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    X’ Kitchen 川香阁

    4.5 (21 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Spicy crispy chicken with Sichuan peppercorns (medium spicy). Came with that side of rice.
    Lyla A.

    Quick pickup. Large portion and cooked perfectly. The chicken wasn't oily and was full of flavor. This dish is a staple for us when trying out a new Chinese restaurant and I can't remember it being better anywhere else. The chicken had a solid crunch yet wasn't oily at all. It was delicious!

    Water boiled fish
    Peter W.

    FYI the restaurant's name is X Kitchen. Fun vibes and good food found here! We came on the recommendation of a friend/other Yelpers. I already have my rotation of Sichuan or Hunan restaurants that I enjoy, so I was a tad skeptical about a new one fighting for a spot on that list. There was plenty of seating inside, and I believe our server is a friend or family member of the owners. She was very friendly and attentive to our needs. We tried a few tried and true dishes that I order to gauge the level of the restaurant. We got the water boiled fish, spicy Sichuan chicken, pork in garlic sauce, and dan dan noodles. I was very impressed that everything we ordered was a hit except for the pork in garlic sauce. The water boiled fish was super flavorful in its hot and spicy broth. The chicken was crispy and big portion size. The noodles have some peanut sauce and sits in a little bit of spicy broth. The pork in garlic sauce wasn't bad, but its vinegar flavor was far too strong and the color looked off and rather unappetizing. The prices were on par with other Houston Chinese restaurants, but the portion sizes were huge. Overall, X Kitchen offers great value and tasty food. I would order the same dishes again except for the pork in garlic sauce.

    Tina Y.

    Ordered the lotus root and pork rib soup, but was disappointed. The lotus root was undercooked and the soup tasted just like their generic base used for other soups -- no lotus flavor at all. When I asked, the waitress said they couldn't cook it long enough to bring out the flavor. If that's the case, why put it on the menu? Very misleading and not worth ordering.

    Sherman O.

    The outside sign calls it "X Kitchen" but the directions on Yelp calls it Tasty Sichuan like the website: https://www.tastysichuanhouston.com/ The Szechuan Chinese food here is delicious. Flavors are overall deep, hot, spicy and freshly prepared. Unique options like bullfrog. 5 star. The parking lot is full as it is shared with other restaurants and retail stores. So be ready to walk or circle to find a good spot. Clean interior. The front door was stuck so that was annoying. Not a very attractive location but the food is worth it. Atmosphere 3 star. The service was fast and attentive. 3 star. Would recommend if you like Szechuan Chinese. I'll be back. Note my rating system: 1 Star: I wouldn't recommend 2 Stars: Didn't hit my standards 3 Stars: Average (nothing special) 4 Stars: Above Average. Would recommend. Still looking for the 5 Star. 5 Stars: Top of their game. Great food. Great service. Would recommend and plan on returning.

    Soft opening just 7 days
    Lou C.

    I was gonna grab some noodles next door. But I saw soft opening at X Kitchen. I decided to checkout this newcomer to Sterling Plaza. This suite used to be 2 restaurants. I'm glad X Kitchen took over. We need some unique eateries in Houston Chinatown. After sampling the Hunan cuisine, I realized why I like Sichuan cuisine. The hot sauce from Hunan restaurants is spicier afterwards. Flavors have characteristics of spiciness, sweet and savory. Because the restaurant was still soft opening, I'd rather not explain the menus until they officially open.

    Garlic Egg Plant
    Dan C.

    Their green pepper boiled fish is better than what was at Chengdu Taste! The Sichuan crispy chicken and the garlic eggplant are also exceptional

    Sizzling lamb
    Keisha R.

