A faded shadow of a former late-night Vietnamese favorite in creepy Midtown. Mediocre food at a higher price

My friend and I came for a late Monday dinner. We were both craving pho and struggling to find places that were open this late on a Monday but Mai's was! I had never heard of/been to Mai's before so I didn't really know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised! I was shocked to see that the restaurant was so packed on a Monday night. We ordered the fried egg rolls and each ordered the pho tai nam Bo vien (pho with brisket, rare beef, and meatballs). Food came out very fast and all the waiters are very welcoming and attentive. Loved the egg rolls, so crispy and delicious!! When the pho came out, I think they accidentally had made a different pho at first but quickly went back and changed it so it was correct. Everything about the pho was great too--the broth was savory and flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Also, I think because they had initially gotten my order wrong they ended up overloaded by bowl with meats (not that I'm complaining) but just found it funny as I felt like I ate so much meat but there was just endless mounds of it in my bowl lol. That being said, the only thing that I think could be better were that some of the meats were definitely a little drier/tougher than others especially the meatballs which were a bit over cooked. When I come back, I'd probably opt for something without meatballs. But, overall I think this was a solid restaurant and am looking forward to coming back to try the rest of the menu!! read more

I love their pho and their egg rolls. Their chuncks of steak with lemon and seasoning is also sooo good! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I have been coming here for years and regardless of how busy they are, food has always been two thumbs up! My two favorite things on their menu are the Vietnamese egg rolls, which are the best ones I've tried in Houston, and their Garlic chicken. We had about 20 people tonight and spent about $280 with family style orders; not bad at all because we were able to eat/try more like that rather than each person ordering a personal plate. read more

Had dinner with a friend last night. I ordered the General Tao's chicken and my friend had the Sweet and Sour Chicken. Both portions were more than generous. The chicken was well cooked and flavorful for both. We both enjoyed our meal and commented to each other that we want to come back for another visit. The reason for the 4 star review is our waiter. He was terrible. I eat out at least twice a week and cannot remember the last time I had such terrible service. The waiter literally brought my friends food and slid the plate across the table without stopping. I've never had a waiter toss a plate of food before. After 15 minutes, we asked about my food. The waiter said it wasn't ready yet. The service was totally unacceptable and the tip definitely reflected my displeasure. Overall the good was delicious, but the service was terrible. read more

The best thing you can say about Mais is that it's open late and they were quick to deliver our food after ordering. Both people at my table ordered the crispy noodle and it had predominately soy sauce/salt flavor. The texture if the tofu was good and it had lots of veggies. Too bad it was seasoned so poorly. Our waiter was efficient but he never asked if we actually wanted anything besides water to drink. For a town that has so many good Asian food options - you can skip it his place. read more

Came here after a Saturday night of bar hopping for my birthday. It was like 3 AM and I was exhausted, but not too exhausted to eat! A friend recommended this place for good late night food, so I was ready to get down to business. First thing is if you come here late at night be prepared to wait in line. We waited at least 30 minutes. This place is very popular among people hungry after a night of turning up. I hated waiting, but to me a long wait can be a sign that the food is poppin, so I only got more intrigued. Once we were finally seated, it didn't take me long to order. I just got what my friends said was good, #34 Bun Ga Nuong Cha Gio. It's a vermicelli bowl with grilled chicken and Vietnamese egg rolls. Huge portion and it was really good. I've never had egg rolls like these before. Crispy outside but soft and tasty on the inside. Not flaky at all. Service was okay. Our food came incredibly fast and the waiter refilled our waters. The place was packed so he was running back and forth between tables. I had a delicious meal in front of me though so I wasn't tripping at all! Overall, this is a good place to grab some late night food at a reasonable price. I have to come again for a normal lunch or dinner to see how I like it when completely sober lol read more

I really enjoyed this vietnamese restaurant, and they're open late too! I came here with a couple friends by the recommendation through other friends. We ordered the bo luc lac (shaken beef), pho, and bun bo hue. This was really good shaken beef. I love a good vietnamese shaken beef and this place does it right. The marinate was perfect on the beef cubes and the lemon dipping sauce was a perfect complement. The pho was very flavorful and my friends seemed to really like it. The bun bo hue was probably the best one I've had at any restaurant as well! This place is the perfect spot for late night, authentic, vietnamese food. Especially if you live close to midtown and dont want to drive all the way out to Chinatown. read more

