Whether you're drunk as Hell or need a last-minute holiday dinner idea (or both!), Tan Tan has always been there for the hungry people of H-town. No Houston restaurant has ever surpassed their irresistible banh bot chien (house special rice cake), I've never once had to wait for a table, and the staff has always been extremely kind. Aside from the banh bot chien, I always order a bowl of wonton soup (big enough to feed 2-4), the dry style flat rice noodles with beef and Chinese broccoli, and the salt roasted squid. I haven't been disappointed in many dishes but will say their bo luc lac is 'lacking' (hee haw) compared to some nearby competitors. Make sure to wash down all of that scrumptious MSG with their ultra refreshing chanh muoi (lemonade). And if you have the pleasure of going around Christmas/New Year's, go ahead and ask for one of their famous calendars. There's something about that bright red and gold calendar that makes me want to 'chuc mung nam moi' the shiz out of everyone. Tan Tan has stood strong for over two decades and still serves consistent, delicious food. More than just a restaurant, it's a place you go to make memories with family. The spot you go to recap an inebriated evening with your homies. They're a Houston institution and will continue to stay near and dear to my heart for decades to come. read more

Arrived on New Year's Day and they ran out of some of the dishes my family and I wanted to order. I wonder why cause the food isn't as good as back in the day, and the service still sucks. Although A1 banh bot chien is a staple and a must-order here, the rice cake was mushy and not crisp like it used to be. I'm sure they crank those babies out so fast it doesn't even matter what it tastes like! Everything else we ordered was exorbitant for no reason and lacked flavor and appeal. Pan fried noodles with lobster - smokey almost burnt flavor. 1:40 noodle to lobster ratio for $56.99 Diced beef with macaroni - macaroni is gross and the beef cubes are tough. bleh!!! Salt toasted soft shell crab - soggy crabs with too much batter Snow pea leaves with garlic - you can't mess up veggies and garlic Probably will only return during after hours when I'm too intoxicated to know what good food tastes like. read more

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Used to visit this place years and years ago and it used to be great but my last visit on may 13th wasn't so great. The appetizer (shrimp spring rolls) had no taste to it and was over priced, main dish (seafood plate with rice noodles) didn't really have much seafood in it maybe 2 shrimps and was $14.95 .. and the Diet Coke is $3.25 and I was not offer refills. The wait staff was kinda friendly but never checks on from time to time. read more

Been coming to this restaurant again and again. *Great food *Reasonable price *Free rice *Excellent service I LOVE the caramelized catfish in claypot (cá kho tộ) and the House Special Rice Cake. Spicy green been with pork is delicious too. Definitely will come back again read more

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I was lied on and embarassed. Never again. I am sure this won't get a response but hopefully, it will help someone. On 12/26, my best friend and I took her nieces and nephews here before we went to go see lights. It was packed in there and we should've turned around when we saw that but service has always been great and fast. It was 6 of us. We are quickly seated and asked if we want anything to drink. We ordered tea, water, and soda. 20 minutes passed and we hadn't received our drinks yet. The waitress comes about 10 mins later to take our order. We noticed that our food was taking longer to come out and people who sat down after us with larger parties were served before us. Our food finally came out at different times and wasn't hot. We still hadn't gotten our drinks yet. The waitress comes to our table to check if our food has been served. We had to remind her of our drinks. We also notice a guy at another table looking around for service before he got up from his table to go get what he needed. The service was bad. Our drinks and food came out late. Our checks come out. We noticed that the tip was already included. I asked our waitress to split the bill without the tip so that we could give what we thought agreeable or worthy. She said we should have told her that before she printed the bill but she never asked if it was separate checks or not. We asked her to separate it and she said fine. A few mins later we see the manager walking to the table asking us what the problem was. I repeated it to her and she begins to react to us in a way that wasn't' warranted. I assume because we were the only African Americans there at that time, she thought she would need to make sure she was stern or abrasive. We spoke to her in a calm leveled voice and she began to get loud and tell us how if we didn't like the service we need to pay and leave because she was told that we weren't paying. I was put off and embarrassed by her loud statements that we didn't want to pay and werent going to pay. That was neevr the case and we didnt say we werent paying. My friend and soon to be lawyer, began explaining to her the same thing I told her. The manager kept getting louder. Noticing my friend becoming increasingly bothered, I jumped in and spoke calmy to the manager in the hopes that she would follow my voice and again explained our service was not good at minimum and we didn't want to tip that much if any at all. She finally calms down and proceeds to tell us that they are busy and short staffed. She claims she told them of this but the workers insisted they had everyting under control and they didn't. It's not the customers problem/issue that your restaurant is short staffed. It is the establishments (your) responsibility. It is not the customers responsibility to asses the restaurant to see if they are short or will be served in a timely manner. That is YOUR responsibility and this night, in addition to my embarrassment you all made it my problem. The manager in an irritated manner said that she would take it off but at this point, my friend and I were so upset we just split the bill and left. Do better TAN TAN. It must be new management because I am still shocked at the treatment recieved. I really love the food here but the memory of how I felt will probably keep me from coming back. read more