    Based on my experience, I will come back. I had the sizzling lamb and fried squid. The lamb chunks were tender and spicy. The waiter said it would be seller but it wasn't sweet at all. I'm ok with it but ya not sweet. It tastes like cumin lamb dishes you would have at fusion places. The vegetables were well cooked too but there were more vegetables in the squid dish, wish just means they give you a lot of lamb. The squid was perfectly cooked and I'm not a huge squid fan, but I found myself eating it a lot. The huge chunks of ginger and garlic were awesome. The waiter was very nice. She immediately showed us the popular dishes. The inside is nice and looks clean. I'll definitely be back.

    a plate of fish with sauce and garnish
    Michael S.

    Thanks to Doc Ricky, we tried one of the more unique regional Chinese cuisines today for lunch. After their grand opening, the hours will be from 4 pm to 2 am. Every dish we tried has something extraordinary that we appreciate. The Braised Pig Ears is surprisingly addictive. We keep munching on the crunchy cartilage. The Black Classic Stinky Tofu is a deep-fried dense marinated Tofu, topped with chili and garlic. I was expecting a more pungent smell and flavor, but it's pleasantly palatable. Glad the Cavemen brothers are all on board to try it. The BBQ whole Squid was highly recommended, as he told me most Chinese order this. The Squid is grilled nicely, with a sauce that has cumin as the top note. Braised Noodle comes with silky and soft Udon-type rice noodle, stirred with Braise Sauce, Beef Slices, and Peanuts. The last dish is probably my top favorite even though all the dishes are exotic and tasty, it's Steamed Marinated Trotters. The spices infuse into the pig feet, creating complex flavors and I do like the texture of bone-in meat and rind. All-in-all, we enjoy the whole meal and wanted to come back to try their other dishes. It's so interesting that even though it's authentic HuNan Cuisine with a focus on the city of ChangSha, the dishes we tried are so different than the other HuNan restaurants in Chinatown. We recommend this spot for more adventurous diners, especially those who enjoy spiciness.

    Da Pen cauliflower
    Moni T.

    Plenty of seats inside, service is fast, food came out really fast as well (that's when you know it's authentic Chinese food), and the owner even came to talk to us and asked for feedback. We felt comfortable and welcomed. It's located near 85 bakery and Mogee Tea. Food is great, flavor is on point and the portion size is impressive. We tried: Boiled fish in hot oil: a generous amount of fish, mixed with bean sprouts and cucumber, spice level is just right. Da pen cauliflower (big bowl of cauliflower with delicious juicy pork slices), portion size is more than satisfying! This is my favorite cauliflower dish out of many Chinese restaurants in H town. Beef skewers: meat is tender and juicy, well seasoned, definitely order Pickled peppers with beef: not our favorite, but it comes with a generous amount of beef and the meat is tender

    ordered their beef, lamb skewers, spike potatoes, stinky tofu and chicken with chili. I will definitely come back for the potatoes and skewers, it's has a great portion and taste compare to Gaos Kabob who's also known for their skewers. My friend loved the stinky tofu and chicken.

    Stinky tofu
    Katherine C.

    Quaint little Hunan style Chinese restaurant. I got the stinky tofu and it hit the spot. I really liked the beef skewers as well!! Some of the best in houston. The owner and his wife were friendly as well. I'll definitely be back to try out all the other dishes too. Highly recommend for some unique eats and authentic food

