We were hungry late at night close to midnight. Our go to place... Fufu cafe is gone. Saw the Cafe 101 was open till 1 am and plenty of people eating inside so that's always a good sign. Cafe 101 serve Japanese and Chinese food. There are table and booths inside as well as a full bar. We started with a couple of sushi specials... bluefin toro and Uni. Thought the bluefin toro were fresh as well as the Uni. Wasn't expecting so was pleasantly surprised. For our mains, we ordered the twice cooked pork and beef galbi. Both came as a set... with rice, side dish of pickled radish and carrots and dessert. Price-wise, it was reasonable considering it came as a set. Twice cooked pork hits the spot. It was plenty and had some to go. Galbi was decent... it's not like Korean Galbi. It was pretty saucy, sweet and tender. It was decent portion as well. Think we found our new late night spot! Look forward to trying out the rest of their menu in the future. :-) read more

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As one of the quintessential late night options in Chinatown, Cafe 101 provides a specific experience that few other late night spots can match. The lounge like ambiance, along with their diner-like menu, is a major selling point for folks and has been one of the reasons for their popularity over the better part of the last two decades. It is a bit trendy and plays music that you would think of and in a Miami lounge or a pretentious New York Club. While service is not their strong suit, the clean bathrooms, spacious seating, and semi-open kitchen makes up for some 'tudes from the staff. The menu is most definitely Asian, but blends from a predominantly Chinese menu and featuring various Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese items. The latter includes sushi, which is likely one of the only spots in the neighborhood that still has it after midnight. They have bluefin tuna and sea urchin, in which Cafe 101 is one of the only late night spots to offer it. Their beef chow fun is nice and greasy, but filled with excessive onions, bean sprouts, and various other veggies that almost take away from the noodles and beef (which was nicely cooked). Their shrimp and egg came in a nice set, which was a good surprise and surprisingly well executed. This is also a spot for Japanese curry, and even though it's not the best, it most certainly does the job. Taiwanese popcorn chicken is on point, cumin lamb is unsurprisingly spicy, and Singapore chow mai fun has a tinge of solid wok hei. (#1) I'm genuinely not a fan of their soups and think the sushi rolls are not their best work. While they also have milk, tea options, unless one is desperate, I would also steer clear of. Parking in the early evening can be an issue at Don Huang Plaza, but after 11pm, the parking options should be abundant. I would consider coming here in a larger group, especially with late night owls. ___________ (#1) Wok's essence (鑊氣) read more

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Back in the early 2010s, whenever a new Taiwanese place opened in Houston, there was one reliable way to verify if it was truly Taiwanese: you asked the Taiwanese students where they actually spent their money. Café 101 consistently showed up on that list - not the cheapest option, but the one with the most correct flavor profile. More than a decade later, that still holds. This isn't nostalgia; it's an evaluation of execution. Café 101 still runs on the classic Taiwanese tea-house + street-food model: fixed core dishes, steady execution, clean seasoning, no shortcuts. * Deep-fried large intestine - crisp shell, soft interior, and the exact pepper-salt profile you'd expect from an old-school Taiwanese stir-fry shop. * Taiwanese sausage (northern style) - proper fat ratio, rice-wine aroma, and--importantly--without the pronounced sweetness common in many southern links. * Popcorn chicken - traditional marinade, correct starch level, and frying temperature under control. * Fish-roe fried rice - rarely seen in the U.S.; the grains stay separated, roe integrated without greasiness. The drinks mirror what you'd find in a Taiwanese bubble-tea café from that era. The pineapple-based tea I ordered came in a cup and flavor profile that could have come straight from an older shop in Taipei - simple, direct, and on-theme. Houston has no shortage of Taiwanese family-run spots, each with its own strengths. But Café 101 remains one of the few that preserves the older tea-house / snack-shop flavor system while still keeping its menu in step with Taiwan. No surprise it's still busy after all these years. Five stars -- for correctness, discipline, and longevity. - Dr C Only writing for what truly earns the stars. read more

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Been coming to Cafe 101 since I returned to Houston years ago. Lots of good memories with friends here. For the best experience, come late at night on the weekend. The music is bumping and it's always full of young people. Passionfruit green tea is a must. Food is always enjoyable, even if service can be slow. Some of the shine has worn over the last 15 or so years, but I still come every chance I get. read more

Love this place, my friends and family always stop by whenever we can. Get the sukiyaki, kimchi fries, and fried squid.

