The Tastiest Cantonese in Houston

House of Bowls 金大碗

★★★★☆ 4.1 (900)

"Apart from both coasts and Canada (#1), Hong Kong style cafes aren't really much of a thing in any part of the country. Houston is fortunate to have at least a few dedicated places that fit the bill, but House of Bowls might be the most legit of them all. Known as 金大碗 ("Golden Big Bowl") to the locals, they have become one of the neighborhood's most frequented establishments where the food and service shine brightest.On their busiest days, parking can be a challenge. Sandwiched in a small'ish lot shared with several other popular businesses, House of Bowls doesn't have the luxury of parking spaces that the other neighboring plazas can offer, despite being the most spacious business in the building. They have a number of dedicated large tables and have a steady flow of patrons doing takeout or dining in. It's mainly a local crowd, which is always super promising.The menu for the place is extensive, with many of the dishes that are definitely cha chaan tang (茶餐廳) appropriate. The HK-style milk tea and lemon teas are near perfection and I am especially impressed with their condensed milk, peanut butter western toast (連奶花生醬西多士) and especially love that it's floating in syrup and melted butter. If anything, I wish it were larger but I guess that's as HK as it gets (#2).They offer a lot of the sai chaan (西餐) classics that include macaroni, baked rice, instant noodles, congee, egg tarts, and even chicken wings. The latter is one of their best sellers, with my favorite being their garlic salt and pepper wings. I don't even really love wings much but I am tearing it up each time I'm there.Their other super popular dishes are the house spaghetti, which is on the sweeter side and comes with a mosh of meats with a fried egg on top. Equally indulgent is their beef chow fun (乾炒牛河) but the added soft egg and shrimp is a real treat. The seafood here is good overall and it's an ideal environment for plate sharing and family style.If there was a downside to anything, it's the prices. Some of their shrimp/fish dishes are $20 each, even if the majority of the dish is noodle. The bright side is that their service is one of my favorite aspects of the experience. Most of the staff is super multilingual, speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and English with customers. I've been very impressed with all of them and their smile-first, friendly attitudes.I do think this is one of the best spots in all of Bellaire Chinatown. Some folks might not find the HK-fare-laden menu all that impressive, but all things considered, I think this is the best place for it in H-town.__________(#1) And obviously, Hong Kong.(#2) Portions are always smaller in the motherland."

House of Bowls

★★★★☆ 4.1 (896)

East Wall Chinese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (428) • $$

"First time here and it was for dinner with some Yelp friends. There was 12 of us in total, with that being said the wait staff took amazing care of us. From refilling drinks, serving dishes and just being attentive, we never had to look for anyone to help us. This establishment does allow BYOB. Sadly I can not remember the names of all the dishes everything was amazing and was a mixture of so many great flavors. A few dishes that really stood out for me was the Duck for sure. Perfectly cooked and tender! The lobster was another dish that made its presence known! Lobster had a great buttery, garlic taste. The last dish that really surprised me was the shrimp and eggs. It looked pretty simple as it's just scrambled eggs with shrimp but the flavor profile was unbelievable. It was one of the dishes I kept getting more of. I'm ready to go back and try some more dishes!"

Confucius Seafood Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (638) • $$

"Best cheap Chinese more authentic food. We went during Xmas super early before the crowd rush and wait around 5pm.Quick service. Borderline hole in the wall but well kept enough.Waitresses are nice Asian establishment standards iykyk.Greens were awesome. Wish the portions were a lil more but that's abt it. Clams are clammy fyi. Can't go wrong. They have.l a good reputation for years. Especially for their lobster special. We don't eat lobster but you can try."

Dim Sum King 點心皇

★★★★☆ 3.5 (525) • $$

"We came to Chinatown to run some errands and ended up in this parking lot. We walked around saw this spot was busy and gave it a try. The restaurant is tucked in a weird alleyway and to your right side. The interior of the restaurant is pretty old fashioned and people and tables are packed in there like sardines. I'm sure it appeals to some people but I'm personally a bigger fan of personal space. Service was very slow; we waited at the front for 5 minutes before we got sat down. They don't have the dim sum cart here so it's order off the menu. We ordered a bunch off the menu; most of the items we ordered were below average and slightly bland and doughy. My least favorite was the fried taro balls. The BBQ pork noodles/doughy item was the best tasting. The pork ribs were alright but again, the flavor was bland. Their char Siu buns was very light on the meat and heavy on the dough. Everything else was a bit bland for me; it was below par compared to anything I've had at Fung's and I got told during lunch that HK Dimsum was better. Price wise, it wasn't cheap either by any means; $50 for a lunch for two... not impressed!"