    The X Kitchen attracts me to have dinner on my own because many popular Chinese foods are displayed on the wall before I go in, such as small lobster, teppanyaki, stinky tofu, etc. The restaurant is easy to find and clean. I have ordered a total of four dishes. One main course is Bone Soup Rice Noodle, which costs $15.99. Some people like to eat the meat on the bone, while others like to suck the bone marrow, who care little about the amount of the meat. I believe Bone Soup Rice Noodle makes a balance between the amount of meat and the bone marrow. The soup is delicious and not greasy. The rice noodle is not the kind of noodle I like back in China, and I was not very satisfied with its mouthfeel. In addition, it has vegetables and eggs. If you want to find one dish that meets a balance in nutrition, it is good. One dish is sizzling BBQ squid, which cost $16.99. This is the most expensive one among the four dishes I have ordered, but I would like to say that it is really worth trying. Sizzling BBQ squid, when served, surprised me, because it looks so big, fresh, and tasty. It has been cut into several pieces, which are convenient for eating. The smell of the squid was good and delicious. The taste of squid is very good, because I feel the squid meat is very tight, of which the quality is high. It is highly recommended for those who like seafood, because it is not very greasy and rich in protein. I hope some sauces like lemon juice can be offered to enhance and diversify its taste. Another dish I ordered was three strings of sizzling BBQ Lamb, which cost $5.99. These three strings are placed on an ordinary plate, which makes the whole dish look less attractive. It does not stimulate my appetite immediately. I was thinking the three strings could be packed into an eco-friendly paper box, because the color and patterns of the paper box can make it more interesting. I believe the first sight of a dish a customer has never tried before is very important, because we often depend on our first impressions when judging things. This cognitive bias of the customers should be taken into account. I felt the three strings of lamb tasted poorly compared with those I ate somewhere else. The last dish I tried was traditional stinky tofu, which cost $12.99. I believe its Chinese name was very confusing for a Chinese customer, because it is called black classic in Chinese. We Chinese do not call stinky tofu black classic, but refer to its places of origin, like Shao Xing or Chang Shao. This dish is not as spicy as I wanted, but it may cater to the taste of many other people who cannot eat very spicy food. The ingredients placed on the stinky tofu are too many, but it is a tradition to put many ingredients in stinky tofu. It does not have a kind of smell that makes you want to eat instantly.

    Chicken and intestine hot pot.

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    2 years ago

    Server was friendly and kind. Beef noodle soup we ordered was a little spicy but has good flavours.

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    Hu's Cooking

    Hu's Cooking

    4.5(1.1k reviews)
    8.1 miWest University, Braeswood Place
    $$

    Look no further for authenticity, flavor, and complexity in Chinese cooking near the med center!…read more Though we opted for more "simple" dishes during this experience, you can judge a place by if they can do their simple dishes well. The mapo tofu is one of the best we've had outside of Bellaire with spicy, savory, numbing, and warmth that you expect from a good mapo tofu. Crispy popcorn chicken is a classic that's spicy, lightly fried, and crisp. It has an authenticity that other places around can't replicate and makes you keep craving more. The portions are also appropriate for their price. Service is incredibly quick, and you can order as you go and receive your dish within 10-15 minutes, regardless of how busy they are. As for the ambiance, it's loud, it's hectic, and it's simple... maybe a stretch, but makes me feel like I'm eating at a mom and pop shop in the heart of China. This place is definitely a go to if I'm convincing a friend of Houston's great food scene! Rating: 4.5/5

    I've been a happy patron of Hu's Cooking ever since they opened the year before the pandemic, but…read morebecause of their instant success and local renown from their excellent eats, speedy service, busy-but-not-crowded vibes (see: their 1000+ Yelp reviews) I've never felt the need to drop a review of my own - until just this week. On my most recent visit we ordered mapo tofu with pork intestines off the specials menu - a hybrid of two of my favorite Sichuan-style dishes. The blend of bouncy, savory morsels amidst tender, saucy tofu was at once revolutionary and so obvious; why hadn't I yet seen this at any other restaurant? And sure, innards may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's important for you to know that none of my past orders from the 50+ item menu have ever failed me, whether enjoyed in the restaurant or at home. Maybe you'd prefer the aromatic, classic, perfectly balanced three-cup chicken? Or the sweet-skinned duck, glazed so delicately that specks of sugar crystal threaten to jump off onto the plate as you pick up a juicy slice with your chopsticks? And if you're vegetarian, might you consider the punchy garlic eggplant or the wok-kissed string beans? I could go on. Do yourself a favor and come see for yourself, though I'd recommend parallel parking on the neighborhood streets behind the restaurant rather than the rocky parking lot, to save you some trouble. Bring friends and chow down family style - you'll need help covering as much of the menu as you can, but you'll definitely have to come back to try everything.