I love this place. It's very popular, and is open until midnight 7 days a week, even holidays... they work hard! Excellent Vietnamese food. The menu is so expansive!!! The 1st time I came here, I was overwhelmed by all the options because I am a very picky eater. I haven't tried the Hot Pot yet. I need a few more friends to join me next time! It looks delicious! Great service +, clean restrooms +, delicious + read more

Tan Tan - Spring rolls! - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

My family had a great meal at Tan Tan. All of the dishes were awesome. Staff was polite and professional . They kept the food coming out hot n fresh. Well worth the travel from Trinity tx. We are looking forward to visiting soon. My favorite restaurant of all time. read more

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There is a reason why this place is still up and rinning. Amazing and affordable Chinese/Vienamese food in Htown. read more

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I love Tan Tan it's defiantly one of my favorite places to eat in houston . I've been coming here for years and was so heartbroken when the Westheimer location shut down and I do hope that a new location will soon take its place after this whole COVID mess blows over . I enjoy quite a few items from the menu that I've consistent dined on over the years but my heart is definitely with the house special rice cake . I've not had one in the great city of houston or surrounding areas that even comes close to how yummy and delicious this plate is . read more

Tan Tan - House House Special Rice Cake is one of my favorites - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Ive heard so many things about this restaurant so i just had to try it! I had so many different options to pick from so it was very hard to choose anything but there chicken is my favorite! the service is so good and friendly. I loved there shrimp and everything was served hot and fresh i definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area! read more

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The mom and I decided to come here because we were craving for some wonton dumpling soup and tan tan was always known for that back in the day, but it's been so long we weren't sure if it still was the best so we decided to give it a try. It has been years since I came here and I didn't know what to expect. We got a table immediately and our server got our orders. Food came out in a timely manner and service was okay. Our server disappeared after she took our order and we never saw her again. HOUSE SPECIAL RICE CAKE- sliced rice cakes pan fried with eggs and topped with dried turnip, green onions, and crispy onion I've always been a fan of their rice cakes, but this dish was too dry. It must've sat in the pan really long because I couldn't taste much of the ingredients. Everything was just too fried and dried up. It was crispy and I did like the turnip flavor, but the egg was overpowering and overcooked. WONTON NOODLE SOUP- egg noodle with hand made pork and shrimp wontons in soup with sliced bbq pork chinese vegetable, and green onions The soup was still pretty good. It's so aromatic of wonton that it really brings back the nostalgia of it all. The pork was flavorful and added some savory notes to the soup and the wonton wasn't bad. The skin wasn't tough, but soft and the filling was savory and meaty. I liked the egg noodle. It was just the right texture, stringy, but not overcooked or undercooked. The soup itself was just right with the sweetness and spice. I would definitely come here again for the soup. This place used to be the go to place of bellaire, but now it's full of empty tables. It really brings back past memories of how asian food used to be and how bellaire was more of the traditional sit-down and dine. Fast forward 15 years and everything has changed. Tan tan is no longer that bustling place that I once remembered it to be, but thank goodness... that wonton soup still survived the ages. read more