Rice To Meet You

★★★★☆ 4.3 (337) • $$

"Big portion and very reasonable prices for clay pot rice and rice noodle rolls. Highly recommend for a no frills meal (lunch or dinner) with the family. Looking forward to return and try out other dishes. Place was busy when we got there at 7PM but we got seated pretty quick after a ten minute wait. Service was prompt and friendly. Food was good- solid Cantonese style claypot rice and claypot cheung fun. Wish they have more vegetarian options.Will make this place as part of our rotations whenever we find ourselves in Chinatown."

Crown Seafood Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (374) • $$

"Between all the heavy hitters in the dim sum scene in H-Town, Crown Seafood is often mentioned as the local's choice for its massive banquet dining hall and old school push carts (weekend only) showcasing a solid variety of items. I don't mind coming here, but I've yet to be impressed with the food. For me, it's a 3 star spot until further notice.With high ceilings, bright lights, and the dizzying array of round tables, it's easy to see why this is a preferred option for big groups. Every day there's a decent crowd, but the waits tend to be more of a thing on the weekends. Bathrooms are not great, so approach with caution.The novelty of push cart dim sum is a bigger thing in the west than it is in a place like Hong Kong. Back in the motherland, the idea of food sitting out on cart for X amount of time has become unappealing, thus many restaurants have opted for the a la carte / check box on paper menu format instead. I think the former applies in this scenario as some of the items just feel like they've been sitting out a little too long.There are some decent items that solid in a pinch. Namely the very plump shrimp siu mai (蝦燒賣), lotus leaf glutinous rice (糯米雞), a crunchy glutinous fried pork dumpling (鹹水角), and a very hearty sweet cream bun (奶黃包). The rest has either a little too much breading (bbq pork bun), or overly thick skin (such as the shrimp dumplings), or is very plain (egg tarts).I will say their dinner service is more optimal for me, since their platters are huge and the noodles, vegetables (especially the stir fried pea shoots), and steamed fish / lobster preparation gets an A for effort. The only downside is that they're closed by 8pm practically every night. Prices aren't as high as their nearby competition, but the other places usually have better service and ambiance. Crown's service can be a flop at times when it comes to being tended to, but it's likely they're just simply understaffed. Speaking Cantonese is not necessarily a guarantee here either, but seeing as every person on the wait staff speaks something, be it Mandarin or Vietnamese or English, it's usually enough to appease the many folks coming here on the daily."

Chung Wang BBQ

★★★★☆ 3.9 (224)

"The restaurant reminds me of a small cafeteria with limited seating. The restaurant smells so good when I opened the door. I got hungrier. I had the double meat portion of roast duck on rice, and chicken and char siu on rice. The meats were fragrant, tender, and juicy. The portions were generous. Sharing is a good idea, but why share the good food when you can have all for yourself? Service was good, and staff were friendly. Will come back again for more yummy food."

Wing Kee

★★★★☆ 3.7 (195) • $

"Wow! Hands down the best roasted pork that I have ever had! So crispy, fatty, and salty! The duck is great too!"

Shanghai Restaurant 富仔記

★★★★☆ 3.8 (154)

"This Shanghai Restaurant 富仔記 has served me some great meals. That's why I have an upgraded opinion with this updated review.I came here one night looking for some home style dinner. It was cold winter in the middle of the week. I didn't know the closing time but I saw a couple still eating there. I ordered pepper ribs and a bowl of rice. I didn't think of anything but realized the employees are eating... Appeared to be eating dinner as end of their shift. Oh shoot I said. One employee came to me and said, "no hurry. You can stay until you're finished."Wow. So nice. Yeah. I hate to be rushed. It was actually my first-time dining in. I loved the decorations and those home feeling. No wonder it's been featured by Chow Down in Chinatown group many times.For the same reason I recommended my neighbor brought her family to dine here tonight. Because they took good care of me that night."

Shanghai Restaurant 東雲閣

★★★★☆ 3.5 (102)

"Came here for the first time. We ordered pork and shrimp shiu mai, crystal shrimp dumpling, steamed beef ball with dried tofu, bean curd pork roll with black bean, shrimp and scallop dumpling, steamed egg bean curd, fried spring roll, pan fried flat noodle with beef, and the Chinese style fried string donut. The shiu mai and bean curd pork roll were delicious. The pan fried noodles was amazing and super flavorful. The steamed egg and everything else was mediocre and ok. Their restroom is disgusting. Pee all over the toilet seat and mop water all over the floor and the carpet was super soaked. Overall, very pricey for ok tasting food.Staff is friendly and fast. Lots of parking."

Regal Seafood House & Lounge

★★★★☆ 3.6 (69) • $$

"Dim sum is way better than their regular menu. Chinese broccoli (5/5) I love how they stir fry steam it with minced garlic making this dish more flavorful.Steam roll shrimp (5/5) - I love how soft the flour is Spare ribs (4/5)Tripe ginger (4/5)Shu Mai (5/5)Shrimp dumplings (5/5)Friend shrimp dumplings (5/5)Taro cake (4/5)Overall, dim sum here is so good. A little pricey than other place but the portion are bigger."