    Photos
    Hu's Cooking - Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

    Spicy chicken, clear noodles with red pepper sauce, and stir fried green beans

    Hu's Cooking - Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

    Open til 11:00pm on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat

    Hu's Cooking

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    Mala Sichuan Bistro - 红糖糍粑 Brown Sugar Sticky Rice Cake

    Mala Sichuan Bistro

    4.1(1.1k reviews)
    0.3 miChinatown, Sharpstown
    $$

    Food - 10/10 I really enjoyed everything I ordered. Seriously. So much flavor. I got a bunch cause…read moreI wanted to try a little bit of everything plus I was using it for meal prep anyways. I'm not the biggest fan of the numbing pepper but there wasn't a lot, just to give it some flavor so I enjoyed everything. The cumin lamb was yummy and I really liked the fish. The lotus root was crunchy and the water spinach was the usual sauted with garlic. The garlic bacon was fun to eat and I really liked the sauce. Service was great as well. Very quick to get the food out and my server was very nice when I asked questions about different items. Ambiance - 8/10 It's definitely an older restaurant. It gives me like 90s Chinese restaurant vibes if that makes any sense. I'm coming back either way. Gotta try other things.

    The food here is fantastic! When we walked in it was very busy, but we were seated immediately as a…read moreparty of two, which was impressive. The food came out quickly and everything we tried was delicious. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is the service. It was extremely busy and it seemed like there were only two servers handling the entire floor. If you didn't ask for what you needed when they initially came by, it was very difficult to get anyone's attention afterward. We had quite a bit of leftovers and couldn't get anyone to come over for to-go boxes or the check I ended up having to go to the front to ask. Overall, great food and a good experience, but they definitely need more staff if it's consistently this busy.

    Photos
    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Dining area

    Dining area

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Spicy and Crispy Chicken

    Spicy and Crispy Chicken

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Inside of restaurant

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    Inside of restaurant

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Garlic Cordyceps

    Mala Sichuan Bistro

    4.0(716 reviews)
    9.9 miMontrose
    $$

    I had a great experience dining here. A few things I loved:…read morePlenty of parking Beautiful wall art Extensive menu options Menu with images Good service Delicious food It was my first time, and as a first timer I had a lot of questions and didn't know where to start, but our server was very helpful and gave us excellent recommendations. We ordered : Dan Dan Noodles 8/10 Bok choy and mushrooms 8/10 Kung Pao chicken 9/10 Dry fried green beans 9/10 The food looks beautiful and tastes even better, I loved they present the food very pretty. Oh! And The portions are shareable too! I will definitely come back , there is a garden on the side that looks very pretty when you are dining inside, maybe next time if the weather is nice we can sit outside:)

    Get the eggplant! Been obsessed with Sichuan food lately,…read moreand my friend recommended this place. I think we may have went on an off day because I have tried takeout form this place that was delicious, but on this day the food wasn't my favorite. We did overall enjoyed our experience and time and I would recommend giving this place a try! We ordered a total of 5 dishes and everything seemed very authentic to Sichuan cooking. With Sichuan cuisine though, a lot of the food will be on the oily side, so keep that in mind. - Eggplant In Spicy Sauce (5/5): Definitely order this dish! You can tell the eggplant was prepared well because it retained its beautiful purple color and luscious shape. The flavor was sweet and savory seeped well into the eggplant. My only comment would be that there wasn't a strong garlic flavor, but it was still so tasty I think it deserved that 5/5! - Mapo Tofu (2.5/5): I came here specifically for the mapo tofu but was left a bit disappointed. The flavor was pretty good and had that strong Sichuan pepper spice that lingers after a while. My issue with the tofu was the consistency of the sauce. I found it to be very thick and clumpy in an unpleasant way, almost like eating little gelatin pieces. I would probably come back to try it again just in case this was a bad batch, but it's hard to compete with wanna boa's mapo tofu. - Spicy and Crispy Chicken (4/5): Pretty juicy and crispy chicken with a slight kick. I love anything fried chicken so I did enjoy this dish but it was pretty standard and there wasn't much to write about. - Red Oil Dumplings (3/5): Pretty standard oil dumplings. They weren't really spicy which would be good for people who can't handle spice. I think I would've liked a bit more meat filling but overall not bad. - Dan Dan Noodles (3/5): I loved the texture of the noodles but I found the sauce to be kinda slippery which made it hard adhere to the noodles. I also thought the flavor could've been a bit stronger. Service/Ambiance: the interior of this place was super cute, especially the upstairs area. I loved the dim lighting and tiny table lamps which gave this place a cozy romantic feeling. The outside was also interesting with an all black exterior and no sign. That might make it hard to notice or find the restaurant, but that did give it a more hidden feeling which was nice. Parking was also abundant and service was great!

