Houstonians are spoiled with endless choices when it comes to food: Our barbecue, Indian restaurants and even Mexican taquerias reflect the regionality, spontaneity and creativity you may find on any given menu. When it comes to Houston’s best Chinese restaurants, the variety is just as rich.
From the fiery dishes of Sichuan to more understated Cantonese classics, the regional diversity of Chinese food is on full display these days. The Chronicle’s food team ate countless orders of dumplings, noodles, soups and more to come up with this guide to the city’s top Chinese restaurants, listed in alphabetical order below. Let us know if we’ve missed your favorite.
Note: The Houston Chronicle pays full price for every meal consumed during restaurant visits; our staff writers never accept freebies or comps in exchange for coverage.
From the outside, Duck N Bao resembles any other average Chinese restaurant about town. But its nondescript strip mall location belies what awaits inside: A jewel box designed to channel a traditional Chinese teahouse — complete with murals, intricately carved woodwork, and etched glass art. Friendly service and well executed signature dishes — both the Peking duck and the soup dumplings are stellar — round out a menu with favorites from Mongolian beef to honey walnut shrimp. And there’s an excellent cocktail list by owner Grace Xia. There are also locations in Cypress and Rice Village.
