we were stuck with the B team for coming in on a weekday? We'll see. read more

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Good new and hip Vietnamese restaurant in Bellaire Chinatown area. Loved the five spice grilled beef - it reminded me of a crying tiger but with five spice seasoning. The nuoc mam (fish sauce) wings are also good. The only reason I am giving it 4/5 instead of 5/5 is for the premium pricing - it is not the best value for money. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Five spice grilled beef - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Hem has become a fave spot of mine for Viet street food and the vibes. You don't get this type of food in Houston often. They have outdoor and indoor seating. Outdoor seating is very familiar to Vietnam style. It's located in the same plaza as Tan Binh grocery store with plenty of parking. I've been coming here often and attempting to try their whole menu. It's a good spot for group but it does get crowded on weekend nights. Some of my favorite items are below. They're known for their seafood. - Razor clams - Sea snail in coconut milk - Grilled oysters - Beef Carpaccio - Five Spice Beef Services are friendly and very fast despite how busy they get. The waiters are always helpful and attentive. On late Saturday night, they have live music, typically local Viet band. Overall, I love the food and the ambience. Highly would recommend to check out. read more

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I had this place on my radar for a little while now but has yet to give it a try. I was pretty excited when I had a work meeting scheduled today and this was the place the person picked to meet at. I wasn't really sure what to go with but something about salmon just called to me. I was pleasantly surprised with what showed up for $12. The salmon was excellent. Good flavor. Cook perfectly the way I like. Good size portion. The noodles were also pretty solid. They're served about room temperature. I prefer them hot. The flavor however was good. The place feels modern and trendy. Everything was clean. The service was pretty good. A bit weird that they brought out one person's food and then about 2 minutes later brought out the other food. I get wanting to bring it out hot but also weird that everyone else is sitting there without food. Another small annoyance was at the end when we had to flag down the manager to get a check. I look forward to coming back and trying some other stuff on the menu. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Garlic noodles with salmon - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've heard of this place and lots of good things but I haven't gone until now because of the hype. Turns out, I came on their last day of their Grand Opening sale! Everything on the menu (except alcohol) was 20% off! We ordered the Papaya salad and baked clams and coconut lemon grass snails to try. Everything tasted quite delicious. I asked to order the fish sauce wings and variety of skewers to try those because I wanted more protein. The chicken was alittle dry but good flavor. My favorite has to be the snails. They remind me alot of the snails I had when I went to Vietnam! The restaurant had several groups there enjoying lots of food and alcohol. There was even a party for someone's birthday! I definitely want to come back again to have the snails again. And possibly try other food items I didn't get to the first time! read more

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This place is great! We were in town for 6 nights and ate here twice. Food is delicious & drinks are creative. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Mini shrimp egg rolls. Delicious - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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such a cute restaurant! interior design was gorgeous and had a lot of character. I liked how they had stools and little tables outside like vietnam. we got the bo ne, egg coffee, and lychee tea. bo ne was delicious and the meat was insanely tender. I wish there was a little more sauce but prob the best bo ne i've had in houston so far. egg coffee was also good, the coffee was pretty strong (for some maybe too strong), but the tea was just okay. service was also very nice! very attentive and walked through the menu with us when we said it was our first time. overall great place! read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - egg coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Loved the ambiance, super lively and busy. Service was amazing. We had Allen as our server and he provided great service and recommendations. Very accommodating and always brought what we needed quickly. This was my first time at Hẻm and i'll gladly say it won't be my last. * Grilled Scallion Oil Oysters 10000/10 * Sea Snails in Coconut Milk 7.5/10 (wish it had some spice/ herb or even a little lime, would've made the dish more interesting. But was still very good!) * Grilled Skewers Combo 9.5/10 (super good, obsessed with their dipping sauce! it's crack!) * Coconut Ice cream 8.5/10 (I think some elements of pandan would be genius) Would highly recommend coming here with some friends, perfect spot to drink and snack! read more