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This is one of our late night go to's! The food is amazing and I mean AMAZING! The Chicken Wings are so delicious I could eat them everyday! Service is pretty good, and the place itself is nice! read more

Excelente comida y servicio , me gustó y volvería a ir de nuevo , me gustó mucho el Pho de brisket y Los egg rolls de cerdo

Mai's Restaurant in midtown is just one of those late night restaurants that people crave especially after a night of drinking. If you come here on a Friday or Saturday night, expect a line out the door! But what amazed me is that no matter how long the line got, the wait was never more than 20 minutes for a table. Mai's has quick service, and good food fast. My go to orders here are their rice plates, pho dac biet, or bun thit nuong. My personal favorite being their chargrilled beef rice plate with an egg. Breaking the egg over your rice, adding some chili paste that they have at the table, and drizzling over the nuoc mam with the marinated chargrilled beef is simply the best bite of Vietnamese food at Mai's. I'm drooling just thinking about it again now. My only complaint at Mai's is that compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in Houston, Mai's is a bit more expensive. I still think the food is worth it, but it's definitely a $1 or 2 more per person than the average Vietnamese restaurant. Although I'd give it to them for the convience of them being open so late. Majority of Vietnamese restaurants close around 9pm, but Mai's doesn't close till 3 or 4am. They definitely make good money off people after they've been drinking and being out in the town. Overall Mai's is delicious if you're looking for that late night Vietnamese food to satisfy your cravings. You'll definitely see me here again! read more

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The fried chicken was sooooo good! I was in town for a layover so visited a friend. He ordered us some lunch. Everything was delicious but the chicken was enough to make me reconsider my flight. Super crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and NOT salty. I wish there was one back home. read more

The food was hot and fresh at midnight. The service was very quick. This restaurant was pretty full of couples seeming to be having a late date night. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Beef Pho Do Bien - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was delicious and they open late so if you need a late night BBH fix this is the place to go lol. Also ordered the catfish clay pot and it did not disappoint. We stayed at a Sonder nearby and it was within walking distance. So the restaurant was very convenient! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Clay pot catfish - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Mai's isn't what it used to be. This is an Uber eats order, but if I pay $7.95 for extra broccoli added to my $22 General Tao's chicken which is mostly breading I could've just gone to the buffet for 1/4 of the price. The quality is just not there for the price. read more

So bummed to say I was underwhelmed by this place. I heard about their food truck making an appearance in my neighborhood through our FB page and was SO EXCITED. We received a call at 3:20 stating they would be by to drop our order at no later than 4:00. At 5:45 we called in to see what happened to the order, it arrived about 10 minutes later. It was COLD and not fresh!! I'm still waiting on a return call (it's not 6:33 pm) from the manager. The food was so old it's tough to review the food. I'll follow up on the post once there is resolution. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Foods amazing and good quick service, bonus points for being open until 2AM. I got the Pho Tai and their eggrolls with the sweet chili sauce; they are so crispy and flavorful. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

A bit disappointed considering all of the hype that I read before coming here. Service was fast, and it wasn't too busy when I came so I was immediately seated. Definitely get through Spring Rolls, but I could've lived without the BBH. Would come back and try a different dish though! read more

I like Mai's an old Houston treasure for sure. I'd say the food is damn good but a few of the wait staff was a tad bit rude to my date after incorrectly placing someone else's food on our table. Being that it was his first time there and myself being unaware of how his order should look he started eating when an older Asian woman snatched the plate and yelled at him " You don't know what you order?" Apologetic we asked for the correct dish although it was the waiter's fault, they took no responsibility. read more

Came here for late dinner and got the salt and pepper ribs pho and fried rice! Its was really good! Its gets really busy after 9pm so try to beat the rush and get in and out but enjoy the food! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Signage - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