Tan Tan - wonton noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Gone here for years on and off. The food is great. The wait time isn't bad but it is time for them to do some renovations this place. Last visit the buzzing sound from neon lights going out drove me a little crazy. read more

Tan Tan - House Special Rice Cake - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Recently the pho noodles were breaking and splitting apart whenever I pick them up with my chop sticks. Now I'm not a noodle expert , but I'm 100% sure that's not suppose to happen. I don't know how it happens but please fix the way the noodles are, it's UNACCEPTABLE the way the noodles are right now. read more

Love this place! We come here pretty often and have had a good experience each time. Staff is friendly and attentive. If we needed anything (EX: water, silverware for kids) They would get it immediately, which I appreciate. Food is great! I love the house special rice cakes, they are so good! Perfect appetizer to share with family and friends. Menu has a wide variety, ranging from rice plates, hot pots, even mac and cheese for the picky kids. So come support your favorite asian restaurants, this is a very hard time for them. I'm sure they'll appreciate it greatly :) read more

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I've been going here for over 20 years. They have expanded but could definitely use some updates in the restaurant/bathroom area. Food is always good. It comes out quickly and fresh. read more

Tan Tan - House Special Rice Cake - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of my chinatown go-to places for a great meal. Open late and great food. The veggie fried rice is tasty and is a nice portion size. The best part of this menu is the rice cake, something they are very well known for! If you end up trying Tan Tan, the rice cake is a must! Salted toasted tofu is also very good and is served with steamed rice. Overall great atmosphere, convenient hours, and good comfort food. Service was also very good- plenty of leftovers that they will gladly pack into to-go containers when you are ready! TIP: Definitely go to Gong Cha if you are in the area after dinner for Boba Tea! read more

Ohhhh Tan Tan can you do the Tan Tan, I can do the Tan Tan... The house special rice cake with egg is our go to appetizer here. The rice cake lacks the crunch and crisp I usually expect it to have, but the flavor is all there - along with the soy sauce and vinegar dipping sauce. This time around, I ordered the wonton and noodle soup with the beef stew soup. The wontons are made from shrimp and pork and are really good. The noodles are good, nothing out of the ordinary but cooked al dente. The beef stew soup was a disappointment. The amount of oil they make this stew with is outrageous. I felt like if I skimmed all the oil off the soup, I would only be left with 2/3 of my soup. The flavor was good, but the oil was a big strike for me. I wouldn't recommend the beef stew soup with the wonton. Stick with the regular clear broth they give you. If you're up for slightly Americanized Chinese food, and a quick and easy meal, you really can't go wrong with Tan Tan (well, stay away from the oily beef stew). The food quality has gone down the past few years, but this place is still good. read more

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The food is always hot and good enough, the servers are always in your face if you need anything, and the joint is never not packed. If you like neon lights and goldfish, you'll live the vibe. This is one of my favorite spots in HTX AND it's open late. Go here. read more

Tan Tan = an oldie but goodie. Tan Tan has been one of the mainstays of Chinatown long before Bellaire became the craziness that it is now. Back in the day, this was THE spot to go to for late night eating. I came back again not too long ago, and I can say this place can still hold its own amongst the newcomers as a place for late night bites. My favorite here is the house special rice cake - they make it better than anywhere else I've found in Houston. I also like their beef flat noodle, and all of their fried rice varieties are winners - all of which have super generous portions. Their rice porridges always hit the spot and are perfect for a cold day. Don't expect stellar service here, but it's acceptable. The place can get a bit hectic at night. One plus is that this place is usually swarming with cops at night...not rent-a-cop security guards, but HPD. Makes you feel a little bit safer, since Chinatown at night seems to get more and more ghetto as time goes by. All in all, probably still in my top three for late night eats in Chinatown. read more