I was 100% in the mood for great crab fried rice. After trying 10 restaurants in the area I found Cafe 101. They offer soft shell crab fried rice. The presentation was nice and the dish gas good. For me I would have preferred green onions/scalloins be in the dish. Green onions would have added that pop I experienced in previous dishes. The portion size was enough to satisfy 2 healthy adults, so it is a good value for the $ @ $17.95. Unfortunately the rice did not have the robust flavor I expected. Until I added the soy sauce I was done eating. The drink, tea madly, was $16.50 and in my opinion worth the $!6.50. This drink was very tasty and very aromatic. They make their alcoholic drinks with sake. I didn't finish the drink which was presented in a liter carafe. They presented chopsticks, and I am glad they also provided a spoon and for people like me who are challenged (lol). Regarding the atmosphere in the restaurant, it is not a place I would take a first or second date. Nor, is it a place I would recommend to anyone who was looking for tasty food. I don't wish to be mean, but the food was mediocre, at best . The best part of the experience was the drink with the fresh fruit! GN3 read more

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I love how this place is open late and has tons of amazing choices on food. A little dark inside but a nice place. Their menu is very extensive! Service was super fast even with the place full. We ordered a bunch of food: 2 orders of green beans (to die for btw!), 2 orders of chicken wings (spicy and regular), grilled mussels, seafood chow mein, oysters, 2 orders of fried rice (soft shell crab and shrimp), and Kung pao chicken. Everything was good. The oysters were just a little overwhelming. It was a very large dish! Drinks were sweet and the sake was good. Can't wait to come back! read more

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Not bad and not great. Came here for a late night meal. I ordered the Eel and Cucumber Roll, the spicy Yellowtail Roll, the Baked Mussels, and Kung Pao Shrimp. The food came out quickly. The flavor of the dishes is pretty average. Service here is good. It was a nice place, but there are better options around. read more

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Great place to go for a late night snack!! GET THE BAKED MUSSELS. Literally the whole table's favorite. Packed with so much flavor. The popcorn chicken is great too. It would taste even better with some sauce on the side. The fried squid was good. Quick and friendly service! read more

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You visit for the vibes and the company. The food was good. Ordered the seafood hot pot and the crab rangoons. Love the variety of the menu, plenty of alcoholic and non alcoholic options The spot to come if you're hungry late at night read more

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Cafe 101 is an Asian fusion bar with a HUGE menu - like, almost too many choices! They have everything from cocktails to milk tea to snacks, soup, sushi, hot pot, noodle dishes, rice dishes and more! I spent more time looking through the menu than it took for our dishes to be prepared and delivered to the table - not an exaggeration. Sometimes parking can be a pain because the restaurant is housed in one of the busiest shopping centers in Chinatown; however, when I went for lunch on a Sunday, I easily found parking right in front of the restaurant. The restaurant is spacious and clean. We were seated right away, and our server was very attentive. We started with the chicken nuggets, which did not look like much but were super tasty - moist chicken covered in a crispy, crunchy breading! I ordered the Singapore rice noodle - stir fries rice noodles with shrimp, pork & curry spice. It was very tasty but a bit dry. The portion size was HUGE! I had leftovers on leftovers. My friend ordered the hot pot. While I didn't taste it, the presentation was beautiful and my friend gave it a wonderful review. We also ordered the lychee sake which was very refreshing! All in all, I would definitely return for another meal at Cafe 101. read more

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Cafe 101 has been a long time staple in Bellaire for years. Located in the very busy Dun Huang plaza, Cafe 101 is a great place to catch up with friends. I'm not gonna lie, I usually don't come here to eat. This is more of a sip and yap kind of place. My friends and I tend to come here during happy hour or reverse happy hour. I recommend getting appetizers like the chicken nuggets or fried squid, and wash it all down with multiple Heineken green teas and large hot sakes. An assortment of apps and drinks here is the perfect way to have a fun time talking with friends. If you do decide to eat here, the food honestly isn't bad and the portions are pretty big. I sometimes order their kimchi stir fried udon w/ either pork or seafood if I'm really hungry. Otherwise, the real reason of coming here is for late night socializing and drinking in Bellaire. Enjoy! read more

Cafe 101 - New menu items - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This review is for the customer service + doordash food. I placed an order on doordash and when I called the restaurant to ask something, the person on the phone was SO RUDE. He essentially insinuated that I was stupid for asking, when it was the restaurant's fault for making an inaccurate doordash page in the first place. What an outrageous way to speak to customers. Then, the food arrives and it is literally so gross. The "fried green beans" are not fried at all! They are barely cooked, extremely soggy, and sad. The crab rangoons had barely any filling either. This place was an absolute letdown. I've been here to eat inside the restaurant, but was appalled by today's doordash experience. I will not be going back to this trash establishment. There's a million better places in Houston to eat. read more