    Photos
    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Bar and dining area on first floor

    Bar and dining area on first floor

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Red oil wonton

    Red oil wonton

    Mala Sichuan Bistro - Mala Tofu Pudding with Fish Fillet

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    Mala Tofu Pudding with Fish Fillet

    Bamboo House - Bamboo House Special Beef Noodles

    Bamboo House

    4.4(736 reviews)
    23.4 mi
    $$

    IYKYK - this is probably the best Peking Duck I've had in Houston in a long time. I've done Peking…read moreCuisine for years and shifted to Arco for my duck cravings, but if you're willing to drive out to Humble (pretty much anytime you're in the IAH area), you gotta check out Bamboo House for the best Peking duck. And their other menu items are fire as well! We went on a Sunday late evening. We had a 9 pm airport pickup at IAH so it was a perfect opportunity to grab a spectacular dinner and make the 30+ minute drive out to IAH totally worth it. Parking lot wasn't too full so that wasn't an issue. While the neighborhood ain't River Oaks luxury, it ain't too scary either. We kept it simple - ordered a whole duck and Bamboo House Special Noodle with Beef. This place ain't cheap but the food is worth every penny. It was very busy that evening so it's not a well-kept secret but also proves that eventually, Houstonians will figure out where the good food is. The duck was near perfect. They serve the duck with the pancakes (as opposed to the buns like at Arco) which is my preference. The soup that comes with it was also extremely flavorful. And the house special noodles with beef - oh my. I swear it's just one really long noodle so you may be frustrated trying to divvy up the family style bowl, but the labor is worth it. So good... Can't wait for my next airport run so I can sneak in a lunch or dinner at this place. So many other menu items I want to try!

    If you are looking for the best Peking duck, look no further! Who would have expected to find the…read morebest Peking duck in Humble? I had previously visited the now closed Bamboo House on Westheimer and I remember being impressed by the food. I had to make an airport run and decided that it would be perfect timing to stop by this location. I highly recommend ordering the duck ahead of time, but we were lucky enough to snag one of the last ducks when we arrived around 7 pm on a Sunday evening. The waitress was super friendly and upbeat and the restaurant is older but well maintained. You can see where the food is being prepared/cooked and you can see ducks being cooked/warmed behind a glass window. The duck was absolutely spectacular with the perfect seasoned and tender meat accompanied by well rendered crispy skin. I love how the pancakes are paper thin and pair well with the scrumptious duck and other toppings. They also provide sugar and plum sauce as additional toppings which I thought was interesting but not my cup of tea. The duck soup was extremely flavorful and full bodied and went well with the duck. The noodles were also amazing with likely hand pulled noodles served with an abundance of tender beef and vegetables with a little Sichuan kick. I was intrigued by a strawberry chicken dish that I saw on the menu and I plan to try it the time. My diagnosis: hands down the best Peking duck in the greater Houston area!

    Photos
    Bamboo House - Inside

    Inside

    Bamboo House - Twice Cooked Pork Belly

    Twice Cooked Pork Belly

    Bamboo House - Outside

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    Outside

    X’ Kitchen 川香阁 - szechuan - Updated June 2026

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