Jun

We picked Jun for something new and the chefs' story is similar to ours (!), but we didn't have high expectations because of the mixed reviews. Nonetheless, we enjoyed an adventure of flavors and seeing spins on classic versions of dishes-- it was a great date night! There were a lot of pickled foods and sour notes, so I can see how someone could be turned off by the food here. Even the drinks were eclectic, with fish sauce in a cocktail and soy sauce / hoisin sauce starring in another. Prices are interesting, with the cauliflower side dish being more expensive than a scallop entrees, but overall probably a little a pricey for the quantity. There is a tasting menu that looked enticing for $85 per person as well. Favorite items:-- Scallops: big scallops so perfectly cooked! With a slightly charred crust and tender interior. Also served with pickled and then fried potatoes which gave it a salt and vinegar chip taste. Too much Viet-Cajun butter for me, but it easily scraped off with a knife -- Congee: one of the bigger servings of the night. Totally different than your usual dim sum or home congee, with this one being almost cheesy + surprising pops of sour from the pickled mushrooms-- Pork ribs: honorable mention here, probably the most bang for buck of the meal with big meaty ribs that were more on the tender side but still with a meaty chewy bite. The sauce was five spice sweet soy glaze but it was almost like a spicy fruity mole. We are weak when it comes to spicy but we still enjoyed these with some burning pain, haha~ Least favorite items:-- Beef tenderloin: pretty tough and not very flavorful without the sauces (the celery root sauce was yummy with it though!). This was more side dish than entree for me. -- Cauliflower: too charred for our taste with a burnt taste with each bite. Cauliflower was too hard for him but I thought the crunch was fine :) Definitely earthy in flavor. Others:-- Sweet potato: loved the contrast between sweet potato and pickled fennel with the dill. He was a fan of the thick sour cream-like labneh-- Prawn skewer: sweet flesh, nicely grilled-- Tapioca dessert: bright flavors, the passion fruit pana cotta was quite flavorful. The tapioca wasn't "al dente" enough for him, but I demolished it. Sesame crumble was like a more bready, enjoyable version of a graham cracker or Biscoff cookieBecause we were celebrating, they brought out two glasses of champagne with dessert, which was a nice thought... even though I said I didn't drink alcohol, haha~ Service was warm and friendly-- my water glass was also happily refilled often. The venue is cozy with a mixed bohemian, island, adventure-like vibe. Seating is quite tight with tables for two less than 2 feet away from the next table. And it is coldddd inside! Bring a jacket~ Free parking lot. Definitely true "fusion" with flavors colliding into another, and it was fun to try for something different. Jun is probably not for people who like the tried and true. We will be returning for a different menu, hopefully still with the congee and the scallops! I'm bringing a blanket next time :P

Funny thing - I go by Jun which happens to be the name of this restaurant, so I expected only good things. Kidding aside, my wife got us a reservation at this very popular Houston restaurant. Evelyn Garcia, one of the chefs, was in Top Chef so we were excited to see what she had to offer.The place has ample parking which is great for the heights. As you walk in you'll notice the modern decor and dimly lit restaurant - sets the mood for a romantic dining experience. Our reservation was at 1930, but when we got there our table wasn't quite ready yet so we sat at the bar to get a drink. As my drink was ready about, thankfully so was our table so we didn't have to wait long. Our server was nice and polite. She recommended the chefs menu, but there were a few things that we wanted to get that wasn't on there, so we decided against it. They also recommended to order 5-7 dishes.BREAD - cornbread, pan de arroz, black sesame butter, smoked butter. Both the breads were warm and fresh. The cornbread was nutty, toasty and moist inside. The pan de arroz was a little sweet. Overall pretty good.PERSIMMON - corn leche de tigre, hoja santa, gooseberry. One of our favorites. Basically a smoked persimmon ceviche. The leche de tigre was so good - creamy, tart and citrusy. CAULIFLOWER - komb coconut, subise, mint oil. The cauliflower was roasted perfectly and the sauce was good. This was probably our least favorite, but still good.MUSSELS - sour chorizo, red curry, lime leaf, magnol's baguette. The sauce made this dish! The mussels were cooked perfectly, but the meat was a little small. The curry sauce was good with some heat, and you get bits and pieces of chorizo in the sauce. The baguette was toasted perfectly, and perfect for soaking the delicious sauce. FRIED CHICKEN shrimp paste, ginger, thai chili, herbs. The best dish of the night for us. They marinate the chicken in shrimp paste, sous vide it and then fried. The result is a crispy umami filled skin and moist meat. The honey chili sauce for dipping rounds it out perfectly.The tapioca dessert was also good. Not too sweet, creamy with a hint of tart. The sesame cookie crumble in it added a much ntextural contrast We found that the 6 dishes we ordered for the both of us was plenty of food. We even took some food home.So did we like it? We sure did. Definitely come here for a date night. Wouldn't recommend it for a big group dinner. Overall, this place lived up to the hype. I wouldn't mind coming back.