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I love and obsessed with this place! We came here for dinner but want to go back for lunch. We had oc papaya Salad, fried pork belly, oc blood clams tamarind style, an egg coffee, bo luc lac (sweet), fox oysters and tamarind balut. My fav were anything tamarind and the fried pork belly. The egg coffee was potent and creamy. And papaya salad was fresh with mango and grapefruit. The shaking beef was on the sweeter side but has a salt lemon dipping sauce. The oysters were fresh but the toppings were not my ideal (no cocktail sauce and no salt/pepper). It came with a sour acidic chili sauce and possibly Tabasco or similar. I prefer a little sweet cocktail and salt/pepper. Overall dinner was great!! I really want to come back and try the bo ne and bone marrow (for lunch only though). read more

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I went for lunch and tried the chicken spring rolls, truffle fries, mini shrimp eggrolls and salmon house noodle with an egg added. Also tried the phin coffee milk. The chicken spring rolls were really good and I would definitely go back for that. I thought the truffle fries could be better. The mini shrimp eggrolls were also ok. The salmon and house garlic noodles were ok with egg was also ok. Not something I would crave again. The coffee was ok but thought it was a bit less. I hope to try the dinner one day as that is a different menu. Service was great. Waiter was very nice and helpful. Interior and exterior design was also unique, inspired by restaurants in Vietnam I believe. read more

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I've gone here 3 times and enjoyed it each time! The staff are efficient and attentive, food tastes incredible and the coconut coffee is amazing. Each time I was left full and satisfied with leftovers. We tend to over order but the leftovers are still great :) The dishes that we have ordered tend to be bigger portions which works out perfectly since we prefer family style dining anyway. If you're craving Vietnamese food and want a delicious coffee to go with it, I would definitely recommend this place! read more

I wish there was one in Dallas because this restaurant was so great!! The food was very flavorful and there was a wide range of options. Not to mention, the restaurant was decorated so well to emulate Vietnam. Our server was super attentive and I will be back! read more

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By far the best Vietnamese restaurant I've had so far while in Houston. I'm sure there are plenty more places but this is a must try. We ordered the coconut coffee, cafe sua da (Vietnamese coffee), grilled seafood combo, chicken and egg roll vermicelli, com tam (grilled pork chop with rice with egg on top, and Vietnamese egg meatloaf). Everyone was so good. We cleared the places. Service was great too, they checked on us but not in an overwhelming way. Really cool ambiance, literally the coolest spot I've been to. The theme is like street food style vibes. I didn't get to get a video of the bathroom but needless to say, the decor from outside to inside was top tier; abstract and very street style. If you're in the area, stop by this joint. I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Till then, let's eat!!! read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This review is based on a luncheon party of four Pros: Their fried rice was really good. My friend's daughter loved it. Service was good. We have a friendly waitress and the food came out fast. Great and lively vibes Cons: The Pompano fish dish was just meh to me and so did the fish balls appetizer. We also had the frog legs dish that was alright. Price was a little on a high side. All and all I think our party didn't order the right dishes or rather the dishes that HEM were known for. Our food was well prepared but it wasn't to our preference. I'm willing to give HEM another try. read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Fish balls skewes, frog lrgd, and Pompano fish - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Right from the outside, I was impressed by the decor and inside was even better. It's a mix of up scale (as in my country) restaurant and street food stalls. We were greeted the moment we sat down and service throughout the whole dinner was great. We ordered a few dishes * Ốc móng tay xào rau muống: Didn't stand out much. The ốc (razor clams) weren't even big compared to other places * Bò tái: First time having this so I can't compare to anything but it tasted good * Chả giò ống tre: Very bland and dry for me * Sụn gà trứng muối: The best dish of the night for me. The portion was big for the price and the salted egg had great flavors * Tôm tái Thái: though it didn't really have the Thai taste, I liked it * Má heo nướng: My 2nd favorite dish. The pork jowls weren't chewy and the seasoning was on point * Mực nướng: Also a good dish with a few dipping sauces Overall decent places with cheap price point for Seattleites like me and I will come back read more