Cafe 101 - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Food is okay they have almost everything on the menu ranging from sushi to cake so good if a big party wants to all eat different foods but most of the dishes are just okay. The lighting is moody and sometimes the music is too loud to the point where you're yelling to talk. read more

Okay service, average food. Wanted to try a new place out. Decided on Cafe 101 after hearing some good things. Menu is quite extensive. There's some Chinese, Japanese, Korean items, among others. Not really fusion but pan-Asian would best describe what's available. For starts, we got the Salt and Pepper Sakura Ebi. Long story short - I do not recommend. It's good taste-wise but I feel it's overpriced. It's pretty much the salt and pepper shrimp you get at Asian restaurants but with mini shrimp. Staff also didn't give spoons for the dish. Sure, I'd say my chopstick skils are above average. But to be able to enjoy the dish with chopsticks? Nope. Main dishes at our table included Seafood Hot Pot, Japanese Pork Katsu Curry, and Beef Noodle Soup. The hot pot came with a bowl of rice, side dish of wood ear mushrooms and pickled raddishes, and a dipping sauce. My dad got this and he liked it. There was a good number of seafood, such as shrimp, fish balls, and sliced fish fillets along with tofu and enoki mushrooms. The Beef Noodle Soup was very good in my opinion. Plenty of nice sized beef chunks. The only critique was that the flavor of the broth wasn't as strong as I would have liked. Finally, the pork katsu. I really have no critiques about this dish. It was nice and crispy, curry had wonderful flavor, and it went well with the rice. Lastly, the ambiance was nice with a very modern touch. I wouldn't come back unless it's with friends who would want to. read more

If you're looking for super simple "Asian" food, then this is the place for you. Unfortunately, this place would not be on my recommendation list. I'd only came here bc a friend of mine who isn't cultured wanted "Asian" so this was what I had to resort to. The salted fish fried rice we ordered was extremely salty, it was so unbearable I had to ask for white rice to mix it in with. Sushi was below mid and same price as any other sushi restaurant. Beef chow fun noodle was pretty decent and portions were nice. We spent a total of $100 for over 5 dishes which is pretty decent. Saturday night was full surprisingly (young non Asian crowd of course) with loud music throughout the restaurant. I guess they know how to attract these type of people One of the perks about this place is that they offer a variety of dishes to choose from and it's very easy to eat for non Asians Also, their sizzling plate did look pretty good although I didn't order it read more

Best Asian Food in Town! For many years, it had been a good place especially late night meals. read more

Solid Chinese food!! Went here for a family style meal and it was so fun! They have so much variety on their menu so it is a perfect place for big groups! It's a very fun atmosphere! So many people were celebrating different occasions while we were there! read more

Stopped here for dinner. Service was super quick. The juice and drink selection is amazing. Had the Passionate love which was sweet and perfect for a hot day. Tried a couple things- all were decent but none stood out. The menu is pretty large though so there are plenty of options. Would come back to check out the happy hour read more

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Very nice place food it was delicious, and great service,I went with my coworkers it was just amazing! read more

Cafe 101 - Really nice place food is delicious!! - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cafe 101 has always been one of my favorites for years. I've been going here for over 10 years, and the foods and drinks have always been consistent for me. I've always liked the atmosphere here, and it's a nice and casual place to hang out with friends. Lately I've been ordering them for to go's than eating there in person, but the foods have always been good even then. My favorite foods here have always been the Baked Mussels, Beef Fried Udon, Sizzling Kalbi Beef (Hot Plate), Chicken w/ Three Flavor Sauce, Scrambled Eggs w/ Beef, and the Tornado Roll. These dishes have always been flavorful, and they've pretty much become some of my comfort foods over the years. The photo is from one of my more recent to-go orders from here. read more

Cafe 101 - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

A classic late-night hangout spot for all Houstonians and travellers alike, with a wide variety of Asian-fusion dishes and amazing taste. From classic Chinese cuisine to sushi and sashimi, from delicious snacks to hotpots, they have it all. Plus a colorful menu of drinks, from boba tea to cocktails. Definitely my personal favorite place to chill with friends and even business partners. Service is great. Staff is friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is simply amazing. Modern, trendy, and upscale. Ideal to the point of iconic. Parking, however, can be horrendous, especially weekend nights. Anyway, highly recommended and definitely coming back! read more

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I've been here a few times and it's been okay each time. It's nice that it's open late but in my opinuon the food is mediocre (you may think otherwise if you've had a few drinks). I had sushi but rice was quite sour... it was not good. My friends and I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was dimly lit, TVs were not on during game time. Cocktails are just okay as well. read more