Tan Tan - This place is always swarming with cops! I love it! - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Tan Tan Restaurant is a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant in Houston that used to have super late night hours for night owls. It's not open as late anymore, and now it's just an ok restaurant in Houston. My Overall Rating - 2 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return) Atmosphere - Tan Tan Restaurant is located in a shopping strip, so there's ample parking. It hasn't changed in years, and the red/blue neon still lines both the interior & exterior. Inside you'll find your typical Asian restaurant staple of booths, tables, and large rounds for big families. While it hasn't changed in years, it could use a little more charm. It's doesn't do much to stand out. It's just there. 1/2 Star. Service - I think Tan Tan has changed ownership over the years, because we were surprised our server didn't speak Vietnamese in this Vietnamese/Chinese. Also, they used to be open until 2 or 3, but now they close at midnight. When it gets late they just want you out. Just a warning for those of you (me included) who thought they were still open late. 1/2 Star. Food - This was the most disappointing part of our experience. Items that were key favorites for us in the past like banh bot chien (fried flour with egg) & muoc rang muoi (salted fried squid) were no longer up to par. Maybe other restaurants are just better now, but both dishes were under cooked, especially the squid. While the batter had good seasoning, the squid just didn't seem cooked throughout. The banh bot chien was also a little under done, and the soy dipping sauce was too plain. Other dishes ordered were forgetful. Overall fell way short of my expectations. 1/2 Star. Will I Return? - Maybe I'm trying to revive late night past experiences and am being too tough. While I can't actively recommend it, I'll probably be back just to give them another shot. I'm 50/50 right now but I might try them again. 1/2 Star. My Yelp Rating Scale (Sum of all parts): 1 Star - Atmosphere - Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I'll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm. 1 Star - Service - You can have a great meal with bad service. But that's also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It's important to the dining experience that service is great and on point. 2 Stars - Food - I'll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it's really all about the food. 1 Star - Will I come back? - If I know for a fact I'll return, I'll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return. Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Yelp score. read more

Tan Tan - Stir fried squid - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This is a childhood place to be to go after clubbing or just to go for late night eating. Food comes out pretty fast and there's always a table. All their dishes are authentic and delicious. Perfect place for family style eating for large groups and affordable. Menu is extensive and you should find something familiar and yummy. Must go to when you're hungry for quick traditional Chinese/ Vietnamese food. read more

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Tan tan gets my whole heart for being afforadable, filling, and nostalgic for all the family meals I've had here. I came with a group of ten and we all split it family style. Everyone was full by the end and we still had leftovers. The meal only cost us about $12 each including tip! For that much food, I would say that's quite a steal. We ordered three banh bot chiens, one crispy noodle with beef and broccoli, one crispy noodle with seafood, a fried rice, crab meat soup, and a beef flat noodle. I thought they were all delicious but no one got around to touching the fried dish (not that it was bad, there were just better options) Must must get is the banh bot chien. My fav, all the textures work so well together and you MUST eat is with the tangy sauce. The fried noodles came out fresh as well and were doused in the savory sauce. It was crispy and not soggy when it came out, I would eat this when it comes out right away. The crab meat soup was standard, tasted like every other one I had in my life haha. The flat noodle beef dish was surprisingly good too for looking so unassuming. The texture was really interesting and appetizing, I might prefer it over the crispy noodles actually. Anyways their menu is so expansive, I'm sure there is something for everybody, so grab some friends, some family, some strangers, and eat your heart out. read more

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Tan Tan can can fill my tummy with tasty goodness. Recommend the salt toasted lobster, crispy noodle dishes and won ton soup. This is my go to dishes when I dine at this establishment. Service is usually fast, but have experienced slow service a few times even when it doesn't seem to be especially busy; however, the food is worth the wait. read more

I have not been back here in a very long while. I think their dishes are for the most part average tasting but the chili sate sauce and pickled green peppers elevate all their dishes. Therefore, I was very disappointed to find out that they now charge $1 for chili sate sauce to eat with your dish. I think that is crazy, so I will go to other restaurants where they don't charge for sate chili sauce. Almost all Asian restaurants (especially in Chinatown) offer various condiments like chili sate sauce at no charge. read more

