The take-out food is really great, but it seems that the staff likes to ignore you for about 10 minutes when you come in to pick up your take-out that is ready and just sitting there. Of course, they are very busy, so that's probably the reason to ignore take-out customers, which they probably don't need to have. It always seems so hectic there at the entry, where there is a reception booth, a crammed bar, and some small tables all in the space where most places would have a standing area. You never know who's going to help you...the guy at the bar eventually helps you but acts like you're wasting his time. It's nice to stand around waiting for your food and looking over the shoulders of people eating at the bar and avoiding traffic of the service staff. So, I stopped calling for take out, which I'm sure the bar guy appreciates. Problem solved for everyone!!! read more

I love the fact that this place opens until 3:00. This place is WAY better than a iHop or Denny's. It's a nice place, servers are great, and the food is good. It's very rare to find a Vietnamese place with good service because to be honest, not many Asian restaurants focus on service, restaurant appearance, and plate aesthetics. The food is good. I'm Vietnamese so I know what authentic Vietnamese food should taste like. They do put an American twist to things. I notice that some dishes are sweeter than expected or they would throw a spice in it to make it unique which does throw off my apprehended expectation on how some of the food should taste. But at the same time, I guess it adds a surprise factor which is fine with me. I will definitely be back. read more

Excellent late night food. The prices are reasonable and the Pho is fantastic. I highly recommend it especially if its after midnight.

I was heartbroken when Mai's burned down. The Salt Toasted Tofu is one of my favourite dishes here in Houston.

I came to eat and I was sat and went to the toilet, asking the server where it was, and when I returned the staff had moved my seat without asking and acted like it was my original seat. I emphasize the acting. I advised them that's not on, moving me without immediately, on my return asking me they needed to move me. They sat a couple instead in my place, after I ordered, before I went to the toilet. This was at the bar. I'm sorry this is garbage. You don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about then the manager told me if I don't like it too bad. I'm industry and it's horsecaca how they treated me and embarrassed me in front of other people. I can deal with everything but the humiliation the staff and manager did to me. Is this your training? Not telling a customer on returning, we needed to move you? I went to comment on their website. Disabled. Of course it is. This is normal customer service. Don't eat here. If they're going to treat you poorly imagine the food. I'm industry I tip well, I hope they got shafted by the other couple they preferred over me. Never again. 10'year customer. Over. read more

In the midst of utter chaos Timmy served my very large party with grace and poise. All of orders came out correct fresh and hot. Timmy paid close attention to detail right up until our departure. I will continue to patronize this establishment. The warm personalities match the fantastic food. And always ask for Timmy! read more

Best Vietnamese restaurant In Houston! Fast and friendly service. The ambiance is nice also! Oh and its always a plus when the portion sizes are large! Prices are great! read more

Went for the first time to order togo and have heard nothing but great things about this place (especially being open late night). Service was great. The woman behind the bar was knowledgable and friendly and was tipped very well. Here's what happened with the food: The meat for the soup we ordered was clearly labeled in the menu as cooked medium rare. My husband likes it on the rare side, but I definitely wasn't expecting to be STILL FROZEN when I brought it home. That's right, ice crystals and all. We had to cook the meat ourselves. Vietnamese egg rolls were completely inedible, one bite and the entire thing fell apart, some sort of charred black meat crumbled everywhere. Disgusting. Spring rolls were lackluster (it's hard to mess those up) but the peanut sauce was heavily watered down. A part of me wishes we would have sat down to eat, because I would have sent half of the meal back (and I NEVER do that unless it's absolutely mandatory). Despite convenience of this restaurant, we have come to conclusion that we can find Vietnamese food that not only tastes better or can actually be eaten upon order, but that's way less pricey. Won't be returning. read more

I'm going to give three stars due to the fact that parking lot security will let you park there, eat there and then watch you walk away and tow your car. I had an incident where I went to this restaurant and returned to my vehicle to put my to-go food in my car and went to the bar across the street for a drink. Before going to the bar across the street, I saw security closely looking at what my party and myself were doing. I politely asked the security guard if he was going to tow my car and he said yes. The security guard should have let us know PRIOR to me walking away and asking. Seems like he is a spotter for a wrecker driver and just trying to make some extra cash on the side. Or maybe he clearly isn't doing his job. Who knows. Maybe a different company needs to patrol the lot. Other than that situation the food is great but my boyfriend does not want to give them our money because of this. Thanks. read more

It was my first time to Mai's, their menu offers a large selection. The spring rolls are mediocre, skip them! The Xoi Chien Thit Nuong (fried sticky patties with grilled pork) was delicious the combination of slight sweet sticky patties with tender savory pork was excellent! I went with our waiters suggestion for my entree Bo Luc Luc, tender garlic beef with asparagus and other veggies. This entree was great as well. read more

This place may have good food but stay cautious about your car and belongings. Cars get broken into so often the police say it's a lost cause. Three cars got broken into the night mine did and knowing how often it happens the restaurant still doesn't have security 24/7. The cameras on the building aren't even for the safety of the customers but only to protect the building. Wouldn't surprise me if it was an inside job. read more

in love with their bo luc lac, which is like a garlic beef dish, ive gone many times just for this dish!