Large portions and worth the price! Needed some food before hauling back with a 3 hour drive back to home and found this place. I have ordered the sky diving drink with crystal boba, twisted fate, and the sauerkraut fatty beef soup. The drink looked pleasing and the taste of the yogurt with sprite was delicious. I stirred the whipped cream into the drink and it looked more like a deep blue sea. The twisted fate was deep fried pork intestines with sweet and sour sauce. I was bracing myself for it to have a gamey flavor but the fried aspect of it toned it down and it was delicious with crunchy on the outside and soft\chewy on the inside. The sauerkraut fatty beef took me by surprise. I thought it was in a soup bowl but it was a hot pot! The broth was sour and spicy. It was super addicting and I was surprised that they were very generous with the amount of meat you get in the soup because I was thinking it would be a measly count of 4 meat slices. It also included radish, fungus salad, and a little dessert! When I come back to Houston, I know that this place will be on my radar for now on. Bonus points that it opens late too! read more

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The food here is very very tasty! And the portions are big! Really the food was great, everything we got was delicious, no complaints about the food, this is a place I will come back! Location is good, they have plenty of parking and the establishment is nice. The only two things I would say they should improve is the service, because is not great, our server will not come to check on us or to see if we wanted more drinks or anything else, we would have to wave to get her attention and she will come but with not a friendly vibe, I don't know if she was tired or she is just not a people person, but her service was not good. The other thing I noticed is the bathroom, needs some work, they were kinda dirty. read more

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I alway enjoy the food, whether take pick up or dine in. The service is usually pretty good. Ambiance is nice, their music selection is good too. If you are going to door dash or uber it, don't. There isn't a wide selection available on the apps. You can just call in and pick up yourself. It's a place I frequent so I'll always recommend it. read more

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My party of three arrived at 8 o clock last night. As soon as we arrived we were asked how many, lead us to the table then gently threw the menus down without an enjoy your meal and I hope you weren't expecting a smile. We sat down and she immediately asked if we were ready for drinks before having a chance to look at the menu. We then scrambled looking at the drink menu whilst she sullenly stared at us to make a decision. We went ahead and went with water because being stared at without blinking was a little much on an empty atona read more

I've gone here since my college years (~2008). The place has been renovated and has a nice, chill atmosphere. There is a bar to the right of the entrance. The restrooms are fairly cleaned. The food and drink menu is very extensive! They have a variety of appetizers, sushi, hotpot, rice plates, etc. I always get the Japanese curry chicken nuggets & house salad with a tropical fruit green tea drink which comes with a lot of fruit. My husband gets the pepper chicken which has a good kick and mango frappe. The fried rice was pretty good but the fried squid doesn't seem as good quality anymore. It's located in a busy complex in Chinatown but parking is usually available on that side of the complex. read more

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Overall 4 stars. Tried 2 cocktails, spicy tuna roll, and salt and pepper bacon french fries. read more

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Overwhelmed by their menu. Such a variety of stuff from rice plates, noodle plates to hot pots and sushi. I got the pork intestines hot pot, my friend got the fried pork intestines, her daughter got sushi, hubby got the curry chicken katsu and my daughter got the 3 sauce basil chicken. Why they thought bringing the hot fire 3 sauce chicken out to my 8 yo daughter was a good idea? She was terrified. It was a freak accident about to happen. I had them turn off the flame. The bowl on the flame slips down be extremely careful eating out of it. My hot pot was ok, the pork intestines were a bit gamey. The baked mussels were good. For a party of 5 the split check each had gratuity automatically added. read more

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Service, ambiance and presentation is fine.. ..but the soup is crazy salty.. imo has MSG, felt my bones rattling and heart racing on the way home. Smh.. desert seems like made with water and powder mix. Not edible! At least not for my wife and I.. read more

I will say that I have been coming here for a long time and the food is excellent but the loss of a star is for service. A lot of the waiters/waitresses are very distant and barely do the bare minimum. They'll seat us, take our orders, and never check up on us again. It is a shame because I love the food and environment! My favorite items to get here are the calamari (I love the sauce it comes with), Kimchi Bulgogi fries w/egg, and beef fried udon. The food truly is delicious, I just wish they had better training for the service there to really make the trip worth it. Prices are reasonable and on par with other restaurants in the area, portion could be a bit bigger. I'd recommend to go here but just watch out for the bad service. read more