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Ahh this place is HEAVEN! The best Vietnamese restaurant we've had in Houston! I love everything about it, the intentional decor (to mimic street eating in Vietnam), the food, the plating, and ESPECIALLY THE SERVICE. My boyfriend and I sat at the "bar" and got to skip the long-ish wait. I say "bar" because they still don't have an alcohol license and use that space to make other beverages. It allowed us to have a more intimate experience with our server, along with the other very kind servers who helped me throughout my dining experience. We went with all of our server's recommendations - the beef carpaccio, flower snails with garlic butter, and roast pork belly. My boyfriend also got an egg coffee which was DELISH. Better than any I've had! Every dish was delicious, but the best standout was the beef carpaccio. Amazing flavors and great contrast of textures with each bite. They use tamarind instead of lime to give it a fantastic sweet twist! A couple servers kept asking to take the plate away since it looked almost done each time, but I wanted to make sure we licked it clean! I struggled a bit with the flower snails - hence the other servers stepping in to direct me on how to get my snail out. They practically hand held me through my snail experience. Embarrassing on my behalf as someone with a viet background haha. ITS BEEN A WHILE. The three dishes we got were enough to fill us up and take some home! We were sad we didn't get to try the other dishes that caught our eye, but that just means we'll be back for more! Also this place is BYOB with a liquor store next door and parking is easy peasy. Price point is also not bad at all here. Highly highly recommend! Forgot our servers name, but she was incredible! read more

HEM Kitchen And Bar - Egg coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I came here on a Friday night and the area was pack! As I came in, I could tell there was going to be a wait time. Luckily the wait wasn't too bad as it was only about 15-20 minutes. The host took us to our table and I was immediately starstruck by the interior. The management team really out a lot of thought into this restaurant as it was aesthetically pleasing, but also gave a little taste of Vietnam. Our server (whom unfortunately I forgot the name of) was super kind and helpful when ordering our food. You could tell he was super busy, but still manage to take care of us amidst all of the chaos. We ordered 4 dishes and they were all amazing. My favorite would be the seafood fried rice and the five spice beef dishes. Both of those dishes had the fish eggs garnish on it, which I personally love. The flavors were all there! The crispy pork belly was decent too me, due to the hard texture on the outside. However, my boyfriend loved it. He actually enjoyed the two other dishes that I didn't as much. So everyone has their own personally taste! The menu was on the pricier side but tbh, it was worth it due to the portion sizes. I ended up spending $100 + tip, and it was definitely worth it. I can't wait to be back! read more

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We went during their happy hour and the choices for the price were good. The quality of the food was the same as we ordered the first time when we came during regular hours. The restaurant was decorated for Lunar New Year and the vibe was very laid back. We don't come here often as there are many restaurants in the area with the same type of food, quality, and at lower prices. read more

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Loved the vibe, food, service. I enjoyed my dinning experience Razor clams are one of my all time fav, just can't go wrong as long as they are fresh! Grilled Conch was Fresh and chewy. Ton of texture and flavor. This was my favorite if not the coconut snail which took me by a surprise. I wish it was served with some garlic toast/crunch breadstick or crostini of some sort to dip it in the sauce! So much fun to slurp the snails out, reminds me of afterschool street food in my early days in South Korea If you like Vietnamese or Asian dinning, you will love this experience. You can even sit outside and eat but be warned they only serve alcohol inside. Wish they had more draft options though... One of my favorite dinning experience of the summer! read more

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I haven't made it out this far in Chinatown but HEM popped up on my Instagram feed several times. The first thing you'll notice is the decor is made to resemble the streets of Vietnam. Even the seats while you're waiting to be seated are the same stools you can see at local street food stalls in Vietnam. My friend and I dined during lunch team. There were a lot of families dining in so I was assured that the food here was going to be delicious and authentic. I ordered a lychee tea to drink which was refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. I think if it was flavored with a bit of pandan it would make the drink even better. We ordered the spring rolls as an appetizer but it came out after the two other entrees were already served. They didn't skimp out on the shrimp and the pork as the portions were pretty generous. As for our entrees, the broken rice dish was by far my favorite. Specifically, the pork chop was the tastiest out of everything we ate. It was super tender and the marinade was absolutely delicious. The egg meatloaf it came with was interesting and didn't really have much flavor. Lastly, the chicken had perfectly crispy skin. One of our friends recommended ordering the bone marrow. It's an extra $15 and certainly a luxury but super worth it! Mix it in with the rice! Overall, we had a great experience. Their dinner menu has more options so I'll have to come back to try again. read more

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