I loved watching Chef Evelyn on Top Chef Houston, so I was very excited when her restaurant with Henry Lu opened. We finally made it in and we had a great experience. We opted for the chefs tasting menu ($85 pp) with the wine pairing ($45 pp), we added a bread course and congee. Everything was delicious and the service was impeccable!

This place was really nice. The service was wonderful, the restaurant itself is beautiful and uniquely decorated, and the ambiance is a very date night/sexy boho kind of vibe. Everyone from the bartenders to the host and server were incredibly kind and made us feel at home. They had a very unique cocktail menu that they apparently rotate every so often. I had the sweater weather which was a creamy sweet & bitter drink. It wasn't my favorite but it wasn't bad at all! I just don't think the flavor pallet was for me. It was very orgeat forward. My partner had the Ginger She's Really Hot, which was sort of a refreshing ginger margarita. It was delicious. I'll get to the food since that's what we're all here for. Food is family style and pretty much everything is shareable which is cool. The scallops had great flavor, must flavorful scallops I've had. Decent size too! The broccolini had soooo much flavor, however, it was intentionally cold. It caught me off guard because I didn't expect it, however, it was delicious. Favorite part of the meal. I got the fried chicken which is their most popular dish (per the server). It was a bit heavy and in previous pictures from other reviews made it look lightly fried and that's why I got it, but it was pretty heavily fried. The flavor was good but I wouldn't say it was particularly better than other fried chicken. Other than that, the menu was very unique, appropriately priced, and we would absolutely come back! Definitely recommend for a date!

Jūn, pronounced like the month, is a superb Houston addition with New Asian-American influences. It opened around February 2023 and is named after both Chef Evelyn Garcia and Chef Henry Lu mothers' birthdays in June.The private parking lot in front of the restaurant is shared with other businesses in the lot. Once you open the unique front door, you will walk into a beautiful dimly-lit full bar with ten stools. The bar decor showcases a mix of Asian and Latin cultures, also seen in the menu. Reservations can be made on the Open Table app. I highly recommend making reservations about a week out of your desired date because there are probably 12 indoor tables maximum. There were a few tables outdoors, but they were not used at the time due to the cold weather.The ambiance of the restaurant is magnificent. The lighting is brighter in the bar area and dims when you walk towards the main dining room. It is perfect for a date night or dinner with friends (4 maximum due to the dining room size).FOOD:There is a Chef's tasting menu ($89 per person and $45 wine pairing). We opted to do a la carte instead and share family style.1. Beef Tartare (4/5; toasted rice, egg yolk, citronette, sesame bunuelo): The presentation with the Mexican sesame bunuelo was interesting, as the server recommended breaking it with the spoon. Overall, the portion was for one person. I loved the flavors all together.2. Foraged Mushrooms (3/5; congee, ginger, scallion, soft poached egg): I recommended mixing all the ingredients in this congee (rice porridge) before you try the first bite. I recommend ordering when it is chilly outside! One point was deducted because it was too salty.3. Persimmon (4/5; corn leche de tigre, hoja santa, gooseberry): There is a tangy taste due to the tiger's milk (citrus-based marinade). The amount of persimmon in this is about 1/2 to 3/4 of one persimmon. I loved the flavors (somewhat ripened persimmon and citrus tang).4. Mussels (3/5; sour chorizo, red curry, lime leaf, baguette): There is a tangy taste with a Thai influence. This was our least favorite of the night. The mussels were relatively small. My friend preferred the original white-wine mussels served in Italian restaurants.5. Beef Short Ribs (5/5; peanut curry, tomato jam, celery root, coconut jasmine rice): Initially, the flavors from the peanut curry to the tomato jam were a little overwhelming, but it all worked out in the end. This was the best, and I can see why the server recommended this! The beef short ribs were cooked flawlessly with a crispy, thin layer at the top. This dish exemplifies culinary genius. The service was fair. There was a mix-up of drink orders initially, for I did not order any alcoholic drinks. There are several friendly servers, and they seem knowledgeable about the menu! Would I come back? I will try other items.