0'star if I could! I have to say the most terrible place ever. The servers pretended to not peak English. It was Friday night at I was with my friends next door. I told my husband to meet us downtown for a quick (30 min) drink next door and wanted to go over to Mai's for dinner right after. We went to our car for our stuff. Gone. The worst thing is the people did not care and pretended to speak no English. Gave us an address and didn't care. read more

My wife and I tried Mai's last night before going to a show at Match. We ordered the pork and the shrimp spring rolls and they were Okay. Next I ordered the chicken and rice. The 3 pieces of chicken were deep fried, dry and tough. It came with white rice. The dish was tasteless. My wife had soup with noodles and tofu and a few vegetables. It was very bland. Neither of us finished our meal. The waiter never refilled our water or asked if we wanted more wine or beer. The bill was $47. It was very unsatisfactory. I can't recall having worse Vietnamese food anywhere else in Houston. read more

Went for lunch on a weekday and had the Pho. Their pho is good but I wouldn't say great. It was very busy at lunch time with very poor service. It began with standing in the doorway to be seated for a ridiculous amount of time before even being acknowledged. Everything we asked our waiter for (i.e. drink refill, extra napkin, plate to share apps) he nodded his head and then just simply did not grant our requests. Never brought anything. If you would like that second glass of tea or water... the answer is no, even if they say yes. I will say, he was never really rude just didn't give service. You can tell lunch is busy and they are more interested in turning their tables, rather than giving a good experience. The atmosphere is so-so and with the acoustics it's EXTREMELY loud. If you are considering this place for a business lunch... don't. I would rather go to Pho Saigon across the street if I am ever having that pho craving. It's half the price and they are always very kind and accommodating. read more

closer and closer-can't wait...my favorite spot to go to when I'm out riding my bike at night...love the food...everytime I go...I'am treated so nice with warm hugs...love that place...friendly all the time... read more

I know what day it is, and I am also aware of the time. But the fact that several other patrons (who came in after my party of 2) were served, paid and left before we were served is unacceptable. I've dined here several times and I've become accustomed to better service than this. read more

Fried Frog legs were delicious. However, some service assistance would probably be appropriate for this place to become a 5 star. Other than that... decent place! read more

I went there Tuesday night. The place was so packed at 12:00am and they are understaffed obviously. The manager/waiter/host/busboy worked very hard and tried to seat customers as quick as he could. We choose to sit at bar. I had bu luc lac and friend had seafood flat noodle. Both are good. Definitely will return. read more

ok - this was my first time going here, and i heard they had just redone the place about a year ago after a fire...pretty cool ambiance, a lot of wood and stained concrete floors definitely set a warm tone, also had a lot of sunlight coming through which added to a general good feel - my friends had the chicken vermicelli, and i had the garlic beef - everything was great - i have to admit they give you a lot of food for what they are charging, and the service was pretty decent too. so yeah - 4 out of 5 and a definitely recommend in my book. read more

My family has been going and ordering to go from Mais for many years. Over the years when picking up orders for my family or office staff, my orders have been incomplete, messed up or not up to par in terms of the freshness of the vegetables. Each time a problem occurs I call the restaurant to let them know and they have made accommodation to my bill as a result. While frustrated at these events, I continue to go. Today however, when I got home with 2 orders of the chicken fajitas and found NO fish sauce in either order. I called and asked for a credit for one order. I was subjected to a 15 minute lecture by the manager that they had documented my complaints and that I would no longer be able to phone in orders. REALLY! Good information and the WRONG conclusion! They should do their job better! This is not my problem! I would prefer to be eating and paying for my food as I ordered it then calling them and receiving a credit for THEIR mistakes. Imagine, treating your customers this way! read more

DO NOT SUPPORT THIS ESTABLISHMENT! Unsanitary and very rude of them to hire a security guard just to have people who unknowingly park on a so called private lot for their restaurant with NO towing enforced signs. We were a customer of a different business in the area and possibly were thinking of stopping by Mai's after but apparently that didn't happen due to unfortunate events. We parked in the lot behind Wooster's Garden and when my friend went to his car he noticed that it wasn't there and another friend of ours was having their car towed at that moment. We paid over $300 to get both cars back and what made matters worse is the tow truck driver made us pay for the car that hadn't left the lot but was just about to. I called Mai's to inform them of what happened to get a better understanding of the situation, they claimed there's a measly Mai's parking sign when you enter the lot. I then find out that they hired the security guard just to have him report to the tow truck company to have cars towed who aren't a customer of theirs. WHO DOES THAT?! Obviously they get an incentive for each car towed in order to pay the security guard and don't care that it ruins peoples night. You can tell this restaurant has below average food because other businesses in the vicinity were booming while this parking lot was practically empty. I feel sorry for them in a way that they feel the need to have peoples cars towed to probably pay for the rent of the restaurant. Not to mention if you're thinking about trying the food here, take a look through the pictures other reviewers have posted. Someone found a cockroach in their pho, how appetizing! This place doesn't have much longer before their caught by health inspection. There are plenty of other restaurants to check out so save yourself the time, money, and trouble by avoiding this place! read more