Food quality has gone down it seems like each time we last visited. I used to love the Taiwanese sausage & rice thing but they use to have the green onions/ chives sliced beautifully years ago with the garlic slices. I'm a little too lazy and got no knife skills in the kitchen so I come to eat it all cut up nicely for me. That was around the time they first opened or 2008 or so. 2023-2024 they make it more choppy and less presentable and less of the garlic and chives/ green onions. Today's plating is far from the original beautifully sliced stuff. It's not even green anymore! But sloppy white onions that looks like leftovers and what's worse is the waitress recommended the new Basil clam dish and it DID NOT SMELL FRESH and tasted very FISHY and had lots of broken clam shells that we were a bit weary of if we should even eat it. Decor is still nice looking. Bathroom didn't have any more paper towels in the automatic paper towel holders. Eewies on that after washing hands I don't like to open the door with bare hands so had to find toilet paper to use for the door. Avocado yogurt juice/ drink is ok but I don't taste any yogurt. It tasted more like watered down avocado smoothie. read more

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LOVEEEE Cafe 101 been going for 5 years now and have never had a dish I didn't enjoy! Love how they're open late night and their servers are always lovely and helpful! Cool late night ambiance and good for groups! Or even just alone! I've tried almost the whole menu and it's ALL good, but my favorite is the kimchi beef hotpot with avocado milk on a cold day and the salmon sashimi with an iced milk drink on a hot day! Literally a must try for me if you're a Houston Asian food-foodie read more

Cafe 101 - Kimchi Beef Hot Pot - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Been years since I've eaten here. Still seems like a popular late night destination for food/drinks. Went for dinner and when we were leaving around 10ish it became more of a clubbing vibe. Positives were the drinks selections, tried out some sake and a few cocktails, pretty good just as I remembered it. The food was okay, the menu probably has way too many options, could be a chore for people who's never been here. Got the Beefsteak 燒汁牛柳, and the fried tofu appetizer, both had decent portions which I liked. Side dishes were a good touch. read more

Cafe 101 - Beefsteak 燒汁牛柳 - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

TL;DR Good restaurant for late night cravings! Service was quick and minimal, but the food was tasty! The drinks leave something to be desired and I found the environment to be a little dark for my liking, but alas. My buddy recommended this restaurant cause it's part of a handful of late night places that are open late on Bellaire Blvd. Coming in at 11PM on a weeknight, it was a little busy, but seating was speedy. We were kinda in a hurry so we ordered the Chicken Curry, the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, and a few drinks (I got the Mocha Frappe w/ Cookie). Food came out within ~8 minutes of ordering. Our water (which was served in Mason jars?!?!) was refilled multiple times (thanks, Waitress Whose Name I Forgot™). My mocha frappe was essentially a cookies and cream shake with a Hydrox dipped in it. Wasn't anything different but that's on me for not going out of my comfort zone in regards to drinks. The curry was steaming hot and the popcorn chicken was juicy and crunchy. And, for the price, the portion sizes are just right for people wanting to share or for animals like me who don't know when to stop eating. I just wish the lights inside were brighter so I can actually see what I'm dining on. Yes, it was night, but that doesn't mean the inside also has to be dark. That lighting type is for snooty, rich people restaurants who serve you a portion the size of a pistachio alongside a "minimalist smear of sauce" and call it gourmet. Just turn on the lights. Rant over. read more

Cafe 101 - Mocha Frappe Nothing outstanding if you've already drank a cookies and cream shake from anywhere else. - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

They have a huge variety of drinks, and it is really good! I like their kiwi juice! Tasted fresh too. Also get their sizzling oyster plate. It's worth the price and delicious! Skip the soft shell crabs because they cut it up and gave us barely any. It wasn't worth the price. read more

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I like how this place is open for late hours! Food is good, portions are very fulfilling! Nice and clean environment. read more

Cafe 101 - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food came in quick and fast, service was great, and it was always really spacey. I love getting their sushi plates. One of their best qualities is the amount of variety they have, a whole book of stuff to choose from! read more

Cafe 101 - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas

So many options to choose from! This restaurant is packed with such a wide variety of Asian dishes, ranging from sushi to hotpot to noodles and more. It was definitely difficult to decide what to eat. I was craving sushi so I decided to try it. I would consider myself a sushi connoisseur and I was impressed with this sushi. I got the crunch roll along with a tuna and salmon nigiri. My family got other wide ranges of food like the kimchi hotpot soup, amazing! The Japanese Katsu curry was also one of my favorites. There's also a wide variety of different drinks, alcoholic and nonalcoholic. I got the peach green tea, was also good. Got seated fast on a Saturday night, food came out fast and staff was friendly. Decent amount of seating and nice ambiance of the place! read more

Cafe 101 - Crunch roll - Chinese Near Me - Houston, Texas