Jun, named for the month, is a dizzying confluence of influences as the product of a collaboration between Mexican/Salvadorean-American chef Evelyn Garcia, a recent Top Chef finalist, and Chinese-American chef Henry Lu who hails from New York. The dinner lineup showcases what the pair calls New Asian cuisine with clear Latin American accents. The space is cozy, with a well-lit half-moon bar and a handsome dining room with high ceilings and a curvy design theme. I appreciate that the music is atmospheric but quiet so that you can actually hear each other. Not the most baby-friendly establishment given space limitations and ambiance, but the staff was able to accommodate regardless.This review spans two trips to Jun: one at the bar and the second as a larger group in their dining room. The bartenders were cool and pumped about the menu, but the pacing during our bar visit was very uneven in the sense that we were sitting idly without food or drinks for large stretches. They ended up forgetting one of our main dishes (and apologizing profusely), which we chalked up to a new restaurant working out some early kinks. The service was excellent on the second go-around - our waiter was friendly and made great recommendations. I've sampled a few of their signature drinks. The Ginger She Really Hot was simple but well balanced between the sweet basil, citrus, and spicy ginger. The Open Sesame with sake, black sesame, and yuzu had compelling flavors but was savory and quite filling. Finally, the zero-proof Holè Molé was incredibly delicious, featuring a frothy and nutty cola served in an earthenware mug dressed with dulce de leche. Breakdown of the dishes I've tried: House made Pickles - a nice refreshing snack that features atypical items like cauliflower and strawberrySweet potato - this cumin-forward roast veggie dish is so good that we recommended it to the couple next to us. The flesh of the sweet potato has an umami-sweet caramel taste that is balanced by the tart labneh and fresh dill. Phenomenal. Summer Squash - another delicious meatless option with mint, puffed black rice, and plenty of char. Shrimp Aguachile - a fabulous and visually stunning appetizer consisting of awesome, succulent sweet not rubbery shrimp. Great flavors. Punchy citrus, zesty. Wish more broth and also chips. Grits - an amazing take on the Southern staple, in fact among the best I've had. It was cheesy, buttery, and warming, spiked with a dried beef condiment and charred onions. Carrots - these didn't impress us as much as some of the other stuff, though they had a healthy char and the salsa macha was interesting. Salmon - I was intrigued by the oolong tea-based broth, but it had a weird funky flavor that didn't do anything for me. Furthermore, the fish wasn't especially tender. The pickled onions were the best part. Whole Fish - the fire-kissed branzino is presented on a wooden plank with a blanket of sliced onions, parsley, and cilantro. The flavor and texture were nice, don't get me wrong--juicy with a hint of spice--but I don't think I would spend $53 on it again over some of the other offerings. Fried Chicken - Quite good. It was quite tender without being greasy, and the fish sauce and honey-based sauce paired well with tons of cilantro. I do wish there were more fresno chilies to kick things up a notch. Nuegados - think of these as Salvadoran donut holes doused in a sugar cane syrup and topped with orange zest. Overall enjoyable, but I found myself craving more sweetness - I wonder if a bit of powdered sugar would do the trick (or more syrup)?In summary, our experiences were mostly good with a few hiccups. A 4.5/5 is the more precise rating, but I hesitate to give the restaurant full marks without some more consistency. Regardless, well worth a visit and certainly a unique vibe in a crowded Houston dining scene.

This Vietnamese/Latino gourmet experience was familiar feeling while introducing it in a new way. From simple ideas like smoked butter for toasted cornbread to breaded short ribs all the food was amazing. The cocktails are perfectly balanced and quite fun, even when are doing dry Jan. So no alcohol in this case.The ambiance was hip and very cozy. We actually sat at the "Chef's Counter" which was cool. However due to the window it wasn't as interactive as it could have been, more like a cooking aquarium. Fun to watch. Service was excellent and prompt. Our main server was named "Grant" who provided great insights on the food and provided really good advice. He was assisted by others who ran out some of the dishes. I'd follow his advice since it was spot on. Little doubt we'll be back. It may soon rank up there with Theodore Rex my current fav.

Food was fine but overly pretentious- one prawn on a skewer?! Plus servers were very hovery and annoying. Final straw was not a full bar- just wine and sake drinks that were not great. Def going to hit up Xin Chao next time!

2nd time at this place, everything was phenomenal! Food was delicious, drinks were very tasty and our waiter was most friendly! The weather was great so we sat out side and it was lovely early dinner. Love it.

10/10 would return. There's a large ornate door outside, inside there's artwork from local artists, you can also view the chefs working from the large window separating the kitchen from the bar/dining area. The service was wonderful, Andres was very personable and explained the menu items thoroughly. We decided to experience the chef's tasting menu, along with some oysters and cornbread. The oysters were slightly charbroiled, with a pickled mango turmeric relish on top. It was refreshing and delicious. I enjoyed the cornbread. It was evenly toasted on all sides, served warm with a delicious sesame butter spread. As each dish was served, the server explained the contents of the plate. The shrimp aguachile was prepared sous vide, although it looks raw; the shrimp were plump and tasted so good with the bright sauce of shrimp oil, chiles, with avocado and watermelon radish. The beef tartar was fantastic. The beef was cubed just right, the texture was consistent and the sauce was delectable. It was definitely high quality beef for it to taste so good. It was topped a toasted rice and sesame buñelo which provided such a great crunchy contrast. Cauliflower was fine, as well as the carrots. The salmon was great, the curry lemongrass sauce took the dish to a whole new level. The beef tenderloin was outstanding. It was served with a spicy peanut curry sauce, and a celery root purée. Everything about it was just wonderful, melt in your mouth beef + a spicy curry sauce = heaven. I would return just to have another serving of this beef with curry sauce. Lots of the dishes had a spicy kick, if you love spicy order the tasting menu to have a bite of everything!The desserts were such a wonderful complement to end the meal. There was a small freshly fried donut topped with candied orange zest, a tapioca pudding with a passion fruit panna cotta, and another tasty creamy concoction flavored with a hint of rosemary.