mai's USED to be good (past tense). if you're looking for real, authentic, good asian food, then DON'T go to mai's. they updated the appearance, but the food has gotten worse. service is still bad, but because they wear black pants and a button up, you get tricked into thinking that you should tip more - but don't be fooled. read more

made my second trip to Mai's and unimpressed again. the dishes were just average (beef soup and banh xiao??) were ok, but not special. this was about 5 in the evening and i had placed a phone order. my order was finally ready about 30 mn late, which probably didn't add to our dining pleasure. probably better at 230 in the morning. read more

My husband and I have come in here many times. My experience tonight wasn't acceptable. I asked to make an order to go. A woman in her 20s brought me a menu and asked what I'd like to order. I started by saying, "I know for sure I want 2 orders of pho, but which meats do you have again?" The waitress began walking away and said I'll take the next tables order while you decide. Rude. She came back to get my order after helping 2 tables first. We usually order the pho soup but never seem to get enough lime, jalapeño, cilantro, and sprouts. When I asked for extra orders of those sides, the young woman who was helping me told me, "we give good portions." If the customer asks for extra sides, I'd assume they'd been here before and are asking for extra because they know your portions are too small. To be exact, we received 4 slices of jalapeño and two slender lime wedges only. My broth was filled 2/3 full. While was waiting for my food, I had asked for a beer. It took 10 minutes to get my beer. Next time, we'll think twice when deciding between pho Saigon and mais. I'd rather not be told what I can have when I'm a paying customer. Sorry Mai, I usually love how friendly your staff is. This girl is not cutting your quality service. read more

really good food, but def not the best vietnamese I've had.. There are tons of pros(open bar, open late, easy parking, good service, tv at bar) and not really any cons so I would recommend this place to anyone in the area because I have yet to have amazing vietnamese food in houston anyway. read more

This is my first Yelp review and I was motivated to write one finally because of such a bad experience at this restaurant. We ordered beef & broccoli, and garlic chicken. The beef broccoli dish was very ordinary. The broccoli was very soggy and overall the dish was not very flavorful. The garlic chicken is by far the worst dish I've had at a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant. The chicken was chunks and was not fresh at all. This was on a busy Friday night. It was EXTREMELY overcooked. The chicken was so hard that the plastic fork could not pierce through. I had to use a knife to make smaller manageable pieces. The dish had full garlic cloves. I was so disappointed that I contemplated taking the dish back but I was 20 miles away. This was my 3rd visit and each visit has been worse than previous. I will NEVER return to this restaurant. It is extremely overrated and serve very low grade Chinese-Vietnamese food. read more

Had an awful experience with Mai's management tonight. Had come to eat at Mai's a few months ago and was impressed by the food and service. However, tonight when my husband and I parked in the huge lot behind Mai's then walked over to the next door bar for a quick pre-dinner cocktail, we came to find our car was gone. It had not been 30 minutes, and our car was towed. The security guards in front of Mai's watched us cross the street instead of entering the restaurant immediately, so they called the tow company and our car was removed. The parking signs are very unclear behind Mai's. Along the back wall of the restaurant is designated for Mai's but the other sides of the lot do not suggest any reserved parking. Mai's management was rude and snobbish when we tried explaining that we were going to be dining there after our cocktail. We ended up having to spend the next 3 hours searching for our car. And $250 for towing and empty stomachs left a very bad taste in my mouth. Mai's should consider a more customer-friendly business model - or at least make designated parking more clear. read more

went here on a slow thursday night. although the dining room was practically empty, staff seemed absolutely pained to "help" anyone. the man i assume to be the manager was very rude. the beef pho was sub par and the meat way over cooked. then, even though hours before they closed and many empty tables around we were rushed out by the angry manager slamming jars onto our table. basically, pass. read more

We were very disappointed with Mai's today. We went primarily because I wanted a Lychee Mai Tini. It is a wonderful cocktail and worth the trip. However, for some reason, they have changed one of the ingredients. It is no longer made with pear nectar but with some other lychee juice. I asked the bartender if she could make it the old way, and she said of course she would. I was happy. A few moments later she came to the table and apologized, stating her manager said the drink was no longer made with pear nectar, and she could not make it for me. The new cocktail does not have the flavor or texture of the old, and it will not give me reason to return. Why would a manager refuse to make a cocktail the way a customer requested it? Seems a bit rude. If you don't have pear nectar, just say so. Don't simply say no, we won't make it. In addition, the garlic chicken was not good-the chicken was overlooked and the garlic was undercooked. We won't go back any time soon. read more