What better way to start off the new year than to eat at Mai's? Mai's is still my #1 go-to late night joint. I can always depend on them to be open late and ready to feed me (except Sundays... the one day a week they aren't open). After a marvelous countdown, my bf and roommate accompanied me to brave the long 2am line we were hoping not to see, but still did. They usually do a pretty good job of keeping wait times decent though, and nye was no exception. The line went out the door but we waited only about 30 min for a table of 3. We just made sure to be proactive about where we were on the wait list. Ordered the Bo Luc Lac rice dish and Pork & Shrimp Hu Tieu noodle soup dish. Love, love, LOVE. ESP the flavored little crunchy things inside my Hu Tieu. Even after all these years, they keep the taste of my favorite dishes on point and exactly like how I remembered. Our waiter did an excellent job of remembering to check up on us while keeping up with his other tables. A skill you learn to appreciate when amidst a sea of hungry drunk ppl slurring commands left and right. The rest of the restaurant was filled with more waiters than usual too. Thank you Mai's for being so well staffed on such an important night. So I know I've always had a list of go-to favorites, such as the above mentioned, and the tomatoey brothed Banh Canh. Mmmmm. Therefore, my New Years resolution for this year will be to try at least 2 new dishes from their menu... one as a rice dish and one as a noodle soup dish. Cheers to good food in 2020, esp here at Mai's! read more

Mai's Restaurant - Holiday Hours... closed Christmas, open New Years! - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great late night restaurant. Opened late after you hit the night on the town. Huge menu with tons of food that tastes great. I would visit again. Try their Vietnamese coffee, it ain't to shabby. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is awful and disgusting the pho taste wrong. Bad customer service I had ordered pick up and when I arrived I had to wait in the line to order for 30 mins before I bribed a server to go get my food. They didn't include the Sriracha they up charged me for. There were no garnishes for the soup no onions no basil no cilantro no lime no nothing. All I received was a bag of raw meat and a cup of bricked together noodles and some lukewarm pho broth that wasn't hot enough to cook the nasty raw meat they gave me that was getting blood on everything read more

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I have visited Mai's 5x now (both to dine-in and for takeout) and this place is delicious! I especially love the bun bo hue read more

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One of the best spots for a late night bowl of pho So many people visit from midtown Great environment without having to navigate bellaire read more

Mai's Restaurant - Thai tea - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This place is okay, but nothing special. I think it is more of a late night / early morning place to come after a nights drinking when you are not too bothered about quality and presentation of food. Started off with the Spring Rolls which were pretty lame..... 4 extremely small spring rolls @ $8.95. The two main course dishes we had were nothing special. read more

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Just walking into the restaraunt, it was very aesthetically pleasing, a very fancy-looking Vietnamese place that i wasn't expecting. The portions are actually very big to the point where I couldn't even finish my pho tai! They were very generous with the amount of meat they gave :) we also got curry for an appetizer and it was super creme-y + SPICY (yum!) Usually curry isn't good unless it's homemade but this is something i would def order again. Their soy bean milk was also very good so I THINK it was homemade, which is even better. It's a little on the expensive side for Vietnamese food but worth the experience! Filled our tummies and the service was great, thank you :) read more

Mai's Restaurant - pho tai with tons of meat on the side! - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

A late night escapade led me to Mai's, which is practically open everrrrrrytime I pass by! Got a quick spot in the front... Yaaaaaay! The wait was not bad, it was probably 15 min for a party of 2. The restrooms needed a lot of TLC, but there was one stall that was clean. We were seated for the waiter to come and take our order. After we ordered, it took probably 20 minutes to get our food. But it was worth the wait... My food was delish!!! Altogether, Mai's is great for a late night bite to satisfy the hangriest of the HANGRY!!!! read more

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Mai's is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Houston -- and they are open late night for post-bar patrons. The pho I have had there, whether it be chicken or beef, is tasty and perfectly seasoned. I loooove their eggrolls and I consistently order their little riblets in gravy with rice. One place I legit have cravings for. read more

Egg rolls are amazing. Great service. Had egg rolls, and an amazing beef dish, I think #97. The beef was melt in your mouth delicious. We parked at Wooster's next to it and had a drink there first. Also recommend Woosters. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Most favorite restaurant in Houston, well top 3 especially as a vegan. Just ask if you question any items on the menu. I wish they made vegan Thai tea but food is always hot and delicious. read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vegan General Tso - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