I came here for dinner a few times, one for stir fry and one for hotpot. The ambiance is always bustling and busy and the place has so much seating. The food is always pretty good and has good portions! read more

I specifically went for the wonton soup and it was SO GOOD!!! I've never had Winston with shrimp in the dumplings, definitely worth a try. However, my boyfriend got the same thing and it didn't taste the same as mine.. when we asked for them to take it off the check (he didn't eat it at all) they were having trouble understanding that he didn't like it. It was sort of a big deal to them.. I mean we talked to three people until we finally spoke with a manager, and he eventually took it off. Service was good, food was better. Definitely recommend the Wonton egg noodle soup read more

Tan Tan - Wonton Egg noodle and Thai Tea - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is a good spot to grab some good quick meal. The noodle soup is rich in flavor and a decent size portion to fill you up just right. The dumpling is good and delicious in every bite. read more

Tan Tan - Dumpling noodle soup - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This restaurant is a perfect family style restaurant. If you're in the mood for some Vietnamese comfort food, this place is for you! They have tons and tons of seats. The food is well made and what you expect. It's one of the better prepared foods in bellaire. All the food came out steaming hot and freshly made. Service is on point, the water doesn't taste like tap water, everything is great here! If you have a big party, I'm 100% sure that they can accommodate for you. Here's what we ordered: Banh Bot Chien 5/5 Their house special rice cake is so good. The rice cake was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. It was freshly made and super hot and steamy. You dip it in some soy sauce and it is a perfect combination. Great appetizer if you're ever looking to try something! Mi Hoanh Thanh 5/5 Their wonton noodle soup is one of the best. Wontons are handmade and seasoned well. The broth was flavorful, and noodles were chewy and cooked. Great go to dish! Mi Vit Tiem 4.5/5 Their duck noodle soup is also another great recommendation! Duck pieces were somewhat hard to eat. Bones were sticking out in weird places. However, Broth was good and flavorful! They gave you pickled vegetables so you don't get tired of the soup. Mi Xao Do Bien 5/5 Great variety of seafood. Sauce was great! I love it when it's crunchy and also when it's drenched in sauce. Another great dish with no complaints! read more

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We had 3 hours with our bestie to eat in Chinatown while she was here. This was the second spot we went to. Holy cow. Amazing. They staff was so kind and helpful. The options for their food were endless. Literally there's something for everyone. Can't wait to come back and eat all the things next time. read more

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Another place I could have sworn up and down that I have reviewed *scratching head*, where are my reviews disappearing too? Well, in short, this definitely is the cleanest of the two but it's a lot newer than the original location. The service is a hit and miss sometimes but I'd say about 70% good 30% questionable depending who you get. The food has pretty much been ok or good for me, I don't know why suddenly the bad reviews are popping up but again it all depends on what day and time you go even for the food. I can say that here some things at this location might be a tad more expensive because they have to pay that bank loan back and high lease somehow right? The rice cake here is about $6 and the original location is $5 (ok, $5.99 and $4.99, I'm sure you know what I mean). Parking is pretty ample for the most part except I'm pretty sure during peak lunch time and weekends it's probably a little difficult. On my last visit something happened to me and my food buddie that hasn't really happen in this type of food place before, the manager (or some female that had the definite appearance of one) came over to our table and asked if everything was ok, could she get anything for us, was it too hot in here. That is something you will almost NEVER get at the original location (by the way, the service is 30% good and 70% bad there) or at Sinh Sinh or even Fu Fu, do you get it get it? :D read more

Went mid week as they opened. Spring rolls are good, but the Goi Ga is huge & delicious! Service was very attentive.

The food is good and service is usually very good. It's busy and noisy but family friendly.