My usual go to place even before their fire, but my last order of their #18 Pho Ga Nuoc classic Vietnamese noodle soup delivered OVERCOOKED chicken. I sadly dumped the entire dish away as there are too many places in Houston to find another new go to place when I crave Vietnamese food. I usually tout Mai's, but now that has changed. read more

Sanitation: Sanitizer at the front counter once you arrive. Servers have on mask, however not covering their nose. They were wiping the doors down which was great as well. Not too crowded which I loved. Friendliness: This is my second time coming to this location. This first was with a Friend who's well known here. He's a regular. Amazing experience. Everyone was nice and friendly, welcoming. This was what made me stop by tonight. Totally opposite experience. I parked in the front and the sign says they will bring it to your car, NOT TRUE. I came in to order, they hand you the menu and tell you to move to the side. I told them I knew what I wanted. Orders my food no onions. The manager came to the front to tell me they already started. I responded, great he says- it has onions Wow. I say okay. (Don't want them messing up my food.) Parking- easy when you're doing to go. Service- Fast. Extremely fast!! That I love! Was in and out in about 6 minutes. Overall this place is a great find. Egg rolls are 4 for $8 Chicken friend rice about $12, not overly priced. I would recommend this place. . read more

Mai's Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Houston is one of the leading cities for Vietnamese food! Mai's is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston ! The Vietnamese rolls with fish sauce wrapped in lettuce .....I'm hungry just typing this review. Always love this gem of a restaurant and the staff is always so sweet ! The pho is delicious! That broth !!!!! read more

Food: Quality of food has really declined. General Tso's chicken was very soggy. Vietnamese eggs (4 pieces) were good but smaller than I remember. The vermicelli "grilled" chicken was not great. The chicken tenderloins did not seem grilled and the meat was dry. There were no carrots in the bowl. The beef pho lacked flavor. Overall dinner was very disappointing for $100.00 Houston has way better Vietnamese restaurant options. Mai's WAS on of my favorites but not last night read more

It's sad to say, that I am very very upset with the way your staff has handle an order I attempted to made on. 1/4/2020. I will not ever come here and I will gladly share my thoughts with all my friends and family. all of the times that your service has been slower. Or one the plates was not as expected all was always forgiven. This was the last straw, I had been sick for days and I finally had appetite to eat something and I wanted pho. I had family here from out of town so I made the call. I tried to order a couple of pho's and stem rice for my younger son and he said no. I clarified that I knew it didn't come with the order, I just wanted to order it. And he still said no. I am so sorry, I guess you have outgrown the modest orders of and you are just to good, or maybe you ran out but there are other ways of handling your customers. Especially when they have been coming here for years. And refer many people. But don't worry there are plenty places that will gladly accept are business and they too need referrals. And you may need to check with manager at night maybe he felt entitled to show me that my son didn't need rice. Either way someone needs customer service skills especially if someone is not treating you bad. read more

I'm obsessed with this place!!! The portions are huge and the taste is "chefs kiss". My grandfather was the person to introduce me to this place back when I was in the early stages of high school. We were addicted to the spring rolls and the jalapeño juice they make. So you can say I've been coming here for years. I enjoy the atmosphere and the amazing customer service. It's always fast and the tribute to Anthony Bourdain going to the restroom is such a beautiful tribute. read more

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30 years ago, I fell in love with Vietnamese food here, and it's just as good as I remember. There's a lot more excellent Vietnamese restaurants in Houston nowdays, but this might still be the best of all. I especially love the bahn hoi ("fajitas") and #97 bo luc lac, but everything here is excellent. read more

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NO HEAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!! This establishment has been around for years and is well know for its food, there is no reason for the owner to not have invested in a heating system by now!!! Their employees were even complaining about how cold they were. read more

This is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants to visit. I would give it 5 stars but they changed their recipe on their wanton soup and removed the cracklin pieces they use to put in it. It gave it so much flavor but now it is just like any other wanton soup. Disappointing. read more