Not only does this place have good Chinese/Vietnamese food but it's open late, especially on weekends! Portions are pretty big, usually split 2 things with the boyfriend and we always end up bringing stuff home. It's cheap too so you definitely get your money's worth. They have a large menu with lots of variety, like hot pot, sea food, noodles, etc. Recommend: - House special rice cake Pros: - Open late - Everything on menu is good Cons: - Sometimes have to wait even late at night read more

Tan Tan - House special rice cake - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Not practicing social distancing. I'll return when they're more cautious and caring about the community and their workers

!!!!ROACHES!!!! First our table had a baby roach inside of it. So we switched tables. Should've been our first warning. Then we were eating our hotpot and there was a baby roach inside of it!! Manager made excuses "oh its in the vegetables sometimes". No. Wash your vegetables. Quality control is a thing. Didn't make us pay for it ofc but never apologized or try to make up for it. Terrible first experience, do not recommend, will NOT be coming here again. read more

I'm from out of town and this was our first stop to eat. Was by far the worst place I've eaten. I ordered a twin lobster dish but seemed like it was only one lobster. We ordered a noodle dish for my dad and it had a bad taste to it as well. All of us ate the calamari appetizer that was so tough and chewy that we had to spit it back out. We ended up just eating a veggie plate and white rice. The table behind us was also complaining about the food and left without barely touching it. We were still so hungry that we went to eat dim sum at Ocean Palace right after. So much better food and service. read more

3 Stars for Food (both Vietnamese and Chinese) 4+ stars for Service! We spent our Saturday evening at Tan Tan having our tea pot checked over and over and over. Let me tell you... you will never have an empty tea pot at Tan Tan! 8 times, count them... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 times our tea pot was opened and checked by several of the waitstaff. You won't go thirsty here! This restaurant is huge but we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. We ordered the Vietnamese egg rolls; they were average. We had the sweet and sour chicken; it could have been sweeter but the chicken was good quality. We had the house special fried rice; it was good but not great. So, why 4 stars? The staff is friendly, efficient, work together, and just all around impressive. They run around like ants and get stuff delivered to your table in a flash. They refill your drinks before you even notice you need it. The management and hostesses have earpieces and microphones; they get tables cleared and seated like pros! The decor is interesting. There are two dragons with glowing eyes in the west dining area. There are fish tanks, Koi decorated windows, Christmas lit palm trees, etc... It's interesting but at least it's clean. If you are looking for a super fast lunch or dinner, this is the place to go! read more

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On a mission to try restaurants that we haven't been to in awhile and new places this evening we decided to give Tan Tan a try. The last time I ate here was probably over 20 years ago. Not sure why we haven't been back but we always seem to eat at our favorite places. Probably because of consistency and the fact that we're reluctant to go outside of our comfort zone. Well I'm glad we did as this place has changed a lot from the way I remember it. Perhaps it was because of Yelp and because of the reviews I read. The power of Yelp again! Overall I'd say not bad! Food came out quickly. Generous portion sizes and pretty good. The place was hopping around dinner time on a Friday night and much bigger than what I remembered. Lively and full of energy. I liked the atmosphere! They even had a nice Chinese New Years display of two lion heads snack dab in the middle. The wait staff was generally ok but pretty neglectful of things like water filling and rice refills. Other than that they were pleasant. It was s bear trying to flag down anyone to help you. I attribute it to maybe a busy night. Who knows. But it deserves 4 stars. Mainly for the taste of the food and the ambience. We probably won't wait another 20 years before trying it again. read more

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All of the food (with exception of the hot pot food) was delicious! The food came out very quickly and in healthy servings. My favorite is the coconut drink that allows you to drink the coconut water and then eat pieces of the coconut as you go. Very refreshing. Service was great. read more

Tan Tan - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Never eat here again. They serve me raw pork (perking style spare ribs) and my dishes (shrimp with bak choy) were cold and still made me pay for the whole meal. The manager was very unprofessional and not understanding when it came to the food being raw. I continued to pay anyways like a Good Samaritan and left. The server was shocked knowing she saw the raw meat being served.THEY WILL SERVE RAW FOOD AND STILL MANAGE TO NOT CARE. read more